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

Once Chen Wei's figure disappeared through the small window of the cafeteria, the bride-to-be, Qian Rumei, nudged Lin Xiaoyan under the table.

Mimicking Chen Wei's tone, he drawled, "We'll be cooking in a bit—don't let Comrade Lin get too hot—okay?"

As Qian Rumei said this, she exchanged a smile with the woman accompanying her, both of them wearing teasing smiles.

In fact, anyone could see that the relationship between Lin Xiaoyan and Chen Wei was unusual.

Lin Xiaoyan herself, on the other hand, nodded generously without any embarrassment.

"Hey? You two, stop teasing me! Great people have said that we young people should bravely pursue revolutionary friendship, freedom of marriage, and freedom of love! I think Chef Chen is great!"

Seeing Lin Xiaoyan's serious expression, Qian Rumei couldn't help but smile.

"So, you're quite interested in this young chef? But Xiao Yan, you need to think this through. You're a broadcaster at a prestigious radio station. This young man... his character is alright, but this job..."

Qian Rumei is right. Chen Wei's job doesn't seem very good to anyone, at least it's not good enough for Lin Xiaoyan, a proper broadcaster.

However, Lin Xiaoyan shook her head seriously, pouting and saying firmly, "You don't know, he's incredibly talented! Remember the last cooking competition? He was number one! You two will understand once you taste his dishes!"

"Oh dear~ First place... She felt sorry for her when we talked about her little sweetheart! Hahaha~"

The girls immediately burst into laughter, creating quite a lively scene.

The kitchen was bustling with activity.

As soon as Chen Wei entered the kitchen, he instructed Lin Jun and Wu Xiaochun to fetch several buckets of cool well water to temporarily keep the fish in it, allowing them to expel the mud and sand and stay fresh.

He then went to the vegetable garden at the back and picked some necessary side dishes.

I also took the opportunity to look at the recipe carefully once more.

The recipe provided by the system is very clear: the key to this dish is to make incisions on the carp. The incisions on the carp must be of uniform depth. After coating it with a thin and even layer of batter and frying it until it sets, you can then pour on the sweet and sour sauce.

Whether the final product looks good or not depends entirely on the steps of making decorative cuts, coating with batter, and frying until it sets.

Time flies, and it's almost time to prepare a late-night snack.

Chen Wei was busy tasting dishes, so he simply handed over the task of preparing the late-night snack to Lin Jun.

Lin Jun was overjoyed, as this was the first time he had prepared so much food on his own.

He accepted the job and left happily.

The kitchen stove area was left with only the smell of stale food, facing two basins of shimmering carp.

He tied his apron around his waist, rolled up his sleeves, and casually scooped a carp out of the water.

Because it's wild, this fish is incredibly aggressive.

When it reached Chen Wei's hands, the fish was still struggling, and water splashed everywhere.

Without hesitation, Chen Wei raised his knife and struck the fish on the head, stunning it instantly.

After the fish stopped moving, he used the blade to cut open its belly, deftly removing the internal organs, gills, and black membrane with his nimble fingers. His movements were quick and smooth, and he did it all without damaging the fish.

This is why Chen Wei insists on cleaning the fish himself.

The first step in making sweet and sour carp is to kill the fish.

If the fish isn't cleaned properly, it will affect the subsequent cutting and preparation, and the finished product won't look good.

Wu Xiaochun and Zhang Tieniu, along with several other apprentices, stood by, staring wide-eyed.

"This fish is so easy to handle..." Zhang Tieniu murmured to himself.

Wang Xiaoming, who was standing next to him, chimed in, "Chef Chen's knife skills are truly amazing! I still can't even scrape fish scales properly!"

"You all need to take a good look and learn diligently from Brother Chen! This is all about technique!"

Wu Xiaochun smiled smugly. He wanted to say a few more random words, but when he remembered what Chen Wei had taught him before, he quickly swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Looking at Chen Wei, he had already cleaned the fish he had killed, put it on the cutting board, gently pressed it down with a towel, and then made precise cuts into the fish with the knife at an angle.

This type of decorative knife is called the peony flower knife, and it is specially designed for sweet and sour carp.

The knife blades are crossed to draw patterns on the fish's body like peonies. After the decorative cuts are finished, the fish is lifted up by its tail, so that the whole fish blooms like a peony.

Each cut must be evenly spaced, deep enough to reach the fish bone but not cut through. Only with this kind of decorative cutting can the fish be fried with its head and tail sticking up, making the finished product look like a carp leaping out of the water, which is quite beautiful.

The apprentices standing opposite him were stunned, wishing they could memorize every single one of Chen Wei's movements.

Chen Wei ignored them, and after cutting a fish, he put it directly into the feed bowl next to him.

The basin already contains ginger slices, cooking wine, scallion segments, and a sauce made with various seasonings to remove the fishy smell.

This step serves two purposes: first, to remove the fishy smell and marinate the fish to infuse it with flavor; and second, to ensure the fish remains tender and moist. Otherwise, after being deep-fried at high temperatures, the fish will become dry and tough, making it unpalatable.

He then quickly grabbed a second fish from the basin and repeated the action.

After killing all seven or eight fish and marinating them in the sauce, Chen Wei immediately turned around to prepare the batter for coating.

This batter is generally made by mixing starch and flour in a 2:1 ratio, with an egg white and a little water added in between, and then stirring it into a smooth, stringy, non-Newtonian fluid.

The batter I'm required to use must be neither too thin nor too dry, coating the fish completely without dripping or leaving any residue, so that it can perfectly lock in the moisture, resulting in a crispy exterior and tender interior after frying, golden brown and crispy without becoming soggy.

Chen Wei took flour and starch from under the stove, deftly cracked in egg whites, and put his whole hand in, adding water while testing the consistency of the batter. He would lift the batter up to check it from time to time until he finally nodded in satisfaction.

At the small window of the cafeteria outside, Lin Xiaoyan rested her cheeks on her hands, her round face pressed against the window, watching Chen Wei busy in the kitchen with a look of fascination.

She couldn't help but whisper to her girlfriends behind her, "Look at how Chef Chen cooks! He's no ordinary person!"

Qian Rumei followed Lin Xiaoyan's gaze and indeed noticed the handsome young man in the distance. He looked focused, his movements were professional, and his actions were swift; he was clearly an expert.

A smile played on her lips as she nodded, thinking to herself.

This young man named Chen Wei is indeed quite skilled; no wonder her father insisted on inviting Chef Chen to his wedding banquet.

"Silly girl, if you really like Chef Chen, you'd better tell him soon! Otherwise, such a great Chef Chen will be snatched away by someone else!"

Qian Rumei leaned close to Lin Xiaoyan's ear and said jokingly.

Lin Xiaoyan's cheeks flushed instantly. She glanced shyly at Chen Wei in the distance and thought to herself, "Perhaps it's really as Ru Mei said. Should I confess my feelings to Chen Wei?"