Chapter 82: After the healing power of food from the cat planet's telepathic communication, new news arrives from the cat planet...
The farm's canteen is located on the road between the production workshop in Zone 2 and the office building in Zone 1. It is a detached bungalow that looks very warm and inviting.
The exterior walls were painted a warm yellow, the roof was covered with dark brown tiles, and a wooden sign hung at the entrance, with "Meow Meow Canteen" written in cute cat paw-shaped font, next to which was a cartoon rice bowl with a grinning mouth.
Pushing open the heavy cafeteria door, which carries a faint scent of raw wood, reveals a spacious and bright interior.
The floor is covered with easy-to-clean off-white tiles, while the walls are a warm light orange.
The neatly arranged wooden dining table and chairs were spotless, and in the middle of each table was a small glass bottle filled with seasonal wildflowers or a few sprigs of fresh catnip that Shi Wan had picked from the planting area, adding a touch of rustic charm.
There are even a few low, cushioned seats for cats near the wall, so that the little guys can come and eat and rest when they are tired.
Although the little guys are mischievous, they are also very obedient. They never sneak into the kitchen. They might wander around the lobby occasionally, but most of the time they wait in their assigned seats for employees who have finished work to come and pet them.
The kitchen staff even welcomed them, saying that having cats around regularly kept the mice away.
The kitchen is semi-open; through the bright glass partition, you can see the clean and tidy stainless steel stove and busy figures inside.
This is the moment when the aroma of food is at its most intense, with steam rising and spatulas clattering, creating a lunchtime symphony that makes your mouth water.
Four employees with distinct personalities are in charge of managing this delicious haven.
The head chef, Aunt Zhang, is a woman nearing fifty, slightly overweight, but always with a smile on her face.
It is said that she worked as a kitchen helper in a big restaurant in the city when she was young. Later, she returned to the countryside to take care of her sick parents. She became a famous chef in the surrounding villages, and people would come to invite her for weddings and funerals. Finally, Shi Wan invited her to the farm because of her reputation.
She has excellent cooking skills, especially in home-style dishes. She is efficient and decisive, and has a loud voice. She is the pillar of the entire cafeteria.
Uncle Li, the kitchen helper, is Aunt Zhang's husband. He is a taciturn, dark-skinned middle-aged man.
She used to be a skilled farmer, but later she came to the farm with Aunt Zhang and was mainly responsible for logistics work such as washing vegetables, cutting and preparing them, and cleaning.
He doesn't talk much, but he's quick and efficient, and his chopping of vegetables is both fast and even. He's Aunt Zhang's right-hand man.
Zheng Fang, the vegetable server, is a lively girl in her early twenties with a slightly chubby face.
She was Sun Xiaojun's girlfriend. She was cheerful and hardworking. When she saw the farm canteen was hiring, she quickly signed up. She especially loved small animals and would secretly feed the cats that came to the canteen, all of which she bought herself from the farm.
There's also Xiao Zhao, a slightly shy young man wearing black-rimmed glasses, who is responsible for miscellaneous tasks such as bookkeeping and purchasing.
He is meticulous and conscientious in his work, a little shy, but has a very good temper. Although he doesn't talk much, he is amiable and people will greet him when they see him.
When Shi Wan and Su Qing entered the cafeteria, many employees who had just finished work were already seated inside. The sounds of people and the aroma of food created a lively and warm atmosphere.
"Mr. Shi, Manager Su, you're here!" Zheng Fang, with her sharp eyes, was the first to spot them and greeted them warmly. "Aunt Zhang made her signature braised pork today, along with stir-fried eggplant, potatoes, and green peppers, and garlic broccoli. The soup is winter melon and pork rib soup! It smells so good!"
"I can smell it," Su Qing said with a smile, sniffing the air. "This smell is enough to make our mouths water from a distance."
Aunt Zhang poked her head out of the kitchen window, her loud voice filled with laughter, "President Shi, Manager Su, come over here quickly! I've saved the best pork belly for you, with a perfect balance of fat and lean meat, guaranteed to be delicious!"
"Thank you, Aunt Zhang!" Shi Wan replied with a smile, and together with Su Qing, they went to the sterilizer to get their plates and walked to the food serving window.
While quickly serving them food, Zheng Fang lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "President Shi, I just saw Tangyuan King peeking in at the door. Was he attracted by the aroma again?"
No sooner had the words been spoken than a white figure wearing a crocheted fish headgear was seen sitting demurely at the entrance of the cafeteria.
Shi Wan was stunned for a moment when she saw him, and then she smiled.
It seems Aunt Li has knitted a new little hat for Tangyuan. At this rate, I'll have to reimburse Aunt Li for the cost of the yarn.
Tangyuan's heterochromatic eyes scanned the interior of the cafeteria, her nose twitching slightly, clearly assessing the quality of today's food.
Unlike other cats that swagger in, he maintained a reserved and curious demeanor.
“That’s right,” Shi Wan said, looking at her cat who was all talk and no action, and couldn’t help but chuckle. “He used to always steal my food when he was little.”
Besides glutinous rice balls, there are several other regular "diners" in the cafeteria.
For example, Mianmian, who always tries to trick others into giving her extra snacks with her innocent eyes and beauty, is currently squatting on her special soft cushion like a fluffy triangular rice ball, staring intently at the serving spoon in Zheng Fang's hand.
Then there's Dou Dou, who's starving after finishing his farm work. He's not so particular about anything else. He just lies down at Shi Wan's feet, his fluffy head resting on her shoes, his tail patting the ground intermittently, and his little paws patting Shi Wan from time to time. He must be starving.
Shi Wan and Su Qing carried their mountain of plates and found an empty seat to sit down.
