Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Two days later, it was the second day of July, the day when the restaurant paid last month's wages.

Like everyone else, Shen Yu was looking forward to the sun setting so that he could receive last month's wages.

However, just as they finished making the silver thread noodles and five flower cakes needed for the day, Shen Yu and Chef Lu were called to Manager Fan's room.

Shopkeeper Fan asked the two to sit down at the table and pointed to the teacups in front of them: "This tea has been brewed for a while, it's just right for drinking."

Shen Yu thought that another customer wanted to order custom flower cakes, so he waited quietly for Shopkeeper Fan to give the size and style. However, Shopkeeper Fan tapped the table with his fingers, did not speak, pondered for a while, and then sighed.

The two looked at each other strangely, and Chef Lu asked, "Boss, did you encounter any difficult customers?"

Shopkeeper Fan shook his head and said slowly, "Chef Yang came to my house last night."

The incoherent sentence left Shen Yu confused and at a loss as to what was going on.

After hearing this, Chef Lu frowned, took a deep breath in embarrassment, and touched his head out of habit, asking, "When did he come back to town? Didn't he say he was going to another province to treat his mother's cough? It would take a long time, so why did he come back so soon? What did he say when he came to you?"

Shopkeeper Fan looked embarrassed, but still said, "He said he had been back for a few days and had worked in a restaurant in another province for some time, but he still felt that working in our boss's restaurant was the most comfortable."

"It was getting late, so I had to keep him for dinner. During the meal, we talked about going to another province for treatment. The doctor there was very good at healing my mother. After just a few doses of medicine, my mother was cured. His mother was not used to living in another province, so she insisted on coming back, so she packed her bags and came back."

"On the way back, the mother and son went to the county to visit the old lady of the host family before returning. The old lady and his mother and sisters had not seen each other since the host family moved to the county. They were very close and let the mother and son stay in the house for a few days before returning. She also told him to come to the restaurant to find me if he has any problems, and I will definitely help him if I can."

After listening to what Shopkeeper Fan said, Shen Yu understood a little bit. She guessed that Chef Yang wanted to return to the restaurant to continue making noodles, and that Chef Yang's mother seemed to have some friendship with the mother of the boss. Since the boss's old lady had spoken, Shopkeeper Fan could not refuse her face even if he didn't want anyone.

After hearing this, Chef Lu snorted angrily, but he couldn't say anything, so he could only sit there in silence.

Seeing that both Manager Fan and Chef Lu had helpless expressions on their faces, Shen Yu felt that he had no choice but to speak up.

She slowly straightened her sleeves, clasped her hands together, and said calmly, "Manager Fan, I understand what you said. I have been in the restaurant for almost two months, and I have not been home to visit my family. I will go home tomorrow after today's work because I miss my mother and my brothers and sisters. I have not been in the restaurant for long, and it is thanks to you and Chef Lu's care that I, a country girl, have been able to work here for so long. Thank you very much."

Both of them were a little surprised when they heard this. They didn't expect that this little girl was so kind-hearted, so clear-headed, and so decisive that she never made things difficult for others.

During the time that Shen Yu came, everyone has seen her strengths. To be honest, whether it is cooking skills or temperament, she is much better than Chef Yang in everything.

Her silver thread noodles are more delicate than Chef Yang’s, and her flower cakes are even more skillful and creative, which everyone praises.

She has a gentle personality and works hard, and as a result, the waiters in the restaurant also become much more diligent.

She is a sincere person. When she sees that something is too busy, she always takes the initiative to help, and she always does a good job. Since she came, the work in the kitchen has become much easier.

Shopkeeper Fan hired her out of respect for Doctor Sun in the beginning, but after Shen Yu took over the noodle business, he always felt a sense of pleasure as if he had found a treasure. He always praised her openly and secretly, and was even thinking about how to praise her during the Mid-Autumn Festival so that the boss would give her a big red envelope.

