Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 903 - 446: The Heart of a Leader
At around 5 a.m. the next day, the cold-chain truck arrived on time at the entrance of Zhiwei Restaurant to take away all the snacks Qin Huai had stored there. This eye-catching delivery behavior deeply amazed An Youyou, who had never seen such a spectacle.
"M-Master Qin, can Old Shi really finish all these snacks by himself?" An Youyou had only heard yesterday that Qin Huai made a lot of snacks at home, but as an apprentice, she hadn't seen exactly how many there were.
"You have to trust Old Shi, and besides, he's not fighting alone." Qin Huai explained on behalf of Shi Dadan, glancing at the remaining ingredients. "Youyou, go and bring two more bags of flour."
"Okay." An Youyou quickly went to the warehouse to get flour.
During the nearly two months at Zhiwei Restaurant, An Youyou had completely transformed into the image of an excellent apprentice.
When Qin Huai was too busy increasing his skill level to pay attention to her, she would join other apprentices in typical tasks, making her own snacks, full of energy, while also learning some tea brewing skills.
Seeing that An Youyou was the one Qin Huai specifically brought over, the master chefs were willing to offer her a tip or two when passing by her. Although An Youyou didn't have extraordinary talent, she made up for it with diligence and a genuine desire to improve.
It's fair to say that during this month or so, Qin Huai might not have guided An Youyou, but she was never short of guidance from the master chefs. She absorbed knowledge like a sponge; how much she digested is unclear, but she certainly absorbed a lot.
If An Youyou returned to Yunzhong Restaurant now, it would truly be like a lightning-fast return, enough to shock the jaws off Pei Xing, Li Hua, and Chen An.
One might become curious at this point: what has An Youyou learned?
No, she hasn't.
An Youyou hasn't even mastered kneading dough nor learned to make any complex snacks; don't mention complex snacks, even the simplest steamed buns and vegetable buns at her current level would be unqualified at Zhiwei Restaurant.
Of course, this lack of qualification is relative. At her family's breakfast shop, An Youyou's current skill level could probably compete with her dad for the position of shop owner, vying for the meager family inheritance.
Considering An Youyou's dad likes to cut corners when making buns, using less-than-fresh ingredients masked by spices, An Youyou, trained under Qin Huai and Zhiwei Restaurant with a focus on carefully selected ingredients, has a considerable chance of winning.
This is the typical process for learning snacks; rapid progress only reaches this level, unlike Qin Huai who...
As Tan Wei'an put it, one either turned it on, never turned it off, or drank two less sips of Mengpo Soup and never forgot.
"Youyou, what do you think of Zhiwei Restaurant?" Qin Huai asked.
Recently, Qin Huai has been engrossed in increasing his skill level and hasn't paid much attention to An Youyou's situation. In addition, discovering Zhao Cheng'an is actually a Mayfly has focused most of his attention on Zhao Cheng'an, further neglecting An Youyou.
Reflecting on it, Qin Huai also felt quite guilty; they're both spirits, yet he's particularly neglectful of An Youyou. Perhaps because he considers the Three-legged Golden Toad as an auspicious beast and guessed part of An Youyou's reason for failing her tribulation, Qin Huai subconsciously felt her tribulation wasn't urgent.
"It's great." An Youyou thought the boss was concerned about her communication situation, and quickly reported, "The colleagues at Zhiwei Restaurant are all very nice. Recently, Brother Wang has been teaching me how to brew tea, and he's very detailed."
"In the beginning, I couldn't use the machines in Zone 3, Zone 4, and Zone 5, but Brother Li and Brother Chen taught me."
"Apprentices usually watch and practice by themselves, but sometimes I don't understand what I see, and don't know how to ask. Initially, I didn't dare knead too much dough, afraid of ruining it and wasting; it was Brother Xiao Li who told me it was okay, even if not perfect, they could still be used for pancakes."
"And Sister Chu, she..."
Once An Youyou starts talking, she can't stop, eagerly sharing everything she thinks is worth mentioning. After speaking, she felt particularly satisfied, believing that her words were filled with linguistic artistry.
Perfectly done, by praising others to highlight her own diligence and effort over this period, using indirect descriptions to emphasize her excellence, while ensuring the boss doesn't feel his employees are arrogant.
Full marks.
Haha, the one-dollar online deal she snagged last month for "Workplace Art" certainly wasn't wasted.
Though Qin Huai heard a lengthy speech from An Youyou, he didn't remember the specific content; what stuck in his mind were the likes of Brother Zhao, Brother Wang, Brother Li—series of characters without full names. After finishing this batch of steamed buns, Qin Huai went to the break room to send a voice message to Tan Wei'an, inquiring who exactly were the mentioned people.
Although An Youyou only mentioned surnames, Zhiwei Restaurant's apprentices have fixed workspaces, and those who help An Youyou must be around her area. A little inquiry would reveal their identities.
Tan Wei'an, known as Zhiwei Restaurant's quickest tongue, pulled up the list before work started. Moreover, he instantly rushed to Qin Huai's workstation at the start of work, asking what situation was leading to Qin Huai learning about these ordinary apprentices.
Whether he genuinely wanted to open a community dining hall in the neighborhood, establish autonomy, and considered poaching master chefs improper, so he's starting with apprentices, step by step consuming Zhiwei Restaurant's foundation.
Qin Huai: ...
Has Tan Wei'an been reading novels recently while slacking off at work?
What kind of stuff has he been reading? Brain-dead business warfare novels?
