Sissy (Niang Niang Qiang) - Chap 1
Chapter 1
“Hey, Xiao[1] Li, turn around!”
Li Chengxiu was busy putting salt into the pot when he heard Manager Zhang’s voice behind him. He quickly put the salt away before turning his head.
The hotel he was working at has only been operating for three months. The appliances in the kitchen were all still new and shiny. One could see the lush fire reflecting in the silver-white cabinet door, which illuminated Li Chengxiu’s fair and delicate face. The fine sweat beads on the tip of his nose were also shining like little crystals in this bright light.
He wiped the sweat from his face: “What’s the matter, Manager Zhang?”
Manager Zhang pointed at the person next to him and ordered, “Xiao Qian, you take over.”
Then he said to Li Chengxiu, “Come with me.”
In a hurry, Li Chengxiu handed his spatula to Xiao Qian, quickly turned on the faucet and nervously came up to Manager Zhang.
“Xiao Li, you’re quite lucky,” the manager said as he led him out.
Li Chengxiu followed behind him slowly and was confused: “What do you mean, Manager Zhang?”
“Mr. Liu came here today to entertain a distinguished guest. And even our boss showed up to accompany him! This guest was full of praise for the dishes you made. Next month, he is planning to hold a sea party in Victoria Harbor[2]. He still hasn’t decided on the chef for the Chinese food, and he wants to see if you might be a good fit.”
Li Chengxiu was startled. The chefs he had worked with before had been invited by wealthy people to cook for private banquets – New Year’s Eve dinners, etc. They only had to work for a few days, but the customers were so generous that one such engagement was worth several months of usual pay. These kinds of wages are really a pie in the sky! Because Li Chengxiu was not a very experienced cook, he had never had such an opportunity before.
Today, suddenly such a good thing happened to him, so he couldn’t conceal the joy on his face. His heart was also pounding with excitement and anxiety.
Manager Zhang looked at him with a smile: “Be glad, you’re very lucky! It’s been less than a month since you’ve been transferred from the headquarters. Hurry up, change into a clean set of clothes and wash your face!”
Li Chengxiu nodded and headed towards the cloakroom. Just as he was about to push the door, he remembered his manners and turned around, “Manager Zhang, thank you!”
Manager Zhang waved his hand: “Go and change your clothes first.”
Li Chengxiu quickly walked in, took out his freshly washed white chef’s clothes that still smelled of washing detergent and put them on. Then he splashed some water on his face. With that, the strong smell of oil smoke from the kitchen was much less prominent.
After he came out, Manager Zhang led him to the box, carefully coaching him on the way: “Xiao Li, I know you can’t speak so well. You don’t need to talk a lot – just shortly answer the questions they ask you.”
Li Chengxiu nodded quietly: “Ok.”
“Just remember that after you go in, first you have to greet our boss and then Mr. Liu. You’ve never met him but you might have heard of him before – he is bald and he is wearing a blue shirt. You just say to him ‘Hello, Mr[3]. Liu’. Finally, on his left, you will see our distinguished guest. His last name is Shao, he is quite young and he looks like a superstar, so he’s easy to spot. You should greet him with ‘Hello, Mr[4]. Shao’. Do you understand?”
“Um.”
“Don’t forget the proper order – first our boss, then Mr. Liu, then Mr. Shao. The rest of the people are not that important, so you can just nod at them. You usually don’t even say a few words a day, so I’m afraid you will be too awkward. So, don’t say anything after you have done your greetings, unless asked directly. Just leave everything else to me. Is it clear?”
“Yes, thank you Manager Zhang.” Li Chengxiu nodded gratefully. Manager Zhang didn’t usually talk to him very much. He didn’t expect him to suddenly be so caring at this time, so Li Chengxiu felt a little flattered.
The two approached the box, and Manager Zhang knocked lightly on the door.
The boss’s voice came from the inside: “Come in.”
Manager Zhang opened the door and led Li Chengxiu in.
