The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 416 Morning Meeting
Zhiweiju's morning meetings are held in the staff break room.

Yes, that's the staff break room where the master chefs often get into fights and arguments.

Yesterday, Qin Huai didn't go into the staff break room much, just glanced at it a few times. His impression of the staff break room was that the decoration was decent, the area was quite large, and there were standard break room tables and chairs, as well as some sofas and armchairs.

When I followed Master Zhou in today, I found that it was similar to what he had seen yesterday, except that there was a table piled with boxed lunches, and each boxed lunch had a piece of paper with the corresponding name written on it.

Hey, a boxed lunch.

Qin Huai's attention was instantly drawn to the boxed lunch.

As soon as Master Zhou entered the staff break room, he saw Master Hua. The two of them couldn't stand each other. They disliked each other so much that Master Zhou could completely ignore Qin Huai and stride forward to stand opposite Master Hua, confronting him directly.

Master Hua was not to be outdone. Although he was a little guilty and scared, he still stubbornly glared at Master Zhou. It seemed that a big fight was about to break out, and a full-blown brawl and a real-life combat game were about to unfold in the lounge.

The two chefs at the entrance started arguing.

"Ying Hetian, what do you mean? Yesterday I made honey-glazed nine-layer cake and you made honey-glazed nine-layer cake. Today I made pine nut cake and you made pine nut cake. So tomorrow I'll make auspicious lock slices. Are you going to make auspicious lock slices too?"

"Is it really that interesting to keep copying my dessert-making skills? Are your desserts as good as mine?"

"Chen En, don't be so narcissistic. Also, how can you call your senior brother by his first name like that? Don't think that just because Master praised you a few times back then, your skills are much better than mine. These pastries were all taught by Master back then. What's wrong with me making them? Can't I make them? I haven't even said that you make the same pastries as me every day. You're the one who's accusing me first and turning the tables on me."

"Pah, senior brother, you still have the nerve to call yourself my senior brother? When you came to Zhiweiju for money back then, why didn't you think of you as my senior brother?"

"Chen En, are you out of your mind? I didn't sign a contract to sell myself. Zhiweiju offers better conditions and benefits, so what's wrong with me coming to Zhiweiju? Didn't you come to Zhiweiju too?"

"My master sent me here!"

"My master never said I couldn't come back then!"

"you@%&*/!"

"You're the one who's %&@】#*!"

Qin Huai was dumbfounded.

At this moment, not only were Master Zhou and Master Hua arguing in the staff break room, but Chen En and Ying Hetian were also arguing. Several other people were rolling their eyes at each other, and the atmosphere was tense as they couldn't stand each other.

It didn't feel like a company morning meeting; it felt like a top-notch mediation session.

Wang Jiayi was already used to this kind of situation. He calmly pulled Qin Huai to the table where the boxed lunches were placed, helped Qin Huai find his boxed lunch, and then found an empty seat away from the conflict to sit down and start eating.

"Master Wang... Master Wang, shall we just eat?" Qin Huai was truly dumbfounded. He felt that there was no normal person in this staff break room, including Wang Jiayi.

The morning meeting is about to start, and while it's one thing for them to be arguing or even fighting over there, they're already eating over here.

Wang Jiayi calmly opened the lunchbox. The four dishes and one soup were quite plentiful: pan-fried ribbonfish, sweet and sour pork with pineapple, stir-fried water spinach, and garlic baby bok choy. The soup was winter melon and pork rib soup.

Seeing that Qin Huai hadn't sat down yet, Wang Jia pointed to the chair next to him and said, "Sit down and eat. Our Zhiweiju morning meeting is meant for lunch. Today is only your first day here for the exchange. Boss Su will definitely introduce you to everyone later. While he's introducing you, everyone else can eat, but you won't have time to eat. You have to eat first."

Although Qin Huai didn't understand, he respected her decision and sat down blankly, opening the lunchbox. The dishes inside were the ones Qin Huai had sent to Boss Su yesterday, recommended by Tan Weian, and they were still warm and looked quite appetizing.

Seeing that Wang Jiayi had already started eating heartily, Qin Huai was no longer reserved, since they had already sat down and started eating.

The meal was accompanied by the sounds of the master chefs, who were clearly from the same school but had now become bitter enemies, arguing.

"Master Chen and Master Ying are basically like this every day. You'll get used to it. Although they argue fiercely, they never actually fight. Before, people would try to break them up, but now everyone is used to it. Besides, they don't argue in other places; they just take the time to argue during the morning meeting, which doesn't affect their normal work, which is good."

Qin Huai: ?
"So... what's the situation with these two masters?" Qin Huai asked curiously.

