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

The tenderloin was quickly sliced ​​into even, thin slices under Chen Wei's knife.

"Knock knock knock knock—"

Another series of sounds of blades striking the cutting board followed, and the slices of meat were quickly shredded into thin strips.

Each strand of meat was of uniform thickness, and the tendons were separated just right.

"Xiao Wei... did you cut this?"

Liu Rufang happened to peek in through the small kitchen window and immediately saw the unusually evenly shredded meat on the cutting board, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Hmm, Auntie, do you have any oil?" Chen Wei asked casually with a smile.

He casually took a small plate from the cupboard and threw the shredded meat into it.

Stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers is a quick dish; the shredded pork shouldn't be stir-fried for too long, or it will become dry.

To lock in the moisture and flavor of the shredded pork, Chen Wei plans to marinate it evenly first, following the recipe instructions.

To marinate shredded meat, you need a little salt for seasoning, plus pepper, a little soy sauce, and cornstarch to make it sticky. Then, seal the meat juices with oil to lock in the freshness.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Liu Rufang quickly squeezed in and took out a small oil can from under the cupboard.

He quickly handed it to Chen Wei.

"This is..." Liu Rufang watched as Chen Wei smoothly seasoned the shredded meat with salt, then used starch to bind it, before finally scooping a spoonful of oil onto the shredded meat.

The series of fluid movements left Liu Rufang speechless with astonishment.

She was certainly familiar with this method of marinating shredded meat, after all, Liu Rufang herself was a long-time employee of the sauce factory.

She had known how to marinate meat for a long time, but she was still a little surprised to see such professional skills in Chen Wei—Chen Wei didn't seem like someone who knew this kind of skill before.

"Xiao Wei, where did you learn your cooking skills? It looks...so professional!"

Liu Rufang, a semi-professional, couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

Chen Wei just smiled and brought out the same excuse he had used to fob off Chen Jianguo.

"I found a cookbook that my dad left behind when he was a sailor at the old house in my hometown, so I tried to learn from it and cook whatever I could find."

Chen Jianguo, who was sitting outside reading the newspaper properly, couldn't help but purse his lips.

This brat used to be a quiet, reserved person, but now he's all grown up inside!

She wouldn't tell the adults what was on her mind.

But children grow up, and this day will come eventually. As long as they are doing well, that's all that matters.

Chen Jianguo smiled, not exposing Chen Wei's lie, and lowered his head again to bury himself in the novel section of the newspaper.

"Ah... I see... that's good! Xiao Wei, you've grown up and become capable. Your aunt is truly happy for you!" Liu Rufang was a very gentle middle-aged woman. Upon hearing Chen Wei's words, she was so moved that she almost wiped away tears.

Chen Wei felt a headache coming on; he was most afraid of mothers-in-law and nannies who cried and whined.

He quickly interrupted the spellcasting: "Auntie, this kitchen is so small. Why don't you hand over your entire kitchen to me today! I've been cooking for so many years, let you try my cooking!"

As he said this, he pushed Liu Rufang out without stopping, finally getting a moment to catch his breath.

Leaning against the small kitchen door, Chen Wei let out a long sigh of relief.

Let's quickly turn our attention back to the food.

The shredded pork has been cut and marinated; now it's time for the green peppers.

He had already prepared most of the vegetables and other ingredients in advance; all that was left was to chop them.

There's really no skill required to cut green peppers; you just need to slice them into strips along the grain.

The bright green chili pepper spun in his hand, and the tip of the knife sliced ​​the entire pepper into a thin layer, removing the seeds and cutting it into strips with fluid, effortless movements.

In the blink of an eye, a neat pile of green pepper strips was already laid out on the cutting board, their thickness exactly the same as the shredded meat.

He casually tossed the shredded green peppers into the enamel basin next to him.

Only then did Chen Wei begin to prepare the next ingredient in an orderly manner.

Although the knife skills in the equipment slots have been weakened, this is different from the large-pot meals cooked in the cafeteria. Home-cooked meals don't require processing dozens or even hundreds of kilograms of ingredients at once!

The workload has obviously become much lighter.

Therefore, the ingredients were processed very quickly.

Before long, several enamel basins of the same size were placed on the stove—green bell pepper strips, golden potato strips, red carrot strips, dark green kelp strips, and tofu cut into small pieces, all neatly arranged on the windowsill next to the gas stove.

Several small enamel basins were lined up, ready to be cooked.

Chen Wei took a deep breath, reached out and lit a match, then threw it onto the gas stove's grill.

With a crisp "bang," the match thrown on the gas stove was instantly ignited by the gas, and a blue flame shot out in an instant.

The small gas stove used in homes is only a single burner, so its firepower is definitely much weaker than the large, integrated stoves used in canteens. It also doesn't have an air damper or even a valve to control the heat.

Chen Wei glanced at the stove temperature; the system panel displayed: [Current Stove Temperature: 220℃]

Clearly, their firepower is still far from sufficient.

Chen Wei casually placed the small spatula on the gas stove.

This little coal stove gets going way too slowly. If I wait until the stove reaches a certain temperature before putting the pot on it, the pot will probably take even longer to heat up.

Due to the limitations of this coal stove, Chen Wei planned to make Mapo Tofu as the first dish, and first blanch the tofu.

He put a ladle of cold water in the wok and squatted down to wait patiently.

After waiting for more than five minutes, the hot water in the pot slowly started to bubble.

Chen Wei slid the tofu into the bottom of the pot and turned down the heat of the gas stove.

The limitations of the stove made the blanching process of tofu exceptionally long, and he had no choice but to wait patiently.

After blanching the tofu for more than a minute, seeing that the tofu at the bottom of the pot was almost cooked, Chen Wei took the tofu out and put it in the enamel basin next to him.

Then he turned around to prepare the sauce, washed the wok and sat down on the gas stove.

The fire in the stove was just the right amount of heat, and Chen Wei cooked the dish with great care and efficiency.

The process is similar: heat oil in a pan, add ginger, garlic, and fermented black beans and sauté until fragrant, then add fermented broad bean paste and stir-fry over low heat until the oil turns red. Add hot water and adjust the broth to your liking. Finally, add tofu and simmer over low heat.

After the tofu had absorbed the flavors, Chen Wei poured the prepared cornstarch slurry into the pot and reduced the broth until it was almost thick. Then he found a clean enamel bowl and put the dish into it.

I washed the pot again, heated a spoonful of oil, sprinkled some Sichuan peppercorn powder on it, and poured the hot oil over the tofu. That was it.

The next dish was the very familiar hot and sour shredded vegetables, which was even faster to prepare, taking only two minutes.

Next comes the main event – ​​the stir-fried green peppers and pork that Chen Wei had been looking forward to.