Li Chengxiu saw that there were nearly ten people sitting around the table, who all looked at him at the same time. He saw light flashing in front of his eyes, and his brain was buzzing. He was momentarily blinded. Even though the central air conditioner made the room chilly, he was so nervous that he sweated.
Li Chengxiu’s character was a bit autistic[5], and he usually had a hard time speaking to people. As the crowd stared at him, he felt so scared that his legs became weak and his tongue was knotted.
Manager Zhang pushed him.
Only then did Li Chengxiu wake up from his daze, and his eyes regained some focus. He first found his boss, and whispered, “Hello boss.” Then his gaze located Mr. Liu in his blue shirt and he said, “Hello Mr. Liu.” Then he looked around for the young one, who looked like a superstar…
Li Chengxiu’s heart skipped a beat, as if someone had punched him right in the chest.
This person was profoundly handsome, had a dashing face, a smooth forehead, broad shoulders, and quite an interesting smile…
Li Chengxiu lowered his head in panic, as this half-smiling face with an inquiring expression appeared in front of him.
This man… he looked too familiar. Could it be him? More than ten years have passed, and he might be mistaken. But his last name was also Shao…
Manager Zhang was nervous, thinking that Li Chengxiu had forgotten what he had told him just now. He also blamed himself for having too high expectations for this guy! How could he have expected a person who can’t fart at all to suddenly fart loudly in front of everyone’s eyes? So he quickly slapped Li Chengxiu’s waist from behind.
Li Chengxiu came back to his senses and blurted out, “Hello, Mr. Shao.”
Everyone at the table looked at him with interest.
Mr. Liu was the host today, and everybody agreed not to talk about business – just eat and drink to their heart’s content. So they only told anecdotes about politicians, gossiped, and discussed food and alcohol. From the moment Mr. Shao raised his head and praised the dishes for their authenticity, the conversation at the table shifted towards food. When the chef came in, for many people here it was an interesting sideshow.
The owner of the hotel was very happy and felt that the young chef did a really good job and won favor for him. Yet he saw that Chef Li was more thin-skinned than a girl, so he joked: “Li, is the air conditioner not working well enough for you? Look at how red your face is!”
Everyone at the table laughed.
Manager Zhang followed with a smile: “Our Xiao Li is good at everything. He is a talented person and a great cook. He is just shy and doesn’t dare to speak when he meets strangers. I hope you all don’t mind him.”
Boss Liu was obviously drunk, and laughed loudly: “Why does Chef Li look different from what I imagined? He cooks so much food every day, and he is still so slender. Can he share his secret?”
Someone at the table interjected with a smile: “Yeah, at our age, who doesn’t suffer from the three common problems[6]? You said that he spins around in oil and salt all day, and yet he is still so thin!”
Li Chengxiu blushed almost to the point of bleeding through his skin, and he didn’t dare to lift his head up.
Seeing his abashed appearance, Manager Zhang couldn’t help but laugh. He quickly smoothed things out: “That’s right, the girls in our hotel are talking about losing weight all day long. They are very jealous of him, since he doesn’t get fat no matter what he eats.”
The guests began to reminisce about how thin they were when they were young, how they gained weight later, and what was wrong with their bodies now. Their attention was temporarily away from Li Chengxiu.
He was finally free from the prying eyes and was about to breathe a sigh of relief when the young and handsome Mr. Shao spoke up. His voice full of pure male magnetism was pleasant and not too loud but as soon as he opened his mouth, everyone fell silent.
“Chef Li looks so young. I wouldn’t have expected his craftsmanship to be so good.”
Manager Zhang was afraid that others would think that Li Chengxiu was inexperienced, so he hurriedly retorted: “He looks young, but he is actually thirty years old.”
Mr. Liu snorted: “He looks like a college student, very young.”
Li Chengxiu silently corrected Manager Zhang. He was twenty-eight.
Manager Zhang poked his waist from behind: “Xiao Li, it is Mr. Shao, who asked you to be the chef responsible for Chinese food at the sea party.”
