Western food lover

"Zhong Mingli, where did you abduct my little bear! 』The familiar music on the mobile phone rang, Zhong Mingli picked up the phone, and Su Zexiu's angry cry came immediately.

"What is your little bear, now it's my little bear." Zhong Mingli declared his sovereignty immediately.Although I am very grateful to Su Zexiu for introducing such a cute little bear to me, there is an old saying: "It is not advisable to seek a bear with a fox." No matter how you like it, you can't let Su Zexiu get involved, or you will only be eaten to death by him Dead, be oppressed obediently.

Selling yourself to your lover is called comedy.Selling yourself to Su Zexiu would be a tragedy.

"ha?You "handled" him in just one night? ’Su Zexiu seemed surprised but asked happily.

"Not yet. But I told him that you are in debt of 400 million, so I will pay all his expenses now, so you don't have to worry about it."

"Small man, what a villain.The bridge will be demolished after crossing the river. It is really a matchmaker after marriage. My fragile heart has been mercilessly hit. You have to compensate me 20 yuan for mental damage. After receiving two blows in a row, Su Zexiu cried on the other end of the phone.

"You don't need that little money, why do you want to come?" Zhong Mingli said with a smile.

"If you lose someone, you have to get back some matchmaker fee!" ’Su Zexiu’s tragic voice came, ‘Besides, don’t I pay off the debt of 400 million?People want to ask for it!money!return!debt! 』

After hanging up the phone, Su Zexiu's bad ideas started to pop up again, "Huh, you want to get rid of me and go on a blind date? No way. I'm having a hard time, and you don't want to have a smooth relationship."

After thinking about it, he took out his mobile phone and pressed Du Xiaoxiong's number, "Little Xiongxiong, it's me. Just Mingli called me. It would be great if you got along well. If you have any problems with him in the future, or if you need help , you can come to me...you don’t need to thank me, that’s all.”

"The hook has been put down, just wait for the fish to take the bait by itself."So far, there has never been a net that I cast that can't catch fish. I don't care if you are enlightened or liming, in the end you still have to accept my tormenting obediently. 』

Thinking of this, Su Zexiu smiled with crooked eyes, like a happy little fox.

After having breakfast at the coffee shop downstairs in the office building, Zhong Mingli returned to the office.Seeing Zhong Mingli coming back, his special assistant Chen Junru immediately went up to meet him.

"Morning President! Did the President sleep well last night?" Chen Junru asked shyly.

"Well, it's not bad. My insomnia is finally gone. Thank you for your concern." Zhong Mingli looked at Chen Junru's pretty face and replied coldly.He knew that Chen Junru liked him, and he had considered quitting her because of this, but except for the occasional girl Huaichun in front of him, Chen Junru was still a very capable assistant at ordinary times.She does things neatly, and her words are sharp and sometimes even mean. Just reading letters, outsiders would never think that it was written by this woman.

"Oh, that's really congratulations to the president." Chen Junru couldn't help being a little disappointed when she heard that Zhong Mingli's insomnia was gone. Isn't her hard work going to waste?Unwilling, she decided to give it a try.

"President, this is a lavender warm bag I made with my own hands. Although your insomnia is gone, maybe it will be useful in the future." Chen Junru ran back to her seat and took out a small gift from under the table bag, and pulled out a purple thermal bag with a lavender print on it.

"It contains dried lavender flowers, and it can be used in the microwave for 3 minutes. It has the scent of lavender, which is very helpful for calming the mind." She put the warm bag back into the bag and handed it to Zhong Mingli .

Zhong Mingli didn't want it at first, but then he thought of Du Xiaoxiong waiting on the sofa. The little animal is a simple and serious person. If he wasn't around, maybe he would really be afraid to turn on the heater and wait. This warm bag can give He uses.

"Okay, thank you. Go and prepare the materials for the regular meeting later." Zhong Mingli took the gift bag, ignored the surprise on Chen Junru's face and turned to his office.A slight scent of lavender wafted around him, but he felt that it was not as comfortable as Du Xiaoxiong's refreshing smell.

