Chapter 189

"Are there any more three-diced baozi?"

"Youyou, how long until the next batch of three-diced baozi comes out of the pot?"

"Are all the steamers already in use?"

"Little Huang, send the announcement in the group order group again; we haven't accepted group orders for 45 minutes. Today the three-diced baozi in the store have exploded, and there is no manpower to deliver takeout. Also, emphasize that the three-diced baozi will only be sold until 1:30 PM, and it won't be delayed by even a minute!"

"Hello, I am Huang Xi, the head waiter of the Yunzhong canteen. Oh, oh, oh, the ingredients have arrived, right? That's great, you arrived just in time, I'll have someone go out to get them now."

"Little Huang, Little Chu, you two find two more people who don't know how to wrap baozi to go outside to receive the goods, and then change clothes and come into the back kitchen to help process the ingredients. Has Little Liu returned? I remember she wraps baozi quite well."

"She said she's two subway stops away."

"Good, everyone has worked hard today, let's get moving, don't drop the chain in your own segment. Assistant Xiao Qin said that everyone working normally today will get double wages, and those who come back from vacation to work will get triple wages. When Assistant Xiao Qin returns to Gusu in a few days, our store will have a team-building day off and go to soak in hot springs to relax."

"..."

Under Huang Xi's arrangement, the Yunzhong canteen, which might have been in a rush and busy to the point of being overwhelmed, prepared meals and served meals in an orderly manner. There were long lines inside and outside the canteen, and the queue to buy baozi stretched from inside the canteen to the side of the road outside, with no end in sight.

In the queue were white-haired old men and women, healthy-looking grandpas and grandmas, the owner of the convenience store across the street, office workers who took half an hour off to leave work early to grab baozi, pure passersby who didn't know what everyone was grabbing but were really bored so they joined the queue, and errand boys carrying heavy responsibilities.

When the three-diced baozi first exploded, Qin Huai didn't expect it, and Huang Xi had no experience; except for the first batch of baozi that limited the purchase quantity, there was no purchase limit at all afterwards.

The lack of purchase limits benefited the hospital's orthopedics, neurology, neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology, emergency, inpatient department, and security guards. The errand boys returned fully loaded, and before they had finished delivering one trip, when they returned after receiving the next batch of orders, the Yunzhong canteen restarted the rule of limiting each person to 5.

The errand boys accepted this well and called the order owners one by one to notify them. The order owners were also used to it (the previous dried tangerine peel tea was also limited), so they canceled the orders and placed new ones.

Then the errand orders for the Yunzhong canteen line truly exploded in the real sense.

At 11:30, at least half of the people in the queue were errand boys wearing yellow and blue clothes.

But this was just the beginning of the real explosion.

Because the office workers in the office buildings near the Yunzhong canteen usually don't get off work until 12:00 or even 12:30, and the lunch break depends on the conscience of the company. Short ones are an hour, long ones are an hour and a half, and extreme ones are only 40 minutes. Those office workers are the main force of the Yunzhong canteen's weekday lunch and dinner consumption.

It can be said that if it weren't for Huang Xi's good coordination and planning, arranging all the back kitchen helpers and waiters in the lobby who could help wrap baozi into the kitchen to help Qin Huai, and applying to Qin Huai for double daily wages to call back employees who were on vacation today, and contacting suppliers in advance to let them rush to send another batch of three-diced baozi ingredients, today's Yunzhong canteen would probably be a mess.

These were all things Qin Huai knew Huang Xi had done.

Qin Huai, who was at the center of the storm, working frantically but not under much pressure: When he recruited Huang Xi, he really found a treasure!

After working at Huang Ji for so long, the best management philosophy Qin Huai learned was that professional work should be handed over to professional people.

He is a chef and only needs to be responsible for making pastries.

Huang Xi is the head waiter of the Yunzhong canteen, and handing over trivial matters and coordination to Huang Xi is definitely correct.

It was the same at Huang Ji; the chef is responsible for the back kitchen, and the head waiter is responsible for the lobby. The only one whose business ability was not good but insisted on doing it was actually Huang Anyao. But this couldn't be blamed entirely on him; after all, he was the young proprietor and couldn't cook, and if he didn't participate in some management affairs, the young proprietor would really have no face at all.

