The Gourmet Customizer

"But I have a condition. You must agree to this condition for me to let you work at the company."

When Zhang Heping heard there was a chance, he quickly asked, "What’s the condition?"

"Liu Ahbao is leaving for his competition in a few days, right? My second floor will be temporarily short one head chef. To be honest, Ah Bao’s workload is actually quite heavy."

"Until his competition is over, I don’t care if you get sick of our food—you can’t leave. You have to work until he returns. I’ll pay you six thousand a month and cover all your social security."

"That’s the only condition. If you can accept it, you can start tomorrow. If not, then I can only say I’m sorry."

Su Chen’s tone was quite serious.

He had originally planned to personally take over the cooking on the second floor while Ah Bao was away at the competition.

Since Zhang Heping was insisting on sticking around, he might as well just give him the job.

In terms of salary, Ah Bao was practically a veteran employee, earning 6,500 a month. Zhang Heping’s pay had to be a bit lower, otherwise it could easily stir up discontent.

After hearing Su Chen’s words, Zhang Heping fell silent.

’Thinking it over, the world competition would last about three months. That meant if he agreed to Boss Su, he would have to work here for at least that long.’

Zhang Heping rarely stayed in one place for so long, but the thought of leaving a place with an endless supply of delicious food made him antsy.

After deliberating for a moment, Zhang Heping made a firm decision. "Alright! I agree. But you have to agree to one condition of mine as well!"

Su Chen nodded. "As long as it’s not an excessive request, it’s definitely not a problem."

’Are you kidding me?’

’Zhang Heping was a head chef whose skills were no less than Liu Ahbao’s; he just wasn’t proficient in as many styles of cuisine.’

’But a Lu Cuisine chef was exactly the kind of help he needed right now. Their cooking was a better fit for the palates of Jingzhou People.’

"My condition is that I must be allowed to freely use the ingredients in your kitchen. I won’t be wasteful, of course. It’s just that when I want to eat something, I can take what I need and cook it for myself!"

’Heh... Su Chen had wondered what the condition could be.’

’How big a deal was that? It was just Zhang Heping. How much could he possibly eat?’

’Besides, with how a kitchen operates, if a chef really wanted to secretly cook something for himself, he could just count it as part of the normal ingredient spoilage, and the boss would never even notice.’

"Fine. That’s an easy one. I promise."

The two of them hit it off immediately.

The tasks of signing the contract and registering with the Labor Bureau were handed over to Liu Shengnan. As for lodging, he’d just have to let Zhang Heping find a room on the second floor and get himself settled.

There were plenty of break rooms over there anyway.

After resolving the issue with Zhang Heping, Su Chen quickly sent his employees home. Tomorrow was Monday, and the restaurant had to operate as usual.

Mondays through Fridays were always very busy.

As for Su Chen, after getting Zhang Heping’s phone number and WeChat, he felt too restless to sleep. On an impulse, he called Ah Bao up to the nineteenth floor.

"How many days until the competition?"

Liu Ahbao put down his phone and sat with Su Chen in the office area. "It’s a huge headache... The Capital City qualifiers are in a week, and I have to go. That’ll last for about ten days, and then I have to go abroad."

Su Chen clapped Ah Bao on the shoulder. "I believe in you. You’ve improved a lot during your time here. Wiping the floor with those foreigners should be a piece of cake, right?"

Ah Bao gave a bitter smile. "If my master hadn’t given me a do-or-die order, I really wouldn’t want to go. Sigh!"

With that, Ah Bao’s head shot up. "Boss! When I was cleaning the kitchen today, I found out you forgot to serve the duck!"

"What!" Su Chen exclaimed in shock. "Impossible, how could I forget the duck? I even set an alarm... Wait, I think I really did forget?"

The two stared at each other for a moment, then shuddered.

’Holy crap, who on earth forgot the duck?’

"So where’s the duck?"

Ah Bao said in a conspiratorial whisper, "I couldn’t bear to let Bai Xiaobo and the others eat it, so I hid it away."

"Attaboy!" Su Chen gave him an appreciative look. "Heat it up, and the two of us will finish it off. I didn’t eat a single thing at noon; I’m starving."

"You got it!" Ah Bao chirped and trotted off to the kitchen.

’He never expected to have such a gourmet treat. Boss Su had put a ton of effort into making this Longevity Star Duck back then.’

He didn’t choose to steam or stew it, instead putting it directly into the microwave.

For one, it was the fastest method. For another, microwaving would do less damage to the texture.

A few minutes later, Ah Bao came out of the kitchen carrying a platter of Longevity Star Duck and two large green-bottled beers.

"This is so great! It’s a good thing we didn’t give them a menu in advance, otherwise we would’ve had to give them their money back!"

Su Chen was a little stunned by this outrageous statement. ’Is this the thrill of being a crooked businessman?’

Seeing that Ah Bao was about to dig in, Su Chen stopped him.

"Not yet. If we’re having a few beers, one duck isn’t enough. I’m going to make another dish!"

"For real?"

Ah Bao was ecstatic.

’No wonder my left eyelid has been twitching all day! It was because something this good was waiting for me,’ he thought. "Boss, if you’re saying that, then I have to make a dish too! I’ve been learning from you for so long, it’s the perfect chance for you to critique my skills!"

Su Chen gave him a thumbs-up. "Sounds good, but on one condition: it has to be a dish that goes well with beer!"

"Let’s do it!"

The two of them happily returned to the kitchen.

On a sleepless night, getting to eat warm duck, two more side dishes, and a little beer.

TSK!

This was the kind of life you wouldn’t trade, not even to be a god!

Su Chen didn’t feel the need to whip up an SS Level dish. After all, a spontaneous late-night snack like this was all about enjoying the moment.