Baozi Xishi's Struggle

The two men pushed the door open and Shen Yu looked around the small courtyard. The courtyard was very clean, with blue bricks all over the ground. There were three large tiled houses in the front with locked doors. There were side rooms on both sides and a well in the corner of the courtyard.

Liu Wu pushed open a room in the west wing near the courtyard gate. The room was not big and it was obvious that it had been vacant for a long time. There was thick dust on the floor and spider webs hanging in the corners. Fortunately, the doors and windows were intact. After cleaning up, it would be suitable for living.

"The store used to draw water from this well. We had a special water truck that would come here every day to fill it with water."

As Liu Wu spoke, he pushed open another room, which was filled with a lot of old tables, chairs and furniture.

"Miss Shen, the shopkeeper has told me that the things piled here are all old tables and chairs that have been replaced in the restaurant. You can use any of them if you think they are suitable. Once you have chosen one, I will help you move it over."

The two rolled up their sleeves and began to rummage through a pile of old furniture, picking out two long low tables, a small wooden cabinet, a small square table, and two benches. Fortunately, there was also a pile of quilted door curtains wrapped in coarse cloth.

Liu Wu fetched some clean water, took a rag and a broom, and together with Shen Yu, cleaned up the cobwebs and dust. They put two long low tables together, put two layers of quilted door curtains on them, and covered them with the sheets they brought. A stable and soft bed was put together.

After putting the wooden cabinets, square tables and benches in place, the room suddenly became lively, clean and tidy.

Shen Yu looked around the room and was very satisfied. It looked brighter and more spacious than her previous house in Dongxi Village.

Liu Wu was a kind person. Seeing that she was a little girl with little strength, he rushed to do the heavy work, and he worked so hard that he was sweating and looked pale.

Shen Yu was very grateful. He took out ten coins from his small purse and stuffed them into Liu Wu's hand: "Brother Liu Wu, you have worked so hard. It's so hot. Use this money to buy some fruit."

Liu Wu was a little surprised. No chef had ever been so polite to him and even gave him a gift as a thank you for his work.

He was too embarrassed to ask for it, but he couldn't stop Shen Yu from stuffing it into his hands again and again. Seeing that she really wanted to give it to him, he took it shyly and stuffed it into his waist pouch. He then said, "Miss Shen, I am in charge of the kitchen chores, like fetching water, moving vegetables, and putting rice and flour into the jar. These are all my jobs. If you have any heavy work in the future, just ask me to do it."

Shen Yu responded with a smile. They washed their hands and faces, and seeing that it was getting late, they went back to the backyard of the restaurant together.

Manager Fan was in the room next to the big kitchen. When he saw them coming back, he came out.

Liu Wu handed over the key and said, "Boss, Miss Shen's place has been cleaned and settled. Do you have any other instructions?"

Shopkeeper Fan handed the key to Shen Yu: "There is nothing valuable in the yard. Take this key. It will be more convenient for you to come in and out. Liu Wu, go do your work first. I'll call you if there is anything else."

Liu Wu agreed and went about his own business.

Shopkeeper Fan took Shen Yu to the kitchen.

It was almost lunchtime and there were four or five people busy in the kitchen. From time to time, a waiter in charge of serving food would leave shouting while carrying a large tray.

Shopkeeper Fan called out, "Chef Lu, come here."

A short, fat cook, about 30 or 40 years old, came over with a red face and sweat on his forehead. He started by complaining, "Boss, I heard you found a noodle chef. Come over and start working. It's really too much for me, a soup cook, to make noodles."

"Hey, isn't she here? Come on, this is Miss Shen, she's great at making silver thread noodles, she'll be the one making the noodles from now on. Tell her in detail what needs to be done every day, and let's start working today."

The fat chef Lu is in charge of the kitchen. He is good at making all kinds of soups. On weekdays, he just needs to prepare the ingredients in advance and control the heat. He can just sit back and wait for the dishes to be served. This is much easier than the other chef who specializes in cooking.

