There weren't many people buying sewing machines. After all, this thing was supplied with tickets, so no one needed to rush to get it, and no one could rush to get it.
When the three people arrived, the salesperson smiled warmly and said, "This is a new batch. Would you like to take a look?"
If you have enough money to buy a sewing machine, the salesperson will naturally be nicer. It is not easy to get a ticket for a sewing machine, and not every cadre family in the city has one.
There are more than one brand of sewing machines coming in, including Butterfly, Bee, Peony, and Swallow.
The salesperson pointed to the Butterfly brand ones and said, "These are all Butterfly brand ones. If you don't want Butterfly brand ones, I can change them for you."
There is no particular preference for the brand of sewing machine. The main thing is that it is good to have one. It is not like a bicycle, which can be distinguished by quality. Nowadays, sewing machines are made with great precision and are of excellent quality.
Old Mrs. Xu was overwhelmed by the choices and thought this one was good and that one was not bad either.
Wang Ying helped with some reference and finally picked a Yan brand car.
"You have a good eye. This is from the capital. This is the brand everyone buys in the capital!"
When the capital was mentioned, Old Lady Xu felt proud of it, and her eyes looked at the sewing machine with much more enthusiasm. For this Yan brand machine, she gave the salesperson two more dollars as the price for changing the brand.
The salesperson gave Old Lady Xu a receipt and collected the money and the ticket. She was happy. In fact, most of the sewing machines in this batch had been ordered, and only a few were left. Because not all the invoices for sewing machines had the brand written on them, and some only had one sewing machine written on them. They could handle the little trouble of changing the brand each time, and the extra two yuan was their hard work fee.
The salesperson asked attentively: "Comrade, how are you going to transport your sewing machine back? As long as it is in the county town, our store can help deliver it to your home."
The supply and marketing cooperatives also have large trucks for delivering goods, so it is normal to help deliver large items.
Wang Ying: "It's okay, we'll pick it up tomorrow, no need to send it."
Xu Shuang asked the vegetable station's delivery truck to help transport the sewing machine to the town. The mountain road was difficult to travel on, so Uncle Tian would drive a donkey cart to take it to the brigade.
After buying the sewing machine, the three of them went to mail something again. This time, the package for Xu Ming was still a big bulging bag, filled with various dried vegetables, dried beans, dried potatoes, dried mushrooms, dried eggplants... In addition, some candies were prepared, with a letter inside. Old Mrs. Xu prepared two sets of clothes for Xu Ming.
After a discussion, several people decided not to send money to Xu Ming, saying that he had nowhere to use it. But when he was out there, it was easier to get things done with some money. Old Lady Xu also sewed a small pocket in Xu Ming's clothes and put twenty yuan in it.
The money was hidden, with a layer of cardboard inside, so Xu Ming could feel it out just by touching it.
Seeing that it was getting late, Old Mrs. Xu settled down in the guesthouse first, while Wang Ying went to the hospital to deliver the medicinal materials.
Early the next morning, it was time for Xu Shuang to take the exam.
Wang Ying took Old Lady Xu straight to the state-owned restaurant and met up with Chen Dong and Xu Shuang. They had breakfast by the way. It must be said that the breakfast in this city is very varied.
The state-owned restaurant serves soybean milk, fried dough sticks, meat buns, and tender tofu pudding every morning. There is also a basket of pies on the side, both meat and vegetarian, and scallion pancakes without fillings.
Chen Dong is old and loves meat. He scooped a spoonful of old chicken soup in the morning. There were shredded chicken in it, and boiled more than half of it with black fungus and day lily, and half of it was tofu pudding in the big bowl. The rich chicken soup and tofu pudding are so delicious that people can wake up.
Wang Ying drank a bowl of tofu pudding and had a big fried dough stick soaked in soy milk. The crispy fried dough stick was soaked in sweet soy milk, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and steaming hot.
Old Lady Xu: "The food in the county is still more juicy."
When they were at home, they were most worried about sugar and oil. They could even find a way to get meat, but they were stuck with oil and sugar. If Chen Dong hadn't helped them buy some oil and sugar coupons, the family would have run out of these two things long ago.
But Wang Ying didn't think so. She saw that this morning, some people coming and going were buying soy milk and tofu pudding, but few were buying fried dough sticks and meat buns.
