Chapter 33: Chapter 32: The Forsaken Wife of the 50s (32)
The three large freezers and two large refrigerators had now been installed and plugged in.
"I also got you a small, household refrigerator—the kind with a fridge on top and a freezer on the bottom. It’s in my office. The total was seven hundred yuan," Director Wang told her in a low voice.
"This evening, have Xu from your team take it to your house on the three-wheeled cart."
Zhu Yun nodded. Since she was responsible for three meals a day at the factory, she rarely had a chance to cook at home. But as a laid-back beauty who preferred to coast to victory, she had no intention of holding onto the head chef position forever.
’Spending all day by the stoves in the cafeteria, constantly breathing in greasy fumes, would make even the most stunning beauty wilt like a flower! Especially on hot days, cooking a single meal felt like sitting in a sauna.’
’She had to start planning for an easier life. For instance, why not use her status as a permanent factory employee to create a new role for herself? Wouldn’t making pretty cold drinks and pastries be so much better?’
The freezers were quite spacious and had excellent cooling capabilities. With dividers, they could store a lot of things. The refrigerator was an upright, double-door model designed entirely for chilling, perfect for storing desserts.
"For the next few days, have Sister-in-law Qian and Xu handle the simple meals. You’ll be in charge of the cold drinks. If you don’t have enough people, I’ll reassign a few more to help you." Director Wang was burning with enthusiasm, wishing they could see results by tomorrow. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Zhu Yun didn’t hesitate to ask for a few helpers.
Even though the refrigerators and freezers hadn’t arrived yet, she had already asked the purchasing department to buy plenty of the necessary tools and ingredients.
Seeing how eager Director Wang was, she decided to start with the simplest recipes.
First came the classics: simple, old-fashioned popsicles made from sugar water; an upgraded version with added glutinous rice flour and milk; watermelon-flavored popsicles made with watermelon, glutinous rice flour, and powdered sugar; mung bean puree popsicles; and red bean puree popsicles!
All five flavors filled one of the large freezers to the brim.
Director Wang watched the entire process. "That’s... that’s it?"
"Yes, but they need to freeze for at least six hours," Zhu Yun replied with a nod.
To make it easier to produce cold drinks and desserts, the factory had made special arrangements with a dairy and a milk powder supplier. They could now purchase unlimited quantities of fresh milk and milk powder at any time, no ration coupons needed.
She had just led a team to make a large batch of basic staples to have on hand, such as light cream, condensed milk, and cheese.
Now, Zhu Yun figuratively rolled up her sleeves, ready to launch her grand dessert operation!
She had even commissioned custom-made tools for this purpose.
Zhu Yun started with the simplest desserts: old-fashioned sponge cakes, pull-apart bread, crispy egg rolls, sliced bread, chiffon cake, pizza, and more.
The scent of flour and milk was absolutely divine. It wafted out in assertive tendrils, completely taking over the entire First Cafeteria and even luring out the group of people who had been drinking tea in their offices.
Whenever Zhu Yun finished a batch of treats, a crowd would shamelessly tag along behind Director Wang, claiming they were there for "quality control" before devouring everything.
These desserts didn’t just smell heavenly. Their textures were either delightfully fluffy and chewy or crisp and sweet. The flavors made one’s tongue dance with joy, and a sense of indescribable comfort washed over and healed everyone who took a bite.
"This is so delicious..."
"I’ve never eaten anything this good! Chef Zhu, how do you do it?"
"Whoa, this is pizza, isn’t it? I’ve seen it in foreign movies. Wow, it’s absolutely incredible..."
With their cheeks puffed out, everyone ate and nodded nonstop, showering her with endless, free-flowing compliments.
Even the office staff knew that Chef Zhu loved to hear compliments. The more they praised her, the happier she became, and the more delicious treats she would naturally produce.
"This is pure bliss," Guo Jiayi from the accounting office sighed with satisfaction, her eyes narrowed. "Chef Zhu, I was truly blind before and failed to see how talented you were. I never realized you were so skilled on the inside. Of course, now your inner and outer beauty are both equally brilliant."
"I apologize for my past rudeness!"
The others quickly followed suit, all claiming they had been blind before. How could they have been so deceived by superficial appearances?
They had almost missed out on such incredible food! Thankfully, Chef Zhu was magnanimous and didn’t hold their past behavior against them. From now on, they would all get along harmoniously as colleagues, helping one another.
Zhu Yun just smiled as she watched their performance and nodded. "It’s no big deal. If you’re in a bad mood, just eat more dessert. If one piece isn’t enough, have two!"
"Exactly! We’re all employees of the First Cafeteria, so we should work together with one heart," Director Wang chimed in happily.
"Chef Zhu, everything you made today is a go! Not only that, you should make more of it. Let’s make this another signature offering for our factory’s cafeteria!"