Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle

Chapter 1199 574: Helping Out

On the second day of Qin Huai's return to Shan City, Wang Jun arrived at Yunzhong Restaurant with his suitcase, beginning the long-delayed exchange.

At first, the patrons of Yunzhong Restaurant were thrilled with Wang Jun's arrival. In contrast, when Qin Huai was around, Zhao Cheng'an seemed less important. But when Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an were both offline, and Qin Congwen suddenly felt inspired to take charge, the presence of a chef who randomly appeared became quite significant.

While Qin Congwen's buns were cheap, they were indeed difficult to eat.

Maybe it was due to a hiatus from being the breakfast chef, or perhaps advancing age had intensified his taste, but when Qin Congwen made a return to the culinary world, his buns were even saltier than the dumplings he'd made at home the other day. They could easily compete with the salty pork with preserved vegetables served at the restaurant. A 70 cents bun tasted as if it had a dollar's worth of salt, leaving Yunzhong's loyal patrons in utter agony.

Faced with such unappetizing fare, the patrons—struggling young professionals—reflected on their lives, vowing to push forward and fill their social media with declarations of ambition, refusing to settle for less.

If one has to eat Master Qin's 70 cents veggie buns at Yunzhong just to save money, what's the point of living? Hard work and determination are needed to create a beautiful life.

Boss, I want to work overtime, with extra pay!

Initially, the patrons believed Wang Jun was a pastry chef like Zhao Cheng'an and Zheng Siyuan, greeting him with eager anticipation, as if ready to roll out the red carpet.

But once they discovered Wang Jun was a meat chef, the enthusiasm slightly waned, only to quickly escalate to new heights.

Wang Jun at Huang Ji was merely an unremarkable disciple of Huang Shengli, lacking drive and natural talent. Unable to become a wok station chef, he often helped around the kitchen, occasionally preparing a dish or two independently, making him a great assistant, a good student, a supportive senior—but simply not a great chef.

Who is Wang Jun, away from Huang Ji?

Master Wang!

As a chef from Huang Ji—a top-tier high-end restaurant both locally in Gusu and recognized nationally—even a non-wok station chef brings a skillset that utterly overshadows anything at a community restaurant like Yunzhong.

Yunzhong's pastry is top-notch, but the meat dishes are typical of community dining halls. The regular dishes are of home-cooking quality—some even falling short. Like Qin Huai often criticized, the salty pork with preserved vegetables may be too salty, yet there are older patrons or those with heavier tastes who enjoy it.

To the patrons of Yunzhong, daily dishes are sustenance, Master Qin's snacks are aspirational.

If you're wealthy, top off breakfast with Qin Huai's snacks; if not, breakfast with ordinary buns, lunch with standard fast food, and in the evening, see if you can snag some discounted snacks to try. Simply dining at Yunzhong equates to happiness; just being near Yunzhong conjures the taste of Master Qin's signature snacks—providing hope for the day.

Wang Jun's arrival made this hope even more tangible.

Wang Jun utilizes skills far exceeding those of community dining hall meat chefs to craft dishes at community dining hall prices.

Wang Jun isn't very concerned about money.

Huang Shengli is a generous mentor. Although apprentices earn no wage during pure training, the festive bonuses are substantial. Once past the apprenticeship, Huang Shengli offers generous compensation; not only the base salary is full, but the chef's dish earnings are top-tier in the industry.

During Qin Huai's exchange at Huang Ji, the ultimate salary he received was stunning to him. Upon seeing this salary, he gained some insight into why Huang Ji, as a high-end restaurant in Gusu, sells its dishes at such high prices. With Huang Shengli taking breaks, Huang An Yao often struggles to prevent Huang Ji from risking a loss.

The Young Master's poor management is partly to blame, but not entirely. As a high-end restaurant, Huang Ji's profit margins aren't high. Huang An Yao struggles to negotiate favorable prices from suppliers, lacks marketing skills to boost sales, and neither reduces costs nor increases efficiency—all while maintaining previous expenditures and employee earnings.

The reason behind the Young Master's financial mismanagement isn't entirely unwarranted.

With such financial backing, Wang Jun doesn't suffer from a lack of funds personally.

Currently, he's a less-than-happy bachelor, free from pressures of marriage or child-rearing—only fighting hair loss. Qin Huai offers Wang Jun the same base salary at Yunzhong as Huang Ji, although chef's earnings aren't as high at Yunzhong.

It's inevitable; community dining hall dishes can't be priced like those at a high-end restaurant. Even the most skilled meat chef sees his dish priced at a mere 16 yuan for one meat and two vegetables.

Wang Jun doesn't mind the pay cut.

Every day at Yunzhong, he eagerly waves his spatula, experimenting with dishes; culinary attempts he once hesitated to try at Huang Ji are now venturesome at Yunzhong. Were it not for logistical constraints, he'd even attempt squirrel mandarin fish during lunch.

Wang Jun has become so captivated by his time at Yunzhong, he's completely lost himself in the experience.

Before coming to Yunzhong, he didn't understand why Zheng Siyuan frequently traveled to Shan City, staying for such extended periods without managing his dessert shop. Upon arriving at Yunzhong, Wang Jun instantly empathized with Zheng Siyuan, so much that each day he's driven to practically reside in the kitchen.