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

Wang Defa took a deep breath, suppressing his anger.

The chicken soup on the stove has been simmering for two whole hours, and now the broth is clear and fragrant.

He scooped the whole chicken out of the chicken soup and poured the soup into a strainer to filter it.

This filter is actually a very fine piece of gauze, and the color is slightly yellowed, which shows that it has been around for quite some time.

However, the entire set was clean, which shows that Wang Defa usually takes good care of his cooking tools.

The chicken soup was slowly filtered through the cheesecloth into the large bowl below. The slightly cloudy, clear color suddenly turned into a clear, light color, as clear as boiled water. If no one specifically pointed it out, probably no one would think that this was a bowl of chicken soup that had been simmered until tender.

The chicken on the other side was almost dry. Wang Defa took a deep breath, hooked his index finger, and quickly removed the chicken meat from the bone.

The technique was so amazing that Chen Wei, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but marvel at it.

Putting everything else aside, Wang Defa is truly skilled in Huaiyang cuisine.

Wang Defa dissected all the good meat from the chicken, tearing it into small pieces and placing them in a small basin next to him for later use.

He put the chicken bones back into a gauze bag, mixed them with the pork bones, and threw them back into another large, boiling pot.

This is……

Chen Wei was stunned for a moment before realizing that what Wang Defa was about to prepare was the pork bone soup needed for Pingqiao Tofu.

He had already seen it at the library yesterday. Pingqiao tofu is originally bland and tasteless. To make it tender and flavorful, the soup base needs to be made with pork bone broth!

Using pork bones and chicken bones together will make the pork bone soup more fragrant and mellow.

Moreover, Wang Defa's choice of these two dishes was also particular. He used chicken and pork bones, which are not very valuable, to make soup. Although the chickens are not very mature and the meat is not very tasty, they are perfect for making soup.

Originally, only the best parts of the chicken were used and mixed into the braised dried tofu.

Chen Wei was in a daze when a soft tinkling sound came from the other side.

It turned out that Wang Defa had taken out his kitchen knife. The knife in his hand was shiny, with a black handle and a cold, sharp blade. It was clearly a fine knife.

It's much better than the kitchen knife in Chen Wei's hand, whose handle is already cracked.

Chen Wei couldn't help but feel envious. If he were to use this knife, he wondered how much his knife skills would improve!

Then they saw Wang Defa place a square piece of white dried silk on the cutting board.

Dried tofu strips are a specialty of Yangzhou. Although they look similar to dried tofu, the production process makes them more chewy after being cut.

Overall, it's more suitable for making soup than dried tofu from northern China in terms of texture.

"Knock knock knock..."

A series of sounds of blades striking the cutting board rang out, and the large piece of dried silk instantly turned into hair-thin strands on the cutting board.

Wang Defa's knife skills were quick; he finished cutting the dried bean curd strips in no time and casually tossed them into the warm water prepared nearby.

Chen Wei nodded repeatedly in his heart. This process was to soak the dried shredded vegetables in alkaline water to remove their beany smell.

"Thump—"

Just then, he saw Wang Defa squatting directly on the stove with the large pot he used for cooking.

Ready to fire!

Chen Wei squinted, watching Wang Defa's actions with a curious expression.

As expected of a seasoned chef with over a decade of experience, Wang Defa's series of movements were indeed fluid and graceful, a pleasure to watch.

He first boiled the water in the pot, then threw all the dried shreds drying in the strainer into the water, and gently stirred it with a pair of large chopsticks.

After stirring for about 50 seconds, Wang Defa quickly tossed the pot aside and poured all the dried shreds into a strainer.

This step should be blanching.

Chen Wei leaned forward a couple of times, peered inside, and saw that the dried strands in the strainer were like a silver waterfall, each strand distinct, crystal clear, and indeed beautiful.

Whether Chen Wei didn't see it or not, he just felt that Wang Defa was completely focused on cooking, and all his previous inappropriate temper had disappeared.

All that's left is the smooth and flowing cooking technique.

He washed the pot clean, put it back in the pot, poured the chicken soup he had just prepared into it all at once, and also pushed the mushrooms, diced ham, and other ingredients he had prepared into the pot.

Only add the dried tofu strips after the chicken broth has boiled, then immediately turn the heat to low and gently stir the dried tofu strips at the bottom of the pot with a large spoon.

This step is to allow the dried tofu strips to absorb the umami flavor of the broth, resulting in a better texture.

Chen Wei watched from the side, nodding repeatedly.

Actually, the dish "Da Zhu Gan Si" should have been made with shrimp and Yunnan ham, but their small Jinshi Steel Plant naturally couldn't get such expensive ingredients, so Wang Defa settled for diced winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms and ham instead.

After much thought, it turns out that in terms of final umami flavor, it's just as good as shrimp and Yunnan ham.

Time passed slowly, and the chicken soup in the pot remained at a gentle simmer.

The aroma in the kitchen grew stronger and stronger. Although it was not as domineering and flamboyant as the Sichuan-style braised dishes made by Chen Wei, it had its own subtle and gentle aroma, like the spring rain in Jiangnan.

It slowly seeped into everyone's nasal cavity, refreshing and soothing, easing the restlessness in people's hearts.

He's truly a master chef!

Upon seeing this, Chen Wei couldn't help but sigh softly. Perhaps he would have the chance to learn from Wang Defa sometime in the future.

But right now, he also needs to prepare his own dishes.

The two dishes prepared for lunch were Mapo Tofu and Three Treasures of the Earth. These two home-style dishes were naturally not as impressive as Wang Defa's, but they were the most suitable for the steelworkers who did hard labor to replenish their oil and salt and restore their strength.

Chen Wei always believed that chefs should choose ingredients with people in mind, since cooking is for people to eat, not just for showing off skills.

Chen Wei casually took out the potatoes, green peppers, eggplants, and tofu that he had prepared beforehand and began to process his ingredients.

Wang Defa, sitting opposite, watched coldly as the delicious food in the pot cooked.

I couldn't help but scoff at the two dishes Chen Weixuan had chosen.

I already said it's a competition, why choose potatoes, green peppers, and eggplants? Young people are so ignorant, they're so unsophisticated!

"snort……"

Wang Defa snorted coldly and turned his head away, refusing to look again.

But as the aged ingredients were put into the pot, the strong aroma brought Wang Defa's thoughts back to the present.

This smells amazing! It smells so good!

The first dish Chen Wei made was Mapo Tofu.

Everyone knows Mapo Tofu. As soon as the red oil from the fermented soybean paste hits the pan, the aroma comes out—intense, overpowering, and simply irresistible.

Chen Wei carefully pushed the chopped tofu pieces into the red broth, turned on medium heat to let the tofu absorb the flavor, and then turned to prepare the thickening sauce.

Wang Defa couldn't resist moving closer.

In this era of scarcity, who can resist the oily and spicy Sichuan cuisine like Mapo Tofu?