Wang Jiayi picked up the soup and took a sip, then turned to look at the two who were still arguing: "Master Chen and Master Ying are fellow apprentices from the same school. About 20 years ago, Master Ying was dissatisfied with the treatment at the original restaurant. At that time, Boss Su was poaching people with high salaries everywhere, so he poached Master Ying to Zhiweiju."

"Actually, it's nothing. In the early days of Zhiweiju, many chefs were poached by Boss Su with high salaries. But Chef Chen was always very dissatisfied with Chef Ying because of this, feeling that Chef Ying betrayed his master for money."

"Is this considered betraying one's sect?" Qin Huai exclaimed softly.

Wang Jiayi shrugged and said he couldn't comment: "There may be some details we don't know, after all, that was more than 20 years ago. About seven or eight years ago, the restaurant where Chef Chen worked went bankrupt due to poor management. Chef Chen's master asked someone to find connections and introduced Chef Chen to work at Zhiweiju."

"Master Chen and Master Ying have been at odds ever since the day Master Chen came to Zhiweiju. They have a big argument every three days and a small argument every two days. Everyone has gotten used to it over the years."

“These past few years have been relatively quiet. I remember one time six years ago we had a really bad argument. After get off work, we went straight to the lakeside and fought. A lot of drivers secretly went to watch, and some even brought video cameras to record it.”

Qin Huai: ...

Will you ever get any better?

"Is the video still there?" Qin Huai lowered his voice even further, asking in a spy's tone.

"The third brother must have a backup. Go ask him for it later."

"Okay!" Qin Huai buried his head in his food.

After eating only a couple of bites, around 11:5, the door to the lounge was pushed open again, and a person who wasn't wearing an employee uniform but was clearly Boss Su, Su Qi, made a dazzling entrance.

Su Qi's appearance was very similar to Qin Huai's imagination. Of course, the main reason why they looked so alike was because Qin Huai had seen Su Qi's photos, which were from more than ten years ago when she was still relatively young.

Now in her middle age, Su Qi hasn't gained weight. Her hair is still thick and black, and she looks energetic, fair-skinned, refined, and full of vitality. She gives the impression of a successful person with a good personality, kindness, and magnanimity.

When they saw Boss Su arrive, the chefs, who hadn't finished arguing, stopped and went to collect their lunch boxes and find places to sit down.

Master Zhou sat down directly by the Qinhuai River. Master Hua originally wanted to sit down as well, but upon seeing Master Zhou, he snorted and reluctantly found a spot far away to sit down. "Good afternoon, everyone. I'm sorry, I was delayed by a phone call and was a few minutes late today," Su Qi said with a smile. Then he walked to the table, picked up the last boxed lunch that belonged to him, and found an empty seat.

This empty seat isn't even the prime spot in the lounge; it's quite casual.

Of course, the chefs weren't really concerned about Su Qi; they were all eating or chatting quietly.

After sitting down, Su Qi took out her phone and glanced at her notes. Then she opened her lunchbox, ate a couple of bites, and slowly asked, "Chef Qin, are you done eating?"

Qin Huai quickly and awkwardly stood up and said, "I just finished eating."

Su Qi smiled and said, "You don't need to stand up, you can just sit down and talk. Our morning meeting at Zhiweiju is just a way for everyone to exchange ideas and have a meal together."

"Then I'll start with the most important thing at today's morning meeting. I believe many of you have already met Master Qin Huai yesterday. Let me give you a brief introduction of Master Qin."

"Chef Qin came to our Zhiweiju restaurant from Yunzhong Restaurant in Shanshi for an exchange. Previously, we sent a group of apprentices to Yunzhong Restaurant for an exchange, which achieved very good results. Here, I would also like to thank Chef Qin for being willing to spend time teaching and training our apprentices at Zhiweiju."

Thunderous applause erupted in the lounge, and even Master Zhou clapped his hands a few times with a beaming smile.

"As far as I know, Master Qin came to Zhiweiju this time mainly to exchange experiences on finger techniques. Yesterday, Master Zhou volunteered to take charge of the initial exchanges with Master Qin. Of course, the exchange cannot be limited to just one master. We have so many master chefs at Zhiweiju, each with their own unique skills. I believe that Master Qin himself is also very interested in Zhiweiju, and our master chefs are also very curious about Master Qin."

“Yesterday, several masters asked me about the specifics of the exchange with Master Qin. I think it mainly depends on Master Qin’s personal wishes.”

"Master Qin, would you prefer to learn from Master Zhou first, and get to know the environment of Zhiweiju, or perhaps get to know a few more chefs, or maybe..."

Su Qi didn't even mention the last option.

Instantly, all eyes turned to Qin Huai, with Master Hua's gaze being the most intense.

Master Zhou sat calmly by the Qinhuai River, eating his boxed lunch, displaying an unwavering and steadfast demeanor.

