Chapter 96: Lucky Audience Member - Li's Kitchen
When they received Han Yoon-sung's call, Na Young-seok's production team unanimously believed it was a scam call, as Han Yoon-sung had to repeat herself three times.
The person on the other end of the phone also found the situation amusing and participated out of curiosity, and ended up being selected.
Han Yunxing called to express her liking and gratitude, and also to give up her spot to other fans before the audience list was released.
Na Young-seok was not about to let such a dramatic turn of events pass by. After removing one spot from the list, he formally invited Han Yoon-sung to participate in the recording of Lee's Kitchen.
The full name of Li's Canteen is "Li's Alone Canteen". As the name suggests, Li Xiugen is the only person in charge of everything here, from running the business and cooking to washing dishes and serving food.
That's where things went wrong: the audience traveled all that way to eat in the cafeteria just for Lee Soo-geun.
On the first day of business, Li Xiugen was so busy that he was almost nowhere to be seen. He would greet the new customers, take their orders, quickly prepare the dishes, and then go through the winding corridors to serve them. He would barely have time to chat with the customers before new customers arrived.
Disinfecting, taking orders, soup and rice simmering on the stove, serving the dishes...
We chatted for a bit, and then another guest arrived.
One Li Xiugen needs to be split into eight pieces for use.
After guests expressed a desire to see Lee Soo-geun more, Na Young-seok and his youngest PD moved into the kitchen to assist, and Lee's Kitchen officially added two temporary staff members.
However, this was far from enough, and Li's canteen was still short-staffed. So, towards the end of the show's recording, Li's canteen underwent another round of recruitment—two new temporary workers were about to start work.
Gangwon Province Inje
The address provided by the production team was very remote. Outside the car window, the tall buildings of the city gradually faded away, replaced by rolling mountain scenery. After a three-hour drive, Han Yunxing and Yun Qi finally arrived at Li's Restaurant.
As soon as we got off the bus, a vast expanse of open fields came into view. Looking into the distance, the diners were drawn in by the joy of picking, and many were taking photos among the ridges of the fields. Some people held up potatoes that had just been dug out of the ground, still covered in fresh mud, and excitedly posed for photos. The laughter and chatter of their companions made them show off even more enthusiastically.
Walking along the path to the cafeteria entrance, a giant balloon figure was dancing energetically in the wind, waving at Han Yunxing and Yun Qi with flamboyant attire.
When Han Yunxing and the other person walked in, they caught the end of Boss Li's guitar performance.
Four or five bamboo beds were neatly arranged in the courtyard. The afternoon sun was high, and the huge floor-to-ceiling parasols above the beds cast a cool shade. The diners sat cross-legged under the beds, enjoying their leisurely lunch. Right now, they watched with satisfaction as Lee Soo-geun, with a large beard sticking out of his philtrum, ran around singing "Oh, Ray" while holding a guitar.
"Oh, Ray, oh, Ray~" Hearing the new guest enter, Lee Soo-geun continued singing and warmly greeted him. Upon meeting the new guest's gaze, his smile spread uncontrollably. He turned and circled around the two of them, his singing suddenly changing direction: "I am always gonna be luminous~latata latata~"
When Han Yunxing and Yun Qi were suddenly called upon, their conditioned reflexes were still stuck on "Oh, Lei Yi," and they subconsciously opened their mouths to respond. The three of them opened their mouths, and the rhythm became a complete mess.
Lee Soo-geun was so happy not for any other reason than that, in the last two days of the program, the part-time cafeteria worker he had been longing for finally arrived.
Of course, Na Young-seok and PD Jung-woo, who recently helped out voluntarily, don't count. After all, Na Young-seok is the root of all evil.
Lee Soo-geun shook his apron with an air of importance, slowly raised his hands which were folded in front of his abdomen, and frantically flapped his fingers. The pigeon impersonation show swept away all the singing and ran away.
"This is an extra performance, for my savior." After saying that, Lee Soo-geun's smile vanished, and he openly complained to the two of them about the workload since the start of the business, without any attempt to hide it from the camera.
"These past few days, ah, I'm really going crazy!" He spoke at a machine-gun-like pace, his fake mustache trembling wildly with his exaggerated mouth movements. Li Xiugen recounted the day's work in a rapid-fire manner.
As Han Yunxing and her companion sat down on the cool bed, a sense of foreboding washed over them; they felt as if they had embarked on a pirate ship.
But, since we're already here...
Right now, employee meals are more important.
Gangwon Province is famous for its potatoes and corn, and Lee's No. 1 restaurant's dish is a kind of rice cooked over a wood fire, which is very well integrated with potatoes.
Li Xiugen's fingers went numb just talking about it; peeling potatoes and removing corn kernels was no easy task.
At the head chef's strong recommendation, Han Yunxing pointed to the menu and said, "I'll have one set meal A, one set meal B, and two bowls of potato rice."
Lee Soo-geun deftly packed up the menu, and before leaving, he pointed to the vibrant potato field in front of the door: "Go play before you start to hate potatoes."
As soon as he finished speaking, the guests who had been eavesdropping on the conversation burst out laughing.
"Oh my, it's Yi Rui!" An auntie, clearly a drama enthusiast, recognized Han Yunxing at a glance and greeted her loudly.
Her daughter, standing next to her, quietly corrected her name and gave Han Yunxing an apologetic look.
"Isn't it Yi Rui? Jiang Yi Rui." The aunt muttered, giving Han Yunxing and the other girl a kind smile.
"Yes! Hello, Auntie, I'm Yi Rui~" Han Yunxing stepped forward with a smile, took her hand, and gently shook it.
The aunt was overjoyed. She shook Han Yunxing's hand and first thanked her for admitting her mistake and correcting it in the end of the drama. Then she began to enthusiastically share her potato-digging secrets with Han Yunxing.
