Chapter 28: Cafeteria Assessment

Feeling Su Yi’s warmth, Xu Xiaoqin immediately started chatting with her about the earlier inspection.

“You’d think everyone would be more prepared for the interview. While we were waiting in line, I saw some people with really long nails, and inside them—ugh, I won’t say more. I don’t want it to affect my performance later.”

Su Yi smiled slightly, and soon it was their turn to enter.

The second round of the interview mainly consisted of questions related to daily knowledge about cafeteria food and beverages.

Su Yi answered the questions effortlessly, showing her expertise.

After the second round, only about a dozen candidates remained, and it was time for the final culinary assessment.

The designated dish was spicy and sour shredded potatoes.

Xu Xiaoqin, looking a bit nervous, said to Su Yi, “I’m not very good at cooking. My knife skills are okay, but I was originally planning to apply for a position as a side dish preparer. I didn’t expect we’d need to cook a dish ourselves.”

Su Yi reassured her, “Don’t be nervous. Your knife skills will give you an advantage with this dish. Just remember to soak the shredded potatoes in water.”

Xu Xiaoqin nodded, “Thanks for the reminder. Otherwise, I might have forgotten in my nervousness.”

Seeing Xu Xiaoqin’s sincerity, Su Yi couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.

Growing up, Su Yi hadn’t encountered many people like her—most people interacted with her with some ulterior motive. This experience made her cautious and constantly on guard.

For instance, even though she would like to see people like Xu Xiaoqin stay and work together, they were still competitors for the position. She couldn’t share all her cooking insights with someone who might be her rival.

Moreover, since they had only just met, Su Yi couldn’t fully judge Xu Xiaoqin’s character yet.

The key to making good spicy and sour shredded potatoes is ensuring they don’t stick to the pan. Soaking the potatoes is one method, but blanching them is actually better—it not only prevents sticking but also keeps the texture crispy.

However, if Xu Xiaoqin did a good job with soaking, it shouldn’t be too problematic.

As the candidates prepared, many had already arrived at the cafeteria to start getting ready for their tasks. Some had come early just to observe and be part of the excitement, having heard about the interview opportunities.

Among the onlookers were Bai Ruolin and her close friend.

Bai Ruolin had just heard about Su Yi coming for the interview from a conversation outside. Without hesitation, she had brought her best friend along.

Seeing Su Yi there, Bai Ruolin’s friend was surprised and remarked, “Is it really her? How did she end up coming for the interview?”

As they observed the crowd, Bai Ruolin squeezed in and commented casually, “Since she’s here, she must have passed the initial screening. It’s not like she came in through connections.”

Her friend, who had already heard Bai Ruolin’s complaints about Su Yi, had a negative impression of her. Seeing that Su Yi had made it to the final round, she couldn’t help but speak up, “She’s an outsider who came to the courtyard and refused to leave. Now she’s trying to take a job that originally belonged to someone else. It’s really shameless.”

Bai Ruolin quickly pulled her friend aside, “Don’t say that. If she can get a proper job, I’d be happy for her. At least she won’t have to live in someone else’s house without any clear arrangement.”

She added, “But I’m not sure if she can handle this kind of work, given how delicate she looks.”

Some of the onlookers agreed with her assessment.

Some who already knew about the tension between the two found the comments amusing. The more excitement there was, the more they enjoyed the drama.

Despite the commotion outside, Su Yi remained focused, cutting the potatoes into uniformly thin strips without even flinching.

Bai Ruolin, noticing that Su Yi was unaffected, felt as though her attempts to unsettle Su Yi were as ineffective as hitting cotton.

While she was contemplating this, she was suddenly pulled aside by Qin Yunfeng, who had arrived.

“Ruolin, what are you doing here?”

Bai Ruolin shrugged slightly and said, “Oh, it’s nothing. I just arrived and saw everyone watching, so I came over to check it out.”

Qin Yunfeng had also come to see the interview, having heard that Su Yi was participating. However, upon entering, he found Bai Ruolin and her friends making jokes about Su Yi, seemingly enjoying the spectacle.

Qin Yunfeng hurriedly pulled Bai Ruolin aside.

“Ruolin, have you forgotten what you promised me?”

Bai Ruolin’s expression faltered slightly. “Of course not. I really haven’t said anything. Brother Qin, I’m just a bit worried. If she stays here, the quality of our meals might decline in the future.”

Qin Yunfeng considered this for a moment. “Don’t be like that. Su Yi is quite skilled at cooking; it shouldn’t be unpleasant.”

Bai Ruolin looked at him incredulously and said, “ Brother Qin, have you considered that if Su Yi actually starts working in the cafeteria, we’ll have to see her every day? With so many people around, it might not be good for us.”

Qin Yunfeng pondered this for a moment, seeming to agree with her reasoning.

He then moved forward and cast a displeased glance at Su Yi.

Seeing her remain composed and smiling even with so many people watching, he couldn’t help but snort inwardly. This woman really knows how to draw attention. Doesn’t she mind all these men staring at her?

He remembered that Su Yi wasn’t like this before; back then, even a single comment from him would make her blush for a long time.

Given the number of unfamiliar men staring at her, she should have been quite self-conscious.

But Su Yi seemed completely unaware of the attention. She quickly and efficiently prepared the dish: she washed the shredded potatoes, blanched them, then fried dried chilies in a hot pan with cool oil, added green and red pepper strips, and stir-fried everything on high heat. After seasoning, she swiftly plated the dish.

Only after finishing did she notice Qin Yunfeng and Bai Ruolin. She shot them a displeased glance and said, “Move aside!”

The tasting was being conducted by two of the cafeteria’s most experienced chefs. One, Chef Wang, was in his middle years and was the supervisor of the kitchen. The other, Chef Ma, was older and reputed to have trained every chef in the cafeteria himself. Although Chef Ma was the most senior, he had become less involved in daily affairs due to his age, leaving many decisions to Chef Wang.

The shredded potatoes Su Yi prepared were evenly cut into thin strips, with a bright and refreshing color. Even before tasting, the appetizing aroma of sour and spicy flavors was noticeable.

After tasting the dish, Chef Ma gave it high praise, saying, “The technique is as good as either of ours.”

However, Chef Wang seemed less impressed. “It’s just the simplest kind of shredded potatoes. It’s still different from our usual cooking. Look at her small stature; she might not be able to handle the hard work in the kitchen.”

It was clear that Chef Wang had heard the negative comments circulating earlier. When hiring for the cafeteria, cooking skills were important, but being honest, reliable, and trouble-free was even more crucial.

“Chef Ma, perhaps we should take a look at the other candidates.”

Chef Ma admired Su Yi’s determination and saw a reflection of his own youthful spirit in her. Despite her slender build, she handled the wok with remarkable skill and efficiency. However, he chose not to push the issue further at this moment and instead addressed Su Yi directly.

“Comrade, working in the cafeteria is indeed demanding. Are you confident that you can do a good job?”