Li Chengxiu raised his head and accidentally stared into Mr.Shao’s eyes. Seeing that Mr. Shao looked at him with an inexplicable smile, he panicked.
“Th… Thank you, Mr. Shao.”
The man gave him a calm smile and asked casually, “What is Chef Li’s full name?”
Li Chengxiu was stunned, and couldn’t help but wonder if Shao had recognized him as well. When he thought of this possibility, his heart tightened and he felt extremely uneasy.
Seeing that he acted like a clockwork doll that needs to be wound up every time after it gets frozen, Manager Zhang was so angry that he wanted to slap Li Chengxiu with the sole of his shoe. He desperately scolded him from behind: “Xiao Li, Mr. Shao has asked you a question.”
“I……”
Mr. Shao blinked and smiled: “Why is Chef Li so tense? Are you so nervous that you forgot your name?”
Li Chengxiu tried to calm himself down, looked directly in the eyes staring at him, and said in a low voice, “My name is Li Chengxiu.”
Mr. Shao let out a long “Ooooooooh”, which made Li Chengxiu tremble.
Li Chengxiu tried desperately to comfort himself. It has been 13 or 14 years. It all happened when they were children. This man might not be the same Shao Qun. And even if he was, he might not remember him. And even if he remembers him, what is there to be so nervous about? It wasn’t Li Chengxiu who did bad things, after all.
Thinking like this, he calmed down. The only thing that worried him now was the work at the sea party.
He didn’t want to give up such a good opportunity to earn money, but if this person was really the same Shao Qun, he really didn’t want to go.
The feeling this person gave him now was similar to what he felt about him as a child. He exuded arrogance of complete superiority. When he was young he was aggressively arrogant, but now the arrogance was coated with sophistication and manners. It wasn’t offensive per se but it was very much visible at all times.This Shao Qun was equally difficult to approach as the one from his childhood, and he just wanted to stay away.
Mr. Shao smiled: “I’m surprised that Chef Li is so young, but it’s fine. This party is supposed to have a pre-order menu, so it’s better if you take part in purchasing the ingredients. The day is going to be very busy. An older person might get overwhelmed. But don’t worry, your boss promised to lend me a few more people, and they will all be available to you when the time comes.”
Li Chengxiu twisted his hands in embarrassment. Mr. Shao’s tone was particularly determined, and there was no room for rejection. He really wanted to push this matter away, but with so many eyes on him, he knew that he would definitely make a fool of himself if he talked too much.
The owner of the hotel, Mr. Chen, echoed right next to him: “Alright, Xiao Li, no need to be in such a hurry to thank Mr.Shao.”
Li Chengxiu carefully looked at him and whispered, “Th…, ank… you, Mr. Shao.”
Boss Chen frowned slightly, and then said with an amused smile: “Young Master Shao, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be lending a chef from our hotel so easily. Our Chef Xiao Li might have had a difficult childhood, so he is a bit autistic and he doesn’t speak so well. But this condition of his doesn’t affect anything else, definitely not his cooking skills. He will not give you any trouble!”
Mr. Shao nodded with a smile, while his eyes never left Li Chengxiu: “I don’t mind, as long as the chef’s tongue can taste the flavor.”
The tone in which he said those three words “taste the flavor” sounded a little weird to Li Chengxiu and for some reason made him uncomfortable.
Boss Chen waved his hand and raised his chin in a gesture to Manager Zhang: “That’s it, you can go back to work.”
Manager Zhang and Li Chengxiu both turned around to leave, feeling as if they had been granted amnesty.
Mr. Shao suddenly called behind them, “Chef Li.”
Li Chengxiu paused and turned around stiffly.
Mr. Shao looked at him with a smile: “Chef Xiao Li, I will pick you up in a few days, and we will discuss this matter thoroughly.”
Li Chengxiu felt that his heart was jumping out of his throat..
