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

Ma Qianjin, dressed in a crisply washed Dacron cadre shirt and wearing the same leather sandals as Chen Jianguo, strode in with a somewhat gloomy expression on his face.

Upon entering, he didn't immediately acknowledge Ma Dayong, but instead nodded to Chen Jianguo first.

"Old Chen, thank you for your hard work!"

Chen Jianguo nodded slightly: "It's no trouble at all. Please have a seat. We're all young people; it's understandable that we might be a little impulsive!"

But as soon as Chen Jianguo finished speaking, he saw Ma Qianjin slap Ma Dayong across the face without saying a word.

"Slap—slap—"

Two crisp sounds echoed in the office, leaving everyone stunned.

Ma Dayong covered his cheek, looking utterly shocked.

All the resentment in his heart finally turned into a cry: "Uncle!"

Ma Qianjin flung his hand away and sneered, "You still have the nerve to call me uncle! You were the one who caused trouble last night, and I had to swallow my pride and get you out of the security office. And what did you do? You made me lose face again today! If I don't beat you to death today, I'm not your uncle!"

As he said this, Ma Qianjin was about to make his move.

Chen Jianguo naturally couldn't just stand by and watch, so he rushed over and pulled her away.

"Old Ma! Old Ma, calm down! Don't be impulsive! It's just a small argument between two young people, nothing serious!"

Ma Qianjin's two sudden slaps instantly disrupted the rhythm of everything in the office.

Even Ma Dayong was stunned. To be honest, the force was all there, and there was no mercy shown.

Ma Dayong covered his burning cheeks, his eyes bloodshot, filled with a mixture of grievance and anger.

He originally thought that he would not suffer any losses in today's confrontation with Chen Wei, especially with the support of his uncle Ma Dayong. Who would have thought that he would be slapped twice by his own uncle right after being accused by Chen Wei?

Ma Dayong was furious!

On the other side, Ma Qianjin was still furious, his fingers trembling as he pointed at Ma Dayong and cursed him repeatedly.

"You still know how to call me uncle? You've been causing trouble and acting recklessly outside! If I don't break your leg today, how am I supposed to be a manager at the factory? People outside will talk about me behind my back!"

As he said this, he made a move as if to strike Ma Dayong again.

Chen Jianguo quickly stopped him: "Old Ma, Old Ma! Let's talk this out! If you ask me, how about this? Since there weren't any serious consequences to begin with, let each of you write a 5000-word self-criticism and read it aloud at the factory's broadcasting station tomorrow morning, as a warning to others!"

"No way! Old Chen, I'm going to beat this little bastard to death today! He's gone and dared to bully Chen Wei! Do you think I don't know Chen Wei? He's honest and kind, he's never the type to cause trouble!"

Ma Qianjin's words elevated Chen Wei and Chen Jianguo to a very high level.

Chen Wei, who was standing to the side, glanced at him with interest.

I didn't know before that Section Chief Ma and his nephew were so similar in their acting skills, they were both trained by the same person!

Before Chen Jianguo could react, he immediately turned around and glared at Chen Wei and Ma Dayong.

He directly told them to get out of there: "You two, get out of here right now!"

It seems this matter has been taken seriously but then simply dropped.

Chen Wei curled his lip, finding it boring. Staying here would only be watching the show, which he had no interest in.

Without saying a word, he turned and left.

Ma Dayong, standing to the side, covered his burning cheeks, looking aggrieved and angry. As he left, he glared fiercely at Chen Wei and the other two before turning and walking away.

Upon reaching the stairwell, Ma Dayong suddenly stopped, turned around, and let out a cold snort.

"Chen Wei, you just wait!"

"Hey! Ma Dayong, you haven't had enough of those two slaps yet? Should I go in and call him out so he can give you a couple more slaps?"

Before Chen Wei could reply, Wu Xiaochun behind him spoke in a cocky tone.

To be honest, Wu Xiaochun's mouth is really infuriating.

One sentence was enough to make Ma Daqi's face turn a deep purplish-red.

He snorted indignantly, turned around, and strode away.

Chen Wei watched Ma Dayong's departing figure with great interest. To be honest, he had no connection with this Ma Dayong.

Today marks our first interaction.

Chen Wei was a little confused as to why this kid was targeting him like this.

Wu Xiaochun usually enjoys listening to gossip at the factory, and given what he said to Lin Jun when he entered the kitchen early this morning, Chen Wei felt that Wu Xiaochun must know something.

So he turned and asked, "Who is this Ma Dayong?"

Wu Xiaochun smiled mysteriously and brought up the part that interested him the most, so he immediately leaned over with great interest.

Unexpectedly, Chen Wei pushed him away with a look of disgust.

"Just talk things out, don't try to get close to me!"

Wu Xiaochun was speechless, and then awkwardly pursed his lips before speaking.

"Speaking of Ma Dayong, he's got quite a background. It's said he used to be a kitchen helper at a state-owned restaurant—the kind who could work on the stove! His cooking skills were supposedly pretty good! But for some reason, he was fired! So he had to ask his uncle—Ma Qianjin—for help, and he got into our factory through connections."

"But it's really strange. Shouldn't someone with his background be working in the kitchen? I don't know why, but Ma Qianjin actually assigned him to the steel rolling workshop!"

Oh?

Chen Wei narrowed his eyes; there was definitely something going on here!

So this Ma Dayong has such a background. No wonder he looked at me like a black-eyed chicken the moment he saw me.

If Chen Wei wasn't mistaken, this person originally wanted to work in the factory's kitchen.

It's strange, though. Why didn't Ma Qianjin put his own nephew in a lucrative place like the kitchen? Instead, he threw him into a backyard job like the steel rolling mill!

Chen Wei couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

Today's fight was quite enjoyable, and he simply waved his hand dismissively.

"Let's go to the convenience store! I'll treat you each to a bottle of Beibingyang soda!"

"Thank you, Brother Chen!" Upon hearing this, Wu Xiaochun immediately smiled happily.

Even Lin Jun, whose face was always as gloomy as a ghost, smiled.

To be honest, this battle was really satisfying and cathartic. It also brought the three people in the kitchen much closer together.

Lin Jun, who used to be a bit aloof, has now become more talkative.

He unusually chatted with Chen Wei and Wu Xiaochun about everyday things.

Let's leave aside the fact that the three of them were sitting under the shade of a tree in front of the convenience store, happily drinking Arctic Ocean soda.

However, the atmosphere in Ma Qianjin's office was oppressive at the moment.

Ma Qianjin looked up and glared fiercely at Ma Dayong, who was standing in front of him, fiddling with the hem of his clothes. After staring at him for a long time, he asked with a gloomy expression.

"Tell me, what exactly happened today!"