Chapter 5

Hearing the young lady point to the plate of garlic stir-fried Chinese broccoli in front of her, she asked herself how her culinary skills had suddenly improved so much. To Guo Kejun, these words were nothing but heavy sarcasm.

Guo Kejun's face rapidly changed from green to white, as if splashed with ink. After a moment of silence, Guo Kejun could only force himself to endure the nausea in his heart, raise his hand, point to Li Xin, and say to the young lady, "The Chinese broccoli you ate wasn't made by me; it was stir-fried by Li Xin..." As he said this, Guo Kejun felt as if he had lost a tooth, struggling to swallow it down.

"Li Xin stir-fried it?" The young lady turned her head to look at Li Xin, her face full of doubt. If this plate of garlic stir-fried Chinese broccoli was made by Guo Kejun, she could understand it as a sudden burst of his talent. After all, among the chefs she could rely on, only Guo Kejun was in this restaurant. As for Li Xin, the young lady had only seen him once, holding hands with Xiao Yue as they left the car. She only knew that he was a chef in the restaurant.

From the depths of her heart, the young lady could not believe that Li Xin, an unknown figure, could make such exquisite dishes!

The young lady fell silent for a moment, knowing that Guo Kejun would not joke about such matters. After a moment of silence, she turned her head and asked Li Xin with some doubt, "How long have you been in the kitchen? Were you a stir-fry chef before you came to Dejuquan?"

Li Xin hurriedly shook his head and responded instinctively, "Before I came to Dejuquan, I had never been involved in the culinary industry. I started as a vegetable picker apprentice here. Thanks to my supervisor, Master Zhao, who promoted me to the current second cutting board position!"

"Zhao Dahai?" The young lady asked instinctively.

Li Xin quickly nodded and said, "Yes! It's Master Zhao!"

Throughout the conversation, Li Xin did not mention Guo Kejun at all, making Guo Kejun, who stood beside him, look even more peculiar.

"Ha ha, then you can be considered a chef cultivated by Dejuquan. A gem in the rough... It seems I have indeed buried talent." As she spoke, the young lady smiled apologetically at Li Xin. Then she turned her head and said to Guo Kejun, "We don't have a deputy chef anymore, right? I think Li Xin should help you." There was no room for negotiation; it was a decision already made.

"Miss, can I express my personal opinion?" Guo Kejun said.

"Miss... I want to..." Li Xin looked at the young lady, hesitating to speak.

Hearing Guo Kejun and Li Xin speak in unison, the young lady's lips curled slightly. Her smile was elegant, neither excessive nor restrained. Clearly, she had received professional training, which Li Xin did not know. Her father had specially hired a etiquette teacher to train her. Boys are raised to be tough, and girls are raised to be refined. The young lady's father deeply understood this.

"Alright, Master Guo, I'll listen to your suggestion." The young lady looked at Guo Kejun with a smile, her eyes not aggressive but still exuding the aura of a superior.

Guo Kejun hurriedly bowed to the young lady, his bow not quite 90 degrees but definitely 135 degrees. His face showed a mix of emotions as he said, "Miss, the position of deputy chef is up to you. Your ability to recognize talent is commendable. However... however..."

The young lady, seeing Guo Kejun's pretentious manner in front of her, felt a wave of displeasure. But she still smiled and asked patiently, "However what?"

Guo Kejun raised his hand and lightly pointed to Li Xin, saying, "We originally recommended Zhao Dahai, Li Xin's master, for the position of deputy chef. If you appoint his apprentice Li Xin, this... this, I'm afraid the people in the kitchen will have complaints. Even if you personally appoint Li Xin, if the subordinates are不服 (unhappy and insubordinate), it won't be good for Li Xin's future development at Dejuquan."

The young lady turned her head to look at Li Xin, who remained silent. Seeing that he didn't say anything, she nodded at Guo Kejun, signaling him to continue.

In fact, the position of deputy chef was decided internally in the kitchen and then reported to the young lady for approval. The young lady would not refuse the result of the internal recommendation. Although Zhao Dahai's name was on the list of candidates, in the small world of the kitchen, where the winds of change were constant, Guo Kejun had long promised the position to his lackey. What place did Zhao Dahai have in this? Zhao Dahai, who had been kept in the dark, thought he would be the one to take the position when he saw many people supporting him.

Seeing that Li Xin was about to be promoted by the young lady, Guo Kejun had to quickly bring up Zhao Dahai, painfully giving the position of deputy chef to Zhao Dahai.

Guo Kejun swallowed and continued, "Although Dejuquan doesn't have the hundred-year tradition of master-apprentice relationships like the main store, the term 'master' here has a sense of camaraderie. But if Li Xin surpasses his master, it won't be easy for him to handle, right?"

