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

Chen Wei's sensible manner made Chen Jianguo feel much better.

He kept his word and immediately took out 5 yuan from his pocket, then pulled Chen Wei to the non-staple food counter at Quanyechang.

I bought two pounds of fruit candy and two pounds of peach shortbread. I asked the salesperson to wrap them in oil paper and put them directly into Chenwei's hands.

"This is an advance reward. If we can win a prize, the refrigerator will be a piece of cake!"

Chen Wei glanced at the paper package in his hand and thought to himself, "My uncle has gotten a raise! He's so generous!"

If that's the case, then Chen Jianguo must have the refrigerator voucher too! Otherwise, how could he make such a big promise to himself?

The thought of enjoying a chilled bottle of Beibingyang soda every day after get off work made Chen Wei happy.

It seems I absolutely have to go to this competition.

That's not impossible. Let's show everyone on the field how powerful cheaters are.

-

When Chen Wei returned to the factory, the moon was already high in the sky.

The July nights were exceptionally hot and humid. Chen Wei distributed the candies and peach crisps that Chen Jianguo had bought for him to Wu Xiaochun and a few others, and didn't forget to save some for the gatekeeper, Old Zhang.

Old Zhang was overjoyed, patting his chest and assuring everyone that he would turn a blind eye to Chen Wei's late return and that he guaranteed he hadn't seen anything.

The following week passed uneventfully.

Chen Wei gets up early every day to prepare ingredients, cooks at noon, and delivers late-night snacks to everyone. His skills in all these areas are improving rapidly.

In particular, the two cold dishes have become favorites among the night shift workers. Every day, the night shift workers wait at the workshop entrance at the exact time, just to be the first to get the chilled cold dishes.

During that time, Lin Xiaoyan brought her colleagues over once and gave the registration form to Chen Wei. At the same time, at Chen Wei's "invitation", they ate several delicious dishes prepared by the canteen that day.

Before leaving, I packed two more portions.

Looking at the three empty bowls piled up in front of Lin Xiaoyan, Chen Wei couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

This girl has an enormous appetite. If someone were to marry her, an average family might not be able to afford to support her.

Even though she eats so much, this girl doesn't gain weight; her figure is still amazing.

Chen Jianguo arrived at the canteen kitchen a week later in the morning.

Sunlight streamed in through the yellowed windows of the canteen, falling directly on Chen Wei's face.

He was standing in front of the chopping board, which was piled high with shredded radish, falling like snowflakes.

Sweat dripped down his forehead and onto the back of the knife, shattering into dust.

"Cough—thump—"

Chen Jianguo coughed heavily, placed the bottle of soda he was holding on the edge of the cutting board, and then glanced at the pile of shredded radishes on the board. His already pleasant mood improved even more.

It has to be said that Chen Wei's knife skills are getting better and better.

After confirming that no matter how fast the knife in this kid's hand was, it wouldn't cut off his finger, Chen Jianguo finally dared to speak loudly while Chen Wei was busy.

"Are you making shredded radish again for lunch today?" he asked, as if trying to make conversation.

"Um."

Chen Wei on the other end didn't look up, but his knife moved even faster.

Chen Jianguo didn't blame him. Anyway, Chen Wei has always been like this. Once he starts cooking, he's unwavering. Even if the King of Heaven himself came, he wouldn't react. Everyone in the kitchen knows this habit.

After standing there for a while, Chen Jianguo realized he was getting bored and decided to stop talking to Chen Wei altogether.

He simply lifted the curtain at the back of the kitchen and waved his hand dismissively.

"Stop staring, move it!"

Then, a commotion was heard outside the kitchen door.

The curtain was fixed to the door frame, and Li Changfu from the purchasing department came in with two other people, each carrying a large sack on their shoulder.

This startled Chen Wei, who stopped what he was doing.

"What are you doing?"

He looked at the sack that Li Changfu had thrown on the ground and asked in confusion.

Across from him, Li Changfu's face broke into a wide grin, and he chuckled, "Chef Chen, come quick! We've got some really good stuff today!"

Something good?

What good ingredients did the purchasing department buy this time?

Now Chen Wei was really interested. He wiped his hands and walked over quickly.

Then Li Changfu ripped open the sack, revealing a pink and tender half-pig inside.

The pork was of good quality; it seemed to have been freshly slaughtered.

If one sack is half full, then what about the other two sacks...?

Even Chen Wei couldn't help but feel a jolt of surprise.

This was 78. To be honest, you might not even see this much pork during the Lunar New Year.

"This is……"

He turned to look at Chen Jianguo with a puzzled expression, only to see that the other man also had a satisfied smile on his face.

Pointing to the pork on the ground, Chen Jianguo laughed, "This is over 300 jin of pork, specially approved by the factory manager! You can use it to give the workers extra meals these next couple of days! Use as much pork as you like, there's plenty!"

"Really?!"

A smile involuntarily appeared on Chen Wei's lips.

You should know that back then, pork was rationed, and each person only received half a pound of meat coupons per month.

More than 300 jin of pork. The price of pork is about 75 cents a jin now. The pork on the ground would cost the monthly salary of three deputy-level leaders.

"Uncle... how come all of this happened so suddenly..." Chen Wei asked, somewhat puzzled.

Chen Jianguo winked at him mysteriously, then lowered his voice and said:

"The factory recently landed a big order, and business is booming! The factory manager is so happy that he's approved this much pork to improve everyone's meals! What dishes can we make with this pork?"

When it comes to cooking, Chen Jianguo has great faith in Chenwei.

Chen Wei nodded, looked down at the 300-jin (150 catties) pile of pork in front of him that looked like a small mountain, and quickly started calculating in his mind.

This meat should be enough to feed all the factory workers, but what should we cook it into...?

He looked up at the blazing sun outside. The weather had been even hotter these past two days than the previous two. The sky was like an overturned, sweltering cauldron, making it hard to breathe.

In addition, the steel mill was full of workers tending to the huge furnaces, so you can imagine what the working conditions were like.

Braised pork belly? Forget it! Not only is it too wasteful of meat, but in this hot weather, it's hot and greasy. Even workers who don't eat oily food all year round might get diarrhea from eating it.

Twice-cooked pork? That dish is quite good with rice, but with garlic sprouts added, it's not pure meat, so it doesn't feel as satisfying to eat such a heavy meat dish.

The factory might only have this one meal a year, so we can't let the workers not enjoy it.

Chen Wei thought for a while, then reached out and rummaged through the sacks. He suddenly realized that the three large sacks of pork that Li Changfu had delivered were mostly top-quality hindquarter meat. He wondered what connections Li Changfu had used to get such good cuts.

This kind of pork rump is perfect for cold dishes! If you cut this pork rump into large chunks, boil it thoroughly, and then pour on some chili oil and garlic sauce, it becomes a delicious garlic-flavored pork belly.

Oh, right! Garlic-flavored pork belly!

This dish is great! It's a cold dish, and it's sour, spicy, and refreshing, very appetizing, and perfect for summer!

Chen Wei's eyes lit up, and he immediately turned around and said to Wu Xiaochun.

"Go check the shelves and see how much garlic we have left in the kitchen! We're making garlic-flavored pork belly for lunch today!"