Aunt Zhang's braised pork truly lived up to its reputation. Its bright red color was incredibly tempting, the fatty parts were translucent and almost melted in your mouth, while the lean meat was tender and juicy without being dry. The rich sauce was perfectly balanced between salty and sweet, and when mixed with the distinct grains of fragrant rice, it made you want to shovel mouthfuls of rice into your mouth.
The eggplant in the "Three Treasures of the Earth" dish is soft and tender, the potatoes are fluffy and fragrant, and the green peppers are crisp and refreshing, with a smoky, oily aroma.
Garlic broccoli is refreshing and helps cut through the greasiness, while winter melon and pork rib soup is warm, sweet, and comforting to the stomach after a busy morning.
"Wow, Aunt Zhang's cooking is absolutely amazing." Su Qing sighed with satisfaction. "When I was working abroad, I could tolerate anything. I even dared to roll up my sleeves and argue back when I was discriminated against. The only thing I was really afraid of was that white guy."
She seemed to recall the taste of those cold salads and steaks, and couldn't help but close her eyes. "It was okay at first, it was really delicious, but after a while I couldn't stand it. I missed Chinese food so much."
“Then you should eat more,” Shi Wan replied with a smile. “These are all good things that we produce and sell ourselves. The meat is raised by our own livestock farm, and many of the vegetables are grown in our own planting area. There are no random additives, so you can enjoy the original flavor.”
As they were talking, a young employee at the next table, probably engrossed in his meal, slipped his chopsticks and dropped a glistening piece of braised pork onto the floor with a "thud".
"Oh dear!" the employee exclaimed, about to bend down to pick it up.
In the blink of an eye, a tan shadow darted in through the doorway like lightning!
With lightning speed, Big Yellow snatched the piece of braised pork and darted away without looking back. The whole process was smooth and quick, taking no more than three seconds, leaving only a little oil stain on the ground and the employee's dumbfounded expression.
There was a moment of silence in the cafeteria, followed by a burst of good-natured laughter.
"Haha, with that speed, Big Yellow could participate in a dog sports meet!"
"This skill at finding bargains is definitely something they've practiced!"
"Poor braised pork, it hasn't even warmed up on the ground yet!"
"Alright, alright, according to the principle of implicit agreement between humans and dogs, what's on the ground belongs to her, hahaha..."
Aunt Zhang saw this from the kitchen window and couldn't stop smiling. She shouted loudly, "It's alright, it's alright! Losing a piece of meat means our cooking is delicious! Zheng Fang, give Xiao Liu another piece!"
The employee named Xiao Liu scratched his head sheepishly and thanked him repeatedly.
The atmosphere in the cafeteria has become more relaxed and harmonious.
The employees treated Shi Wan and Su Qing with a friendly yet naturally respectful attitude.
They would greet Shi Wan warmly, chat about their work or the cats' funny stories, and also earnestly report production problems or offer suggestions to Su Qing.
Shi Wan's gentleness and Su Qing's competence complemented each other perfectly in this small world.
After the meal, Su Qing wiped her mouth, reverting to her workaholic nature. "Alright, now that we're full, it's time to get back to work. Mr. Shi, remember to send me the key to that encrypted document; I'll take a look at it this afternoon."
“No problem, I’ll send it to you when I get back.” Shi Wan nodded.
The two put their plates in the recycling area and said goodbye to Aunt Zhang and the others.
Su Qing went straight back to the office building in Zone 2 and immersed herself in the production management and planning work that she was familiar with.
Shi Wan slowly strolled back to the office building surrounded by greenery in Zone 1.
The afternoon sun shone through the glass windows, casting dappled shadows on the wooden floor.
Several cats, having eaten and drunk their fill, were lying on the mats in the corridor, basking in the sun and dozing off, their furry bellies exposed, purring contentedly.
She first found the encrypted document on the computer labeled "Potential Future Cat Food" and sent the access key to Su Qing.
Then she logged into the back-end of the Cat's Paw online store, which was in operation, and acted as a temporary customer service representative.
"Hi, can kittens eat these cat grass biscuits?"
"Yes, we have a special kitten growth series that has a soft and tender texture, perfect for kittens."
Where is the shipment originating? How long will it take to arrive?
"We ship directly from local farms, and orders are usually shipped within 48 hours of being placed!"
"The white cat I saw in yesterday's live stream was so beautiful! Is it the farmer's cat? What's its name?"
"His name is Tangyuan, and he's a Linqing lion cat with heterochromia (different colored eyes). Here's a little secret: Tangyuan is actually our farm owner! Finally, thank you for your support!"
Finally, a beautiful photo of Tangyuan wearing a little fish headgear was attached.
After handling some simple inquiries, Shi Wan stretched and prepared to start her afternoon work.
She opened the farm's real-time map, preparing to optimize the layout of the raw material warehouse in Zone 1, to see how to make more efficient use of the space so that the raw materials harvested and placed in Zone 1 could be easily accessed by both Zone 1 and Zone 2.
She had wanted to improve this place for a long time, and in fact, she had been using her spare time these past few days to fence off this area with green cloth.
Just as she was staring intently at the map, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Ding-dong—"
The crisp, melodious notification sound, with a touch of mystery, rang out in her mind without warning.
That sound...
Shi Wan was stunned for a moment, then her heart skipped a beat!
This notification sound is so familiar, but I haven't heard it in a while.
It's an order notification from the Meow Star system!
She immediately put down all her work and opened the system interface, which was shimmering with a soft glow and could only be seen by her.
really!
In the section representing transaction information, a brand new order notification, marked with a flashing star, is quietly floating there.
New cat order!
Shi Wan's eyes lit up instantly, her previous fatigue vanished, replaced by an irrepressible excitement and curiosity.
What do the feline guests want this time?
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