This??
Shen Zhiyi closed the lid of the box again. Is this thing magical or what?
Or had she woken up too early and started hallucinating?
She opened it once more. The three large bottles of cola were still there her favorite brand, Pepsi, no less.
What on earth was going on?
Was this some kind of wishing box?
If she made a wish to it, would it actually come true?
Shen Zhiyi refused to believe it. She took the three bottles out, closed the lid again, closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and began to make her wish.
“Baby, baby, bring me money, make me rich!”
“Make sure it’s money that works in this era, okay? Those big red notes from my time won’t be accepted here.”
“If you really grant this wish, I’ll burn three sticks of incense to you every day and worship you like a god. You’ll be my precious treasure, deal?”
Alone in the room, Shen Zhiyi looked absolutely crazy, muttering to herself nonstop.
After finishing her wish, she patted the box three times just like before.
Then, holding her breath, she slowly reached out and gently lifted the lid.
At first, she didn’t dare open her eyes. After all, wishing to get rich overnight was just too unrealistic.
One should keep their feet on the ground, right?
But then again… this magical box had already given her cola. Surely giving her some money wouldn’t be too much to ask?
That was what Shen Zhiyi told herself.
Finally, she summoned her courage and opened her eyes. The sight before her made her jaw drop.
There really was money! And lots of it! The box was filled to the brim with bills fiftys, tens, fives, all different denominations. All of it was valid currency for this time period.
No red “Mao notes,” and no green fifties from her world.
Her wish to get rich… had actually come true!
“Haha, hahaha…”
Shen Zhiyi happily closed the lid and hugged the box, spinning around in circles in the room.
When she stopped, she kept kissing her “precious treasure” over and over again.
“You really are my lucky treasure! How about I call you ‘Ruyi’ from now on? Don’t worry, I’ll definitely burn three sticks of incense for you every day!”
Ruyi remained perfectly still and silent.
A cool breeze blew past, feeling slightly eerie.
Shen Zhiyi didn’t notice. She placed Ruyi on the small wooden table next to the iron bed, against the wall, leaving space in front for incense.
She planned to go out later to find a shop selling incense and candles, buy some, and light them for her Ruyi.
Knock knock knock
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Coming!” Shen Zhiyi calmed down, closed the box, and noticed it didn’t have a lock. She made a mental note to buy a pretty little padlock to keep it secure.
“Shen Zhiyi?” Standing outside was a woman around thirty years old with a voluptuous figure. She had permed hair a style Shen Zhiyi wasn’t fond of, but it was currently trendy in barbershops and quite expensive to get done.
“That’s me,” Shen Zhiyi stood up and answered politely.
“I’m in charge of logistics here. Everyone calls me Sister Li, you can too.”
“Hello, Sister Li. I look forward to your guidance.”
“Mhm, I’ll look out for you. What were you doing in there just now? Jumping around and laughing so loud. Try to keep the noise down during rest hours, okay?”
“Oh, sure thing! Sorry about that.”
“No worries, you’re new here. Later, Old Li from the tailor shop will come measure you for uniforms. Boss Wei said to make two sets for you.” Sister Li struck a delicate pose, her heavily made-up eyes scanning Shen Zhiyi up and down carefully.
“You should ask Boss Wei for an advance on your salary later. Go to Back Street and buy yourself some proper clothes. You’re going to be the head chef at Fumanlou, the first female chef we’ve ever had since opening. Your current outfit is just too shabby.”
“Can I really get an advance?” Shen Zhiyi asked eagerly. Was this for real?
Although Ruyi was now full of money, she had no idea where it came from, so she didn’t dare spend it casually yet.
If she could get an advance and save that salary, while using the money from Ruyi for daily expenses, she could slowly figure things out.
“Of course! You can get up to three months’ pay in advance, depending on what you need. Want me to go with you?” Sister Li was quite enthusiastic.
Shen Zhiyi glanced at her fashion sense and shook her head. “Thanks, Sister Li, but I’ll go by myself later.”
“Alright then.”
“The chefs get a three-hour break at noon, that’s the best time to go. For now, wait for Old Li to take your measurements, then head to the kitchen to get familiar with the place.”
“Got it, Sister Li.”
“Okay, I’m off.”
At 9:30 AM, Old Li the tailor arrived to take her measurements.
By 10:30, Shen Zhiyi headed downstairs carrying two bottles of cola, having torn off the labels first.
In the kitchen, the other two head chefs were already there. She greeted them Chef Zhao and Chef Qiu.
They had clashed yesterday, but after Boss Wei’s wise mediation, the two men no longer viewed Shen Zhiyi through the lens of her “reformed criminal” background.
This was the first day the three of them would officially work together.
Chef Zhao had noticed the dark bottles in her hands earlier. “Xiao Shen, what are you carrying there?”
“Cola,” Shen Zhiyi replied.
The restaurant sold cola-flavored sodas. They weren’t the foreign brands Pepsi or Coke, but they were still very popular with young people and children, selling out quickly by the crate. They cost one yuan a bottle not exactly cheap.
“Soda water?” Chef Qiu patted his protruding belly, confused why she would bring soda into the kitchen. “What do you need that for?”
“To cook,” Shen Zhiyi said. “It’s going to be my first new dish here to contribute. I’ll write it up on the blackboard outside later.”
She noticed the small blackboard hanging by the entrance: Today’s Special: [Dish Name].
“Xiao Shen, isn’t that a bit reckless? If soda water could be used for cooking, anyone could be a chef!” Chef Qiu didn’t approve at all.
Chef Zhao stayed quiet. He had underestimated her yesterday, so this time he decided to observe first before speaking.
“I think Boss Wei is a man with great vision, courage, and creativity,” Shen Zhiyi said aloud.
Just then, Boss Wei walked in and heard her praising him so sincerely and wholeheartedly. He was quite pleased.
This girl really knew how to talk!
Seeing the boss, Chef Qiu immediately started complaining. He said Shen Zhiyi wanted to cook with soda water how could you boil that? Was she trying to send customers to the hospital?
She was going to ruin Fumanlou’s good reputation!
He had said it from the start hiring a woman as head chef was too hasty and risky.
Women had long hair but short foresight; what did they really know about cooking?
Their proper place was at home, marrying a good man, raising children, and taking care of the household.