Chapter 89 Special Guest Chef
Shi Hui looked at the plate of freshly cooked braised dishes, the aroma filling his nostrils, but his face flushed red and then turned pale. Before he even tasted it, he knew he had lost. Chef Song, whom Chairman Fang had specially invited, was clearly quite skilled.
Even Fan Qiu, who had been targeting Song Xinran, stopped talking, snorted heavily, and turned her face to the side, thinking that no matter how good her cooking skills were, or how delicious her food was, if her character was bad, she was really bad.
She's already acting like a special case before we've even met. We're all store employees, but she's the only one who doesn't come to work, making them do a lot more work.
People who scold others the moment they meet, and who have no understanding of social etiquette, will not go far even if they have a skill.
At this moment, Wei Dong had no time to think about his two employees. He came to Xianlufang to expand and strengthen the store. He had praised Shi Hui because he thought Shi Hui's skills were good and that the store had attracted customers even before it opened. But now, after smelling Song Xinran's braised dishes, the difference in quality was immediately apparent.
Wei Dong picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. His eyes lit up immediately. This is what delicious braised food looks like! It has the perfect color, aroma, and taste. It is absolutely delicious!
He had just tasted Shi Hui's and thought the aroma of the braised food was enticing, but the taste and texture were lacking. Now that he tasted Song Xinran's, he realized what true temptation was.
Wei Dong gave a thumbs up, even changing his form of address: "Chef Song, with you at our Fresh Braising Shop, we have no worries about the future! Chairman Fang truly has a discerning eye for talent, placing high hopes on Fresh Braising Shop, which is why he found you to be our chef!"
When it came to his career, Wei Dong immediately changed his expression, and his attitude underwent a complete 180-degree transformation.
Song Xinran gave him a half-smile, thinking that Wei Dong and Fang Jianmin were really the same kind of people at heart. No wonder Fang Jianmin let Wei Dong be the store manager.
However, Wei Dong has one advantage: if someone is useful to her, he will definitely fawn over them and flatter them enthusiastically, and he will never cause her any trouble in person in the future.
This was exactly what Song Xinran wanted. From then on, she could come once a week, receive her salary as usual, and continue doing her own work, leading a wonderful life.
She said calmly, "Manager Wei, you flatter me."
Shi Hui finally tried Song Xinran's braised dishes. After taking a bite, he was speechless. In his master's words, they were not even on the same level. He even felt that Song Xinran's cooking skills were several points better than his master's.
Shi Hui sat silently to the side, feeling both ashamed and disappointed. He had thought that the big boss's transfer to this newly opened braised food workshop would allow him to shine and become a leader, but now he felt like he was nothing at all, and he was completely discouraged.
After waiting another half hour, Song Xinran took the braised meat out of the pot. This time, the aroma was even stronger, almost intoxicating.
This time, she didn't even need to say anything as soon as she put it on the table. Wei Dong put on disposable gloves and started eating. The more he ate, the more confident he became. The future of the braised food shop was bright.
Shi Hui silently took another bite, put down his chopsticks, and began to question his life. Clearly, Chef Song alone was enough for the braised food workshop, so why did Chairman Fang transfer him here?
Fan Qiu, who had been holding her neck and keeping a straight face, thinking that she didn't need any more food, couldn't resist seeing Wei Dong's unstoppable appetite and the aroma of the braised food constantly wafting into his nostrils.
But even a clay figure has some backbone. Fan Qiu felt that eating Song Xinran's food was tantamount to bowing down to her, so she turned her head away and simply stopped looking.
Song Xinran glanced at the three of them and knew what they were thinking without asking. Her gaze lingered on Shi Hui for a couple of seconds. Seeing his disoriented and ghost-like appearance, she frowned slightly before finally standing up to leave.
Wei Dong was still engrossed in the two pots of braised dishes, oblivious to the passage of time, and daydreaming about the future, feeling that things were going very well. He only realized what was happening after Song Xinran had left the room.
Didn't Song Xinran say she was going to teach Shi Hui how to make braised dishes today? Why did she leave?
Wei Dong, of course, did not forget what Fang Jianmin had said. One of Song Xinran's job duties was to train the store's employees, and Fang Jianmin reminded Wei Dong that this was very important.
Wei Dong quickly shoved Shi Hui.
Shi Hui seemed to snap out of a daze when Wei Dong quickly gave him a wink and looked outside. Shi Hui immediately realized what was happening and chased after him.
"Master Song, wait!" Calling out to them, Shi Hui, somewhat ashamed, stammered, "Master Song, you said there's something wrong with my braising method, but I don't know what's wrong..."
