Free Web NovelChapter 522: Chapter 434: 434 Stirring Up Trouble, When There’s No Gossip, Make Some
As the diners outside began their grand shopping spree, the kitchen was bustling with overtime, racing against time to make various baked goods.
Lin Chen was puzzled. How could Zhao Shun and Old Chen manage to be so fast, just the two of them?
Even though they had prepared for a long time the previous night, bread has to undergo fermentation before it can finally be shaped and put into the oven.
Long preparation time only meant that the final step could be sped up; once one batch was done baking, the next could go in immediately, and during the waiting time, the final shaping work could proceed.
But once he entered the back kitchen, he realized that it wasn’t just Zhao Shun and Old Chen there; even the two head chefs, Nagishiro Sho and Marchello, were helping out.
No need to ask, Lin Chen could pretty much guess why they were working here.
Blatant learning by stealth!
Zhao Shun and Old Chen couldn’t communicate with them, at most gesturing or throwing in a few words.
However, working in the back kitchen didn’t need language; as long as you could cook, it was fine. Unless it was a formal restaurant that needed to shout orders, language wasn’t an issue.
With the skills those two head chefs had, watching Zhao Shun a few times was enough to learn, and trying their hands at it themselves, they could consider their stealth learning a success.
Although both of them knew how to make bread, the key was practicing more to develop muscle memory.
The fascinating thing about baking is that every step is extremely strict; even a slight discrepancy can lead to a huge difference in the finished product’s appearance.
Their help in the kitchen seemed like a way to train themselves, while offsetting the cost of these days of stealth learning to avoid having Lin Chen ask for money or make strange demands.
Lin Chen initially just wanted to see if they needed any help, but seeing the two head chefs at work, he abandoned the idea and went to the office to check emails instead.
As soon as he opened the mailbox, he was nearly dazzled by the dense red dots.
He had a compulsion, detesting the red dots on software.
As long as he saw them, he had to click them off, or he would feel uncomfortable all over.
If it were spam, it would be simpler. Just select all and delete them.
But this inbox was filled with job applications, impossible to ignore.
He roughly estimated that from yesterday afternoon till now, in just half a day, he’d received over a hundred job applications.
And these were only for the back kitchen. He had set relatively strict criteria; if he eased them, the number might multiply.
The applications for servers went directly to the new work email that Dais had registered. Initially, he didn’t need to handle it; once people came onsite, he would assist in interviews, with Dais doing the initial screening.
"Whew... Looks like this leadership work isn’t so easy either. I feel like I can’t deal with these emails in under two hours."
Lin Chen rubbed his somewhat aching temples, sighed, went outside to make himself an iced latte, then returned to the office to start working.
This mailbox was dedicated to job applications, with no residual important emails. He clicked to sort by reverse order, starting from the earliest emails.
This was his personal habit, to maintain fairness and justice.
Since the number of open positions was limited, he temporarily planned to hire only five kitchen helpers. As of now, the acceptance rate was around twenty-to-one.
The hiring period was only twenty-four hours, ending before dinner today.
Before the deadline, he wouldn’t make any decisions but would browse all the emails, ensuring everyone had a chance to be seen by him.
When he was job hunting, that’s how Chef Raphael hired him, a model he learned from Raphael to ensure everyone had an equal chance to compete.
He estimated that by the time the deadline arrived, the acceptance ratio might drop to forty-to-one.
"Never thought I’d have the chance to hold someone’s fate in my hands. This feeling... isn’t bad, huh?"
Taking a sip of the cold latte, letting the rich coffee aroma and smooth milk slide down his throat into his stomach, Lin Chen exhaled deeply and clicked open the first email.
Not long after he started working, Dais knocked on the open office door and walked in, also holding a cup of coffee, a hot buttered Americano.
The team currently had four waiters, and since today’s breakfast was mainly self-service for the guests, not many staff were needed.
Taking this opportunity, she prepared to adapt to her new role, shifting some of her focus from outside to inside.
Lin Chen glanced at her, smiled, and greeted her before continuing with the emails.
Dais, who was a bit worried about Lin Chen saying something, was relieved, quietly closing the office door, sitting across from Lin Chen, and starting to go through the pending emails.
Compared to the back kitchen, there were many more applicants for server positions.
Not just female servers; they also needed one or two male servers.
Even though she spent most of last night clearing emails, dozens of new ones had piled up overnight.