As soon as Chef Yang left, he was assigned by Manager Fan to prepare the wide and thin noodles needed for the day.

Every day I watched Chef Yang cook with ease, but I never expected that I would always be in a mess when I started. Customers have told me several times that the noodles were not tasty, but the more anxious I was, the worse I cooked. I was miserable every day, and my chubby round face had become thinner.

He came a little late today because of some family matters. When he came to work, Shen Yu had already gone to the small courtyard at the end of the alley, so he didn't see him. When he heard the thin chef say that he had found a suitable noodle chef, he was happier than picking up money. While working, he kept looking outside, hoping that someone would come to replace him soon.

When I saw Manager Fan coming with a girl, I guessed it was Miss Shen that the thin cook mentioned in the morning.

Hearing what the shopkeeper said, Chef Lu immediately smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits, and said affectionately: "Miss Shen, you are here. I, Old Lu, have been waiting for you. Shopkeeper, go and do your work. I will tell Miss Shen what to do, so don't worry."

"Well, I'll go check out the front first. From today on, I'm going to put up the sign for Chicken Soup Silver Noodles again."

"No need to say anything, Miss Shen is here, we have the face, what is there to be afraid of?"

Shopkeeper Fan walked away with a smile, looking relaxed and with brisk steps.

Chef Lu turned around and led Shen Yu into the kitchen, called everyone over, and introduced them: "This is the new noodle chef, Miss Shen, Chef Shen. From now on, she will be in charge of the noodle counter. Although she is young, she is very good at making noodles."

Everyone had either seen or heard about the job trial in the morning. Seeing such a delicate girl being in charge of the noodle case right from the start, although a little surprised, they all nodded in good faith to greet Shen Yu, then dispersed and went about their own business.

Chef Lu took Shen Yu to point out the big vat where the flour was stored, and then pointed to Liu Wu: "Liu Wu is responsible for putting the flour into the vat and supplying clean water. If you have any heavy lifting to do, you can also ask him for help."

"We serve lunch and dinner here every day. There is a lobby with seating in the front, and five private rooms on each side of the courtyard."

"Every time there is a market, people from nearby villages and towns come to set up stalls to do business. The various soup noodles here are fresh and tasty. People love to come here to sit in the lobby and eat a bowl of noodles. Some people also order and deliver to the stalls. On the tenth day, a hundred bowls of various soup noodles can be sold in one meal. On that day, various wide and thin noodles must be prepared in advance to avoid shortages.

"On weekdays, the private rooms are full of various banquets. At the end of the banquet, the guests always have a few bowls of silver thread noodles as snacks. Silver thread noodles must be prepared every day. Just prepare about ten bowls of wide and thin noodles. These days, because Chef Yang left, the sign for the chicken soup silver thread noodles was taken down. I am not good at making this. If I don't do it well, it will ruin the reputation. Now that you are here, I will resume the supply from today."

"In addition, the restaurant has a signature snack called Five Blessings Flower Cake, which is filled with different fillings according to the season. There are ten in a box of Five Blessings Flower Cakes, with five different fillings and ten flower shapes, which symbolize perfection and the five blessings. The fillings are prepared every day. You just need to prepare water, oil and flour every day, make the cakes and bake them in the oven. I have baked them today. You will know how to make them tomorrow after you watch me make them."

Chef Dong explained everything in detail, and Shen Yu memorized it carefully.

After washing my hands, rolling up my sleeves, and tying my apron, I started to work.

This day was not a ten-day month, so the amount of noodles needed was relatively small, so Shen Yu cooked it very quickly. It was also a good opportunity to get familiar with the various kitchen utensils in the kitchen during these few days.

After a day of trial and error, she had become proficient in the process. Before noon every day, she had prepared the necessary silver thread noodles and various wide and thin noodles. She would cut them, shake them into pieces, cover them with a piece of fine cloth, and wait for customers to place their orders before putting them in the pot.