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

Lin Xiaoyan couldn't help but exclaim, "So crisp!"

Immediately afterwards, I smelled a sweet and sour fragrance that hit me right in the head.

She couldn't help but stare intently, and saw that the fish meat was snow-white and tender inside, while the outer shell was crispy. The outermost layer was coated with a bright red and thick sweet and sour sauce, which was shiny and looked like a piece of crystal, making her mouth water.

Lin Xiaoyan couldn't resist any longer. She quickly blew on the fish to cool it down and carefully put the piece of fish into her mouth.

Just that one bite—

The crispy outer layer bursts open between your teeth, revealing tender, smooth, and boneless fish meat with a perfectly balanced sweet and sour flavor.

Fresh, fragrant, crispy, sweet and sour, six layers of flavor bloom in your mouth. Not only is the fish meat not muddy at all, but even the fried crispy shell is not greasy at all. One bite, and you feel only crispiness and fragrance, without any fishy taste.

"Mmm...so delicious..."

Lin Xiaoyan's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but stomp her feet as she ate; the taste was absolutely amazing.

Seeing her like this, Qian Rumei, who was initially a little embarrassed, couldn't help but be moved.

He quickly joined the queue behind the crowd, cautiously approached, carefully picked up a piece of fish, and savored it slowly.

The moment the fish entered her mouth, Qian Rumei's beautiful eyebrows immediately curved into crescents, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up.

"Chef Chen's cooking is truly amazing! This fish...this fish...I've never eaten such delicious fish before!"

Everyone present ate with beaming smiles, quickly finishing the entire carp. Even the fish bones were dipped in broth by Wu Xiaochun, who then frantically sucked on them, as if he wanted to swallow the whole plate whole.

"This is so delicious, Chef Chen! Could you please add this dish to Rumei's wedding banquet?"

Lin Xiaoyan ate while speaking indistinctly.

Qian Rumei, sitting next to Lin Xiaoyan, blushed slightly as she ate. Originally quiet and reserved, her face turned bright red the moment Lin Xiaoyan mentioned her wedding, and she couldn't help but gently push her from behind.

"Xiao Yan, what did you say!"

"You're getting married soon, why are you still shy!"

Lin Xiaoyan, that gluttonous girl, really doesn't understand the quiet nature of others. She stared with her big eyes and said to herself.

Qian Rumei blushed, looked at Chen Wei, then at Lin Xiaoyan, and finally seemed to muster up her courage to ask:

"Chef Chen, I heard from my dad that you're going to host my wedding banquet. Could you please add this dish to the banquet?"

Qian Rumei was unaware beforehand that Chen Wei had arrested Li Yu in preparation for her wedding banquet, which is why she asked this question now.

Chen Wei nodded naturally: "Of course."

He then quickly called Wu Xiaochun, who was eating with his mouth full of oil, and asked him to go to the office building and call Deputy Factory Director Qian over to taste the dish.

If possible, then the wedding banquet menu can be finalized.

"Waaaaah...waaaaah...(It smells so good! Brother Chen, I'm coming right now, don't worry!)"

Wu Xiaochun was sucking on a fish bone, his mouth greasy with oil.

Seeing his greedy look, Lin Jun couldn't help but glare at him.

He volunteered, "Why don't I go? Judging from his condition, he might choke on a fish bone on the way and not even know it!"

"Waaaah... (You're talking nonsense)"

Wu Xiaochun gave a vague rebuttal.

Lin Jun had already silently left the kitchen.

Chen Wei ignored Wu Xiaochun. He already knew Wu Xiaochun's temperament. Every time he tasted food, he looked so greedy. Everyone was used to it, so he simply didn't bother to care.

The group continued to gather around the stove, nibbling at the little bit of broth left at the bottom of the plate. The fish had long been devoured, leaving only a sparse amount of sauce at the bottom of the plate. They wouldn't even let the sauce go to waste. Someone pulled out a cornbread and squeezed all the sauce from the bottom of the plate. The apprentices divided it up and each ate it clean.

After about ten minutes, Chen Wei looked around and figured that Deputy Factory Director Qian should have arrived by now. Sure enough, he heard the kitchen door being pushed open from the outside with a loud bang.

Chen Wei quickly leaned forward: "Deputy Factory Director Qian, you..."

He was only halfway through his sentence when his brows suddenly furrowed.

The person coming from the opposite direction exuded hostility and carried the arrogant air unique to cadres. As soon as he entered the kitchen, he looked around seriously, as if he were looking for some kind of evidence.

Ma Qianjin, what is he doing here?

Chen Wei frowned almost imperceptibly and casually waved to the apprentices.

Wu Xiaochun immediately understood and quietly hid all the carp that were cooling and shaping on the stove under the cutting board.

Ma Qianjin stood with his hands behind his back, his face visibly gloomy.

As he strode in, his eyes kept scanning the women.

"Wow! A blatant dinner party in the kitchen in broad daylight? Why didn't you invite me? I see that 'No Trespassing' sign outside your kitchen, you might as well take it down. So many idle people are blocking the way; that sign is probably just for us outsiders!"

His sarcastic remark immediately provoked Wu Xiaochun to jump up in anger.

"It's the cafeteria's break time now. Comrade Lin and the others are here for a visit!"

"I had no idea this kitchen became a military stronghold? And now it's open to outsiders! You guys make it pretty high-class!"

The kitchen, which had just been filled with laughter and chatter, fell into an eerie silence after Ma Qianjin's sarcastic comments.

Lin Xiaoyan, Qian Rumei, and the other girls also changed color slightly, lowering their heads awkwardly, unsure whether to go in or out.

Chen Wei glanced over coldly and thought that Ma Qianjin was just looking for trouble because they had brought in outsiders.

There's no point in arguing with him under these circumstances.

He raised the corner of his mouth slightly, stepped forward, and asked casually.

"I wonder what instructions Section Chief Ma has for you today? Or are you hungry and here to get some food? If so, please go to the front!"

A simple command directly defined Ma Qianjin as someone who served food, which immediately dampened Ma Qianjin's arrogance considerably.

Ma Qianjin snorted coldly and started to move forward.

But halfway there, he suddenly stopped next to Wu Xiaochun.

Wu Xiaochun clenched his fists instantly, his palms covered in sticky cold sweat.

These days, supplies are strictly controlled, and fish and meat are rare commodities!

The fish they caught wasn't bought at the Jingangqiao Aquatic Products Market at all; it was caught in the reservoir without any receipts or invoices.

Giving the villagers some benefits in the suburbs can be done discreetly, but if Ma Qianjin, who already has a strong grudge against Chen Wei, seizes on this, he might accuse them of illegal fishing.