In the 1970s, it started with contracting out communal dining.

The blazing sun overhead suddenly became intense, and a beam of white light shone directly in front of Ma Dayong's eyes, forcing him to raise his hand to shield his eyes.

But the moment he raised his hand, a violent wave of dizziness struck him, and Ma Dayong quickly grabbed the stove next to him to try and steady himself.

But when he reached out, he was burned by the still-burning fire in the stove next to him.

"Um--"

He couldn't help but groan and instantly withdrew his hand.

But this one action caused Ma Dayong, who was already dizzy, to lose his balance and fall flat on his back to the ground.

The contestants above cast glances that seemed to be a mixture of pity and disgust. A few people who had initially envied Ma Dayong quickly withdrew their expressions and stopped looking up at him.

Ma Dayong knew he had lost, lost completely.

-

On a sweltering summer afternoon, the scorching sun softened its intensity somewhat.

The sweltering heat, thick with sticky humidity, still enveloped the culinary competition venue. The competition had already come to an end, and the contestants, carrying their cooking utensils, surged towards the bustling entrance.

Chen Wei clicked his tongue, looking at the empty letter of praise in his hand and couldn't help but feel a pang of toothache.

No one could have predicted that winning the culinary competition would result in a letter of commendation personally written by Yang Limin.

The second-place winner received a set of kitchen utensils, while the third-place winner received a cast iron pot.

Looking at it this way, it would have been better not to win the championship!

Chen Wei pursed his lips, casually stuffed the letter of commendation into his pocket, and strode towards the outside of the playground.

Chen Jianguo had been waiting at the school gate for a long time.

In the sweltering heat, he stood under the sun in a cool summer cadre shirt, pushing a 28-inch bicycle like a statue waiting for its husband.

His slightly hunched back stood out conspicuously among the crowd in the distance.

Chen Wei was pushed forward by the crowd. As soon as he stepped out of the school gate, Chen Jianguo rushed up to him and excitedly grabbed his hand.

"How did it go? What place did you get?"

Chen Wei was startled by his uncle's suddenly enlarged face. If the people behind them hadn't been squeezing them like sardines in a can, he would have definitely fallen over.

Before he could even speak, a girl with two long braids peeked out from behind him and said in a very familiar manner.

"With Chef Chen taking the lead, he's definitely going to get first place!"

When Chen Wei turned around, he saw Lin Xiaoyan standing behind him with a grin. She had cleverly found a clever gap between the basket he was carrying in his left hand and the large double-handled pot he was carrying in his right hand, and had shrunk into it, following him closely.

Goodness, from this angle, anyone who didn't know better would think this girl was their ghost!

"Section Chief Chen! Chen Wei got first place, you have to buy him at least two popsicles!"

The girl didn't notice Chen Wei's terrified look at all; instead, she enthusiastically promised Chen Jianguo two popsicles.

If Chen Wei hadn't already noticed her gazing longingly at the popsicle stall across the street, he would have genuinely thought the girl was thinking of him.

"Ah! First place!" Chen Jianguo exclaimed, then grabbed Chen Wei's shoulder tightly and patted his back hard, his eyes full of excitement. "Good lad! You really made me proud! You won first place in the cooking competition this time. I'd like to see if that old geezer Ma Qianjin will still have the nerve to speak up for his nephew when we get back to the factory!"

Chen Wei could naturally tell that his uncle was trying to compete with Ma Qianjin, but he felt that it was unnecessary at the moment.

After all, he had already seen it when Ma Dayong was carried out of the arena just now; after this incident, that guy's Dao heart was probably shattered.

Even if he hadn't broken up, with all the gossip from the newspapers during the competition, Ma Dayong would probably have lost his chance to work as a chef in the local area.

"Uncle, let's... go buy popsicles." Seeing that Chen Jianguo was about to say something out of excitement, Chen Wei quickly interrupted him.

He didn't know if Lin Xiaoyan was a loudmouth, but he knew that the newspaper's lackeys were still there.

If Chen Jianguo were to say anything inappropriate now, it would probably be embellished and published in the newspapers first thing tomorrow morning.

At that point, there would be no way to repair the relationship between my uncle and Ma Qianjin.

Of course, Chen Wei's suggestion to buy popsicles was exactly what Lin Xiaoyan wanted to hear, and the gluttonous girl immediately nodded frantically.

"Yeah, buy popsicles! Section Chief Chen, I'll definitely get credit for this today, shouldn't I...?"

Chen Jianguo, in a good mood, readily agreed, "Everything's fine! Today we're not only buying popsicles, but we're also going to a state-run restaurant later! Let's go!"

The three pushed the cart forward, leaving Sun Ergou behind them, eagerly watching.

Why isn't Brother Dayong coming out yet...?

-

At the state-run restaurant, Chen Jianguo generously ordered four dishes and a soup, along with two bottles of Fenjiu liquor.

He specially invited his wife and daughter from home to come over, just to celebrate Chen Wei making him look good today.

Lin Xiaoyan was lucky to arrive at the right time, and she was half-heartedly persuaded by Chen Jianguo to stay and have a free meal.

At the dinner table, Chen Jianguo raised his glass: "I'm happy today, kid, you should have a drink too!"

"Okay." Chen Wei was still as taciturn as ever, but he could see that his uncle had put a lot of effort into him, and he was naturally grateful for this kindness.

Deep down, he had already come to regard this uncle as his own father. Chen Wei raised his glass, and the two small white porcelain wine cups clinked together, causing a little bit of the white wine inside to spill out.

Chen Jianguo laughed heartily and downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.

After a few rounds of drinks, Chen Jianguo's face turned a little red, and he started talking more and more.

"Xiao Wei!" He reached out and picked up a piece of braised pork with his chopsticks, putting it into Chen Wei's bowl. He mumbled somewhat indistinctly, "When are you and Comrade Lin planning to get your marriage certificate?"

"Uh-huh??????"

Chen Wei had also drunk too much, but his originally muddled mind jolted awake the moment he heard those words, becoming much more clear-headed.

When did he ever say he was dating Lin Xiaoyan?

No! Chen Jianguo is really drunk! Why is he starting to pressure him to get married?

The girl is still sitting at the table! What is she supposed to think? Doesn't she suspect that Chen Wei is secretly lusting after her behind her back?

"Uncle! Stop talking, eat your vegetables, eat your vegetables!"

Chen Wei was sweating profusely and quickly reached out to serve food to Chen Jianguo, trying to shut him up with the dishes on the table.

Even during this brief moment, he couldn't resist turning back to steal a glance at Lin Xiaoyan's expression.

But the moment he turned around, he saw Lin Xiaoyan looking at him silently with affection in her eyes.