After searching for half a day in the cold storage, the two found that nine out of ten ingredients they picked up were Jonathan’s goods. Finally, they only found some onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a few pieces of frozen chicken breast and thigh meat.

"What’s in this box here, have you checked?"

Zhao Shun pointed to the large box at the bottom of the shelf, tried to lift it, but it was so heavy that it barely moved.

"No," Old Chen shook his head, "It doesn’t feel like Chef Lin’s stuff. There’s hardly any ingredients left in the fridge, probably sold out during the day, right? Western cuisine is indeed different from Chinese cuisine, all these pre-made dishes, huh?"

The shelves were filled with tubs of tomato meatballs and various stocks, as well as quite a few opened canned tomatoes wrapped in cling film.

"Not exactly pre-made dishes, you know. They make them today afternoon and sell them tomorrow, within 24 hours. You saw how complicated their Western cuisine steps are before, and there’s really no time to make them on the spot."

The cold storage was dimly lit, and many things with unclear colors were hard to recognize without getting close. Coupled with this box being placed at the bottom, to check the label, one had to squat down or bend over.

Chen Dongliang’s waist wasn’t very good, so he instinctively avoided activities that required bending over, whereas Zhao Shun developed a keen interest in this heavy box.

Opening the lid and leaning over for a glance, he was stunned.

Blinking his eyes, he pinched his thigh.

"Holy crap, am I seeing things? So many starch sausages? There must be hundreds of them!"

"What, starch sausages??"

Chen Dongliang blurted out subconsciously, "Isn’t this stuff from Great Xia?"

"Yeah, judging by the shape and aroma, it’s the same as the ones from street vendors back home, for at least three or four yuan each!"

Zhao Shun casually picked one up and put it in a bowl, only to find that all the sausages had been decorated with fancy knife cuts.

"Could chef have been selling these today? The starch sausages are quite fresh, with plenty of moisture and oil content. These are probably leftovers. Can we stir fry them into the dishes?"

"Of course, ham sausages are great stuff. I was just worrying about the hassle of preparing meat, but this solves it. Add some eggs, and it’ll be enough to make do for dinner."

With the ingredients ready, Zhao Shun went to cook rice, while Chen Dongliang began to think about what dishes to make.

"Let’s make some smashed cucumbers, they’re easy and tasty. Tomato scrambled eggs for lunch tomorrow, let everyone taste and see if it’s good. And how about onion and stir-fried ham sausage?"

"How many of us are there? 12, 34, 56, six people but only three dishes - won’t it be too little?"

He glanced at Jonathan’s team who were busy in the kitchen preparing ingredients, thinking to include them too, otherwise they would be too busy to eat dinner.

As someone new here, he needed to build good relationships with colleagues.

"What else to make, we only have these ingredients. Thawing chicken thighs and breasts takes too much time, the only meat is eggs and a bunch of ham sausages..."

"Got it! How about some vinegar scrambled eggs? They go well with rice and are simple to make."

"Oh right, we can also make steamed eggs, nearly forgot about that. Five dishes should be enough?"

The colleagues next door didn’t say if they wanted to join, and he felt awkward to ask. Anyway, cooking extra won’t be wrong; if there are leftovers, he can always heat them up for breakfast tomorrow.

After deciding the menu, he immediately pulled out a Chinese chef knife from the nearby knife rack, grabbed a handful of peeled garlic, and smashed them. Then he cut off the ends of the cucumber, smashed it casually to let it naturally break apart, and sliced it into small pieces about the size of fingernails, placing them into a bowl with the garlic for later use.

Boiling water in the steamer, he cracked a few eggs into a metal bowl, added some salt, mixed them evenly, and poured cold water until it was 70% full.

Zhao Shun, who finished cooking the rice, had come to watch, his eyes lit up seeing him making steamed eggs.

The seemingly casual movements actually contained an unknown little trick, which was the ratio of egg liquid to water.

To make steamed eggs with a smooth and tender texture, the most crucial point was the ratio.

Too little water results in eggs that are too firm in texture.

Too much water affects the appearance, with a layer of liquid floating on top of the egg curd, and the lower part of the egg curd likely not to set, falling apart upon touch.

Many inexperienced people have to search for ratios online to make steamed eggs successfully, otherwise, the results tend to be inconsistent each time.

Old Chen, on the other hand, pouring water randomly, is evidence of his expertise, adept enough to instantly gauge the required water amount based on the number of eggs, regardless of the container used.

Just like making dough, the proportions are etched into his body, becoming instinctive reactions.

With Old Chen around, there would certainly be no worry about employee meals in the future!

He used to worry about whether he’d have to eat Western food every meal after going abroad.

Chen Dongliang didn’t speak, focusing intently on the egg liquid and water, stirring a few more times before stopping. He took a spoon to skim off the bubbles on the surface, covered with cling film, pierced small holes using the knife tip, and directly put it into the steamer.

"Xiao Zhao, help me keep time, 12 minutes after the water boils."

"Okay."

Having said that, he grabbed a handful of ham sausages, slicing them into thin diagonal pieces, cut the yellow onion into threads, and tossed them into a bowl for later use.

