Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

Chapter 85: Chapter 78: Emergency Help! (Important!)

The department most deeply affected by Sun Meili’s arrest was, without a doubt, the factory canteen.

It had been in turmoil for days—leaderless, with everyone on edge.

However, the workers widely reported that the communal pot dishes had gotten much tastier, suspecting that Master Xiao had made a comeback.

The former head chef, Huang Fusheng, was still at home awaiting the results of the investigation. Rumor had it that he was also implicated in Sun Meili’s corruption case, meaning his days as head chef were certainly over.

Canteen Director Wang Defa was also under investigation. Besides the muddled canteen accounts, they were also looking into an improper relationship between him and Sun Meili.

However, word was that the two of them vehemently denied all accusations, refusing to admit to anything.

The Security Department and the Disciplinary Committee interrogated them for three days but couldn’t pry their mouths open.

But Sun Meili’s denial was useless. The factory’s finance department worked overtime reconciling the books, and the accounting issues were already clear. The suppliers who delivered goods to the canteen were also being investigated, and the chain of evidence was becoming increasingly solid.

The amount of money involved was so staggering it left the investigating officers from the Security Department speechless.

If the charges were fully substantiated, she would rot in prison for life.

In the canteen’s back kitchen.

The lunch service was over. Apprentices were cleaning the stoves while the chefs gathered in twos and threes in the hallway, smoking and shooting the breeze.

A portly figure approached, dragging his heavy feet. Upon seeing him, the chefs quickly hid their cigarettes behind their backs and greeted him with a smile, "Director Wang."

Wang Defa looked worn and haggard. In just three short days, a considerable amount of white hair had sprouted at his temples. His face was covered in stubble, his eyes were sunken with dark circles, and his face had thinned out. He looked as if he had aged ten years.

Wang Defa stopped, his gaze sweeping over the chefs’ faces. "Where’s Xiao Lei?" he asked, his voice a bit hoarse.

"Master Xiao is in the scullery, sharpening his knives," one of the chefs replied.

Hearing this, Wang Defa walked straight toward the scullery.

"How did Director Wang get so haggard all of a sudden?"

"He’s scared, obviously. I heard from a friend in the Security Department that the amount Sun Meili was involved with could be over fifty thousand yuan. If he’s implicated, he might just face a firing squad."

"Fifty thousand! HISS— That much!"

"The meat and vegetables they’ve been buying these past two years are on a completely different level from what they bought before. Isn’t that why Master Xiao went on strike?"

"So why’s he looking for Master Xiao today?"

The chefs murmured among themselves, all looking toward the scullery. A few even shuffled a couple of steps in that direction.

SCRAPE! SCRAPE! SCRAPE!

Inside the scullery, a cleaver rasped back and forth across a whetstone. Xiao Lei was bent over his work, his expression focused and earnest.

The cleaver was polished to a brilliant shine, its edge gleaming with a cold light.

Wang Defa appeared at the doorway, blocking the light and casting a shadow that fell right across the whetstone.

Wang Defa said in a low voice, "Xiao Lei, let’s talk."

Xiao Lei scooped up some water with his hand and splashed it on the blade. He slowly straightened up, gently testing the edge with the pad of his finger. Only then did he raise his eyes to Wang Defa and say with a smirk, "What is there for us to talk about?"

"My transfer notice came down today. I’m being reassigned to Lin Qiong. Before I go," Wang Defa grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth, his voice hoarse and low, "as the canteen director, I’ve decided to do one last good deed for our workers. I’ve already submitted a nomination to the deputy director to make you the head chef of the canteen and the person in charge of the stir-fry section. That way, the workers can enjoy delicious and safe communal dishes and stir-fries."

Xiao Lei sneered. "A shameless bastard like you, having good intentions? Are you telling me all this because you expect me to thank you?"

"No need for thanks. We won’t be seeing each other again anyway." Wang Defa’s expression turned sinister. He clenched his fists, his voice trembling slightly. "You and your apprentice really have it out for me, forcing me to leave. Zhou Yan has some skill, running that little restaurant of his so well that he stole all the stir-fry business from the canteen. This whole incident started because of him."

"But that’s fine. You’re both so capable, master and apprentice. So I’ll let you, the master, compete with him. I’d love to see whether the workers prefer your food or your apprentice’s. There has to be a clear winner and loser!"

"I’m off to Lin Qiong, where I’ll get to watch you two dogs go at each other’s throats!"

Wang Defa grinned, his smile tinged with a hint of madness.

"You’re not getting away." Xiao Lei slid the cleaver into a cloth bag on a nearby table. He looked at Wang Defa with a hint of pity. "This morning, I handed over all the evidence of canteen corruption I’ve collected over the past two years to Director Luo of the Security Department. The person who supplied the most pork to the canteen in these two years was Wang Qi. He’s your nephew, from your own clan. He mixed in a lot of meat from diseased pigs. After you’re taken in, you can take your time reconciling the accounts with the Security Department officers."

The smile on Wang Defa’s face froze. His eyes widened, and his lips trembled. "You... You’re talking nonsense!"

Footsteps sounded outside the door. Luo Weidong arrived at the scullery entrance with two officers, his expression stern. "Wang Defa, we have a signed report accusing you of illegally purchasing large quantities of meat from diseased pigs during your tenure. You are suspected of endangering the health and lives of the workers, a serious violation of law and discipline."

