The Game of Life

Apart from the Dong Li and Dong Shi brothers, among the remaining dozen or so people, Jiang Feng and Jiang Jiankang took interest in a middle-aged chef in his forties with a square face, who at first glance was quiet and honest.

Although this square-faced middle-aged chef didn’t have any signature dishes that were particularly eye-catching, he stood out with a rich resume and seasoned experience, displaying a well-balanced skill level without any significant strengths or weaknesses. Such a chef might be ordinary, but he was also an indispensable presence in the kitchen of any restaurant.

Zhang Guanghang’s Bentley couldn’t carry six people at one time, so after a brief discussion, Jiang Feng decided to have Zhang Guanghang take Jiang Jiankang while he would take a taxi with the other three to Taifeng Building.

Jiang Feng arrived at Taifeng Building earlier than Zhang Guanghang and the others, and it was still rest time, with more than half an hour left before work started. Therefore, Jiang Feng found a table in the lobby for the three of them to sit, where he introduced them to the basic work requirements and asked some simple questions.

“Do you currently have a fixed place to live?”

“Yes, it’s about an hour’s drive from Taifeng Building.” The middle-aged chef was from Beiping, married, and had a stable residence, fitting within the range of dependable employees that would set an employer’s mind at ease.

“My brother and I just came over the day before yesterday and are currently staying at a hotel, but we’ve already contacted a housing agency and should settle down soon,” Dong Shi said.

“You’d better settle down quickly, as I mentioned just now, the trial period for furnace chefs is one week. Taifeng doesn’t do business over the New Year, so we’ll be taking a holiday in the latter half of January. Of course, you can rest assured, you won’t miss out on the holiday bonus and gifts. I only say this because I hope you can devote yourselves wholeheartedly to work without being distracted by outside matters, and quickly establish good relationships with your colleagues, to avoid having to re-adapt after the holiday,” Jiang Feng explained.

Upon hearing this, the three were somewhat surprised. None of them were newcomers to the job market, but it was their first time hearing about a restaurant that would take a holiday during the New Year instead of doing business.

“Wow, that’s actually quite nice. My daughter always complains that I’ve never spent New Year’s Eve dinner with her over the years. It seems that starting this year, I can have it with her,” the square-faced chef was the first to speak up and lighten the mood.

“Not just New Year’s Eve dinner, maybe you can have the Lantern Festival meal together too,” Jiang Feng said with a smile, continuing the topic the square-faced chef brought up, and looked at the Dong brothers, “So when you rent a place, you may need to consider that carefully, especially since the New Year is approaching. Our restaurant’s work starts early, generally requiring arrival by 9:30 am. There is a break at noon. The evening off-duty time might be earlier than your previous jobs; under normal circumstances, you can leave by 10:00 pm at the latest. However, I still recommend that you rent somewhere a bit closer to avoid wasting too much time on the road.”

Dong Li nodded, taking note of Jiang Feng’s advice.

“I assume everyone has already seen the salary and benefits we offer. Our restaurant’s ordering system is quite special and I’ll take you to the kitchen to see it in a moment. My suggestion is that you stay this afternoon and participate in the evening business to get accustomed to everything. The two head chefs in our restaurant may not be coming to work for the next couple of days due to health reasons, so if you want to meet them, it will probably have to wait until after New Year’s Day,” he added.

“I’ve already tasted the crispy eel shreds that Dong Shi and Dong Li made, and there’s no problem adding it to the menu. If you have other specialty dishes that you consider your forte, you’re welcome to stay tonight and prepare them on your own. Our restaurant offers a high commission for signature dishes,” Jiang Feng said.

Speaking of which, Jiang Feng got up and was ready to take them to the kitchen for a look.

“If you have any other questions, feel free to ask at any time. Now I’ll take you to see the kitchen. Since it’s not time for work yet, not everyone may have arrived, but later on, when it’s time, I’ll further introduce you to the other kitchen staff. The restroom is on the second floor; if you need to go during work, just give a shout and you can head there,” he advised.

Jiang Feng led the three through the kitchen, pointing out where the various ingredients were stored and highlighting some things to pay attention to in daily work. He focused on explaining the procedure for clocking in for shifts and how to use the ordering system. All three of them were experienced chefs who had worked in big hotels before, so they intuitively understood many things without needing too much explanation from Jiang Feng.

By the time Jiang Feng had taken them on a tour from the kitchen to the storeroom and found three fitting uniforms, then to the changing room to find three empty lockers, he had effectively completed the orientation for the new employees.

The square-faced chef was calm throughout, following Jiang Feng without saying much. In contrast, Dong Shi was chatty and asked many questions, ranging from trivial ones like why there was no restroom on the first floor to useful inquiries about sourcing specific ingredients for their specialty dishes.

