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

"Hey! Chen Wei! What delicious breakfast did you make for breakfast?!"

Before the Wu brothers could say anything more to refuse, Wu Xiaochun had already shouted at the top of his lungs.

He casually pulled the two of them to the back kitchen.

At the moment, there was no one else in the canteen except Chen Wei and Wang Xiuli. Wu Xiaochun was very familiar with the two of them, so he naturally barged into the kitchen as if it were his own backyard.

As soon as Wu Xiaochun lifted the curtain of the kitchen, he was immediately greeted by a strong aroma of sour chili peppers.

What's that smell? It smells so good!

Wu Xiaochun was secretly amazed. When he looked up, he saw Chen Wei carrying a large basin of vegetables outside.

There was a curtain separating the kitchen's worktable and the food window. Chen Wei carried a bowl of hot and sour shredded vegetables, lifted the curtain, and walked out of the kitchen.

The aroma that wafted towards him stirred Wu Xiaochun's heart, and he immediately leaned his head over.

"You little brat! You didn't do this, did you?!"

He immediately spotted the dish Chen Wei was holding; the glistening, three-colored vegetable shreds and the enticing aroma made him swallow hard.

"Gurgle—gurgle—"

A loud rumbling sound came from the stomach.

Wu Xiaochun blushed.

Damn it, why does my stomach feel like I haven't eaten at all? Even if it smells delicious, it shouldn't be this weak! I'm a kitchen helper, after all, I've seen dishes like this before!

Just as he thought of this, Wu Xiaochun suddenly froze.

That's not right!

The sound just now didn't seem to come from my stomach.

He quickly turned his head and saw that the two brothers, Wu Danian and Wu Ernian, behind him were making the same gesture of clutching their stomachs, with the same look of embarrassment on their dark faces.

Wu Danian scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

"I didn't eat enough for dinner last night... Um... Chef Chen, can we get the food now?"

This sentence almost made Wu Xiaochun laugh out loud.

These two brothers were the ones who said they couldn't come just now, but now that they've smelled Chen Wei's cooking, they're the ones who are busy trying to get a taste!

"You two change your expressions so quickly! It wasn't just a moment ago..."

"Brother Xiaochun, that's not what we meant..."

Wu Ernian's face turned even redder, and he quickly interrupted Wu Xiaochun's attempt to expose his past.

Today was Chen Wei's first day working at the stove, and without the help of his special ability, he, as an apprentice, would never have been able to master this skill in such a short time.

It's perfectly normal for factory workers to have some doubts about their skills.

Chen Wei didn't say anything, he just smiled.

"We're ready to fight! Did you two bring your lunchboxes?"

"I brought it!"

The two Wu brothers couldn't wait to take out their large aluminum lunchboxes and point to the large basin that Chen Wei was holding.

"Chef Chen! We'll have this dish, how much is it per serving?"

It was said that each meal cost a certain amount, but in reality, the state-owned enterprise canteens of that era used a meal ticket system.

A regular employee receives 30 jin of coarse grains, 5 jin of refined grains, and 15 yuan in vegetable coupons per month.

At the beginning of each month, the accounting and administration departments will distribute the monthly quota.

Although unused meal tickets cannot be exchanged for money, the factory arranges several events each year for customers to exchange them for food at the canteen.

As for the prices, they're generally 10 cents for vegetarian dishes, 30 cents for meat dishes, and 50 cents for main dishes. They're all written on the little blackboard outside.

They didn't give us money, but rather food coupons with the amount written on them.

"Same price as always!" Chen Wei agreed, casually placing the large basin he was carrying into the window.

As soon as the food serving window opened, the aroma immediately wafted outside.

Before Wu Xiaochun could even speak, he saw the two brothers, Wu Danian and Wu Ernian, already obsequiously taking out two green one-cent food coupons and standing outside the window with their large lunchboxes, waiting to get their meals.

Chen Wei's hands never trembled when serving rice—what a joke! He even made a bet with his uncle that he would sell all the dishes. How could he sell them all if his hands were trembling!

Two large ladles full of spicy and sour shredded vegetables slid into the aluminum lunchbox, and the aroma of sour chili peppers made the two Wu brothers feel refreshed.

My once dry mouth is now overflowing with saliva.

They were actually grateful that Wu Xiaochun insisted on bringing the two of them to the cafeteria early this morning.

Gritting their teeth, Wu Danian and Wu Ernian bought four more cornbread buns. They couldn't wait to sit down and started eating them while walking down the street with their large aluminum lunchboxes in hand.

The slurping sounds echoed throughout the cafeteria, making Wu Xiaochun swallow hard.

"Is it really that delicious...?"

Wu Xiaochun muttered something.

Chen Wei wasn't angry at all. He smiled and pointed to the bowl: "How about it? Hot and sour shredded vegetables, want to try a serving?"

"One serving, please!" Wu Xiaochun immediately slapped a one-cent food coupon on the table and took out his lunchbox.

He rubbed his hands together, his eyes practically overflowing with longing.

"Xiao Wu, hurry up and pick up the drool you dropped on the ground, or I'll slip and fall!" Wang Xiuli couldn't help but tease, and generously scooped a big spoonful of hot and sour shredded vegetables into Wu Xiaochun's lunchbox.

Wu Xiaochun didn't even have time to grab any dry food; he picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

Wow! This tastes amazing! So refreshing!

A bite of the spicy and sour shredded vegetables is sour, spicy, crisp, and refreshing, with a hint of numbing aroma. In this hot summer, it's almost like your head is going to explode. Although it's a hot dish, it's smooth and oily but not greasy at all. It's just right!

"Slurp... slurp..."

Wu Xiaochun was so engrossed in eating that he didn't have time to talk. His cheeks were bulging like a hamster's. After finally swallowing the big mouthful in his mouth, he hurriedly asked.

"Chen Wei! You're hiding something, aren't you! When did you learn this skill? It's just as good as anything in those big state-run restaurants. You always seem so quiet, just chopping vegetables, but you've been hiding this amazing stuff in your head!"

Chen Wei smiled but did not answer.

He simply pointed to the basket of steamed buns in front of him and asked, "Want a steamed bun?"

Although everyone was a formal worker in a state-owned enterprise, they still lived a very frugal life.

People usually eat mostly coarse grains like millet, sorghum, and cornmeal buns. As for white flour steamed buns... each person only gets 5 jin of fine grain coupons a month, how can they afford to eat that every day?

However, Wu Xiaochun seemed to be quite determined today, and he waved his hand generously.

"One isn't enough! Give me three big steamed buns! This dish is delicious, I need three big steamed buns!"

"become!"

Wang Xiuli immediately took three large steamed buns and was about to hand them over.

Just then, the cafeteria curtain moved, and a familiar figure walked into the cafeteria with a dark face.

Upon seeing who it was, Wu Xiaochun's face immediately darkened.

He said in an unfriendly tone, "Hey! Jun'er, you're up early enough. You cooks have it easy, the sun's already high in the sky and you're only just starting work."