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

Lin Jun's finger hovered above the swill bucket, and he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Although the kitchen swill buckets are washed very clean every day, this is thanks to Wang Defa's almost strict requirements for his apprentices.

But it's still a garbage can after all!

Lin Jun couldn't quite get over this mental hurdle.

But the thought that Chen Wei, a newcomer who had only been there for three days, had actually surpassed him to cook, made him feel resentful again.

Unlike Chen Wei, who had an uncle who was the head of the logistics department, he had to beg and plead to get into the factory. Before that, he had worked for free in the production team's canteen for ten years!

He has three daughters and two sons, the oldest of whom is no more than twelve years old. His mother suffers from tuberculosis and has been taking medication for many years.

If Lin Jun hadn't started cooking sooner, his monthly salary of twenty yuan wouldn't have been enough to support his family.

If he were to try it, perhaps he could also make such a delicious dish?

Lin Jun hesitated for a long time before finally reaching out his hand to the slightly burnt food in the swill bucket.

"I...I'll just try a tiny bit...just a tiny bit will be enough for me..."

His voice was so low it was almost inaudible. He closed his eyes, quickly reached into the slop bucket, picked up two strands of potato shreds, and stuffed them into his mouth.

The moment the shredded potatoes entered his mouth, a burst of sour and spicy flavor surged through his skull and onto his taste buds, leaving a slightly numbing aftertaste. Although the dish had a slightly burnt flavor, it couldn't mask the true taste of the dish.

What a refreshing taste!

Lin Jun's pupils suddenly contracted, as if he had swallowed a spicy and sour bomb.

The cranial cavity was pushed open.

Several layers of flavor unfolded one after another, exploding on his tongue, making him want to take a second bite after the first.

He immediately reached out and picked out a few more, then stuffed them into his mouth.

This time I finally tasted the real flavor – salty! The dish was a bit salty, but the saltiness was mixed with a hint of umami, and the aroma kept seeping into my teeth as I chewed, making it hard to stop eating.

How could such high-quality food be wasted by being thrown into the slop bucket!

This aged flavor is really... too nitpicky!

"Hey! Jun'er! You can't eat this!"

A thunderous voice suddenly rang out behind Lin Jun, startling him so much that he almost dropped the swill bucket he was holding.

Then Wu Xiaochun poked his head out of the window with a smug smile, glancing at the garbage can in Lin Jun's hand and the lingering hot and sour shredded sauce on his lips.

"Tsk tsk tsk—I say, Jun'er, what kind of hardship have you been living! Why are you even eating from swill buckets! Weren't you supposed to be feeding pigs? Well, these pigs are actually..."

Wu Xiaochun's eyes swept over Lin Jun, and he spoke in a very loud voice. There were only a few people in the cafeteria to begin with, and his shout was heard throughout the entire cafeteria!

The workers who had been eating in silence quickly turned around and all looked at Lin Jun.

Lin Jun's face turned from red to purple, then from purple to green, as if a palette of colors had been spilled on his face.

"What nonsense are you spouting! I... I'm just going to feed the pigs!" The attempt to cover up the truth only brought a mocking smile to the faces of the people present.

"Whoosh—" Lin Jun's face turned completely black. He simply took the slop bucket too, threw it down, and turned to leave.

Wu Xiaochun and the people in the cafeteria burst into laughter from behind him, making him wish he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

-

Of course, Chen Wei was unaware of all the farces happening in the front hall.

Although not much breakfast was prepared, it was sold out completely. At this moment, Chen Wei was studying his system in the back kitchen.

On the originally simple control panel, there was now an extra line of data in the section belonging to Chen Wei's own attributes.

Current Reputation Points: 6/100

Reputation points?

It seems like it was added by the people who had breakfast. There's actually this item in the system. I wonder if there will be any rewards after maxing it out.

Chen Wei ignored it; he only had 5 reputation points, far from 100.

He then checked the proficiency levels in the two equipment slots.

The skill level in the "Knife Skills" section has changed to "Knife Skills (Proficient): 2/100".

The section for coal-fired stoves now reads: "[Heat Control (Beginner): 2/100]".

Chen Wei was immediately discouraged as both stats only increased by a paltry two points of proficiency.

It was almost eight o'clock, and breakfast was sold out. Wang Xiuli had already cleaned up the pots and pans outside, so Chen Wei had no choice but to resign himself to taking out two baskets of potatoes, a basket of carrots, and a large bag of kelp strips from under the kitchen shelves.

To improve his skill level, he had to do the chopping himself!

Wang Xiuli quickly prepared the ingredients in her hands and came over.

With a smile, he asked, "Little Chen! What kind of chef personally handles the ingredients? Let me do it!"

Chen Weilu's move this morning really surprised Wang Xiuli. She was now convinced that a talent like Chen Weilu would soon replace that old man Wang Defa as the head chef, so she naturally wanted to curry favor with him in advance.

Unfortunately, Chen Wei simply shook his head indifferently.

"No need, I can do it myself."

As he said this, he threw the washed potatoes onto the cutting board, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to cut.

"Tap tap tap tap tap tap—"

The sharp old cleaver swiftly grazed the tip of Chen Wei's fingertip across the potato, so fast that it was almost a blur.

Wang Xiuli couldn't help but swallow.

Good heavens! With Xiao Chen's knife skills, most people would have lost their five fingers long ago if they used them like that.

It seems I really can't do this job.

She withdrew her hand somewhat awkwardly and chuckled dryly.

"Then... then I'll peel the potatoes for you..."

Chen Wei did not respond.

I was already thinking about what to eat for lunch.

The breakfast trial this morning went quite well. Although only four workers ate, fortunately two were from the equipment department and the other two were from the production department.

At the very least, these two departments will know that they have started cooking and that there will be lunch available in the cafeteria.

As for Chen Jianguo... I didn't really have any hope for Chen Wei.

My uncle clearly lacks confidence in himself; he hasn't yet witnessed the power of cheating.

Forget it, the two departments have three workshops: two steelmaking workshops and one rolling mill workshop. These workshops all involve physical labor, and everyone eats a lot, so preparing meals for 100 people should be enough.

Unfortunately, Chen Wei hadn't anticipated that the four people who left the cafeteria that morning would look like they hadn't had enough.

To avoid not being able to get a queue at lunchtime, they all unanimously chose to keep the fact that there was a new chef in the cafeteria a secret.

-

In the equipment department office, Liu Dayou threw his teacup on the table as soon as he entered.

Today was absolutely the worst day ever.

Not only did I forget to bring the lunch my wife had prepared early in the morning, but as soon as I entered the factory, I was called to repair the production line.

In the steelmaking workshop, some brainless idiot messed up the production line and almost crushed a toe. It was only because he was quick-witted and pulled him back that the guy was paralyzed for the rest of his life.

"Gurgle—"

Liu Dayou's stomach had begun to protest. He touched his aching stomach, his face scrunched up like an old loofah.

"Damn it, I'm starving! That damned Wang Defa, of all times he had to break his leg! I wonder if there's any food in the canteen, even a cold cornbread would be better than nothing!"

The work is physically demanding; you'll be starving if you miss even one meal, let alone two in a row.

"Hey! Wu Danian!" Liu Dayou grabbed a passerby at random and asked.

"Aren't you staying in the dorms? Did the cafeteria cook for you this morning?"

A hint of panic flashed across Wu Danian's face; the usually taciturn young man showed a flustered expression.

"Um...no...no, I don't think so...Line leader, are you hungry?"