Free Web NovelChapter 553: Chapter 465: The Large Iron Wok, Heavier Than Expected
"What’s being cooked?"
Dreya and Anna, having just woken up, came downstairs and from afar, saw that the area around the food cart was crowded once again.
It didn’t look like they were lining up; rather, they were watching the cooking process.
For Lin to suddenly attract so many staff didn’t seem strange to them; instead, they were even more excited.
If he managed to make so many delicious dishes with fewer people, wouldn’t having more hands mean even more delicious dishes?
They could even increase the variety of dishes each meal!
As they approached, their unique model aura quickly caught everyone’s attention.
They had been recognized by some during breakfast this morning, and it wasn’t a secret that they’d been hanging around here for the past few days.
"It’s Dreya!"
"My God, she’s even more beautiful in person!"
"Who’s the one beside her? She must be a model too, right?"
"Models really have incredible figures. Look at those legs, they’re almost reaching my waist."
The two paid no heed to the gazes of the crowd, squeezing through gaps to peek inside.
They might have come at the wrong time; the experimental three-flavor bean curd had long been devoured, and the table was left with a variety of ingredients waiting to be processed, making it impossible to discern their purpose.
"Dais~"
Seeing Dais and the others among the crowd, the two immediately went up to greet them.
"You’re here?" Dais waved with a smile, glanced at the time, "You’re a bit early, it’ll be a while before lunch starts."
"Just a few minutes, we’ve got nothing else to do after waking up, so we came down to see what’s being made for lunch?"
"Hold on, let me show you the photos I just took."
Dais displayed no excessive enthusiasm for the celebrity guests, treating them simply as familiar patrons.
Dreya had no idol burden either, dressed similarly to vacationers, wearing light makeup and even foregoing perfume.
If not for her recognizable face and the elegant demeanor ingrained in her every move, it wouldn’t be certain anyone could recognize her.
"Looks nice! Is that egg on top? And below, fried rice?"
"No," Dais shook her head with a smile, "It’s a type of rice called glutinous rice, quite different in texture from regular rice; you’ll know once you taste it."
"Aside from the egg, the surface also has a layer of rice paste made from grains like rice and mung beans, it’s very fragrant."
Imagining the combination of flavors Dais described, Dreya and Anna gulped and decided not to look any further, promptly exiting the crowd to stand before the restaurant notice board.
After recent optimizations, all guests must queue at the front desk, making it easier for guests to find and for staff to work.
Seeing the two go queue early, Dais was a bit speechless, casually pointing at two newcomers.
"You two head to the front desk to prepare, get the wristbands and name tags ready; I’ll go over shortly."
"Alright!"
"The rest shouldn’t idle either, please check the stock of packing boxes, disposable utensils, packing bags, and if possible, help the chefs with ingredient transportation."
"Elsa, Su, Nicole, each of you take a few people."
With Dais’s command, more than a dozen servers promptly divided into three groups to start busying themselves.
A dozen minutes later.
As the time approached ten-thirty, almost time for lunch service.
Zhao Shun and Old Chen put down their knives, packing the mountains of ingredients before them into buckets.
"Hey Old Chen, let me ask you."
At this moment, Zhao Shun suddenly pointed at a few stoves nearby: "Can you flip those woks?"
"Never tried," Old Chen shook his head.
"Why not give it a try? If you can flip them, it might speed up the process?"
Chen Dongliang stared at those massive iron woks for a few moments, nodded.
"Alright."
Having used such rural big woks before, during festive seasons visiting relatives, or when invited to cook feast dinners, they used this scale of wok.
But during those times, an iron spatula was used for stirring dishes; no one ever tried flipping such heavy woks.
Knowing that during feast cooking, the wok would be filled halfway, weighing dozens of kilograms making it usually impossible for anyone to flip it.
But now preparing the three-flavor bean curd only required a thin layer of rice, much lighter than regular dish cooking.
Zhao Shun’s suggestion awakened the competitive spirit in him.
He wanted to see if he could flip that wok!
Especially in front of so many foreigners.
If successful, wouldn’t this be bringing honor to the country?
Recalling the scenes of novice chefs attempting to flip woks but failing, resorting to using plates instead, Old Chen couldn’t help but smile, feeling a surge of rare pride.
Before going abroad, he thought he was just a farmer and cook with no special skills, just able to cook to feed his family.
But since coming here, he realized that the skills and knowledge he possessed were enough to dominate the foreigners cognitively, unknowingly bolstering his confidence day by day.
It was as if he regained the passion he had when he first started working in his early twenties!
