As soon as Xu Ying’s dish was ready, someone carried it straight to the dining room where Director Chen and the others were enjoying their meal.
There were six dishes in total, and Xu Ying had nailed every single one of them.
The kitchen was filled with mouthwatering aromas. Watching the satisfied expressions of the partners as they ate, Director Chen knew right away—this had worked.
Sure enough, after being treated like honored guests, the partners finally relented.
Director Chen was overjoyed. Once everything was settled, he couldn’t wait to find Xu Ying and handed her the ten yuan he had promised in advance.
“Xiao Xu, you did a great job on this task. Here’s the money I promised you—take it.” The light reflected off Director Chen’s bald forehead, making it shine brightly.
He had actually been thinking of recommending Xu Ying for a job at the state-owned hotel. But then he remembered: with Master Ge already helming the kitchen, they really didn’t need anyone else. It felt like a pity.
Xu Ying happily accepted the money, her smile stretching from ear to ear. “Thank you, Director Chen. If you ever need someone to cook again, just let me know!”
Not only did she earn ten yuan this time, she had also unlocked two new recipes.
Wonderful.
Humming a cheerful tune, Xu Ying was about to leave when the canteen’s head chef stopped her, giving her a sly wink. “Xiao Xu, these dishes you made—you can take them home. They’re all yours today.”
The implication was clear: no one would mind if she took them.
In truth, the chef himself was eager to taste her cooking.
Hearing this, Xu Ying didn’t hesitate. She packed up all the dishes without holding back. Of course, she was thoughtful too—she boxed up a portion of each dish for herself, and let the others share the rest.
“Oh, Xiao Xu’s cooking is amazing.”
“I could eat this every day and never get tired of it.”
With everyone’s compliments ringing behind her, Xu Ying pedaled away on her bicycle.
Before she’d even left the textile factory, she spotted Director Chen chatting with a middle-aged man in work clothes. The man was enthusiastically praising him:
“Director Chen, you really pulled it off this time! Signing such a big contract—when the factory director hears about it, he’s definitely going to commend you.”
Director Chen chuckled modestly. “Ah, it’s really thanks to Accountant Xu here. If he hadn’t been so meticulous and skilled with the numbers, how could our factory be thriving like this? Honestly, between the two of us, Accountant Xu deserves more credit.”
But there was an undertone to his words. On the surface, he was praising Accountant Xu’s financial skills. But anyone listening could tell he was actually mocking the man for being too calculating and petty. Everyone knew Accountant Xu was a vain man, dreaming of marrying his daughter into a wealthy family.
But marrying into a big leader’s family wasn’t that easy.
“Hello, Director Chen,” Xu Ying greeted politely as she approached. Spotting Accountant Xu beside him, she added, “Hello, Accountant Xu.”
“Do you know me?” Accountant Xu frowned, but deep down felt a little pleased. Was his reputation really that well-known?
“I don’t think Accountant Xu knows me,” Xu Ying said graciously. “I’m from Xujiacun. My father’s the village head, Captain Xu. My name’s Xu Ying.”
Director Chen nodded approvingly. He liked this girl—elegant, pretty, articulate, and an excellent cook.
Accountant Xu’s expression turned awkward. If he remembered correctly, his daughter had been refusing blind dates lately because she had her eyes on Xu Shengcai, the second son of the Xu family head.
And now, here he was, meeting Captain Xu’s daughter. His face darkened as he snapped, “Your second brother is Xu Shengcai, isn’t he? Go back and tell him to stop dreaming. There’s no way my daughter will marry some dirt farmer. Does he really think a field digger like him can marry my daughter?”
Xu Ying’s chest burned with anger. True, they couldn’t compare to Accountant Xu’s family in status—but he wasn’t some highborn noble either.
Her face hardened. “What’s that supposed to mean, Accountant Xu? You look down on us farmers? Without us working the fields, where do you think your food comes from? Without farmers, you city folks would’ve starved long ago. You act like you’re so superior—then how about you stop eating the food we grow?”
Accountant Xu was left speechless, his face flushed red. His finger trembled as he pointed at Xu Ying, unable to find words. “You—you—you—”
Xu Ying smiled coolly. “I get it—Accountant Xu loves his daughter. If I married a man with no job or position, my father wouldn’t be happy either. But for your information, my second brother is about to take the teaching certification exam in Yushan Commune. If he passes, he’ll have a government job.”
Her gaze sharpened. “When that happens, Accountant Xu, you won’t have any reason to stop my second brother and Sister Qiuye, will you?”
Accountant Xu’s expression softened a little. But as soon as he heard Xu Shengcai was taking the teacher’s exam, he sneered inwardly.
A teaching exam? Let’s see if he can even pass. And even if he does, there are still ways to block this marriage.
“Fine,” Accountant Xu said through gritted teeth. “I’ll agree—if your brother becomes a teacher, I won’t oppose them seeing each other. But if he fails, your Xu family had better stop pestering my daughter.”
Xu Ying nodded and bade farewell to the textile factory. By now, it was already three or four in the afternoon. She hopped on her bike and rode straight home.
Today, Xu Ying had not only unlocked two new recipes, she’d also gotten several bolts of cloth—dyed in colors true to the era.
She frowned thoughtfully on the way home. There hadn’t been fabric of these colors in her space before. It seemed the system had swapped them out.
“System, get out here!” she called.
【Host, please mind your tone!】
“What’s going on with the fabric colors?”
The system replied smoothly: 【To avoid suspicion, I replaced the fabrics in your space with colors appropriate to this era. It’s for your own safety—shouldn’t you be thanking me instead of doubting my intentions?】
Xu Ying’s mouth twitched. This dog of a system… acting like it was human.
“System, why do other people’s systems have mall exchange functions, but mine doesn’t? Don’t tell me you’re lower-level than theirs?”
At that, the system nearly blew a fuse, the screen flickering madly. 【This system is top-tier! Of course there’s a mall function—it’s just that the host hadn’t activated it yet!】
“Then activate it now.”
The system made a pained sound, then reluctantly complied.
As soon as the interface opened, Xu Ying immediately spotted what the system had been hiding: just as she suspected, the colorful fabrics in her space were priced much higher than the plain ones from this era.
“What’s the meaning of this, system?” she demanded.
【Please don’t misunderstand, host!】 the system replied hurriedly. 【I didn’t embezzle anything—the price difference was converted into points for you! Look at the upper-right corner; those points came from this transaction. You can use them in the mall.】
Xu Ying finally nodded, satisfied. This dog system had tried to pull a fast one, but couldn’t outwit her.
Artificial intelligence? Hah—still no match for human brains.
Riding home in high spirits, Xu Ying felt life was getting better and better.
“Mom! I’m home!” she called as she arrived.
Hearing her voice, Mother Xu rushed out excitedly. Seeing all the goods piled on her daughter’s bike, she instantly knew—her daughter had succeeded.