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

Today's celebratory noodles weren't made by Chen Wei. He started preparing the ingredients early in the morning, so he didn't have time to make such a big pot of celebratory noodles.

Lin Jun was in charge of stir-frying the braised meat, while Wu Xiaochun and Zhang Tieniu cooked the noodles together.

However, I've already tasted the finished product, and the stale flavor is acceptable.

While the taste wasn't amazing, it wasn't bad either.

Lin Jun had been trained by him for a month or so, so his skills were better than those of the average chef.

At Qian Degui's invitation, everyone went to the large basin to scoop out the celebratory noodles to eat.

The noodles soaked in well water are chewy and smooth. They deliberately undercook them to prevent them from turning into messy rat tails when later people eat them.

The refreshing noodles, paired with a three-delicacy meat sauce, are enough to satisfy even those who usually eat vegetarian food, even though the stove only contains minced meat and egg flowers.

Wu Xiaochun and Lin Jun were busy pouring brine on people with quick and efficient hands and feet.

Several former leaders who were familiar with Qian Degui squatted behind the kitchen door with enamel mugs in hand, enjoying the cool morning breeze and slurping up the celebratory noodles.

"Delicious! It's been so long since we've had noodles. These noodles are really well-cooked, and the braising sauce is fragrant too! No wonder Chef Chen trained them; their skills are excellent!"

"It tastes even better than what my husband makes at home! It's so smooth and cool, it's just so comforting to eat!"

The praises came one after another, making Lin Jun's ears turn bright red.

This was the first time he had ever heard people notice him, aside from praising Chen Wei.

For a moment, I didn't know how to face it.

Fortunately, the guests finished their meal, packed up, and returned to the venue.

By noon, the auspicious time had arrived, and the dining hall was already packed with people.

Ten tables were arranged neatly, and red "double happiness" characters were pasted everywhere, filling the room with a festive atmosphere.

The lobby was suddenly packed with former colleagues from the department, factory leaders who were familiar with Qian Degui, cadres from various departments, veteran workers from the workshop, and neighbors.

The kitchen was equally lively.

Chen Wei was so busy that he was practically running around, hurriedly calling out to everyone, pouring the last few dishes of chili oil over them, and the dishes on the menu were served one after another.

"Let the feast begin!"

As soon as the manager shouted, Wu Xiaochun immediately yelled back at the kitchen.

"Serve the food! Everyone, hurry up!"

Several apprentices, along with three middle-aged women temporarily transferred from the workshop, carried out the first group of people carrying golden-red, glistening sweet and sour carp.

The golden-red sweet and sour carp, head held high and tail raised, is presented in an impressive manner. It is also drizzled with a thick, glistening sauce, and its aroma is so strong that it attracts everyone's attention as soon as it is served.

The table of women with young children was particularly captivating; the children stared wide-eyed, practically begging their mothers to immediately reach out with their chopsticks and feed them.

Next came braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens, braised chicken pieces, braised pork knuckle, and cold beef shank salad.

Each dish smelled more delicious than the last, making one's mouth water.

The dishes served last included stir-fried seasonal vegetables, cucumber salad, hot and sour shredded potatoes, and Mapo tofu. These dishes, once brought to the table, complemented the meat dishes from before, immediately presenting a different character.

The combination of meat and vegetables makes it look very appealing.

Old Qian was also in a good mood today. He carried a megaphone and stood at the front, laughing and joking as he gave a speech, rambling on and on as if he had endless things to say.

"Hey, Lao Qian! Stop nagging, everyone, let's dig in! My kid's been crying because he's so hungry!"

A burly woman, whose relative was unclear, shouted at the top of her lungs.

Qian Degui naturally knew that his current limelight was mostly due to the dishes Chen Wei had prepared.

Without further delay, he quickly finished speaking and announced the start of the banquet.

He himself carried the wine bottle down to each table to offer toasts.

To everyone's surprise, those few heavy drinkers who used to love drinking all seemed to be glued to the bowl, only concerned with eating the food. When it came to drinking, they would just quickly give Lao Qian a perfunctory sip and then sit back down, as if afraid of missing out on the food in front of them.

