Chapter 58 The Young Lady Arrives

Chapter 58 The Young Lady Arrives

Ye Bingbin finally slowed down his eating, his chopsticks hovering in mid-air, his eyes shining with an astonishing light, as if he had discovered some rare treasure. He looked up at Wang Meng, his voice rising slightly in surprise: "This...this is really the kind of braised pork rice you usually eat?"

Wang Meng was wolfing down his second spoonful of rice when he heard this and almost choked. He quickly gulped down a mouthful of cola, dramatically patting his chest to catch his breath while waving his hand, "I swear, what I ate before was the regular version." He looked down at the half-eaten bowl left on his plate, then sniffed the air. "Huh?" He frowned, "Why is my bowl different from yours?"

He picked up a piece of meat from the newly delivered braised pork rice and carefully put it in his mouth. The first bite caused his eyes to widen instantly, and his chewing slowed involuntarily, as if he were savoring some kind of work of art.

"Holy crap!" Wang Meng blurted out, drawing stares from his friends. "It's really different!" he exclaimed excitedly, gesturing wildly. "How can the meat be so tender? How can the sauce be so fragrant?" He, who wasn't usually picky about food, was now filled with disbelief. "I didn't even finish that bowl, but now I could eat half a bowl of this!"

Xiao Fang walked over at the opportune moment, overheard their conversation, and smiled professionally: "We have a new chef; today is her first day officially cooking main courses." She winked, "Looks like you two are in for a treat."

"A new chef?" Ye Bingbin finally looked up, a little bit of glistening braising sauce still on the corner of his mouth. He subconsciously wiped it with the back of his hand. "This skill... is definitely professional level." His gaze unconsciously fell back to the bowl, and his chopsticks were already eagerly reaching for the remaining braised meat.

Wang Meng nodded vigorously, his mouth full of food, and mumbled, "Absolutely! This is even better than my mom's!" He suddenly lowered his voice, leaned closer to Ye Bingbin, and asked mysteriously, "Hey, Bing-ge, do you think this chef might have escaped from some Michelin-starred restaurant? This level of skill..."

Ye Bingbin gently wiped his mouth, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes. If he could poach this chef, he could eat this braised pork rice every day—it would be so delicious! He remembered that Ye Feifei had said she would bring a group of them to a karaoke bar tomorrow; he would definitely have to ask her about it then.

*

Meanwhile, the trial period for the kitchen staff is nearing its end.

The clock on the wall quietly struck three in the morning, and the noisy private room finally quieted down. Su Yingxue checked the time and stretched her stiff shoulders. Today was her trial day at the new restaurant, and she had been busy since two in the afternoon, without even having time to drink water properly.

“Meng Hui, let me help you pack,” she offered, glancing out the window as she spoke. The old town was unusually quiet at night, a cold wind howling through the streets, rattling the windows, and she involuntarily shrank her neck.

"Remember to bring your identification documents when you sign the contract tomorrow," Meng Hui reminded her while tidying up the cash register. "I heard Sister Chen was quite satisfied today."

"Yes, I remember everything." Su Yingxue nodded.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Meng Cong pouting and interjecting, "If you were to do marketing, you'd be just as good as a chef." His words were clearly tinged with sarcasm.

Su Yingxue rolled her eyes at him and didn't respond. Seeing this, Meng Hui quickly smiled and smoothed things over, "Alright, alright, stop joking. Let's all work together to take the luggage over; it's not far anyway."

The three of them carried Su Yingxue's luggage onto Meng Hui's small electric scooter. After helping to secure the suitcases, Meng Hui reminded her, "It's so cold and windy at night, you're dressed so lightly. Send me a message when you get home."

"Don't worry, it's just two streets away, quite close." Su Yingxue wrapped her coat tighter, looked up at the dark night sky, then looked down at the bag containing the chef's uniform in her hand, silently planning the ingredients and tasting menu to prepare for tomorrow.

The electric scooter started and disappeared into the night. Su Yingxue stood there, her breath particularly noticeable under the streetlights.

The staff dormitory was fairly clean. Su Yingxue tidied up her bed and wiped the dust off the corners of the table and the windowsill with a rag before sinking into her soft pillow and quickly falling asleep.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains onto her bedside. She rubbed her eyes and called her grandmother. "Grandma, I slept really well last night. The new dorm is quite clean... Hmm, the noodles here are alright, don't worry about me." After hanging up, she went downstairs to a small street-side restaurant and ordered a bowl of soup noodles. The owner's bone broth was milky white and rich, the noodles were chewy, and the aroma was irresistible after being sprinkled with scallions. She slurped it all down and then took out her phone to browse through her saved recipes—she was currently working on improving the sauce ratio for braised pork rice, wondering if she should add some dried tangerine peel for extra flavor.

Time flies, and it was time to go to work again. Su Yingxue changed into her work uniform, tied her hair in a ponytail, and walked briskly into the "Golden Glory" restaurant.

As soon as I entered the lobby, I heard a slightly anxious voice giving instructions. Looking up, I saw Chen Ru standing at the door, hands on her hips, instructing the assistant store manager next to her: "Wipe this counter again, the water stains aren't clean!" The assistant store manager responded quickly and then turned to urge the cleaning staff: "Clean that corner again, and scrub the dirt in the tile grout with a steel wool pad!"

Su Yingxue paused, wondering to herself: What's going on? Are some leaders coming to inspect the area?

Just as I was pondering this, I overheard two waiters whispering, "I heard the chairman's daughter is bringing some friends over today. If they have a good time, they might even get more investment..."

"Yes, yes, I heard from the receptionist that that young lady has even acted in plays! But I don't know if she was a lead, or what her temperament is like..."

The assistant manager, who had been busy for a while, became a bit more polite when he saw Su Yingxue arrive. He beckoned her over and said, "Xiao Su, you and Chef Wei tidy up the kitchen again. There aren't many customers right now. I just had someone buy a batch of new vegetables. Remember to organize the items in the storeroom later, especially the food that's close to its expiration date. You definitely have to throw it away. Don't keep it and make a mess."

"Okay, Sister Chen." Su Yingxue nodded and turned to go into the kitchen.

As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, she heard a "whoosh" of a plastic bag. Wei Guangsheng was standing in front of the refrigerator, rummaging through it. He held up a box of ingredients marked with an expiration date, frowning and muttering, "This one's alright? It expires in half a month? Tsk, barely usable... And this one? Only three days left? Haha, I'm in luck!" As he spoke, he casually stuffed the nearly expired sauce into the plastic bag next to him, his movements as natural as if he were picking up his own stuff, completely unaware of Su Yingxue who had just entered the room.

Su Yingxue's lips twitched slightly. Recalling Chen Ru's serious expression when she was scolding someone, and glancing at Chef Wei's skillful "plucking feathers from a passing goose" operation, she couldn't help but suppress her laughter. She pinched her throat and imitated Chen Ru's tone: "Old Wei~ what are you doing?" She dragged out the last syllable and deliberately imitated the rising tone when the other party was scolding someone.