The consequence of forcing the young proprietor to participate in management affairs was that the marketing plan was done very poorly, the suppliers couldn't be negotiated to the best, and the locust honey bought was not even as good as the one Grandma Ding got.

Sometimes Qin Huai deeply felt that Huang Anyao was not suitable to be a young proprietor; Huang Anyao was suitable to be Xu Cheng—after financial freedom, eating, drinking, playing, and writing food reviews every day.

Although Huang Anyao couldn't cook, he was quite good at eating, and when he talked about food, he was very articulate and had a set of theories.

Huang Xi is a qualified head waiter, so Qin Huai is very relieved to hand over everything except making pastries to her. Even if the canteen and outside the canteen are overcrowded and have long lines, Qin Huai can still calmly direct all the helpers in the back kitchen to do this and that, and produce meals in batches.

Head chef Qin Huai worked calmly.

The helpers, however, were not calm at all.

Helper No. 1 Qin Congwen and Helper No. 2 Zhao Rong looked at Qin Huai's calm expression and skilled movements, and their hearts ached so much that tears were about to fall.

Qin Congwen was holding a basin and frantically mixing the filling, his forehead covered with fine beads of sweat because he was working too hard, and he said to Zhao Rong, who was wrapping steamed buns so fast that her hands were almost blurring, with full heartache: "How much suffering has our Huaihuai endured in Gusu for more than a month!"

Zhao Rong agreed frantically: "When did our Qin family breakfast shop ever sell so many steamed buns before? Huaihuai used to work for two hours and rest for one hour. Fortunately, I didn't listen to my brother and send Huaihuai to that so-called Martial Arts School. Huaihuai was only in high school at that time; if he had really been sent there, how much suffering would he have endured!"

Qin Congwen yawned and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, fortunately he wasn't sent. I saw it the day Huaihuai came back; he was tired and thin!"

"It's all because I'm useless, my skills aren't good, and I can't help Huaihuai knead the dough!" Qin Congwen wished he could beat his chest and stamp his feet.

An Youyou, who had been standing next to Zhao Rong wrapping baozi:...

Was there a deviation in her memory, or was it just that the weather was cold now and Qin Huai was wearing more clothes? Why did she feel that Qin Huai not only didn't lose weight but gained a little weight this time he came back.

And...

An Youyou rotated her right hand, which was a bit cramped from wrapping baozi for several hours, looked at Zhao Rong, who had wrapped more baozi than herself, and then looked at Qin Congwen, who was previously wrapping baozi and was now frantically mixing the filling.

And Chen An and Li Hua, who had been dicing and had never stopped.

Both Pei Xing, who was facing several large pots, staring at the heat of the filling boiling inside, his eyes almost popping out.

Not to mention the other helpers who didn't have names; today there were double wages and extra commissions. Just looking at the sales volume and unit price of the three-diced baozi, even someone who had failed math since the first grade of elementary school could imagine how high the commission would be today.

Although everyone knew in their hearts that as an ordinary helper, they definitely wouldn't get much commission.

But...

What if?

In all fairness, the Yunzhong canteen did not mistreat its employees when it came to issuing commissions. An Youyou, as a helper, was able to get a salary of 8,000 yuan last month because her working hours were long enough and her commission was high enough.

Motivated by money, everyone worked very hard, wishing they could bring out 150% efficiency.

Under these circumstances, An Youyou felt that Qin Huai didn't seem that busy or tired.

Qin Huai is the head chef and only needs to be responsible for technical work; the real dirty and tiring work doesn't fall to him.

Thinking of this, An Youyou's eyes lit up.

Great, she wants to be a head chef in the future too!

That way, she can put in the least effort, earn the most money, and one day be able to afford a house in the Yunzhong residential area, move in, and become an owner, so she never has to ride an electric scooter to work again and can walk to work directly!

An Youyou continued to wrap baozi excitedly.

Qin Congwen & Zhao Rong, who noticed that An Youyou suddenly became very excited:...

Did this child drink coffee?

Next time I have to tell Youyou that we who sell breakfast can't drink coffee at this time; getting up at two or three in the morning is already very early, and drinking coffee will be too much for the body.

