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

The kitchen of Tianjin No. 1 Steel Plant.

Chen Wei's head was covered in sweat, and his clothes were soaked through.

But he didn't relax at all.

His muscles were tense, he stood with one leg in front of the other, and his eyes were fixed on the semi-transparent prompt panel in front of him.

Add Sichuan peppercorns to hot oil.

"Sizzle—"

Add the shredded potatoes and stir-fry! Stir-fry!

Add the shredded carrots! Stir-fry! Stir-fry!

Seaweed salad!

stir fry!

Cooking sauce!

Toss the wok!

Toss the wok!

Toss the wok!

Reduce the sauce over high heat!

Out of the pot!

The steaming hot and sour shredded vegetables were slid directly from the double-eared pot into the enamel basin.

"Plop—"

"Plop—"

Almost simultaneously, two sounds of swallowing saliva came from beside me.

Liu Youqing and Ma Wen's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as they stared intently at the enamel basin in front of them, inhaling the aroma emanating from it deeply.

These two hot and sour shredded vegetables are completely different from the communal meals you get outside!

This is freshly cooked from a small stove!

The color, the aroma, the alluring hue.

Marvin couldn't hold back any longer and gave a dry laugh: "Chef Chen, um... the dish..."

"Oh!" Chen Wei was washing the pot when he looked up and saw the two of them still standing there, not daring to pick it up. He immediately laughed.

"Thank you both for helping me advertise! Lunch is on me! Please take your food; I've already paid for it!"

Tianjin No. 1 Steel is a legitimate company with very strict management.

Even kitchen staff are not allowed to waste food or steal food from the kitchen without reason. Kitchen staff also need to pay for meals.

Upon hearing this, Ma Wen and Liu Youqing immediately beamed with joy.

He kept nodding and bowing.

"Then thank you so much, Chef Chen! Let's go!"

The two hurriedly folded the food from the enamel basin into their large lunchboxes, then turned and ran out the back door of the cafeteria.

They dared not go through the main entrance; if those hungry bastards saw them, they wouldn't be able to keep their lunchboxes.

After leaving through the back door, the two didn't return to the workshop; instead, they found a corner, squatted down, and started eating.

The freshly cooked hot and sour shredded vegetables were still oily and steaming hot. One bite made Ma Wen shiver from the heat.

"Ouch—hiss—it's boiling hot—it's killing me..."

He was scalded and gasped for breath, but he couldn't bear to spit out the food in his mouth.

It smells so good!

The freshly cooked food is just not as good as the communal food you get outside!

The shredded potatoes are still crisp, the shredded carrots are soft, and the kelp is very chewy. They are all evenly coated with hot and sour sauce and the numbing aroma of Sichuan peppercorns. Taking a bite makes you feel like your tongue is dancing.

"Youqing, how did Master Chen learn such skills? He's only been an apprentice for four days..."

Marvin found it somewhat unbelievable and asked softly, taking a deep breath.

Liu Youqing thought for a moment, then winked mysteriously.

"Talent! Never heard of it!"

"My dad used to tell me that in the old society there were people who could do anything! A recipe that would take others ten days to two weeks to master, they could make just by looking at it! I'm telling you, our current Chef Chen is probably one of those people!"

Liu Youqing spoke in a mysterious way, which greatly intimidated Ma Wen, who couldn't help but nod repeatedly.

I just felt that what the other person said made sense.

If that's not the case, how else can we explain how Chef Chen was able to create such delicious food in just four days?

Marvin stared at the food in his lunchbox, then simply picked up a large mouthful with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Ah—boiling, boiling, boiling—"

On a sweltering day, the freshly cooked dishes were scalding hot, but the two couldn't bear to give up the delicious food in their lunchboxes.

Liu Youqing squinted at the sky and couldn't help but sigh.

"I wish we had some iced drinks right now..."

