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Tan Weizhou prepared food at a snail’s pace, as if his motions were set to 0.5x speed—slow and leisurely like an elderly person.

When Jiang Feng casually strolled through Tan Family Small Restaurant earlier, he glanced at the wall clock; it wasn’t even 4 PM yet. Most restaurants start serving around 5, and private kitchens are even more casual, sometimes opening as late as 6 or 7 without any complaints from diners.

Yet Tan Weizhou had to begin hustling from just after 3 PM because he was the sole chef at Tan Family Small Restaurant.

Compared to Ji Xue, who was responsible for washing and cutting vegetables, doing other miscellaneous tasks, cleaning, and even washing dishes, Tan Weizhou’s workload was actually much heavier.

To prevent outsiders from stealing Tan Weizhou’s secret recipe for his clay pot flower-carved chicken, Tan Lin and his wife would not allow anyone to be involved in its preparation. They’d rather Tan Weizhou handle every dish, completely disregarding whether his body could endure the strain at over 60 years of age.

Sons like that, better to have given birth to a piece of barbecued pork.

Halfway through, Jiang Feng left the kitchen to loiter at the front desk. He said he was going to call over Wenwen—possibly Tan Weizhou’s daughter-in-law, who sat cheerfully watching TV at the front desk, having totally forgotten what she just said.

When Jiang Feng returned to the kitchen, Ji Xue had already finished cutting the vegetables and washing the dishes—the leftover dishes from the restaurant’s lunch service had been piled in the sink unwashed. Jiang Feng wondered what Tan Lin and his wife were thinking; did they expect Tan Weizhou to do the dishes as well?

What Jiang Feng didn’t realize was that, of course, Tan Lin wasn’t delusional enough to think his 60-something-year-old father would cook and then wash dishes, but he did have a daughter.

Ever since the previous helper, Hong, resigned and until the day Ji Xue started working, it had always been Tan Wenwen who washed the dishes.

Tan Lin wasn’t just squeezing his father dry; he was exploiting his daughter as well.

Ji Xue, finished with the dishes, was unsure what else she could do.

Tan Family Small Restaurant had a significant reputation in the city, known to anyone in the catering business; Ji Xue had heard about it long ago. She was somewhat afraid of Tan Lin’s wife and was also a little scared of Tan Weizhou.

“Master Tan, what… what should I do now?” Ji Xue asked.

Tan Weizhou, who had been preoccupied with the early preparations of the clay pot flower-carved chicken, hadn’t paid attention to Ji Xue’s work. Only when she spoke did he look in her direction and saw that Ji Xue had not only cut the vegetables but also washed the dishes.

“You really didn’t need to wash the…,” Tan Weizhou started to say, but something seemed to come to mind, his expression twisting in conflict, “If you want to wash them, wash them, then.”

“What about now?” Ji Xue continued.

“Do you know how to slice meat?” Tan Weizhou asked.

“I do!” Ji Xue nodded eagerly.

“Slice that beef into strips,” Tan Weizhou instructed.

Ji Xue started slicing the beef.

Engrossed in slicing the beef, Ji Xue didn’t notice that Tan Weizhou actually stopped his work to watch her. After observing for a while and his stern expression easing considerably, he returned to his own tasks.

By a little after 5, diners who had made reservations started to arrive at Tan Family Small Restaurant. Tan Lin’s wife popped in a few times to hurry the dishes along but never offered any help, simply leaving after inquiring. Ji Xue served the completed dishes, effectively juggling the roles of both kitchen staff and waiter but clearly not receiving two salaries.

Tan Wenwen finally arrived at Tan Family Small Restaurant after 7 o’clock to wash dishes. As soon as she stepped through the door, her mother dragged her into the storeroom for a scolding, then rushed her to the kitchen to help out. Throughout the whole process until dinner time, Tan Wenwen walked around with a sullen expression, with no interaction with Ji Xue.

It wasn’t until after 8 PM that Tan Lin arrived for dinner with his son in tow. Tan Lin had just two children; Tan Wenwen was a few years older than Ji Xue, and his son appeared only a few years older than Ji Xia. The age difference between the Tan siblings was likely similar to that of the Ji sisters.

Dinner was still prepared by Tan Weizhou, and it was quite lavish, featuring a bountiful spread of fish, meat, and seafood, possibly due to the festive season. The dish of boiled shrimp in the center of the table was particularly beautifully arranged.

“Why are you so late, and you even brought your son along after going out to mess around,” Tan Lin’s wife complained with dissatisfaction. Dinner service was lacking hands since Tan Lin arrived so late, and although it was only for six tables, she was still displeased.

Despite her discontent with her husband, Tan Lin’s wife faced her son with a big, beaming smile—the most sincere, most radiant smile Jiang Feng had seen from her all day.