Chen Dong happily scraped the chicken soup and bean curd clean, licked his belly and said, "Big sister, you are wrong. Life in the city may not be as good as your brigade. You need tickets to buy anything, and you may not be able to buy it even if you have a ticket. You have to wait and grab it. There is even less oil and water. The oil crops are only a certain amount every year, and there is not much oil left after pressing, not to mention that the oil crops have to be eaten as food."
Chen Dong: "But our hotel is definitely relaxed. Frost has passed the exam. Will he come to the city later? Our first old friend will retire in the next two years."
Chen Dong had been waiting for Xu Shuang to come to the city. One reason was that he hoped his apprentice would develop well. After all, there were many peers in the city, and they could exchange and learn. Xu Shuang was talented, and Chen Dong was waiting for his apprentice to be proud of himself after coming to the city. It would be best if he could work hard to pass the exams, so that he, as a master, would be proud of himself.
The other reason was that he was simply greedy. Xu Shuang lived in the countryside, and it was difficult for him to enjoy the filial piety from his apprentice.
Chen Dong realized what was going on. What if he scared his apprentice and made him not want to go into the city
Chen Dong explained hastily, "You passed the second-level certificate exam, so you can get a higher salary when you come to the city. Our state-owned restaurant pays a second-level chef 37 yuan a month. After taking into account your years of service, it's at least 40 yuan, which is much more than what you can get in town."
Xu Shuang had plans to go into the city, but he planned to go there with his whole family.
If Wang Ying's job cannot be found, he cannot move to the city alone. There is no need for them to live apart.
Chen Dong patted his chest anxiously: "Isn't this easy? You can buy a job for your wife. It's not like you can't afford it."
A job in the county town only pays four or five hundred yuan, which is considered a lot in other places, but Xu Shuang can definitely afford it.
Before Xu Shuang could say anything, Wang Ying took over the conversation with a smile: "Let's not talk about this now. Maybe I can be transferred to the county town in the future. Besides, Master, I am a doctor. If you ask me to go to the workshop, I can't do it."
Nowadays, the jobs of buying and selling are all done in workshops, or they are unskilled jobs that only require a lot of money and little work, and can be promoted. No one will sell them. Those are things that even their own children would fight for.
Doctors are not included in this scope. After all, it is a highly technical job. If they really enter the job, they will know nothing and will not be able to treat patients.
Wang Ying kept the matter in mind. Once Xu Shuang passed the second-level certificate exam, she would meet the conditions for transfer to the county. She also had to seize the time to see if she could make progress in any aspect and transfer her job to the county.
Chen Dong was relieved: "It's good that you two know this. No matter how good your life is in the brigade, it's not suitable for you young people to stay there forever. You still have to develop outside."
After hurriedly finishing his breakfast, Chen Dong went to arrange people.
Wang Ying secretly asked Xu Shuang: "Didn't you say that Master's cooking skills were not very good? How could he be in charge of the kitchen?"
Chen Dong himself does not shy away from the fact that his cooking skills are not top-notch. He is only a second-level chef and has not even taken the first-level exam, but he is obviously the number one person with a say in the state-owned restaurant.
Xu Shuang: "This restaurant used to belong to my master, and he also knows how to behave..."
As for how to behave as a human being, Wang Ying saw it immediately.
Chen Dong smiled and said to a tall man with a sharp face, "Master Su, shall we start now? You call Master Ma, and we will decide on the topics and order first. I won't take the lead, as my apprentice is here today, so it's not easy for me to decide. I'll take the last position and ask the questions, okay?"
Master Su likes to be the best. Don’t think that only women like to be the best. Men are just as good at it!
Seeing Chen Dong, who was the most capable of handling things, took a step back, Master Su immediately put on a smile and said, "You just have to be careful. In our line of work, where masters teach apprentices, it's inevitable that everyone has a few old acquaintances. Well, if you don't take the lead, I will..."
Just as he was about to speak, Master Ma came over, followed by a little follower: "Hey! Old Chen, why don't you keep your word? This time it's my turn, I've even given the questions!"
Chen Dong sneered in his heart. This Master Ma was the bad woman who stopped Wang Ying and her mother-in-law in the front yard yesterday, and Ma Dalin's cousin.
