NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: Final Test
~Next Day~
Zhi Luan woke up bright and early the next morning, getting the kitchen ready for business. John was surprised to see him at the restaurant so early.
"You're here already?"
He asked and didn't wait for an answer before he continued.
"You know, I meant what I said yesterday. It's practically impossible to impress the old man."
Little did he know that Zhi Luan shared a similar view with him on that.
"Anyway, it's good you're here early. Maybe the old man won't notice…"
"Won't notice what, that you're late?"
Old man Shen's angry voice sounded from the stairs.
"Boss!"
All three employees greeted in sync and tried to avoid eye contact with the old man.
"I hope you slept well?"
John laughed awkwardly while changing the topic.
Old man Shen didn't bother answering,
"You guys will run me out of business one day with your tardiness. Just get the place ready."
John and the others rushed to their posts, cleaning and setting things up.
Old man Shen and Zhi Luan got things ready in the kitchen. Shi Luan followed old man Shen's every move and sometimes went on little errands for him. Zhi Luan didn't mind doing these things, as they helped him get familiar with the cooking process and other things in the kitchen. Then, the restaurant opened for the day.
Work went on as usual. Everyone tended to their post, doing all they could under old man Shen's strict supervision. Zhi Luan had already cooked all the meals on both menus and was getting more familiar with them, while old man Shen monitored his every move with deep interest. And like this, another day at the restaurant came to an end.
John and the others prepared to leave, and he once again advised Zhi Luan against impressing old man Shen, as that would ultimately fail. Zhi Luan acknowledged his every word with a light smile and a nod.
"Gosh, today was quite active. We haven't had this many customers in a while… my body is so sore."
Yu Lu groaned as she massaged her shoulder. Then all three went home.
Zhi Luan cleaned up the kitchen while old man Shen pulled up a chair in the restaurant and lit his smoke pipe.
"Ah, this is nice,"
Old man Shen yawned, as he reclined his chair and stretched his legs on the table.
He inhaled and exhaled a mouthful of smoke and relished in his relaxation time alone, in complete silence. But then, he would often glance at Zhi Luan, who was busy in the kitchen. He suddenly recalled Mr. Lee's words about retiring and had to admit that it was getting difficult for him to move around as he used to.
"Maybe I should consider it… but who would be best?"
He thought out loud.
The restaurant opened at the usual time the next day. The employees were bright and early, ready to attend to customers. This was only Zhi Luan's third day working here, but his cooking had incredibly improved. He was a lot faster when prepping for a dish, and more thorough when cooking it. And most importantly, his meals got remarkable reviews from customers.
It was one thing to cook an edible meal, but it was different when cooking for someone else. Old man Shen understood the difference between the two, and how it impacted the growth of his restaurant. Hence, he preferred cooking alone and never let his employees into the kitchen. But presently, Zhi Luan slowly changed the old man's mind about that.
By the fourth day, Zhi Luan had improved a lot more, adding flare and style to his dishes. He now handled the kitchen's equipment with ease as if he hadn't just seen it for the first time four days ago. Likewise, old man Shen got accustomed to having Zhi Luan in the kitchen with him. He let Zhi Luan handle most of the orders while he simply observed.
Things went on smoothly around the restaurant. Customers and their reviews poured in, as they complimented the dishes. The employees worked their backs off lately, leaving the restaurant when it was almost midnight.
~Seven Days Later~
Zhi Luan was on his last day of probation. Today was going to decide if he was going to work here or not. At this time, old man Shen assembled his employees for an announcement.
"I have a brief announcement to make. The restaurant has tons of paperwork and documentation that needs to be sorted out. I'll be going to City Hall to look into it, and I'll be gone the whole day. Which means, the restaurant is yours to run for the day."
This announcement was indeed brief, but equally puzzling, especially to the older employees.
"You want us to run the restaurant?"
John asked, to confirm.
"Exactly. I wouldn't normally leave it to you bunch of incompetent simpletons, but my hands are tied. I'll have to trust that you won't run the place into the ground. Can you do that at least?"
"Yes, boss!"
Everyone answered in sync.
"Zhi Luan," he called out.
"Your assignment is the most important. If there's anything you need help with, ask Lu Yu, he has been here the longest and knows how things are done here."
"Yes, sir."
"Good! You're all dismissed."
Everyone scattered to their various posts, and shortly after, old man Shen left for City Hall.
"He wasn't joking about leaving…"
John was still stunned to see the old man leave.
"What now?"
"We do what we've always done… serve anyone that walks through the door. Our job description remains the same. The only exception is the kitchen… Zhi Luan is in charge of it now, and no one is allowed to lend a hand. This might be the newbie's final test."
Lu Yu immediately took the reins as the oldest employee. He wasn't bossy and simply stated the obvious. No matter what happened, today had to go well for all of them.
Zhi Luan also suspected this was a test as well and was displeased. At this point, he was only here because he wanted to uphold his part of the agreement. And even if he had nowhere else to go, he would roam around till he found one than staying here and be toiled with by an old man. He just had to endure whatever today would throw at him and see what comes next.