He looked at Manager Zhang’s tall and broad back all the way from the box to the kitchen, as he hesitated and couldn’t find the courage to speak up. Finally, he whispered, “Manager Zhang.”
Manager Zhang frowned and turned around.
He didn’t usually have much contact with Li Chengxiu, even though one couldn’t say that he particularly detested him. Yet, to be honest, he didn’t like him much either.
Li Chengxiu was a man in his late twenties yet still as scrawny as a teenager. The word “emaciated” could best describe him—he was so frail that he could be knocked down by a puff of wind. Wasn’t this man beyond any help? Even worse, others wished to get him an amplifier whenever he was talking. He was such a sissy that even if he walked in a skirt for miles, nobody would notice.
Manager Zhang knew that there were some young workers in their hotel, who liked to mock Li Chengxiu’s speech and walking posture behind his back, and they always exaggerated by sticking out their little fingers and batting their eyelashes. He understood that Li Chengxiu was just a little girly, so he never engaged in any gossip with these indecent people but this complete uselessness made even Manager Zhang feel awkward around Li Chengxiu.
His performance today was worse than he had imagined. Li Chengxiu couldn’t even say a complete sentence there, and always just looked down at his feet. These were their boss’s special guests inside that room today, and if they had made them unhappy, Manager Zhang would be the one to clean up the mess.
These thoughts made Manager Zhang even more hostile and impatient, so his tone was not very good: “What’s wrong?”
Li Chengxiu glanced at him timidly, and said with hesitation, “Manager Zhang, can… can…. I not go?”
Manager Zhang squinted his eyes and put his ear closer: “I can’t hear what you’re saying. Speak up.”
“That… sea… party… can… can I not go?”
Manager Zhang heard it clearly this time, and clicked his tongue: “Why wouldn’t you go?”
Li Chengxiu lowered his head, unable to think of anything to say, so he just repeated: “Can I not go?”
Manager Zhang’s face became a little ugly: “No, what do you mean “not go”? What are you even thinking? Don’t presume things just because Mr.Shao is young – have you got any idea how powerful his background is? His family is directly connected to that.” Manager Zhang did not say clearly what he meant, he just pointed to the advertisement for Nanhai Wine on the light box in the corner.
“Can you get this much money just for one event somewhere else?” Manager Zhang put his hand in front of Li Chengxiu again, but this time he spread out five fingers. “Normally you could save this much only after working hard for two months. What’s wrong with you? Why don’t you want to go?”
Li Chengxiu blushed, and suddenly asked Manager Zhang an unexpected question: “He… his… full name…?”
“What?”
“Full name… Shao… Shao what?”
Manager Zhang frowned, his eyes stern: “You are just a cook. Why do you need to know something like that?”
“I……”
“You just need to cook! Don’t think about things that don’t concern you. I’m telling you, Xiao Li, you can’t seek connections with this kind of person just because you want to.”
“I’m not……”
“I really don’t understand what you want. Our boss has personally agreed to this, and it is impossible to change anything about it. You should just perform well and gain some advantages from Mr.Shao. But you are not allowed to embarrass our boss! He has to keep his face[7]. And if he gets angry, heads will fly. You have already worked in our hotel for several years, if you also count the time at the headquarters – after a few more years, you might even become the head chef . Don’t tell me afterwards that I didn’t warn you. You have to be down-to-earth, work hard, and not let the opportunities pass you by. Otherwise, you can’t blame others for your problems.”
These words sounded very reasonable, so Li Chengxiu couldn’t refute anything.
After Manager Zhang finished his speech, he promptly walked away.
Li Chengxiu silently looked at the empty hall. It was illuminated by bright yellow lights that extended from one end of the hall to the other. At the opposite side, a dressing mirror covered almost the entire wall and reflected the hall making it seem like an infinite space. It felt terribly empty. The color scheme was warm, but the cold and hard marble floor made it look cold and lonely. Li Chengxiu’s thin figure seemed like a tiny dot in this empty scene.
