"I took marketing as an elective in college," Qin Xiaoyu said proudly.
"University?"
"Uh, I was just kidding, it's nothing, it's nothing." Qin Xiaoyu quickly pretended to burp and gulped down water. Qi Si couldn't bear to watch and poured her another glass of water.
"I don't quite understand this. What kind of hotel is this? Sichuan style?" Qi Si frowned.
"Yes, we don't have Sichuan cuisine in our area. To open a hotel, you have to do something that no one else can do. You have to leave customers with no other choice but to come here. The advantage of being unique is that the profits will be very high. Compared to opening a small restaurant that sells steamed buns and dumplings, your Chuanxing Tianxia Hot Pot Restaurant will be a huge hit."
"But nobody knows how to cook it. Do we have to go all the way to Sichuan to hire a chef?" Qi Si asked in confusion.
"Don't worry about that, brother. I have my own plans." Qin Xiaoyu finished the last bun, wiped her mouth, stood up, and gestured for Qi Si to follow.
There were still students practicing in the classroom on the first floor. Zhu Bao was practicing curling hair in the corner. His hands, which were so nimble with a rice scoop, became as clumsy as Chang Pu when he picked up the curling iron. He looked miserable and sighed deeply.
"Him, your chef, bro, you've got to handle this." Qin Xiaoyu smiled smugly.
The next day at noon, she took Zhu Bao to Qi Si's restaurant. The renovation had stopped, and some people were idly sunbathing outside. When they saw Qin Xiaoyu coming over, their eyes were all wrong. In their eyes, their boss was bewitched, letting this young widow run wild.
When Qi Si left yesterday, Qin Xiaoyu gave him a list of ingredients and invited some of his good friends over, ostensibly to try out the new dishes.
Zhu Bao was led into the kitchen, while Chun Xiaoyu and Qi Si went into the largest private room inside. The room hadn't been demolished yet and remained as it was, very simple and elegant.
There was already a table of people inside, and they all greeted Qi Si when he came in.
"Let me formally introduce you today. This is my sister, my own sister." When Qi Si mentioned his sister, everyone at the table smiled knowingly. But when he emphasized "my own sister" with a serious face, they quickly composed themselves and became obedient.
"Come on, let me introduce you to them one by one. This is Director Tu from the Industry and Commerce Bureau."
"This is Director Bai of the Public Security Bureau."
"This is Minister Liu from the Organization Department of the Municipal Party Committee."
"This is Captain Gao from the traffic police team..."
Qin Xiaoyu shook hands with them blankly, inwardly groaning, "This is a gangster boss's circle of friends?"
Qin Xiaoyu disliked socializing, let alone having meals with these men while forcing a smile. While she was feeling bored, she suddenly noticed a familiar figure loitering near the door.
When Qin Xiaoyu went outside, she saw Zhu Bao standing there with tears in her eyes, looking aggrieved. Qin Xiaoyu immediately understood; it was her mistake. Qi Si had originally decided to open a restaurant and had already hired a chef, but now a chef had suddenly been parachuted in, and being from out of town, he was bound to be bullied.
Qin Xiaoyu led Zhu Bao to the back kitchen, where it was still quite lively, with everyone making fun of Zhu Bao's Sichuan accent.
"All chefs, noodle makers, and kitchen helpers, come out here!" Qin Xiaoyu shouted, and the room fell silent, but no one came out.
"Can't I hear you?"
"Women should stay where women belong. You're the boss's sister, so go inside and wait for your meal. This kitchen isn't a place for you. What if you get your clothes dirty?" A fat man walked over and deliberately flicked the water from the hot pot. Luckily, Qin Xiaoyu dodged quickly, or her clothes would definitely have gotten dirty.
"Don't go too far. You'd better cooperate with Zhu Bao now, or I'll call my brother over, and things won't be so easy for you," Qin Xiaoyu said seriously.
"Oh my, you call me 'brother'? You're so affectionate! What kind of brother are you? More like a cuddly little brother, all lovey-dovey?" The fat man finished speaking, and the whole room burst into laughter, almost lifting the roof off.
"Sister Xiaoyu, let's go. We're not staying here anymore. I'm not going to be a chef anymore." Zhu Bao wiped away her tears and tugged at Qin Xiaoyu's sleeve, trying to back away.
"Hurry up, they'll all be crying in a minute and it'll be hard to soothe them!" The fat man continued to be sarcastic.
Qin Xiaoyu was trembling with anger. She grabbed the vegetable washing basin next to her and splashed it out forcefully. The fat man and the people behind him were soaked to the bone, covered in vegetable leaves, and looked extremely disheveled.
"You little widow, how dare you lay a hand on me!" The fat man also got angry and rushed over to hit her.
"What's going on here? Are you all just bored?" Qi Si walked in from the doorway, and the room fell silent instantly.
"Fourth Brother, I'm not trying to be mean, but if you trust me, just hand the kitchen over to me. I've assured you, as long as I'm here, there won't be any problems. Bringing in a young widow like this, she's too hot-tempered, I can't handle her." He deliberately emphasized the last word when he said "handle," and chuckles came from the crowd again.
Qin Xiaoyu gritted her teeth, staring intently at him, trying to figure out how to vent her anger.
Unexpectedly, as she turned around, Qi Si pushed her behind him. Qi Si was tall and burly, blocking Qin Xiaoyu completely. She only heard two screams, and looking out from under Qi Si's arm, she saw that the fat man's face was covered in blood, and he was covering his mouth and wailing incessantly.
"Get him out of here, he's so annoying to look at. You know what to do." Qi Si took out a handkerchief, wiped his hands repeatedly, and then threw the handkerchief on the ground.
His henchmen came over and dragged the fat man out. Everyone in the room was ashen-faced and so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"Anyone who dares to joke about my sister again will suffer the consequences. Everyone knows that, right?" Qi Si pulled Qin Xiaoyu in front of him again.
"Understood!" Everyone shouted in unison, their voices so loud they startled Qin Xiaoyu.
"Girl, what's going on with the chef?" Qi Si glanced at Zhu Bao, who was crying her eyes out.
"It's alright, his Mandarin isn't good, he can't communicate with these masters. Brother, you go in and wait, I'll translate for him." Qin Xiaoyu smiled sweetly, dissolving the hostility on Qi Si's face.
Those people originally thought they would all be punished, but after hearing what Qin Xiaoyu said, they breathed a sigh of relief and busied themselves with finding work to do. One of the sous chefs cautiously approached Zhu Bao to curry favor with him.
"Master Zhu, which vegetable should we wash first? Just let me know."
Zhu Bao had never been called "master" before, so he got a little cocky and forgot about the grudge. He went over and started giving orders.
Qi Si waited for another half hour after entering the house, and the people at the table were getting restless. If this were a normal Northeastern restaurant, the dishes would have been served long ago. To be honest, Qi Si wasn't entirely confident in Zhu Bao; he completely trusted Qin Xiaoyu, and now he wasn't sure what was going on.
He started to calculate that if this meal didn't work out, he could just take them out for another nice meal.
The door opened, and the waiter began serving the dishes.
The people at the table stared wide-eyed at the dishes that were served. Frozen tofu, wide rice noodles, blood sausage, and green vegetables… what were they for?
Just as Qi Si was about to get up, he saw four strong young men carrying a large copper pot that was still bubbling inside.
Looking at the pot again, wow, what's that layer of red oil floating on top? Chili peppers?
The group looked at each other, wondering if this thing was edible.
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