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

"Snap—"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Chen Jianguo's large hand landed on the back of Chen Wei's head.

He was knocked off balance.

"I think you've gotten too cocky, you brat. You can't even tell the difference between salt and sugar at home, yet you dare to boast about being in charge of cooking! With your knife skills..."

Chen Jianguo suddenly stopped talking.

Looking at the large bowl of cucumbers in front of him, each one distinct, he simply couldn't bring himself to say anything lecturing.

Alright, this kid's knife skills are indeed top-notch; even Wang Defa can't compare.

But being a chef isn't just about knife skills. When Chen Wei was home, his wife felt sorry for him because he had lost both parents at such a young age, and she was the type to be extremely jealous and wouldn't even lift a finger to pick him up. Could he possibly cook?!

But when he thought about how his usually unambitious nephew was making such a bold statement for the first time, Chen Jianguo hesitated for a long time before gritting his teeth and changing the subject.

"Alright! As long as you can sell out all the food you make tomorrow within a day, I'll approve the electric fan!"

Although electric fans were still a rarity these days, Chen Jianguo still held the quota for an entire steel mill.

It's not unreasonable to approve an electric fan under the guise of the cafeteria.

If this kid can really make it, I'll give him the electric fan!

Consider this encouragement!

Tomorrow he'll give Old Ma from the production department a heads-up and tell them to bring their own lunches. He'll also find a few of his own people to look after the kid's cooking skills, so he doesn't lose confidence.

Chen Jianguo fanned himself with a large palm-leaf fan, turned around and left with a dark face.

Chen Wei was left rubbing the back of his head, thinking that his uncle's grip was too strong!

However, this matter can be considered taken over. Chen Wei looked at the kitchen in front of him, his eyes gleaming with wolfish ambition.

Let him try out the newly developed equipment slots.

Chen Wei searched and searched in the huge kitchen, touching every pot, pan, and bowl, but the expected notification sound never came.

It wasn't because he had any shady hobby, but rather because he was in the same situation when he found this old kitchen knife and activated the system.

At the time, the old kitchen knife was lying in the corner of the kitchen, with blood on it from the hands of the young man who had been chopping the knife before—that guy had accidentally cut off a piece of his finger and ended up with a work injury, which is how Chen Wei took over his job.

Chen Wei was just curious, but as soon as he picked up the cleaver, a notification sound popped up in his mind.

[Do you carry an old-fashioned kitchen knife?]

"equipment!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a transparent panel popped up in front of Chen Wei's eyes.

The old kitchen knife also has its attributes described above.

Thinking of this, Chen Wei picked up his old kitchen knife again, wanting to study what was so special about it that it could be used as a piece of equipment.

[Equipped Item: Old Kitchen Knife]

[Tier: 1 item]

Completeness: 100%

[Proficiency: Proficient (0/100)]

[Equipment Effect: Grants Swordsmanship (Proficiency)]

A transparent panel immediately popped up in front of them, displaying Old Cleaver's information.

Looking left and right, Chen Wei couldn't find anything different about the old kitchen knife.

Could it be that I found this thing because I had a newbie buff?

Seeing his second equipment slot completely empty, Chen Wei was itching to get his hands on it, but he had no other choice.

I had no choice but to click on my backpack and open the recipe that I had just received as a reward for leveling up.

[Hot and Sour Shredded Vegetables: An exceptionally popular summer recipe, this recipe is matched to the most suitable preparation method based on your current knife skills. It's sure to be a sensation!]

Chen Wei scrolled down the menu and looked at the ingredients needed for this dish.

The ingredients are the most common potatoes, carrots, and kelp strips, which are not hard to find. These are ingredients that the cafeteria usually prepares, and the kitchen has them now.

However, the most difficult part of this dish is the knife skills and the control of the heat.

The knife skills required are to cut the potato shreds to a reasonable thickness, and the carrot shreds should also be cut to a similar size to ensure that the two ingredients cook at roughly the same time.

Then comes the heat control. The heat control needs to be precise, otherwise the food will burn before the inside is cooked.

Now that he already knew, Chen Wei simply walked over to the stove.

"Since you've already made those boasts, you have to put them to the test!"

Chen Wei muttered to himself as he reached out and opened the iron plate on the stove door. Flames, carrying heat, instantly shot out from the two fire holes.

The stove is still a large, integrated brick stove that burns coal, with a coal-fired boiler at the back and a blower running at the other end of the boiler.

A red brick fire hole was used to direct the flames from the stove to the stove opening in the kitchen.

Chen Wei works at Jin Yi Steel Plant, where there are usually many people eating there, so the fire in the boiler room at the back is never extinguished.

When you need to cook, simply open the stove doors that connect both sides to bring in the fire.

The chef has a connecting plate under his feet, which allows him to adjust the heat at will.

Just as Chen Wei stepped onto the connecting plate, the long-awaited notification sound finally rang in his mind.

【Ding--】

[Is it equipped with a coal-fired stove?]

!

Who would have thought that the second equipable item would be this entire set of pots and pans!

Chen Wei nodded immediately.

"equipment!"

The transparent panel in front of me popped up instantly.

[Equipped Item: Coal-fired stove]

[Tier: Tier 1 Item]

Completeness: 85%

[Proficiency Level: Beginner (0/500)]

[Equipment Effect: Grants the ability to control the heat (beginner level)]

The second slot in the equipment bar finally lit up, and the icon for a coal-fired stove filled the second equipment slot.

Chen Wei felt a surge of excitement and tried stepping on the connecting plate under his feet.

"coax--"

The flames under the stove suddenly shot up, and the temperature on the stove surface soared instantly.

At the same time, a strange feeling surged into Chen Wei's mind.

In Chen Wei's eyes, the flame suddenly seemed to come alive, moving with his will. If he told the flame to go left, it would never go right.

This is what's called mastering the heat!

Chen Wei grinned and deftly picked up three potatoes and two carrots from the food shelf behind him, then casually grabbed a handful of dried kelp strips to soak and set aside.

Everything is ready, except for the execution.

How could Chen Wei resist trying it out when no one was around?

"Tap tap tap tap—"

After peeling and washing the potatoes and carrots, put them on the cutting board, then close your eyes and start cutting.

Chen Wei performed the series of movements with exceptional skill.

After his knife skills improved to a high level, he gained greater control over the ingredients he cut.

In no time at all, the potatoes and carrots were shredded under the knife.

The knife work was precise and flawless; every single thread looked as if it had been measured with a ruler, and each one was perfectly uniform.

The three ingredients were arranged into three small hills of different colors, neatly stacked on the cutting board.

Chen Wei took a deep breath, picked up an iron pot, and turned on the stove.