Chapter 1494: Chapter 272: Someone to Rely On!
In the evening, Han Xiangning rode her light motorcycle back to the Meteorological Bureau’s residential area.
As soon as she reached the bike shed downstairs, a strong aroma of spicy, fresh fragrance wafted, instantly whetting her appetite.
Even more unbelievable was that several retired colleagues from the Meteorological Bureau were gathered downstairs, discussing and occasionally looking up towards the upper floors.
"Ningning is back. Ningning, is there something to celebrate at your house today?"
"Nothing to celebrate."
"Then why did you hire a chef to cook? That chef bought a lot of ingredients, spent the whole afternoon cooking, and the food smells delicious."
If there’s something to celebrate in the countryside, they usually hire a chef to help with the feast at home.
The situation in the city is different from the countryside. In the past, conditions were not great, so going out to a big restaurant was unlikely. Generally, they would use the unit’s canteen and have the unit’s chef cook there.
In recent years, with rapid economic development, urban expansion has grown continually, and former farmers have become city residents due to land acquisition and relocation, preserving many of their old habits.
For instance, in the neighborhood next to the Meteorological Bureau, most residents were farmers moved upstairs due to land acquisition, and they would set up tents downstairs in the community for family events and hire a chef to cook.
Some retired colleagues from the Meteorological Bureau would often watch for fun, seeing how others organized things. The meals they made tasted better than the canteen food and were cheaper than hosting in the canteen, so they learned from them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have asked.
Han Xiangning was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized: "The one buying ingredients and cooking is my cousin. My cousin and his girlfriend came from Xichuan, they arrived this morning."
"Your cousin can cook?"
"My mom can cook too. People from Xichuan can all cook. But my cousin cooks better than my mom; he really is a chef and has worked in a big restaurant!"
"No wonder it smells so good. Just the smell is appetizing, it’s making me drool."
"Uncle Wang, Aunt Wu, come on up and taste my cousin’s cooking."
"No, no, your family has visitors, what would we do there."
Joking around with the elder colleagues from the Meteorological Bureau for a while, Han Xiangning threw on her bag and ran upstairs.
Upon opening the door and walking into the living room, she was shocked to find her little cousin and his girlfriend actually hosting a feast!
Four cold dishes were set on the dining table, including chicken, meat, and vegetables. Her little cousin was still busy in the kitchen, while his girlfriend was arranging the bowls and chopsticks.
Turning around, the house was clean and tidy. The coffee table, TV set, and even the phone seemed to have been wiped down.
With her busy work schedule, her cousin was equally occupied.
Her parents weren’t at home for a while, and the house had been a bit messy. Now it seemed like she had entered the wrong place.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Zhang Hongmei smiled happily and said: "Sis, you’re back just in time. I’ve already called my brother-in-law; he said he’ll be back soon."
"Why make so much delicious food?"
"Just a few homemade dishes."
"What kind of chicken is this?"
"This is Spicy Chicken, this is garlic mashed meat, this is smashed cucumber, and these are Red Oil Ear Strips." Zhang Hongmei giggled, accompanying the Vice Mayor’s cousin to the kitchen door, watching her boyfriend who was smoking after preparing the dishes, introducing them like they were her treasures: "The braised pork is ready, simmering in the pot. There’s also a pickled fish, we’ll make it once brother-in-law is back."
The little cousin and his girlfriend came to seek refuge with her, how could she let one turn into a chef cooking for her and the other into a housekeeper cleaning the house!
Han Xiangning glanced at her cousin who was sheepishly smiling, uncovered the pot, and took out a piece of braised pork with chopsticks. Realizing it wasn’t too hot, she popped it into her mouth.
"It’s really delicious! Ai Tong, who did you learn such skills from?"
"I learned at the restaurant."
"Not from a master?"
"Also from masters, I’ve worked in many restaurants and met many masters, but I’ve never formally apprenticed."
"You just watched and learned?"
"Watching them cook day in and day out, even if I didn’t want to learn, I would."
"Ai Tong, you’re really smart! The chef at our Maritime Bureau canteen graduated from vocational school, studied culinary arts, and even has a level two chef certificate, but his food tastes awful. We all suspect his diploma and chef certificate might be fake."
"A school graduate chef, huh?"
"Yeah."
Before Xiang Aidong could speak, Zhang Hongmei chuckled: "We’ve met many school-graduate chefs, they don’t know how to cook at all. They can’t even get on the stove at restaurants, they can only chop vegetables, assist in the kitchen, and if they’re clumsy, they’re not qualified to do even that and can only work odd jobs!"
After finishing the meat in her mouth, Han Xiangning curiously asked, "I know about chopping vegetables, but what’s assisting in the kitchen?"
"It’s basically like being an odd-job worker."
"Ai Tong, have you ever assisted in the kitchen?"
"No." Xiang Aidong quickly turned on the tap to extinguish his cigarette, chuckling, "I’ve always worked in small restaurants, where they don’t need dedicated assistants. I started as an odd-job worker, picking vegetables and washing dishes, learning to chop vegetables as I went."
Han Xiangning pressed on, "What happened after that?"
"Later, the vegetable chef left because the salary was low, so the boss let me chop vegetables. The restaurant was small, so I had to make cold dishes as well. Eventually, the main chef resigned to open his own shop, so the boss let me cook. Seeing the dishes I made were okay, the boss didn’t hire another chef, but hired a vegetable chopper as my assistant."
"Did the boss increase your salary?"
"Yes, as an odd-job worker, I earned only a hundred and sixty a month. For chopping vegetables, it was two hundred and eighty, and for cooking, it increased to five hundred."
"Was your salary higher than the previous chef’s?"
"No, the boss said I wasn’t a full chef, and I thought, since I learned the skills from him, if he didn’t let me cook, I’d always just be a vegetable chopper, so I didn’t say anything."
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