Chapter 4

After Qin Jianguo left, Master Guo led Qin Feng around the large kitchen, casually explaining some of the basic rules. Then he called over a young man, about 20 years old, and instructed, "Xiao Zhao, this is the new apprentice. He will be following you from now on."

Xiao Zhao nodded quickly and said okay. As soon as Master Guo left, he put his arm around Qin Feng's shoulder in a very familiar manner, speaking in a pure Northeastern accent, and asked with a grin, "Little brother, what's your name?"

"Qin Feng."

"Is it the 'Feng' of 'mountain' or the 'Feng' of 'gold'?"

"The 'Feng' of 'wind.'"

"What?"

"The 'Feng' of 'electric fan.'"

"Oh?" Xiao Zhao's eyes lit up, and he laughed loudly, "What a coincidence, my name is Zhao Yun. Now we're the 'Wind and Cloud' duo!"

Qin Feng was glad he didn't have a mouthful of soda, or he would have definitely sprayed it out. He knew there were many people surnamed Zhao, and some might name their children after historical figures like Zhao Yun, but he never expected to meet one here. Qin Feng chuckled dryly without making any comment.

Xiao Zhao asked again, "How old are you this year?"

Qin Feng replied, "I'm 16 after the New Year."

Xiao Zhao's smile faded, and he said with some surprise, "Oh, you're so young to be out already. Did you finish junior high school?"

Qin Feng smiled and answered, "Yes, I did."

"That's good. You might think being a chef is just about cooking, but I'll tell you, you need to be educated. If you want to take the certification exams, you'll have to pass a written test." Xiao Zhao boasted to Qin Feng.

Qin Feng nodded in agreement, feigning gratitude.

Seeing Qin Feng's submissive demeanor, Xiao Zhao's vanity as a senior was immediately satisfied. He patted Qin Feng's shoulder and advised, "Don't worry, if you want to take the certification, you'll have to wait at least seven or eight years. There's plenty of time. The key is to be serious about it. Start learning well now, and you'll be fine." He clearly treated Qin Feng as a poor student.

Qin Feng didn't bother to explain much and just nodded with a smile.

Xiao Zhao talked much more than Qin Feng expected, pulling him and asking about his family and background for about ten minutes. Only when Qin Feng mentioned he was from the city did Xiao Zhao lose interest and switch to a more formal tone, assigning Qin Feng his morning tasks.

"Official work starts at 6 AM. You don't need to make breakfast. Your job is to come early and wash dishes. When the senior chefs start working in the afternoon, you'll stand next to me and watch. You can only touch anything on the stove if Master Tang tells you to. Got it?"

Qin Feng nodded and asked, "So should I go wash dishes now?"

"Right." Xiao Zhao nodded, "Follow me, and change into your work uniform."

Xiao Zhao led Qin Feng to the kitchen changing room, opened the door, and saw rows of white uniforms hanging on the walls. He pointed inside and said, "Pick one that fits you. Hang your old clothes on the wall and take everything out of your pockets and put them in your pants. If you lose anything, the hotel won't compensate you."

Qin Feng followed the instructions, went in, and changed into a uniform that fit him. Once he was dressed, Xiao Zhao led him to the dishwashing area.

As soon as they entered, Xiao Zhao shouted to someone inside, "Wen Qiang, this kid is new, keep an eye on him!"

Xiao Zhao pointed to Qin Feng, and Wen Qiang, a slightly overweight young man, ran over, glanced at Qin Feng, and smiled, "New apprentice, huh?"

"Right, his name is Qin Feng," Xiao Zhao answered for him.

"Alright, work hard!" Wen Qiang patted Qin Feng's arm and pointed to the dishwashing station, "The rags and gloves are over there. You know how to wash dishes, right?"

Qin Feng smiled and nodded, immediately getting to work.

Once Qin Feng was far enough away, Xiao Zhao pulled Wen Qiang aside and whispered, "He said he's from the city."

"Really?" Wen Qiang smiled faintly.

Xiao Zhao said, "Don't you find it strange? A local from Dongou City, and he's already working at such a young age. Isn't it said that people here are all rich?"

"Even in the richest places, there are always a few who aren't," Wen Qiang laughed.

Xiao Zhao didn't get the agreement he wanted and lost interest in the conversation. He shook his head and said, "Forget it, I can't talk to you. I'm going to work." He then left the dishwashing area, not sure what he was going to do.

The hotel's dishes were actually cleaned every night when the restaurant closed. The morning cleaning was mainly to rinse off the overnight water smell, so no detergent was needed, just a quick rinse with water, making it very easy.

But even so, washing thousands of dishes was a significant task.

The cleaned dishes were taken directly to the hotel's buffet area, and the rest were put back in the sterilizer.

Qin Feng sat at the dishwashing sink and washed until about 7 AM, finally stopping.

At 7:30 AM, the hotel manager called everyone from the kitchen for a brief morning meeting. After the meeting, Master Guo introduced Qin Feng to the manager.

"Since you're already working the day shift, come in during the day. Your working hours are from 6 AM to 5 PM. During the busy New Year period, you'll work in the evenings, and the store will pay you overtime. For the remaining half of this month, there will be no salary, as it's a trial period. Starting next month, you'll earn 1200 yuan per month. From today, you can eat all three meals at the store. Since you're from the city, I won't arrange a dormitory for you."

Manager Wang quickly explained Qin Feng's benefits and obligations.

Qin Feng had no objections to the schedule and pay. As for working overtime during the New Year, he calculated the dates in his mind and wondered if he would still be there.

After the morning meeting, most of the hotel staff had a long break.

Everyone sat in the staff lounge, either dozing off, daydreaming, or, like Xiao Zhao, reading a magazine to boost their morale.

Qin Feng closed his eyes and rested until about 9 AM. Just as he was about to fall asleep, someone patted his shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Young man, wake up."

Qin Feng immediately opened his eyes and saw a chubby, friendly face.

"Oh, you're not asleep," the man said with a smile, then asked, "You're the new apprentice, right?"

Qin Feng nodded.

The man introduced himself, "I'm Master Tang. From now on, you'll follow me in the kitchen."

Hearing that this was the master chef who would be training him, Qin Feng, out of politeness, quickly stood up and said, "Master Tang, hello."

"Hello, you too. You're quite sharp, young man, ha ha..." Master Tang was very pleased with Qin Feng's response and had a good first impression of him.