"Is that so..." The young lady pondered for a moment. She subconsciously looked at Guo Kejun and then at Li Xin, who stood beside her, unperturbed.

Guo Kejun, who had climbed to the position of chef through hard work and keen observation, saw the young lady's expression and knew his words had taken effect. His inner world suddenly became expansive.

The young lady, seeing Guo Kejun's protective attitude towards Li Xin, felt a mix of disdain and respect. However, Guo Kejun's words did have some merit. If she insisted, it might not be good for Li Xin.

After all, in her father's eyes, she was a woman who couldn't enter the ancestral hall or pay respects to the ancestors.

To prove her capabilities, the young lady had taken over the two least profitable restaurants from her father. She had turned them around in two years! This was just the beginning. How high would she have to climb to gain the recognition of the other branches of the family? The young lady knew she had a long way to go.

Today, she suddenly realized that she had been holding a pearl in her hand without knowing it. Now that she had discovered it, how could she let it slip away, for the sake of Dejuquan and herself?

In the family, every branch of Dejuquan was full of talent and strength. The young lady, with few resources and few allies, had suffered and understood the importance of talent!

At this moment, the young lady's lips curled slightly.

Guo Kejun, watching the young lady, suddenly felt nervous again. His hands were already sweating.

The young lady smiled, as if she had made up her mind. She nodded lightly at Guo Kejun and said, "Alright, I'll consider it. We'll discuss this further. You can go back now. I need to talk to Li Xin for a bit."

"Ah!" Guo Kejun nodded without hesitation and quickly left the private room. After all, the matter of Li Xin becoming deputy chef was off the table! The light in his eyes was filled with unhidden excitement. He thought to himself that he still had some weight in the young lady's eyes as the chef!

Of course, Guo Kejun was also afraid that Li Xin might pull off a stunning reversal when alone with the young lady. Just before leaving, he paused, turned his head, and quickly glanced at Tengtang Yue, giving a simple look.

Tengtang Yue blinked but said nothing. Their eyes met, and everything was understood without words.

After Guo Kejun left, the young lady smiled at Li Xin like a gentle breeze, and casually said, "Sit."

Li Xin didn't act pretentiously and sat at the lower end of the eight-person table, but only sat on one-third of the chair, sitting upright and respectfully.

The young lady personally poured a cup of tea for Li Xin, filling it to seven-tenths full, leaving room for courtesy.

Then, the young lady sat at the table, looked down at the garlic stir-fried Chinese broccoli, picked up a small bowl of rice, and ate it delicately. Li Xin knew that only a well-bred lady could be so composed.

After finishing a small bowl of rice, she gently placed the chopsticks aside and looked at Li Xin, smiling and asked, "What did you want to say just now?"

Li Xin shook his head slightly and said simply, "Nothing much..."

"Don't you want the position of deputy chef?" The young lady looked at Li Xin with a complex expression, smiling.

Li Xin shook his head slightly. He expressed his thoughts in a very straightforward manner, "I do!"

"But it seems you've already refused me. Is it because of your supervisor?" The young lady asked, and Li Xin nodded. He didn't know why he was so tongue-tied today. He had many things to say, but in front of the young lady, he didn't know how to express them.

Usually, Li Xin wasn't like this. He could only attribute it to the young lady's extraordinary aura.

After all, Li Xin, a struggling figure in the kitchen, was fundamentally different from the young lady, who had grown up under the protection of a large family.

Despite their efforts, Li Xin was striving to stand out, and the young lady was striving for recognition from the family. But their starting points were never the same.

"Are you not planning to quit?" The young lady suddenly covered her mouth and asked with a smile.

Li Xin was slightly startled and looked at the young lady with a puzzled expression. Was this a threat? Did he have to leave if he didn't become deputy chef? Li Xin didn't believe the young lady would be so domineering.

"Ha ha... Look at you, so scared. Today, I just want to tell you: as long as you stay loyal to Dejuquan, I will ensure you share in its prosperity." After saying this, the young lady saw Li Xin's puzzled expression, smiled, and waved her hand, saying, "Go back to work."

Li Xin nodded slightly, wanting to appear composed in front of the young lady. But he knew he couldn't emulate the refined demeanor of those who had been tempered by the vicissitudes of life. He might end up looking awkward. In the end, he showed his genuine gratitude and sincerity.

Seeing Li Xin leave the private room, the young lady stood up and fell into a reverie. She seemed to forget that Tengtang Yue was still standing beside her. Her every movement exuded elegance, and she said to herself, "The old ancestor said, 'A square jaw, kind and stubborn. Clear eyes, strong jaw, clear thinking, strong will. Steady feet, steady voice, good fortune.' I didn't expect to find such a person in my restaurant? Unfortunately, his life is full of ups and downs, and he needs to meet a benefactor..."