Seeing that Lin was about to cry again, Chen Qingqing quickly changed the subject, "Brother, how are your cooking skills going?"
“Very good.” Chen Feng looked confident. “These days, whenever I have a spare moment, I flatter the master chefs. When they are thirsty, I bring them water; when they are tired, I massage their shoulders; and I often praise their cooking skills.”
They found the information agreeable and casually told them how to prepare each of the signature dishes and what cooking time to pay attention to.
While Manager Wu was away, they would occasionally have me stand aside and watch them cook, and I made a deep impression on my mind.
I don't have any other special talents, except that I have a good memory. As long as I see how to make a dish once, I can remember it perfectly.
To tell you the truth, we have a head chef here who's particularly lazy. When Manager Wu isn't looking, he'll have me cook for him.
"Really? How was the customer feedback?"
Chen Feng shook his head. "I don't know either. Anyway, the guests didn't say it tasted bad."
Chen Qingqing initially thought Chen Feng was honest and dull, with a personality like Chen Zhanshan's, but she never expected him to be so clever and cunning.
Knowing that everyone loves to hear compliments, Chen Feng is sure to achieve great things in the future.
Chen Qingqing smiled and praised, "Brother, you're amazing! Since you've mastered almost all of the cooking skills, it means you're ready to graduate. Haven't you ever thought about opening your own restaurant and being the manager?"
Opening a restaurant had always been Chen Feng's dream, and his eyes were filled with anticipation.
But opening a restaurant isn't so easy; you need to rent a place, do renovations, and so on—that's a considerable expense.
He couldn't even help with the family's daily life, so how could he dare to think about opening a restaurant?
Chen Feng's eyes quickly dimmed, and he said listlessly, "Little sister, now is not the time, let's wait a little longer!"
Chen Qingqing noticed the embarrassment in his eyes and smiled slightly, "Brother, you don't need to worry about the money. I will find a way to raise the funds. You just need to agree."
Chen Feng shook his head. "It's not about the money. It's that the restaurant is short-staffed. Manager Wu hasn't been able to find any kitchen helpers. I can't just quit. Even if I were to leave, I'd have to wait until next spring."
"Next spring, won't that mean we'll have to wait several more months?"
These days, there are plenty of idle people. As long as they are given a meal, many people will be willing to work in restaurants.
Wu Shih-ren's refusal to hire anyone is clearly intentional; can't you see that, brother?
Chen Qingqing was so exasperated by her silly older brother that she almost laughed. She stared at him in disbelief.
“Brother, Wu Shiren treats you like free labor, making you work for him without paying you. Why should we have to wait until next spring?”
Listen to me, go talk to him now. Give him a maximum of one more month. If he can't find the person, that's his problem; you have to leave.
“No, that won’t do. One must have a conscience. No matter what kind of person Manager Wu is, at least I’ve learned a skill here. I have to wait for him to find the person before I can leave.”
Chen Qingqing was so anxious she wanted to stomp her feet. She had just praised him for being smart and quick-witted, but now that he was being stubborn, he had completely become a fool.
"Brother, are you expecting me to work for him for free for the rest of my life just because he can't find anyone else?"
Madam Lin quickly interjected, "Feng'er, your little sister is right. Now that you've learned cooking, there's no need for you to suffer here. Listen to your little sister, let's find a suitable place and be the manager ourselves."
Chen Feng frowned, lost in thought. Although he knew his mother and younger sister meant well, he still felt a little guilty about leaving him like this.
No matter how harsh Wu Shiren was to him, Wu Cuihua often cared about him, and even for her sake, he should see things through to the end.
Thinking of this, he said with a serious expression, "A person cannot break their promise. Since I have already promised Wu Shiren, I will not leave early. Please stop trying to persuade me."
Knowing that further discussion was pointless, Chen Qingqing could only shake her head and smile, "Alright, since you've already made up your mind, I won't force you."
As they were talking, a shout came from the kitchen, "Chen Feng, you good-for-nothing, where have you been slacking off? Hurry up and come back to mooch some food."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Shiren, with his obese belly, lifted the curtain and entered the kitchen from the front hall.
"Boss, my mother and my younger sister are here. They'll get to work after a few words, it won't delay anything," Chen Feng said with a smile.
Wu Shiren rolled his eyes in displeasure. "Hurry up, or you'll go on and on."
"Yes, yes, I'll get to work right away."
After saying that, Chen Feng scratched his head sheepishly, "Mother, little sister, I still have some work to finish, so I won't stay with you any longer."
"Feng'er, you're all alone out there, don't make yourself suffer." Madam Lin said with a face full of reluctance.
"Mother, don't worry. You and Father should take care of yourselves. When your son becomes capable in the future, he will definitely take good care of you."
Chen Feng then gave Chen Qingqing some further instructions.
"Little sister, Wolf Valley is too dangerous. You must never go there again. Stay home and take good care of our parents. Don't worry about your brother."
"Brother, I know, but please take care of yourself too."
"Okay, then I'll go get to work. You and Mom, take your time." After saying that, Lin Feng squatted down again and started rubbing the large ladle.
Chen Qingqing sighed silently and led Lin Shi out of the restaurant through the back door.
Lin knew that her eldest son was an apprentice at the Qingshui Restaurant, but in reality, he was doing hard labor without pay and was always tired and unappreciated.
She sighed with heartache, "Your eldest brother is the most sensible child in the family. If it weren't for your grandparents' excessive favoritism towards your third uncle, he wouldn't have been forced to become an apprentice here. His life is just too miserable."
Chen Qingqing comforted her, "Mom, don't worry. My brother is a man of his own mind. He won't stay in Wu Shiren's kitchen forever. Next spring, we'll find a good storefront and open a big restaurant for him."
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