The courtyard house, without the script of Sha Zhu.

Chapter 113 Cao Wei Prepares to Resign

This move undoubtedly accelerated the progress of public-private partnership.

This also made Lou Bancheng a so-called traitor in the private eyes of the other factory owners.

Because of this action, he gained a wave of goodwill from the Party.

Lou Bancheng later felt fortunate for his actions.

He thought that his act of loyalty would be enough to save his life for a while, but he never expected that the course of history would unfold in a way that far exceeded his expectations.

As the steel rolling mill changed hands, the process of public-private partnership was gradually accelerated.

Before January was even over, within just one month, most of the industries in Beijing had already been transformed into public-private partnerships.

Of course, to put it nicely, but to put it bluntly, it means that those who were once high and mighty have now officially entered the stage of being overthrown and purged.

Even Fengzeyuan, once a high-end restaurant, could not escape this fate.

At this moment, the manager of Fengzeyuan, with a touch of sadness, gathered most of the people at Fengzeyuan.

He announced this with a look of utter helplessness on his face.

"I will no longer be in charge of things from now on, and a new manager will take over my position."

Although most industries outside are gradually transforming, when it comes to their own turn, whether they are chefs or waiters, they all feel a sense of desolation. There's no way around it; compared to other industries, the manager of Fengzeyuan treats everyone at least visibly well.

According to what they've heard, newcomers, or rather, most industries that have been taken over, will face a period of restructuring, and some people may even be dismissed.

No one knows whether the scythe of dismissal will fall on them.

After the meeting, in the kitchen.

Cao Wei looked directly at his second master, Zhang He, without much hesitation.

He spoke directly.

"Master, I'm resigning in a couple of days."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the kitchen was stunned.

It's worth noting that in terms of contributions to Fengzeyuan over the years, Cao Wei undoubtedly ranks first, not only in creating new dishes but also in his culinary skills, which have even surpassed Zhang He's, firmly establishing him as the top player in Fengzeyuan today.

Therefore, upon hearing this, Zhang He instinctively couldn't help but rebuke them angrily.

"Nonsense! So what if those people take over your skills?"

"Yeah, senior brother, no one would fire you, right?"

Sha Zhu couldn't help but agree at this moment.

At this moment, Zhang He's other disciples also spoke up for Cao Wei.

Cao Wei, however, just shook his head with a wry smile.

He stated it directly.

"Master, this is normal under normal circumstances, but don't forget, you should have also heard that most of these layoffs are indicative, or rather, it's necessary to cut some people."

"In terms of merit, I might not be fired, but there are already too many positions in the kitchen. We seem to be living a leisurely life, but you can go out and take a look now. Do most of those leisurely positions still exist?"

These words immediately silenced Zhang He and the entire kitchen.

That's right. In the past month of public-private partnership, since the takeover, the first to be laid off were those who were originally stationed in middle management or oil-scouring positions, as well as those who were idle.

At Fengzeyuan, Cao Wei isn't exactly idle, but he only cooks a few dishes occasionally.

Under normal circumstances, there would be no problem, but at this particular point in time...

As shrewd as Zhang He is, how could he not understand this?

At that moment, he couldn't help but laugh at himself.

There was nothing he could do, because he realized that Cao Wei was leaving at this moment simply to make room for him.

However, a master feels somewhat embarrassed to have his apprentice reserve a place for him like this, and he was about to say something more.

Cao Wei, however, spoke with some stubbornness.

"Master, don't worry, I have somewhere to go."

Upon hearing this, Zhang He couldn't help but ask further questions.

Where are you planning to go?

"Steel rolling mill".

Upon hearing this, Zhang He was nearly driven mad with anger.

You should know that the cooks at the steel rolling mill prepare communal meals, while at Fengzeyuan, you'd be looking for someone with a leisurely lifestyle.

For example, someone like He Daqing, who has a somewhat laissez-faire mentality, would be the one to consider it.

Otherwise, even the third apprentice of Fengzeyuan, namely Shazhu who is now working at the stove.

They wouldn't even bother going. There's no way around it; for people like them who are used to cooking fine dishes, large-pot cooking isn't difficult. But cooking for too long can make their skills rust, especially since Cao Wei's skills have now surpassed theirs—going to a place like that...

He was naturally the first to object, but before he could voice his objection, what Cao Wei said next reassured him.

"Master, how could I possibly cook for the whole pot? I'll be cooking for the special occasion."

"Chairman Lou contacted me yesterday and asked if I would like to apply for a cooking job there."

"And they also said that the compensation they would receive wouldn't be much different."

Upon hearing this, Zhang He's expression softened somewhat, but he still couldn't help but sigh.

Even if he were to receive special treatment, it would be somewhat of a waste of Cao Wei's talents now.

And what kind of treatment is Cao Wei receiving right now?

With the addition of Fengzeyuan's dividends, and thanks to the new dishes they created, the monthly profit is almost two million.

How could a steel rolling mill possibly offer such treatment?

Cao Wei, on the other hand, took it all in stride.

For him, the money he has now is enough to live on. If he really wants to make big money, it won't be just about these so-called dividends. He wants to get into the real 1980s, that's when he can truly unleash his potential.

However, considering that it was Chairman Lou who recommended it, the salary wouldn't be too different, and it might be a decent place to go.

He simply chose to remain silent, which could be considered a silent acknowledgment tinged with a sense of helplessness.

The following day, the manager of Fengzeyuan, along with the newly appointed manager Jianren, officially announced his retirement from the front lines.

As soon as Jianren took office, he scanned these people and checked the list. He couldn't help but frown and ask a question.

"Why is one person missing?"

Zhang He then spoke up to explain on his behalf.

"Manager Jian, that's our head chef, Cao Wei. He took leave yesterday, saying there were some things to take care of at home."

Jianren, however, was not impressed by this. He hadn't even had time to make his mark as a new official, and someone was already disrespecting him on his very first day.

Jianren's face darkened, and he couldn't help but speak sarcastically.

"Oh ho, it just so happens that something happened at home at this time. I think the atmosphere at Fengzeyuan is a bit too lazy. It needs to be rectified."

On the surface, most people didn't show any change in expression when they heard this, but in private, they had already cursed Jianren countless times.

Because they could also see that Jianren was just looking for trouble.

On the other hand, the reason Cao Wei took leave today was not only because he didn't want to face it, but more importantly because he had promised Lou Bancheng to go to the steel rolling mill.

He, who always slept until ten o'clock, rode his bicycle to the gate of the steel rolling mill.

The security guard stopped him immediately and couldn't help but ask him questions.

"Hello, who are you? What do you want to do here?"

"I was invited by Chairman Lou to come and try the dishes today."

In the past, upon hearing Chairman Lou's name, the security guard would probably have already begun to apologize. But now?

He simply nodded seriously, then looked at Cao Wei and spoke.

"Please wait a moment while I check."

Afterwards, the guards at the gate sent someone to inquire further before allowing Cao Wei to enter.

Immediately after parking his bicycle, Cao Wei went to the kitchen, where he saw a middle-aged man who looked to be around forty or fifty years old and had a round figure waiting for him.

He was somewhat stunned when he first saw Cao Wei, because he had been notified that the chef coming today was a bit young. He estimated that he should be at least thirty years old, after all, he was going to be the head chef of Fengzeyuan.

Looking at it now, wow, he's only around twenty years old, right?

As for Cao Wei, since Chairman Lou had given him instructions beforehand, he looked at the other party and couldn't help but tentatively speak.

"Hello, you must be Director Li?"