"Director Luo..." Wang Defa’s face went pale as he tried to argue.

The two officers had already stepped forward, restraining him from both sides. Neither of them gave Wang Defa a pleasant look.

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. I resigned today." Xiao Lei slung the cloth bag over his shoulder and looked at Wang Defa with a smile. "A restaurant in Rongcheng has invited me to be their head chef, with a higher salary than I’d get as head chef here. Also, a friend asked me to go to Jiazhou to open a restaurant with him. The shop is already renovated, right by the Leshan Giant Buddha pier. He said I could make over ten thousand yuan a year. I’m still deciding which offer to take."

"You... You..." Wang Defa was so furious his chest heaved violently, and his face grew even uglier.

"Zhou Yan was fired because of me, framed by a villain like you. As his master, I could never forget that grudge." Xiao Lei stared at him coldly. "You made me a prep cook, and I didn’t care about just coasting until retirement. But if you expected me to harm my own apprentice, I’d make sure to send you to prison first."

"I’ve had enough of this damn job anyway. I’m a nationally certified Class-Two Chef. Anywhere I go, people will call me ’Master.’ I won’t starve."

After speaking, Xiao Lei nodded to Luo Weidong and walked out.

In the hallway outside, a dozen or so chefs and apprentices stood in a line against the wall, watching him with eyes full of respect.

"Take care, Master Xiao."

"Come back and visit when you have time."

"Here, share these." Xiao Lei smiled, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and tossed it to one of the chefs. He waved a hand. "I’m off."

Xiao Lei walked out with his bag on his back.

Meanwhile, Wang Defa was dragged out by the two officers like a dead pig. His legs were weak and his face was ashen. He could already see his fate.

"Ptooey!"

"Fat pig!"

The chefs watched him with disgust, hurling the nastiest insults they could think of.

"Master Xiao, please reconsider. The canteen needs someone to take charge right now. If you’re willing to stay, you’ll be the head chef and also be promoted to deputy director of the canteen..." Deputy Director Liu Yusheng stopped Xiao Lei at the canteen entrance, trying his best to persuade him.

"I’m sorry, Director Liu, but my mind is made up," Xiao Lei said calmly, pushing his bike toward the factory gate.

"Sigh." Liu Yusheng watched Xiao Lei’s departing figure and let out a long sigh.

* * *

"What? You want me to cater a rural banquet?"

At the restaurant entrance, Zhou Yan stared in astonishment at a sweat-drenched Zhou Jie.

Zhou Jie took a large bowl from Mrs. Zhao and, GULP, GULP, downed the water in two gulps. With a panicked look, he said, "The village chef for the banquet went back to get some spices, got cut off by a tractor while riding his bike, and broke his arm. He’s laid up in the Suji Health Center now.

I just came from the hospital. He was screaming in pain and told us to figure something out and hire another village chef. It all happened so suddenly. Where are we supposed to find another one? Tomorrow is a lucky day, so I’ve already asked five or six, and none of them are free.

You’re the only chef in our family. My dad told me to come and ask if you can take over. Otherwise, we’ll have to go all the way to Jiazhou to hire someone."

"There’s no way. My specialties are all on the menu board on the wall, and they aren’t enough for a whole rural banquet." Zhou Yan shook his head. This situation was indeed sudden; they were grasping at straws by coming to him.

A rural banquet usually requires the "Nine Big Bowls," and he couldn’t possibly prepare all of that right now.

It was already afternoon. The original chef had probably already prepped most of the ingredients, which made it even harder for him to take over.

Zhou Hao was a platoon leader now, and the Zhou Family had two first-class merit plaques hanging at their home. High-ranking leaders would definitely be attending the wedding banquet.

This banquet had to be respectable.

Zhou Yan was no reckless fool; he wouldn’t dare stick his neck out for this. He could handle making some braised dishes, but that was it.

"Then... then what do we do?" Zhou Jie started to panic.

"Don’t panic. The sky isn’t falling," said Mrs. Xiang, who had been silent until now, as she stood up.

Zhou Jie instinctively shut his mouth. Everyone turned to look at Mrs. Xiang, as if they had found their backbone.

Mrs. Xiang looked at Zhou Yan and asked, "Zhou Yan, you’ve been learning to cook for over two years. Do you know any chefs who can handle a rural banquet? Someone who’s free for the next two days."

Zhou Yan immediately thought of his master, Xiao Lei. He nodded and said, "My master, Xiao Lei, is a nationally certified Class-Two Chef. As a head chef, he used to manage the communal pot meals for nearly three thousand people at the textile factory. I can go ask him if he has time to help."

Mrs. Xiang nodded. "Go quickly. If Master Xiao isn’t free, we’ll need to hurry and find a chef in Jiazhou."

"Got it." Zhou Yan grabbed a pack of cigarettes, stuffed it in his pocket, and hurried toward the factory gate. He was just about to ask an officer from the Security Department to pass on a message when he spotted a familiar figure slinging a cloth bag over his shoulder, pushing a bicycle toward the gate.

"Master!" Zhou Yan’s eyes lit up. He quickened his pace to meet him. "An emergency! Are you free tomorrow to help with a rural banquet?"

...