Chapter 6: A Full Belly Makes for a Healthy Body

At 8:30 in the morning, Jiang Suisui first dropped off her two children at their assigned classes before rushing to report to the cafeteria's administrative department before 9:00.

The administrator checked her health certificate, issued two sets of brand-new uniforms, and assigned her a locker in the changing room. After she changed into her uniform and completed the disinfection process, she was taken to the cafeteria's head chef.

"Old Zhang, this is the new utility worker. See how you want to arrange her."

Jiang Suisui smiled and bowed to Old Zhang, who was frowning. "Hello, Chef Zhang. I am Jiang Suisui. I can handle all sorts of chores in the kitchen. I can also do the work of a sous-chef."

Old Zhang was aware of the new hire and knew that Jiang Suisui was a person with genetic defects assigned through the welfare program. What could a person with genetic defects who came to be a utility worker possibly know? He didn't have high hopes for her, assuming she was just trying to curry favor. He dismissed her, saying, "Our cafeteria primarily operates on an assembly-line model. While we have head chefs in charge of cooking, the sous-chef duties are handled by professional robots; we don't need you for that. Since you're a utility worker, just stick to the chores."

In the catering industry, a "sous-chef" refers to the person who assists the head chef, primarily responsible for chopping and preparing vegetables. Jiang Suisui didn't feel disappointed; in the interstellar era, it was normal for robots to replace humans in many jobs. She followed Old Zhang quietly into the cafeteria, where he called over a tall, thin man of about thirty.

"Liu Song, this is Jiang Suisui. She will be working under you from now on. Show her the ropes."

Liu Song looked surprised and appraised Jiang Suisui for a moment. Though he wore a smile, it didn't reach his eyes. "Chef Zhang, I already have an apprentice, Xiao Wu, to train. If I take on another, I'm afraid I won't be able to manage. An apprentice needs proper guidance, and I would feel guilty if I couldn't teach her well."

Old Zhang’s expression remained unchanged. "She’s a utility worker in a newly established welfare position. Just give her some odd jobs; it won't interfere with your training of Xiao Wu."

Since Old Zhang had put it that way, Liu Song couldn't refuse. He also noted the keyword "welfare position" and realized that Jiang Suisui was merely a person with genetic defects and posed no competition. He looked at Jiang Suisui with a smile, "Alright, I'll take her on, as long as little Jiang doesn't mind that I'm old and lacking in energy."

Jiang Suisui remained smiling, looking gentle and innocent, as if she hadn't noticed Liu Song's hostility. "Thank you for your trouble, Master Liu."

Old Zhang left with a brief instruction to work hard. Once he was out of earshot, Liu Song's smile faded slightly. "Little Jiang, you should know how our cafeteria works. It's a new era with new methods; most tasks are done by robots."

"If it weren't for the fact that our kindergarten prioritizes humanistic care to foster social and emotional development in children—and because the teachers are picky and dislike the 'templated' meals made by robots—the cafeteria wouldn't need so many people."

"So, you won't be too busy. Just help my apprentice, Xiao Wu, and take some of the load off her."

Jiang Suisui nodded. "Understood, thank you, Master Liu."

Liu Song continued, "However, Xiao Wu is on leave for a few days, so you'll do her work for now. Once she returns, we'll arrange other tasks for you."

Jiang Suisui understood that Liu Song didn't want to train her, but she didn't mind. It didn't matter; if they wanted to treat her like a ball to be kicked around, so be it. Getting paid to do less work—wasn't that a good thing?

Liu Song opened his holographic interface, added her on the StarNet, sent her a work schedule, and introduced the layout of the cafeteria. "We currently have four groups under Chef Zhang's management. Group one cooks for the leadership and teachers, while groups two, three, and four cook for the junior, middle, and senior classes respectively."

"I am the leader of group four and the head chef. Tasks like washing pots, cleaning dishes, chopping vegetables, and plating are handled by specialized machinery and robots. What you need to do is calibrate the equipment, perform sampling tests, save samples, and arrange delivery."

"Check the work schedule for the specifics. I have a staff meeting for about half an hour. It's nine o'clock now; start the preparations according to the menu I just sent you." With that, Liu Song walked away.

Jiang Suisui studied the work schedule and menu carefully. Her memory was excellent; she memorized everything after one look. She put away her interface, performed the required three rounds of disinfection, and began her work.

At Morning Star Kindergarten, the students' three daily meals are customized by a team of nutritionists. This included detailed instructions on which ingredients to use, the ratios, and the exact portions for each class and student. Therefore, Jiang Suisui's work was not difficult. She first started the robots to transport ingredients from the warehouse, then calibrated the vegetable washing and chopping equipment.

Once that was done, she waited to test samples of both the raw and processed ingredients. Afterward, Liu Song would handle the cooking. Once the dishes were ready, she had to save a sample, have the robots portion the food for each class, and finally arrange for them to be sealed and delivered.

"This last batch is for the Orange Class, arrange for delivery..."

Watching Jiang Suisui work with such efficiency, needing no guidance and completing tasks methodically, Liu Song's wariness grew. He said coldly, "Once you're finished, go to the dining hall for lunch. Staff meals are prepared by the groups in rotation. It's all large-batch cooking; grab a tray and serve yourself."

Jiang Suisui acted as if nothing were wrong, smiling at Liu Song. "Alright, I understand, thank you, Master Liu."

After spending ten minutes finishing up, she was about to head to the dining hall when she noticed Liu Song having a robot bring over some ingredients. The quantity was small, and he quickly processed them himself and started stir-frying.

Jiang Suisui was confused. The menu said group two was cooking the staff meal today; what was Liu Song doing? She asked directly, "Master Liu, are we allowed to cook our own food?"

Although Liu Song didn't want to train her, since Old Zhang had assigned her to him, he had to keep up appearances. At the very least, if Jiang Suisui made a mistake later, he wouldn't be blamed. So, while stir-frying, he replied, "You can, but only after your work is finished. And you can't use too many ingredients; look at what I'm using—these are all leftovers and scraps."

Jiang Suisui was about to ask more when another staff member entered, bearing a resemblance to Liu Song. "Brother, cooking for Rui Rui again? I'm going to deliver snacks to Meng Meng later; do you want me to take that along too?"

Liu Song laughed immediately. "Sure, I'll stir-fry a couple more dishes, and we'll eat together."

Listening to their conversation, Jiang Suisui realized that cafeteria staff could not only cook for themselves but also prepare extra food for their children attending the kindergarten. It was a sort of staff perk.

Jiang Suisui thought about her younger brother and sister, who had often gone hungry and lacked proper nutrition over the years, leaving them frail and smaller than their peers. She decisively had the robots retrieve ingredients to make something for Jiang Xingran and Jiang Yueyi.

Eat well, grow healthy!

Considering the lunch for the senior class consisted of red-braised meatballs, stir-fried bok choy, baby cabbage with shrimp paste, and rice, she decided to make a dessert.

Pumpkin pancakes.