Chapter 160 Jealousy
"Then I'll lend you a few people for now, and return them to you once my people have finished learning."
"No rush." Huo Ran smiled, showing no sign of urgency, but he didn't notice the intriguing expressions on the faces of his men behind him.
Huo Ran insisted on taking Jiang Mi back to the restaurant, and Jiang Mi did not refuse. They did not enter through the main gate of the restaurant, but went to the courtyard from the back. The brewers were brewing wine in the courtyard. As soon as Huo Ran entered, he saw a young and handsome man. He had a feeling that something was wrong, and his gaze towards the man was also somewhat hostile.
Upon hearing the voice, the chefs saw that it was Jiang Mi returning and excitedly told her, "Miss Jiang, this young man is really good at brewing wine. We just had a customer try a pot of it, and the customer's reaction was very good. He said that our wine is not only delicious, but also has a wide variety."
"Really?" Jiang Mi looked at the young man with surprise. "That's really impressive. Master Liu, you're praising him so enthusiastically, are you thinking of taking him on as your apprentice?"
Master Liu chuckled: "I'd like to, but he's incredibly skilled. I don't need to train him at all. He's so young, yet his abilities are almost on par with us old men. Plus, his ideas are very innovative. Miss Jiang, I think you and he would definitely get along well."
Jiang Mi glanced at the boy again. The boy was just focused on his work, seemingly oblivious to their words. It seemed that such praise was nothing new to him.
"Then we'll brew more Daughter's Red wine, put it under the tree, and sell it for a higher price later."
"What's your name?" Jiang Mi walked over and saw him working seriously. He looked up at her when he heard her ask.
"My name is Zhang Min'en." The boy's voice was firm and resolute, neither humble nor arrogant, with bright eyes, but when he looked at people, there was no emotion in his eyes, and he didn't seem to smile.
Jiang Mi didn't mind. She would never ask the restaurant staff to bow and scrape to her. Everyone was the same, and there was no need for such flattery. As long as things were done well, everything would be fine.
“Zhang Min’en, you are very capable and talented. Here’s the deal: we’re all in the same boat. Whoever can make a more innovative wine will get a raise. Of course, the wine must be healthy. No one should sell their conscience for money.”
"Don't worry, Miss Jiang, we won't do such a thing. However, it's difficult for us old men to come up with something new for this wine. It's up to you and this young man to do it."
Zhang Min'en didn't say anything, but continued to work diligently. He seemed to really enjoy quiet, and could maintain his composure even in noisy places.
"Thank you all for your hard work. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly. Let's communicate more."
After Jiang Mi finished speaking, she led Huo Ran into the restaurant. When Huo Ran passed by Zhang Min'en, he noticed that Zhang Min'en's attention was on him. The two looked at each other and then moved away without leaving a trace.
Jiang Mi poured a cup of tea: "I don't have any good tea here, but please make do with this to quench your thirst. Thank you all for today."
Huo Ran nodded, still thinking about the boy he had just met, and asked, "Is this person new here?"
Jiang Mi said nonchalantly, "Yes, he just arrived yesterday. I thought he was here to be an apprentice because he looked so young, but I didn't expect him to be so skilled. He must have been taught by a master craftsman in his family. He's not very talkative, but he seems like an honest person. He should be a good fit."
"You've only just started using him, yet you trust him so much." Huo Ran felt a little uneasy. This young man was good-looking, talented, and introverted. He seemed like a good person no matter how you looked at him. In addition, Jiang Mi praised him highly, so it seemed that she liked him very much.
"We've just met, and we don't know anything about each other. You're speaking too soon. It's better to observe more. People these days are good at pretending. You can only know what a person's heart is like when you encounter problems."
Huo Ran was trying to point out his past actions, but Jiang Mi didn't even think in that direction.
"You're right. People's hearts are unpredictable, so it's always good to be cautious."
Just then, someone knocked on the door. Jiang Mi went to open it and saw someone standing outside.
Jiang Mi was taken aback when she saw the boy. She asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Zhang Min'en was a little flustered: "I...I would like to ask you for some advice."
"Seeking advice?" Jiang Mi looked confused. "Seeking advice on what? Just tell me what you need."
Zhang Min'en said, "I tasted your peach blossom wine today, and it was truly innovative. I'd like to know how you came up with the idea to brew such a wine. I'm not asking for your secret recipe, but I just want to know what you were thinking when you were brewing the peach blossom wine."
Jiang Mi was truly stumped by his question. She had simply followed the recipe given by the system without thinking too much about it. To be honest, she wasn't a drunkard; she was just doing it to make money.
"I just tried it out casually, and I didn't expect it to actually work. It was just a sudden idea that popped into my head, and I didn't really think about it that much."
Zhang Min'en nodded seriously: "I also had a dream before. In the dream, I was told how to brew wine. When I woke up, I did it according to the dream, but it didn't turn out very well. I don't know which step went wrong. Maybe it was just a dream."
Faced with Zhang Min'en's words, Jiang Mi didn't know what to say. Zhang Min'en seemed to really like brewing wine and was very impressed with Jiang Mi's peach blossom wine.
"Thank you for telling me all this. It seems everyone says I have talent, but that's not true. You are the one who has talent."
Jiang Mi was embarrassed; she really couldn't accept such praise. She could only smile awkwardly and say, "No, no, I'm just lucky. Our restaurant will have to rely on you from now on."
Huo Ran listened coldly from behind. Seeing Zhang Min'en's gaze on Jiang Mi becoming intense, he coughed and walked over, saying, "Honey, you have too many things to manage right now. You can leave these small matters to the more reliable senior chefs. You have more important things to do. As the leader, you need to distinguish between what is important and what is not. It would be best to create some hierarchy. You don't need to trouble yourself with some small matters."
Zhang Min'en seemed to understand the meaning behind Huo Ran's words. The burning passion in his eyes gradually faded, and his gaze towards Huo Ran turned cold.
Huo Ran was fearless and went straight to meet him. As a person in a superior position, his superiority and aura were unmatched by ordinary people.
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