If it weren't for this convenience, Ma Dalian and her husband would not have gotten the jobs in the state-owned hotel. Now, isn't it Ma Dalian's youngest son who is serving Master Ma
Chen Dong pretended to be at a loss: "Oh, did I say that? I didn't say that, Master Ma, you know, our restaurant is not a one-man show, isn't this all discussed by everyone. Didn't you say a few days ago that you would take the initiative to set the questions? Besides, isn't your cousin going to take the exam this time too?"
Between the lines, he actually stood on Master Su's side.
Master Ma was angry and anxious. He had informed Chen Dong in advance this time in order to pave the way for his cousin, who was Ma Dalian's eldest son. He had been cutting meat for a long time and this time he came to take the third-level chef certificate exam.
Master Danma knew very well that the boy's skills were not up to par, so he specially gave him a few dishes to practice in advance. When the time came, he would take the opportunity to ask questions and directly push his nephew up.
Chen Dong clearly didn't say he was unwilling at that time!
How can you blame me for this
Master Su watched coldly from the sidelines, feeling extremely comfortable seeing them getting anxious and performing.
Their restaurant is the largest state-owned restaurant in the county. They have three chefs. Master Ma and he are both first-class chefs, and Chen Dong is a second-class chef. But since Chen Dong donated the land and the house, Chen Dong is like an honorary manager. In fact, he and Master Ma are the only ones who manage most things.
Originally, Master Su was a bit of an outsider, because Master Ma and Chen Dong were old acquaintances and lived close to each other, both in houses allocated by their work units. However, Master Su's house was allocated by his wife, near the railway.
The current regulations are that a couple can only divide the house once. If his wife gets a share of the house, Master Su will no longer be eligible for one.
Master Su was originally very happy. After all, the houses allocated by the railway unit were all tube-shaped buildings, while the houses allocated by the hotel were all large courtyards.
But gradually, Master Su realized something was wrong.
Since they live so close, there is always traffic, just like Master Ma. He and Chen Dong live in the same tenement next to each other, so they can just walk up and down to get together.
Master Ma has several relatives living in Chen Dong’s compound, and the two of them must have much closer interactions than he does.
Master Su has suffered a lot from Master Ma in recent years. Master Ma always calls Chen Dong to "have a couple of drinks tonight" in front of him, but never calls him!
Doesn't this exclude him
Although Master Su didn't show it on his face, he was quite dissatisfied in his heart.
Chen Dong is an old sly guy. He didn't show any inclinations in the restaurant, but he couldn't stand that Master Ma was disgusting.
Master Su was disgusted enough by Master Ma.
I don’t know how the man surnamed Ma offended Lao Chen this time, causing Lao Chen to lose face for him like this.
But no matter what, as long as these two people don’t get close to each other, Master Su will be so happy.
He quickly said, "Master Ma, what Lao Chen said is not wrong. Your cousin is taking the Level 3 exam this time, so you have to avoid suspicion, right? How about this, I won't compete for the first place. I will take the two of you who are avoiding suspicion, and I will take the other one. The remaining two can be divided between you two. This is also fair and just."
Chen Dong happily held Master Su's hand and said, "Master Su, what you said is really good. I think we should do it this way! You have a very active mind."
Master Su said cheerfully: "Okay, okay, we are all serving the people, I have no selfish motives at all. Since you said you want to avoid suspicion, I will definitely be fair and selfless."
Master Ma: …
Who are you picking, old man
Fairness and selflessness, bullshit about fairness and selflessness!
Everyone knows that Mr. Chen has a good apprentice. Not to mention level two, it’s possible that his apprentice can even pass level one now.
Master Ma was so anxious that he wanted to come up and pull Chen Dong to discuss it privately. He also regretted it.
Relying on his friendship with Chen Dong, he did not give any gifts, he just said it.
Who knew that old guy Chen Dong would actually go back on his word!
If he had known earlier... If he had known earlier, he would not have saved that little money.
Master Ma regretted it so much that his intestines turned green.
He was anxious to push his cousin up because among the masters, he was the only one who hadn't trained an apprentice yet. Master Su's apprentice passed the second-level certificate the year before last, and after a few more years of experience, he could take over Master Su's class.
Not to mention Chen Dong, his apprentice has good skills and will be transferred to the city sooner or later.
As for himself, he had been leading Ma Dalian's eldest son for several years and had been cutting wood for several years, but he didn't even reach the third level.
Master Ma felt ashamed and was even more afraid that people around him would point fingers at him.