He sliced the tomatoes after removing the stem, made cross cuts, then prepared a bowl of egg liquid.

Within a few minutes, four dishes were ready, and the additional vinegar scrambled eggs didn’t need much preparation.

"Once the steamer water boils, help me boil these tomatoes for a few seconds and then take them out." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Peeling, right? I know, I know~"

Zhao Shun initially wanted to lend a hand, but the chef’s speed was too fast, leaving him with barely any work to do, only simple tasks like this.

Elsa and Dais, watching from the sidelines, couldn’t figure out what dish Old Chen was planning to make, and couldn’t help but become even more curious.

The ingredients in each bowl looked simple, just one or two types. Can such dishes be delicious?

Chen Dongliang glanced at the time, thought for a moment, then sliced some green onions and garlic, and went to the shelf at the back to take a bottle of red chili flakes, slicing three pieces to mix with the green onions and garlic.

Just then, the steamer beside them began to emit steam. Seeing Zhao Shun already tossed the tomatoes in to boil, he directly grabbed two woks and started the fire, drizzling a circle of bright oil in.

The boiled tomatoes were taken out directly and soaked in ice water. The skin at the cross-cut started to curl back, and a gentle tug could remove it completely.

While Zhao Shun was peeling, Old Chen had already sliced the peeled tomatoes into eight pieces and poured the egg mixture into the wok.

In another wok, he quickly tossed in onion slices and ham slices to stir-fry.

With his left hand flipping the wok, his right hand gently stirring the egg mixture, letting it evenly heat and congeal.

This dual-wielding scene stunned both Dais and Elsa.

Not even Lin Chen had showcased such multitasking techniques; he basically cooked one dish at a time.

Could this seemingly honest and humble Great Xia uncle be so skilled?

The eggs were plated in just a dozen seconds, slightly runny on the surface, gleaming with bright sheen.

Without washing the wok, he added a little oil again, tossed in the sliced tomatoes to stir-fry.

At the moment, the onions in the left wok were slightly discolored, and the edges of the ham slices became a bit charred and brown.

The sweetness of onions combined with the savory scent of ham released irresistible aroma continuously from the wok.

Seeing the timing was just right, Old Chen poured in some soy sauce, sugar, salt, and water, stirred a few times, and then shifted his attention back to the tomatoes.

The high-heat sear left the tomato surface a bit sandy, and a small amount of tomato juice gathered at the wok’s bottom.

Using the spatula to gently press a few times, facilitating the tomato to release juice, then scooped a spoonful of water to simmer.

Both woks bubbled with foam, steam engulfing two distinctly different aromas rose straight up.

Helena and Lucinda, busy preparing dishes on the opposite side, couldn’t resist and cast curious glances in this direction.

They hadn’t even had time for dinner on their end, yet here it seemed almost ready and smelled so enticing.

Having a good chef indeed makes a difference!

Within just three or four minutes, the onion stir-fried with ham was plated, its appearance completely surprising Zhao Shun.

He initially thought it was the light stir-fry type, yet it ended up being in a braised sauce style—this couldn’t be called a stir-fry, right?

The tomatoes in the other wok had become entirely dissolved, transforming the whole pot into a rich tomato soup.

At this point, he tossed in the previously stir-fried eggs, casually breaking them up, tossing a few more times, letting the soup fully coat the egg surfaces.

Simply adding sugar, soy sauce, and salt to taste, then tossed a few more times, and it was done!

The orange-red of the tomatoes and golden-yellow of the tender eggs were mouth-watering just by looking, sprinkled with fresh green chives, oh so tantalizing.

No need to wash the wok used for onions, just rinse it, dry with high heat, then drizzle some oil in again.

Zhao Shun had already helped crack thirty eggs in advance, no need to scramble, just pour them in the wok.

"Sizzle"

The transparent egg whites became radiant and fluffy upon contact with high heat, emitting melodious and alluring sounds.

Old Chen gently tapped the wok with the spatula, breaking each yolk, and slightly shook the wok, letting the eggs slide and heat evenly.

When most egg whites were 70-80% solidified, he deftly flipped the wok, and the giant omelet soared into the air and landed back into the wok with precision.

With swift reflexes, he tossed the chopped green onions, garlic, and red chili flakes in, left hand adding soy sauce, and the right hand pouring aged vinegar directly, quickly scooping sugar for a quick stir-fry.

From flipping the eggs to adding the ingredients and sauce, the entire process flowed smoothly, completed in a few blinks of an eye.

Dais and Elsa had barely perceived the vinegar smell when the vinegar-fried egg was already plated.

Pan-seared until dark brown but slightly runny golden yolks coated with brown sauce, with obvious chili fragments mixed in, the distinct sweet and sour aroma permeated everyone’s noses, making them sniff hungrily.

And it didn’t end there—Old Chen swiftly mixed a dressing and poured it onto smashed cucumbers, stirred a few times, then glanced at the time.

"The steamed egg is almost ready? Dang, the rice isn’t done, did I cook too fast, and the head chef isn’t back yet either."