Master Bao glanced over, his expression growing darker—he couldn’t make the kinds of pastry shapes Lin Jingwen had just crafted.
“Wow, Sister Lin, your hands are amazing! The little fish and rabbits you made are so beautiful, full of childlike charm. Kids would definitely love them,” Xiao Wu exclaimed with a smile. He even addressed her more familiarly as “Sister Lin” instead of “Master Lin,” since he wanted to learn from her.
“If I pass the assessment and start working here, I can teach you if you’d like to learn,” Lin Jingwen replied with a smile.
“Ah, thank you, Sister Lin!” Xiao Wu said excitedly. “With skills like yours, there’s no way you’ll fail the assessment.”
As he spoke, Xiao Wu looked toward Master Qian.
“I’m not the manager, I can’t make the decision,” Master Qian said with a laugh. Then he praised Lin Jingwen’s dexterity and creativity.
Lin Jingwen smiled and thanked Master Qian, then made a few more pastries before placing them into the steamer.
Xiao Jiang wasn’t as smooth‑tongued as Xiao Wu, but he also admired Lin Jingwen’s craftsmanship and wanted to learn from her. Seeing her lift the steamer basket, he quickly stepped forward to help, stammering, “Sis Lin, let me help you.”
“Alright, thank you, Xiao Jiang.” Lin Jingwen saw a bit of her younger self in him and gave him a kind smile.
When the pastries came out of the steamer, they looked even more adorable—plump white rabbits with two little red bean eyes, vivid and lifelike.
“Excellent, excellent! These pastries look better than anyone else’s,” Manager Zhao said as she came over. She first admired the shapes, then tasted them—the texture was springy, the flavor fragrant.
“Master Lin’s fundamentals in pastry making are very solid. Her kneading, wrapping, and rolling techniques are all skilled, no less than those of chefs with ten or twenty years of experience.”
Master Qian also spoke up, giving Lin Jingwen a very high evaluation.
“Sister Lin works so quickly. I was just watching her, and it felt like in the blink of an eye she had already finished shaping the pastries,” Xiao Wu chimed in enthusiastically.
Master Bao stayed silent, but Master Zhong smiled and added, “She’s more skilled than I am.”
“Sister Lin is amazing!” Xiao Jiang said, giving her a thumbs‑up.
“Good, good, good.” Manager Zhao was very satisfied with Lin Jingwen and immediately decided to hire her. She added, “You can start working right now. Join in and make more of these cute, attractive designs. Let’s see how customers react to them.”
Hearing that she was officially hired, Lin Jingwen smiled and agreed.
From Manager Zhao’s tone, she understood she wanted her to keep producing designs—almost like continuing the assessment. So she decided to put in extra effort. If she performed well, once the busy lunch rush was over, she could discuss salary and benefits with him.
Pastry chefs clearly had ranks, and higher ranks meant higher pay. In the past, Lin Jingwen had been too insecure to fight for better opportunities.
But now, she had nothing to fear. She would fight for what she deserved. With her ability, securing good treatment was only right.
For the next two hours, Lin Jingwen kept making pastries of all sizes and shapes—flower buns, little animals, and more. It seemed that with just a casual pinch of her fingers, she could create beautiful designs. Watching her, Xiao Wu couldn’t stop exclaiming in amazement.
“Wow, Sister Lin, you’re incredible! How do you know so many designs?”
“Heavens, Sister Lin, your mind must work differently from ours.”
Lin Jingwen: “…”
There was really no need to praise her *that* hard.
The various shaped buns she made were carried out and received unanimous praise—after all, no one else had this skill right now.
Of course, Lin Jingwen’s ability came partly from that dream she had, and partly from her natural talent and creativity, which allowed her to craft many unique designs. Many customers marveled at how beautiful the animal‑shaped buns were, and some were even reluctant to eat them. Quite a few wanted to take them home for their children. When they learned there weren’t many of these buns available, customers strongly requested more be made quickly.
Hearing about the enthusiastic response, Manager Zhao walked into the kitchen with a broad smile and said to Lin Jingwen: “Master Lin, the customers love your pastries—especially those delicate little animal buns. They’re a huge hit. Guests who dine here aren’t stingy about paying for something attractive. The better they look, the more appealing they are. Your childlike, whimsical buns have given me a new idea. These are perfect for children. Our guesthouse restaurant could launch a special line of children’s pastries—it should sell very well!”
Lin Jingwen listened with a smile. At the end, she responded immediately: “Leader, your vision is truly sharp. Right now, no restaurant offers children’s buns. If you launch this, it will be one of a kind.”
Manager Zhao smiled, clearly appreciating Lin Jingwen’s cleverness and quick thinking.
She spoke well; her skills were outstanding, and although she was a woman going through a divorce, her flaws didn’t overshadow her strengths—she was someone worth relying on.
“Alright, the children’s buns will be your responsibility. If you can’t handle the workload alone, teach Master Qian and the others,” Manager Zhao said.
