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

"Plop—"

Wang Defa's mouth watered, and he couldn't help but let out a loud swallowing sound.

His face flushed red, and he immediately realized that his behavior was a bit inappropriate. Wasn't this indirectly implying that he, a chef for decades, was craving something?!

"cough--"

He coughed lightly and quickly turned his head away.

Chen Wei had already deftly poured the first batch of Mapo Tofu into an enamel basin.

The pot of Mapo Tofu was a sight to behold; the tofu was white and tender, glistening with red oil, and bursting with spicy and savory flavors. Just looking at the colors made one's mouth water.

He naturally didn't see Wang Defa's embarrassed expression, but simply continued to heat the oil in the wok and start frying the next batch.

Wang Defa glanced at Chen Wei's actions and couldn't help but snort coldly.

"A factory with hundreds of employees is still cooking pot after pot of food, when will that ever end!"

"My skills aren't as good as others, so to ensure the quality of the dishes, I have to cook in small batches," Chen Wei said with a smile, not angry at all.

In fact, Chen Wei felt that although Wang Defa was a bit old-fashioned, he still had real skills.

Is it because they're cooking in small batches to ensure the quality of the food?

Fireworks exploded in Wang Defa's mind immediately. He couldn't help but think to himself that when he was young, he also had such high standards and strict requirements for the dishes produced by his subordinates.

But when did he change too?

Wang Defa stared blankly at the large pot of braised dried tofu strips he had just cooked, but his expression suddenly changed.

My initial contempt for Chen Wei seemed to have been fundamentally shaken.

-

It was 11 o'clock, and with only half an hour left before lunch, Chen Wei slowly began preparing the "Three Treasures of the Earth".

It's not that he's being lazy; it's just that this dish doesn't taste good if it's left out for too long.

It smells best right after it comes out of the pot!

Since today is a competition, Chen Wei naturally wants to give it his best.

As Wang Defa watched Chen Wei quickly cut the eggplant, potatoes, and green peppers into uniform chunks, a look of amazement flashed in his eyes.

Actually, it doesn't really require much skill for any chef to cut these rolling cut pieces.

The difficulty lies in maintaining the same knife speed while cutting Chenwei, yet producing small pieces that are all the same size and almost identical in shape.

Each ingredient has a different shape, so to achieve this effect, you need to have very precise control over your knife skills.

But what truly surprised Wang Defa was what was to come.

It's just the simplest way to make "Three Treasures of the Earth," a dish that Wang Defa also knew how to make. But when it came to Chen Wei's hands, the taste seemed to be different.

He mixed the chopped eggplant with salt to marinate it in advance, then turned around and went to heat the oil in a wok.

Once the oil is hot, the potatoes are put into the pan. With a "sizzle," the potato chunks immediately start bubbling and rising in the scalding hot oil.

A common mistake beginners make is letting the potato chunks get wet, which makes them easier to fry until they release oil. However, Chenwei didn't make this mistake at all.

"boom--"

The fire in the stove suddenly surged, the temperature of the stove rose instantly, and the temperature of the oil in the pot also began to rise. The potato chunks crackled and tumbled in the pot.

After a short while, the potato chunks emitted a slightly charred aroma.

Seeing this, Wang Defa could still sigh and say, "It's just fried potato chunks."

But when he saw Chen Wei stir-frying the ingredients in the pan, he couldn't say that.

"Boom—"

After frying the potato and eggplant chunks, Chen Wei methodically raised the oven temperature again, and the oil in the pan burst into a crackling sound.

He immediately threw all the scallions, ginger, and garlic into the pot.

Then came the same precise oil temperature and the same perfect heat control.

A thin film of oil gradually formed on the three ingredients in the pot.

This oil film locks in the juices inside the ingredients.

Then, the aroma mingled with the smoky scent of garlic, filling the air.

Add soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and salt to the pot in that order.

The amount must have been precisely measured.

A soft "sizzle" sound.

The rich aroma of soy sauce, vinegar, and sweetness explodes instantly in the pot, creating an extremely powerful and complex fragrance.

The aroma was completely different from the delicate and refined flavor of Wang Defa's Huaiyang cuisine.

Like oil being poured over a raging fire, it rushed straight into everyone's nasal cavity.

Wang Defa involuntarily sniffed.

This fragrance is so overpowering!

Even this seasoned chef, with decades of experience, found it irresistible.

If the Mapo Tofu dish just now made your mouth water, then this Three Delicacies from the Earth will make you want to reach for your chopsticks.

It's just the simplest ingredients, how come this kid can make it taste so good!

In that instant, Wang Defa almost regretted why he hadn't studied Lu Chuan cuisine.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

Wang Defa had been cooking Huaiyang cuisine for decades, and it was impossible for him to be surprised by this young upstart. He began to doubt his own skills.

This kid is indeed quite skilled, that's for sure, but the workers will be getting off work soon, and we'll soon find out who has the better skill.

He simply didn't believe that all the workers on the site would like to eat such low-class food!

Wang Defa confidently stood in front of the window, placed the two dishes he had prepared there, and as soon as the small window opened, the aroma immediately wafted out.

"Wu Xiaochun, what are you standing there for! Hurry up and lift the canteen curtain. The comrades are about to get off work, we need to get them to eat as soon as possible!"

Wang Defa arrogantly gave the order.

Although Wu Xiaochun agreed, he secretly pursed his lips and reluctantly walked over to open the cafeteria door curtain.

Chen Wei's dishes were ready, but unlike Wang Defa, he wasn't arrogant. He simply put his dishes into an enamel basin and brought it to the window.

The two of them each occupied a window. The moment Chen Wei opened his small window, he heard Wu Xiaochun on the other end suddenly exclaim in surprise.

"It smells so good!"

Wang Defa thought the compliment was directed at him, and a smug expression immediately appeared on his face.

"Of course! I've worked in this factory for so many years, who doesn't love my cooking!"

As he said this, he glanced at Chen Wei with a smug look.

But the other person kept his eyes down, looking like a meditating monk, and didn't even glance at him.

Wang Defa's face fell a little. He thought to himself, "This kid must be panicking. But the time for him to panic is yet to come. He'll soon know that no one will want to eat his dishes!"

Thinking this, the workers outside had already finished their shifts and began to emerge from the workshop in a sparse manner.

As soon as everyone stepped out of the workshop, they immediately smelled the rich aroma wafting from the canteen.

"What's that smell! It smells so good! But it doesn't seem like it; I've had this dish before!"

Someone said this.