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

Ma Qianjin stared at the bright red tofu in the bowl, his Adam's apple bobbing noticeably.

He hurriedly picked up the chopsticks beside him: "Then we won't be polite!"

He picked up a trembling piece of tofu with his chopsticks and examined it carefully.

The tofu on the tip of the chopsticks was incredibly tender, its white flesh resembling a young girl's skin, yet it was coated with a generous amount of red oil.

The surface is still covered with a few peppercorns and bright green garlic sprouts. The red and green colors mixed together are very eye-catching. Combined with the white and tender tofu, it makes people's mouths water just looking at it.

Unable to resist any longer, Ma Qianjin blew on the tofu grass twice and then eagerly put it in his mouth.

"hiss--"

This scalded him quite badly.

At the same time, the spicy and smooth flavors of the dish entered my mouth, and the various textures exploded in my mouth like bombs.

The tofu is so smooth and tender that it melts with the slightest touch of the tongue. Mixed with the scalding hot sauce and the spicy and savory flavor, it slides down the throat, like a small flame being lit wherever it goes, burning directly from the tip of the tongue to the stomach. One bite and you're sweating profusely.

"It's...it's so hot!"

Ma Qianjin's mouth trembled slightly, but he couldn't bear to spit out that mouthful of tofu. Instead, he let the tofu slide down his esophagus into his stomach, and finally added a long sigh.

"This tastes so refreshing!"

He had never eaten Sichuan cuisine before, and of course, he had never seen such authentic Mapo Tofu.

In particular, the dish had a rich aroma of fermented soybean paste, interspersed with the oily fragrance of lard and the smooth texture of tofu. The four flavors progressed layer by layer in his mouth, swirling around and enticing him to immediately reach for his chopsticks again.

Turning to look at Chen Jianguo, he looked almost exactly the same.

The wrinkles around his eyes smoothed out as he ate, his mouth brimming with scalding hot tofu, yet he couldn't bear to spit it out, forcing himself to swallow it down with trembling hands.

After two bites with their chopsticks, both leaders' lips turned red from the heat.

This time he finally learned his lesson and picked it up with his chopsticks, then obediently blew on it.

"Hahaha, Old Chen! You old glutton, your lips are all red from burning at your age!"

Ma Qianjin couldn't help but burst into laughter when he saw Chen Jianguo's scalded red lips.

Unexpectedly, he was immediately met with the same ridicule from Chen Jianguo.

"You're the same! You have the nerve to say that to me! Hahahaha—"

This thoroughly enjoyable meal quietly raised the two leaders' opinion of Chenwei even higher.

The two exchanged a smile, and Ma Qianjin wiped his mouth before pointing at Chen Wei and speaking.

"Xiao Chen, keep up the good work! I believe in you! Wang Defa's position will be yours sooner or later! If you encounter any difficulties, just come to me!"

Is he going to give himself a raise?!

Chen Wei's eyes lit up, and he quickly agreed.

"Thank you, Section Chief Ma!"

Chen Jianguo, however, coughed twice and said, "Section Chief Ma is just encouraging you. You're young, but don't be arrogant!"

This statement was a subtle dig at Chen Wei, telling him not to spread baseless rumors just because he received a verbal guarantee from a leader.

If this gets out in the factory, it won't do Chen Wei any good, either for Chen Wei or for the two leaders in the room.

Chen Wei naturally understood and nodded in agreement.

"I know Uncle Ma is encouraging me! Promotion and stuff... I don't dare to think about it. I'm still young, and there's still a lot to learn."

Ma Qianjin and Chen Jianguo were both satisfied with Chen Wei's attitude.

The promotion and raise were essentially decided internally.

After taking good care of the two leaders, Chen Wei left the administrative department and then delivered another serving of Mapo Tofu to the purchasing department's office.

Zhou Jianjun was naturally extremely grateful to Chen Wei. Chen Wei had the head of the administrative department to protect him, and the head of the production department to take responsibility for him. It was not easy for Chen Wei to keep his small purchasing department in mind.

