Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 831 - 416: Showing Respect to Elders and Teachers

The morning meeting at Zhiwei Restaurant seemed quite exciting and content-rich, but in reality, it only lasted about 15 minutes. Including the time Boss Su was late and the few sentences everyone exchanged after the meeting, Qin Huai left the break room at 11:20.

Then Qin Huai was called by Boss Su after all the matters had been addressed.

"Master Qin, there are some things I would like to discuss with you alone," Boss Su said with a chuckle, as if to discuss trivial matters like what you want to eat tomorrow.

Qin Huai nodded and followed Boss Su back to the staff lounge. After everyone else had left, Boss Su quietly closed the door, turned serious, and gestured for Qin Huai to sit down.

"It’s like this, Master Qin, this is your second day with us at Zhiwei Restaurant. Do you have any thoughts or opinions about us?" Boss Su asked.

Qin Huai didn’t expect Boss Su to ask him this. He had just arrived and didn’t even know everyone by name, so what thoughts or opinions could he have?

Qin Huai shook his head and said blankly, "I don’t have any opinions. Boss Su, if you have anything to say, please just say it directly."

Boss Su enjoyed talking to smart people like Qin Huai and got straight to the point: "It’s like this, Master Qin. I believe it won’t be difficult for you to notice that many of our master chefs at Zhiwei Restaurant are quite interested in you. Besides Master Zhou and Master Hua, I know there are other masters who are very interested in you but haven’t shown it."

"Considering some past incidents at our Zhiwei Restaurant, such as challenges at the lakeside, at the community gate, in the kitchen, or on WeChat... To prevent similar situations this time, I want to ask you a favor."

Qin Huai: ...? Is your Zhiwei Restaurant an eatery or a martial arts school? Why do the master chefs issue challenges when they have nothing to do?

Seeing Qin Huai’s shocked expression, Boss Su quickly realized Qin Huai had misunderstood: "When I say ’challenge,’ I don’t mean just fighting. At Zhiwei Restaurant, we have both literary and martial challenges. The literary involves comparing snack-making skills, while the martial... Well, pastry chefs usually have good physical conditions—they’re strong and know a bit of martial arts; it’s quite normal."

Qin Huai managed a slight smile: "I understand."

"So, what is it you want to ask of me, Boss Su?"

"It’s like this, you’re here as an exchange chef, so theoretically, you’re not a Zhiwei Restaurant apprentice. However, the master chefs at our Zhiwei Restaurant... they are eager for talent."

"To acquire the disciples they desire, they might go to any lengths. I hope you can be as straightforward as possible in your refusals. You don’t need to be too tactful. I’ve heard from Xiao Tan that you’re usually very smooth and tactful in your dealings, but there’s no need for that here at Zhiwei Restaurant. Here, we usually say whatever’s on our minds, and if something doesn’t work out, we settle it at the lakeside. Being direct is much better than being indirect."

"Of course, if you directly refuse and someone still persists, you must report it to me immediately, and I will handle the issue." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"I mentioned this at the meeting today, but I believe most of the chefs didn’t take it in. They usually only pay attention to the entertaining parts of the morning meetings."

"Lastly, I hope you enjoy your exchange period at Zhiwei Restaurant. Whether or not you gain what you aspire to, I hope Zhiwei Restaurant at least leaves you with a good impression." Boss Su concluded with a smile, sending Qin Huai off from the staff lounge.

As Qin Huai left the staff lounge, still a bit dazed, he found Zhao Cheng’an waiting by the door. Seeing Qin Huai emerge, Zhao Cheng’an gave Boss Su an ’okay’ sign with his eyes and said, "I just applied with the master to move your cooking station next to ours."

"But the master said you shouldn’t worry about making snacks these days; just watch. In the meantime, just hang around and chat with us. Once you’re familiar, you can make snacks while chatting."

"You seem out of it. What did Boss Su talk to you about? Is he planning to recruit you as a master chef at our Zhiwei Restaurant?" Zhao Cheng’an asked.

"No." Qin Huai shook his head. "I think your Boss Su is trying to recruit me as an apprentice."

Zhao Cheng’an: ?

"But that’s not the point. For a moment just now, I had a question. Was your Boss Su in customer service before taking over Zhiwei Restaurant? Because he seems very adept at it."

Zhao Cheng’an: ??

"Hahaha, so Xiao Qin, you think Boss Su talks like customer service? That’s too funny. After all these years, you’re the first to say Boss Su talks like customer service."

At the cooking station, Zhou Yan almost doubled over in laughter listening to Zhao Cheng’an’s account, laughing for over a minute before continuing to knead the dough.

"I always thought Boss Su treated the masters like kids, had never thought he sounded like customer service. But hearing you say that, yeah, he does sound a bit like it." Zhou Yan, who had stopped laughing, let out another burst of laughter.

Wang Jiayi, on the other hand, remained quite serious and even started analyzing: "Boss Su didn’t used to talk like this. Maybe over the years, he’s been exploring new models, traveling around to factories nationwide, meeting lots of people, which taught him the customer service style."

As she watched Zhou Yan knead the dough, Qin Huai said, "Master Zheng mentioned to me once that Boss Su is considering collaborating with him to modify some of the Zhiwei Restaurant’s snack recipes for mass factory production."