Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 968 - 475: The Boss Thinks Highly of You

What is the most important thing when starting a team battle?

Support!

Qin Huai has a wealth of experience in sweet-talking and getting familiar with spirits, and deeply understands the importance of support in such situations. A good support can make any seemingly ridiculous topic reasonable and pull back a conversation that seems to have gone off-track.

Qin Huai's previous top-tier support was Shi Dadan.

And it can still be.

Unfortunately, Shi Dadan's child is on summer vacation, and he needs to temporarily return to his family, so Qin Huai had to use Tan Wei'an for the moment.

Qin Huai deliberately didn't prep Tan Wei'an in advance. Tan Wei'an's biggest flaw is that he can't keep his mouth shut. This is evident from the first sentence of every topic started by a master in Zhiwei Restaurant: "I heard Xiao Tan say this."

But Tan Wei'an also has his strengths.

He's quick-witted and particularly good at playing along. At critical moments, he can lie through his teeth and bluff.

With Tan Wei'an's skills, bluffing Wang Gen Sheng and Gong Liang might not work, but it's more than enough to fool An Youyou.

Poor Three-legged Golden Toad, who hasn't read much, used to help sell breakfast goods in a small town and hasn't seen much of the world. Finally stepping out to work, she lands her first job at Yunzhong Restaurant with barely any work experience, usually accepting whatever someone says; she's just too easy to fool.

An Youyou, easy to fool, was a bit in shock.

She started to wonder if it was because she only received 9 years of compulsory education and didn't even attend high school. Her literacy level wasn't high, and her language grades weren't that good in school. Why does she feel like she can't understand human speech?

What did the boss just say?

Said that he was optimistic about her and wanted to train her to take over Yunzhong Restaurant.

Isn't this the kind of plot that only happens in short videos, where during an interview, you pick up a piece of paper from the floor and throw it into the trash, and an old man pops out from the corner, shakes your hand, and says you're the talent our company is looking for, young man, I appreciate you, things like education and ability don't matter, character is the most important, I want to train you to become our company's CEO?

Dr. Qu has even told her not to watch too many of such short videos, as they might dull her mind.

An Youyou was confused.

She started thinking if it was Dr. Qu who had a problem, or the boss, or if she herself had a problem.

An Youyou pondered while eating meatballs. Confused or not, she had to eat. There was only this pot of stew on the table; Tan Wei'an was her strong competitor, with a record of eating himself into the hospital, his appetite not to be underestimated.

Seeing An Youyou focusing on her meal without speaking, Qin Huai gently asked, "Is there something you're worried about?"

An Youyou swallowed the beef ball in her mouth and didn't dare to voice the question in her mind: Boss, did you watch too many short videos and ruin your brain? She cautiously asked, "Master Qin, were you talking about me just now?"

"I can only make steamed buns, vegetarian buns, and meat buns, I can't even make shumai. Are you joking about me taking over Yunzhong Restaurant in the future?"

Hearing An Youyou speak like this, Qin Huai suddenly realized that no one had truly understood An Youyou before.

The previous approach was too gentle, not aggressive enough.

Almost everyone said the Three-legged Golden Toad naturally loved money, especially unearned money, so everyone assumed An Youyou's failure in her tribulation must be related to money, dreading a bad result from just offering her money directly.

Yet now, with the pie handed to her mouth, she wouldn't even take a bite, very un-Three-legged Golden Toad like.

In her previous life as a beggar, just how much societal beatings had she taken to lose her nature completely. In fact, the inherently reckless nature of a mayfly is etched into the bones through such experiences. The Three-legged Golden Toad hasn't even reached her last life and is already rejecting unearned gains?

With rich childish prank experience, Qin Huai knew that dealing with things that defy logic and reason in themselves would not work by speaking logic and reason; emotional appeal was needed.

"Because I see a reflection of my past in you." Qin Huai said. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Huh?" An Youyou became more bewildered, even stopped eating her meatballs, realizing she truly couldn't understand what Qin Huai was saying. She comprehended the words individually, but not the meaning when they were strung together.

Tan Wei'an also slowed down his eating pace, curious to see what other nonsense Qin Huai could spin.

"You should know, I grew up in an orphanage."

"Qiu County is just a small town, and the conditions at the orphanage were very limited. The director-mom always tried her best to give us the best she could, but there really wasn't much she could provide. Because of some special reasons, I was always regarded as a fool when I was little, so even as a healthy baby boy, I was never adopted."

Tan Wei'an nodded, indicating he had heard that Qin Huai's mental issues were residual effects from his childhood.

"As the healthy children in the orphanage were slowly adopted, by the time I was eight or nine, I was almost the only healthy child left."

"So ever since I was a child, I had to help with many things, take care of children younger than me, knead dough to make buns and steamed buns, and sometimes even help with farming. Since the conditions at the orphanage weren't good, I had never been to an amusement park before being adopted by my parents, nor a zoo. Before fifth grade, I only watched two movies, and those were organized by the school. The teacher, knowing my special situation, didn't charge me for the movie tickets."

