1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 308 How about calling him Godfather? (Bonus chapter for 1885 monthly votes)

Zhou Yan liked her efficient manner and replied with a smile, "Comrade Zeng Anrong, my restaurant is located in Suji Town, Jiaozhou, at the entrance of Jiaozhou Textile Factory. The customers are mainly workers from the textile factory. Currently, it is a family restaurant, with only me as the chef, and my parents and two waiters to help out."

Business is good; the restaurant's nineteen tables are turning over every day, so I plan to expand the restaurant. I've already taken over the shop next door, so I need to recruit chefs.

Because it's a small restaurant, the job is quite varied, involving everything from chopping ingredients and preparing the food to cooking. I have high standards for the quality of the dishes, so I won't let you take charge of the cooking until you've fully mastered the dish and can consistently perform well with it.

As long as you're willing to learn, I'll teach you diligently. Once you're proficient and confident, you can move on to the next stage; if you're not, keep practicing. It's that simple.

Zeng Anrong thought for a moment and then asked, "If the initial job involves chopping and shoveling, will the salary be paid according to the chopping and shoveling work?"

“Before you start working here, I’ll test your skills. If you have the ability to cook, I’ll give you double the salary you would have at your previous job, as I just mentioned. I won’t reduce your salary just because you’re doing chopping or stir-frying. Don’t worry about that,” Zhou Yan explained. “What I care more about is your potential. My kitchen doesn’t lack chopping skills, but it does lack chefs who can improve quickly and grow into chefs who can share the pressure of cooking for me.”

Zeng Anrong seemed to be deep in thought, and her eyes lit up.

"Now, could you tell me about your basic information?" Zhou Yan asked, looking at her. This was the first job seeker who showed interest, and he needed to understand her situation first.

Female chefs were not common in this profession. It was only after the founding of the People's Republic of China that more and more women began to work in restaurant kitchens.

Zeng Anrong quickly replied, "I am twenty-six years old this year. I am from Qingcheng and work at Qingshen Restaurant. I started working as a waitress at the restaurant when I was thirteen years old and have won the title of model worker in the county."

Because I was interested in cooking since I was a child, I worked my way into the kitchen and started as a kitchen helper. Now it's my sixth year. I won the first prize in the regional youth chef knife skills competition and can now cook more than a dozen dishes on my own.

I don't have a master chef; I mainly rely on my own learning. I studied at a regional training course for a month, and the old man in the shop occasionally gives me pointers, but my cooking skills aren't very high.

The two dishes that Teacher Zhou taught me today were truly enlightening; they completely overturned my previous understanding and ideas about how to make them. I'm sure I could learn a lot from you, so I'd like to work and learn at your restaurant.

Zhou Yan listened attentively to her words and could feel her sincerity. She had switched careers halfway through as a waiter, without a mentor, and relied on her own efforts to win first place in the regional youth chef knife skills competition. He dared not think about how much hardship she had endured.

Small towns may not have such enlightened masters as his mentor. Many chefs are very strict about their skills, for fear that they will starve their apprentices if they teach them.

"You're from Qingshen. If we let you work in Suji, would your family agree?" Zhou Yan asked, looking at her.

Women of this age usually have children, which is something that must be considered.

Zeng Anrong nodded: "I'm not married yet. My parents are healthy and farm in the countryside. They never interfere with my work, so I can make my own decisions."

Zhou Yan nodded upon hearing this: "Okay, then you can come to my restaurant for an interview after your training is over. If you pass the interview, you can start working here."

Zeng Anrong looked troubled upon hearing this, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "The training is still a week away. I'll come to interview you then. If I pass the interview, I'll need to go back to my company to complete the resignation procedures and hand over my work, which may take one or two weeks. Is that alright with you?"

“No problem, this is a reasonable procedure.” Zhou Yan nodded.

After all, they are employees of an organization, so there must be a procedure to follow.

However, wouldn't this violate the system's requirement to recruit chefs within 72 hours?

Headache.

"Thank you for your understanding," Zeng Anrong said happily.

Zhou Yan took out a pen and paper, wrote down the address, tore off a piece, and handed it to Zeng Anrong: "This is the address of my restaurant. There is a shuttle bus from Jiaozhou to the entrance of the textile factory. It is open from Monday to Saturday, and I am usually in the restaurant. Sunday is the day off, so I may not be in the restaurant. You can come and find me after your training. If nothing unexpected happens, I will move the restaurant to the opposite side of Jiaozhou Wharf next year."

“Okay, I’ll definitely come.” Zeng Anrong’s eyes lit up when she heard this. She carefully accepted the address, said goodbye, and left.

Xia Yao watched Zeng Anrong's retreating figure and whispered in admiration, "This woman is so inspiring. She started as a waitress and now she's a chef, and she's even been selected to attend a training course."

"Yes, the hardships behind the scenes are hard to explain to outsiders." Zhou Yan nodded, also somewhat moved.

Zhou Yan waited for a while, but no more students came looking for him, so he couldn't help but sigh.

"The shop is so busy, it must be very tiring for you, right?" Xia Yao looked at him with some heartache.

Zhou Yan shook his head: "The hard work is acceptable, but with more and more customers, the dining experience has obviously declined. The waiting time for food is too long, and the workers who arrive late don't even have time to take a lunch break after eating. I think this is not good."

I initially thought this recruitment task wouldn't be too difficult, but now it seems I was too optimistic.

[Ding! Side Quest: Training Course Instructor Experience Completed!]

