"Junior, could you sell a few more of those soup dumplings? They’re so delicious! They’re so small, and getting only two per portion is barely a mouthful!"
"Yeah, Junior! I can eat two in one bite. And the beef skewers—I need at least twenty! A limit of ten skewers per person just isn’t enough to get full!"
"Stop dawdling in the front! If you’re not full, go eat some Luosifen! If you wait any longer, the Luosifen will be sold out too. If there’s no purchase limit and the people in front buy everything, what are the people in the back supposed to eat? Air?!"
Listening to everyone talking at once, urging her to sell more, Gan Lan really wanted to let them eat to their hearts’ content. Unfortunately, she was just one person. It seemed she needed to hire some help.
"You guys are right. The amount I can make by myself right now is really too little. With so many people, there simply isn’t enough to go around," Gan Lan said, flipping the lamb skewers. She raised her clear voice and shouted at the line, "How about this? Is anyone interested in helping out?"
"Junior! Look at me! How about me?"
Gan Lan looked toward the young man in the white T-shirt and read his student name tag directly. "Liao Shenggu, sophomore in the Journalism Department? Do you know how to grill meat? I need someone from the Culinary Department who knows the basics of grilling!"
"Junior, you can’t judge a book by its cover. I... I can learn! Really!" Liao Shenggu argued.
"Junior! Don’t listen to him! He can’t even get the most basic grilling right! Choose me, choose me! I know how to grill! Just providing meals is enough!" the young man in the purple T-shirt standing behind Liao Shenggu chimed in.
Gan Lan glanced behind him and teased, "Wang Zi, sophomore in the Journalism Department? Senior, your name is certainly fit for a prince!"
Wang Zi’s expression darkened. He just knew his name would be made fun of. He really wanted to change it!
Gan Lan raised her voice. "I’m serious. Let me state my requirements now. I need someone from the Culinary Department who knows how to grill, is a bit handy, and is smart. You’ll just come and be my assistant every day. Meals are included, and you can eat your fill! Wages will be paid as usual, and priority will be given to those with financial difficulties! Do you guys have anyone to recommend? I’ll hire two for now!"
Hearing Gan Lan’s serious tone, the people in line began to discuss all at once.
"I think I know someone. He’s a pretty good guy. He’s a poverty-stricken student, but his grades are excellent, and his practical skills are good too."
"I also know someone..."
Gan Lan listened to them discuss who in the Culinary Department was skilled, had financial difficulties, but was very hardworking. She wondered why she hadn’t thought of recruiting more apprentices. She had only been focused on using live streams to boost the popularity of Huaxia cuisine, forgetting that she was just one person. Videos couldn’t teach them everything. If videos and live broadcasts were all it took, what was the point of having teachers? These students came from all over the galaxy. After completing their studies, most would return to their home planets. Wouldn’t that be much more effective than her streaming alone? The power of the masses was truly the greatest!
She decided to go find her teacher after she finished selling today to see if there were any recommendations. Only the teachers had detailed student profiles, and she could also ask for their opinions.
"Junior! Me, me, me! Although I’m not a poverty-stricken student, I have a heart that loves good food! I also know how to grill. I can grill properly, and I’ve even set up a stall before! The one selling grilled ribs! Junior, my grilling skills are really good."
Gan Lan looked toward the voice shouting at her. She remembered him. His meat was grilled quite well, but the taste had been somewhat indescribable.
"Sure. How about this: if you’re willing to come help grill every day when I open my stall, I’ll pay you wages and provide all the food you can eat?" Gan Lan tilted her head and asked. She really needed someone to help with the grilling right now. She couldn’t handle it alone anymore. Seeing that more than half the people in line didn’t get to eat every day, Gan Lan felt a bit sorry for them. It was a shame they queued for so long only to leave empty-handed.
"I’m Li Langbai, a junior in the Culinary Department! So, should I report for duty tomorrow? Or should I show off my skills for you right now?" Li Langbai rubbed his hands together excitedly, looking eager to give it a try.
Hearing this, the people in line behind him wailed in protest. "No! Junior, you’re making a mistake! He has never cooked anything normal!" Mainly, it was because Li Langbai had scammed too many people. Far too many had been deceived by the mouthwatering appearance of his grilled meat!
Gan Lan fell silent for a moment. "I’ll just let him grill the meat. He won’t add any weird seasonings to it." She shot a sidelong glance at Li Langbai, whose body had stiffened slightly. "Right, Senior?"
Li Langbai chuckled sheepishly. "You’re absolutely right, Junior. I definitely won’t add any weird seasonings!" After saying that, he turned around and promised the crowd, "Really, I’m sorry about the past, brothers! I was young and ignorant back then. This time, I will definitely grill properly. I won’t let you down!"
Hearing his guarantee, the people in line merely gave him skeptical looks and said nothing.
Gan Lan took ten raw beef skewers out of the temperature-controlled box and handed them to Li Bailang. "Then, Senior Li, why don’t you give it a try now? Clear your name?"
Li Langbai took them excitedly. He put on the gloves and mask Gan Lan provided and immediately got into the grilling zone. Watching him, Gan Lan couldn’t help but nod. Even though he liked to troll people, his attitude toward food was very serious. She was very satisfied with this.
Gan Lan stepped aside and continued her own grilling. The aroma of the beef skewers grew richer and richer. Even wearing a mask, she couldn’t completely block out the mouthwatering scent.
"It smells so good! It rivals the lamb skewers!"
"Why is it that any food that passes through Junior’s hands turns out so fragrant and delicious?"
"Because she’s my goddess! My culinary goddess! I don’t think I can live without her anymore!"
Gan Lan’s hands paused their grilling. She could hear them perfectly well. Couldn’t these people restrain themselves a little? Making such explicit remarks... she had a thin skin.
"Junior! I’m done grilling. Want to give it a try?" Li Langbai handed the cooked beef skewers to Gan Lan. Afraid she wouldn’t believe him, he promised again, "I absolutely didn’t add any strange seasonings. I followed your grilling method to the letter!"
Gan Lan took a look at the beef skewers. They were grilled to a beautiful ruddy color that made one instinctively swallow their saliva at first glance. It was obvious that Senior Li’s grilling skills were genuinely top-notch.
She took the beef skewers and stepped aside. "Keep an eye on this batch of meat for me while I try these." Under the somewhat sympathetic gazes of the people in line, she blew on it, took a small bite, and chewed.
Meanwhile, Li Langbai, who had taken over the grilling, kept his eyes fixed on Gan Lan’s expression. Finally, he asked expectantly, "How is it? How is it? I really grilled them seriously!"
Gan Lan’s eyes lit up as she swallowed. "Mhm! Senior, you grilled these perfectly. They’re delicious!" She finished an entire skewer, then handed out the remaining nine to the people waiting in line. "Try them, guys. They’re free! I have to say, Senior Li has an excellent grasp of heat control!"
Li Langbai chuckled sheepishly. Even his teachers praised him when he grilled seriously. Unfortunately, his thought process was a bit unorthodox. He always liked to innovate, adding all sorts of bizarre seasonings and spices to his grilled meat.
Seeing the grilled meat Gan Lan handed over, Senior Xianhua took it hesitantly. Although she was also from the Culinary Department, she loved tasting dishes made by her peers. Naturally, she had also been scammed terribly by Li Langbai’s cooking—which eventually led her to join the ranks of the scammers herself. Like Li Langbai, she had been put on the alumni blacklist. It could be said that everyone in the entire Culinary Department, except for Gan Lan, had been on that blacklist at some point. Not even her beautiful appearance could save her from it.