As they were hiring servers based on appearance and physique, submission requirements included a full-body photo and a front-facing photo.
Dais’s method for scanning emails is simple: she opens an email, skips the pile of resume information at the top, scrolls to the bottom, and opens the attachment to look at the photo.
Only if the photos appeal to her will she return to check the resume. If both are suitable, she will keep them for the second round of selection; if not, she directly sends a rejection email.
"Huh?"
After quickly scanning through a dozen emails, she opened another photo. Dais raised her eyebrows slightly and looked subconsciously at Lin Chen, who was focusing intently on his computer screen across from her.
Opening the remaining few photo attachments one by one, Dais nodded in satisfaction and tapped the top of Lin Chen’s computer.
"Knock knock knock"
"?"
Lin Chen looked up, confusion showing in his eyes.
Taking the opportunity, Dais rotated her laptop 180 degrees and pointed at the screen, "Chef, have a look at this girl. She’s a 22-year-old recent graduate in fashion design from a prestigious school. Her height is 166 cm, weight is 51 kg, and her outfit has the vibe of a fashion blogger. Her demeanor is excellent."
While she was introducing, Lin Chen’s gaze subconsciously moved to the screen.
When he saw the familiar skin tone and the delicate features in the photo, the corners of his mouth twitched as he nodded helplessly.
"Just looking at the photo, it’s pretty nice. You can decide on this yourself; why ask me?"
"Besides, I’d like to remind you, women from the Three East Asian Countries have their own superpowers. In Sakura Country, it’s makeup; in the Kimchi Country, it’s medical aesthetics; for us in Great Xia, it’s photo editing. I’d suggest you ask her for a few unedited photos for another look."
Dais chuckled, "Oh, I see. I’ll send her an email right away. But even if the photos have been slightly edited, the overall facial features, demeanor, and figure should not differ much. Chef, do you want to find a partner from the same nationality? How about someone like this?"
"Although I’m not familiar with your Great Xia aesthetic standards, beauty and demeanor transcend cultures. Even as a foreigner, I find her quite impressive. She should be even more appealing to you guys, right?"
"...Are you here for recruitment or matchmaking?"
Lin Chen rolled his eyes and refused to entertain her, burying himself back in work.
They say that where women gather, gossip thrives. It seems to be true, as even foreign women can’t resist the temptation of juicy stories.
Especially when it’s gossip about the boss.
He wasn’t angered; rather, he found their behavior understandable, though sometimes a bit exasperating, unsure of how to react.
In his shoes, if he heard any emotional gossip involving Chef Raphael, Chef Marchello, or even that guy Nagishiro Sho, he’d probably be jumping up and down in excitement too!
However, he remained curious. After living abroad for five or six years, he hadn’t seen many young women from Great Xia working in Western restaurants. Mostly, they were voluptuous white women.
Not just overseas, even within the country, it’s rare for young girls to work in dining establishments.
The most common places they work are probably Japanese food joints, dessert shops, bubble tea shops, or coffee shops.
Especially for beauties who studied fashion design; according to online trends, they often become fashion bloggers.
How did one end up applying for a waitress position?
Was she planning to travel a bit after graduation, believing the environment and pay here were good, plus having Great Xia bosses and chefs? Hoping to earn some pocket money?
With such queries swirling internally, he ensured no outward hint showed, lest Dais misunderstand him as being interested, thus affecting judgment.
For over half an hour, they quietly resumed work until Dais suddenly slapped his laptop again with a playful smile.
Without waiting for her moves, Lin Chen promptly closed his laptop and rose to leave the office.
More emails would definitely arrive by noon and afternoon, so he’d tackle them later.
No time for this!
Better to help Zhao Shun and the others finish breakfast prep and prepare lunch ingredients early, rather than enduring potential gossip eyes in the office.
An hour ago, he never imagined Dais could be like this.
Her usual demeanor was too well-hidden, wasn’t it??
While he found this somewhat headache-inducing, Daniel had already returned to the warehouse earlier.
Even though it was his day off, he insisted on delivering goods personally, primarily due to Lin Chen’s considerate treatment.
"Lin!"
Lin, also resting today, was lying in her dormitory sleeping.
Upon hearing her brother return, Lin swiftly sat upright from bed, seeing Daniel enter with a bag of assorted bread, wearing a smile.
"Come, have breakfast!"