After walking the three through their tour it was nearly time to start work, and the kitchen staff began to head to the changing room to get into their uniforms as they prepared for their shift. This presented an opportunity for Jiang Feng to introduce the three newcomers to everyone.

The square-faced chef adapted well as a traditional Shandong chef, but the Dong brothers specialized in Jiangsu cuisine and had only a little experience with other styles. Most of the dishes on Taifeng’s menu were not their strong suit. Jiang Feng had only tasted their crispy eel shreds, but Taifeng did not stock eels, creating a bit of a mismatch for the brothers.

Without the two Sirs being present to take charge, Jiang Feng assigned Zhou Shi and Zhang Guanghang to guide the two brothers, but asked them to assist with basic tasks for the time being. Dong Shi and Dong Li adapted well to this arrangement; they often did the same when working at Huang Ji Restaurant, carrying out tasks like chopping and other prep work.

Dong Li was paired with Zhang Guanghang, and Dong Shi with Zhou Shi. Zhang Guanghang and Dong Li were not very talkative, so they got along harmoniously. Zhou Shi was not much of a talker either but was very good at watching dramas unfold; therefore, even with someone chattering away next to him, he was well-adapted.

Dong Shi’s chattiness became evident while working.

His chattiness was entirely different from Sang Ming’s. Sang Ming spoke a lot simply because he liked to talk, whereas Dong Shi seemed to have integrated chatting into his work.

Although Taifeng Building was not yet open for business at 4:30 p.m., due to advance orders for dishes and private room bookings, the kitchen had already entered a tense and busy atmosphere.

“Wow, Brother Zhou, is the customer volume at our restaurant always this high?”

“The holidays are busier. Fry that eggplant in hot oil.” Zhou Shi pointed to a plate of eggplant that Zhang Weiyu had just prepared on the cooking station.

“What about normally? Is it much less than during the holidays? Brother Zhou, does this meat need to be blanched first?” While dropping the eggplant into the pan, Dong Shi still found the capacity to continue the previous conversation.

“Leave the meat for now. It’s a bit better on normal days, and we work overtime on weekends. The overtime pay is issued as usual so it’s not a big deal.” Zhou Shi said, while casually observing Dong Shi’s movements, he noted that although he talked as much as Sang Ming, it was clear that he had been trained by a well-known teacher.

“Which restaurant did you work at before?”

“Huang Ji Restaurant.” Dong Shi scooped out the eggplant to drain the oil.

“Huang Ji Restaurant is also a well-known restaurant, so the usual customer volume should be similar, right?” Zhou Shi asked.

“That was before. Since master stopped working in the kitchen, we’ve had a lot fewer customers. Otherwise, the boss wouldn’t have sold the restaurant. I heard it has lost quite a bit of money over the past two years. Master said…” Dong Shi, oblivious that he was dishing out a sensational piece of gossip for the northern chefs, continued talking while shaking off the oil from the eggplant in the sieve, “Where should these eggplants go now?”

“Just put them on the plate for now.” Zhou Shi snagged some marinated meat from a small bowl, “Was your master from Huang Ji Restaurant, Master Huang?”

Jiang Feng, who was busy stuffing oranges with crab, sniffed the scent of gossip and silently inched closer towards Dong Shi.

“Yes, master said once my brother and I get settled here in Beiping, he would…” Before Dong Shi could finish, Dong Li abruptly cut off his fate-changing narrative.

Dong Li, with hands still covered in starch, grabbed Dong Shi’s wrist: “I see you’re quite free here, go help over there.”

“Oh.” Dong Shi could only reluctantly leave the recently familiar Zhou Shi.

“Excuse me, where’s the sink?” Dong Li asked Zhou Shi with a smile.

“The sink over there is more convenient,” Zhou Shi pointed to the sink on the right, “If you need to wipe, there’s paper towel beside it.”

“My younger brother tends to talk a lot while working, please don’t mind him,” Dong Li said.

Zhou Shi pulled his right hand out of the small bowl of marinated meat and, with his clean left hand, picked up the plate containing the recently fried eggplant by Dong Shi, returning Dong Li’s smile with a friendly one: “Here we have a guy who talks even more than him, we’re all used to it, it’s no big deal.”

Dong Li went back to work beside Zhang Guanghang.

Jiang Feng moved back to his original position, exchanging a glance with Zhou Shi, both showing a regretful look for having missed out on the gossip.

Without Jiang Feng’s oversight, Ji Xia had already started daydreaming with an orange in hand, just like zoning out with a pen in hand during a class.

“Xiaxia, focus! You still have 27 oranges to peel, and if you don’t finish, you’re not allowed to drink soda tomorrow, nor can you eat almond tofu. Your sister told me you sneak out every morning to buy almond tofu; the ones they sell at stores are all loaded with too much sugar, you need to eat less, your face has gotten a bit rounder recently.”

“Oh.”

Ji Xia: (⁍̥̥̥᷄д⁍̥̥̥᷅ू）

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