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

The moment the dish entered my mouth, the otherwise ordinary shredded potatoes burst forth with an amazing aroma.

The sour, spicy, crisp, and refreshing flavors, along with the smoky aroma of Sichuan peppercorns, immediately made the boy who tasted the dish widen his eyes and shudder.

"My goodness, this tastes...so good!"

As he said this, the boy could no longer hold back and grabbed the chopsticks on the table, wiping them out in a flash.

Seeing that the shredded hot and sour sauce in the enamel basin was decreasing at a visible rate, the remaining boys got anxious.

Chen Erzhu jumped up and gave the boy who was trying to snatch the basin a sharp rap on the head, then snatched the enamel basin away while the boy wasn't paying attention.

"You'd better leave me some!"

As he said this, he didn't pick up his chopsticks, but instead reached into the bowl, scooped up some shredded vegetables, and stuffed them into his mouth.

Chen Erzhu had clearly seen the shocked expression on that kid's face. The aroma of the dish had been making his stomach rumble for a while now, and he couldn't resist any longer. He wanted to taste what this delicious dish was all about.

It's just hot and sour shredded vegetables, who hasn't had it before...

While he was inwardly complaining, the delicious taste in his mouth exploded like a nuclear bomb, rushing straight into his skull.

Chen Erzhu's eyes widened instantly, filled with disbelief.

Another exclamation burst forth: "My goodness... this hot and sour shredded pork... it can be made so deliciously..."

"What? It's really that delicious! I want to try some too!"

"Let me try some too!"

Before he could react, seven or eight men surrounded him, their eyes wide and staring like wolves at the enamel basin in Chen Erzhu's hand.

"Erzhuzi, does it really smell that good? Let your brother have a taste, I'm so drooling! This little bit of flavor, as soon as I walked into the house, it wafted into my nose and made me so confused."

"Ma Datou, your brain isn't very sharp to begin with, get out of the way! Let me have a bite first!"

"Don't grab it! Let me eat first, let me eat first!"

The men were all technicians in the equipment department. The least senior one among them had worked there for 5 years. They were all old acquaintances, and when they started fooling around, they didn't hold back at all.

Chen Erzhu was naturally thin and the weakest among them.

The enamel basin in his hand was snatched away in an instant.

"No, no! At least leave me some soup!"

Before he could finish speaking, a series of exclamations erupted from the other end.

"Oh my god! What's that smell?! It smells so good!"

"Wow, this smells amazing! Who invented it?!"

"Xiaowei's cooking is really good! Give me some more!"

"That's all! Are you all reincarnated animals? What a waste! You've snatched it all up to the ground!"

Liu Dayou couldn't stand it any longer, so he pushed the brats away one by one. But when he finally managed to snatch the enamel basin, he was dumbfounded.

The large red characters printed on the bottom of the white enamel basin were visible; it had been licked clean, leaving not a drop of soup for him.

Liu Dayou was so angry that his veins throbbed.

"A bunch of animals! I don't think you deserve to eat anything good! Did you even taste it before swallowing it!"

Chen Erzhu, with a shameless grin, sidled up to them.

He grinned at Liu Dayou, revealing his large, yellow teeth.

"Cousin, where did you buy it? Tell us the truth! I'm treating everyone to lunch, you'll have to pay for your own meals!"

"Pah! I pay for my own meals, why would I need you to treat me!"

Liu Dayou rolled his eyes at him, annoyed, and said seriously.

"I got this food from the cafeteria. I was starving this morning and wanted to go there to find a cold steamed bun to eat. And look, I've made a new discovery!"

Liu Dayou spoke the truth; he wasn't scheming like Liu Youqing, who was full of tricks and as cunning as a honeycomb briquette.

"impossible!"

But no sooner had he said that than Chen Erzhu immediately retorted.

"Cousin, do you think we've never eaten Wang Defa's cooking before? It's so bland and tasteless! When has he ever made anything like this?!"

Hey! This brat, he still doesn't believe me!

Liu Dayou panicked: "It really was bought from the cafeteria! My change is right here!"

As he spoke, Liu Dayou hurriedly threw out several pink food coupons that he had recovered.

The boys looked at each other, their faces still showing some confusion.

I haven't heard of any new head chef coming to the factory!

Wang Defa is such a stingy person. If the factory gives the position to the new head chef while he's away for a few days, that old bastard will tear down the entire administration department!

However, this dish really doesn't seem to be Wang Defa's cooking. There are only a few apprentices in the canteen, so who has such skills?

It definitely wasn't Lin Jun. That kid secretly cooks a lot of dishes in the cafeteria, and everyone has seen it. They're either burnt or charred. Just like him, he has that impatient, snobbish attitude.

Seeing that no one believed him, Liu Dayou scratched his head and said anxiously.

"That's the new apprentice in the cafeteria! His name is Chen Wei! He's the one who cooked this dish today!"

"Chen Wei? Who's that?"

The young men looked at each other in bewilderment. Chen Erzhu had heard of this person before; he was said to be a new apprentice recruited by Wang Defa, whose uncle worked in the administration department.

"That kid only worked four or five days in total, how could he cook?" Chen Erzhu clearly didn't believe it.

Liu Dayou glared and said, "Of course! Maybe they came with kung fu skills! Anyway, it was Chef Chen who cooked it, believe it or not."

Too lazy to say anything more, with lunchtime fast approaching, Liu Dayou was itching to be the first to rush to the cafeteria and finish off the delicious food he hadn't had enough of before.

Just then, the few boys next to Liu Dayou suddenly exchanged glances.

Suddenly, as if they had planned it all, they rushed out in a rush, and in less than three seconds, they were all gone.

Liu Dayou was stunned for three seconds before he reacted and ran after them.

"Damn it, you guys better not take it all! Leave some for me!!!"

"Ring ring—"

The lunch bell rang just then, and a huge number of people poured out of the various workshops in an instant.

As if they had planned it all along, the crowd surged toward the cafeteria.

Liu Dayou was completely baffled. Had these people also heard that Chef Chen was making delicious food?

Didn't those two lads, Liu Youcai and Ma Wen, say they wouldn't tell anyone until they finished getting lunch?

broken!

After thinking it over and over, Liu Dayou suddenly slapped his thigh and ran away.

Those two bastards tricked him. Judging from the looks of it, Ma Wen and Liu Youcai must have told everyone. Now the whole factory knows. He doesn't even know if he'll get a meal if he goes! Run!

The canteen at Tianjin No. 1 Steel Plant is not large, and can usually accommodate about 100 people at the same time.

Everyone's mealtimes are usually staggered, so it's rare to see a queue stretching out into the courtyard like today.

But today, for some reason, the entrance to the cafeteria was as bustling as a market, with a long queue forming.

The guys from the equipment department were dumbfounded when they arrived. How could there be so many people!