The last dish was packed, and this order for the maternity meal was completed.

Dong Jun Tian let out a sincere sigh of relief.

It was only then that he suddenly realized he had unconsciously spent more than an hour in the hot kitchen.

At this moment, Zhao Meng, who had been quietly watching and waiting nearby, also settled his anxious heart.

The maternity meal was completed successfully, at least they could report back now.

Zhao Meng turned to Dong Jun Tian: "Boss, now that the maternity meal is done, should we send someone to deliver it directly?"

Dong Jun Tian smiled and said: "Let the purchaser go, they’re supposed to buy some things this afternoon anyway, so they can make a trip on their way."

Zhao Meng made contact with the purchaser on this end.

After giving instructions, Dong Jun Tian turned to Fu Yu and said gently: "Xiaofu, you’ve worked hard today, the maternity meal was done very well!"

Fu Yu quickly said: "It wasn’t hard, fulfilling orders is naturally the responsibility of our kitchen."

Dong Jun Tian was clearly pleased by these words and smiled slightly, satisfied with Fu Yu’s obedient demeanor.

[Ding! You gained +5 favorability from NPC Qianlima boss Dong Jun Tian.]

Watching the maternity meal get packed, Dong Jun Tian didn’t linger in the kitchen any longer, gave a nod to Yao Shi, and hurriedly left.

He was on a tight schedule now, the renovations at Dayu Mall had begun and all the purchases and placements of materials needed his personal arrangements.

Though he couldn’t open a branch store as planned, expanding the current store was still a major step.

With the boss gone, everyone in the kitchen breathed a sigh of relief.

Having finished the tasks at hand, everyone quickly started preparing lunch.

The responsibility for lunch today was on Gu Yunwu. Because the preparation of the maternity meal took extra time, everyone ate lunch hastily, then began preparing various ingredients and refilling spices anew.

Busy and bustling, they barely caught their breath before the dinner rush hit.

When Dai Li came to serve the dishes, she gave Fu Yu some news.

She mentioned that she overheard Gao Wenjing chatting and saying the customer was very satisfied with the maternity meal Fu Yu prepared at noon, and the boss was particularly pleased.

Fu Yu joked, "Didn’t mention anything about a bonus for me, did they?"

Dai Li shook her head: "Wishful thinking, there’s no rule at the shop that a completed order and customer praise earns a bonus."

Fu Yu casually remarked, "The boss is really stingy!"

Dai Li glanced at him with a slight smile, didn’t respond, and left carrying the dishes.

Although Zhao Meng’s hand still couldn’t flip a pan, he could handle normal orders and prepare things like steaming and boiling dishes, so the kitchen resumed its regular shift rotations.

Zhao Meng was scheduled for the evening shift today.

Having clocked out, Zhao Meng called Fu Yu, and together they headed to the supermarket on the side street for shopping.

The two bought things from the supermarket and when they came out, there were few people on the back street.

Under the streetlight, only the sound of shoes hitting the ground could be heard.

About halfway down a deserted section of the road, Zhao Meng suddenly said, "Fu Yu, let’s sit here for a bit and chat."

Fu Yu thought Zhao Meng wanted to cool off, quickly looked around, and picked a flat step for him to sit on.

Zhao Meng dug out two bottles of ice-cold drinks from the shopping bag, handed one to Fu Yu, and unscrewed one for himself.

After a pause, he began, "Fu Yu, when the boss came to the kitchen today and said those things, did you catch his meaning?"

Fu Yu felt a wave of confusion: "The boss? No, he didn’t say anything special."

Zhao Meng glanced at Fu Yu with a helpless smile. Despite being in his early twenties, he was still as naive as a child.

"Didn’t you catch the undertone in the boss’s words?"

Fu Yu seriously tried to recall, unsure he said, "He just praised me for doing a good job on the maternity meal and nothing else."

Zhao Meng asked, "And he didn’t mention anything about making the maternity meal an innovative dish, did he?"

Fu Yu nodded: "He didn’t mention it, right, Chef Yao said he’d talk to the boss about it for me, but then there was no news."

Zhao Meng squinted at the streetlight: "Do you know why there’s no word on the innovative dish proposal yet?"

Fu Yu shook his head: "I don’t know, didn’t I make the dish well? The customers are satisfied too, otherwise how could we have so many returning customers?"

He picked up on the implication in Zhao Meng’s words, understanding that the boss probably didn’t approve of the maternity meal being eligible for the innovative dish bonus.

Fu Yu, somewhat perplexed and disappointed, turned to Zhao Meng: "Chef Zhao, are you saying my maternity meal isn’t good? Why can’t the innovative dish bonus be granted? Didn’t the boss himself say he encourages kitchen staff to innovate dishes?"

Zhao Meng subtly sighed: "You’ve learned before, right? Time changes things, and in this world, what can change people’s minds isn’t just time."

Zhao Meng capped his drink bottle, stood up, and the two continued walking back.

As they prepared to cross the street, Zhao Meng said to Fu Yu: "You need to remember, sometimes when you understand things, just keep it to yourself, don’t talk about it."

Fu Yu nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I know."

He thought Zhao Meng was hinting about the innovative dish matter.

He understood that as long as the boss didn’t approve, even if he perfected the maternity meal, it wouldn’t matter.

Zhao Meng then said: "That includes Sister Dai, Xiaosun, and Xiaozhang too."

Fu Yu looked at Zhao Meng in surprise.

Zhao Meng said: "Fu Yu, now that you’re officially working, your future success is something only you can strive for. Who you associate with and the situations you’ll encounter are unpredictable. But you must remember, shallow waters should not be judged deeply, family matters shouldn’t be easily shared with outsiders, and never casually comment on anyone, understand?"

Fu Yu said: "Understood."

They were almost at Qianlima’s back door when Fu Yu couldn’t resist asking: "Chef Zhao, what do you mean by what you just said? Are you saying I told someone something? I don’t think I’ve said anything extra to anyone, have I?"

Zhao Meng said: "It’s not easy to explain, Fu Yu, you’ll come to understand on your own. For now, remember my words, if you encounter things you shouldn’t easily discuss, no matter how much you want to say it, if you don’t have someone you trust the most by your side, just keep it in your heart, don’t casually share it, got it?"

Fu Yu, though feeling somewhat muddled, obediently nodded: "I got it, don’t worry."

He said this without any reluctance because it was Zhao Meng speaking, even if he didn’t understand, he’d willingly follow suit first.

Returning home, he put away the items they bought.

While washing his face, Fu Yu suddenly had an epiphany and remembered that he had casually complained to Dai Li once that the boss was really stingy!

Was Zhao Meng worried about eavesdroppers?

After all, words can cause harm.

Even if he joked privately about the boss, if it ever got out, it would certainly impact him to some extent.

Understanding the crux of the matter, Fu Yu felt warmth in his heart.