Chapter 125 - 106: Dissuasion
Chapter 125: Chapter 106: Dissuasion
According to Youzhen, they didn’t earn any less working at the restaurant than they did here. As minor supervisors, she and Vance could even pull in three thousand a month, rivaling the income of a Third-level Chef.
More importantly, neither Ning He nor Connie held anything back; they genuinely taught them real skills.
Youzhen and Vance hadn’t even been learning under them for long, yet they had already confidently signed up for next month’s Second-level Chef qualification exam.
Being able to earn money while learning so much made the other students in their class incredibly envious.
Where else could they find such a generous boss?
It was pure dumb luck!
"I see. All right, then."
Ning He didn’t press the matter. After putting on her chef’s uniform, she stepped up to help.
All five of them were essentially skilled workers by now, and they had everything prepped half an hour early.
"...Everything else is fine, but there’s one problem." Taking advantage of the downtime, everyone sat together to eat noodles and discuss the noodle stall’s operations. Connie voiced her thoughts first. "The trainees’ breakfast break is an hour and a half. Within that timeframe, no matter how much we speed up, we can only sell 500 bowls of noodles."
It sounded greedy, but the two types of noodles on the menu were essentially priced at the baseline. The profit margins were limited. Selling 500 bowls a day brought in even less money than when they were making staple meals.
The noodles were made and boiled fresh to ensure the best taste and texture. Selling 500 bowls in an hour and a half meant churning out five or six bowls every single minute, which really pushed them to their limit.
As a result, the number of trainees scrambling to line up every day remained roughly the same as opening day. Their enthusiasm hadn’t waned in the slightest.
Ning He thought it over but couldn’t come up with a better solution either.
"Let’s push through for a bit longer. Next month, when we introduce new menu items, we’ll add a noodle dish that can be prepped in advance and sold directly. That should improve things. Later, we’ll split into two serving windows, separating the scallion oil noodles from the hot oil noodles. Ding Wang, Connie, and I will be one group handling the hot oil noodles. Ah Huai and San Shui will be the other group, making the scallion oil noodles."
The hot oil noodles required more steps. The noodles had to be pulled, boiled, topped with seasonings, and finally splashed with hot oil, making three people the perfect number for the job.
"All right. Let’s see if we can be a bit faster today," Connie said expectantly, setting down her bowl and chopsticks.
This approach proved to be highly effective.
When the first wave of trainees flooded in, Ning He and Ah Huai directed them into two separate lines. This allowed Connie to keep track of the number of people ordering hot oil noodles at any given moment and quickly adjust the quantity she pulled. She pulled portions for several bowls at once, wasting no time before tossing them into the boiling pot. Ding Wang kept an eye on them. Once cooked, he scooped them out and distributed them into bowls pre-filled with the base sauce. Then, Ning He rapidly sprinkled the noodles with scallions, minced garlic, and chili powder before splashing them with hot oil and serving them.
This seamless, assembly-line operation significantly boosted their efficiency.
The line of trainees at the window seemed endless. For every few they served, several more would arrive, and the queue only grew longer.
It was like a never-ending pile of holiday homework.
Ning He was so busy her head was spinning. The moment she served a few bowls, Ding Wang scooped out several more, leaving her without even a second to catch her breath.
The large noodle-boiling pot continuously released scalding steam, turning the inside of the stall into a veritable sauna. By the end of the hour and a half, Ning He was drenched in sweat.
Before she could even take a quick breather and grab a sip of water, someone else walked up to the stall.
"Sorry, we’re clo—" Catching a glimpse of a familiar face out of the corner of her eye, Ning He paused mid-sentence. "Leo? What brings you here?"
Standing in front of the stall was Leo, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time. Hearing this, he smiled.
"I just got back from a mission. I heard the dining hall recently started serving some delicious noodles, so I came over specifically to try them. Am I too late?"
"Not at all! I’ll knead some dough and whip up a bowl for you right away. It’ll be super fast!" Before Ning He could even respond, Connie eagerly interjected, her eyes practically sparkling with stars.
Leo didn’t refuse. "Thank you so much, then. How much do I owe you?"
As he spoke, he reached for his meal card.
Only then did Ning He notice the bandages wrapped around his hand.
"You’re injured?"
"Just a minor scrape. It’s nothing."
"Don’t bother taking it out. It’s just a bowl of noodles. You think I can’t afford to treat you? Don’t underestimate me," Ning He said.
"Exactly! It’s an honor to treat Lieutenant Colonel Leo to a bowl of noodles. Go take a seat; I’ll bring it right over to you when it’s done!" Connie hastily added. Terrified he might refuse, she immediately turned around to start kneading the dough.
Ning He paused for a moment in thought, then stepped out through the small side door.
"So... wanna sit down for a bit?" Ning He scratched her head, suddenly feeling a little awkward.
Leo felt a slight flutter in his chest. He turned and strode over to the nearest table.
As the two of them sat down across from each other, Ning He suddenly remembered something. She quickly dug into her pocket, pulled out a card, and handed it to him.