If he were asked to choose fairly between Chef Yang and Shen Yu, he would choose Shen Yu without hesitation.

As a manager, who doesn't want to employ an employee with both good skills and a good personality?

But Chef Yang's mother and the boss's mother are old sisters. Once the old lady has spoken, the boss has no choice but to obey. What's more, he is just a shopkeeper. Chef Yang is no match for Shen Yu, so he can only let Shen Yu leave.

Manager Fan sighed and said to Shen Yu with a guilty look on his face: "Miss Shen, thank you for understanding my difficulties. I wonder if you will leave the restaurant and go back home or find another restaurant to continue working there?"

Although Shen Yu was a little caught off guard by the sudden decision to leave, she had thought about leaving the restaurant.

Although her title of "disaster star" in the village was a false accusation, it was always a hidden danger.

In order to guard against this, she had been working in the kitchen since she came to the restaurant, and tried her best to avoid going out and meeting customers. But if someone from the village saw her one day and told others about it, the people in the restaurant would know about it, and even if they didn't believe the rumor, they would still feel resentful.

After all, this is not the modern era of open-mindedness where people can just laugh it off and not take it seriously.

In this closed-minded age, who would be willing to work with a "disaster star"?

It would be quite awkward for her to leave passively at that time. It would be better for her to take the opportunity of offering to give up her position because of Chef Yang's incident so that no one would feel embarrassed and they could part ways amicably.

Seeing that Manager Fan and Chef Lu were looking at her with concern, Shen Yu smiled slightly and said, "I want to go back to see my mother first. The beans in the field are almost ready to be harvested. After I finish the work in the field, I will go out to look for a job. There have been few serious rains this year, and I can't survive on the harvest from the field."

After hearing this, Lu and Fan also felt the same way. Farmers who depend on the weather for their livelihood cannot live a good life.

The three of them were silent for a moment, and the room was completely quiet.

Shen Yu saw that there was nothing more to say, so he prepared to go back to the kitchen. Even though he would not be working tomorrow, he still had to finish today's work.

When Shopkeeper Fan saw that she was about to leave, he seemed to remember something and hurriedly called her back, "Miss Shen, can you wait a moment?"

Shen Yu stopped, turned around and looked at him with some confusion.

I saw Manager Fan hurriedly spread out paper and took out a pen at the desk, then waved for Chef Lu to come over, and the two of them whispered something.

Shen Yu saw that the two people were talking in a low voice, as if they didn't want him to hear them. But he couldn't leave, so he had to stand in front of the door and watch the lotus leaves in the yard swaying in the breeze.

When she came, the lotus was just a small bud. Now, in just over a month, the lotus pod has grown to the size of a fist.

Summer is almost over.

At this time, the two seemed to have reached an agreement. Shopkeeper Fan picked up the pen and wrote a few lines on the paper. He blew the ink dry and handed it to Shen Yu, saying sincerely, "Miss Shen, you have a good skill and you can make a living wherever you go. However, the food business is also a small circle. It is much better to have an acquaintance's recommendation."

"Old Lu and I have been in this business for quite some time, and we have quite a few good friends and old acquaintances. I have written a list here. The people on it are all shopkeepers or chefs in various restaurants, and they are all very good friends of ours. If you want to work again, you can try out at these restaurants. They will know my and Old Lu's names, and then they will give you a chance to try out. As long as you can do the trial, with your skills, there is no reason not to keep you."

Shen Yu felt warm in her heart and was very grateful. She didn't feel sad when she was forced to leave, but because others always cared about her, considered her future situation, and were really good to her, she felt sad and reluctant to leave.

She sniffed slightly, forced a smile, took the paper, folded it carefully and solemnly and put it into her sleeve, then bowed solemnly to the two of them, and said with a slightly nasal voice: "Thank you, Manager Lu and Chef Lu, for your trouble. Also, please don't tell everyone that I'm leaving. I, I don't want to cause trouble for everyone." After that, she turned and walked out.