Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 182 Exam

They came out warm and cozy, and a gentle northerly wind made them all feel more energetic. Chen Hui had drunk a bit too much and was swaying slightly in the wind, so Chen Xiao half-carried, half-supported him. Xia Maosheng was alright, his face flushed and neck red, as he ran to the roadside to hail a taxi. Xiao Wei and Xiao Hong followed behind. Xiao Wei hadn't drunk much and remained sober.

After waiting for a while, a taxi came. When the driver saw how drunk the group was, he stepped on the gas and drove off without daring to pick them up. Xia Maosheng jumped up and down and cursed a few times. Xiao Wei pulled Xia Maosheng to the side of the road and told Xiao Hong to go hail a taxi. This time, they were lucky and got into a taxi and went back to Nanhu.

The next morning at nine o'clock, in the basement kitchen of the Cultural Palace Hotel.

The restaurant is closed today, and everyone except Sister Jin with two general workers and Li Na with two waitresses is on holiday for this exam.

Several baskets of fish, several baskets of meat, and several large baskets of vegetables were piled on the ground. Sister Jin led two handymen to distribute the food to the test takers. The test takers were divided into groups of eight. They picked, washed, and cut the food themselves, prepared it, and plated it. Then the handymen used a lift to send it to the restaurant upstairs. That was considered the end of the test.

The students taking the exam all looked so confident, but they were all complete idiots. The families who were actually qualified to cook were just there to get a certificate and didn't even bother taking the exam.

Some people were picking and arranging vegetables while talking about who the judges were, how many points they would get, and what the passing score was. Others were fantasizing that their dishes would be noticed by one of the master chefs, who would immediately come down and take them as apprentices, allowing them to rise to the top of the chef's career. Xiao Wei and Xia Maosheng just stood by and watched with amusement.

They were really overthinking it. There were only three people in the restaurant, including Li Na and two waiters. As soon as the dishes were served, they were poured into a large basin and placed on the side. These things were either taken back by a few people or Boss Zhao to give away, or they were thrown away. There was no one to judge them, and no one even tasted them.

The bustling activity continued as the dishes were prepared, numbered slips of paper were placed on them, and then the laborers would run up to the elevator to carry them to the alcove. Only then would the examinees reluctantly wash their hands, change their clothes, and leave with their chef's uniforms. They could pick up their certificates themselves or have them mailed to their homes.

Jin Jie was supervising the portioning and chopping of vegetables to prevent waste. Actually, she wasn't doing much, and stood with Xiao Wei and Xia Maosheng, laughing and watching the commotion. She asked Xiao Wei, "Chef Zhang, why don't you go up and have a measuring contest?"

Xiao Wei shook his head and said, "Forget it, it's not a real exam. There's no need to change clothes and stuff. It's too much trouble. Let's just have you wash fewer dishes."

Xia Maosheng said, "Actually, you can go up and try it out. You can even just cook fish. You don't usually cook this much, so you can practice."

Xiao Wei shook his head: "Forget it, let's not bother anymore."

Sister Jin said, "You cook, there are several of us eating. I've never had your cooking before."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "Didn't you eat that piece of meat last time? It was just so-so. Besides, we're going to Donglaishun later, you want to eat your fill here, right?"

Sister Jin said, "Then forget it, let's keep the baby in our belly."

Luo Qingjia finished cooking, picked up some clothes, and walked over, saying, "Zhang Wei, Xia Maosheng, are you leaving today?"

Xiao Wei said, "I'm not leaving. I need to stay home for a few more days. Is something wrong?"

Luo Qinghe slapped his forehead and said, "I forgot, this is your house. Um, I was thinking since it's almost Chinese New Year and we don't have much to do, how about we invite you to come visit my place for a couple of days? Want to come?"

Xiao Wei asked, "How far is your home?"

Luo Qinghe said, "From here to Xinmin, and then transfer in Xinmin, you can arrive by noon if you leave in the morning. It's not far."

Xia Maosheng laughed and said, "We probably won't have time before the New Year, but we'll come visit you after the New Year. We'll definitely come, Little Tuozi, I remember the place."

Luo Qinghe said, "That's fine then, I'll be going now, my luggage is all packed."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, so you're going to run your own restaurant when you get back?"

Luo Qinghe said, "See? I think she runs a restaurant. Otherwise, I might have gone to work for her. Anyway, we'll see. I'm leaving now. You two can come after the New Year."

Xia Maosheng agreed. Sister Jin said, "Your place is quite nice."

Xiao Wei said, "We've been together for several months now."

Xia Maosheng said, "It's no use. They'll forget about it after a few days back. If they can even exchange a few words when they meet next year, that's considered a good relationship. Everyone has their own life to live, so who can think about whom? Maybe some of them will just stay like this for the rest of their lives and never see each other again."

Sister Jin said, "That's true. We're all scattered all over the country. I doubt you'll even remember me in the future."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "How could I forget you? We'll come here often in the future. Besides, Sister Jin, are you planning to stay here forever? How about moving to another place after the New Year?"

Xia Maosheng paused for a moment, then quickly realized what he meant. He smiled, nodded, and said, "Yes, yes, Sister Jin, let's find another place. There's a decent place to live there, so we don't have to live in the kitchen anymore. Living here for too long will ruin our health, and the salary will be higher than here."

Jin stared at them blankly for a long time before finally asking, "Are you two telling the truth?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Really, 24K pure and innocent, the salary will definitely be higher than this, and we'll even get you a room with a bed and a closet."

Sister Jin said, "How could I not believe you? I get room and board here and a salary of 1,200 yuan. How much could it be? You even gave me a room. I don't believe you." She laughed and punched Xiao Wei lightly, "You're just trying to fool me. You make it sound so real. I almost believed you."

"What are you all doing? Why are you even fighting?" Li Na walked in, wearing high heels. She wasn't at work today, so she wasn't wearing her uniform. She had dressed up a bit, wearing a red blazer with a beige coat over it, and a pink and purple floral scarf around her neck. Her 1.7-meter height and high heels made her stand out.

Li Na walked over to Xiao Wei, glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and said, "Who's this? You're so short, don't stand next to me, okay? Aren't you embarrassed?" She was wearing high heels and was more than half a head taller than Xiao Wei. Xia Maosheng and Sister Jin laughed heartily.

Xiao Wei said, "Fine, because of your outfit, I'm not going to Donglaishun today. It's embarrassing."

Li Na immediately reached out and grabbed Xiao Wei's arm, then said in a coquettish tone, "Oh, Brother Wei, I'm not good at talking, don't be mad at me. Look at our heights, we're such a good match." As she spoke, she squatted down a little, pretending to be shorter than Xiao Wei.

Fortunately, Viagra hasn't become popular in the country yet.

Jin Jie laughed and patted Li Na, saying, "Alright, stop fooling around. What are you doing down here? You can't even make it up there!"

Li Na straightened up, pursed her lips, and said, "It's just picking vegetables, you don't even know how to pour them into the bowl? I have to watch you. After that, I can just have the two of them each take a bag back. What were you two talking about just now? I saw you actually getting involved."

(End of this chapter)