[Reward: Recipe for Braised Pork Intestine and Blood Tofu]

Just as Zhou Yan was worrying, a notification sound rang in his mind.

Fatty intestines and blood tofu!
Zhou Yan's eyes lit up.

This dish goes perfectly with winter.

As the weather gets colder, everyone has already put on their cotton-padded coats. A steaming bowl of braised pork intestines and blood curd is something no one can resist.

The pork intestine shop has ready-made braised pork intestines, and blood curd is even simpler. Zhang Laosan has asked him more than once if he wants blood curd.

give away!
That's right, it's free, give it to him.

He buys hundreds of pounds of meat from Zhang Laosan every day, and pig's blood is an extra.

He wasn't confident in making blood curd before and was thinking of asking his master for advice sometime. Now, he has the recipe in hand.

Seeing him sitting there lost in thought, Xia Yao couldn't help but reach out and gently pat his shoulder, softly comforting him, "It's okay, we'll definitely be able to recruit people. You probably didn't notice, but the way they looked at you from below the stage today was captivating; they were impressed by your skills and personal charm."

Zhou Yan snapped out of her daze, a warmth spreading through her heart. She looked up at her, smiled, and nodded, "Yes, I believe you."

"Master Zhou..."

Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang had just reached the small garden when they saw Xia Yao's hand on Zhou Yan's shoulder. They quickly turned around and said, "Oh dear, Teacher Zhou isn't here. Let's go check over there."

Xia Yao quickly withdrew her hand, turned her face away, and blushed slightly.

"Master! Senior Brother!" Zhou Yan stood up and said with a smile, "Claws? A grown man like you sitting here, can't you see?"

“Sometimes I can see it, sometimes I can’t.” Xiao Lei turned around.

“Master Zhou, we didn’t see anything, please don’t kill us.” Zheng Qiang waved his hand.

Zhou Yan rolled his eyes, truly exasperated by these two old fools.

Xiao Lei walked over, looked at him, and asked, "Have you recruited anyone yet? You're the first one to poach talent from training institutions."

Zheng Qiang also looked at him with curiosity.

Zhou Yan said, "It's not decided yet. The female chef is interested. She will come to my place for an interview after the training is completed. After she passes the interview, she will go back and resign."

Zheng Qiang clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "I was sitting in the back just now and I heard my fellow apprentices say that this female chef is quite amazing. She started as a waitress, became a model worker, and then moved to the kitchen to start from the chopping board. She didn't even have a master; she figured it all out herself, bit by bit."

She was the top worker in the training course, spending the most time practicing knife skills and wok tossing every day, and she also asked the most questions. It was clear she truly cherished this training opportunity.

Xiao Lei nodded upon hearing this: "This kind of chef is good. The most important thing in any profession is diligence. Even if you don't have much talent, you can still improve. They are much better than those chefs who have some talent but just laze around all day."

“I think so too.” Zhou Yan nodded; his opinion was the same as his master’s.

As they were chatting, Kong Liwei strode over with a nonchalant gait. Upon seeing Zhou Yan, he immediately jogged over and asked, "Master Zhou! Can I work at your restaurant?"

"what?"

The four people in the small garden looked at him in surprise at the same time.

"Awei, are you out of your mind?" Xiao Lei reached out and touched Kong Liwei's forehead. Kong Liwei grew up in Leming Hotel, and Xiao Lei often teased him when he was a child.

"Did you take the wrong medicine?" Zheng Qiang looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Zhou Yan smiled, equally disbelieving Kong Liwei's words.

He is the only direct descendant of the fourth generation of the Kong school, the only heir left in the old Kong family at Leming Hotel, and will definitely be succeeded by Kong Guodong in the future.

Kong Liwei dodged Xiao Lei's hand to the side and said seriously, "I'm fine, and I didn't take the wrong medicine. I'm serious! Master Zhou, I've already talked to my master and grandmaster. As long as you agree, I'll write my resignation letter today and start working at your shop tomorrow."

Zhou Yan stopped laughing and looked at him, saying, "Senior Brother Kong, you're not joking?"

Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang also looked at him seriously.

"No joke, I feel I benefited a lot from your class today, more than I learned in the kitchen of Leming Hotel for half a year. I think learning to cook from you is the right way, and I am also very motivated to work with you."

"Don't let my usual jovial demeanor fool you; I actually aspire to be an excellent chef, like Master Kong and Second Master Kong, to achieve fame and bring glory to the Kong school and the Kong family," Kong Liwei said earnestly, his eyes gleaming.

Zhou Yan was silent for a moment, then looked at him and said, "Resigning is easy, but coming back is not so easy. Have you really thought this through? Have you discussed it with Uncle Guodong?"

"If I want to come back in the future, it will have to be after I've achieved great success. Leming Hotel will invite me back to be the head chef!" Kong Liwei patted his chest and said, "My master has already made the decision. The advisor gave the go-ahead, and my master didn't dare to say a word. From now on, I'm your man!"

"Your most loyal lackey!"

"loyalty!"

Zhou Yan: "..."

"Senior Brother Kong, what you're doing..."

"Don't bother with senior brother, Master Zhou, from now on just call me Xiao Kong."

"Xiao Kong, are you serious?"

"Hey! Master Zhou, just tell me what you need." Kong Liwei grinned obsequiously. "If it weren't for the fact that a good disciple doesn't serve two masters, I would have wanted to become your disciple myself."

"Calling me Master isn't quite appropriate, how about calling me Godfather?"

"Teacher Zhou, don't push your luck..."

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(End of this chapter)