"Seriously? Iced drinks, my foot! Our factory store only has a few bottles, and you know those are all reserved for the leaders. The quotas are all held by the supply and marketing department. I'm telling you, people like us should just give up! I'm already content with Chef Chen's cooking to fill our stomachs."

That's true. When will I ever get to enjoy something as good as an iced drink?

Liu Youqing also felt that Ma Wen's words made sense. The two shook their heads and smiled at the same time, then quickly lowered their heads to enjoy the special treat in their lunchboxes.

-

In the office on the second floor of the logistics department's administration building.

Chen Jianguo paced back and forth in his office, his old pair of sneakers almost worn through.

There were two aluminum lunch boxes on his desk, one containing braised pork trotters and the other containing shredded pork with garlic sprouts, both of which were Chen Wei's favorite dishes.

My wife prepared it early this morning and told him to bring it over so Chen Wei could have a special meal to eat and get some extra nourishment.

The other net bag contained three large steamed buns made from two different types of dough.

Chen Jianguo opened the aluminum lunchbox in frustration and glanced inside, but the tender, reddish-brown braised pig's trotters did not arouse his interest at all.

He casually closed the lunchbox, pulled out a "Da Shichan" cigarette from his pocket, lit it with a match, and took a deep drag.

Sorrow!

Chen Wei boasted yesterday that he would be able to cook today.

It was almost 11:30, lunchtime, but he hadn't heard any noise from the cafeteria yet—from the window of Chen Jianguo's office on the second floor, he could see the side of the cafeteria.

As luck would have it, there was absolutely no one on the side next to him.

Who can blame them when the toilet is right at the east end!

"Ring ring—"

The get off work bell had already rung, and as the workers gradually left the workshop, Chen Jianguo couldn't sit still any longer.

That brat... he should have already started selling them, right?

Will he be able to sell it?

Could they be making a fool of themselves in the kitchen by not being able to distinguish between salt and sugar?

After considering many possibilities, Chen Jianguo decided not to wait any longer.

He grabbed two large lunchboxes from his desk, stuffed them into his green mesh bag, turned around, and stomped downstairs.

"Hey! Old Chen, got your lunchboxes ready to heat up? Come on, let's go together! It's so hot today, I'll go to the convenience store and get two bottles of Beibingyang soda, one for each of us!"

I bumped into someone as soon as I went downstairs.

The other person was wearing a Ministry of Labor uniform, but the color was different from the workers in the workshop. It was clean and a gray suit.

The three pairs of sandals she was wearing were the same style as Chen Jianguo's.

It was Ma Qianjin, the current head of the production department.

Upon seeing the person who had arrived, Chen Jianguo quickly waved his hand.

"Hey Lao Ma! You've come at the perfect time. I'll treat you to lunch at the cafeteria today. To be honest, it's my rascal's first day cooking, and I'm a little... hahaha..."

He stopped halfway through his sentence.

Even if he didn't say the second half of the sentence, Ma Qianjin understood. The two had been colleagues for 10 years and had retired from the army together, so their relationship was naturally different from that of others.

Upon hearing Chen Jianguo's words, Ma Qianjin's expression brightened, and he immediately spoke.

"Chen Wei! That brat's got some talent, he's only been here a few days and he's already cooking! Come on, come on, I've watched him grow up, I definitely have to go support him!"

"Walk!"

The two walked out side by side, but Chen Jianguo still felt a heavy weight on his mind.

Old Ma is certainly no outsider, but can his own taciturn nephew really do it?

As they spoke, the two had already turned past the office building and were walking towards the cafeteria.

Even from afar, you could see a huge crowd of people gathered at the entrance of the cafeteria.

A mix of various blue work clothes formed a long, dark blue queue at the canteen entrance.

The dragon's tail swept past the small brick path at the end of the canteen entrance, turned a corner, and extended into the factory road.

Chen Jianguo was stunned: "This...this...did food coupons fall from the sky? What are you all doing crowding here!"