Chapter 385: Mo Ran's Uneasy Heart
As for the budding battle between sweet and savory, Qi Han was completely unaware.
He had to admit—when he purchased the recipe, he had mischievously wondered whether this eternal debate might make its way to the Douluo Continent.
But he never expected it to happen so soon.
The very first breakfast service had caused quite a stir. For the patrons of Han Shi, it had introduced eleven entirely new dishes all at once. And these dishes were mostly staple foods—filling, delicious, and relatively inexpensive.
For customers who could savor and gush about a single new dish for days on end, this was like joy multiplied several times over.
Because of the early hours, the breakfast crowd was smaller than lunch or dinner, but the busyness was no less intense.
Over the course of the morning, Ji Yunruo gradually shifted from her initial clumsiness to a state of smooth confidence.
Breakfast drew a much higher proportion of Tang Sect disciples—practically the entire branch showed up to eat. Since Yunruo was a Tang Sect disciple herself, she felt far less nervous among her senior brothers and sisters, which helped her adapt quickly.
Of course, Pururu deserved some of the credit too.
Because their martial spirits shared the same bloodline origin, Yunruo had the closest relationship with Pururu among the staff, and their coordination was the most seamless. Back when Yunruo was only delivering dishes, this hadn't been very noticeable. But now that she had taken on the role of server, her tacit understanding with Pururu was clearly higher than with Fu Ya.
Meanwhile, Ye Lingqing, who had spent the entire two-hour service in the kitchen assisting Qi Han, had his eyes opened wide.
Though his only useful contribution so far was helping with dough, just watching, learning, and occasionally asking questions had already benefited him greatly.
Master had been right—the rolling pin was nothing like what he'd imagined. It was an incredibly useful tool!
In the span of two hours, Master had used the rolling pin hundreds of times—far more frequently than any other tool on the dough bench.
That only made Lingqing all the more determined to master every kind of noodle dish.
The establishment of breakfast hours naturally had quite an impact on Qi Han as well.
Originally, his time for entering the training space was in the mornings and afternoons.
Now, with breakfast taking up half the morning, the hours afterward were best spent teaching Lingqing noodle-making skills, leaving no room to waste.
By the time he finished training Lingqing, it was already noon—so only the afternoon remained for him to practice dishes in the training space.
His training time had been cut in half. Fortunately, as an intermediate chef, the flow of time in the training space had doubled again, just enough to cancel out the negative effect.
As for the late-night supper service, that was an extra shift that didn't affect him much.
Sleeping late didn't hinder rising early, after all. On the miraculous high-tech bed from Ruyi, just one hour of rest was enough to fully restore his energy. Sleep time wasn't that critical anymore.
Still, Qi Han's irritation was genuine.
Working eight hours a day—any capitalist would weep with envy.
Even though Side Quest 7 only required him to maintain breakfast and supper service for thirty days…
Once something like this began, it was almost impossible to take it back.
Besides, with all the recipes he had purchased, not using them would be a complete waste, wouldn't it?
So barring any surprises, breakfast and supper would become permanent fixtures.
Thinking of this, Qi Han let out a sudden sigh as he quietly observed Ye Lingqing working the rolling pin.
What a headache!
"Master, did I just make a mistake somewhere?" Hearing Qi Han's sigh, Ye Lingqing nervously stopped what she was doing.
"It's fine. You've picked up the basics I just taught you pretty well. Just keep practicing." Qi Han forced a faint smile. "That sigh was for something else."
"Understood, Master." Ye Lingqing nodded and returned to her practice.
She had to work even harder—so she could help her Master worry less!
Casting a glance at the diligently working Ye Lingqing, Qi Han gave a small nod before quietly stepping out of the kitchen.
Breakfast service ended a while ago. It was about ten o'clock now; in another half hour the staff would start arriving one after another… Hm?
As he exited the kitchen, Qi Han noticed a boy standing outside the entrance and raised an eyebrow.
This new employee, Mo Ran, had shown up this early?
…
At this moment, Mo Ran was dressed in the same waiter's uniform that Keke once wore. The long-sleeved shirt, vest, and bow tie made his somewhat slender frame look a little taller and sharper, giving him a more spirited appearance than before.
And of course, his already handsome face seemed even more striking now.
But that handsome face also carried a nervous expression.
Yesterday afternoon, after passing the interview, he received his uniform. But with no prior experience, he had forgotten to ask exactly what his duties would be.
He had spent some time observing other restaurants, so he had a rough idea of what a waiter's job entailed. Still, since Han Shi was the finest restaurant in Shrek City, its standards for servers would surely be higher.
That was why he arrived half an hour earlier than the agreed time—hoping to familiarize himself in advance.
Originally, this morning's breakfast shift would have been the perfect chance for him to watch and learn. Unfortunately, he'd been tied up with the formalities of resigning from his Gold Spirit Fighting Team at the Shrek Arena. Those procedures for adjusting team rosters were rather tedious.
By the time he finally arrived, Han Shi had already closed its doors.
And now, standing in front of the restaurant, he found himself hesitating again.
That was when he remembered—Han Shi's doors and windows couldn't be seen through from the outside.
So he had no way of knowing whether the owner was even on the first floor.
Should he just knock?
But if the owner wasn't downstairs, no one would hear him…
Still, maybe it was worth a try?
Having made up his mind, Mo Ran stepped forward and raised his hand, just about to knock—when the door suddenly moved.
Startled, he quickly stepped back half a pace, only to see the door slowly swing open.
"Here so early?" Qi Han greeted the new employee with a smile.
"Yes, Boss. Today's my first day, so I wanted to ask exactly what the duties of a waiter here are." Mo Ran replied earnestly.
Hearing this, Qi Han nodded with approval. "Since you're already here, come in. I'll explain things to you—though the others probably won't be here for a while."
"Alright!" Mo Ran nodded eagerly, stepping inside through the half-open door. He carefully glanced around the empty first floor. "Boss, will I be working here on the first floor like Fu Ya?"
"No. Fu Ya is enough for the first floor." Qi Han smiled faintly. "You do know Han Shi will be introducing hotpot today, right?"
"Yes, I've heard about that." Mo Ran nodded, then blinked in confusion as he pointed at himself. "Boss, do you mean…?"
"Exactly. The hotpot will be on the second floor. From now on, that'll be your responsibility." Qi Han confirmed, just as Mo Ran had guessed.
"Hotpot…" Mo Ran blinked. This was a dish he'd never even heard of before, and curiosity shone across his face. "Boss, may I take a look upstairs?"
"Let's go together. I'll explain what a hotpot server needs to do along the way." Qi Han smiled, taking the lead up the stairs to the second floor.
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