Qin Huai pondered for a few seconds and said, "Well... let's stick to the current arrangement. I came here to learn and exchange ideas. I believe I can learn a lot from the master chefs at Zhiweiju in the coming days. For now, I'll start by learning from Chef Zhou. After all, you can't bite off more than you can chew. I'm also very grateful to all the master chefs for letting me learn and exchange ideas with them. Thank you all."

Faced with Qin Huai's speech, Master Zhou ate a few more mouthfuls of rice with great satisfaction. He glanced at Master Hua and his face was full of: You think you can fight me? Do you even know what it means to strike first? Do you even know the value of being the number one chef?
Master Hua was so frustrated he could barely keep his mouth shut, so he could only eat.

Su Qi said happily, "Then I'll have to trouble Master Zhou to take good care of Master Qin during his stay. I heard that Master Zhou and Master Hua have had a little disagreement recently, and I hope that the two of you will not quarrel over trivial matters and start a fight."

"Next, I'll talk about the second thing. Recently, someone reported to me that someone was recruiting apprentices through coercion and enticement. After my investigation, this matter is completely untrue."

"I don't want to hear similar rumors about Zhiweiju in the future. I believe that all the chefs who are able to join Zhiweiju are of good character. We have worked together for many years and should know each other very well. Even if there are some minor conflicts, such rumors should not arise."

"It's common for conflicts to arise when people compete for apprentices. I hope that even with these conflicts, we can still maintain basic harmony. Good talents are hard to find, and good masters are even harder to find. You are all top-notch pastry chefs in the industry, and I'm sure you don't want to ruin your reputation over something so unfounded."

"Alright, the main thing I want to talk to everyone about is these two things... Master Wang and Master Ma..." Su Qi swallowed the last mouthful of rice, drank two sips of soup, stood up and walked quickly to the two masters he mentioned, his voice lowering, "You two had an argument on WeChat last night? What happened?"

"..."

"...Oh, you feel that Master Ma doesn't respect the pastries you make. You invited him to try the new product, but he only took one bite and left."

“...Oh, you think Master Wang is being petty. You had something to do but still took the time to eat a bite, and he still thinks you don’t respect him.”

"It's like this, masters, this is really a small matter, but it's certainly worth arguing about. Everyone knows that you two have always had a good relationship. Once the argument is over, it's over. Don't let such a small thing cause a rift. I remember Master Wang, your new product is Hibiscus Milk Cake, last time..."

"..."

"What?! The girl that Master Liang's apprentice cheated on is the daughter of your neighbor's teacher! She was swindled out of 200,000 yuan?"

"Okay, I understand. Don't worry, I will deal with this issue seriously. Zhiweiju will never allow such a morally corrupt employee to exist, not even a direct disciple."

"..."

"Yesterday, the takeout counter sold your sesame cakes as if they were made by your apprentice, charging you the price of a direct disciple. Okay, I will investigate this matter and give you feedback today."

"..."

Qin Huai watched in utter astonishment as Su Qi moved through the lounge, going from one master to another, resolving each item written in the memo.

Instantly, Zhao Cheng'an's words came to mind.

Zhao Cheng'an is right. Anyone who has attended Zhiweiju's morning meetings knows that Boss Su is truly a god at Zhiweiju.

This isn't a morning meeting; it's practically a mediation session! The boss has transformed into a top mediator, resolving conflicts between the various workers.

If this were filmed and made into a variety show, it would probably take hundreds or even a hundred episodes.

Wang Jiayi thoughtfully explained: "Our staff at Zhiweiju is diverse. Our master chefs come from all over the country. Before coming to Zhiweiju, they were all top-notch pastry chefs in their respective restaurants. Everyone has their own temper and their own pride."

"If someone has a really bad temper and you can't get along with them, Boss Su won't force them to stay. But if you work together for a long time, it's inevitable that there will be conflicts and you'll start to dislike each other."

"That's why Boss Su specially arranged the morning meeting, so that everyone could solve problems while eating. It's said that people are in a better mood and more receptive to advice when they're eating."

"And even if we can't resolve it, if we all get together and start fighting, nothing much will happen. At most, we'll just dump our lunchboxes on each other's heads."

Upon hearing Wang Jiayi's words, Qin Huai immediately grasped the key point: "Someone even put a lunchbox on the other person's head?"

Wang Jiayi gave Qin Huai a look that said, "You're very talented, you'd be perfect to come to our sect and listen to gossip." He continued, "The day we mediated the conflict between Master Hua and Master Liu, they both covered each other's lunchboxes with food scraps."

"Master Hua always felt he was at a disadvantage because he drank the soup but Master Liu didn't, and he was given an extra bowl of soup."

(End of this chapter)