Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Yuan Zhou was indeed thinking about the proposed friendly match by Cao Zhishu, but that did not affect his performance during dinnertime.
As usual, Yuan Zhou would throw everything out of his mind when cooking. Even if he was in a bad mood or was feeling unwell, he would do the same.
So long as he wasn’t unwell enough to the point where his performance was affected, he would not take a leave.
Sure, this might make a chef seem like a miserable profession, but in truth, that applied to all professions. For example, a woman named Ah Mei that would occasionally visit the restaurant was a pretty daughter from a humble family. Though her physical appearance couldn’t compare with Yin Ya or Jiang Changxi, her voice was certainly the best voice in the restaurant. Listening to her voice alone was a type of enjoyment.
She was the team leader of a complaint department in a certain listed company. She was paid quite well, and her daily job involved answering phone calls, trying her best to fulfill the customer requests. It was worth noting that when customers reached a point where they were calling the complaint department, not many of them would be in a good mood.
Nobody could be absolutely cool-headed at all times as humans were creatures of emotion. Even if they were aware that the issue lied on the products and it was pointless unleashing their temper on the customer service employees, when one was angry, nobody could maintain their calm and objectivity.
One time, Ah Mei’s grandfather passed away. She applied for leave to return for the funeral, but the leave approved by the head of the department would only start after lunch. And thus, she had to continue working in the morning.
And it was when she was in such a heavy mood that she was scolded by the customers without a stop. A certain customer was particularly angry due to the many issues with the product, and when scolding, the customer even scolded her family. Even so, Ah Mei had to maintain her politeness.
Upon reaching adulthood, one would enter the society. And society was not one’s mother. Of course, the passing of a family member was a good reason for one to take leave, but company rules were still company rules.
Ah Mei understood that, and thus, she did not feel too strongly about that incident. She even mentioned that she had once seen someone nine months pregnant still going to work. It was never easy making a living. That was also why she would often get homesick.
Back to the topic, during dinner time, the customers entered the restaurant in a line as usual. And everyone sat down in their favored seats before ordering.
Wu Hai had always been one that ate quickly and ate a lot. By the time he was done with his second round of eating, Jiang Changxi had just arrived.
“You’re eating quite fast today,” Jiang Changxi said as she sat down where Wu Hai sat earlier.
“It’s ok, I guess. My appetite is slightly bad today so I ate a little less,” Wu Hai said gloomily while rubbing his mustache.
“What’s the matter?” Jiang Changxi asked in astonishment.
“Lin Lin is returning soon,” Wu Hai grumbled.
“Isn’t that good news? I did not even see her during Chinese New Year. It has been half a year since I last saw her.” Jiang Changxi and Wu Lin had temperaments that agreed to each other. Each time they met, they would start chatting, and could be considered as close friends.
“Good my ass. My suffering will begin the moment that tomboy returns,” Wu Hai felt his head aching when he recalled Wu Lin’s martial prowess.
“Haha, it’s your fault for being such a troublemaker. Do you remember when you went on the painting trip? You nearly got yourself hospitalized,” Jiang Changxi laughed repeatedly.
That’s right. During Wu Hai’s painting trip, he had to go for a checkup at the hospital due to his irregular meals there. Even so, he had insisted to first have a meal at Yuan Zhou’s restaurant before going to the hospital.
At that time, Zheng Jiawei grew incredibly anxious. After all, Wu Hai could be extremely stubborn at times. After the meal, only when his stomach was aching to the point he was rolling on his bed in the middle of the night did he agreed to let Zheng Jiawei send him to the hospital.
Because Yuan Zhou had paid Wu Hai a visit at night, the regular customers all knew of this. That was why Jiang Changxi would speak of that.
Naturally, Zheng Jiawei had to inform Wu Lin about this. One could imagine Wu Hai’s fate when Wu Lin found out.
“This can’t do. I have to go back to the studio and check if there’s anything she can’t touch lying around. I need to hide them to avoid having them smashed by her when she returned,” Wu Hai felt a chill up his spine when he recalled how Wu Lin nearly beat him to death the previous time his irregular meals caused him to have stomach problems.
“Wait, so when is Lin Lin coming back?” Jiang Changxi called out and asked.
“Three days later,” Wu Hai said and left.
It was clear for all to see that as a younger sister, Wu Lin’s prestige was deeply etched in Wu Hai’s heart.
“That guy sure is fast in running, am I right, Boss Yuan?” Jiang Changxi shook his head while laughing before she spoke to Yuan Zhou who was laying out the dishes.
“I wonder if you are fast,” Jiang Changxi asked with a teasing smile.
“Cough, my ears are feeling unwell today. I can’t hear you. Let’s talk next time, I’ll return to cooking,” Yuan Zhou coughed and turned with a straight face.
“No worries, I can repeat it right now,” Jiang Changxi continued teasing.
However, Yuan Zhou was resolute to not leave the kitchen. Therefore, he completely ignored her words.
“Haha, Boss Yuan is as cute as ever,” Jiang Changxi said as she rested her arm on the table. Then, she started ordering.
“Alright, give me a White Oil Tofu, plain white rice, and a glass of lemonade. That’s all,” Jiang Changxi quickly finished her order and paid for it.
“Ok, Sister Jiang. The dishes will be arriving soon,” Zhou Jia nodded and went passing the order to Yuan Zhou.
Jiang Changxi was about to continue teasing Yuan Zhou when a new customer sat down beside her.
Jiang Changxi instinctively turned to look at the new customer.
The customer was wearing a flax-colored long-sleeved gown with a white-colored sweater on the outside, giving off a refreshing and natural feel. Her face looked familiar.
“One Dongpo Pig Knuckle and plain white rice,” the woman ordered the moment she sat down.
“Ok. Are you paying in cash or fund transfer?” Zhou Jia nodded and asked.
“Fund transfer. It’s already done,” the woman showed Zhou Jia her phone.
“Please be seated. Your order will be arriving shortly,” Zhou Jia said after confirming the payment.
Although Jiang Changxi felt like the customer looked familiar, she could not remember who she was. Before long, her order arrived.
“Time to eat. I still need to drink some liquor later,” Jiang Changxi said as she gazed at her meal in satisfaction. She picked up her chopsticks and continued eating.
Shortly after, the order of the woman beside her arrived as well. Her eating speed was much faster than Jiang Changxi.
In fact, she was even faster than Wu Hai. Jiang Changxi had only eaten half her meal when that woman had already finished her Dongpo Pig Knuckle and rice.
“One Translucent Beef Slices and Clear Broth Noodle Soup. The payment is already transferred,” the woman ordered new dishes after eating. She immediately showed Zhou Jia her phone.
“Ok,” Zhou Jia nodded and left.
“Are you Feng Dan, the nutritionist and fitness instructor?” Jiang Changxi asked in astonishment.
How did Jiang Changxi recognize this woman? From how she ate.
When she first came to the restaurant, she immediately displayed her eating speed that was comparable with Wu Hai. She had also subsequently came several times after that, and each time, Jiang Changxi was around.
Gradually, Jiang Changxi got to know her name. But after Chinese New Year, she had never seen this woman coming.
