After Lv Hongping, Yang Huangui and Zheng Daqian moved all the rice, flour, oil, grain and other ingredients to the kitchen and put them in order, Master Pang and Master Xie also arrived.
Chen Qiangwei looked at her watch. Wow, it was exactly twelve o'clock, not a minute more or less. How many times must she have done this to be so punctual?
Just like her high school math teacher, the little old man always entered the classroom when the bell rang, without any discount. Every time he stepped into the classroom, the bell rang.
Chen Qiangwei and Su Lifen stood up and greeted the two masters.
"Good morning, Master Pang, and good morning, Master Xie."
Master Pang greeted them with a smile on his chubby face, "Good morning, Comrade Xiao Su, good morning, Comrade Xiao Chen."
Chef Xie's thin face showed no expression. He nodded reservedly, said "hmm", and went into the kitchen.
Master Pang first checked what ingredients had arrived today, and then decided what dishes to cook today. Master Xie began to prepare the fillings and asked Zheng Daqian to knead the dough to make noodles, dumplings and steamed buns.
Lu Hongping and Yang Huangui began to process the ingredients, such as descaling and removing the internal organs of the fish, cutting the chicken into pieces, etc.
Aunt Li and Aunt Liu, one boiled a large pot of water and plucked the feathers from the chickens and ducks, while the other started washing the vegetables.
The master chef stood with his hands behind his back watching Lv Hongping and Yang Huangui work, and from time to time he gave them instructions on how to prepare the ingredients to make them taste better, and also gave them guidance on their knife skills.
Zheng Daqian felt envious while working. This was the benefit of following the right master, but he did not stop at all. His wife said that if he did the white pastry well, he would have a bright future.
After Master Xie prepared the filling, he sat on a stool, crossed his legs and rested, tapping his fingers on the table in a daze.
Zheng Daqian started to make the dough, which took half an hour to let rise. He was a man who was always eager to work, so he would go and help wherever he saw work going on.
Master Xie didn't say anything when he saw him like this, his thin face still showing a reserved expression.
His pastry cooking skills were well-known and had a long history. Unfortunately, people in the south prefer to eat rice, stir-fry dishes and drink soup, so his skills were of little use. Therefore, he often felt that fate was playing tricks on him and he was indifferent to everyone.
After the dough had risen, Zheng Daqian, Lu Hongping and Yang Huangui began to cut noodles, make dumplings and buns.
Aunt Li and Aunt Liu started setting up the pot and lighting the fire, preparing to steam buns, steamed buns and dumplings.
The kitchen was bustling with activity. Outside at the counter, Chen Qiangwei and Su Lifen chatted briefly before going about their own business.
Su Lifen is knitting a red sweater. Judging from the size, it should be suitable for a child around nine years old. People in this era like to make clothes bigger so that a piece of clothing can be worn for two more years, so Su Lifen’s child should be six or seven years old.
Chen Qiangwei was reading books and doing exercises. Her long-standing habit made her immersed in the exercises, and she felt like "turning a deaf ear to the world outside the window and focusing on reading the books of sages."
Su Lifen just glanced at her and started knitting a sweater again. After finishing this one, she had to knit another one for her man. She was also very short of time.
As soon as ten o'clock arrived, people began to come in to eat, but at this time, most of them came to buy buns, steamed buns, and dumplings. At eleven or twelve o'clock, more people came to eat rice and stir-fried dishes.
Chen Qiangwei has already written today's dishes on the blackboard, and her beautiful handwriting is eye-catching.
Su Lifen also thought it was beautiful. She enthusiastically suggested, "Qiangwei, your handwriting is really beautiful. From now on, you can write the dishes every day, and I will wipe the counter."
Chen Qiangwei had no objection. As long as they didn't bully her because she was a newcomer, assign her random tasks, or exploit her, everything could be discussed.
"Okay, I'll have to work at the counter from now on, Sister Lifen. How will you arrange the work when someone comes to eat?"
Su Lifen said happily, "Just like before, each of us takes turns for one day. Today I will issue the tickets, collect the money, and give the customers the change. You will tell the kitchen what dishes the customers have ordered, and when the dishes are ready, you can ask the customers to take them away.
Tomorrow it will be your turn to issue tickets, collect money, and give change to customers, and I will be the messenger."
The two of them happily made a clear division of labor.
Chen Qiangwei nodded. After just a short time together, she had a good understanding of Su Lifen's personality. Generally speaking, they had some similarities: they didn't like taking advantage of others, but they also didn't want to be taken advantage of.
This is good and can reduce a lot of conflicts.
Although Chen Qiangwei is not afraid of things, she is afraid of trouble and hates hearing a few people chattering and nitpicking around her.
The first customer came and said, "Hello, comrade. Give me two meat buns and three steamed buns."
"A meat bun costs one liang of grain coupons and six cents, a steamed bun costs one liang of grain coupons and three cents, a total of five liang of grain coupons and 21 cents."
Su Lifen was issuing invoices and collecting money at the same time.
Chen Qiangwei went to the kitchen door and shouted, "Two meat buns and three steamed buns."
Then Zheng Daqian took out the meat buns and steamed buns. The guests had lunch boxes, so he put the meat buns into the boxes and left.
"Hello, comrade. Two bowls of shredded pork noodles."
Su Lifen didn't even look up as she wrote out the invoice and quoted the price, "A bowl of shredded pork noodles with two liang of grain coupons costs 12 cents, and two bowls with four liang of grain coupons costs 24 cents."
She had worked in a state-owned restaurant for seven years and was extremely skilled at the job. She could handle money and bills without having to do any calculations.
Chen Qiangwei went to the kitchen and shouted, "Two bowls of shredded pork noodles."
Not long after, Zheng Daqian and Yang Huangui each brought a bowl of shredded pork noodles and placed them on the counter.
Chen Qiangwei shouted, "Two bowls of shredded pork noodles are ready."
Customers can just go to the counter and take it themselves.
Well, it's okay now that there aren't many people. It would be more lively if there were more people, and the shouting would have to be twice as loud as it is now. This job isn't difficult, just a little strain on the throat, Chen Qiangwei concluded.
"Hello, comrade. Here's a serving of braised pork, a bowl of egg and kelp soup, and half a pound of rice."
"A plate of braised pork costs 40 cents, a bowl of kelp and egg soup costs 12 cents, and half a pound of rice costs 5 cents and 2.5 taels of grain coupons. A total of 2.5 taels of grain coupons and 57 cents."
Chen Qiangwei continues to act as a mouthpiece.
…
We were busy until 1:30 in the afternoon. After waiting for a while and finding that no one came, the three kitchen helpers started to cook. The dishes were very simple, two large bowls of vegetables, two large bowls of egg soup, a bowl of braised pork slices, a serving of fried liver with celery, a serving of stir-fried pig intestines, and plenty of rice.
Manager Huang had something to do today and didn't eat with everyone. At noon, he ate two big meat buns and hurried out.
After working all morning, they were all starving and everything tasted delicious. Chen Qiangwei ate two bowls of rice in a row and burped slightly.
There is one advantage of working in a state-owned restaurant, that is, they are willing to use more oil when cooking. No wonder there is no thin person here. Even Chef Xie only looks thin in the face, but his body is not thin at all.
After helping to clean up the dishes, Aunt Liu and Aunt Li began to wipe the table and wash the dishes skillfully, then went back home to find their mothers and continued to work at four o'clock in the afternoon.
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