Chen Dong, a level 2 chef, can train a good apprentice, so why can’t he, a level 1 chef, do the same
So Master Ma thought quickly and thought of giving his apprentice a hand and helping him up.
Who knew that Chen Dong would turn against him!
Master Ma: "Old Chen, Old Chen, come here, I have something to tell you in detail..."
Can Master Su give him this opportunity
That definitely can't happen.
Master Su: "Master Ma, this is about to start. If you have anything to say, you should wait until it's over before talking to Master Chen."
Chen Dong was pulled in the middle by two big men, and was being dragged left and right.
The tug of war was quite intense, and Wang Ying saw it from outside. She poked Xu Shuang and said, "Hey, look at what our master is doing? Is he being bullied?"
Wang Ying felt that it would be unacceptable to bully Chen Dong’s master in front of her.
She had to go and deal with those two.
Xu Shuang: "It's okay. Master won't suffer any loss."
Chen Dong has been playing this balancing trick for several years. Although Xu Shuang can't do it, she can understand it after watching it.
Chen Dong was a young master in the old society. Even if he was just living a lazy life, he was still a good manager. The importance of checks and balances in the dark.
Otherwise, how could a chef with no special skills like him have his say in a restaurant
Wang Ying was dumbfounded after hearing what Xu Shuang said in a low voice.
Chen Dong, a kind old man like Maitreya Buddha, is actually a "white-cut black"? My goodness, this method is not much different from the office struggle in the hospital in her previous life.
The young couple watched the fun from the sidelines.
Chen Dong was pulled back and forth twice, and finally the result came out.
Master Su wins.
Ignoring Master Ma's charcoal-like face, Master Su directly announced the start of the drawing of lots!
"Come on, all of you, come to the backyard and draw the lots first. First level three and then level two."
Master Su is very proud!
He felt that he was finally relieved!
Master Ma was so angry that he had no other choice but to wave his hand and call his cousin over.
He said a lot of words at the last minute: "I'm afraid that the two questions I prepared for you before won't work. Remember, Master Su studied Hunan cuisine, and his taste is more towards Hunan cuisine. Master Chen studied Shandong cuisine. Although Master Su is the one who sets the questions, the scores are given by several people together. If it's hard to choose, I will lean more towards Shandong cuisine. As long as Master Chen gives a pass, I will also give it a pass. Two votes against one vote, I can still take a chance..."
Master Ma was unsure as he spoke, saying that level three was more about basic skills, especially knife skills and heat control. Seasoning was not the most important thing, but rather it depended on proficiency and the skill of the hands.
His suggestion of a seasoning really doesn't make much difference to the current situation.
But his cousin Ma Yongjun was still full of confidence: "Uncle, don't worry! There will be no problem!"
Ma Yongjun was very confident, for among the three chefs, Master Ma was his cousin. But it was not enough to rely on one person alone.
So he had already planned it out!
Ma Yongjun was so proud that his tail was about to lift up.
He had thought that the exam was too difficult, and he had been working for several years but still couldn't get the third level. So he discussed it with his mother.
Among the three chefs in the restaurant, there was no need to fight for Master Su, because he was a dark figure and looked difficult to get along with. Moreover, Master Su had a bad relationship with his cousin, so if he got close to Master Su, he would inevitably offend Master Ma.
Since Master Su is difficult to get along with, the only one left is Master Chen.
Ma Yongjun thought that he needed at least two people to pass the exam, and the other one had to be Master Chen.
His family and Master Chen's are in the front and back yards, which is a unique geographical environment. How great it is. Originally, Ma Yongjun's mother Ma Dalian wanted to give Chen Dong a gift, to say something good, and Master Chen would at least give his approval based on the relationship between the front and back yards.
But Ma Yongjun thought about it and felt that this idea was still naive.
Master Chen is a single old man!
I heard he is very rich.
If his mother could work with Master Chen, not only would he be able to get his chef license, he would also have a capable stepfather!
Going further back, Master Chen has no children, but he has three main rooms in his backyard!
Ma Yongjun explained this to his mother, and Ma Dalian thought about it and realized that it was indeed true.
Although Chen Dong doesn't look good, he is fat, but nowadays fat is called rich! Haven't seen her whole family, they are all thin, don't eat enough, are thin, and look unlucky.
