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

"The flower of happiness blooms in my heart, the song of love floats on the wind, my heart flies to the distance, yearning for that beautiful revolutionary ideal..."

A cheerful and melodious female voice drifted from the shore, its clear and pleasant tone like a string of silver bells swaying in the wind. It instantly startled the three large men who were lying naked on the shore, sunbathing.

"Oh no! There's a woman here! Get dressed quickly!"

Chen Wei was the first to react, sitting up with a start and frantically turning around to look for the clothes he had taken off on the shore.

Who would have thought that a few delicate-looking women would suddenly appear in this desolate wilderness? If someone saw them now, completely naked, they would surely be shouted at as hooligans.

In this day and age, hooliganism is a serious crime, and can easily lead to jail time. Even if it's a minor offense, you'll still have to go to the police station.

By then, all the fish they caught will have suffocated.

Just as the three of them were frantically putting on their pants, they heard a girl's sweet, startled cry from the shore.

"Ugh! You pervert!"

Chen Wei was startled and turned around abruptly, only to see three girls standing under the willow trees on the bank.

One of them was wearing a light blue floral shirt, black polyester pants, and black cloth shoes. He had his hair in a jet-black braid and looked very kind.

Looking from afar, Chen Wei immediately recognized the people and, to clear their names, he quickly shouted.

"Lin Xiaoyan, don't call for help. It's me, Chen Wei! It's me, Chen Wei!"

As he said this, he hurriedly put his coat on.

Lin Xiaoyan's round face was now flushed red, her head was down, and her big round eyes were wide open, but she didn't dare to look in this direction.

Upon hearing Chen Wei's voice, she instinctively tried to turn her head, but stopped halfway and quickly covered her eyes.

He kept shouting, "Hey, Chef Chen! What are you doing out here naked?! Get dressed!"

"Okay, okay!"

As Chen Wei agreed, he hastily buttoned up his clothes, ignoring the fact that his hair was still dripping wet, and quickly ran to the shore.

Only then did he see that Lin Xiaoyan was standing there with her face flushed, her back to him and her head down, with two equally bewildered girls with single ponytails behind her.

The person looked unfamiliar; he didn't know them.

Chen Wei also felt a bit awkward, scratched his head, and tried to smooth things over for Wu Xiaochun and Lin Jun, who hadn't found their clothes yet by the water.

"What brings you guys here? I didn't expect to run into you here!"

This was just him making conversation; he didn't know any of the three girls except for Lin Xiaoyan.

Chen Wei himself felt a little embarrassed when he said it.

Lin Xiaoyan, on the other side, had already led her two girlfriends to the willow tree next to them, so that they could no longer see the scenery on the shore.

She patted her chest, still shaken, and turned to look at Chen Wei.

"Chef Chen, I was just about to ask you something, what brings you here?"

"We're here to catch fish! Deputy Factory Director Qian asked us to put on a wedding banquet, and I figured a banquet needs fish! Fish are hard to buy near Jingang Bridge right now, so we came here to see what's available!"

As Chen Wei was saying this, he noticed that the girl who had just been following Lin Xiaoyan suddenly widened her eyes.

The girl then whispered in Lin Xiaoyan's ear, and the two of them whispered in each other's ears while looking at Chen Wei, making Chen Wei very embarrassed.

Does this girl think she's a hooligan?

He really just came here to catch fish!

"Pfft—" Lin Xiaoyan covered her mouth and laughed, then whispered in the girl's ear for a while before turning to Chen Wei and saying.

"What a coincidence! Da Mei and I came here for a spring outing, and we never expected to run into you! To be honest, that wedding banquet you organized was for our bride!"

As she said this, Lin Xiaoyan smiled teasingly and pushed Qian Rumei forward from behind her.

"Look, this is our bride-to-be! The daughter of the former deputy factory director, our Miss Qian!"

The girl named Qian Rumei had a long, thin face, thin, curved eyebrows, and looked quiet and gentle. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, and she seemed much more introverted than Lin Xiaoyan.

Upon hearing Lin Xiaoyan's words, Qian Rumei blushed and reached out to punch her.

"Xiaoyan, you're teasing me! I'm ignoring you!"

"I was wrong, Miss! Don't be angry! It's like the flood washed away the Dragon King's temple; we're all family now, but we're not scared anymore. We're all old acquaintances! We even ran into Chef Chen; maybe we can even get a free meal at noon!"

As Lin Xiaoyan said this, her eyes couldn't help but light up.

Chen Wei couldn't help but facepalm. How could this girl talk about food all the time? She really was a glutton!

But since the young lady had already said that, and besides, the sweet and sour carp was originally prepared for this lady named Qian Rumei at her wedding banquet, Chen Wei felt it was his duty to invite the two ladies to try his cooking.

So he nodded crisply, "Alright! We caught seven or eight fish, that's enough for you! We don't have any pots or pans here, let's go back to the factory, I'll show you what I can do!"

"Great!"

Lin Xiaoyan, that greedy girl, immediately raised both hands in agreement, looking as if she couldn't wait to pounce on Chen Wei.

Even Qian Rumei behind him had a hopeful look in her eyes.

-

The group of young people returned to the factory area, laughing and joking, by which time it was already evening.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the factory chimneys. It was early autumn, and the evening breeze carried a hint of coolness, making one feel comfortable all over.

Wu Xiaochun and Lin Jun carried a large fish basket containing seven or eight lively carp, attracting the attention of many workers along the way.

Wu Xiaochun, beaming with pride, nodded and introduced, "That's right! We specially caught them in the suburbs! They're still alive! Much better than those shoddy goods sold at the Jingangqiao Seafood Market!"

"Look at these fish! Each one weighs two or three pounds, and there are seven or eight of them! It took us a lot of effort! Of course, I deserve the most credit!"

Several passing workers laughed at Wu Xiaochun's shameless boasting.

"Hey, Xiaochun! If I'm not mistaken, you dove right into the water and pulled out seven or eight fish in one go, right?"

"Of course!"

Wu Xiaochun held his neck up like a rooster, perfectly embodying the demeanor of a fisherman returning with a full catch.

Chen Wei smiled silently and quickly called to the three female comrades following behind him.

"Come this way, you guys sit in front of the cafeteria for a bit, we'll be cooking soon, it's too hot!"

"Oh! Thank you, Chef Chen! If you need any help, just let us know! Hard work is the most honorable thing to do, we'd all be happy to help you!"

Lin Xiaoyan, being a natural at making friends, pulled Qian Rumei and the two of them to sit on the benches in the cafeteria, obediently waiting for Chen Wei's sweet and sour carp to be served.