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

"Excellent craftsmanship!"

Zhao Hongfei couldn't help but slam his hand on the table and loudly praise him.

This bite of garlic-flavored pork belly seemed to transport him back ten years, when he was a penniless country bumpkin who had just arrived at Tianjin No. 1 Steel Plant and couldn't even afford five yuan in his pockets.

He came to the steel plant alone with a letter of introduction from the military, saying that he would become a key technical staff member as soon as he arrived, but in reality he didn't know anyone and was completely clueless.

The old factory director at the time was surnamed Yang. He was from the same unit as Zhao Hongfei. Although he was not familiar with Zhao Hongfei, he took special care of him out of consideration for their comradeship.

When Zhao Hongfei arrived for the first time, the factory was hosting a delegation of leaders who had come to provide guidance.

The old factory director specially invited Zhao Hongfei to sit with him, and they ate this garlic-flavored pork belly at the table.

At that time, Zhao Hongfei's meals in the army rarely included meat, but that meal of garlic-flavored pork belly made him eat his fill.

Looking back now, that was the first time he tasted authentic Sichuan cuisine, and he has never forgotten it since.

Otherwise, with only Chen Wei as a junior apprentice in the kitchen, the factory manager wouldn't have needed to make the trip himself.

As he thought about it, Zhao Hongfei's eyes became slightly moist.

The garlic-infused pork belly I was eating seemed to burn my eyes; the taste was even better and more amazing than I remembered.

"Okay...okay!"

Zhao Hongfei finally put down his chopsticks and looked at Chen Wei.

The young man in front of me looked to be no more than twenty years old. He was handsome, tall and slender, without any of the pot-bellied posture of a chef. Coupled with his neat chef's uniform, he looked even more dashing and outstanding.

"Old Chen! Your nephew is a treasure!" Zhao Hongfei's voice was somewhat deep, filled with solemn admiration.

Chen Jianguo paused for a moment, then grinned broadly, "Factory Director, you flatter me..."

"I'm not flattering you, I'm serious." Zhao Hongfei said seriously, and when he turned to look at Chen Wei, his eyes were already burning with enthusiasm. "Little Chen, if you could really reach this level of skill just by reading books, then your future would definitely not be limited to our small steel mill."

Chen Wei's heart stirred; he was somewhat moved.

But he wasn't one to fight like that, so he just moved slightly and then smiled calmly.

"Thank you for the compliment, factory manager. I'm just trying to serve my colleagues."

Chen Wei spoke calmly and unhurriedly, which earned him Zhao Hongfei's respect.

Nowadays, young people like Chen Wei are either lazy or arrogant. Even if you see one or two who are hardworking enough, they always look eager for quick success. It's rare to see someone as calm and composed as Chen Wei.

Seeing Zhao Hongfei's gaze towards Chen Wei gradually become more enthusiastic, Chen Jianguo knew his opportunity had arrived.

He quickly seized the opportunity at the dinner table to say this.

"Factory Manager, speaking of which, Chen Wei is planning to participate in the cooking competition held by our city's radio station next month!"

"Hmm?" Zhao Hongfei immediately became interested. "That's great! Young people should strive for more honors. How's the preparation for the competition going? What dish are you planning to cook?"

Zhao Hongfei asked this question, but Chen Wei looked helpless.

He had been coerced and lured into participating in the competition by Chen Jianguo, and he never intended to publicize it. But now that Zhao Hongfei had come to him with questions, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and answer.

"I haven't done any preparation yet; I just registered today."

"Take your time preparing! There's no rush! Let's strive to bring honor back to our factory!" Zhao Hongfei patted his thigh, looking very happy.

"That's right! Chen Wei, did you hear the factory manager encouraging you? Just compete well, and when you bring back the award, the factory manager will give you a bonus!" Chen Jianguo quickly added the next sentence.

Since he managed to bring Zhao Hongfei to the cafeteria for lunch today, the 50-cent food coupon he used to buy vegetables certainly wasn't wasted.

Since the factory director has praised Chenwei, his words naturally cannot be wasted.

"Hey? You old geezer! So you were waiting for me here!" Zhao Hongfei was stunned for a moment, but immediately realized what was going on.

So these two, uncle and nephew, were setting a trap for themselves!

"I was wondering why you insisted on calling me to the cafeteria today. Turns out you were setting a trap for me!" Zhao Hongfei understood the situation but wasn't angry. He just smiled and pointed at Chen Jianguo with a mocking expression.

Chen Jianguo knew that Zhao Hongfei was genuinely impressed by his nephew's abilities, which was why he hadn't bothered with him.

He quickly chuckled twice, as if taking advantage of the situation.

"The factory manager really noticed it; he has a keen eye! So, what do you think of this reward..."

Zhao Hongfei glared at him, then simply waved his hand and laughed.

"Here's the deal, Xiao Chen, if you can get a good ranking in the competition, this head chef position in the cafeteria is yours! It'll save your old man from always playing these tricks on me!"

Seeing that the matter of promoting Chen Wei, which had troubled Chen Jianguo for so long, had been settled so easily, Chen Jianguo smiled so much that his eyes could not be seen.

"Hurry up and thank the factory manager!"

"Thank you for your guidance, factory manager."

Chen Wei was no fool who wouldn't understand. Although he knew that everything today was orchestrated by his uncle, he still benefited from it in the end.

He smiled sincerely and thanked the two leaders.

Zhao Hongfei waved his hand, signaling him to go about his business, while he continued to eat heartily with Chen Jianguo.

When the two were leaving, Zhao Hongfei even bought a portion to take back home, saying he wanted to bring it to his wife to try.

Chen Wei wrapped a plate of minced garlic pork in oil paper and handed it to Zhao Hongfei to carry, then watched as his uncle walked away with the factory manager.

The factory manager's inspection trip subtly elevated Chen Wei's status in the kitchen.

Now everyone in the kitchen knows that Chen Wei's succession as head chef is a done deal.

After lunchtime, everyone finished cleaning up in the kitchen and inevitably gathered together to talk about the matter.

Wu Xiaochun has always been a busybody. Once he finished his work, he couldn't help but start fawning over Chen Wei.

He said in a fawning tone, "Brother Chen! If you become the head chef, could you promote me?"

The kitchen helpers were originally divided into three categories.

One type is like Wang Xiuli, who is a kitchen helper responsible for washing pots and pans, doing odd jobs, and so on. This type of worker is a general laborer.

Wu Xiaochun is doing the same job now, which is basically doing odd jobs in the kitchen and he gets paid the wages of an ordinary worker, about 28 yuan a month.

Another type is like Chen Wei and Lin Jun in the past. They earned less than Wu Xiaochun and the others because they were called apprentices.