1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 343 Sister, is this how you do it on your first day at work? (Bonus chapter for monthly votes: 155 chapters)

Zeng Anrong smiled, but tears glistened in her eyes.

Zhou Erwa Restaurant is so different; everyone there is so kind and warm.

"Sister Zeng, come with me, let me show you around the workstations." Zhou Yan beckoned Zeng Anrong into the kitchen and gave her a detailed introduction to the kitchen.

The last interview was a bit rushed, so I didn't explain things to her in detail.

"These two stoves are for my exclusive use. The number one stove is mine, the number two stove is Awei's, and the number three stove is yours starting today."

“Okay.” Zeng Anrong nodded, smiling happily. Being given her own stool as soon as she arrived at the restaurant was a sign of respect and recognition.

“There are two stoves over here, this one is yours.” Zhou Yan then led her to the side.

"Is this one for Awei?" Zeng Anrong looked at the stove next to her.

Ah Wei shrugged: "Sister Zeng, you guessed wrong. With my current skill level, I'm not even qualified to have a stove in Zhou Erwa's restaurant kitchen. My skill level is too low, I still need to practice."

Zeng Anrong smiled awkwardly upon hearing this, and turned her gaze to Zhou Yan: "Boss, should I practice some more?"

Zhou Yan smiled and shook his head: "Awei's basic skills are quite solid, but his cooking experience is indeed lacking. But you are different. You can be seen as someone who can cook independently. The stir-fried pork with salt was quite good. I'm considering adding this dish to the menu, and you can be in charge of cooking it."

“Okay, I am indeed mainly responsible for cooking for individual customers in the main hall at Qing Shen Restaurant.” Zeng Anrong nodded.

Zhou Yan looked at the two and said, "You will learn as you work in the shop. Once you have mastered the dishes to my standards, I will hand them over to you to be in charge of. I hired you here because I hope you can grow into independent chefs, not just pay a high price to hire two experienced assistants. I have faith in your potential and your future."

Zeng Anrong nodded solemnly.

Even Ah Wei straightened up a bit, patting his chest and assuring, "Teacher Zhou, I understand!"

"Come on, let's do some chopping first. The braised meat is already cooking in the pot. Now we need to cut the bamboo shoots and potato slices," Zhou Yan said with a smile, urging the two to get to work.

With several skilled cooks in the kitchen, the results were indeed immediate.

Originally a key member of the team, Li Lihua, has lost her third job and can now only do tasks like peeling potatoes.

Unfortunately, when it comes to knife skills, she is indeed far inferior to Zeng Anrong and Awei.

At her age, she really doesn't have the determination to learn cooking skills anymore. She's happy to be idle, and she can accept peeling potatoes or running errands.

"I see our restaurant is going to offer banquets for guests?" Zeng Anrong asked.

“Yes, we have two tables booked tonight. Tomorrow, New Year’s Day, we’ll only accept reservations and banquets. The guests are quite enthusiastic, so tomorrow will probably be quite busy.” Zhou Yan nodded: “As for the work arrangements, you and Awei will start work at six in the morning and begin making steamed buns.”

"Six o'clock?" Zeng Anrong frowned slightly.

"In this weather, getting up at six is ​​torture. It's not even dawn yet, and the world outside the covers is terrifying," Awei muttered to himself.

"You think it's too early?" Zhou Yan also looked at her.

"Isn't it a bit late? Making steamed buns requires preparing the dough two or three hours in advance, right?" Zeng Anrong looked at him. "Boss, can I get up early and help you knead the dough? I'm quite interested in pastry making."

"Huh?" Ah Wei's eyes widened a bit.

No, sister, is this how you do it on your first day of work?
Making dough requires getting up at 4 a.m.!
"Huh?" Zhou Yan was also a little surprised. "Are you sure? I get up at 4:40 in the morning to make the dough."

Zeng Anrong nodded firmly: "Sure, I'll get up at 4:40 too. I'll just stay upstairs, change my clothes and go downstairs, it'll be very convenient."

Zhou Yan smiled and glanced at Awei beside him.

“Don’t look at me, I’m not that interested in white dishes.” Awei immediately waved his hand without hesitation.

