Chapter 20: Uncontrollable Flutter

Sister Zhang glanced at Luo Ya, then could only apologize to Hu Chengdong and step outside to check on the situation.

Luo Ya smiled at Hu Chengdong, “Leader, please sit for a moment. I’ll go take care of some things.”

Hu Chengdong called out to Luo Ya, “The steamed chicken today smells particularly fragrant. You’re truly surpassing your teacher!”

Luo Ya bit her lip, but she didn’t deny Hu Chengdong’s words, “Leader, this is just what we’re supposed to do. We strive to give the crowd the most delicious food, and we’ll continue working hard to improve!”

“Good, good! Good comrade!” Hu Chengdong expressed his satisfaction with this young comrade.

After a smile, Luo Ya turned and left the private room. The other leaders in the room watched her leave, and the mayor, who had been smiling while looking at her, remained silent. They all began to speak highly of Luo Ya, praising her.

Back in the kitchen, Luo Ya felt a little guilty as she watched Shen Jintao busy at work. She bit her lip and comforted herself in her heart: she only wanted to protect her own position—what’s wrong with that?

Sister Zhang and she had known each other for so long, there’s no way she would side with a stranger she just met, right?

What she didn’t know was that Sister Zhang, as the director of this state-run restaurant, would never allow such lies to exist. If Sister Zhang allowed Luo Ya to steal someone else’s credit today, what would happen next?

The next time the mayor and other leaders came, what would they use to entertain them?

The customers outside who were looking for Sister Zhang didn’t have anything urgent. The town was small, and the table of customers was people Sister Zhang knew well, old customers of the restaurant.

It was clear from the moment they ate that today’s food was different from the usual. They wanted to inquire whether this chef would continue working here.

Sister Zhang smiled and deflected the question. She couldn’t give a direct answer yet, as she didn’t know what Shen Jintao’s requirements were. She would have to ask Shen Jintao before making a decision.

When Sister Zhang returned to the private room to attend to the leaders, she noticed that everyone was speaking highly of Luo Ya. It didn’t take much to guess that Luo Ya must have said something while she was away.

Sister Zhang’s face darkened for a moment, but she was a very smooth person and quickly adjusted. She followed the leaders’ words and said, “Luo Ya is indeed a very ambitious young lady. But the chef today is someone else. I’ll keep it a secret for now, but I think it’s going to surprise everyone!”

“Really?” Hu Chengdong’s expression changed slightly. Was he just fooled by a little girl? Yet he couldn’t get upset, because that young girl had never claimed to be the one cooking.

As the dishes were served, the leaders didn’t know where to place their eyes.

Each dish had an incredibly tantalizing flavor, and each one was also visually pleasing.

Even though the tableware wasn’t fancy and the plating wasn’t extremely exquisite, the color combinations of the dishes made them very appetizing.

Hu Chengdong wasn’t a particularly picky person, and upon seeing the dishes, he couldn’t wait any longer. He urged everyone to start eating and served himself a bowl of soup.

Once he began, the others also started eating, and that was when things took a turn.

Hu Chengdong’s eyes immediately lit up. “Incredible! Absolutely incredible! This is the first time I’ve had such delicious steamed chicken soup. Where did you find this chef? The skills are truly beyond words!”

The others also praised the dishes, and this time, it wasn’t just flattery for Hu Chengdong but sincere praise.

Most of them were local small leaders who often dined at the state-run restaurant. They had always thought that Master Zhuang’s skills were top-notch, but after tasting these dishes, they realized that Master Zhuang seemed insignificant by comparison.

After the meal, both the big and small leaders were very satisfied. Hu Chengdong called Sister Zhang over and asked about the chef. “Where did you find this treasure of a chef? Her skills are beyond words. Do you know where she’s from? I’m tempted to bring her to our city.”

Sister Zhang immediately laughed. “Leader, I can’t make that decision. It’s quite a coincidence, really. Our other master chef resigned not long ago to live with his son in the city, and today, Master Zhuang wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t work. I was really worried in the afternoon, thinking that the leaders would be here and we wouldn’t be able to entertain them properly, not to mention disappointing the customers who came here to eat. But then, this little girl volunteered to give it a try, and well, one try led to something incredible!”

Everyone listening to Sister Zhang’s story couldn’t help but laugh. Hu Chengdong even said, “A young girl with such great skills and courage—she can’t be overlooked!”

“What the leader said is right. I was just thinking of recruiting her to work here with us—but I don’t know if she’d be willing,” Sister Zhang agreed.

“In that case, bring the young lady over. I’ll ask her myself. If she’s willing to work in the city, that would be perfect!”

As soon as Hu Chengdong said that, the other leaders began to protest jokingly.

“Mayor Hu, that’s not fair! A girl with such skills is a blessing to our Qingfeng Commune, and now you want to take her away just like that? If you do, we’ll have to travel far just to taste her cooking again!”

Hu Chengdong wasn’t offended at all. “That still depends on whether the young lady herself is willing or not!”

Sister Zhang quickly went out to call Shen Jintao over. Luo Ya wanted to follow, but received a warning glance from Sister Zhang.

Luo Ya’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Sister Zhang really told the mayor and the others who the real chef was? If so, then the vague words she’d just said in front of the leaders might have completely backfired.

When Shen Jintao arrived, the leaders were all a bit surprised. Since Sister Zhang was around their age, when she said “young girl,” they thought maybe someone in her thirties. They didn’t expect her to be such a young woman.

“Xiao Zhang, is this the young lady you said was behind the cooking?”

The commune director asked.

“Yes, surprising, isn’t it? I thought the same at first—but Xiao Shen’s skills are truly impressive.”

“Young people these days really are something else,” the commune director nodded and said.

When Hu Chengdong saw Shen Jintao, he was momentarily dazed—this girl was just too beautiful. Skin like creamy jade, face like a peach blossom—she was the very picture of those poetic words.

A heart that had been calm for years stirred uncontrollably for a moment. But after all, he was a man who’d weathered many storms, so he quickly regained his composure and smiled at Shen Jintao.

“Comrade, your culinary skills are truly impressive. May I ask, are you currently employed?”