Chapter 1580: Different from the Rest 1

He spoke in an understated way, but Gu Yuxin knew how difficult it was to get into graduate school at Jiang University.

Especially getting into Professor Zhang's graduate program was even more difficult than difficult!

Sheng Zichen had a very clever brain and could multitask; if he were to develop in academia, he would also have impressive achievements.

She put the notebook away and urged her boyfriend: "In the future, hide your talents more when you come to my house; just cook and don't show off your achievements in other areas."

Zichen immediately guessed his girlfriend's thoughts: "Are you afraid that your father and mother will force me to change careers?"

"Yes."

He readily agreed: "Okay, I will listen to you."

Among the elders of the Gu family, Zichen liked Principal Gu and the old madam more.

Although the grandparents were old, their thinking was not at all rigid; they were more open-minded toward people and things and would not make decisions for others based on their own preferences.

……

Business at Zichen's snack shop was booming the moment it opened.

Students at Jiang University would rather wait in line outside for over an hour just to eat a bowl of noodles at his place!

The taste of the wontons and noodles was excellent; the noodle broth was simmered by Zichen himself, and he didn't avoid others when he simmered the soup—anyone could watch.

Everyone knew that whether a bowl of noodles was delicious or not, the broth was the key.

Usually, chefs at noodle shops would not let others watch when simmering broth, keeping it strictly confidential for fear of revealing their family's craft.

But Zichen did the opposite; not only was he not afraid of others watching, he even let the Second Chef and the apprentice stand by his side to watch.

He taught them every single step.

It wasn't just simmering the broth, but also the technique for rolling wonton wrappers, the seasoning of the fillings, the technique for making noodles... nothing was held back!

The two of them learned very earnestly, especially the apprentice, who not only watched with his eyes but also used a small notebook to write it down.

The Second Chef found him an eyesore and wouldn't let him write it down: "Don't write it down. What are you writing it down for? Want to go out and sell the secret recipe?"

The apprentice's face flushed red, and he argued: "I didn't. My brain is slow and I can't remember it; I'm only writing it in the notebook because I'm afraid of forgetting. The boss hasn't said anything to me, so what right do you have to talk to me?"

"What right?"

The Second Chef flared up the moment he heard this.

This kid didn't understand the rules at all; in a kitchen, a chef with a higher position could beat or scold a chef with a lower position at will, and the one with the lower position could not talk back—talking back meant not understanding the rules.

The apprentice was the person with the lowest position in the kitchen; anyone could vent their anger on the apprentice if they were unhappy.

A little apprentice like him was actually being so disrespectful to him?

It was time to teach him how to behave!

The Second Chef kicked out fiercely; the little apprentice was caught off guard and was kicked over backward.

The Second Chef stood high above, pointing at his nose and cursing: "Let me tell you, kid, just because my position is higher than yours, you cannot talk back to me, otherwise you'll get a beating!"

"You're being unreasonable, I'll fight you."

The little apprentice was furious; he climbed up from the ground and prepared to fight the Second Chef to the death.

But he was pulled away by Zichen.

"Apologize," Zichen said.

The Second Chef was smug: "Did you hear that? The boss told you to apologize to me."

Zichen corrected him: "No, I meant for you to apologize to him."

"What?"

The Second Chef widened his eyes in disbelief: "Boss, you can't do this. I'm doing this for your own good; this kid clearly has bad intentions, he has ulterior motives..."

"Whether he has ulterior motives or not, I can tell, but you hitting someone without distinguishing right from wrong is your fault, so you must apologize."

Under Zichen's pressure, the Second Chef had no choice but to apologize to the apprentice.

"I'm sorry." The three words sounded like a mosquito buzzing; if you didn't listen carefully, you couldn't hear what he said at all.

"The voice is too small, I can't hear it, say it again."

"I'm sorry."

This time the voice was louder.

Zichen asked the apprentice: "Can you forgive him?"

The apprentice nodded, and so this matter passed.

Although the conflict between the two had passed, Zichen set a rule for them: "Chenxin Snack has the rules of Chenxin Snack; everyone here is equal, and no one is allowed to bully others just because they have a high position."

This rule was too obviously targeted; it was practically tailor-made for the Second Chef, and it also buried hidden dangers for the future.

Chenxin Snack became the best noodle shop near the University City, bar none.

The broth here was rich, the noodles were chewy, and the toppings were generous.

The wonton wrappers were thin, the fillings were large, the taste was good, and the price was affordable; there was no reason for it not to be popular.

When business is booming, some people are envious, and some people are jealous.

Every day, an endless stream of people came to ask to learn the craft; everyone offered to pay to learn or wanted to franchise, but they were all declined by Zichen.

The reason was that the noodle shop had just opened, the experience wasn't very rich yet, and he would consider franchising after exploring a mature model in the future.

As for learning the craft, he stated that his noodle shop had no secrets; you could see it when you were eating, anyway, the dining hall and the kitchen were separated by only a layer of glass, it was all transparent, watch as you please!

There was no need to spend money to learn.

The Second Chef didn't say anything on the surface, but he was incredibly anxious inside.

People were offering money and he didn't want it; if this wasn't a fool, what was?

He wanted it.

But the restaurant was Zichen's, and what he said didn't count.

……

Zichen's noodle shop business was booming, and even Principal Gu had heard of it.

That day, he specifically avoided the peak meal hours to go to the noodle shop for an on-site inspection.

Principal Gu sat down, and a waiter came over enthusiastically to ask, "Old sir, would you like to eat noodles or wontons?"

"Bring me a bowl of your signature noodles, and also a serving of spicy stir-fried chicken racks."

"Coming right up, please wait a moment, it will be ready immediately."

While waiting for the noodles, Principal Gu observed everything in the shop.

Although he had missed the shop's peak period, there were still quite a few people inside; it was almost full, and the table turnover rate was extremely high.

Despite the crowd, the waiters' service was not the least bit slack; it was enthusiastic and attentive, and the hygiene was also very clean.

Other people's kitchens were all tightly covered, not allowing anyone to enter.

Their kitchen, however, was like it was transparent; the operations inside were clear at a glance, and the stainless steel stove tops were bright enough to reflect one's image.

Zichen was in the kitchen instructing an apprentice on how to cut vegetables, and the Second Chef was busy in front of the stove; Principal Gu watched but did not disturb them.

Very quickly, the noodles and the dish were both ready.

The noodle broth was golden, paired with snow-white noodles, and the fragrance was mouth-watering!

For a ten-yuan bowl of seafood noodles, Principal Gu had thought before coming that if they put in one large shrimp, they wouldn't make any money.

And the bowl of noodles in front of him indeed did not have a single large shrimp!

However, the toppings were very generous.

A full ladle of mussel meat, added to emerald green wakame and golden shredded carrots, along with half a boiled egg.

He now understood why the seafood noodles only sold for ten yuan a bowl.

Mussels, although they are meat, are the cheapest shellfish among seafood.

They are rich in nutrition and taste good, but their production volume must be huge, so the price is also much cheaper; many times, they are even cheaper than green vegetables.

The Principal picked up the bowl and took a sip of the soup; the soup was very fresh, it didn't taste like it was just boiled with mussels, was there something else?

He would ask Zichen later.

The dish was also brought over: spicy stir-fried chicken racks.

Principal Gu had lived his whole life, and this was the first time he had heard that chicken racks could also be served as a dish on the dining table, and could even be a signature dish!