By the time the sales ended completely at 2 o'clock, every employee in the Yunzhong canteen was so tired that they almost collapsed on their chairs.

Huang Xi announced to the outside world that three-diced baozi would not be sold after 1:30 PM, but the back kitchen couldn't really end business at 1:30 PM. The wrapped baozi had to be steamed, kitchen utensils and machines needed to be cleaned, and kitchen waste also needed to be disposed of.

Even Huang Ji, whose business hours were long criticized, stopped accepting orders after 1:00 PM, and the back kitchen usually had to wait until after 1:30 PM to get off work. Both Pei Xing felt as if he had returned to the time when he was an apprentice at Zhi Wei Ju.

As a distant relative of the famous Huaiyang cuisine master Pei Shenghua, Both Pei Xing entered Zhi Wei Ju through connections and also apprenticed to a good master.

The price of being a famous master's disciple is to be competitive, very competitive, especially those famous master's disciples who didn't have enough talent and entered through the back door.

Those with enough talent only need to work 12 hours a day, while those without enough talent have to work 13, 14, or even 15 hours.

And the back kitchen doesn't care whose connection you are; once you enter, you are an apprentice, a disciple, and you eat by your skills. Connections without enough ability are more easily mocked, more in need of striving, and more likely to become the king of competition.

Both Pei Xing just couldn't stand the days at Zhi Wei Ju where he opened his eyes and made pastries, wishing he could make pastries 366 days a year. When he felt that he was competitive enough, he looked at his colleagues and found that they were even more competitive than him, so he decided to return to his hometown to find a job with more money, more leisure, and closer to home to slack off.

As a result, the money was good, and it was indeed close to home, but leisure...

Both Pei Xing admitted that the days when Qin Huai wasn't there were indeed quite leisurely.

But today, Both Pei Xing felt that he had returned to a familiar battlefield; he revisited the hard days when he was an apprentice, and even the work he did today was the work he did as an apprentice, and the head chef in the kitchen was the same as every head chef he saw when he was an apprentice.

Composed, calm, gentle, and skilled.

Damn it, Both Pei Xing felt that he couldn't control his heart that wanted to compete.

He was clearly very tired now, so tired that he just wanted to sit on a chair and rest. But when he saw Qin Huai stand up and walk towards the steamer, he just wanted to rush up and hand Qin Huai a cup of tea and say: Master Qin, you must be tired, drink some tea and take a break.

He didn't even want to say Assistant Xiao Qin.

Because Assistant Xiao Qin is a disrespect to the head chef's skills.

Both Pei Xing lay painfully on the chair, looked up at the sky, and sighed deeply.

Li Hua, who was paralyzed on another chair:...?

Is it that tiring? Is it that impossible to compete? Which master taught you?

Li Hua asked Chen An in a low voice: "What kind of tea does our Assistant Xiao Qin usually like to drink? Pu'er, Longjing, Iron Goddess of Mercy, or herbal tea? I remember Assistant Xiao Qin is from Guangdong Province."

Chen An: "... I'm not very clear about this, but if he drinks herbal tea, Assistant Xiao Qin might prefer hand-beaten lemon tea."

Li Hua:???

Assistant Xiao Qin, who loves hand-beaten lemon tea, walked to the steamer and wanted to find the helper who set the alarm clock to determine the time for the baozi to come out of the pot to ask when the last batch of baozi would come out.

The last batch of baozi was employee welfare.

Everyone had been tired for a whole morning and a whole noon, and it could be said that they hadn't had a drop of water or a grain of rice, so Qin Huai specifically left the last batch of baozi for everyone to eat their fill at once.

There was also dried tangerine peel tea, which was boiling in the pot; drink as many cups as you want, and if you can't drink it, you can pack it and take it back.

If you feel that the three-diced baozi and dried tangerine peel tea are not enough, there are also about 40 portions of gastrodia stewed pigeon in the stew pot. Qin Huai knows that gastrodia stewed pigeon tastes average, but it has good curative effects; it's food therapy, brightens the eyes, and is good for the eyes.

The biggest problem with gastrodia stewed pigeon at present is probably that the level Qin Huai makes is not very high, which leads to low buff efficiency.

