Chapter 684: Feeling uncomfortable The low pressure in the kitchen lasted for several days.
The tacit understanding between Zhao Rui and Liu Xiaohua disappeared, replaced by a deliberate cautiousness and awkward avoidance of eye contact.
That evening, Xinweiju was extremely popular. The lobby was packed, and the kitchen was as busy as a war.
The stove roared, oil smoke rose, and shouts and the clashing of pots and spoons rose one after another.
Everyone was walking at a brisk pace, like clockwork.
"The braised hairtail fish from table number 1! Is the sweet and sour pork from table number 5 ready? Hurry up!" Zhao Rui, who was in charge of serving the dishes, had a hoarse voice and sweat on his forehead.
My mind was already preoccupied with things, and the busyness made me even more restless and irritable. I even felt dizzy when looking at the list.
Liu Xiaohua was standing by the food outlet, quickly checking the menu and arranging the dishes. Her cheeks were flushed red from the heat, and her eyes were focused, but she could not hide a hint of fatigue and depression.
She saw Zhao Rui coming over to serve the dishes and subconsciously lowered her eyes.
"Table number seven, stir-fried beef and stir-fried seasonal vegetables, quick!" Liu Xiaohua pushed two plates of dishes to the serving table and spoke quickly.
Zhao Rui responded and reached out to take it.
Perhaps it was because he was too busy, or perhaps his mind was really wandering, but his eyes scanned the menu, his mind was in a daze, his hand had already placed the dish marked "number seven" on the tray, but his mouth habitually shouted to the lobby: "Dish number seven is good!"
The busy waiter came over and took away the tray.
Mistakes are made at this very moment.
A few minutes later, the guests at table seven impatiently urged, "Where's our food? Wait half a minute!"
The guests at table number 1 looked at the inexplicably extra stir-fried beef on the table and said in confusion: "We didn't order this!"
The foreman quickly ran to the kitchen to ask, and when he checked the list, he immediately found a problem. The dish from table number seven was mistakenly sent out by Zhao Rui as the dish from table number five!
"What's going on? Isn't this list clearly written? Did you read numbers 7 and 12 wrong?" Ma Hongxia's voice was filled with anger. Mistakes during peak hours were the most troublesome.
The pressure instantly focused on Zhao Rui and Liu Xiaohua who were serving the dishes.
Zhao Rui was embarrassed, especially since the other guys around him were looking at him. He felt embarrassed and subconsciously wanted to distance himself from the matter. With a feeling of irritation, he turned around and blurted out to Liu Xiaohua, who was closest to him:
"Can't you take a closer look? You got this wrong? Wasn't it made clear when you handed me the order?"
This was quite rude, almost an accusation.
Liu Xiaohua was busy processing the next order and was stunned by this sudden accusation.
She suddenly raised her head and looked at Zhao Rui, her eyes full of grievance.
The estrangement of the past few days, the deliberately maintained distance, and the unreasonable complaints at this moment instantly broke her patience.
Her eyes suddenly turned red and her nose felt sore, but she still tried hard not to let the tears fall:
"It's my fault? Zhao Rui, you don't even know where your mind is! The order was written in black and white, and you didn't even look at it. You made a mistake and you're blaming me? Pay more attention to your orders in the future and don't blame others."
After saying that, she turned her head abruptly, grabbed the mop and vigorously wiped the already clean table, her shoulders trembling slightly, and she no longer looked at Zhao Rui.
The entire kitchen was silent for a few seconds, with only the whirring of the stove still making its sound.
Everyone else stopped what they were doing and looked at the sudden outbreak in surprise.
Zhao Rui was choked by Liu Xiaohua's rebuttal and was speechless. Especially when he saw her red eyes and trembling shoulders, his heart suddenly stabbed. The inexplicable irritability and anger were instantly extinguished, and were replaced by regret.
He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.
Ma Hongxia frowned and tried to smooth things over: "Okay, okay, stop talking now and make amends. Make a new dish for table seven. Quick, Zhao Rui, go apologize to the guests."
After get off work this day, Zhou Zhe spoke with a seriousness rarely seen in his usual tone, "Zhao Rui, let's chat."
Zhao Rui hummed in agreement, and the two began chatting at the back door of the hotel.
"Brother Rui, we're classmates. I'll just say what I want to say. What's wrong with you lately? Why are you so rude to Xiaohua? How did she offend you?"
Zhao Rui paused and said in a muffled voice, "Nothing."
Zhou Zhe scoffed, "Nothing? Are you kidding me? You used to have such a good time chatting over dinner, but now you just duck your head and pretend you didn't see anything. The girl greeted you, but you just hummed and ahed and nothing else. Your face is longer than a donkey's. I've been watching everything."
Zhao Rui was a little annoyed by what he said, and took a deep puff of his cigarette: "I... I am like that."
"Just like that? Is it because I told you last time that you felt Xiaohua's eyes looked at you strangely, but she was a little interested in you? Are you scared? Are you avoiding her? Isn't your reaction too big?"
Zhao Rui seemed to have been told something about his worries. His ears turned red, but he remained firm: "Nonsense, that's not true."
Zhou Zhe said in a more serious tone, "You know whether I'm talking nonsense or not. We are men. The girl didn't say anything and didn't do anything. Just because you feel uncomfortable in your heart, you are leaving her alone like this? Look how upset the girl is. She has been listless for the past two days and has no energy to work. What kind of thing is this?"
Zhao Rui was stunned. He was so upset that he didn't notice Xiaohua's mood change at all.
When Zhou Zhe pointed it out so bluntly, she suddenly realized that her avoidance and cold attitude really hurt the girl who always smiled and spoke softly.
"I...I didn't think..." He was a little incoherent.
"You didn't think about it? If you didn't think about it, then they deserve your cold shoulder. If you have something to say, just say it. If it's okay, then it's okay. If it's not okay, then forget it. Don't dither and it'll ruin your mood."
Even people like Zhou Zhe, who come from a poor family, know how to deal with it. Zhao Rui comes from an educated family, so how come his emotional intelligence is so low?
"Okay, I know."
The next day, when Liu Xiaohua came to work, her face was unusually flushed and her steps were a little unsteady.
She forced herself to put on an apron and began to prepare the ingredients, but her movements were obviously a little slower than usual. She still managed to hold on until dinner time.
"Xiaohua, are you okay? You don't look well." A butcher asked with concern.
"It's okay, Aunt Zhang, but I didn't sleep well last night." Liu Xiaohua shook her head, her voice a little hoarse, and tried to force a smile.
Zhao Rui, who was washing vegetables not far away, heard the sound and subconsciously looked up.
Liu Xiaohua's forehead was covered with fine cold sweat, her lips were a little pale, and her hands that were cutting ginger were even shaking slightly.
Liu Xiaohua's condition was getting worse and worse. Twice she even needed to hold on to the table to keep her balance, and her breathing became heavy.
Seeing her daughter like this, Ma Hongxia said, "Xiaohua, why don't you go to the backyard to rest? Mommy is fine here."
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