Ma Dalian agreed immediately. By joining forces with Chen Dong, she could not only help her eldest son pass the exam, but also provide him with a house and salary in the future. There were many benefits.
Ma Yongjun was also very happy. He did not tell Master Ma about Ma Dalian's courtesy to Chen Dong, thinking that he had to wait until the matter was accomplished before telling him about it.
His mother told him that things were going well on her side.
It was obvious that it would not be long before he and Master Chen became one. So Ma Yongjun felt that he had a sure win in this exam.
Master Ma was so confused when he saw Ma Yongjun's confident look.
No, where do you get the confidence to say you can do it
Don’t you have any idea about your skills
As your teacher, I am worried here, but you are patting your chest and saying that you will definitely pass.
Have you passed it
You don’t have that ability, you know
Master Ma was furious: "Pay attention! This time, it was Master Su who set the questions! Chen Dong has also fallen out with me. If you don't work harder, you won't get through this time!"
Ma Yongjun nodded in agreement but didn't take it seriously in his heart.
Ha! That's Master, you don't know the relationship between me and Master Chen!
Master Chen will definitely pass it for me!
With this thought in mind, Ma Yongjun went to draw lots.
And I won the first place.
Master Ma was so worried that his eyebrows were about to fall off.
Ma Yongjun went to the kitchen with his chest puffed out to start the test. As expected, he was hit hard by Master Su and became a Spartan.
Master Su: "What the hell is this! You cut the vegetables with your feet? Look at your knife skills! Even the kitchen washer can cut better than you! The potato shreds are cut like the tip of your little finger. Didn't you hear the standard is matchsticks? Compare your fingertip with the matchstick and see how much difference there is! Also, the chicken nuggets in the spicy chicken are all mushy! For the dish of your choice, you only made a cucumber salad. Are you here to laugh at our company?"
Normally, exams are not so harsh, after all, it is an exam, not teaching, but...
Chen Dong could understand Master Su's psychology very well.
The fact that you can cook such dishes in this kitchen is an insult to all the chefs present.
Master Ma's face turned red, and he couldn't even say that Ma Yongjun did a good job.
He was also very angry. He had clearly trained Ma Yongjun, so how could Ma Yongjun do this!
The cucumber was supposed to be a coir cucumber! But he served a plate of cucumber slices. What's wrong with that
The result was as expected. Master Su made a big cross and Ma Yongjun was scolded in the face, but he was thick-skinned and didn't care. Instead, he stared at Chen Dong and gave him points.
Chen Dong smiled and gave a failing grade without any hesitation.
Ma Yongjun was stunned for a moment.
This is not right!
Didn't his mother say that she was almost done with Master Chen? How could Master Chen still give him a failing grade
Under such a heavy blow, Ma Yongjun was not even that excited about the failing grade given by Master Ma.
After the first test, Master Ma didn't care about anything else. He pulled the dazed apprentice out of the kitchen, took him to a corner and started to spray him hard.
"Is there something wrong with your brain? Why didn't you do as I told you before? Didn't I teach you how to make cucumber? It's so simple, why didn't you do it? And as for the spicy chicken, didn't I teach you how to control the oil temperature? How could you burn the spicy chicken?!"
Master Ma was so angry that he wanted to pinch his philtrum. He considered himself a conscientious master, and the one he taught was his own cousin, so he was not shy at all.
As a result, the other party gave him such a reward!
Ma Yongjun was still mumbling to himself: "This shouldn't be the case. How could he not pass me? My mother has already said so..."
Ma Yongjun really didn't understand. He no longer cared about what Master Ma did. He just couldn't understand why Master Chen didn't give him a pass.
Master Ma: "If I don't give you a pass, don't you know what's going on? You look so horrible, I won't give you a pass!"
Ma Yongjun was still rambling, and Master Ma gradually came to his senses: "Who are you talking about? What did your mother say?"
Ma Yongjun looked at the excited master and said mechanically: "My mother said that she will soon be able to marry Master Chen, and Master Chen will soon be my stepfather... Master, you said that Master Chen will be my stepfather, how can he not let me live with him? This shouldn't be..."
Master Ma looked at his apprentice's stunned and puzzled face and listened to his apprentice's wild thoughts.
No wonder!
No wonder that old guy Chen Dong turned against us today.
No wonder Chen Dong suddenly turned against me and stood with Master Su.
It turns out that it was you and your son who did this!