After entering the conference room and having a brief exchange of greetings with the department managers, Zhong Mingli went straight to the point.

"This month's performance fell by three percentage points compared with the same period last year. I think we need to review our strategy. Although the performance after Christmas usually falls for one or two months and then recovers, the lower than the same period last year shows that Our performance is going downhill, and if we don’t find out the cause of the problem and solve it in time, it will be a hidden danger for our long-term development.”

"I think the economy is one of the main reasons. Although the world's economy was very good a few years ago, people are willing to go outside for leisure and romance when they have money. But the economic cycle has its ups and downs. Recently, economists have started With the wind of caution and prices only rising but not falling, I think the citizens will soon be ready to stockpile grain to prevent hunger.” said Fang, the manager of the accounting department, who often deals with banks and is very sensitive to the signs of trouble in banks.

"Our main customer group has always been targeting young couples. When they have money, boys don't mind spending money to let their girlfriends have a romantic candlelight dinner. When they don't have money, they can only turn to sweet talk." Manager Wang joked.

"The cold weather is also a reason. It's so cold that everyone would rather stay at home than go out." Ms. Chen from the personnel department said.

"The weather is a natural cause, and we can't change it. We don't have the ability to influence the economic environment, so we can only start from the inside. Reduce costs and change the strategy of the main customer group. Go back and think about it, and then give me a plan."

After Du Xiaoxiong deposited the check, he didn't dare to pay the tuition in one go. He only paid [-] yuan. He even lied to the principal that his foreign relatives who came back to visit relatives in China knew about his difficulties and lent them to him.He was afraid of attracting suspicion. After all, his family was poor, and it was impossible to suddenly get so much money just by doing odd jobs. He was even worried that the police would come to investigate. He didn't know how to explain it.

But on the other hand, he was very happy.He bought a lot of supplements that were not very expensive—buying too expensive ones for fear of his mother’s suspicion—and mailed them to his mother along with several thousand yuan.Mom can get through the winter comfortably this year.

In the end, Du Xiaoxiong bought himself a set of western food knives.The hero is equipped with a treasured sword, not because he is influenced by the passion of Japanese animation. The protagonist holds a knife and shoots lasers all over the place to turn into a dish of delicacies.But as a professional chef, a set of high-end western food knives is indeed a tool for his status symbol and artistic expression.

A set of high-end western food knives costs at least a thousand yuan, but Du Xiaoxiong can't afford it, so he can only go to a hypermarket to buy a set of several hundred yuan.He still remembered that when Stephen was inspecting the knives of his classmates, he picked up his knife and tapped it on the desk. A solid and heavy voice.

"Look, this is the difference in the quality of the sword.Of course you're just learning now, so practice with these cheap knives is fine - it's still not sharp enough, but by the time you get to work, it won't be good enough for your work, and it will wear out pretty quickly. 』

At that time, Du Xiaoxiong was so embarrassed that he was about to burst into flames, but he had no choice but to afford such a knife.

"Now I have a decent set of tools too. ” Du Xiaoxiong thought happily, “I want to study hard and become an excellent chef! ’ he shouted to the sky.

"Wow, this set of knives is so beautiful and expensive." As soon as Du Xiaoxiong took out his own knives, Mei Li immediately noticed it with sharp eyes. "Isn't it from that cousin again? That's great."

Now the whole class knows that Du Xiaoxiong has rich foreign relatives, so he transformed from a poor boy into a little prince and wore famous brand clothes.Everyone can't wait to go back and look up the family tree to see if they have any relatives living abroad.

Du Xiaoxiong smiled awkwardly, as a tacit consent, he was quite afraid of the envious eyes of his classmates, although his behavior with Zhong Mingli was still very legitimate, but in the end this was not an unspeakable relationship.

