Chapter 60: Recruitment by the Rolling Mill Factory

After the meal, the leaders of the Rolling Mill returned to the conference room to continue their meeting.

Before leaving, Director Yang instructed Section Chief Sun, "Old Sun, the master chef you found has great culinary skills. As we discussed earlier, have him come over the day after tomorrow to be in charge of the luncheon for receiving the leaders."

"Understood, Director. I'll go back right now and finalize it with Zhuzi. I guarantee there won't be any issues," Section Chief Sun assured Director Yang, patting his chest.

Director Yang nodded with satisfaction and left with the others.

Seeing the factory leaders off at the entrance of the cafeteria, Section Chief Sun let out a slight sigh of relief, knowing that his first hurdle had been successfully cleared.

Earlier, regarding the upcoming visit of higher-level inspectors the day after tomorrow, the factory leaders had held a meeting. They decided against dining outside and opted to host the reception right here at the factory.

The leaders had personally tried dishes prepared by the cafeteria's resident chefs and were dissatisfied with the skill level.

Consequently, they instructed Section Chief Sun to temporarily hire someone from the outside. If the trial dish proved satisfactory, the reception banquet the day after tomorrow would be entrusted to him.

Section Chief Sun immediately thought of He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu's culinary skills were beyond reproach, and yet he lacked the nationwide fame of chefs from major restaurants, making him the most suitable candidate.

As long as nothing went wrong the day after tomorrow, his position as the cafeteria's section chief would be secured.

Turning around, Section Chief Sun went to find He Yuzhu.

Upon seeing Section Chief Sun enter, He Yuzhu asked, "Uncle Sun, is everything done? Can I leave now?"

"It's done. I still have something to discuss with you, so don't rush off just yet."

"Uncle Sun, what else could you possibly want?" He Yuzhu looked at Section Chief Sun in bewilderment.

"Well, it's like this. We need you to come over again the day after tomorrow. There's an important reception at noon."

"Is that all? You're giving me a chance to make money. The day after tomorrow, right? No problem."

"All right, it's settled then. The reception the day after tomorrow is extremely important, so you must not drop the ball on me."

"Uncle Sun, when I handle things, you can rest assured. There definitely won't be any problems."

"Then I can set my mind at ease. Come, I'll see you out. The day after tomorrow, just like today, I'll be waiting for you at the gate."

With that, Section Chief Sun escorted He Yuzhu out of the Rolling Mill.

On the appointed day agreed upon by He Yuzhu and Section Chief Sun, He Yuzhu finished his breakfast and arrived at the gate of the Rolling Mill right on schedule.

From a distance, he spotted Section Chief Sun peering out anxiously from the factory entrance.

He Yuzhu quickened his pace and reached Section Chief Sun's side. "Uncle Sun, you're quite early."

"Stop joking around and hurry inside with me. Today is critical, so don't mess up." Without another word, Section Chief Sun grabbed He Yuzhu and pulled him along.

"Uncle Sun, slow down. Don't trip."

"Spit, spit, spit! You crow. Hurry up!"

Arriving at the kitchen together, Section Chief Sun gathered all the staff: "Today, we have inspectors visiting from above. Everyone behave yourselves and don't cause any trouble for me. Especially during lunch service—pay close attention. Anyone who stirs up trouble gets fired on the spot."

Scanning the room and seeing no one daring to dissent, Section Chief Sun looked satisfied. "Alright, back to your respective tasks."

Directing He Yuzhu to the same spot and pointing at the ingredients, Section Chief Sun said, "Zhuzi, I'll leave this in your hands. I still have to go wait at the front."

"No problem, Uncle Sun, go tend to your business."

Following the exact same routine as last time, He Yuzhu prepared everything early and sat down to rest. Watching the others bustle about, He Yuzhu noticed that today's bulk cafeteria dishes were notably better than the day before.

With inspectors visiting, even the workers got to improve their meals.

Without any delays like the previous time, just as Uncle Liu and the others carried the bulk dishes out to the front, Section Chief Sun came to notify He Yuzhu that it was time to serve the dishes.

Cooking the exact same menu as two days prior, He Yuzhu finished quickly.

Once all the dishes were served and a guard was left outside the private dining room door, Section Chief Sun hurried back to the kitchen.

