Chapter 314: "You kid, how could you repay kindness with enmity.
Chapter 314: Chapter 314: "You kid, how could you repay kindness with enmity.
It wasn’t that Xin Yu’s skills were that bad. But to save on practice costs, Shen Lu only had him make pizza crusts. At most, he could spread on a simple pizza sauce. As for ham, chicken, or cheese—there was none.
Eating a large, relatively tasteless flour flatbread for every meal was no small challenge.
But this sort of thing could only happen at Little Deer Cuisine. Anywhere else? You don’t like baked flour flatbread?
If you don’t want it, give it here! Countless people in the Lower City District would be dying for a chance to eat it.
When the thought of not wanting to eat it popped into Cai Su’s head, she gave herself a huge scare.
She had once fought tooth and nail with her late husband over a single tube of nutrient liquid. Now, someone was giving her flatbread, and she was actually getting picky.
Xin Yu spent the entire afternoon kneading dough, baking about ten pizza crusts.
"Boss, want to see what I baked this afternoon?"
Although Shen Lu had put him through the wringer for two days and his confidence had taken a few hits, Xin Yu never once thought about giving up. On the contrary, he became more determined with every setback.
Whether he ultimately succeeded or not, Shen Lu really appreciated his tenacious attitude.
Shen Lu inspected Xin Yu’s newly baked pizza crusts, broke off a piece to taste, and finally nodded.
"This passes."
Xin Yu let out a whoop and jumped up as if he’d just won the lottery.
"However," Shen Lu said, worried he’d get cocky and immediately pouring some cold water on his excitement, "it’s just a passing grade. If you want to make higher-quality crusts, you’ll have to keep practicing and refining your technique."
"Don’t worry, Boss, I’ll definitely keep working hard!" Xin Yu grinned, showing off his pearly whites. "Boss, I think making pizza is my calling. Compared to chopping vegetables, I feel much more in my element doing this."
Shen Lu had noticed that herself.
"Then you should focus your efforts in this direction for now. Maybe you can become a pastry chef or a Baker."
"Thank you for training me, Boss! I definitely won’t let you down!" Xin Yu held up the pizza crust he thought was his best. "Boss, you can have this one for dinner!"
Shen Lu’s expression changed. "You brat. Is this how you repay kindness—with revenge?"
Xin Yu: "?"
Shen Lu coughed. "Ahem, I’ve been feeling a bit... ’heaty’ lately. I need to eat fewer baked foods. You can deal with these pizza crusts yourself. Or just freeze them and save them for Shu Meng and Wang Daguo."
"No, that won’t do. I want to bake fresh ones for them," Xin Yu said, pursing his lips. "Boss, can I give them to the people in the backyard?"
"Haven’t you been doing that for the past two days? You’re only remembering to ask me now?"
Xin Yu gave an awkward laugh. He got the hint—Shen Lu had known all along. Her silence was a sign of tacit approval.
’Sigh,’ he thought. ’The boss is all bark and no bite.’
’She acts so wary and distant toward the three of them, but deep down, she still cares.’
’It makes sense. They’re family, after all. There can’t be that much of a rift between them.’
’Maybe the boss is just this distant because she hasn’t lived with her family for a long time?’
’This kind of thing only happens when there’s a lack of understanding on both sides.’
’If I just help mediate things a little, maybe the boss and her family can finally break the ice.’
In that instant, Xin Yu felt a new weight of responsibility settle on his shoulders.
Xin Yu took the pizza crusts he had baked and made the rounds in the restaurant.
He first went to Wu Jun and Huo Qian. Wu Jun wasn’t that picky, so he accepted one of the crusts.
Huo Qian refused. The crust would be too filling, and dinner was soon. She wanted to save room for Shen Lu’s cooking.
Cai Su and Xiao Lang also refused for the same reason.
Xin Yu went to the backyard. Yang Jing had already finished her work for the day and was in the corner, washing her hands with water from a bucket.
"Aunt Yang, done for the day?"
Hearing Xin Yu’s voice, Yang Jing immediately looked up. When she saw the pizza crust in his hand, her face lit up with genuine happiness.
’Of course,’ she thought, ’the young man must be here to bring them some food.’
"Xin Yu, did you make more flatbreads today?" Yang Jing could never seem to remember the word "pizza," so she always called the plain crusts Xin Yu made "flatbreads."
"Aunt Yang, it’s not flatbread, it’s pizza," Xin Yu corrected, his spirits lifted by her infectious smile. "It’s not a complete pizza, though. There are no toppings. Once I get better and master the technique, I’ll let you try a pizza with toppings."
"Okay, okay, that’s great!" Yang Jing didn’t quite understand everything he was saying, but she knew what he meant: regardless of what this "flatbread" was, she would have something to eat.
The two of them chatted for a couple of minutes, completely talking past each other. Xin Yu successfully gave away all his pizza crusts, and Yang Jing was full of gratitude. After Xin Yu left, she went inside, happily clutching the crusts.
"Are we eating these fucking flatbreads again?" The moment Liu Yaozu saw the crusts in Yang Jing’s arms, his face fell. "Can’t we eat something else for a change? I’m going to puke if I eat this crap again."
Liu Qiang took a crust, a hint of regret in his voice. "If the weather wasn’t so bad, we could sell whatever we can’t finish. A crust like this could go for at least 80 Star Coins."
A pizza crust made from real, high-quality flour, even if it was only the size of two palms, still tasted way better than an Insect Cake.
Yang Jing nodded vigorously. "That’s right. We’re only able to eat such good things thanks to Little Deer!"
Liu Yaozu spat. "What kind of blessing is this? She hasn’t given us a proper meal in two days!"
The first day, Liu Yaozu could reason it was because his mom had messed things up the day before. But what about the second day?
Didn’t his mom do her job properly? Didn’t she avoid provoking her? So why was it still flatbreads?
’I want rice, meat, and sweet and sour stir-fried tomatoes with eggs, not this dry, tasteless flatbread!’
Liu Qiang gnawed on his crust in silence, as did Yang Jing, but their reasons for not speaking were different.
Liu Qiang thought his son had a point, but he was intimidated by Shen Lu and didn’t want to get caught talking behind her back again.
Yang Jing thought her son was wrong, but she didn’t dare argue with him while he was angry. The wound on her forehead hadn’t even scabbed over yet, and she had no desire to get a new one.
Liu Yaozu grumbled and cursed for a while longer but eventually ate the crust without another word.
After all, the alternative to the flatbread was Insect Cake. Between the two, the flatbread was definitely the tastier option.
After they finished eating, Yang Jing tidied up and then went to find Cai Su to have her bandage changed.
Cai Su brought out the first-aid kit. Just as she removed the gauze from Yang Jing’s forehead, Shen Lu walked in, wanting to discuss some restaurant business with Cai Su.
"Go ahead and change her dressing first." Shen Lu could tell at a glance it hadn’t been done yet. She sat down on the armchair by herself and waited, silently scrolling through her Light Brain.
Cai Su hummed in acknowledgment and quickened her pace.
Yang Jing had been happy to see Shen Lu at first, but her daughter’s somewhat cold demeanor caused her spirits to sink.
’Little Deer doesn’t actually care that I’m hurt at all, does she?’
’It’s been two or three days, and she hasn’t asked about it once.’
’But she seemed to care before.’
Yang Jing didn’t understand why, and she didn’t dare to ask. Her head drooped involuntarily, and Cai Su had to remind her to look up so she could apply the medicine.