Chapter 126: It’s like you’re deliberately trying to avoid him?

After Su Yi’s group of three officially left the cafeteria, Chef Wang was quickly fired as well.

The cafeteria was suddenly short of four people, so they had to recruit new staff from outside.

Although Chef Wang had worked in the cafeteria for many years, as others had revealed, his actual workload wasn’t very heavy. It was still possible to find someone better to replace him.

But Su Yi and the other three were different.

Their departure also meant that the cafeteria’s hot pot window would be closed.

Many people were saddened to hear this and were disappointed that they wouldn’t be able to eat hot pot anymore.

Later, they heard that Su Yi had opened a restaurant in town.

Although it hadn’t opened yet, everyone was already secretly looking forward to it and eager to try it.

These days, Zhang Tianhua had been living in the backyard, doing nothing but sleeping and working.

During the day, Su Yi and Xu Xiaoqin were also busy in the shop nonstop.

Ye Xiaowu and Ye Nuannuan were both still on summer break and were helping out with whatever they could.

Zhou Jinchuan came almost every day, always bringing Lu Changzheng and Xie Xiaojun with him.

With so many people working together, the house was quickly cleaned up.

They even managed to build the stove and paint the walls themselves, without having to hire anyone.

After the simple renovations, they bought the main table, chairs, benches, bowls, chopsticks, plates, and other necessities.

Originally, Su Yi planned to hire just two people.

But with Xu Xiaoqin and Zhang Tianhua now helping, she felt that it was enough and they could manage without hiring anyone else for now.

However, Zhou Jinchuan insisted on hiring at least two more people.

One would be an auntie responsible for cleaning, washing dishes, and washing vegetables.

The other would be an experienced chef.

Su Yi knew he was worried about her being overworked and thought it was too tiring for her to cook everything herself, so he insisted on hiring someone.

Therefore, she agreed to start looking for people.

It was easy to hire a cleaning lady. As soon as a message was sent out in town, several local ladies came for an interview, and they finally settled on Sister Mei, who lived on the same street.

She was in her thirties, quick and efficient, well-dressed, and tidy—a perfect fit for the job.

However, finding an experienced chef wasn’t so easy, as most skilled chefs typically work in formal kitchens.

No one was willing to come to her little, unknown restaurant.

Just as Su Yi was about to give up and use the excuse of not finding anyone to brush off Zhou Jinchuan, something unexpected happened.

One day, Zhou Jinchuan actually brought someone over.

At first glance, Su Yi could tell this person was no ordinary man.

He appeared to be in his forties. Although he had a bit of a limp, which affected his stride, he looked healthy and spirited.

Upon meeting, Zhou Jinchuan introduced the man to her.

It turned out his name was Li Jianguo. He had previously served as the head cook in the army and had even been to the frontlines with the troops.

However, during a retreat, he had accidentally injured his leg from stray shrapnel.

He was discharged from the army after returning.

After his discharge, he stayed in the nearby countryside, occasionally helping out with cooking at weddings and funerals in nearby villages.

After introducing his situation, Li Jianguo volunteered to go to the kitchen and cook two dishes for Su Yi to try as a test.

Su Yi wanted to say no, but he insisted on going, “Although you introduced me, let’s follow the rules.”

With that, he asked Zhang Tianhua to take him to the kitchen.

Su Yi quietly pulled Zhou Jinchuan aside.

“This Brother Li seems really good, but why didn’t you let him work in the canteen before?”

Zhou Jinchuan chuckled, “I told him, but he refused. He said that seeing so many of his former comrades in arms would make him sad.”

Su Yi nodded, “Well, my restaurant will have a lot of comrades coming in the future too.”

Zhou Jinchuan smiled again, “It’s alright, I talked to him beforehand and did some ideological work. He’s already come to terms with it.”

Su Yi looked at him suspiciously and muttered under her breath, “So you’re the one who insisted on bringing him here? And even did some convincing. It seems like this person must stay?”

Taking advantage of the lack of people around, Zhou Jinchuan reached out and lightly tapped her forehead, “I know you want to handle everything yourself, but the kitchen work is too demanding. I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it.”

“Besides, I can’t be there every day to watch over things. With Jianguo here, I feel at ease.”

After hearing this, Su Yi nodded, “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

Just as the two finished their whispered conversation, Li Jianguo brought over a plate of shredded potatoes.

“Brother Tianhua just gave me a challenge. Boss Su, please taste it. Does it taste okay?”

Su Yi quickly replied, “Just call me Xiao Su.”

After that, she picked up her chopsticks and tasted it. Although it was just a simple dish of shredded potatoes, the cooking timing and seasoning were spot on.

Zhang Tianhua chuckled and added, “I knew he wouldn’t go wrong when I saw him blanching the shredded potatoes.”

Su Yi also smiled and extended her hand towards Li Jianguo, “Brother Li, welcome to join us—”

As they were talking, Su Yi suddenly slapped her forehead, “Oh my, I forgot the name of the restaurant!”

Everyone was taken aback. They had everything ready for the opening, but they hadn’t decided on a name for the restaurant yet.

Xu Xiaoqin immediately suggested, “That’s easy, just call it Su Yi Restaurant.”

Zhang Tianhua twitched his lips, “Isn’t that too straightforward? How about Su’s Restaurant?”

Now it was Su Yi’s turn to be troubled. She didn’t really like using her own name, and she was still racking her brains.

Then she heard Zhou Jinchuan suggest, “How about Ruyi Sichuan Cuisine?” ^[1]The word “Ruyi”can be translated as “as one wishes” or “according to one’s desires,” symbolizing good fortune and satisfaction. In traditional Chinese … Continue reading

Su Yi paused for a moment, then smiled, “I think that’s good. It’s easy to remember.”

Everyone else agreed, “That’s a good meaning. Let’s call it Ruyi Sichuan Cuisine.”

After deciding on the name, Zhou Jinchuan immediately drove out to find someone to make a signboard.

The rest of them stayed behind to continue working.

When Zhou Jinchuan returned, Li Jianguo and Sister Mei had already gone home.

Zhou Jinchuan glanced at the time and realized it was getting late, so he prepared to call Su Yi to go back together.

Unexpectedly, Su Yi said, “You take the kids back first. I still have some things to do here. We need to finalize the menu tomorrow when everyone comes over to try the food.”

Although Zhou Jinchuan nodded and agreed to take the two children back, he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

After Zhou Jinchuan left, Xu Xiaoqin immediately approached Su Yi, “Su Yi, are you and Commander Zhou already together?”

Su Yi smiled and pursed her lips, “How did you figure that out? I was planning to formally introduce him to you all after these two days.”

Xu Xiaoqin rolled her eyes, “Only a fool wouldn’t see it. Every time he comes over, his eyes are glued to you.”

Then, she mumbled softly, “But I feel like you’re deliberately trying to avoid him.”