dmims Chapter 76 Arrangement
Chapter 76 Arrangement
Chapter 76 Arrangement
Everyone immediately chimed in, "Yeah, Director Hu, take us to a nicer place! We don't mind spending a little more money. Otherwise, once we leave Moscow tomorrow, it'll be even harder to find a decent restaurant!"
"A better place—" Hu Yi scratched his head with a wry smile, "So what do you guys want to eat?"
"Chinese food!"
"Russian food!"
Opinions diverged. The woman from Northeast China felt the food had been terrible during her trip abroad and her stomach was rumbling. She advocated for a decent Chinese meal. The middle-aged professor, on the other hand, argued that although the food was poor, it was still Chinese food, and he could eat home-cooked meals all the time back home. Since they were in a foreign land, they should seize the opportunity to try the local cuisine, or they would regret it later.
It's impossible to please everyone, and the two sides were locked in a stalemate, much to Hu Yi's dismay. A rough count revealed that the number of people on both sides was roughly equal; only the elderly couple remained silent, simply standing between the two groups, watching their argument with kind smiles in their eyes.
"Alright, alright, everyone, stop arguing." Hu Yi waved his hand to stop everyone, and looked at the elderly couple, saying, "Uncle and Aunt are the oldest, let's listen to them, okay? We'll eat whatever they say we want to eat."
"Okay!" The woman from Northeast China readily agreed.
The elderly couple exchanged a glance, and the old woman hesitated before saying, "We—we won't go with you. We'll just buy something to eat and make do."
Hu Yi was taken aback: "Huh? That's not a good idea, is it? How can we just leave you two alone?" The uncle nudged his wife with his elbow and said with a faint smile, "We're not picky. We'll eat whatever Director Hu says."
The two elders couldn't reach a decision, and everyone started talking amongst themselves again. Hu Yizheng was at a loss when suddenly an idea struck him. He clapped his hands and said, "How about this! I'll take you all to a place that has both Chinese and Russian food. It's buffet style, or you can order à la carte. You can eat whatever you want, how about that?"
"Great!" everyone agreed. The professor commented with satisfaction, "This is a very good idea. It fully caters to the different tastes and needs of the people. We should have thought of this sooner. However, Xiao Hu, I must remind you that merely satisfying everyone in form is not enough. The quality and taste of the food must also be up to standard. Is that alright?"
"Don't worry, everyone, the food quality is guaranteed, although the price will be relatively higher." Hu Yi looked confidently at the tourists in front of him. "I used to work at that restaurant, so I know them very well. Since there are many of us, eating at the standard price is more cost-effective. If you trust me, please contact Sister Sun to sign up first, choose whether you prefer Chinese or Russian food, and whether you want the standard price or à la carte. I'll reserve seats for you and have them arrange a delicious and affordable meal for you, okay?"
"Great! We trust Director Hu!" everyone agreed in unison, beaming with joy. Sister Sun took out paper and pen to start counting the number of diners. The old woman squeezed through the crowd, smiling somewhat apologetically, "Director Hu, thank you for taking care of us. This is our first time abroad, so if—if we've done anything to cause you any trouble, please forgive us, Director Hu."
"Not at all! It's no trouble at all, you're too kind!" Hu Yi was flattered and quickly replied with a smile, "It's what I should do, it's just my duty."
The old woman smiled and nodded slightly to him before turning and returning to the crowd. Before Hu Yi could even reflect on the old woman's kindness, the professor strode up to him, looking at him with admiration: "Young Hu, did you really work at that restaurant?"
"Yes, would I lie to you about this? You can ask the Chinese chef there tonight if you don't believe me."
"Wow, I really didn't expect that," the professor exclaimed. "Everyone says that the post-80s generation of only children grew up in a pampered environment, but I didn't expect them to also have such a strong work ethic. Although you seem to have some of the airs of a rich kid, you're able to work and study diligently in a foreign country, resolutely throwing yourself into the crucible of society to be tempered. You really can't judge a book by its cover!"
"Young master?" Hu Yi was slightly taken aback, then laughed awkwardly, "Hey, what work-study program? I was forced into it. Besides, all I did was chop vegetables in the kitchen, what kind of etiquette did I have to do?"
"Incredible!" the professor exclaimed with deep respect. "No job is inherently superior or inferior. As a university student, a chosen one, and having studied abroad, you've actually humbled yourself to do manual labor—that in itself is remarkable!"
Hu Yi was so flattered that he was momentarily speechless. He could only smile and cup his hands in thanks to the professor, saying, "You flatter me too much."
The professor, still eager to offer more praise, quickly turned around and called out, "Has everyone finished their statistics? Gather here, we've arrived."
Tourists swarmed around him, and Hu Yi pointed: "Look, that's the famous Arbat Street ahead. There are all kinds of shops on both sides of the street. You can have the next half hour to explore at your leisure. But please try to walk in a straight line and don't turn randomly, otherwise you may get lost."
Hu Yi led the group to the street corner and loudly instructed, "Listen up, everyone. Walk along the street for about a kilometer. You'll see a very conspicuous black statue of a man and a woman standing hand in hand by the roadside. The man is Pushkin, and the woman is his wife. I'll be waiting for you all at the statue in half an hour. Once everyone is here, we'll go eat. Does everyone understand?"
"We understand!" everyone answered in unison as they looked at him.
Hu Yi chuckled inwardly, feeling like a teacher lecturing students, and couldn't help but ask in a pretentious tone, "Have you remembered everything?"
"Got it!"
"Dismissed!" Hu Yi put his hands behind his back with satisfaction, watching the crowd disperse and walk into Arbat Street. Then he took out his phone and realized that he hadn't saved the phone numbers of the people from the Huanghai Hotel. He had no choice but to call Xu Qiang to ask first.
Xu Qiang gave him the head chef's phone number and cheerfully instructed, "You little rascal, you've really got some skills! You can lead tours and even bring in business for Huang Hai on the side. Don't forget to ask them for a bigger commission!"
"Hey, why bring that up?" Hu Yi chuckled. "I just came up with this on the spur of the moment. It's just to make sure these people from China have a good time eating."
After talking with Xu Qiang, I called Chef Huang Hai. The chef was very happy and readily agreed: "Don't worry, bring them along. I'll talk to the front-of-house manager and the Western kitchen and find a way to make sure they have a good meal, and try not to spend too much money. I guarantee it will make you look good. How about it?"
"That's great, thank you! See you tonight!" Hu Yi hung up the phone and raised his eyebrows at Sister Sun, who had been by his side the whole time: "It's all settled."
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