"Hey, students, let's make something fun today, let's make French fries!" Stephen said cheerfully. "Learn to bake French fries, and McDonald's and KFC stand aside. For the same price, the whole family can eat French fries. Mom and dad will praise you, and younger siblings will fall in love with you."

The whole class rolled their eyes in a tacit understanding...

"Give me a sense of humor, I brought ketchup. Two potatoes per person, peel and cut into slices [-] cm thick, then into strips [-] cm wide, not too thin Oh. Then put it in water, soak up the water with a cloth, and then put it in the fryer.”

"If I had known earlier, I would have brought a bottle of vinegar to make potato shreds salad. What about frying?" Mei Li complained. "Ahhh, shredded shreds are what I hate the most."

"Does Lili practice at home?" Du Xiaoxiong asked. His chopping movements are very clumsy. Others have already chopped half of them. If he works at this speed in the future, he will definitely chop them up and feed them to the chef. dog.

"How can there be so many materials for me to practice!" Mei Liyu cried. "It's better to find a job in the kitchen, where you can work and practice."

"But it's hard to find. You need experience." Du Xiaoxiong was also depressed. He had looked for it before, either because he was inexperienced or the time was not suitable.

"That's right, I don't care for newcomers at all. Little Xiongxiong is okay, he has a cousin to protect him, and ask him to fund you to open a small restaurant in the future, so you don't have to worry about it."

"My cousin isn't that rich..." Du Xiaoxiong said guiltily, but Mei Li reminded him that before looking for a job, he was looking for a living, but after he had money, he didn't have to worry about making a living anymore, but the comfortable life also allowed him to Forget about long-term considerations—after all, the job of sleeping with you is not a long-term job, and you will still have to rely on your own hands to work and make money in the future.

If there is no skill, it will be nothing in the end. No matter how much money Zhong Mingli gives, it is impossible to support himself and his mother for a lifetime.

This startled awakening made Du Xiaoxiong's back burst into cold sweat.

Du Xiaoxiong thought about asking Zhong Mingli if he could work as a helper in his western restaurant, but he felt that Zhong Mingli had treated him well enough, and he seemed too dissatisfied by doing so, so he didn't dare to ask.

Du Xiaoxiong remembered that Su Zexiu said that if he needed help, he could be found. A bar as big as Mr. Su must have its own kitchen to provide food, so maybe he could ask Mr. Su for help.

So Du Xiaoxiong stepped into the Red Lion Bar again.

"What's the matter, little Xiongxiong?" Su Zexiu asked happily when she heard that Du Xiaoxiong had something to ask her.

"Does Mr. Su need a helper in the kitchen? Or do you know a friend who runs a restaurant and needs a helper in the kitchen?"

"Why, are you still short of money?" Su Zexiu asked curiously, Xiaoxiong shouldn't be short of money, right? Zhong Mingli is still very generous.

"It's not that I lack money, but I want to learn more and gain work experience." Du Xiaoxiong told Su Zexiu his thoughts.

"Little Xiongxiong is such a good boy, he is still so motivated when he has money. Then you can help me here. More than half of my bar is foreign customers." Su Zexiu privately made a "V" gesture. "Zhong Mingli is mad at you, Little Xiongxiong is back in my hands." 』

"Thank you, Mr. Su!" Du Xiaoxiong said sincerely. "You have helped me so much, and you still have to pay off the debts. I just need to work part-time."

When Su Zexiu heard the words, she was so moved that tears filled her eyes, she hugged Du Xiaoxiong, and rubbed his face desperately against his little cheek. "Little Xiong is a very good person. If you need help in the future, just tell me, and I will definitely go up the mountain of swords and down the sea of ​​fire for you!"

After Du Xiaoxiong left, Su Zexiu plunged into Wanglong's arms again, and cried, "Wanglong, I regret it so much, I actually sold such a pure and kind national protected animal who was sold to help count the money." gone."

Wang Long thought that Su Zexiu was going to repent, but he immediately heard: "I only sold 20 to Zhong Mingli, I lost money, I lost a lot! Woo——"

The glass in Wanglong's hand was finally crushed...

