Director Chen's face bloomed with joy. Smelling the fragrance in the air, he swallowed his saliva. If it weren't for his subordinates being present, he would have rushed to have a few bites.
Xu Ying finished cooking the first dish, Sweet and Sour Cabbage, and quickly went to find Director Chen, boasting along the way, "Director Chen, try the dish I made. There are too few dishes to choose from, so I could only cook some of my less familiar ones.
If there were more dishes, I could show off the skills I'm proud of, and I guarantee you'd never forget the taste."
Upon hearing this, Director Chen's opinion of Xu Ying soared simply because he had tasted the Sweet and Sour Cabbage.
It was incredibly delicious. Once in the mouth, the sourness exploded, mixed with a sweetness, and it was very fragrant, even a bit spicy.
He couldn't believe that one day a simple dish like Sweet and Sour Cabbage could be made so delicious.
"Xiao Xu, your Sweet and Sour Cabbage is too delicious," Director Chen said, before eagerly grabbing a large chopstick full, making the aroma tempt everyone around.
Everyone else swallowed their saliva but didn't dare compete with Director Chen for food, so they just kept swallowing.
[Congratulations host, goodwill value +1.]
Upon hearing the system's voice, Xu Ying immediately felt joy, realizing she had forgotten about this.
"Eldest Brother, you should have some too." Xu Ying quickly took several pairs of chopsticks and distributed them to everyone in the room, including the aunties washing dishes in the kitchen.
Luckily, she had cooked plenty, and distributed the leftovers to everyone.
[Congratulations host, goodwill value +1.+1.+1.…]
Xu Ying's face lit up with smiles as she listened to the voice, especially when the system said, [Congratulations host, goodwill value has exceeded fifty.
Unlock new recipe, Spicy Beer Duck, and five feet of flowered fabric.
Next unlock requires goodwill value of one hundred.]
Xu Ying smiled, and Director Chen thought she was smiling because of their appreciation, really passionate about cooking.
Actually, without Xu Ying needing to cook another dish, Director Chen had already decided to hire her to cook for the new collaboration partners, but motivated by his gluttony,
he watched as Xu Ying cooked another dish, feeling full and satisfied before he said, "Comrade Xiao Xu, your cooking skills are indeed very good. This time, you should help in the kitchen. If you do well this time, I will give you a salary of ten yuan.
But if it's not done well, there will be no salary." Director Chen said with a serious face.
Boss Zhou, Xu Ying cursed in her heart but looked at Director Chen with a grin, "I guarantee to complete the task, Director Chen can rest assured."
The cafeteria chef looked panic-stricken. They weren't even hiding the discussion about replacing him, just openly stating it. How much did they loathe him?
"Director, what wrong did I commit?"
Director Chen looked puzzled, "None!"
"Then why ask Xiao Xu to take over the kitchen?"
Only then did Director Chen realize there had been a misunderstanding and clarified, "I meant for Xiao Xu to cook just once for our partners, just this one time. You'll still cook for the cafeteria."
Relieved to hear that he wasn't being replaced, the cafeteria chef exhaled in relief.
Xu Ying heard that the matter was settled, and her face was continuously smiling.
"Director Chen, please have more. Eldest Brother and aunty, you all eat too." Xu Ying happily listened to the system's congratulatory voice, just a few points away from unlocking a new recipe.
If this continued, her cooking skills would quickly be restored.
Director Chen was too full to eat anymore; he couldn't even squeeze in a bit more.
However, he still craved the food terribly, mainly because Xiao Xu cooked too deliciously.
Xu Ying bid farewell to Director Chen and happily rode away on her bicycle; she even had a thermos hanging from the handlebars, blissfully riding towards the village.
"Mom, Mom, I'm back," Xu Ying called out before she had even arrived.
Upon hearing her daughter's voice, Mrs. Xu hurried out excitedly, "Oh dear, sweet daughter, you've been gone for a whole day, Mom missed you.
Goodness, what's this, a thermos? Where did you buy this?" Mrs. Xu's face was a picture of shock; such items were not only expensive but also hard to obtain, requiring an industrial ticket.
These things were not easy to come by for country folk.
Xu Ying smiled and said, "A friend of mine works at the supply and marketing cooperative, she sold it to me cheaply without needing a ticket. It's a defective item, but it looks fine to me, just some blurring of the color on the bottom."
Mrs. Xu took the thermos for a closer look and sure enough, it really was a stroke of luck.
"Mom, let's stir-fry the pork tonight. I found a job, starting the day after tomorrow, cooking for some senior officials. If it works out, I'll earn ten yuan."
"So much?" After Third Son got promoted, he was only making fifty-eight a month, and her daughter would make ten yuan just by cooking?
Mrs. Xu felt dizzy but did not doubt her daughter's words.
She grabbed the pork in her hand and handed it straight to Eldest Son's wife, not forgetting to instruct, "Don't use it all, save half for tomorrow."
If meat wouldn't spoil so easily, she would save it for months and still not eat it.
Second Brother Xu was still striving vigorously inside the house, not for anything else, but to prove himself worthy of Qiu Ye.
"Little aunt, you're back." Shitou and Huzi saw the bicycle at the entrance and guessed their little aunt had returned, coming hopping and jumping even before they reached the yard.
The two boys were never shy, but had previously been quite scared of Xu Ying, which is why they couldn't be affectionate with her.
After getting to know Xu Ying in the past few days, the boys had shed their inhibitions and were boisterous.
"Little aunt, little aunt."
"Little auntie." Huzi, running slowly and seeing his brother about to jump into her arms, suddenly felt unhappy. His lips puckered up, ready to cry.
"Huzi, come here quickly, little aunt will hold you." Xu Ying intervened just in time; she did not want her little nephew to be one of those who resorted to crying to get what he wanted.
Huzi, originally on the verge of shedding golden beads, stopped crying in an instant after hearing Xu Ying's words and scampered over.
The two little fellows brought over stools and sat next to Xu Ying, listening to her recount how she had chased away a bad guy today, naturally not forgetting to exaggerate a bit for the sake of drama.
Huzi and Shitou listened with faces full of shock and admiration, and afterwards repeatedly praised Xu Ying as a great hero.
Xu Ying sat at the table, sipping her sweet syrup, very content.
Outside the Xu's house, Chen Yanran and her close friend Sun Yunjuan stood at the entrance.
"Yanran, we're just here to borrow some books, it's not like we're doing anything illegal, why can't we go in?" Sun Yunjuan said.
Chen Yanran looked aggrieved, "After what happened last time, I'm too ashamed to see Xu Ying."
"It's not your fault, Yanran. It's the Xu Family who kept saying you are Xu Ying's lifesaver; how can you be blamed for that? Besides, didn't you want to become a teacher?" Sun Yunjuan spoke righteously.
After saying this, she pulled Chen Yanran into the yard.
Seeing Xu Ying sitting on a chair resting in the yard, Chen Yanran was filled with envy. Everyone in the Xu Family, including Mrs. Xu, was busy around the yard, and here she was, doing nothing at all and being so thoughtless.
Sun Yunjuan, at least aware of her own situation since she needed a favor, was exceedingly polite, "Xu Ying, Yanran and I would like to borrow some elementary and middle school books.
We also want to try for the teaching positions Yushan Commune is offering, but we don't have these books at the Youth Corps."