Song Xinran glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Shi Hui blushed. He knew how to be an apprentice when he was learning to cook in a restaurant. First, you have to have the right attitude, and second, you have to be hardworking. Otherwise, no chef would teach his skills to a stranger.
At that time, Shi Hui was sincere, hardworking, and respectful to his teachers. He had just learned a skill and was a little smug when he arrived in the new place. When he first saw Song Xinran, he didn't think much of her. Seeing that she was young and a woman, he assumed that she had gotten the job through connections and that he had offended her right away.
Just now, he overestimated himself and wanted to compete with others, but he lost so badly that he didn't even have his pants left. Now he's asking for help again. Shi Hui felt ashamed.
But she still forced back her shame and said, "Master Song, I was blind to your greatness, I'm so sorry. I learned my braised food recipe from my master, he's a master chef, he's very skilled at cooking, I, I..."
He wanted to say that he had always deeply respected his master and couldn't tolerate others speaking ill of him. He also wanted to explain his motives and hoped to gain some understanding from Song Xinran.
Unexpectedly, Song Xinran said directly: "Every chef has their own specialty dish, there's no need to use them for explanation or comparison. Just imitate how I braised it. The most important thing is to cook meat and vegetables separately, and the meat needs to be braised for a sufficient amount of time to absorb the flavor."
Shi Hui's heart skipped a beat as she listened to her explanation; she had so simply explained the principles and methods to him...
Shi Hui thought Song Xinran would ignore him or leave with a few sarcastic remarks. In their line of work, chefs with real skills all have a bit of a temper.
At first, Shi Hui thought Song Xinran was unsociable, but now he completely overturned his previous idea. After listening to her, Shi Hui quickly bowed and thanked her: "Master Song, thank you, I understand. I really didn't do very well before!"
Song Xinran nodded. She understood why Master Shi Hui taught her to make braised dishes this way. Working in the restaurant kitchen was very busy, and each dish had to be prepared in as little time as possible. Braised dishes only needed to be cooked until done. If too much time was wasted on one dish, what would happen to the other dishes?
However, Fresh Braised Dishes Workshop is different from restaurants; it only specializes in making braised dishes and strives to perfect this one specialty.
After hearing her reply, Shi Hui mustered up his courage and asked, "Master Song, can I make it again when I get back? Could you taste it and give me some pointers?"
Song Xinran nodded slightly. If the other party was polite, she wouldn't mind giving more advice.
As soon as the two returned, they ran into Fan Qiu and Wei Dong eating the braised dishes that Song Xinran had just made. Shi Hui's braised dishes were placed next to them. When Song Xinran left, there was still a small half-bowl left, but now, quite a while later, it was still untouched. On the contrary, Song Xinran's braised dishes were almost finished.
Fan Qiu looked at her as if she had seen a ghost. She stopped chewing and quickly put her hands down, sitting awkwardly.
Wei Dong put the last duck wing into his hand, stood up with a smile, and said, "Chef Song is back. Is there anything else the shop is short of? Just tell me if you need anything, and I'll prepare it."
Song Xinran said, "Not at the moment."
Shi Hui's attitude completely changed at this moment, and he became as obedient as a student: "Master Song, I'm going to the kitchen first."
After saying that, he went into the kitchen.
When Wei Dong saw that the other party had become so respectful in such a short time, his heart sank again, and he suddenly felt that he was in a bit of a predicament.
Chef Song, whom Chairman Fang specially invited, is truly skilled, which is a great thing for the braised food shop. However, he is so outstanding that he has managed to "betray" Shi Hui in the blink of an eye. If he wants the position of store manager in the future, wouldn't it be a matter of just a word?
Wei Dong had no intention of working hard to benefit others.
But thinking about what Song Xinran did when she came to the shop today, she didn't seem like someone with great ambitions. Suddenly, he didn't know what he should do to make Song Xinran work hard for the braised food shop and also be her honest chef.
With this on his mind, Wei Dong couldn't concentrate on chatting with Song Xinran, so he could only give perfunctory replies like "the weather is really nice today."
Song Xinran was too lazy to chat with strangers, so she shut up after saying a few words.
This put Fan Qiu, who was sitting to the side, in a difficult position. She felt completely bewildered, realizing that her attempt to isolate and target Song Xinran had failed, and she had even ended up eating the food Song Xinran had prepared.
As the old saying goes, "He who takes a man's money is bound to him, and he who eats his food is bound to him." Fan Qiu never expected his willpower to be so weak. He had just watched Song Xinran leave when he saw Wei Dong eating with great relish and smelled the aroma. His hand reached out automatically. He never expected Song Xinran to come back.