I originally wanted to chat with Chen Wei in the purchasing department and maybe get to know each other better.

Chen Wei was tired after a busy day, so he only said a few words before getting up and leaving the purchasing department's office.

Chen Wei was unaware that the young people in the purchasing department's office had immediately erupted in chaos the moment he left.

"Section Chief Zhou, what's that smell? It smells so good!"

Tian Airong from the purchasing department was the first to come over, staring curiously at the large bowl in Lao Zhou's hand.

When Chen Wei was there, everyone was too embarrassed to come closer, since none of them were really familiar with him.

Now that Chen Wei has left, these young people are naturally the first to crowd around, practically wanting to shove their noses into the bowl in Lao Zhou's hand.

"Go away, go away! This dish was specially delivered to me by Chef Chen! You lot are not allowed to take it from me!"

Old Zhou tightly protected the large bowl in his hands, quickly stood up, and dodged the encirclement of several young men.

He missed out on the hot and sour shredded vegetables for lunch today and has been craving them ever since.

As soon as the bowl of Mapo Tofu was served, he smelled an aroma that went straight to his head, an aroma even more enticing than the hot and sour shredded vegetables he had for lunch.

The aroma of lard is so enticing that it makes people who are always lacking in oily food crave it.

But the young men weren't about to let him off so easily; they practically dragged Zhou Jianjun into the middle.

The two women, all smiles and shameless, tugged at Zhou Jianjun's sleeves from either side.

"Oh, Section Chief Zhou! Please, just let us have a taste! Please, just one bite! It smells so good, I'm dying to eat it!"

The two women in the sales department are both quite young and unmarried, and they are also rather lively and outgoing.

Old Zhou, unable to bear the pestering any longer, had no choice but to nod.

"Okay, okay... We agreed, just one bite! We can't do what Xiao Li did at lunchtime, like bandits giving him all... Hey? Don't steal it!"

Before Lao Zhou could finish his long speech, several pairs of chopsticks reached out from the crowd, pried open the rim of the bowls, and each person grabbed a chopstick. Seeing that the two palm-sized large bowls were about to be emptied, Lao Zhou was so anxious that he stomped his feet.

"Hey, hey, hey! You bunch of bandits! Leave me a bite!"

He quickly picked up his chopsticks and shoveled the food into the large bowl.

It took me a lot of effort to stuff the last two bites of tofu into my mouth.

The moment the tofu touches your mouth, a burst of fresh, fragrant, spicy flavor rushes into your skull, mixed with the smooth texture of the tofu, and instantly slides down your throat.

Old Zhou's eyes widened in surprise, his mouth filled with the spicy flavor of the tofu.

He thought to himself, "Wow! Chef Chen's skills are truly amazing. No wonder the two leaders above value him so much."

With such talent, how could anyone not keep them!

But then he immediately regretted it and couldn't help but slap his thigh.

"Oh no! I ate too fast, I haven't even really tasted it yet! Is there any left in the bowl?"

Old Zhou peered into the empty bowl that was tossed on the table.

But the large bowl had already been snatched up, and there was no trace of Mapo Tofu left inside; only a thin layer of broth remained clinging to the sides of the bowl.

The young people managed to dab the sauce off the bottom of the bowl clean.

The purchasing team members all wore expressions of satisfaction.

Tian Airong smacked her lips, still savoring the sauce, and asked with a look of lingering enjoyment, "Do you think Chef Chen will make this dish for lunch tomorrow?"

"Probably..." Zhou Jianjun looked on with anticipation as he thought about having the same delicious food for lunch tomorrow.

Instead of arguing with everyone, he simply waved his hand and said, "Tomorrow at noon, our purchasing department will go to the canteen five minutes early. If any leaders ask, we'll just say we're delivering supplies to the canteen!"

"Long live the section chief!"

A cheer erupted throughout the purchasing department.