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

"Eat slowly. Take half of this to the gatekeeper, and the rest are all yours."

Chen Wei casually offered a word of comfort, thinking to himself that the new tasting should be fine this time. Just looking at Wu Xiaochun's reaction, it was clear that after the system was upgraded again, the domineering aroma of the dish should be able to win over diners' stomachs even more.

Chen Wei hadn't forgotten about Old Zhang, the gatekeeper; he had promised Old Zhang that he would deliver a meal to him today.

Wu Xiaochun forgot to deliver it earlier, so I'll just deliver the freshly made "Three Treasures of the Earth" to Old Zhang now. Maybe it'll even boost the place's popularity a bit.

Ignoring Wu Xiaochun's voracious eating, Chen Wei threw the large ladle back into the pot, leaving everything in the kitchen to Wu Xiaochun, and then turned and went back to his dormitory.

He was exhausted after a long day and needed to rest well so he wouldn't be too tired for the competition tomorrow.

-

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the canteen of Tianjin No. 1 Steel Plant was filled with the smell of coal smoke.

With a mouthful of toothpaste in his mouth, Chen Wei looked over there and saw that the towering chimney was already puffing out black smoke.

I wonder who arrived so early; it's only 6 o'clock and they've already started firing?

He quickly tidied himself up, grabbed a clean work uniform and put it on before hurrying out the door.

Inside the canteen, Wang Defa was already standing in front of the stove.

On the stove, a large pot was bubbling away, and the kitchen was unbearably stuffy. Wang Defa's forehead was covered with a layer of sticky sweat.

But his mind was completely focused on the large pot in front of him.

A whole old hen was bubbling in a large pot; it was the chicken soup he would use for his lunch today.

This soup base is the key to his two dishes for lunch today, and the old hen was bought by Wang Defa at his own expense.

Putting everything else aside, Wang Defa is indeed undeniably skilled in cooking.

They are capable enough, and they are indeed very dedicated.

As soon as Chen Wei entered the canteen's kitchen, he saw that Wang Defa was dressed exceptionally neatly today.

It had probably been a long time since Chen Wei had seen Wang Defa dressed as a chef, because he was suddenly jolted awake and didn't recognize him at first.

The clean white work clothes were buttoned up tightly, and the cuffs of the short sleeves were neatly tied.

When Chen Wei entered, he was holding a large ladle and peering into the large pot.

The seriousness in his eyes was completely different from the harsh old man he usually was.

Chen Wei raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that the old man hadn't underestimated his opponent.

But this is good too. Everyone competes fairly, and that's how you can convince people!

Having probably noticed Chen Wei enter, Wang Defa turned his head slightly and glanced in their direction.

Then came a cold snort: "Getting up before the sun is high in the sky, with this attitude, if this were when I was an apprentice, I would have been kicked out by my master long ago."

……

That old man is really hard to please!

Chen Wei couldn't help but purse his lips. He was now in charge of cooking, and usually he didn't have to worry about breakfast. At most, he would just come over and cook a couple of dishes!

Why are you here so early?

Is there really such a thing as free overtime these days?

Chen Wei immediately felt that Wang Defa had the air of a capitalist boss from later generations, and the feeling of secretly admiring him just now vanished in an instant.

He turned and went to the shelf to check today's ingredients, only to find that they were the same as last night's.

Then they heard Wang Defa hum in a cold, detached tone.

"Finding ingredients? In this sweltering heat, using them fresh is the only way to go! The freshness of the ingredients directly determines the quality of the dishes! The purchasing department won't be delivering the ingredients for another 3 hours!"

That old man is really pretentious!

No wonder everyone in the factory disliked him!

Chen Wei couldn't help but roll his eyes inwardly, but he still agreed with what Wang Defa said.

In this weather of 36 or 37 degrees Celsius, and the ingredients they need today are all tofu products, if they buy them early in the morning, they will have to put them in well water to keep them warm. It is indeed better to buy them fresh and eat them immediately.

But his stale flavor isn't as strong as Wang Defa's noodles!

Wang Defa could command the purchasing department, but Chen Wei could not.

Last time I had to beg Chen Jianguo to give me the approval to buy tofu. Unlike Wang Defa, who can do it with just a word!

However, Chen Wei didn't intend to argue with the old man; after all, one should respect the elderly and care for the young!

He didn't say much, but walked to his stove and began preparing the ingredients.

The ingredients for the two dishes he was going to make for lunch were very easy to prepare, so he was going to make side dishes for breakfast now.

It's just a simple stir-fry of hot and sour shredded vegetables. I'm free anyway, so why not practice my skills a bit more!

Taking a deep breath, Chen Wei solemnly picked up the old kitchen knife from the cutting board.

"Knock knock knock knock—"

A series of sounds of the knife blade striking the cutting board caught Wang Defa's attention.

He couldn't help but turn his head to look, and saw that Chen Wei's hands were moving quickly. Potatoes and carrots of various shapes were quickly turned into thin slices of uniform thickness under his hands. Then, with another round of knife work, the thin slices were turned into fine shreds that were clearly defined.

Before Wang Defa could react, the vegetables for 50 people had already been chopped.

It only took about ten minutes in total.

Wang Defa couldn't help but widen his eyes. This was the smoothest knife work he had ever seen, and even he himself could hardly match it now.

I couldn't help but sigh inwardly, could there really be geniuses in this world?

After working as a chef for so many years, I'm still not as good as an apprentice?

"Hmph, good knife skills alone are useless. Mastering the heat is the key to making this hot and sour shredded vegetables dish so delicious."

Wang Defa said it casually.

Chen Wei on the other end did not reply, and did not even acknowledge him.

He simply threw all the ingredients in front of him into the water and turned to turn on the stove.

Chen Wei deftly lit the fire in the coal-fired stove and stood aside waiting patiently, showing no sign of urgency.

He didn't even take Wang Defa's sarcastic remarks to heart.

The kitchen of Tianjin No. 1 Steel Plant originally had two coal-fired stoves. The factory used to have two head chefs, but it is said that the former head chef, Yang, did not get along with Wang Defa and left in a fit of anger.

Therefore, the coal-fired stove that Chen Wei used was the one that Chef Yang used before and had been left unused. The coal-fired stove that Wang Defa used was specially maintained by a professional every day, and it was something that ordinary people dared not touch.

Seeing Chen Wei's unhurried and deliberate manner, Wang Defa couldn't help but frown.

He thought to himself, "This kid's temperament is one in a hundred; he's remarkably calm."

Unfortunately, early success is not always a good thing; it can easily lead to arrogance and complacency, and a lack of self-awareness.

"Bang—boom—"

Thinking this, Chen Wei on the other end had already opened the air vent, and flames leaped out of the coal stove at just the right moment.

He casually placed the large double-handled pot on the coal-fired stove and waited for it to heat up.

Wang Defa raised an eyebrow. Although he was still simmering the broth, his eyes kept glancing in their direction.