“Rui Rui, did you have fun with dad at the zoo today?”

“Fun!”

Tan Wenwen’s expression darkened a bit as she watched from the side, clearly brooding.

“Doesn’t the zoo close at six? How come you got back so late?” The face Tan Lin’s wife turned towards Tan Lin was suddenly transformed.

“It was all because Rui Rui was clamoring for barbecue, ordered a bunch but then didn’t eat, leaving me to eat it all by myself. Let’s see what there is to eat today. Hey, Dad, why are you cooking this for the New Year? We always have these plain boiled shrimp. Can’t you come up with something new for once?” Despite not lifting a finger to help, Tan Lin had high demands.

After complaining about the selection of dishes on the table, Tan Lin finally noticed Ji Xue. The last time Ji Xue had come to apply for a job, Tan Lin was also there, so he knew what was going on as soon as he saw her. Without a word, he dragged his wife into the storeroom.

The door wasn’t closed properly.

“That girl came today?” asked Tan Lin.

“Yeah, she came this afternoon. What’s wrong? You’re not happy about it? You never bother to help out in the restaurant anyway. I’m tired to death from running the food and then I have to go to the kitchen to wash and chop vegetables. That Wenwen, I don’t know where she went, only showing up after seven o’clock.”

“Who’s asking you about that? How was she in the kitchen this afternoon?” Tan Lin was clearly getting impatient with his wife’s chit-chat.

“What do you mean, how was she? How would I know? I wasn’t in the kitchen.”

“You weren’t in the kitchen?” Tan Lin’s voice suddenly raised, and people outside could hear even more clearly, “You just let that girl stay in the kitchen with Dad all afternoon? Do you know if she is here to steal a look and learn? Are you really that comfortable leaving her with Dad?”

“She’s just a young girl, what could she possibly learn by stealing?”

“What could she learn by stealing? The girls these days are so sharp. They look all innocent, but who knows what they’re like behind closed doors. I remember her family runs a restaurant, don’t they? Competitors are natural enemies—don’t you understand that?”

“Fine, fine, why are you raising your voice like that? Be careful, people outside might hear. I’ll stay in the kitchen tomorrow, and you manage the restaurant and the front.”

“What about Wenwen? What do I need to do in the restaurant?”

“…”

The couple were engaged in a lively discussion in the storeroom, oblivious that their colorful conversation had been overheard by everyone outside.

Tan Weizhou wore a stern expression, while Ji Xue’s face turned red, whether from shame or anger was unclear. Even Tan Wenwen, who had been grumpy earlier, now seemed a bit embarrassed and didn’t dare to look at Ji Xue, pretending to be captivated by the dish on the table—the plain boiled shrimp she kept staring at.

Tan Rui, being young, did not react much and sat at the table waiting for dinner to start.

After a while, the couple emerged from the storeroom, looking as if nothing had happened, completely unaware that their animated conversation had been heard clearly by those outside.

“Um, boss, could I please pack some food to take home? My sister is still at home, and it’s getting late. My parents aren’t there, and I’m afraid she’s scared to be alone,” Ji Xue said softly, head lowered.

Tan Lin’s wife was a bit displeased and said with an unkind tone, “We’re out of to-go containers.”

“I have a lunchbox in the kitchen; you can use mine to pack the food and bring it back tomorrow. In the future, if you want to take food home, bring your own container,” Tan Wenwen suddenly interjected.

“Thank you.”

“There are some leftovers from the dishes we made too much of in the kitchen; you can pack those up too,” said Tan Weizhou.

“Thank you.”

“Dad, when you cook, why do you make so much extra? It’s a waste. Plus, if you make too much, why don’t you just serve it? Can’t everyone just eat it together?” Tan Lin found something else to comment on at that moment.

Tan Weizhou gave him a look, “Wasn’t it you who told me not to fob you off with leftovers?”

Tan Lin coughed awkwardly, a bit embarrassed.

Tan Wenwen led Ji Xue into the kitchen and took out a pink plastic lunchbox from a cupboard.

“When I go to school, I use this lunchbox to bring my lunch. My grandfather doesn’t trust the school cafeteria food; he always thinks it’s not clean,” Tan Wenwen explained.

On the cooking station was a plate with some of the extra food Tan Weizhou had cooked. It was actually just some leftovers—odds and ends that tasted the same but were not presentable enough to serve. There was a mix of meat and vegetables, all piled together on the plate like a big hodgepodge.

Tan Wenwen scooped half a box of rice for Ji Xue and then dumped the plate of leftovers into the lunchbox, handing it to her.

“You should get back quickly. I didn’t talk to you earlier not because I have something against you, but because I was in a bad mood. Thanks for washing the dishes at noon,” Tan Wenwen said.

“Thank you,” Ji Xue said softly, flashing Tan Wenwen a smile.