She looked around and finally found something to talk about, then looked toward the kitchen and said, "What is Shi Hui doing? There's enough food here."
Fan Qiu thought that since she had already taken the initiative to speak, if Song Xinran said one more word, it would be a good way to break the ice and get along in the same store in the future.
But Song Xinran didn't utter a single word, causing Fan Qiu's words to fall to the ground.
Fan Qiu's face immediately turned red. She glanced at Song Xinran out of the corner of her eye, thinking to herself, "How can this person be so arrogant?"
Wei Dong was secretly delighted. This Chef Song was clearly a talented person who didn't know how to interact with people. He wasn't afraid that she would take his position as manager.
Being a store manager isn't something you can do just because you're talented.
He continued Fan Qiu's words: "Shi Hui wants to do some pre-job training. He's a really diligent young man."
Song Xinran sat quietly to the side, pondering which sofa she should buy. If she wanted something cheap, she would go for a simple wooden chaise lounge; if she wanted something more expensive, she would go for a genuine leather sofa. But she didn't care much for genuine leather, and the price was too high. So she decided to buy a simple fabric sofa.
The most common type of sofa nowadays is a three-piece set, consisting of a two-seater and two single-seaters. Song Xinran is not inclined to choose an L-shaped corner sofa with a chaise lounge, as she feels it wastes space and is not used frequently.
Nowadays, sofa fabrics are mainly velvet and linen. Song Xinran prefers the latter because it is dirt-resistant, easy to clean, and not too hot to sit on in the summer.
She looked at sofas at the furniture mall yesterday. There was a wide selection there, including many brand stores, but the prices were relatively high. Song Xinran wanted to try a different place today and look at furniture stores on the street.
She was lost in thought and didn't pay any attention to what Wei Dong and Fan Qiu were talking about next to her. She didn't care to know either, as it would be a waste of her energy.
By a twist of fate, Wei Dong became increasingly satisfied with her; eccentric and reclusive craftspeople have always been the most favored by bosses.
Finally, Shi Hui finished making the braised dishes. Still feeling a little uneasy, he held them out to Song Xinran with both hands: "Master Song, please try them."
Song Xinran glanced at it and could tell from the colors that Shi Hui was doing it the way she had instructed. The meat dishes were glossy and the vegetables were tender. However, his control over the heat was not quite right. But Song Xinran didn't have any expectations of him and wouldn't teach Ge Xia how to do it meticulously step by step like she did.
Ge Xia was helping her with her work, which concerned her own career, so Song Xinran was definitely taking it seriously. But now she was just working for someone else, so as long as she could get by, that was enough.
She tasted a bite of meat and a bite of vegetables, and finding it barely acceptable, nodded: "Not bad, just keep it up tomorrow."
After saying that, he asked Wei Dong, "Is there anything else, Manager Wei?"
Wei Dong quickly said, "It's alright, Chef Song, you can go now."
Song Xinran didn't stand on ceremony and left on the spot. She remembered which street had furniture stores when she came, and now she just wanted to go and take a look.
On this day, Song Xinran compared many options and finally settled on a mid-range beige checkered linen sofa. After some difficult bargaining, she finally bought it for 1,200 yuan. The store manager also gave her a matching small glass coffee table with a crocheted tablecloth of the same color.
Song Xinran felt that with the coffee table next to the sofa, she could watch TV and then have some tea and snacks, making life incredibly comfortable.
The next morning, Song Xinran went to the fresh braised food workshop. Inside, the workers were already working hard, and flower baskets and firecrackers were set up outside. It was clear that Wei Dong had put a lot of thought into it.
Song Xinran was the last to arrive, but she was sure she wasn't late. As she glanced around, she felt a pang of emotion. Her own shop had been in a similar state when she opened it, and only she knew how much effort she had put in.
That's probably the only good thing about working for someone else: you don't have to worry about much. You just get paid to do things, and the rest is none of your business.
She stood at the door, and Wei Dong greeted her warmly, saying, "Chef Song, you're here so early!"
Song Xinran raised an eyebrow, finding Wei Dong quite interesting, and said, "It's the first day of business, we should be earlier."
Wei Dong said, "Chairman Fang has arrived."
Song Xinran said "Oh" and walked into the fresh braised food workshop.
Wei Dong was overjoyed. What was he afraid of? What was he afraid of? Even if an employee with exceptional skills was highly skilled, Chairman Fang would not make her the store manager if she was not proactive in her work.
He doesn't mind Song Xinran arriving late at all; in fact, he's quite disappointed that she wasn't late.