This little bit of competition is nothing; there's no way he'll get out of bed at 4:30!
“Okay, then you can get up at 4:30 and help me knead and mix the dough.” Zhou Yan nodded. If Zeng Anrong was willing to do this, he really wanted to be a hands-off manager.

Even getting out of bed at 4:30 a.m. felt like a struggle.

Moreover, he's been so busy kneading dough every day that he hasn't been to the morning market to shop for a long time.

This is a pretty terrible thing for a restaurant owner and purchasing manager.

What is the purpose of hiring chefs at high prices?
Isn't it just to share the workload?

As a boss, it's hard not to like an employee as ambitious as Zeng Anrong.

"Thank you, boss!" Zeng Anrong said happily.

She was worried that Zhou Yan would refuse her, since she wanted to learn how to make pastries on her very first day. She didn't expect him to agree so readily.

"No need to thank me. If you can learn to knead dough well, you can help me with some of the work," Zhou Yan said.

"I will definitely study hard!" Zeng Anrong said earnestly.

After the braised dishes were ready, Zhou Yan and the two of them discussed the division of labor in the kitchen again.

The cutting and preparation were done by the two of them, with Awei also taking care of the side dishes.

Zeng Anrong was in charge of cooking and serving the dishes, as well as stir-frying the pork cracklings and cabbage dish.

Zhou Yan asked her and Awei to each cook a dish of stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings as their lunch.

A pretty good stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings

[A decent stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings] Zeng Anrong's stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings is clearly superior, with better seasoning and cooking time than Awei's, and not much different from Zhou Yan's stir-fried version.

“Competitive selection for the position. If you’re capable, then you do it. That’s the rule in our kitchen. No objections, right?” Zhou Yan said, looking at the two of them.

Ah Wei put down his chopsticks and nodded, saying, "No objection. Sister Zeng's stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings is much tastier than mine. The texture is just right, and the seasoning is also more suitable."

Zeng Anrong said, "Actually, Awei's cooking is quite good, but he's not skilled enough. When I was at Qingshen Restaurant, I cooked a dozen or twenty portions every day. I practiced little by little. You have to adjust the heat and seasoning slowly. Don't be discouraged."

"Yes, I understand. I will learn more from Sister Zeng." Awei nodded with a smile.

Was comforted.

"Master Zhou, the guests are eating such high-standard dishes, so when should we start cooking?" Awei suddenly realized a problem and asked Zhou Yan.

Zeng Anrong also looked at Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan had already thought it through and said without hesitation, "From now on, the two of you will be mainly responsible for preparing our work meals. It doesn't matter if it's just for us to eat; I'll give you guidance and feedback."

“Okay.” Zeng Anrong nodded, quite happy to have the opportunity to get started.

Ah Wei scratched his head, feeling a strange mix of emotions, unsure whether he had gained or lost.

I've had the chance to try cooking, but it'll be hard to eat Zhou's delicious food again. The quality of my work meals is plummeting!

For example, today's lunch consisted of two servings of stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings and two servings of stir-fried pork liver.

After everyone tasted it, they all fell silent.

Especially the stir-fried pork liver dish cooked by Kong Liwei, everyone ate it without making a sound.

Zhou Momo held her small bowl, looked at the four dishes on the table in silence for a while, then looked up at Zhou Yan: "Brother, I want to eat ribs~~"

"Okay, I'll get you some." Zhou Yan got up and went into the kitchen. After a while, he came out with a plate of braised pork ribs, a plate of beef with dried bamboo shoots, and a dish of pickled radishes.

"Ah Wei, your stir-fried pig liver is a bit too salty, a bit overcooked, and a bit burnt, but otherwise it's pretty good. Keep up the good work, I believe in you," Old Zhou encouraged, picking up a piece of pickled radish and shoveling a big mouthful of rice into his mouth.

Ah Wei: "..."

Uncle Zhou, you should at least eat a couple more pieces!

"Awei, you should eat more, don't waste food," Zhou Momo reminded Awei as she gnawed on her ribs.

"I will definitely finish it!" Ah Wei said confidently. After eating two pieces of the stir-fried pork liver he had made, he silently handed his chopsticks to the pickled radish.

