Following Zheng Siyuan’s suggestion, Qin Huai asked Huang Xi to post an apprentice recruitment notice in the name of the Yunzhong Restaurant, even sticking a notice on the outer gate’s window.
In the afternoon, someone came to apply.
The applicant was even an old employee.
"You want to be an apprentice?" Qin Huai looked at An Youyou, who was full of apprehension, and tried to recall An Youyou’s resume from when she applied as a general helper.
Good, couldn’t recall at all.
Qin Huai’s impression of An Youyou was simply someone from Qianzhou, hardworking, just barely an adult, only a junior high school graduate, a cost-effective worker.
The choice of An Youyou back then was also because of her high cost-effectiveness.
An Youyou nodded emphatically.
"The apprentice salary might not even be as high as what you’re earning now." Qin Huai thought An Youyou assumed apprentices earned more, so he reminded her, "Being an apprentice is about learning snacks and skills, meals included but no accommodation, the salary is very low. If you have talent, you might be accepted as a disciple if you don’t mind acknowledging me as your master."
"But... they probably wouldn’t take someone with zero basic skills, right?" As he said this, Qin Huai glanced at Zheng Siyuan.
Zheng Siyuan: ...Why are you looking at me? I’m not the one recruiting apprentices.
Zheng Siyuan could only nod at Qin Huai.
He had never recruited apprentices, nor had his father ever accepted a disciple, but his Uncle Huang Shengli had taken on many apprentices. They were all traditional apprentices, serving tea and kneeling to show respect, akin to one’s own children.
"So, I wanted to ask if I can be a helper and an apprentice at the same time," An Youyou said shyly, "I want to learn a craft, but I also want to earn money."
Such a simple wish, such straightforward words.
"Do you have any basic skills?" Qin Huai asked, given that he was somewhat familiar with An Youyou.
"Yes, I know how to knead dough and chop fillings!" An Youyou emphasized, "My family runs a breakfast shop in town!"
"Then why did you come out to work?" Qin Huai was a bit curious, as his family also ran a breakfast shop. If he hadn’t inherited wealth, he’d probably still be selling buns at home now.
"My mom didn’t give me money." An Youyou admitted frankly, "Back home, if you don’t do well in school, you go to work right after junior high. I didn’t do well, so I just helped out at our breakfast shop after graduating. Every day, I’d get up at one-something in the morning and work till around 11 AM, with no breaks on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Because I was working from home, my mom only gave me 200 yuan a month as pocket money."
"I wanted money so badly that I ran off to work as soon as I became an adult. Before coming to the restaurant, I sent out many resumes, but jobs either didn’t have a base salary or had low pay. Although the restaurant work starts at 6 AM and I live far away, meaning I have to get up around 4 AM, the pay is good!"
"Plus, getting up at 4 is a lot later than at home, I love it!"
Zheng Siyuan, silently eavesdropping on the side, didn’t understand but was very shocked and even a bit thankful his family didn’t run a breakfast shop.
"Boss, your skills are great." An Youyou no longer called him Master Qin but just Boss, "If I learn from you for a few years, I won’t have to be a general helper anymore. This morning, I secretly asked Master Chen about his wages, and it’s 4k more than mine! I so want to be a breakfast chef!"
He realized that An Youyou truly loved money.
The kid’s desire for money was almost spilling out of her eyes.
"In theory, general helper and apprentice definitely cannot be combined." Qin Huai said, adding before An Youyou could show disappointment, "But if you’re willing to get up a bit earlier, you can switch to being a kitchen assistant."
Qin Huai expressed that a 5k-a-month general helper could be recruited again, but finding someone willing to get up at 1 AM as a kitchen assistant was really difficult.
The Yunzhong Restaurant desperately needed such talent.
"But as an assistant, you’d need to get up a bit earlier; of course, you’d finish work earlier too. As an assistant, you can also learn skills, the salary would be a bit higher, and most importantly, there’s a commission."
An Youyou’s eyes lit up: "Can I be an assistant?"
"Can you get to the restaurant by 3 AM?"
"Trial for three days. If there are no issues, I’ll have Huang Xi draft a new transfer contract for you."
"Don’t call me Boss, call me Master Qin."
"Thank you, Master Qin!"
Qin Huai messaged Huang Xi, who was out handling affairs, informing her they had recruited a new assistant, regrettably losing an excellent general helper, urging her to quickly recruit another one.
Qin Huai continued to simmer the soup, taking the opportunity to share the good news with Zheng Siyuan that he had found an assistant for him.
Zheng Siyuan remarked there was no need to specially find an assistant; he couldn’t get up at 3 AM.
"For you breakfast sellers, do you all wake up this early?" After Qin Huai skimmed the foam off the broth in the pot again, Zheng Siyuan cautiously asked.
If selling breakfast required waking up at 1 AM every day, he could understand why Qin Huai was still willing to wake up at 4 AM now.
"It is quite early." Qin Huai nodded, "But I couldn’t get up either. Initially, my parents would get up early to make a batch and sell it, and I would get up at 5 AM to sell the second batch."
"The residents near Sanmalu District mostly wait for the second batch, always having high schoolers late because they waited for buns."
