Courtyard House: Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) Traded for an Aircraft Carrier, the Whole Count

The kitchen of the No. 1 canteen at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

It was peak time for food preparation, and the kitchen was bustling with activity, filled with the sounds of chopping vegetables and washing dishes. Sha Zhu, wearing his greasy white coat and holding a large iron ladle, sat cross-legged in his old wicker chair, his face grim.

He already knew that Qin Huairu had been arrested last night. All morning, he couldn't concentrate on anything, his mind was filled with images of Sister Qin suffering in the security department, and he couldn't stand anyone. He had just made two kitchen apprentices cry.

"Master He! Master He!"

Just then, a commotion arose at the door. Immediately afterwards, Jiang Chen strode in, carrying the enormous package.

Even through that thick layer of leaves, the domineering, exotic aroma of the sea monster's flesh seemed to have grown legs, instantly penetrating everyone's noses.

The previously noisy kitchen fell silent instantly. Fatty, Ma Hua, and all the kitchen helpers stopped what they were doing, sniffing and staring intently at the thing on Jiang Chen's shoulder.

"My God, what is this smell? It smells so good!" Ma Hua swallowed hard, almost dropping the cleaver from his hand.

"It smells like meat! But why does this meat smell so fresh? It's even more delicious than when a pig is slaughtered for the New Year!" The fat man's mouth was practically watering.

Sha Zhu was also startled by the aroma, but when he saw that the person who came was Jiang Chen, his long face immediately became very long.

"Bang!"

Jiang Chen slammed the fifty-pound chunk of meat heavily onto the cutting board, making the cleaver on it bounce twice. He lifted the leaves covering the meat, revealing the crystal-clear, ruby-like piece of top-quality meat to everyone.

A collective gasp rippled through the kitchen. The quality of this meat was unlike anything they had ever seen, let alone heard of.

"Shazhu, I've got the meat." Jiang Chen clapped his hands, his expression indifferent. "This is the main dish for the banquet that Deputy Factory Director Li instructed us to prepare. Hurry up and get started, don't delay the important matter."

Sha Zhu glanced at the meat and was also taken aback. As a descendant of the Tan family's culinary tradition, he naturally had a discerning eye. The meat had a delicate texture and a bright color; it was definitely top-quality material, even better than the imperial delicacies his master had described in the Prince's mansion.

But the thought of Qin Huairu still suffering, and the culprit right in front of him, sent a surge of anger straight to his head.

"Snapped!"

Sha Zhu slammed the large iron ladle he was holding into the basin, stood up, pointed at the piece of meat, and started yelling, "Jiang Chen! What kind of garbage is this? Is this beef? Huh? It's as red as if it's stained with blood, and it smells weird! This is clearly water-injected meat! No, it's from a diseased cow!"

His shout stunned everyone around him. The meat looked perfectly fine, so how could it be a diseased cow that died?

"He Yuzhu, you'd better look carefully before you speak." Jiang Chen's eyes turned cold. Far from panicking, he took a step forward. "These are top-grade ingredients specially supplied for you. Your tricks of twisting the truth are inappropriate here, aren't they?"

"I'm twisting the truth?" Sha Zhu sneered. For Qin Huairu's sake, he was going all out today. "Am I the cook or are you the cook? Whether this meat is edible or not is up to me! If someone dies, who will take responsibility? I'm not making it! Take it away! Don't dirty my cutting board!"

Just as the two were at an impasse, a series of hurried footsteps came from the doorway.

Deputy Factory Director Li arrived in a hurry with the head of the purchasing department. As soon as he entered, he was first amazed by the exotic fragrance, but then his face darkened when he saw the tense scene.

"What's going on? He Yuzhu, I asked you to cook, what are you yelling about?" Deputy Factory Director Li said with his hands behind his back, exuding an air of authority.

When Sha Zhu saw Deputy Factory Director Li arrive, his eyes darted around, and he stiffened his neck: "Director, it's not that I don't want to do it. This guy surnamed Jiang brought in a bunch of unknown meat that I don't recognize! Besides, I'm in a bad mood today, my hands are shaking, and I can't hold the knife!"

Deputy Factory Director Li's eyebrows twitched with anger: "In a bad mood? I think you're asking for trouble! Do you know how important today's guests are? Get to work right now!"

