Blissful Days After Widowhood - Chapter 59

That was indeed what Gu Yin had long thought of.

The small stall on the wharf had to be closed in winter, and no matter how talented she was, she couldn’t earn enough for Wu’an’s studies in more than two months.

But fortunately, when the Chinese New Year was approaching, anyone with certain conditions would choose to go to a restaurant. The business of various restaurants was in a rush and there was a shortage of people – just like when she opened a restaurant in her previous life. At the end of the year, not only did she have to pay five times the salary, residential employees worked overtime, and she had to spend a lot of money to hire temporary workers.

Afraid of Mrs. Wang’s nagging, Gu Yin was ready to go out.

During that period of time, Mrs. Wang also knew that once the girl had made a decision, she would not change it easily, and it was not good to lock her at home. So she could only chase her out with the umbrella and big robe, put it on her and button it carefully, “Take your umbrella with you, just go out for a walk, and if it snows again, come back immediately.”

Mrs. Wang dropped her off out of the alley before returning.

Not long after, Mrs. Xu came over to find Mrs. Wang and they went out together.

“Why haven’t I seen your daughter-in-law? Do you feel sorry for her and let her rest at home?”

Speaking of that, Mrs. Wang couldn’t help but sigh, “I thought so, but she got up and told me she wanted to go out to help the cook. I can’t argue with her. I’ll tell you, raising a daughter is just like that.”

Mrs. Xu snorted softly, “Don’t be in the midst of happiness and not know happiness. Such a good daughter-in-law is hard, how dare you complain? If you don’t want her, give her to…”

“How am I complaining? I feel sorry for her!” Mrs. Wang said worriedly, “She set up a stall outside where the wind was blowing and the sun was steaming. You didn’t see her hands. They were white and clean and so beautiful. Now they are swollen like small steamed buns. I asked her if it was itchy or painful. She smiled and told me that it wasn’t uncomfortable at all, and when I turned around, I found out that not only her hands, but also her feet were like that. I couldn’t sleep at night. She finally gained a little weight in the autumn, but recently has lost weight again… Now when she can finally rest, she…”

Speaking of that, Mrs. Wang slapped herself on the mouth hard, “Ah, I had this mouth, and I should have promised her to save money for the New Year!”

Mrs. Xu sighed.

In the past, the two of them wouldn’t worry about that little money, but at the moment a few taels of silver could make a difference. If things were good in the past, she would have supported Xiao Wu’an’s studies financially.

…………

After Gu Yin came out of Jinyi Alley, she asked people about the big restaurants in the town that were recruiting workers – she thought about being a cook. She could learn the operation method of restaurants in that era and prepare to open her own restaurant in the future.

After asking around, Gu Yin learned that a restaurant called Full Moon Hall was recruiting workers.

That restaurant was open in the town for more than ten years, and its reputation had been very good. The daily traffic was also very large, not to mention the holidays.

However, that restaurant had high requirements. The shopkeeper was a master chef of the state restaurant. Even if the job was of a helper, one must have their own skills and get his approval.

When Gu Yin found Full Moon Hall, it happened to be the morning market.

It was snowing outside that day, and there were fewer pedestrians on the road, but that was it, half of the customers at Full Moon Hall were on the way, which showed how popular its business was.

As soon as Gu Yin entered the door, Xiao Er (staff) immediately greeted her.

She went straight to the point and said that she was there to apply.

Xiao Er smiled, “Little lady, wait a moment, I’ll go to invite our shopkeeper.”

After a while, a middle-aged man wearing a round neck silk robe came over.

He looked at Gu Yin first. He didn’t judge her strange big cotton robe, but he was a little hesitant about her age.

“I would tell the little lady in advance. Although we are looking for a cook helper, our requirements are no lower than that of a small shop outside asking for a chef.”

Gu Yin nodded and said, “I just want a chance to be assessed. If what I do is not to your liking, you don’t need to say more, I would just leave.”

The shopkeeper nodded slightly and asked Gu Yin to follow him to the back kitchen.

This Full Moon Hall was indeed a large-scale restaurant. There were more than ten light stoves in the back kitchen, and the counters for cutting vegetables and the sinks for washing vegetables were all ten feet long. And all the places that the eyes could see were clean and spotless, with plenty of light.

It was Gu Yin’s dream kitchen in that era.

The shopkeeper asked Gu Yin and learned that she was good at making porridge, so he said, “Laba Festival is in a few days, so the little lady can make Laba porridge.”

Cooking porridge was one of Gu Yin’s long-term priorities, so she should naturally do it.