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

Admittedly, the purchasing department wasn't stupid; they knew they were just delivering some ingredients, and the cooking would still be stale.

Now, everyone in the factory has heard of this new head chef's name, and they're all lining up to eat Chenwei's food.

This also included the two girls at the nurses' station.

In July, the sun is so scorching that it can melt the asphalt road.

Ma Chunmei and Lin Xiaoyan were squeezed in the long line at the entrance of the canteen, and even the lunch boxes in their hands were hot from the sun.

Both were wearing short-sleeved polyester shirts, and one of them had a long braid on his head, with a large patch of sweat stains evenly imprinted on his back beneath the braid.

The newly bought pink polyester short-sleeved shirt was sticky and clinging to her body, making Ma Chunmei tug at the hem of her shirt with a dissatisfied expression.

Unfortunately, all the people queuing around her were men, and she was too embarrassed to make any big movements.

She could only pout and complain, "What are you trying to achieve! My mom even packed lunches for both of us. We agreed to eat her vegetable pancakes and braised eggplant with pork today. She even used lard to fry the pancakes, and topped them with your favorite sesame seeds. How can that not be better than this bland, watery food in the cafeteria?! Why did you have to come here to suffer like this?"

As she said this, she moved forward a little, following the footsteps of the group.

Standing next to her, Lin Xiaoyan's face was full of anticipation, and there was no trace of impatience on her delicate and beautiful face.

Ma Chunmei is a nurse at the Jin Yi General Steel Nursing Station, while Lin Xiaoyan is not an employee of the factory but is Ma Chunmei's childhood friend who came to Jin Yi General Steel for lunch today.

Smelling the faint fragrance wafting in the wind, Lin Xiaoyan couldn't help but swallow.

Then he said, "Oh, I'm not like you, able to come to your factory cafeteria whenever I want. You know how difficult it is for me to get time off to come out. It's not that I'm saying your factory's chef is amazing, I just really want to try it!"

Ma Chunmei glared at her helplessly, looking at the endless, dark queue, there was nothing she could do.

The two grew up together, so how could she not know Lin Xiaoyan? She was a big glutton!

Although she is beautiful, with an incredibly delicate face and a curvaceous figure, with a slender waist, who would have thought that beneath this beautiful and delicate exterior lies the heart of a glutton!

It's all her fault for saying something extra last night when she got home. She mentioned that everyone at the factory was saying the new chef at the canteen was exceptionally good at cooking.

Lin Xiaoyan was immediately smitten, and sure enough, she saw her coming to find her early this afternoon.

"What nonsense!" Ma Chunmei pouted slightly, a little annoyed. "I think the rumors are a bit exaggerated. You don't know, this chef at our factory has only been here for three or four days. I heard he was just an apprentice before, but..."

She said this in a low voice.

"But I heard he has some connections; he's the nephew of Section Chief Chen from our factory's administration department. I figure most of these people are just here to show their support, so the food probably isn't that good."

Ma Chunmei's family is well-off, and she doesn't like eating the factory's communal meals because she thinks they're too bland.

So she didn't get to eat Chenwei's hot and sour shredded vegetables yesterday.

Hearing her say this, Lin Xiaoyan, who had been standing beside her, just nodded perfunctorily and didn't say anything at all.

Her eyes were fixed on the entrance to the canteen at the front of the line, where people were bustling about and every now and then a loud voice could be heard saying, "It smells so good!" or "It's so delicious!"

For some reason, Lin Xiaoyan always felt that if the chef didn't have some real skills, he probably wouldn't have attracted so many workers to come and support him.

not to mention……

The faint fragrance wafting in the wind made her empty stomach twitch slightly.

My stomach, which was already feeling a bit hungry, started rumbling under the allure of the aroma.

The girl wasn't embarrassed at all; she simply pulled the reluctant Ma Chunmei along and followed the group.

"Since we're already here, it's okay to wait in line a little longer! Just let me try it!"

"You greedy little girl, I just can't do anything with you!" Ma Chunmei said helplessly, and had no choice but to follow.

The line for food moved slowly, and many chefs who had finished eating were already wiping their mouths and walking out of the cafeteria with satisfied expressions.

Lin Xiaoyan grew increasingly anxious as she waited in line, wondering if she would even get food when it was her turn.

Could it be that they took leave early at noon and rushed out only to find nothing there...?

Lin Xiaoyan was feeling very uneasy, so she started peeking around the group even more frequently.

After waiting in the long queue for a long time, it was finally her turn.

Lin Xiaoyan looked excitedly into the cafeteria window, but her heart sank at that moment.

The bottom of the huge enamel basin was reduced to a thin layer, and the tofu inside had been scraped into small pieces by a large ladle, making it look rather unappetizing.

However, the fragrance remained as strong as ever, making Lin Xiaoyan's mouth water immediately.

Ma Chunmei hurriedly squeezed half her head through the back, and pouted when she saw the broken tofu at the bottom of the basin.

"Is that all there is left?"

Chen Wei looked at the two girls with the same hairstyle in front of him and smiled a little embarrassedly.

"There's no other way, it's the last one left. Which one of you wants it?"

Ma Chunmei pouted and took a step back, her expression showing some disdain as she subtly hid away.

The meaning is clear: she doesn't want to eat the leftovers!

She comes from a well-off family and is treated like a precious treasure at home; she has never eaten leftovers.

Lin Xiaoyan, on the other hand, came over with bright eyes, her gaze fixed on the vegetable bowl, her face full of longing.

"Master, give this dish to me!"

As she moved closer, the intense aroma from the dish became even more enticing. Lin Xiaoyan felt the numbing fragrance of Sichuan peppercorns mixed with the aroma of beans wafting into her nose, making her throat tighten slightly.

He quickly took out the food ticket from his pocket and handed it over.

"Done!" Even though it was the last serving, Chen Wei didn't flinch. He scraped the bottom of the enamel basin, gathered all the tofu into a large spoonful, and poured it directly into Lin Xiaoyan's lunchbox.

That's for sure, it's gone now!

He leaned out and shouted to the line still waiting outside.

"That's all for today! Everyone, please go home!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd outside immediately erupted in groans and cries.

The remaining dozens of people were furious, only regretting that they hadn't arrived earlier.

"Is it really necessary!" Ma Chunmei pouted nonchalantly, thinking to herself, "Why do these people seem to have lost their minds? It's just some communal meals."

However, standing next to Lin Xiaoyan, she could also smell the aroma wafting from the other woman's lunchbox, it seemed...

It is indeed quite alluring.

At this moment, Lin Xiaoyan was staring blankly at the food in her lunchbox.

The aroma emanating from the lunchbox seemed to possess some kind of vitality, instantly captivating Lin Xiaoyan's attention.

Beneath the rich, fragrant chili oil lies tender white tofu, interspersed with vibrant green garlic sprouts and scallions. Although the tofu's appearance isn't the most appealing, it doesn't detract from the dish's aroma at all.

She picked up the lunchbox as if possessed and took a deep breath. Her nose was immediately filled with a strong and domineering spicy aroma.