Han Yunxing and Yun Qi listened attentively; this was a living, breathing training guide for new employees.
After seeing off the lovely aunt and her family, Han Yunxing and Yun Qi each stepped onto the muddy ground with a bamboo basket in hand.
During a primary school field trip, Yunqi's school organized a sweet potato digging activity. She rolled up her sleeves to her elbows, picked out the most pleasing seedling, and then ruthlessly destroyed it. The branches and leaves, along with the roots, burst out of the soil, filling half of the bamboo basket.
Yun Qi gave Han Yunxing a smug smile: "Unnie, actually I could tell which seedling was the best at a glance when I was three years old."
After saying that, she transformed into a critic, distinguishing the good from the bad potato seedlings one by one, speaking eloquently and logically. She moved around, and the potatoes rolled around in the bamboo basket, finally landing with a thud on Yunqi's instep.
"Aigoo." Yunqi hugged the instep that had been hit by a potato and hopped on one foot, bumping into Han Yunxing, who was trying not to laugh, with a wronged expression.
"Are you going to play football?" Han Yunxing couldn't help but laugh, but under Yun Qi's resentful gaze, he forced a smile and said in a serious tone, "Expert, please teach me your potato technique."
"Employees, lunch is served!" Li Xiugen's voice, carrying the aroma of kimchi soup, successfully brought the two people who were happily lost in the fields back to reality.
Han Yunxing and Yun Qi carried their harvest to the sink outside the kitchen and carefully washed their hands. Just as they sat down, Li Xiugen brought over a small dining table.
"The food is in the pot on the stove. You can cook it yourself and take as much as you want."
Guided by Lee Soo-geun, Han Yoon-sung lifted the wooden lid of the iron pot. The moment it was lifted, steam rushed out, carrying the rich aroma of rice and the sweet, sticky scent of potatoes. The rice grains were fully soaked in water, each distinct, interspersed with golden, soft potato chunks, and the edges were slightly charred, forming a crispy layer of rice crust.
Scoop up a spoonful of rice, then use chopsticks to spread on a glossy, oily slice of sand ginseng. One bite and the spiciness of the sand ginseng stimulates your taste buds, followed by the salty, fragrant, soft, and sticky texture of the rice and the sweet, creamy texture of the potato. The flavors blend together in your mouth, making your mouth water.
Yunqi covered her mouth, hurriedly gave Li Xiugen a thumbs up, and mumbled a surprised "delicious!"
Receiving positive feedback, Lee Soo-geun smiled with satisfaction, then turned his expectant gaze to Han Yoon-sung, who was tasting another dish.
In front of Han Yunxing was a steaming bowl of potato and pork soup. The dark brown broth was rich and flavorful, and it contained several large pieces of tender pork ribs. Two pieces of green scallion were sprinkled on the surface of the soup.
The ribs were cooked until tender and flavorful; she gently poked them with her chopsticks, and the meat obediently fell off. Before eating the meat, she first mashed the soft, powdery potatoes in the broth with a spoon. Then, she scooped up a spoonful of the rich broth, infused with the aroma of potatoes and meat, and poured it over the rice. The dark brown sauce instantly soaked into the rice, spreading a savory and fragrant flavor.
With that solid bite, Han Yunxing's cheeks were bulging so much she couldn't speak. All she could do was nod frantically, her bright eyes showing her approval of Lee Soo-geun's cooking skills.
Seeing that they were enjoying their meal, Li Xiugen patted his apron with satisfaction, stood up, and continued to greet the other guests. Before leaving, he brought over two Myohan cushions and placed them next to the two women so they could be seen by the camera. "Even Myohan looks beautiful with such pretty kids in the middle."
The cameraman nodded up and down, seemingly agreeing wholeheartedly with Lee Soo-geun's words.
After a hearty meal, Li Xiugen officially started working as a temporary worker, using the staff meal and a basket of potatoes he had hired.
The scene that Lee Soo-geun had imagined countless times was finally realized: the three of them were washing dishes around a sink piled high with bowls and chopsticks, working side by side.
"It's not a very nice scene when you're alone." The three of them sitting in a circle give off a family sitcom vibe. Lee Soo-geun muttered to the camera while quickly washing the dishes, his face showing the satisfaction of finally getting what he wanted.
Suddenly he raised his arm to cover his face, sighed, and remarked.
"Aigoo. Our daughters have really grown up, grown up."
He wiped away imaginary tears: "Why did Father run this restaurant?"
"Money!" Han Yunxing and Yun Qi declared in unison, receiving a sharp rebuke from their "old father" from afar.
Li Xiugen pretended to be deep and looked up at the sky: "It was all to earn money for your milk powder - I didn't expect the noise to be so loud that the restaurant will continue to operate until you grow up. Damn, so many dishes to wash every day."
"Daughter A, are you trying to drive away?"
Han Yunxing laughed so hard she was shaking. Before she could answer, Li Xiugen's acting addiction kicked in again. He squinted and imitated her, twisting the wheel from side to side as if he were holding a steering wheel, making car engine noises as if he was about to drive the car towards the door, looking like he was about to abandon the store and run away.
Han Yunxing and Yun Qi were so amused by the sudden imitation that they doubled over with laughter, and Yun Qi even fell onto Han Yunxing while laughing.
Lee Soo-geun feigned a movement and swayed back to his seat, suppressing a laugh as he announced regretfully to the two people huddled together, who were bursting into laughter: "We can't escape it either. The next wave of guests is coming soon, so hurry up."
After the skit, the performers were satisfied, and the diners nearby watched with great interest. Han Yunxing and Yun Qi went from part-time students to becoming the daughters A and B of the owner of Li's canteen.
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Author's Note: There will be another chapter later tomorrow.
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