CHAPTER 20: CHAPTER 20: LIN XIANG SAVES SOMEONE

"Coming, coming!" Lin Xiang jogged over with her jacket on, "I’ve got everything ready, let’s go."

Sun drove steadily, and not a single river shrimp in the wooden bucket swayed out.

The sky was just getting light, and the late autumn weather brought a thin mist. The road was dark with low visibility, turning the usual half-hour journey into a full forty minutes today.

When Lin Xiang arrived at the state-run restaurant, it was just past seven-thirty, and a long line had already formed at the entrance, all vying for big meat buns.

As soon as Lin Xiang reached the door, a few meat buns were shoved into her arms. She looked up to see Chef Shen’s cheerful face. "Rushing over so early, you probably haven’t had breakfast yet, right? Have some buns first to tide you over. When you’re done, we need to start cooking."

Lin Xiang casually took one and stuffed it in her mouth. The buns, costing one-tenth of a yuan each, weren’t cheap, but they were solidly made. With one bite, she could taste the well-balanced fat and lean meat, which was especially comforting in the cold weather.

Thinking that Sun hadn’t had breakfast either since he brought her to town early, Lin Xiang decided to share one with him.

"No need, no need, such expensive buns, you keep them for yourself. I brought my own food."

Sun’s food was the multigrain buns he had steamed last night.

Lin Xiang insisted and handed it to him, "Grandpa Sun, please eat it. I’ll be coming to town more often, and I’m sure I’ll trouble you again."

Sun’s rough, twig-like hands held the warm meat bun, feeling touched. This girl really was different from before, so polite!

Lin Xiang ate two buns in succession, drank a cup of warm water, and then dove into the kitchen.

"Chef Shen, here’s today’s menu. Have a look, and if there’s anything unsuitable, let me know so I can change it early."

Chef Shen waved his hand, "You’re the expert in Western cuisine, looking at the menu isn’t going to make much sense to me. You just decide for yourself."

Even though she knew Chef Shen wouldn’t interfere with her menu, Lin Xiang had to present her attitude correctly.

"I observed the foreigners’ tastes last time, so this time I’ve planned crispy roast chicken, Italian tomato meatballs, black pepper steak, salt-baked river shrimp, and tomato mixed gratin rice."

For baked shrimp, large prawns are best, but since this isn’t a seaside city, she had to settle for river shrimp as a substitute.

For a professional chef, the importance of ingredients goes without saying, but good cooking skills are the most critical.

Lin Xiang tied on her apron, put on her chef’s hat, and started her work for the day.

In the morning, Chef Shen didn’t need to cook, so he just stood by watching Lin Xiang prepare the dishes.

He even pulled his two assistants over to stand by Lin Xiang, "Watch carefully how Mr. Lin cooks. If your cooking skills don’t improve, I’ll kick you out when the contract is up!"

Lin Xiang’s cooking didn’t involve flashy steps; her methods were crisp and efficient, making watching her cook quite a pleasure.

After preparing all the ingredients, Lin Xiang asked the two assistants to keep an eye on the stove while she started making pasta dough.

"Are you making noodles? There’s dough from this morning, you can use that directly."

Lin Xiang shook her head, "I’m planning to make some pasta."

"Pasta? What’s pasta? Something foreigners eat?"

Lin Xiang’s hands didn’t stop as she explained to Chef Shen, "Yes, it’s the kind of noodles foreigners eat. Although it’s also noodles, there’s a slight difference from ours, and it’s more labor-intensive to make."

Pasta has more bite and a different texture compared to Hua Country noodles.

Once the pasta was cooked, Lin Xiang also made a pasta sauce using minced meat and tomatoes, mixing them together made it incredibly delicious.

Just as Lin Xiang finished preparing all the dishes, the Township Party Secretary arrived at the state-run restaurant with the foreign guests.

In the private room, Lin Xiang personally presented the freshly made Western dishes to the foreign guests, communicating with them in fluent foreign languages.

After considering for a while, the foreign guests decided to order a batch of fabrics.

At the cotton spinning factory, Lin Xiang had specially introduced several types of fabrics, and the foreign guests ordered quite a lot. Overall, the collaboration amounted to as much as twenty-seven thousand.

According to the 1977 exchange rate of 1 to 1.73, twenty-seven thousand US dollars was equivalent to more than forty-six thousand Hua Country Currency.

It didn’t sound like much at first, but this was the first foreign exchange order for Mianyang Town!

It was of milestone significance.

When the parties were signing the contract, Lin Xiang couldn’t be present, so she casually found an empty table in the hall to sit at.

It wasn’t mealtime yet, and the state-run restaurant only had a few scattered customers. Lin Xiang yawned and rested her head on the table for a nap.

She had dreamt again last night, and the voice in the dream told her the male lead’s affection for her hadn’t reached the level needed for her to return, causing Lin Xiang to be too angry to sleep half the night. Now that she had some downtime, she was groggy and drowsy.

"Tiantian! Tiantian, don’t scare mommy! Tiantian, wake up!"

"The child’s face is turning blue, we need to get her to the hospital quickly, don’t waste any time!"

"The county hospital is twenty minutes from the state-run restaurant, we won’t make it in time! See if anyone has a bicycle we can borrow!"

Half-asleep, Lin Xiang heard a few anxious voices and abruptly opened her eyes, seeing a woman in her thirties holding a seven or eight-year-old child, crying so hard she could barely breathe.

She approached and asked the waitress Yang Rong, "What’s going on? If a child is sick, we need to get her to the hospital quickly! If we miss the best rescue time, there will be big trouble!"

The child’s face was completely devoid of color. If she wasn’t taken to the hospital soon, it would be life-threatening!

Yang Rong whispered, "The child just ate a sticky rice ball, and it seems to be stuck in her throat. Her dad has gone to borrow a bike, he should be back soon."

A sticky rice ball stuck in the throat?

"There’s only two or three minutes to rescue someone choking on food, the bike won’t be here in time!"

As Lin Xiang spoke, she walked towards the mother and daughter.

"Ma’am, could you let me take a look at your child?"

The mother turned her tear-filled eyes towards Lin Xiang, "Are you a doctor or a nurse?"

"Neither. But I know how to save her. Ma’am, don’t waste time, saving the child is more important than anything!"

Saying this, Lin Xiang took Tiantian from the mother’s arms, positioned her so she was facing away, placed her hands below her chest, and began performing the Heimlich maneuver.

Just then, Tiantian’s father returned with the borrowed bicycle and, as soon as he stepped into the state-run restaurant, he saw a slender young girl shaking his daughter vigorously, scaring him so much his heart clenched into a ball, he shouted loudly, "Put my daughter down immediately!"