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

The stove in the kitchen was humming loudly, and Lin Jun and a few others were preparing lunch by the stove.

Despite the deafening noise around him, Deputy Factory Director Qian wore a beaming smile.

Deputy Factory Director Qian patted Chen Wei's shoulder forcefully, his eyes full of trust.

"Xiao Chen! I'm so sorry you had to go through what happened yesterday! It was all because of our family, and you almost got blamed and scolded by Ma Qianjin for no reason. Please don't take it to heart!"

He draped a stale towel over his shoulder and simply smiled faintly.

"Deputy Factory Director Qian, please don't say that. If you hadn't testified for me, I still wouldn't be able to get rid of Section Chief Ma."

He naturally knew that Ma Qianjin's departure was definitely thanks to Lao Qian, and Lao Qian must also understand that what he said yesterday was deliberately meant for him.

So this is how smart people deal with each other.

"Hahahaha—" Qian Degui laughed heartily, patted Chen Wei's shoulder forcefully, and that was the end of it.

As for the wedding banquet, Chen Wei had already handed a neatly prepared menu to Qian Degui.

The menu was written by him personally, with neat handwriting and a tidy arrangement, featuring dishes he is currently good at.

Naturally, the number one dish is still the sweet and sour carp that everyone praises.

"Deputy Factory Director Qian, last time you told me you wanted to invite some steel mill employees to a wedding banquet. I figured there are a lot of people at the steel mill, and with relatives and friends included, it would probably require 8 to 10 tables. I thought about it all night and came up with this list. Please take a look and see what dishes you like. Just tick them on the list and our canteen will prepare them in advance."

Chen Wei reached out and pointed to the names of the dishes on the paper, then explained them in detail.

Qian Degui took it and saw that the dish listed at the top was sweet and sour carp.

The bride specifically requested this dish, as it has a good meaning: prosperity and good fortune. Qian Degui liked it from the bottom of his heart.

I immediately checked the name of this dish.

Then he said, "Speaking of which, I was just about to discuss this with you. You see, you don't realize how much there is to do until your own daughter gets married. This old man of mine can't handle it all at once, so I'd like to entrust the entire wedding banquet arrangements to your canteen. My family will definitely cover the funding, and you can take care of the preparations after receiving the menu. Any over- or under-preparation will be on my end. What do you think?"

Chen Wei was naturally happy, since the quality of the dishes was closely related to the freshness of the ingredients. If the Qian family were to purchase the ingredients, and they were not suitable, he would not be able to say anything and the wedding banquet would be ruined. He was afraid that Director Qian would not be happy either.

Also, ever since the cafeteria handed over the task of purchasing ingredients to Wu Xiaochun, this kid hasn't had any proper experience. This is a good opportunity to give him some experience and let Chen Wei see just how capable he really is.

So he readily agreed, and then together with Qian Degui, they decided on several dishes with auspicious meanings.

According to the essential requirements for wedding banquets in the North, a total of eight main dishes were prepared on the table, including four meat dishes and four vegetable dishes. In addition, there was the sweet and sour carp that the bride had specifically requested. The last dish was a soup. Qian Degui had been craving the "Old Mother's Pig Trotter Soup" for a long time, so he simply requested that soup.

Meat dishes include cold beef shank salad, braised chicken pieces, braised pork knuckle, and braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens.

The vegetarian dishes included cucumber salad, hot and sour shredded potatoes, Mapo tofu, and stir-fried seasonal vegetables.

This menu was considered quite good for its time.

What's more, there's a pig's trotter soup at the end, enough for Qian Degui to show off in front of his relatives and friends.

Although this wedding banquet was for Deputy Factory Director Qian's daughter's wedding, and not a formal wedding banquet held by the groom's family, the relatives on Deputy Factory Director Qian's side were mostly leaders and senior executives, as well as some old colleagues from the steel plant. They couldn't let them laugh at them.

Therefore, Chen Wei specially prepared many hearty dishes at the banquet, so as not to lose face for Qian Degui.

Qian Degui readily approved the arrangement and was very satisfied.

The two praised it and said it was settled. They also handed over the deposit for cooking and the money for purchasing ingredients to Chen Wei, which showed that they trusted him very much.

After Qian Degui left, Chen Wei slowly opened the envelope in his hand.

Unexpectedly, just as he was squeezing the envelope Qian Degui had given him, half of Wu Xiaochun's head popped out from behind him.

"Brother Chen! I heard it all. Deputy Factory Director Qian said that the entire canteen will be responsible for the wedding banquet and the procurement of ingredients?"

It turned out that this kid had been listening intently for a long time, and as soon as Qian Degui left, he rushed over to find out what was going on.

Chen Wei naturally knew what he was thinking, so he casually patted his head with the envelope and said.

"It's true that they've entrusted us with procuring the ingredients, but don't get too excited! Procuring ingredients is no easy task!"

Chen Wei's words were true, because in those days, you had to buy anything with coupons, and even if you had coupons and a book, you still needed money to buy it from them.

Moreover, many times those rare items require queuing overnight to buy, otherwise even with tickets and certificates, you still can't buy them.

As for particularly rare items, such as pig's trotters, then you'll have to rely on connections.

It doesn't matter. For ordinary families, getting a pig's trotter is harder than climbing to heaven.

However, Wu Xiaochun didn't think so. He felt that purchasing ingredients was the most sought-after and most challenging job in the kitchen.

Not only could they go out and stroll around the streets, shop in state-run stores and vegetable markets, but they could also wander around grocery stores and interact with those neatly dressed and pretty saleswomen, which was much more glamorous than chopping and washing vegetables in the kitchen.

Wu Xiaochun was secretly pleased and chuckled as he tentatively stepped forward.

"So, Brother Chen, does this job fall to me?"

Chen Wei could easily see through his little scheme, and secretly found it amusing.

He calmly replied, "It's true the responsibility falls on you, but you have to do it perfectly! If I find out you're just slacking off and taking kickbacks, I won't let you off the hook!"

"Mission accomplished!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Xiaochun almost shouted out in excitement. He immediately stood at attention and saluted, flashing a bright white smile as he spoke loudly.

"Don't rush to appease me. This is about purchasing ingredients, not going out for fun! Remember to compare prices from at least three different vendors, negotiate the prices, and pay attention to the freshness! Every single expense needs to be recorded clearly for me, so that Deputy Factory Manager Qian can easily review it later! Understand?"

"Understood, understood! Don't worry, I'll definitely handle it perfectly for you!"

Wu Xiaochun nodded his head vigorously, like a chicken pecking at rice, and replied with a grin.