Chapter 460 - 221: Oh, That One from the Mountain City

Chapter 460: Chapter 221: Oh, That One from the Mountain City

Opening the lunchbox revealed a braised pig’s trotter, split in half. Its glossy red skin glistened with oil, and it was so large it nearly filled the entire container.

It was huge, packed to the brim. A rich, savory aroma wafted up with the steam.

GURGLE~

Song Wanqing swallowed hard, the sound abnormally loud.

She’d taught two consecutive classes that afternoon and had been on her feet the whole time. She was ravenous.

"Oh my god! This pig’s trotter looks amazing!" Song Wanqing couldn’t help but exclaim.

"It certainly looks good," Song Changhe agreed, nodding.

"Here, Grandpa. Half for you, half for me." Song Wanqing picked up her chopsticks, lifted one half of the trotter from the lunchbox, and carefully placed it in Song Changhe’s bowl.

The trotter was so tender that her chopsticks sank right into the skin and meat. It wobbled precariously as she lifted it, looking as if it might fall apart at any moment.

Sliding the lunchbox closer, Song Wanqing picked up a corner of the other half and, leaning down, took a big bite.

"Mmm! This is... oh my god—"

The skin slid right off the bone. The tendons between the flesh and bone were soft and chewy. That single bite filled her mouth with a savory, braised flavor that made her very soul tremble.

Delicious! So incredibly delicious!

The feeling of a mouthful of pure meat was just so satisfying.

Hot braised pig’s trotters!

This was the best feeling in the world!

’Whoever invented this is a genius.’

Across from her, Elder Song was also nodding repeatedly as he ate. "Zhou Yan is really something else," he praised. "His cooking is miles better than Master Huang’s from our old work cafeteria. Why don’t you give Zhou Yan some serious thought? I think he’s a pretty good young man, now that we’ve spent some time with him."

Song Wanqing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Grandpa! You just told me a young woman shouldn’t be so gluttonous! That I shouldn’t ruin my life over a few bites of food! And especially not to promise myself to a man over a single pig’s trotter!"

"Did I say that? Well, it’s not just a pig’s trotter. Look, there was also the braised pig’s head, the red-braised pork ribs, the beef with dried bamboo shoots, the Snowflake Chicken Porridge..." Song Changhe listed, ticking them off on his fingers.

"Zhou is different," Song Wanqing said, shaking her head.

"Oh? How is he different?" Song Changhe asked, looking up at her.

"He has this youthful spirit about him. It’s been that way ever since I first met him over ten years ago," Song Wanqing said with a smile. "I’ve never met anyone so guileless. He lives in such a simple, pure way."

Song Changhe looked at her, the corners of his mouth twitching into a small smile. He lowered his head to his pig’s trotter and said no more.

"You just have to eat a pig’s trotter with your hands to really enjoy it." Song Wanqing set down her chopsticks, picked up her half of the trotter, and began to happily gnaw on it.

...

"Li, clear this table first."

"Mrs. Li, table three! One order of shredded pork in garlic sauce and one Mapo Tofu! Food’s up."

"Li..."

Li Lihua was like the ultimate mercenary. On her very first day, she seamlessly integrated into the restaurant’s fast-paced environment.

She was quick on her feet, followed instructions precisely, and never tried to slack off.

’This is the benchmark of an excellent employee,’ Zhou Yan thought.

’I really lucked out with the employee I got from Mrs. Qiu.’

When service ended for the night, Li Lihua wiped down the last table, straightened up with a long sigh of relief, and said with a smile, "This is incredible. Business is booming! It’s true what they say: a great Chef can open a restaurant anywhere and it’ll be a roaring success."

She had worked at the Qiu Mansion for three years and only returned to Suji occasionally. She never would have imagined a restaurant in a small town like this could be so busy.

It was packed from the moment they started serving noodles in the morning, and by the afternoon and evening, there wasn’t a single seat left. Customers actually had to line up and wait.

Some people waited for an hour after getting off work, yet they were perfectly happy to sit by the entrance, passing the time with a good old Dragon Gate Formation.

You wouldn’t even see that at restaurants in Jiazhou City.

The moment service started, you felt like a spinning top, completely unable to stop.

"Mrs. Li, have some water. You’ve worked so hard," Zhou Momo said, carrying a cup of warm water over to Li Lihua.

"Oh, Momo, you’re such a good girl. Thank you. Next time, I’ll get it myself, okay?" Li Lihua quickly took the cup. After one sip, she felt more than half her exhaustion melt away.

"You’re welcome," the little one replied sweetly before running to get another cup of water for Mrs. Zhao. "Mama, have some water."

Mrs. Zhao downed the entire cup in one go. As the one in charge of taking orders and greeting guests, her throat felt like it was on fire after more than two hours. She smiled, patted Zhou Momo’s head, and looked at Li Lihua. "Li, you’re really something else. You can do a bit of everything, and you do it all so well. With you here, my day has been so much easier."

"I feel like today’s been the easiest day I’ve had in a while. Li is a really hard worker," Zhao Hong added with a smile.

"I felt like I was all over the place today. You’re making me blush with all this praise." Li Lihua’s hands hung in front of her, a little shy, but she was happy to be acknowledged.

"For your first day, you did an excellent job." Zhou Yan emerged from the kitchen, untying his apron. He looked at Li Lihua and said, "Mrs. Li, starting tomorrow, you can come in at six in the morning. No need to arrive any earlier.

In the mornings, you’ll mainly be responsible for helping with food prep. During the lunch and dinner rushes, you’ll assist Mrs. Zhao Hong with serving dishes and take care of clearing all the tables. Once the dishes are washed and the place is cleaned up for the night, you can head home."

"Got it," Li Lihua said with a smiling nod. Earning her boss’s approval made her feel much more secure.

Zhou Yan smiled at her. "A lot more tiring than your job at Mrs. Qiu’s, isn’t it?"

Li Lihua smiled and replied, "To be honest, the workload is much heavier, but I feel fulfilled, and I’m very happy. Don’t you worry, Boss. I can handle it."