Seeing Old Chen heading over there, Zhao Shun couldn’t suppress his curiosity and quickly followed.
In terms of strength, he was naturally not lacking; after all, he was a pastry chef, someone who could knead dough all day long, and the weight of the ingredients he carried daily was definitely comparable to that of a chef flipping a wok all day.
Their move away from the main group quickly caught everyone’s attention. Seeing them walking towards the oddly shaped stoves not far away, people began to pay attention.
This row of stoves had not been used yet, just sitting here in the sun since being built.
Logically, directly lighting the fire wouldn’t be an issue, as they’re all made of bricks, and burning them might make them even sturdier.
A huge iron wok lay quietly on the stove surface, not embedded in, allowing ventilation inside.
Old Chen lifted the lid off and placed it aside, grabbing the handles on both sides of the wok with both hands and exerting force, easily lifting the entire wok.
"Oh my gosh, not light at all, is it?"
Feeling the heavy weight, Old Chen gasped, suddenly feeling a bit lacking in confidence.
"Really?"
Even Old Chen exclaimed about the heaviness, and Zhao Shun started feeling uneasy.
He walked over to another stove and similarly lifted the iron wok and shook it a bit.
"The weight of the wok itself isn’t too bad, just slightly heavier than a regular stir-fry wok."
"The issue is whether we can flip it once the glutinous rice is poured in."
He didn’t dare to pour the ingredients in for a real try, fearing waste; otherwise, Lin Chen might scold him to death.
He glanced around and spotted the newly-built faucet alongside the stoves, his eyes lighting up.
"Got it!"
"I’ll go fetch a basin of water to test!"
Saying this, he abruptly kicked his leg, using inertia and explosive power to carry the wok on his back, quickly walking to the faucet.
This area was built quite simply, with only two faucets, bricks surrounding a small zone to prevent water from flowing everywhere, and a drainage pipe underneath.
It could be used for washing dishes and vegetables, or cleaning the wok and fetching water, all built according to rural setups, but more modernized.
Zhao Shun placed the iron wok directly on the ground, turned on the faucet, and filled it with about one-third water.
The semi-circular shape of the Chinese iron wok causes the liquid volume to increase as it rises, thus becoming heavier, so filling too much at once could easily lead to back strain.
Estimating that one-third of the water would be heavier than making three-ingredient bean curd skins, Zhao Shun settled into a stance, focused, took a deep breath, tightened his core, bent down, and grasped the wok handles with both hands.
"Whew..."
He took a deep breath again, his entire body unified in exertion.
"Up!!"
Unexpectedly, the iron wok was directly lifted into the air, the water inside sloshing back and forth incessantly.
Old Chen looked at him in surprise, about to praise his strength, then saw the guy’s face turning red, veins bulging on his forehead, as if he might pass out at any moment.
Quickly, he rushed over to support the wok: "Put it down, put it down! Quickly, or you’ll hurt your back and it’s over!"
Zhao Shun had no time for any extra actions and didn’t dare to let go too fast, luckily Old Chen assisted, slowly easing the wok back onto the ground.
"Whoa!"
As soon as he let go, he plopped to the ground, gasping for air.
"Heavier than expected!"
Old Chen tested it by gripping the wok handles and lifting slightly, then immediately shook his head and gave up.
"No way, too heavy; even if it feels manageable to lift, there’s no flipping it."
"What’s unflippable? Why aren’t you two prepping the ingredients, what are you doing?"
Suddenly, Lin Chen’s voice came from beside them, startling them both.
Lin Chen, who had arrived on the scene at some point, stared at the water-filled iron wok on the ground and then at the two, seemingly thinking of something.
"What’s this, trying to use a big wok? Testing if it can be flipped?"
"Exactly, that’s the idea."
Lin Chen licked his lips, suddenly interested.
Since his body’s various functions were enhanced, he hadn’t really tested the limits of his strength.
Endurance had been tested daily, but no clear conclusions were drawn, probably because his recovery ability had been strengthened as well.
Seeing Zhao Shun and Old Chen defeated by the wok full of water, Lin Chen gestured, stepping forward.
"Move aside, move aside, let me try!"
"Can you do it, boss? Careful not to hurt your back."
Zhao Shun eyed Lin Chen’s arms, which were larger than his, feeling a bit worried.
Lin Chen nodded, not saying anything, knowing Zhao Shun genuinely worried for him, not sarcastic.
Standing with feet shoulder-width apart, bending down, core tightened, knees slightly bent, taking a deep breath and holding it in.