"Xiaoxiong is back to see mom."

"Yes, Aunt Huang, thank you for always helping to take care of my mother. It's a small gesture." Du Xiaoxiong quickly handed over some high-end biscuits, cigarettes and alcohol.

During the weekend, Du Xiaoxiong went back to the countryside to visit his mother. He used to be too busy earning living expenses to ask for leave, but now he can finally take a breather.

Although it is said to be "returning to the countryside", Du Xiaoxiong's ancestral home is not a rural area full of grain fields, but in fact it is a small town with a large scale.

But just like the Americans think that no one is a boss except the United States, and the British think that no one is a gentleman except the United Kingdom, people in City H think that when they leave City H, they are rural areas—it was indeed farming a long time ago.

"Why is it so expensive? Our neighbors have to help each other. This brand of cigarettes is the old man's favorite. It is so expensive that we are reluctant to buy it."

Aunt Huang happily took the gift bag, and then read again.

"Well, it's not that my old man likes nagging. Young people should go to the city to work and earn a lot of money, but occasionally they have to find time to come back. This is not far from City H, only two or three hours by car. Only I see money but no one comes back, alas.”

Du Xiaoxiong smiled wryly. Aunt Huang's son was also working in City H. It was said that he was doing well, and the money was sent home a lot, but he didn't come back a few times. As soon as Aunt Huang saw Xiaoxiong coming back, he stopped him to complain. .

Du Xiaoxiong returned to his ancestral house after greeting his neighbors and giving gifts.

This ancestral house is the property of Du's father's family. It is a very simple one-story house. The entrance is a small garden with a few pots of flowers planted. Next to it is the kitchen. In the early ten years, a fire was used for cooking, and later it was converted to use gas barrels.

Across the garden was a small living room, barely big enough for a dining table and pieces of faded wooden furniture.At the end of the living room is the bedroom. There is only a simple single bed and a wardrobe. The old-fashioned mosquito net covering the bed has been washed yellow.

Du Xiaoxiong touched the thick and hard quilt, thinking of Zhong Mingli's luxury apartment, his nose felt sore. He also hoped to change his mother to a more comfortable environment, but unfortunately he was not capable yet.

"Mom, I brought you a duvet. It's light, soft and warm, much better than your old quilt."

"Hey, you kid, you spend money as soon as you have money. Last time it was a tonic, this time it's a quilt. Cough... your mother has been sleeping for so many years, and she doesn't care anymore. You save the money and it will be useful Ah. Cough..." Mama Du muttered, accompanied by a few coughs.

"Mom, don't worry. I'm working in a good place now. It's a high-end hotel. The manager said that I performed well, and the guests even wrote me commendation letters. So they gave me a lot of bonuses and told me to keep working hard." Du Xiaoxiong comforted his mother guiltily while helping his mother with her back.

"Besides, you are not in good health. You need supplements. What I send you are nourishing Qi and blood. If you want to eat, don't waste it. When I graduate and find a good job, I can make a lot of money, and then we can live together. big house."

"Mom doesn't want a big house, I just want you to work hard and be safe and secure." Mother Du sighed.

"Your father and I are both small employees. The only extravagance was a candlelight dinner at a western restaurant when your father proposed to me. Since then, we have lived a normal life until your father passed away. My western restaurant has been demolished and rebuilt long ago. I know you had a bad time before, and my mother can't help you, but now that you have money, I always feel uneasy. Xiaoxiong, you must live in peace Work, don’t let yourself down with just one praise.”

"Ok, I know."

Du Xiaoxiong felt a little guilty. Although he and Zhong Mingli had never done anything, his mother was a very conservative person and would definitely feel sad for her depravity.So on the other hand, Du Xiaoxiong was very grateful to Zhong Mingli, he didn't bully others, he was approachable and forthright, if it wasn't for him, he wouldn't have hope for the future again.

"I must repay Mr. Zhong well!"