Seeing Section Chief Sun enter, He Yuzhu asked, "Uncle Sun, how was it? I didn't let you down, did I?"

"Not at all. I came back to grab a bite and catch my breath. In a little while, once they're almost done eating, I'll have to go back and check on them."

Wielding a pair of chopsticks, Section Chief Sun quickly wolfed down a large steamed bun alongside the dishes He Yuzhu had specially reserved for him.

As soon as he finished, he hurried back to the front and didn't return until the factory leaders and inspectors had been completely seen off.

"Phew, it's finally over. Thanks for your hard work, Zhuzi. Here is your remuneration." Section Chief Sun settled the payment with He Yuzhu.

Collecting his money, He Yuzhu headed home.

After bidding farewell to the inspecting officials, the leaders of the Rolling Mill dispersed to attend to their respective duties.

Director Yang summoned Section Chief Sun. "Old Sun, I've been thinking. Our cafeteria really needs to have its own resident master chef in charge of receptions. Relying on outside help is fine once or twice, but if it happens too often, it starts tongues wagging. After all, times have changed."

"Director, I've looked into that before, but the ones with genuine culinary skills aren't willing to come and cook bulk cafeteria food." Section Chief Sun expressed his helplessness.

"I thought today's culinary skills were quite impressive, and I heard he's actually someone who originally came out of our Rolling Mill. How did we let such a talent slip away?"

"Sigh, back then he was just an apprentice helping his dad out in the cafeteria. After his father was transferred to work in another region, he took his younger sister to live at his master's place. The next time I saw him was when Lou Bancheng, a former shareholder of the Rolling Mill, invited him to cook for guests. None of us expected that after just a little over a year, his skills would have reached such heights. Lou Bancheng even invited him to stay, but he turned it down."

"Lou Bancheng is Lou Bancheng. We can still try inviting him again now. Tell him to name his terms—as long as they're reasonable, we'll agree to them."

Seeing how resolute Director Yang was, Section Chief Sun could only agree for the time being. "Shall I go talk to him first?"

"Yes, go as soon as possible. See what conditions he has, and report back to me directly."

Stepping out of the director's office, Section Chief Sun had no choice but to seek out He Yuzhu once more.

He Yuzhu was rather surprised to see Section Chief Sun returning so soon after they had just parted ways. "Uncle Sun, we just separated not long ago. Why are you back? Did something happen?"

"No, stop talking nonsense." Section Chief Sun waved his hand dismissively.

"Then what are you here for? You surely aren't asking me to cook again, are you?"

"Well, saying I'm here about cooking is partially true. Here's the situation: our Director Yang would like to invite you to work at the Rolling Mill, taking charge of all future factory receptions. You can propose any conditions you like. Director Yang said that as long as they aren't too outrageous, he'll agree."

Hearing what Section Chief Sun had to say, He Yuzhu was momentarily at a loss for words.

Noticing He Yuzhu's silence, Section Chief Sun continued his persuasion, "Zhuzi, you're still wandering around cooking odd jobs everywhere without a fixed job, right? Besides, aren't you at the age to find a wife? Without a stable job, would the woman's family be willing? You have to think about your future."

Hearing Section Chief Sun ramble all the way to marriage, He Yuzhu quickly intervened to stop him, "Uncle Sun, hold on a second. Didn't you say you wanted me to work at the Rolling Mill? How did we suddenly jump to getting a wife? The two things have nothing to do with each other."

"How do they have nothing to do with each other? You need a good job to find a good wife. Otherwise, the moment a good family hears you don't have a proper job, would they ever agree?"

Seeing how persistent Section Chief Sun was, He Yuzhu could only stall him with evasive words. "Uncle Sun, can you let me think about it first? Such a major matter requires careful consideration."

"Is there really anything to consider? Opportunities like this are rare, so you'd better seize it. As long as your proposed conditions aren't excessive, Director Yang will agree. What a wonderful opportunity—if you miss this, you won't find another deal this good."

"Even so, I still need to think it over and consult my master." He Yuzhu had no choice but to pull his master out as an excuse.

"Alright then, think it through carefully. I'll wait for your news."

Realizing he couldn't push any further for now, Section Chief Sun had to withdraw and leave.