"After being adopted by my parents, since my family ran a breakfast shop, I also had to frequently help out at the shop, bringing baos for classmates during high school, and after graduating from university, I returned directly to take over my dad's role."

"I feel like you and I are very similar."

"When you applied for the job, you said it was your first time leaving your hometown, your first time coming to a city outside. Actually, it's the same for me. I attended college in Shan City, and that was my first time leaving the province."

"You mentioned you've never been to an amusement park. When I was a kid, I hadn't gone either. Later, my sister loved going, so I would sometimes accompany her to ride roller coasters."

"You said that back in your hometown, you helped out at your family's breakfast shop, waking up at one or two in the morning every day. I understand; breakfast shops in small towns like ours rely on low-profit and high-sales."

"The only difference between us is that you didn't get a copy of the 'Snack Encyclopedia' at the flea market in elementary school."

Tan Wei'an, who was already somewhat convinced: ?

Why did he feel something was off?

Qin Huai continued, "That's why I say I feel like you and I are very alike. I truly understand your feelings and your drive to improve. I see resilience in you, a reflection of my past self. Previously, when you sought advice from Chen An at the Yunzhong Restaurant, I thought of myself seeking guidance from Director Qin at the orphanage. People strive to do well because they want to excel."

"An apprentice's salary isn't high, but you're always the most diligent one. You love working overtime, and you're willing to take on more tasks because you want a better life."

"As long as you work hard, even if your cooking skills don't reach my level, as long as they're comparable to Tan Wei'an's, I'd still be comfortable handing Yunzhong Restaurant over to you."

Tan Wei'an: ???

"Because I know you, like me, are someone who wants to work hard, wants to improve, are willing to do things well, and can indeed do things well. An Youyou, can you manage to do that?"

An Youyou was completely convinced, exclaiming excitedly, "I can! I can do it, Master Qin!"

"Do you know what you have to do starting tomorrow?"

"I know. I need to learn even harder! Master Qin, you believe in me so much, relocating me to Zhiwei Restaurant to learn and communicate with so many peers. I ought to be more diligent. I should learn more things!"

"Not really." Qin Huai shook his head, "Effort and learning are only part of it. What's more important is cultivating your mindset. What I value more is your character, not your abilities."

An Youyou:! So the short video was indeed genuine!

"I believe with your talent and effort, reaching the level to take over Yunzhong Restaurant is only a matter of time. But your character still requires evaluation. Today, I'm pouring my heart out to you because you've passed the first step of assessment."

"Do you know what the next evaluation is?"

"What is it?" An Youyou asked.

"It's whether you have the courage to show me what kind of person you are—if you have the courage to let your boss know you, be honest with me, say everything truthfully, let me truly understand your character, and ultimately confirm whether you meet my expectations to become the successor of Yunzhong Restaurant."

"I do!" An Youyou was thoroughly motivated, "Master Qin, I have that courage!"

"I'll go back right away and rewrite a resume to let you truly understand me."

Qin Huai nodded with satisfaction, "Good. There's no rush for this resume. You have plenty of time to write it slowly—the more detailed, the better. Cover your life experiences, educational background, hobbies, including your dreams, any wild ideas you might have—all could be included. And if you feel words are insufficient, you're welcome to talk to me slowly."

"Getting to know a person always requires time. Your initial evaluation is done; the rest is up to your performance."

"I got it, Master Qin!"

"First, let's eat. You can go back only after eating."

An Youyou quickly finished eating, pocketing two steamed buns, eager to go back to write a brand new version of her resume.

Tan Wei'an sat silently throughout, contemplating at the table. After Qin Huai finished his two steamed buns, Tan Wei'an thoughtfully asked, "Although what Qin Huai said sounded quite reasonable at first, why do I always feel something's odd?"

Of course, it was weird, Qin Huai thought to himself—it was all a pack of lies.

Running a breakfast shop does require getting up at one or two in the morning every day. But that person who gets up then isn't Qin Huai.

Qin Huai did indeed have to make snacks at the orphanage, but that was because Director Qin's skills were truly awful.

Qin Huai surely once sought advice from Director Qin, but it was only once. After he made dough for the first time, he surpassed Director Qin, henceforth barring him from touching the flour at the orphanage.

Qin Huai indeed left the province for the first time to attend university in Shan City, but that was because before he turned 18, Qin Congwen and his wife were too busy to take the Qin siblings out of the province, so they played within the province.

The most brilliant lie isn't nine parts truth and one part falsehood; it's nine parts truth, with half a point spoken and half left to the listener's imagination.

Tan Wei'an asked Qin Huai, "Are you really planning to groom An Youyou to take over Yunzhong Restaurant?"

"If An Youyou is willing and capable, of course." Qin Huai replied with a smile.

Among so many spirits, the Three-legged Golden Toad is the poorest. After waking up, An Youyou can't offer anything but working in the kitchen would be the best gift.

If the Three-legged Golden Toad, after awakening, is still willing to work.

"After all, I'm quite the talent scout, a great boss in nurturing talent." Qin Huai stated.