Qin Huai can currently only make D+ level gastrodia stewed pigeon, and can't even make C- level.

If the heat isn't good, the level of the stewed dish is destined not to go up. Gastrodia stewed pigeon is also the least popular dish Qin Huai made at Huang Ji, with mediocre sales of only forty or fifty portions every day, and those who ordered this dish basically did so to take care of Assistant Xiao Qin's mood.

According to the meticulous analysis of Huang Ji's diners, Assistant Xiao Qin's gastrodia stewed pigeon doesn't taste very good, the ingredients are very sufficient, the price is very cheap, and it appears on the menu every day, which shows that Assistant Xiao Qin himself likes this dish very much.

It's just because the specialty doesn't match, so the quality of the dish is poor. For Assistant Xiao Qin, gastrodia stewed pigeon is not an ordinary dish; it is an interest, a hobby, and Assistant Xiao Qin's pursuit in savory cooking.

Although it doesn't taste good, its cost-effectiveness is indeed good.

"Master Jing, I think I'm a coward, a deserter. I don't want to let my dad lie in bed waiting for death, but I don't want to try the method I clearly know can save him."

"Everyone says I've been absent-minded these days because of the family incident. It's not that, I am..."

"I hate myself."

"I hate myself for having things I want to do, things I can do, yet I don't dare to do them."

Jing Lixiang listened quietly.

After Gong Liang finished rambling, Jing Lixiang asked a question that came out of nowhere: "You aren't going on business trips these few days, right?"

Gong Liang nodded.

"Can you ask your section chief for half a day off tomorrow afternoon and come to the state-run restaurant?"

Gong Liang was a bit dazed, but still nodded: "I should be able to."

Jing Lixiang said with a smile: "Then I'll wait for you at the state-run restaurant tomorrow afternoon."

"If you're in a bad mood, eat something good and you'll feel better."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 183 =====

He was almost becoming a baozi immortal kneading dough and mixing fillings at the culinary station; how could he have the leisure to look at the steamer side.

In the full process of making baozi, steaming baozi is the link that requires the least technical content. As long as you put the baozi into the steamer, put it on the pot to steam, and set the time, anyone who knows how to look at an alarm clock can handle it, and Qin Huai didn't look at Ouyang's side at all during the whole process.

"When did you come?" Qin Huai asked.

"11 o'clock." Ouyang wanted to cry a little, "I came when your store was full of errand boys. I originally wanted to see if there were any baozi I could eat, but I didn't get to eat any baozi, and Uncle Qin told me the back kitchen was a bit busy and asked me to come in and help. Once I came in, I never went out again."

"When steaming, I always wanted to steal two to eat, but the baozi were too hot. And I don't know why, standing in the back kitchen, I suddenly had a sacred sense of mission that every baozi should be guarded by me, and stealing from the inside is absolutely not allowed."

Qin Huai was greatly moved for a moment: "Good brother, don't say anything more, I'll make you elm bark steamed buns this afternoon."

Ouyang smiled: "Can I not eat elm bark steamed buns?"

Qin Huai:?

Who are you? You are not Ouyang; Ouyang would absolutely not say this.

"I want to eat dough fruits." Ouyang smacked his lips, "After eating so many pastries yesterday, I found that the dough fruits you brought back that day were still the most delicious. Elm bark steamed buns are quite delicious, but I had enough yesterday, and I just want to eat dough fruits now."

For some reason, hearing Ouyang say this, Qin Huai even felt a little gratified.

It's so touching; although Ouyang has a unique taste, he has the most basic aesthetics when it comes to eating pastries.

He can tell that there is an essential difference between A-level pastries and B-level pastries.

"I can understand what you mean, but you might not be able to eat them these next few days."

Ouyang:?

"It's like this, the filling for the dough fruits wasn't made by me; if you want to eat dough fruits at the level you ate that day, you have to go to Gusu to eat them."

Seeing that many people are concerned about my perfect attendance, I need to explain that Qidian has leave slips, which can be exchanged with points. Under normal circumstances, I can exchange four leave slips a month. Under abnormal circumstances, I can misappropriate leave slips for the next two months, and at most, I can exchange 12 slips a month.

So my perfect attendance is still there (sure).

(End of chapter)