Ke Meiyu has a keen ear; she can gather the information she needs simply by sitting down somewhere, without having to ask in person.
The school kitchen was never short of staff, and those who could come to this lucrative place were either well-connected or very capable.
Just like the head chefs, they all have generations of experience. The assistant chefs and purchasing staff are all relatives of the school leaders; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to stand on their own two feet.
The wages and benefits vary from job to job, and there are significant differences between them.
They visited three kitchens, and Ke Meiyu ultimately decided to eat on the second floor of Fengjuyuan.
Qin Yuanjiu went to order food with the old man, while Ke Meiyu pulled the old lady and Ke's mother aside to start telling them the gossip she had heard.
"Grandma, Mom, indeed, wherever there are people, there is a world of its own!" She sighed first, then said, "The three canteens are responsible for the meals of more than 20,000 teachers and students. Including the chefs, kitchen helpers, vegetable and dishwashing workers, cleaners, purchasing staff, and so on, there are two or three hundred people."
"The head chef's salary and benefits are very good. He can earn sixty yuan a day, which includes three meals a day, as well as housing allowance, transportation allowance, summer heat relief allowance, winter heating allowance, and a lot of labor protection supplies every season."
"Moreover, the head chef brings along his assistants and they even receive gifts from them. They are the pinnacle of the canteen staff, and their abilities speak for themselves."
"However, the chefs are all doing their own thing and fighting fiercely..."
“The second floor of Fengjuyuan, which we’re currently working at, has the best benefits among all the restaurant staff,” Ke Meiyu said with shining eyes. “There are only two head chefs here, and the purchasing is separate from downstairs. They have a certain degree of autonomy and can purchase ingredients and write menus based on their own ideas.”
"And," she said, lowering her voice slightly with a hint of excitement, "I heard that because student enrollment has increased this year and the situation has eased somewhat, many new majors have been added, so the school's faculty and support staff will be slightly expanded!"
"We need to add a chef position here, and someone who can cook Western food would be ideal!"
Ke's mother quickly understood what her daughter meant.
She waved her hands repeatedly: "Little Fish, your mother knows her own limitations. I can manage to walk around the tiny stove at home, but asking me to cook for so many people, especially leaders and foreign guests, is beyond my capabilities... I can't even lift a spoon..."
"Besides, I don't know anyone here, and I don't know anything about Western food!"
The old lady nodded. "Fourth son's wife, I think our baby is right. Haven't you been studying the recipes she brought home all this time?"
"It tastes pretty good. You can give it a try. If it turns out well, you can stay and take care of the kids. Wouldn't that be better than staying at home worrying about them?"
Mother Ke said, both amused and exasperated, "Mother, why are you joining in Xiaoyuer's nonsense?"
"It's like I can get accepted just by trying? Where would you find something so easy?"
Ke Meiyu smiled and said, "Mom, why don't you give it a try? Western food is actually very simple. Many of the dishes I asked you to make before were Western food. For example, pan-fried pork chops, foie gras, potato soup, pastries, baked rice, and so on."
"Actually, Western food is just a gimmick. Foreigners eat it every day abroad, so why would they appreciate the Western food made by us Chinese? If your food is good, people will definitely come with high expectations and leave satisfied."
“Since student enrollment has increased, security personnel will also be recruited more. My dad trained with his son-in-law for two or three months, and he can easily subdue two or three men. You two are very capable, so you'll definitely be among the first to be promoted and get city residency!”
Many people would fight tooth and nail for a job or a city residency permit, but with just a few words from her, even Ke's mother seemed to believe that it was within her grasp and not so difficult as to be hard-won.
"Besides, my life plan for you is to come with us to explore Kyoto. If you're afraid of even a tiny battlefield like a school cafeteria in the provincial capital, how will you cook for foreign guests in the future?"
"Then why don't I give it a try?" Ke's mother asked uncertainly, her heart stirred by what she said.
“We have to try, it won’t hurt us,” the old lady agreed wholeheartedly. “What did I say before? Your fourth branch of the family is the most promising. You are all talented people whose talents were wasted on farming.”
Having made up her mind, Ke's mother unconsciously began to critique her food while eating.
"This dish was cooked too quickly...too much salt...the fishy smell wasn't properly removed...the meat was overcooked and too dry..."
Originally, everyone had only come here to try something new because they hadn't had any of Mrs. Ke's cooking, but after Mrs. Ke's comments, the food became even less appealing.
As a result, Ke Meiyu, who usually has a good appetite, and Wang Dichu, whose appetite has been spoiled, both ate half as little as usual.
After returning home, Ke Meiyu was conscripted by her mother to prepare ingredients so that she could try cooking some Western food and some of her specialty dishes the next day.
Knowing Ke Meiyu's plans, Ke's father also grabbed Qin Yuanjiu and continued to practice his martial arts.
The next day, Ke Meiyu, Qin Yuanjiu, and the five Ke brothers took their documents to register, while their mother and the others, accompanied by Li Juanmei, went to buy ingredients.
Qin Yuanjiu accompanied her to the School of Foreign Languages, where they received a warm welcome from the senior students.
Ke Meiyu didn't need to go through the dormitory check-in process, so she only received a form. After she filled in her information simply, she received the admission ticket that her senior had filled out!
Starting the day after tomorrow, she will participate in a three-day exam, including seven subjects: Chinese, Mathematics, English, History, Geography, Biology, and Politics...
She looked at Qin Yuanjiu with a bitter expression.
"See? Your hard work over the past two or three months has come to an end." Qin Yuanjiu smiled, patted her head, and dragged her to report for duty with him.
After taking a stroll and returning home, Ke Meiyu could smell the fragrance from afar.
She screamed and rushed to the kitchen, only to find that Wang Di had already eaten an unknown amount.
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