"Sigh." Speaking, Qin Huai sighed, "If it weren’t for business being so good now, I wouldn’t get up at 4. The days of getting up at 5 are gone forever."
Qin Huai continued shaping a Doraemon.
He seemed to have a quarrel with Doraemon.
The uglier it was, the more he insisted on making it.
"Oh yeah, I need to accompany Mr. Luo to the hospital for therapy tomorrow afternoon, so you can take the afternoon off too, Siyuan. Trust me, as long as you run fast enough at noon, you won’t see Mr. Cao, Grandma Ding, Mr. Xu’s disappointed looks." Qin Huai sincerely imparted experience to Zheng Siyuan.
He was afraid that the grandpas and grandmas in the community might overact and scare away the Yunzhong Restaurant’s randomly dropped SSR pastry chef.
Zheng Siyuan thought Qin Huai made sense and decided to try sneaking off early the next day.
The next day, after lunch, Zheng Siyuan and Qin Huai both hurriedly left.
Qin Huai had become a regular visitor to the hospital.
The doctors and nurses in the rehabilitation department often saw Qin Huai on the first floor, and when Qin Huai came, nurses proactively greeted him and asked why he didn’t inform Dr. Qu that he was bringing Mr. Luo over for therapy—Dr. Qu wasn’t in the rehabilitation department.
Luo Jun’s sharp gaze almost tore Qin Huai to pieces.
"If I say I forgot because I was thinking about the recruitment yesterday, would you believe me?" Qin Huai said weakly.
Luo Jun sneered, "What, are you getting the same forgetfulness as Wang Gen Sheng?"
It seemed Luo Jun heard quite a bit of gossip.
"I’ll call right away!" Qin Huai took out his phone.
The call didn’t go through.
"Please wait in the rehabilitation department for a moment; I’ll go find them right now!" Qin Huai dashed towards the elevator.
Luo Jun silently walked towards the consultation room.
Before reaching the elevator, Qin Huai heard Dr. Zhou exclaim, "Mr. Luo, why are you here alone? Where’s Master Qin? Where’s Dr. Qu? Are they busy today???"
From Dr. Zhou’s tone, it seemed like the next moment, they would dial a missing person report.
Qin Huai headed to the neurology department.
Dr. Qu Jing didn’t have an afternoon clinic. After confirming with the nurse at the nurse’s station that Qu Jing was in the office, Qin Huai headed straight to the doctor’s office.
The office door was closed, but the soundproofing wasn’t great. Maybe the person speaking happened to be near the door and didn’t notice.
"Two more patient complaints came in this morning, saying you wear a mask, gloves, and a scarf in this heat. One said your appearance was too odd, making them uncomfortable; the other said you were disrespectful to patients."
"We all understand your situation, but UV allergy isn’t such a difficult-to-treat disorder. You’ve been seeing outside doctors for years without effect; have you considered going to our hospital’s dermatology department? Director Huang has quite some expertise in this area."
Qin Huai paused his knocking hand.
"I know, Director. The treatment over the years outside has improved my condition a lot. Next time, I’ll be more mindful and not wear a scarf."
"I wasn’t blaming you either. After all, it’s patient feedback that our hospital takes seriously. Please bear with it a bit."
Qin Huai knocked on the door.
"Come in, the door’s unlocked," came the director’s voice.
Qin Huai pushed the door open, and the neurology department’s Director Zhang recognized him.
The neurology department’s Dried Tangerine Peel Tea skills were so poor that thanks to Qin Huai’s private supply to Qu Jing, Director Zhang could score a cup.
"Master Qin, what brings you here today? Need to make an appointment for a family member? I recall your father was here for a check-up a while back, and it seemed like his back wasn’t in great shape."
"I’m here for Dr. Qu." Qin Huai pointed at Qu Jing, "Mr. Luo had a sudden notion to come for therapy, and I couldn’t reach Dr. Qu by phone earlier..."
Director Zhang understood: "Mr. Luo came, right? Just in time, Dr. Qu’s clinic is over. Xiao Qu, you go comfort Mr. Luo."
"Master Qin, if your father comes for a back consultation, let me know. I have connections with the orthopedics department."
"Definitely, thank you, Director Zhang. Next time, I’ll bring you some Dried Tangerine Peel Tea."
"You’re too kind." Director Zhang’s smile was wide.
Qin Huai and Qu Jing headed to the rehabilitation department.
Qin Huai didn’t mention what he overheard at the doorway, pretending he hadn’t heard anything, but he quietly pondered.
Director Zhang mentioned that Qu Jing had been seeing outside doctors for her UV allergy all these years.
Yet, Qin Huai clearly remembered that when Mr. Cao wanted to introduce a doctor to Qu Jing yesterday morning, she implied her UV allergy was treated at their own hospital.
"Qu Jing, your lip color seems off again lately," Qin Huai remarked.
Perhaps due to the conversation with the director, Qu Jing wasn’t wearing a mask.
Qu Jing paused, took out a mask from her pocket, and put it on, saying, "Maybe it’s because my meals have been irregular lately, causing low blood sugar."
"I’ve been working on a new paper, encountered some issues, and felt some pressure. I didn’t even notice until you mentioned it."
Arriving at the rehabilitation department, they both exited the elevator.