Lin Jingwen smiled and agreed. She wasn’t worried about others learning from her—because she could keep innovating endlessly.
“Oh, by the way, Master Lin, do you know how to make Western pastries?” Manager Zhao asked.
“I do know some, though I’m more familiar with Chinese pastries,” Lin Jingwen replied. “I can bake bread and cookies, and also make cream cakes. I’ll prepare some for you to see.”
“Good,” Manager Zhao said with a smile.
An hour later, after tasting her bread and admiring the beautiful cream cake designs, Manager Zhao exclaimed that she had truly found a treasure.
“Master Lin, this is wonderful! Your skills are far beyond expectations,” she said with delight.
Master Qian and the others, after tasting the bread and seeing the cake decorations, could only feel admiration. Impressive indeed!
“Time was short, so I just made something simple,” Lin Jingwen said calmly with a faint smile. “My real specialty is Chinese pastries and cakes. I haven’t even shown you the various stuffed pies I can make.”
“No need to rush today,” Manager Zhao replied with a smile. “Come with me to the office first.”
Once in the office, Manager Zhao said directly: “Master Lin, starting tomorrow, will you officially join us?”
“Leader, I’m sorry. I have something to do tomorrow. Can I start the day after instead?” Lin Jingwen replied.
Tomorrow was Saturday, and she had already promised to invite her landlady, Auntie Li, and her family for a meal. Saturdays were supposed to be her rest days, but because of the unexpected resignation and re‑application, she needed to adjust.
“Alright, then the day after,” Manager Zhao nodded. With talented people, she was willing to be flexible.
She then explained the restaurant’s rules and regulations, her salary level, and the potential performance bonuses.
At that time, state‑run restaurants were still “iron rice bowls”—no labor contracts, just fixed employment.
Manager Zhao informed her that, because of her excellent performance, she was being assigned the rank of **Intermediate Pastry Chef**. Above that was **Senior Pastry Chef**.
The salary for a junior pastry chef was 110 yuan per month. Intermediate chefs earned an additional 25 yuan, bringing their total to 135 yuan.
Since Lin Jingwen had already resolved to fight for the best treatment, she spoke up: “Leader, is my ability really not enough to qualify as a senior pastry chef?”
“Actually, your ability is enough. But you’re still young, and a woman, and you’ve only just joined the restaurant. Assigning you as intermediate instead of junior already exceeds the usual rules—I did it because I admire your talent. If I gave you the senior rank right away, I’m afraid others wouldn’t accept it, and they’d resent you.”
Hearing this, Lin Jingwen frowned and said seriously: “Leader, you yourself said my ability is sufficient. Based on that, I deserve senior pastry chef treatment. If you don’t give me that rank, Master Bao and the others will think I don’t measure up, and will look down on me even more just because I’m a woman.”
“You want me to take charge of the children’s pastries—then you should give me the proper treatment and authority! Otherwise, I won’t be able to do this well, and I’ll have to regretfully say you should find someone else.”
Manager Zhao was stunned, her eyes widening in surprise. She had never heard a woman—no, not even a man—speak so firmly in fighting for position and pay. She had even cornered her, making it clear that without the proper rank and salary, she would refuse the job altogether.
Manager Zhao stared at her for a moment, seeing her eyes clear and resolute, her confidence unwavering.
“…Alright! Then I’ll give you the senior pastry chef rank and salary. You’re no ordinary woman!” She steadied herself, but her gaze toward Lin Jingwen grew more admiring, and she nodded with a smile.
“Thank you, Leader. You truly have an eye for talent. I’ll work hard and won’t let you down,” Lin Jingwen replied with a bright smile.
The salary for a senior pastry chef was 170 yuan per month—35 yuan more than the intermediate level.
Previously, her kitchen helper wage had been 65 yuan. Now, her pay was nearly triple!
The unexpected outcome filled Lin Jingwen with delight. Indeed, one must fight for oneself!
“Now, are you praising me, or praising yourself?” Manager Zhao couldn’t help but laugh, half exasperated but also clearly enjoying her spirit. She continued: “The little bun designs you made earlier—can you keep innovating, coming up with new styles every so often? With the New Year approaching, how about making some attractive buns shaped like the twelve zodiac animals? And for the cakes and pastries—you’ve already nailed the flavor: sweet but not cloying, with a perfect balance of sugar, eggs, and milk. But can you also create more varied and novel designs?”
“Everything you mentioned is no problem,” Lin Jingwen replied with a confident smile and nod.
“Good, good, good.” Manager Zhao laughed, repeating her approval.
“If you can boost pastry sales during the Spring Festival, you’ll also receive year‑end bonuses and rewards. Our restaurant’s rules are starting to change—we’re moving toward performance‑based rewards. If you do well, the benefits will definitely come your way.”
Lin Jingwen listened to all the promises and outwardly acted excited, nodding and assuring him she would work hard. But in truth, she didn’t take it too seriously. Until those benefits were actually in her hands, she treated them as nothing more than words.