I glanced at my watch; there were still ten minutes until my shift started.
As soon as Song Xinran entered the braising shop, she said, "Chairman Fang has arrived very early."
Fan Qiu and Shi Hui stood by, pretending to be timid, not daring to say a word.
Fan Qiu was speechless. She thought Song Xinran wasn't just arrogant, she was just stupid. She arrived later than the big boss on the first day of business. She was hopeless.
But Fang Jianmin wasn't angry. He even smiled and said, "Chef Song, come and try Xiao Shi's cooking."
Song Xinran said, "I tried it yesterday. Mr. Fang, please try it and see if the taste is up to standard."
Fang Jianmin definitely had some thoughts in his mind. He felt that he was paying Song Xinran a high salary, but she was still slow to get to work. However, she wasn't late, so he couldn't say anything.
Wanting to put some pressure on Song Xinran, he slowly savored the braised dishes made by Shi Hui, deliberately remaining silent.
But this didn't scare Song Xinran; instead, it terrified Shi Hui. His mind was filled with thoughts like, "Is everything alright? I think I did something right. Why isn't the boss saying anything? He's not going to fire me, is he?"
But Master Song said it was good yesterday. It passed Master Song's test, so what else does the big boss need to say?
Shi Hui stood there trembling, feeling as if his vest was about to be soaked with cold sweat.
As Fang Jianmin tasted the food, he glanced at the people in the shop and noticed that everyone except Song Xinran was very nervous, while the person he wanted to put pressure on remained calm. He immediately felt that he had really gone to unnecessary trouble.
He put down his chopsticks: "Not bad."
He turned to Shi Hui and smiled, "Little Shi, keep up the good work! Your master recommended you here, and both he and I have high hopes for you. Chef Song is here; you should definitely ask her for advice."
Shi Hui's tense emotions suddenly relaxed, and he quickly nodded and said, "Thank you, Master, thank you, Chairman Fang. Chef Song gave me guidance yesterday, which was very helpful. I will definitely work harder in the future and learn from Chef Song."
Song Xinran looked up at the sky and thought that Shi Hui's words really sounded a bit like a student's.
Fang Jianmin liked this kind of employee very much. He patted him on the shoulder, gave him a few words of encouragement, and then left.
As soon as Fang Jianmin left, the store was filled with a cheerful atmosphere. Everyone felt that they had gained the appreciation of the big boss and that there were unlimited possibilities for the future.
Song Xinran picked up her thermos; she was going to look at furniture outside, and bringing her own water would save her money.
Then she walked up to Wei Dong and said, "Manager Wei, I'm leaving now."
Wei Dong couldn't hide his smile: "Okay, drive carefully."
Song Xinran responded and walked out of the fresh braised food workshop.
Shi Hui and Fan Qiu were stunned, watching in disbelief as Song Xinran's incredibly carefree figure walked further and further away, their eyes practically popping out of their sockets.
What happened?
They're leaving already?
It's not officially open for business yet?
Doesn't she go to work?
They suddenly felt a sense of disorientation, as if they were still dreaming.
Fan Qiu pinched herself hard; it hurt.
"Manager, why did she leave?" Fan Qiu asked, sounding very confused.
Wei Dong smiled mysteriously: "Unless there are special circumstances, Chef Song comes to the store once a week to make fresh braising liquid. If there is anything, just call her. She doesn't need to be in the office every day."
Fan Qiu's jaw nearly dropped to the floor: "Is this even possible?"
She had never heard of such a work model before. This couldn't even be called work; it was more like playing around.
Chairman Fang is such a kind person; he actually agreed.
Fan Qiu felt a pang of jealousy.
Wei Dong had known about Song Xinran's working hours and duties for a long time, but he deliberately kept it to himself.
At this point, he even used a friendly tone, saying, "Chef Song was specially invited by Chairman Fang. He's different from us. Okay, everyone, let's get to work."
Fan Qiu pursed her lips and slammed things down as she cleaned.
They're all people, and they all work in the same store, so why is there such a big difference?!
Shi Hui felt a little jealous, because even his master, who had been a chef for decades, didn't receive this kind of treatment.
He went into the kitchen and worked hard, feeling that as long as he worked hard, he could live such a life in the future.
Song Xinran is his target!
Wei Dong watched the two employees' performance, a slight smile playing on his lips. He took a sip of water without making a sound, then continued with his work, putting on the act of a good boss who unites his employees.
Meanwhile, Song Xinran headed to the furniture store with her thermos, her mood bright and cheerful; slacking off was just too much fun.
What the people at the braised food workshop are thinking? Does that have anything to do with her?
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