Today, I was thinking about comparing myself to Sister Zeng, and with so many distracting thoughts in my mind, I didn't control the heat and seasoning well. The stir-fried pork liver was indeed a complete mess.

In comparison, although Sister Zeng's stir-fried pork liver wasn't as good as Master Zhou's, it was still smooth, tender, and delicious.

"The timing and seasoning are things you learn through practice. Don't be discouraged. With more practice, you'll naturally get the hang of it," Zhou Yan said with a smile. In terms of practical experience, Awei was indeed far behind Zeng Anrong.

With Zeng Anrong's diligence and basic skills, it is estimated that in a few months she will be able to take charge of several simple dishes and share more of the cooking burden.

After lunch, the tables were cleared away, and the guests began to arrive one after another.

Especially when the bell rings to signal the end of the workday, the textile factory workers file in, instantly triggering the lunch rush.

Lin Zhiqiang and Wang Hongliang entered the restaurant and Lin said, "Factory Director, let's have a meal together tomorrow. Let's also try Zhou Yan's braised rock carp and snowflake chicken soup. It'll be a good opportunity to celebrate New Year's Day together."

“Yes, these two dishes are excellent! The last time I had braised rock carp was last year in Chengdu. Now in Jiaozhou, Xiao Zhou's version is probably the most authentic. We should definitely try it. It's been a long time since our two families have eaten together,” Wang Hongliang nodded.

The two entered, found a table, ordered two dishes, and also booked a private banquet.

"Let's invite Xia Yao over tomorrow night too. The head of Licheng Group's Yangcheng factory came over yesterday and raved about the Jiading silk series. Xia Yao played a crucial role in our factory securing this big order. See if you, as her uncle, can do some persuasion and get her to work at our textile factory after graduation." Wang Hongliang looked at Lin Zhiqiang and said, "I'll definitely give her the best conditions: a single dormitory room, no internship required, and she'll start directly as an intermediate designer."

Lin Zhiqiang smiled and shook his head: "Factory manager, this is not up to me. Xia Yao is a very independent and thoughtful girl. She studied brand design and plans to develop her career in big cities like Shanghai, Guangzhou, or even Hong Kong after graduation. I can't very well ask her to work at our textile factory."

Wang Hongliang sighed upon hearing this, "That's right. An outstanding college student like her has opportunities everywhere. I bet Licheng Group would be scrambling to get her a job. Foreign companies like Licheng Group are different from us; they can offer much better terms than we do."

"That's right, after all, it's a foreign-invested enterprise, so they don't lack money." Lin Zhiqiang lowered his head to drink his tea, his voice dropping a few decibels.

“Foreign companies have money, but our state-owned factories are just as good. Our salaries and benefits are top-tier in Jiaozhou, and even among the best in the Sichuan-Chongqing region.” Wang Hongliang lowered his voice and leaned closer to Lin Zhiqiang.

"Zhiqiang, let me tell you, I just received a notice that our factory may be selected by the province as one of the first batch of pilot factories next year."

Besides taxes and a portion of profits, a portion of our textile factory's profits can remain in the factory, another portion can be used for the factory's expansion, and the remainder can be distributed to all workers to increase their wages and subsidies, thereby improving their work enthusiasm.

"This is great news!" Lin Zhiqiang's eyes lit up. Every year, factory leaders would report this issue to higher authorities, but he didn't expect to hear about it this year.

The textile factory was a major foreign exchange earner in Jiaozhou, and its workers' wages were higher than those of other factories, but only by a small margin, amounting to only three to five yuan more per month in subsidies. The workers were already unhappy about this.

If we could keep some of the profits to raise workers' wages, everyone would be overjoyed.

To put it simply, if I could earn an extra ten yuan a month, I could eat meat every two days.

“That’s right, I did something practical for everyone before I retired. We’ll have to rely on you from now on.” Wang Hongliang looked at him with satisfaction: “You will definitely lead the team better than I did. You understand the technology and you know how to manage.”

"Factory Manager..." Lin Zhiqiang's expression was somewhat complicated. "After we finish eating, I have something to report to you."

Wang Hongliang laughed and said, "Okay, let's chat in my office after we eat. My son brought me a bag of Da Hong Pao tea yesterday, I'll make you a cup and you can try it."

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