As soon as Xu Ying finished cooking one dish, someone carried the dish to the room where Director Chen and the others were dining.
There were six dishes in total, and Xu Ying got every single one right.
The continuous fragrance filled the kitchen, and seeing the business partners enjoying their meals, Director Chen knew that the deal was nearly sealed.
Sure enough, after a warm reception, they finally opened up.
Director Chen, overwhelmed with joy, couldn't wait to find Xu Ying after it ended, and handed her the prearranged ten yuan.
"Xiao Xu, you did a great job this time. Here's the money I promised you; take it." His shiny bald head was particularly bright today.
He actually wanted to suggest that Xu Ying work at the State-owned Restaurant, but he remembered that Master Ge was the head chef there and they didn't need more staff, which he felt was a pity.
Xu Ying took the money, grinning from ear to ear, "Thank you, Director Chen, if you need cooking in the future, please contact me."
This time, she didn't only earn ten yuan but also unlocked two new recipes.
Absolutely delightful.
Humming a tune, Xu Ying was about to leave when the canteen chef stopped her, winking and saying, "Xiao Xu, why don't you take all these dishes home? They were used for your cooking today."
Implicitly, no one would blame her for taking them.
Mainly because he himself was craving Xu Ying's cooking.
Upon hearing this good news, Xu Ying didn't hesitate at all and cooked everything right away.
She knew how to handle things; she packed a box of each dish, and let everyone share the rest.
"Wow, Xiao Xu's cooking is really delicious."
"I could eat it every day without getting tired."
Amidst the praises, Xu Ying then rode off on her bicycle.
She hadn't left the textile factory when she saw Director Chen and a middle-aged man in work clothes boasting to each other, "Ah, Director Chen really did a great job this time, securing such a big contract. The factory manager will surely praise you."
Director Chen chuckled, "Compared to Accountant Xu, I fall far behind. If it weren't for your diligent work and sharp accounting skills, our factory wouldn't shine as it does. To speak of brilliance, it's really Accountant Xu who stands out."
There was a double meaning in Director Chen's words; though he praised Accountant Xu's excellent financial management, he was actually mocking him for being too calculative, well aware of Accountant Xu's vanity.
He was just waiting for his daughter to marry into a wealthy family and soar high.
But it's not easy to marry into such a prominent family.
"Hello, Director Chen," Xu Ying greeted him when she saw him, also calling out to Accountant Xu beside him, "Hello, Accountant Xu."
"Do you know me?" Accountant Xu frowned, yet he felt a bit pleased inside. Was he that famous?
"Accountant Xu might not know me; I am from Xujia Village, my father is the Xujia Village Captain, and I am Xu Ying." She introduced herself openly and confidently.
Director Chen nodded, quite fond of this lad's straightforwardness, good looks, eloquence, and culinary skills.
Accountant Xu's face turned sour; if he remembered correctly, his daughter had stubbornly refused to meet anyone for matchmaking recently, all because of the second son of the Captain of Xujia Village.
Encountering the daughter of the Xu family here, he suddenly said with a displeased expression, "Is your second brother Xu Shengcai?
Tell him to forget it. My daughter will never marry a mud-legged peasant. He deludes himself by thinking he can marry my daughter, a man who digs in the dirt."
Hearing this, Xu Ying felt furious inside. Discussing family background, they indeed couldn't match up to Accountant Xu, but to be called mud-legged?
Her face was filled with anger as she spoke, "Accountant Xu, what do you mean by that? You look down on us country folks, but if it weren't for us toiling in the fields, where would you get your food and drink from?
Without farmers, you city people would have starved to death long ago. You city folks think you're superior. If you're so capable, stop eating the food grown by us common folk."
Starve you will not.
Accountant Xu was left speechless by her retort, his face turning red as he pointed at Xu Ying, tremblingly stuttering, "You, you, you."
After rebuffing him, Xu Ying smiled and said, "I understand your deep love for your daughter, Accountant Xu. If I, with all my talents, were to marry a man without a formal job, my dad wouldn't like it either.
However, my second brother is soon going to take the teacher recruitment exam at Yushan Commune. If he gets selected, then he'll also have a job.
By then, you surely can't keep opposing my brother and Sister Qiu Ye, can you?"
Hearing this, Accountant Xu felt a bit relieved, yet when he heard Xu Shengcai was going to take the exam to become a teacher, he sneered and agreed.
Whether he could pass the exam was another matter; even if he did, he had ways to have Xu Shengcai disqualified.
"Fine, I agree. If your brother passes the exam and becomes a teacher, I'll consent to their relationship. But if your brother can't even become a teacher, your Xu Family must stop pestering my daughter from then on," Mr. Chen said through gritted teeth.
Xu Ying nodded her head, bid farewell to the textile factory, and it was already three or four in the afternoon when she rode her bicycle straight home.
Today, not only had Xu Ying unlocked two new recipes, but she had also obtained several feet of fabric, all in colors of this era.
As she rode, Xu Ying was puzzled. In fact, this color of fabric wasn't available in her space; at first glance, it was clear the system had swapped it.
"System, get out here!"
[System, please mind your language!]
"I'm asking you, what's the deal with the fabric color?"
The system affectionately explained, [In order to prevent the fabric colors in the space from differing too much from this era and exposing the host to danger, the system thoughtfully exchanged it to match the colors of this era.
Shouldn't the host be grateful to the system? Why question my integrity like this?]
Xu Ying's mouth twitched, a dog system with integrity, really thought of itself as human.
"System, why do other systems have a mall exchange feature, but mine doesn't? Don't tell me you're a level lower?"
Upon hearing this, the system got unsettled, the screen shimmering, [My system is the highest level. How could it not have a mall exchange feature? It's just that the host hasn't accessed it yet!]
"Open the mall exchange feature."
The system put on a miserable face, and the screen changed instantly.
Xu Ying blew up and revealed the system's hidden incompetencies, just as she anticipated. Upon opening the system, she discovered the multicolored fabric in her space, which was pricier than the monochromatic fabric of this era.
"System, what's this about?" Xu Ying waited for it to fess up.
The system whined, [Please don't misunderstand, host. I had no intention of embezzling the host's property. The extra money has already been converted into points for the host.
Look at the top right corner, the points are from the excess money from this time, which can be used to purchase items in the mall.]
Satisfied, Xu Ying nodded her head. The dog system tried to be cunning with her, and it still had ways to go.
After all, it was just artificial intelligence and couldn't match their human brains.
Flushed with happiness, Xu Ying pedaled her way home, suddenly feeling more hopeful about life.
"Mom, Mom, I'm back."
Hearing her voice, Mrs. Xu hurried out of the courtyard, seeing the items behind her daughter's bicycle, she guessed her daughter must have finished her tasks.