Chapter 59 Ye Feifei's Friends
Wei Guangsheng was stuffing a box of sauce with only three days left to expire into a plastic bag when he suddenly heard a calm voice behind him call out, "Old Wei~". Startled, he shuddered, his hand trembled, and the plastic bag crashed to the ground, scattering the bottles and jars inside.
He turned around abruptly, his pupils shrinking, his face showing a look of utter disbelief: "Su... Su Yingxue?! What are you doing here?"
Su Yingxue suppressed the laughter in her eyes, straightened her back, and stood there seriously. She even imitated Chen Ru's scolding posture with her fingertips, slowly dragging out the tone: "Old Wei~ what are you doing?" The tone was so lifelike that even the majesty in the last syllable was exactly the same.
Wei Guangsheng's face flushed bright red, as if scalded by boiling water. He hurriedly bent down to pick up the plastic bag, his fingers frantically rummaging through the seasonings on the ground. He stammered, "I...I just...checked if these seasonings were still usable...I didn't mean anything else."
Su Yingxue tilted her head, took a step closer, and couldn't hide the smile in her eyes: "Oh? So, Master Wei, do you plan to take this box of sauce, which only lasts for three days, home and use it slowly, or... save it for the guests to 'try something new' later?"
Wei Guangsheng's face turned even redder, his ears burning, and he stammered, trying to cover it up: "I... I just felt it was a waste to throw it away... It's not good to waste food."
Su Yingxue blinked, deliberately sighed heavily, her tone tinged with regret: "Alas, that's true. Master Wei has always been thrifty and hardworking, unlike us newcomers who don't know how to manage a household and only know how to waste ingredients."
These words stung Wei Guangsheng like a thorn in his side. He immediately became agitated, straightened up, and retorted, "Who said I was wasting it?! I was making good use of it! The restaurant rules don't say that near-expiry seasonings can't be used!"
Su Yingxue spread her hands, looking at him innocently: "But Sister Chen just said at the front desk that food nearing its expiration date must be thrown away, so as not to keep it and cause trouble for the customers, lest it ruin the restaurant's reputation..."
Wei Guangsheng's words caught in his throat, his face paling slightly. He glared at Su Yingxue but didn't dare argue further—he couldn't disobey Chen Ru. In the end, he could only reluctantly pick up the sauce container, shove it into the trash bag, and mutter, "Little brat, so young, but she's got quite the mouth..."
Su Yingxue clapped her hands with a smile, turned and walked towards the warehouse. As she reached the door, she turned back to add insult to injury: "Master Wei, you can take your time to 'make good use' of it. I'm going to tidy up the warehouse now~"
Wei Guangsheng stood there, watching her briskly retreating figure, rolling his eyes in anger. He muttered under his breath, "Why did she have to learn Chen Ru's way of lecturing people..."
—In the warehouse.
Su Yingxue hummed a light tune as she deftly organized the ingredients on the shelf, sorting the expired and near-expired items. Just as she picked up a box of near-expired bread to throw it into the trash can, she suddenly heard soft footsteps behind her, accompanied by a soft call: "Su Yingxue."
She turned around and saw Meng Hui from the front desk, holding a stack of freshly counted ingredient lists.
Meng Hui's gaze fell on the bread in her arms, and her brows furrowed slightly: "Are you just going to throw this bread away?"
Su Yingxue nodded and shook the bread box in her hand: "Yes, Sister Chen specifically instructed that food nearing its expiration date cannot be kept, in case there are any problems."
Meng Hui hesitated for a moment, then leaned closer and whispered, "Actually... this bread is just a bit dry on the outside, but the inside is still soft. It's such a waste to throw it away. Why don't you take it back and feed it to that stray cat downstairs that always sits by the flower bed? It waits there every day; it's so pitiful."
Su Yingxue was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Great! I always bring it food, so this way it won't go to waste."
Meng Hui breathed a sigh of relief, reached out and patted her shoulder, her tone carrying a hint of reminder: "You've just come to the restaurant, so you may not know Chef Wei yet—he has a bit of a strange temper and speaks bluntly, but his skills are really good. It's just that sometimes... he's too stingy and can't stand any waste. Don't take it personally with him."
Su Yingxue blinked, recalling Wei Guangsheng's embarrassed look earlier, and couldn't help but laugh: "Yeah, I can tell, he's just being stubborn."
Meng Hui looked around to make sure no one was there, then leaned closer and lowered her voice even further: "By the way, Miss Ye is bringing a friend today. I heard that young lady is particularly picky about food and likes to nitpick. If you're in charge of serving the dishes later, keep a close eye on things and don't make any mistakes."
Su Yingxue's heart skipped a beat, and she nodded in agreement: "I understand, I will be careful."
She glanced down at the bread in her arms, then scanned the sauce ingredients for braised pork rice on the shelf, silently calculating in her mind—today's braised pork rice is the signature dish, it can't have any problems, I have to keep a close eye on it later.
Meanwhile, in the restaurant lobby.
Chen Ru paced back and forth at the front desk, her high heels clicking rapidly on the floor. She glanced up at the door every now and then, her brow furrowed, her expression tense like a taut bowstring.
"Why hasn't Miss arrived yet? Didn't she say she'd be here at three o'clock sharp?" she asked the waiter arranging the menus, her voice tinged with anxiety.
The waiter shook his head, his tone uncertain: "The front desk didn't receive any specific information, they only said 'around this time,' they didn't give a exact time."
Chen Ru bit her lower lip, her fingertips unconsciously digging into the edge of the counter, her heart pounding with anxiety. Today's guest was Ye Feifei, the chairman's daughter. She'd heard Ye Feifei had extensive connections in the entertainment industry; if she could please her, the restaurant's future investments might be secured.
But what if the service is subpar, or there's even the slightest mistake with the food...? She didn't dare think about it. She could only turn her head toward the kitchen and silently pray, "Please don't let anything go wrong, please don't mess it up."
If anything goes wrong, I'll have a serious talk with them. I'll definitely dock their pay! These people!
—The kitchen.
Just as Su Yingxue put the bread into her locker, she heard a hurried commotion outside, accompanied by a waiter's raised voice: "They're here! Miss Ye and the others have arrived!"
"Quick! Is the tableware in the VIP room set? Check it again!"
"Master Wei, Miss Ye has ordered the signature braised pork rice. Is it ready yet? Don't delay us!"
Su Yingxue paused, her ears twitching slightly—she vaguely heard someone mention "signature braised pork rice." Yesterday, she had watched over the stove for Master Wei while he slept and made a bowl of braised pork rice. Wang Meng and a long-haired boy had raved about it; the boy's surname seemed to be Ye…
Could that customer from yesterday be Miss Ye's friend who came today? Could she have made that bowl of braised pork rice?
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