novellhall Chapter 289 A Good Idea Emerges
Chapter 289 A Good Idea Emerges
Zhuang Qingxiang didn't understand these things when she was in the village, but now she has heard a lot about them and can roughly understand how scarce formal jobs are.
The rural resettlement policy is still in effect. Those who have reached the required age do not want to go to the countryside and need to find a job. Those who have already been sent to the countryside are desperate to return to the city and also need a job to complete the necessary procedures to come back.
The price of a job opening is several times that of the seller.
Zhuang Qingxiang began to regret that she should have accepted Director Dai's invitation to work at the food factory, and then transferred it to someone else later.
"Sister Zhuang, what are you thinking? My dad gave you a product development position back then, which isn't a position that just anyone can take on," Dai Hongying said with a smile.
"However, this time you can ask for a position at the cooked food counter. Anyone who is clean and quick can do the job of selling cooked food. You can just transfer out again."
Zhuang Qingxiang: "Does your father know that you're siding with outsiders like this?"
"I didn't go anywhere else, I only went to you," Dai Hongying said with a smile.
"Let me think about it some more." Zhuang Qingxiang did not make a decision immediately.
She knew there were many things she didn't understand, so she was willing to ask Lu Congyue for advice whenever she was unsure about something.
"I'll go see what we can make for lunch. Why don't you stay for lunch?" Zhuang Qingxiang estimated the time; it was almost lunchtime. She didn't care about Director Dai, but she was willing to take care of Dai Hongying.
Dai Hongying had no objection; she enjoyed Zhuang Qingxiang's cooking.
At that moment, Director Dai hurriedly arrived at Lu Congyue's office, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then explained his purpose.
Lu Congyue raised an eyebrow slightly: "She rejected you, so there's no use in you coming to me."
"No... Director Lu, you know the situation now. She can't turn that prescription into money if she keeps it." Director Dai patiently advised.
Lu Congyue smiled dismissively: "Then I'll keep it as a family heirloom for my children."
Factory Director Dai was speechless.
"Director Lu, please don't joke around. I've already discussed it with Manager Qian of the state-run restaurant. We'll set up a cooked food counter and use Comrade Zhuang's recipe to braise some pig heads and offal to sell there. It'll be convenient, increase our income, and add some flavor to the people's meals."
"Hmm, that's good. Let Manager Qian handle it himself." Lu Congyue nodded in agreement. "The restaurant's chefs are skilled too, they'll definitely know how to make braised dishes."
Factory Director Dai was so frustrated that he didn't know what to say.
Manager Qian is actually the deputy manager, and he always wants to compete with Manager Li. The restaurant's head chef is on Manager Li's side, and if he wants to achieve something, he definitely has to avoid the restaurant's head chef. He happened to eat Zhuang Qingxiang's braised pig's head during the Chinese New Year, so he set his sights on it.
They had already discussed and agreed on the specific plan.
They can be sold at the deli counter, or farmers in the countryside who lack coupons can exchange goods for them. Bartering is not illegal, and it can also win the favor of the people and increase one's reputation.
It was originally a very simple matter, so why did it get stuck on the recipe?
"Director Lu, Comrade Zhuang doesn't understand the importance of this matter. You need to do some ideological work with her. Besides, Manager Qian is very easy to talk to. She can make other requests, and they are all negotiable."
Director Dai spoke sincerely. Lu Congyue thought for a moment and said, "I'll ask her when I get back at noon, but I'll just ask and won't interfere with her decision."
At lunchtime, Factory Director Dai remembered that his daughter was still at someone else's house, so he went back with Lu Congyue.
Sure enough, my daughter was waiting for lunch.
Factory Director Dai really wanted to kick her: "Hongying, what are you doing? Hurry up and come home with me, your mother is still waiting for us to come back for dinner."
"You go back, I'm not going back, I'll eat here." Dai Hongying answered decisively. "Sister Zhuang specially made braised potatoes and eggplant and winter melon meatball soup for me today. I'm going to eat three bowls of rice!"
Director Dai's vision went black.
These days, nobody has enough to eat, so how could she dare to eat and drink so much at someone else's house?
It's killing me!
He knew his daughter's appetite well. He figured that people who practice martial arts usually have big appetites, and if Dai Hongying ate her fill, three bowls of rice might not be enough.
In front of Lu Congyue and Zhuang Qingxiang, he couldn't just grab his daughter by the ear and drag her away, so he could only keep giving her meaningful glances.
But wearing a red tassel leads to selective blindness...
Factory Director Dai was so angry he was about to jump up, but Lu Congyue coughed lightly at this moment: "If Factory Director Dai doesn't mind, please stay and eat with us. My wife's cooking is alright, you can try it and see how it tastes."
Dai Hongying immediately said, "Sister Zhuang's cooking is just passable? Director Lu, excessive modesty is just arrogance. Sister Zhuang's cooking is even better than the master chefs in state-run restaurants."
This boasting was so impressive that even Director Dai sat down.
Is his cooking even better than that of the chefs at state-run restaurants? He'd better try it.
Perfect timing, we can bring up the recipe again during dinner.
As for how much I ate for lunch today...
At worst, I can have my daughter bring over some rice, flour, cooking oil, or something like that tomorrow; the food factory has plenty of those things anyway.
When Director Dai took a bite, his eyes widened in surprise.
He looked at his daughter in disbelief: This girl is actually eating so well?
When I ate braised pig's head during the Chinese New Year, I thought Zhuang Qingxiang had a recipe to make it taste so good. But now that I'm eating her homemade food... she's just a master chef!
This is indeed a skill that can be used to open a restaurant.
"Dad, how does it taste? Isn't it amazing?" Dai Hongying asked while eating.
Factory Director Dai nodded: "Comrade Zhuang's cooking skills are truly amazing. Were your ancestors famous chefs?"
He thought to himself, "He might be the imperial chef."
Zhuang Qingxiang smiled and shook her head: "No, I just learned it by working around the stove at home. It's all home-style cooking, nothing special."
Director Dai still found it unbelievable.
This person is a culinary genius! They make excellent pastries, braised dishes, and even stir-fries.
While he was eating, an idea suddenly popped into his head.
"Comrade Zhuang, if you don't want to sell the recipe, how about becoming a sous chef at a state-run restaurant? You'll be responsible for making and selling braised dishes, and you can help cook some dishes when the head chef is too busy."
These days, chefs are well-paid, especially those in state-run restaurants. Not only are their salaries high, but they also have no worries about food or drink. The leftovers from the restaurant can even support their families.
Director Dai felt that if Zhuang Qingxiang could take charge in the kitchen of the state-run restaurant, then Deputy Manager Qian might even be able to squeeze out Manager Li.
Factory Director Dai thought his idea was brilliant and looked at Zhuang Qingxiang eagerly.
Zhuang Qingxiang was slightly taken aback.
She had previously thought Dai Hongying's suggestion was quite good; she could become a cooked food vendor, which was an easy job and easy to transfer.
Becoming a sous chef wouldn't be so easy, and it probably wouldn't last long. How could the head chef, who has the final say in the kitchen, allow a sous chef to be brought in from nowhere? Wouldn't that lead to a fierce rivalry?