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

It was already dark when Chen Wei returned to the factory area.

As soon as he saw him ride a bicycle into the factory gate, Old Zhang from the gatehouse immediately poked half his body out from behind the gate, holding a large enamel mug in his hand, and grinned at Chen Wei with a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Hey Chef Chen, are you making late-night snacks again tonight? It's finally my turn to work, I have to take advantage of this perk tonight."

"Do it!" Chen Wei braced himself on one foot and slammed on the brakes at the factory gate.

Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper, Old Zhang, immediately beamed with joy.

"Hey! I'm so lucky to have caught this! Little Chen, don't forget to pack me a portion when you make your midnight snack tonight!"

"No problem, I won't forget you."

Chen smiled and agreed.

He only plans to make hot and sour shredded vegetables for supper tonight, firstly because it's easy to make, and secondly because he plans to make Mapo Tofu for lunch tomorrow. If he eats this for supper tonight, he's afraid it will affect his sales volume for his dishes tomorrow.

There's another reason... Chen Wei suddenly thought of a dish.

Chen Wei knew how to make this dish because he loved eating it in his previous life.

Even without the system's assistance, he did just as well.

Moreover, the ingredients are very common. I can try this dish today since I just finished making hot and sour shredded vegetables.

Thinking this, he pushed his bicycle to the cafeteria, put it in the bike shed, and only realized something was wrong when he was about to enter the cafeteria.

The kitchen was lit up and noisy, as if a big meeting was being held.

As soon as Chen Wei lifted the curtain and entered, Wu Xiaochun was the first to rush up, followed by Wang Xiuli, Liu Dayou, and others. Even Lao Zhou from the purchasing department came, completely filling the kitchen.

"What are you doing...?" Chen Weiren was a little confused.

Then Wu Xiaochun excitedly announced, "Everyone's heard about the cooking competition between you and Wang Defa! We've all agreed that tomorrow everyone in the equipment department, the rolling mill, and the purchasing department will only buy your dishes! Wang Defa acts like a tyrant in the factory, and many of us have long been dissatisfied with him!"

"Right!" Liu Dayou immediately echoed, his voice gruff as he said, "I've already told those little brats online that I'll fight anyone who dares to go to Wang Defa's window! That old man makes that bland, watery stuff every day; we're fed up with it. Chef Chen, your cooking is so much better!"

"Exactly!" Wang Xiuli chimed in, her eyes full of grievance.

"Wang Defa is just taking advantage of his position as head chef. We all work in the kitchen; he's not my direct supervisor. Why does he treat me so badly the moment he comes back? Even though I don't cook, I've worked hard in the kitchen all these years, haven't I?"

"Yes, yes! In our factory, who would dare not respect you, Aunt Wang!" Chen Erzhu quickly picked up where Wang Xiuli left off, offering a word of comfort.

Everyone looked at Chen Wei with eager faces, waiting for him to speak.

Chen Wei felt a mix of emotions.

These people have only eaten the food they cooked for a few days, yet they're supporting me like this. I wonder how much of it is thanks to the system and how much comes from their own genuine feelings.

But at this critical juncture, such enthusiasm still moved Chen Wei.

"Thank you, fellow workers, Aunt Wang, and Xiao Chun." Although Chen Wei's voice wasn't loud, the noise from the other side immediately subsided as soon as he spoke, and everyone stared wide-eyed, waiting for Chen Wei to speak.

Chen Wei calmly said, "I know everyone means well, but I think the competition should be fair, just and open. I don't want to do anything underhanded. As you all know, because of my uncle, many people in the factory have reservations about me working in the kitchen. So I think this is a good opportunity for me to prove my abilities to them."

Chen Wei was telling the truth.

Although he knew that his dishes sold well at the factory and that his popularity would give him a better chance of winning the competition, Chen Wei still chose to have a fair competition.

What a joke! You already have a cheat code, why would you need to rely on favors?

Of course, one should wave one's sleeves and leave behind a clean reputation in the world!

As soon as he finished speaking, a moment of silence fell over the room.

Then it suddenly became noisy again, with everyone talking at once to try and persuade them.

"Xiao Chen, don't do anything rash. I know you young people want to improve yourselves and wouldn't stoop to such methods, but Wang Defa isn't exactly fair to you, is he? He did the first thing, and you did the fifteenth, so what's the big deal!" Wang Xiuli said anxiously.

"That's right, Chef Chen! I know you're confident in your cooking skills. But we really want to eat your food, don't we? Even if Wang Defa comes back tomorrow, I'll still come and buy your food! Don't you all agree?" Liu Dayou shouted indignantly to the crowd behind him.

The crowd immediately responded, chattering in agreement.

"That's right!"

"That's right!"

"I love Chef Chen's cooking, I'm going to buy his dishes tomorrow!"

Wu Xiaochun opened his mouth, wanting to say something along with the others, but swallowed the words back.

He felt that Chen Wei was probably just like that. In the end, Wu Xiaochun hadn't followed the wrong person. In terms of being upright and honest, Chen Wei was much better than that old bastard Wang Defa who relied on his status to bully others.

Finally, Wu Xiaochun waved his hand to quiet everyone down.

"If you ask me, everyone, stop trying to persuade him. You don't know, but Brother Chen is a very upright person! He doesn't like to use underhanded methods. If you ask me, then we don't need to! Let's compete with Wang Defa fairly and squarely. Anyway, those with real skills will never lose the hearts of the people! I believe in Brother Chen's skills!"

"I believe it too!"

"Yes! Me too!"

"That's right, Chef Chen's cooking is the best I've ever had, and I trust Chef Chen!"

The enthusiasm of the crowd ignited the excitement in Chen Wei's heart, and he nodded and smiled.

"What are you waiting for! Everyone here tonight, stay and wait for my late-night snack! Tonight's menu is hot and sour shredded vegetables!"

"Hey? Brother Chen, you're not resting tonight? Are you going to make midnight snacks too?!" Wu Xiaochun's eyes widened, clearly very surprised.

But Chen Wei simply waved his hand: "A competition is a competition, and work is work. We can't let my own problems delay everyone's appetite!"

"You guys are awesome!"

After hearing this, several people at the scene couldn't help but give a thumbs up.

Chen Wei's demeanor is far superior to that of someone like Wang Defa!

No one said anything more, they cheered and returned to their posts to wait for lunch.

Although there was only one dish for supper tonight, everyone enjoyed it immensely, appreciating the flavor of the dish.

With the added boost from the system's popularity, everyone felt that Chen Wei was truly admirable and secretly resolved to only buy dishes made by Chen Wei tomorrow!

With this in mind, the workers each ate several extra portions – since there was no limit to the amount of supper tonight, they could eat as much as they wanted!