Roommates had all returned last night, and after introductions, she found out she was the cook who would prepare meals. The others treated her kindly, which was essential because a friendly environment meant steady hands during service.
Before each meal at the construction site, the foreman would report the number of diners so she could prepare accordingly. Having previously cooked Big Pot Dish, Gong Mingxia was adept in estimating the amounts needed once she knew the headcount.
In her earlier role as an assistant cook, she had learned to make various regional specialties such as Sichuan cuisine, Henan cuisine, and Northeastern dishes. Consequently, she prepared a range of foods including steamed buns, noodles, and rice, as the construction workers from all over the country were not picky—just as long as their meal was filling. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel{f}ire.net
The food was free of charge, so who could demand more?
However, the developer from the South paid close attention to the meal quality for construction workers, mandating at least one meat dish per day. After all, if you want a horse to run, you must feed it enough. This policy reflected the boss's generosity and focus on the bigger picture, indicating his potential for greater successes.
Perhaps due to an early night, when she woke up at four-thirty in the morning, Xiao Xiao was already awake. Gong Mingxia quietly instructed Xiao Xiao not to disturb the others to prevent the child from panicking in a new environment.
Xiao Xiao, intuitively understanding and agreeable, nodded.
Thus, the mother-daughter duo carefully got dressed, got up, and went outside to wash up and brush their teeth. The washroom featured a heater that provided hot water 24/7, so they were comfortable getting ready before promptly appearing in the big kitchen at five o'clock.
Upon opening the kitchen door and seeing her and her child, the head chef, Brother Wang, furrowed his not-so-deep eyebrows on his round face.
"Why so early? It's still dark and quite chilly. Why bring your child here?"
During March and April in the Solar Calendar, it indeed was a bit chilly at five in the morning, and Gong Mingxia felt this man was genuinely kindhearted.
Because instead of blaming her for bringing the child to work, he was worried about the child being out in the cold.
"Brother Wang, I'm sorry, it's our first day, and I was worried she might not adapt. Plus, she was already awake. I brought her along to familiarize her with the surroundings. Don't worry, she is very well-behaved and won't cause any trouble."
Wang Hao, a sturdy man around six feet tall, had the robust and open-hearted characteristics of someone from Shandong. His voice was loud, likely due to years of good food making him plump—if it weren't for his height, he might have become quite rotund.
The child might naturally feel nervous in a strange environment. Seeing Xiao Xiao hiding behind her mother and sneakily peeking at him with a cute little face poked from behind, Wang Hao thought of his own daughter and immediately softened, nodding at her.
"What's your name, sweetheart? Don't be scared, Uncle isn't blaming your mom. I'm just worried you might catch a cold."
"Thank you, Uncle. My name is Xiao Xiao. I'm five years old, and I'm not cold. I want to stay with you and can even help pick vegetables. I've helped my mom before."
Gong Mingxia, slightly embarrassed, touched her daughter's head then turned to Wang Hao, "Brother Wang, sorry to trouble you. What are we cooking this morning?"
"No trouble at all. Have you done this kind of work before?"
Gong Mingxia nodded, "Yes, many times."
"Great, then you take the lead this morning. The ingredients are in the room next door. Just go in there and pick whatever you want to use. Over there is the dough kneader; I've already prepared the dough yesterday. We usually steam buns or steamed buns and cook porridge in the morning. No stir-frying, just some pickles and eggs stir-fried with hot sauce—just add an egg each and that's it."
"Seventy-two people including us are eating this morning. The kitchen has all the necessary facilities. Look, there's the steamer for rice, the bench for dough, the cutting board for vegetables. Workers bring their own lunchboxes and clean them themselves; all we have to do is keep the kitchen clean."
A dough kneader already in this era? It seemed this construction site was quite considerate, knowing full well that kneading dough for seventy to eighty people manually would be exhausting—even with a machine, it's still a tough task.
After understanding her tasks, Gong Mingxia went to the next room. In April, the seasonal transition meant limited vegetable options, including radishes, cabbages, celery, and Chinese cabbages. Looking around, she couldn't find tofu at first but eventually spotted it in the freezer and nodded in satisfaction.
Just as she was about to leave, her eyes accidentally caught sight of some pumpkins stacked by the door. An idea struck her, and she clapped her hands in decision, "Perfect, now I know what to cook!"