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

Right now, Ma Dayong is squatting in the corner, his eyes fixed on the vegetable bowl in his hand.

The radish shreds in the bowl were clearly separated, and the snow-white radish shreds were marinated in amber-colored sauce. The surface of the radish shreds was shiny and glossy. When you smelled it, you could smell the aroma of sesame oil mixed with chili oil, which made people's appetites whetted.

The addition of cilantro leaves and bright red chili rings makes this dish even more appealing in terms of color, aroma, and taste.

"Plop—"

He couldn't help but swallow, thinking to himself.

It's just ordinary cold radish salad! He wanted to taste it and see what it really tasted like!

However, he was certain that this dish was definitely not made with stale flavor!

Are you kidding me? An apprentice who's only been here for half a month can cut radish shreds like this?

This shredded radish is so fine it could be threaded through the eye of a needle. Not to mention Chenwei, even someone who's been a kitchen helper for two years might not be able to cut it to this level.

Ma Dayong concluded that the person who made this dish must be an expert.

I don't know when this person started working in the cafeteria. I didn't see the chef come out at noon!

Could this person be a reclusive master, appearing and disappearing like a dragon?

Unable to resist the delicate aroma before him, Ma Dayong simply put aside his doubts, picked up a piece of shredded radish with his chopsticks, and eagerly stuffed it into his mouth.

The moment the shredded radish entered his mouth, Ma Dayong felt a refreshing, tangy, and cool sensation slide from the tip of his tongue all the way down his throat.

Then the sour and spicy sauce exploded in my mouth, perfectly neutralized by the sweetness of the radish itself, creating an indescribable balance.

Of course, the most wonderful thing is that bite of chili oil garnished with sesame oil. It has a slight spiciness that is spicy but not dry, fragrant but not greasy. It creates a cool and stimulating sensation on the tip of the tongue, as if all the fatigue in the body is swept away the moment it enters the mouth.

Ma Dayong closed his eyes contentedly, suddenly recalling the two years he worked as a kitchen helper in a restaurant.

Although I'm exhausted from chopping ingredients, washing pots, and emptying swill every day, the respect in everyone's voice when they call me Chef Ma is something my current job can't provide.

Impossible! It absolutely couldn't have been made with stale smell!

Ma Dayong became even more convinced. Back then, he spent more than half a year learning how to make this cold dish. Don't be fooled by how simple the method is; in fact, the seasonings and knife skills are even more challenging.

Take this cold dish as an example. Although the ingredients are just simple shredded radish, the final product requires careful control of the seasonings. Without that, the result wouldn't be as good as it is now.

This taste... far exceeded his understanding of the word "cold dish," it was definitely not ordinary!

After tasting the shredded radish in the lamplight, he turned his attention back to the hot and sour shredded vegetables in the other half of the lunchbox.

This is the most common home-style dish in Jinshi, and Ma Dayong is naturally very familiar with it.

It's simply a stir-fry of three kinds of shredded vegetables: potato, carrot, and kelp.

However, with two years of experience as a kitchen helper, he knew that this dish was not easy to cook.

The difficulty in controlling the heat is secondary; the key is the knife skills. Just like the shredded radish from before, this spicy and sour shredded dish is cut exactly the same as the radish.

"What exquisite knife skills!"

Ma Dayong couldn't help but sigh.

He picked up a piece of spicy and sour shredded vegetables with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, but stopped halfway through.

"Hmm? Why does it feel a little sticky?"

For a moment, Ma Dayong was puzzled, but then he understood.

"Hey! It must be because of the base of the dish; there's starch or something in it that wasn't stirred properly!"

He had the same habit when he cooked, so without thinking much about it, he obediently put the hot and sour shredded vegetables into his mouth.

"Click—"

After taking a bite, Ma Dayong's eyes widened immediately.

How could this be! How could the hot and sour shredded vegetables be stir-fried so crispy!

The heat control is so precise that the ingredients are kept just cooked through, but not at all mushy!

The cook's control over the heat is practically ingrained in their very being; this effortless, casual control is simply terrifying!

Ma Dayong was even more certain that there was definitely a reclusive master hiding in the kitchen.

Unable to hold back any longer, he swallowed the mouthful of spicy and sour shredded vegetables quickly, as if swallowing a date whole.

Instantly, the three flavors of sour and spicy, numbing and fragrant, and sweet bloom on the tip of the tongue. The chewy potato shreds, the soft carrot shreds, and the crisp kelp shreds, the perfect sour and spicy sauce coats the ingredients and rolls down the throat.

One bite and you feel a refreshing sourness that penetrates to the spleen, a numbing sensation without being overly dry, as if this dish was born to taste this way.

"Damn! The seasoning is so exquisite! If I were to work as a sous chef under someone like this, I'd definitely be convinced!"

Ma Dayong couldn't help but mutter something under his breath.

Unexpectedly, someone on the other side suddenly started talking.

"Hahaha, Dayongzi! Your grandpa's phlegm smells so good? How about I spit out a couple more times for you to taste?"

Looking up, I saw Wu Xiaochun laughing so hard he was doubled over, slapping his thigh as he laughed.

Ma Dayong's eyes widened, and it took him a long time to react before he finally realized what was happening.

What!

That sticky stuff was actually...

"yue..."

Almost instinctively, he bent over and dry heaved, his stomach churning violently.

"You...you son of a bitch..."

He looked up and had only uttered half a curse when he saw Wu Xiaochun lower his head.

"Hei-tui-"

He spit a thick wad of phlegm directly onto the ground in a theatrical manner.

This disgusted Ma Dayong so much that he lowered his head and backed away repeatedly.

"vomit……"

The two bites of food I had just swallowed, mixed with the acid in my stomach, all came back up at once.

"Wu Xiaochun! I'll fucking kill you!"

Once Ma Dayong calmed down, he immediately became furious and tried to rush forward.

Wu Xiaochun, on the other hand, turned and ran like a mischievous monkey, not intending to give him a chance at all.

That kid has a sharp tongue; while running, he kept turning back and gesturing at Ma Dayong.

"Tui...hehehe, Grandpa's phlegm tastes really good, doesn't it?"

"Wu Xiaochun!!!"

Ma Dayong turned pale with fright and, disregarding everything else, took off chasing after him.

Just then, Zhao Xuegong walked in from outside, frowning.

Upon seeing the two chasing each other in the factory, he immediately shouted angrily.

"What are you doing! During work hours, is this how you two follow safety regulations?! Looking for another self-criticism?"

Clearly, the news that the group had been arrested by the security department and forced to write self-criticisms had already spread throughout the entire factory.

Ma Dayong's face flushed red and then flushed. He tried to grab Wu Xiaochun, but found that the other party had already run far away. And right in front of him was his superior. Even if he had 800 times the courage, he wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

He had no choice but to suppress his anger and watch helplessly as Wu Xiaochun pushed the cart away into the distance.