Factory director Zhao Hongfei sat at the main table and waited patiently for Lao Qian to come over, toast, and leave before picking up his chopsticks to try the sweet and sour carp placed in the middle of the table.

This dish is incredibly tempting, with a vibrant red color and snow-white, delicate fish meat that makes your mouth water at first glance.

He carefully picked up a piece of sweet and sour carp with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and heard a crisp cracking sound. The crispy fried outer shell was bitten open by Zhao Hongfei, and the tender fish meat inside burst out instantly.

The sweet and sour flavor of the sauce glides into your mouth, without any earthy taste or greasiness.

Zhao Hongfei stared wide-eyed at the dish, praising it repeatedly.

"Excellent! What a wonderful sweet and sour carp! It's perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a perfect balance of sweet and sour! Chen Wei's culinary skills have improved once again!"

The secretary sitting next to him also took a bite and nodded repeatedly, praising Chen Wei for his talent at such a young age.

Chen Jianguo, who was also sitting at the main table, looked humble and quickly spoke modestly on behalf of his nephew and complimented his leader, but in reality he was overjoyed.

A few days ago, there were still rumors circulating in the factory that Ma Qianjin was fired, and that it was the Chen family uncle and nephew who were behind it. Unexpectedly, Chen Wei proved everyone wrong again with his skills so quickly, showing his strength in front of everyone.

Chen Jianguo was naturally delighted!

At this moment, although Chen Jianguo was speaking modestly, he actually wished that the other party would speak louder and louder, so that everyone in the room would know how amazing his nephew was.

"My goodness, this smells amazing!"

"I knew our young Chef Chen was amazing! Look how beautifully he's prepared this fish! It looks even better than what you get at fancy restaurants!"

"That's right! You've only been to a few restaurants, you don't know, even the state-run restaurants in Beijing don't serve food this well!"

"I think there's going to be a soup at the end. I'm so excited to see what it is!"

As everyone was talking, Chen Wei and his entourage came over carrying a row of small enamel basins with double handles. Inside were Old Ma's Pig Trotter Soup, which Qian Degui had specifically requested and was Chen Wei's specialty.

The broth was milky white, and the aroma that wafted out as it simmered slowly on the small clay stove spread quickly throughout the entire canteen.

As everyone walked past Qian Degui, even the host, Qian Degui, couldn't help but drool with envy.

Several sharp-eyed people noticed Qian Degui's behavior and started teasing him.

Fortunately, Qian Degui was genuinely happy today and didn't care at all.

Everyone cheerfully carried the pig's trotter soup to the main table, and Chen Jianguo quickly stood up to politely decline.

"Factory manager, please try this! This dish was made by my son when he participated in the cooking competition last time. None of us in the factory have had the chance to taste it yet!"

"Really! Then I have to try it!" Zhao Hongfei's eyes crinkled with a smile, and he quickly picked up a spoon and scooped a spoonful of soup into the bowl.

Because of Ma Qianjin's repeated troubles some time ago, Zhao Hongfei already felt somewhat guilty towards the Chen family uncle and nephew.

Therefore, during this period, he acted very respectfully towards the Chen family uncle and nephew.

Those sitting at the main table weren't fools. Seeing that Director Zhao had already given them so much face, the others naturally showered him with praise, saying only the nicest things.

Zhao Hongfei is a native of Tianjin and was originally not very interested in this kind of white meat soup. But today, when he tasted this spoonful of soup, his eyes lit up.

He immediately gave a thumbs up: "Great! The broth is thick and flavorful, and it doesn't have that weird pig's trotter taste at all! Wow, amazing! To be honest, this is the first time in my life I've ever had such delicious pig's trotters! I usually don't like this kind of thing! Hahaha—"

The laughter and chatter at the main table instantly enlivened the atmosphere at the other tables.

The hall was bustling with activity and filled with joy.

This delighted Qian Degui, the host. He knew that the more the guests enjoyed the meal, the more generous the host appeared, and the more face he would gain.

It has to be said that the 10-table wedding banquet that Chen Wei prepared for him was a pleasant surprise for Qian Degui. It not only earned him a lot of face among his relatives and neighbors, but also allowed this old leader, who was not very prominent, to show his face in front of the steel plant's employees again.