Seeing that Deputy Factory Director Li needed his help, Sha Zhu casually slung a rag over his shoulder and started acting like a rogue: "Director, if you want me to cook, I'll do it. Just let Qin Huairu go! As long as Sister Qin comes back, I'll cook this weird meat, even if it's stone, I'll make it look like a flower! Otherwise, I'm not waiting for you at the stove today!"

This is a blatant threat!

Deputy Factory Director Li's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red. He was always a man of his word in the factory; when had he ever been so easily manipulated by a cook? But the thought that the top leader and Soviet experts would arrive soon, and if he ruined the banquet, his career would be over, made him tremble with anger. Yet, he dared not actually do anything to Sha Zhu.

Just when the stalemate seemed unsolvable, a cold glint suddenly flashed.

Jiang Chen had somehow picked up a sharp knife for slicing meat, and with a flick of his wrist, the blade flashed like snow.

"Whoosh!"

A slice of meat, as thin as a cicada's wing and glowing with a pinkish hue, was sliced ​​off and gently landed on the tip of the knife.

"He Yuzhu, you're saying this is meat from a diseased animal?" Jiang Chen looked at the slices of meat on the tip of the knife, his tone so calm it was unsettling.

Sha Zhu felt a chill run down his spine from the glint of the blade, but he still forced a smile and said, "Nonsense! The color is abnormal; eating it raw will definitely give you diarrhea! It might even have parasites..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Chen flipped his wrist and put the raw slice of meat directly into his mouth.

"Jiang Chen! Are you crazy?!" Deputy Factory Director Li exclaimed in shock. In those days, who had ever seen anyone eat raw beef? This was practically gambling with their life!

Everyone in the kitchen stared wide-eyed at Jiang Chen in horror, as if he would collapse and foam at the mouth at any moment.

Jiang Chen closed his eyes and chewed slowly. The unique sweetness and smoothness of the sea monster's flesh exploded on his tongue, without any fishy taste, only the pure aroma of protein and rich life energy.

He swallowed the piece of meat, opened his eyes, and showed an expression of extreme enjoyment on his face. He even licked his lips as if he wanted more.

"He Yuzhu, if you've gone blind, donate your eyes to those in need." Jiang Chen slammed the dagger onto the cutting board with a "snap," the handle still vibrating. "This is top-grade sashimi beef, melts in your mouth, with a lingering sweetness. You actually call it diseased meat? I think your tongue is malfunctioning, or your heart is blackened?"

After saying that, he cut off another slice and handed it to Deputy Factory Director Li: "Factory Director, please try it. If there's any problem, I, Jiang Chen, will give you my life in return."

Looking at Jiang Chen's determined eyes and smelling the enticing aroma, Deputy Factory Director Li gritted his teeth and picked up a piece, putting it into his mouth.

The next second, Deputy Factory Director Li's eyes widened in surprise.

So fresh! So incredibly fresh! I've never eaten such delicious meat in my life!

"Good! Good meat! Absolutely the best meat in the world!" Deputy Factory Director Li slapped his thigh excitedly, all his previous worries vanished. He turned his head, his eyes filled with violence and murderous intent as he looked at Sha Zhu.

"He Yuzhu! Is this the diseased meat you were talking about? I think you're deliberately trying to sabotage the factory's hospitality program! You're trying to cause trouble!"

When this huge accusation was slapped on his head, Sha Zhu broke out in a cold sweat instantly. He hadn't expected Jiang Chen to actually dare to eat it raw, and he certainly hadn't expected the meat to be safe.

"Do it! Do it now! If you don't, get out of here right now! Don't ever step foot in the canteen again!" Deputy Factory Director Li roared.

Sha Zhu, seeing the murderous glare in Deputy Factory Director Li's eyes and then at Jiang Chen's sneer, knew he was in deep trouble. If he really got fired, how would he support Qin Huairu?

"Okay... I'll do it." Sha Zhu gritted his teeth and squeezed out these words. He picked up the cleaver and slammed it hard on the cutting board, as if he were chopping off Jiang Chen's head.

Jiang Chen ignored him and turned to leave. As he passed Sha Zhu, he lowered his voice and said in a tone only the two of them could hear, "Do a good job. If it's too salty or too bland, and the higher-ups complain, do you think Deputy Factory Director Li will skin you alive?"

Sha Zhu's hand, gripping the cleaver, veins bulging, stared venomously at Jiang Chen's retreating figure, his mind screaming: "Jiang, you've got guts today. Tomorrow at the cafeteria window, let's see what you're eating!"