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Elder Mo had been in the army for a month and was finally heading back to Beijing.
Originally, he had planned to stay here for at most half a month.
However, he ended up staying an extra half month because he liked it here so much and enjoyed Su Yi’s cooking.
Before leaving, Elder Mo specifically called Su Yi to his office and told her about his departure to Beijing.
He then took out a beautiful box from his drawer and handed it to Su Yi. “This watch is a small token of my appreciation. Thank you for all your hard work and care over the past month!”
Su Yi looked down and saw that it was a foreign antique watch.
The watch face was exquisitely ornate, and even the bracelet was encrusted with diamonds.
Su Yi was startled and quickly shook her head. “This is too much, Elder Mo. I can’t accept such an expensive gift!”
Elder Mo smiled and then explained, “This was something I bought with my first savings abroad over twenty years ago. I intended to give it to my mother when I returned home, but unfortunately, I never had the chance to see her again.”
“Over the years, I’ve worn this watch and it has almost become a sentimental attachment for me. Now that I’ve had the chance to taste familiar flavors again, I feel like I’ve made up for that regret. Please accept this watch.”
As he spoke, Elder Mo’s eyes were already red.
Su Yi understood his feelings, but she felt that accepting such an expensive gift without having done anything beyond her paid work was inappropriate.
Unexpectedly, Elder Mo was even more persistent. He directly called Zhou Jinchuan over to act as a mediator.
In the end, Su Yi accepted the gift.
Before leaving, Elder Mo instructed Zhou Jinchuan, “In the future, when you bring Xiao Su to Beijing, make sure to visit my place!”
Su Yi wondered why Zhou Jinchuan would bring her to Beijing.
Seeing Su Yi’s confusion, Elder Mo exchanged a knowing smile with the two of them.
“Goodbye!”
After Elder Mo left, Su Yi was set to return to the kitchen and join the main team.
The workload was significantly heavier than when she was cooking only for Elder Mo.
Fortunately, Xiaowu was on summer vacation, so he spent his days at home with Ye Nuannuan, which gave her some peace of mind.
By noon, the two kids came to the cafeteria to find Su Yi for lunch.
Originally, Master Ma valued Su Yi’s cooking skills and wanted her to be in charge of several of the hot dishes.
However, Chef Wang was unwilling, and the other chefs also protested.
Master Ma, frustrated, asked him, “So, what do you suggest Xiao Su should do?”
Chef Wang thought for a moment and said, “Let her handle the cold dishes, along with Xiao Xu and Xiao Zhang. They all get along well, so they can work on the cold dishes together.”
Su Yi was thrilled to hear this opportunity!
She immediately agreed, “Okay, I’ll do it!”
Chef Wang was focused on the hot dishes, considering them the core of the cafeteria’s offerings, while the cold dishes were just a minor addition.
But he forgot that it was the height of summer.
Cooking large quantities of hot dishes in the heat was nearly unbearable.
There’s nothing as comfortable as preparing cold dishes!
Some of them don’t even require cooking.
Initially, Xu Xiaoqin and Zhang Tianhua were annoyed by Chef Wang’s deliberate arrangement.
But after Su Yi explained, they quickly shifted from worry to joy. “I didn’t think of that! With this setup, we’re actually getting a good deal!”
Zhang Tianhua expressed some concern, “But our cafeteria’s cold dish selection is very limited and rarely ordered. Doesn’t this mean we’ll be sidelined?”
Su Yi reassured him with a confident expression, “It’s up to us. The reason people didn’t order them before was that they weren’t tasty. If we do a good job, it’s possible we could even surpass the hot dishes!”
Su Yi’s enthusiasm also inspired the other two.
“Sister Su Yi, we’ll do whatever you say!”
“Yes, we’ll follow your lead!”
Even though Su Yi was the youngest of the three, she took the lead.
When the two first called her “sister,” Su Yi, excited, didn’t immediately tell them that she was younger. By the time she thought about mentioning it, it was a bit late.
Oh well, they were used to it now.
Seeing their agreement, Su Yi quickly organized a meeting with them.
Su Yi meticulously analyzed why the cafeteria’s cold dishes had never been popular before.
“Think about it: our troops prefer dishes with some meat because everyone gets hungry. And they also like dishes that go well with rice.”
Xu Xiaoqin realized this was true. “Everyone eats a lot, so they’d naturally choose dishes that complement their rice, otherwise, they might not get enough.”
“Another issue is that our cold dish options were too plain. We had the same old dishes like scallion tofu, cold shredded potatoes, and only during the summer did we add cold cucumber!”
Zhang Tianhua agreed, “Exactly. These dishes are more suited for drinking occasions, and since we don’t drink here, they weren’t very popular.”
Su Yi nodded, “Well, it’s summer now, and I’ve noticed that people seem to be eating less. This gives us a chance to make cold dishes more appealing.”
She then shared her ideas with them.
“We should prepare a variety of vegetable dishes, like black fungus, cucumber, bean curd sheets, and dried tofu. We can cut and arrange them, and then let everyone choose what they like when they serve themselves. As long as the sauce is delicious, the flavors will come together well.”
The two of them, recalling Su Yi’s cooking skills, nodded enthusiastically. “Sister Su Yi, didn’t you mention adding meat as well? We’re just worried we might not get good quality meat.”
Su Yi smiled and reassured them, “We’ll make the best of what we have. The focus should be on making the cold dishes flavorful and varied. If we do it right, they’ll be just as popular.”
Su Yi smiled, “We don’t need premium cuts of meat. Let’s ask Master Ma if we can get some offal like pig’s head meat, pig’s stomach, duck gizzards, duck intestines, and chicken feet.”
Zhang Tianhua frowned, “These might not be contested, but without good quality meat, will the dishes still taste good?”
Xu Xiaoqin also expressed concern, “We’re introducing so many new styles at once. Will Chef Wang agree to this?”
Su Yi pursed her lips and smiled, “Let’s give it a try. We won’t start with too many changes. I think Chef Wang is just waiting for us to make a mistake. He’ll probably agree to it.”
As expected, when Su Yi approached Chef Wang about introducing new dishes and increasing the variety and quantity of daily ingredients, Chef Wang agreed without hesitation.
However, Master Ma was a bit worried. “Xiao Su, are you sure you want to handle so many new items?”
Chef Wang chimed in, “Xiao Su is very capable. Master Ma, you don’t need to worry about her. Young people having ideas is a good thing. Didn’t you say before that I should encourage and support them as their leader?”
Chef Wang, smiling at Su Yi, said, “Xiao Su, I can provide you with the ingredients, but let’s be clear upfront. Our cafeteria is very strict about waste. It’s hot right now, and if the dishes don’t sell, what about the wasted food?”
Facing Chef Wang’s skepticism, Su Yi responded with a confident smile, “If they don’t sell, I’ll take responsibility for any losses the cafeteria incurs.”
“Alright, it’s a deal.”