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

"Ugh—"

A muffled groan escaped his throat, and Wu Xiaochun's eyes widened instantly, his pupils dilating, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

Did this kid get burned?

Chen Wei couldn't help but remind him, "If it's too hot, spit it out immediately!"

To everyone's surprise, the other person's cheeks puffed out like a hamster's, but instead of spitting out the scalding hot chunk of meat, they began to chew it vigorously.

"Guji—"

The tender pork belly broke apart between his teeth, and the juices burst forth instantly, overflowing from the corners of Wu Xiaochun's mouth.

The sweetness of the fatty meat, the rich aroma of the lean meat, the salty and savory flavor of the dried plum vegetables, and the sauce all combine to create an explosion in your mouth, like a grand fireworks display.

The soft and chewy texture glides from the tip of your tongue all the way to the bottom of your stomach, making every taste bud cheer and feel as if their whole body is ignited with passion.

"Waaaaah—"

Wu Xiaochun's eyes reddened, and tears began to well up in them.

Chen Weiren was numb, and he still swallowed it because it was so hot. I'm afraid he was really burned!

Who knew that Wu Xiaochun would then hurriedly reach out with his chopsticks again, and take a big bite of the meat mixed with dried plum vegetables. This time he ate very carefully, taking small bites of the trembling meat on the tip of his chopsticks, as if he were savoring some rare treasure.

"My goodness! This is so delicious! It smells amazing!"

While eating, Wu Xiaochun mumbled something indistinctly.

Chen Wei then realized that the kid wasn't burned at all; he was simply enjoying the food.

Watching him go from wolfing down his food to chewing slowly, and then back to wolfing it down again, Chen Wei shook his head helplessly and picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth—if he didn't eat soon, the whole plate of meat would be eaten up by this kid.

The moment the slice of meat entered his mouth, the juices burst forth, a flavor that even surprised Chen Wei, the chef.

This flavor is definitely robust!

Chen Wei thought to himself.

With a gentle purse of his lips, the slice of meat inside his mouth melted away like snow melting in early spring, turning directly into juice and sliding down his esophagus.

The entire esophagus was instantly ignited, and the flavor of the sauce only surfaced later, leaving a savory and sweet aftertaste in the mouth. Combined with the crisp preserved mustard greens, the texture was completely different from the soft and smooth meat slices, making it irresistible.

"This dish turned out quite well today."

Chen Wei nodded, feeling quite satisfied.

As the sun sets, the sky is ablaze with evening glow.

Only the clatter of bowls and chopsticks and Wu Xiaochun's satisfied sigh remained in the kitchen.

Chen Wei watched him chew heartily and thought to himself, "This dish is a success!"

-

In the days that followed, Chen Wei completely entered the mode of a "ruthless capitalist".

Every morning before 5 a.m., Wu Xiaochun and Lin Jun would be dragged out of bed and forced to stand in front of the ebony chopping board to start cutting and preparing food.

We use the vegetables we grow in the back garden in rotation. Since we don't have to report to the purchasing department, we don't feel bad if we ruin them by chopping or cooking them. We can even feed the pigs.

The two of them chopped all the common green vegetables, such as potatoes, radishes, cucumbers, and green beans.

"Tap tap tap tap tap tap—"

The kitchen was filled with the incessant sound of knives being chopped, mixed with the stale, toxic chicken soup.

"Sweat a little more now, and you'll have to ask for help less often later!"

"A skill is a secure livelihood; the laziness you indulge in now will be paid for in the future!"

There's no such thing as good fortune without effort; all success comes from hard work behind the scenes!

"Preserving one's craft is like rowing against the current; if you don't move forward, you fall behind!"

After being bombarded with a series of toxic motivational speeches, Wu Xiaochun initially couldn't help but complain repeatedly. However, as he listened, even his complaints gradually subsided, and the only sound left in the post-processing was the neat and efficient chopping of vegetables.

Chen Wei sat to the side, holding an enamel mug in his hand, his eyes occasionally glancing at the system panel.

[Knife Skill Proficiency: Apprentice Wu Xiaochun's cutting and preparation contribution +15, Apprentice Lin Jun's cutting and preparation contribution +28.]

[Apprentice conversion rate: Wu Xiaochun 55%, Lin Jun 82%]

As the two figures continued to soar, Chen Wei nodded in satisfaction, revealing the smug, capitalist-like chuckle.

The ebony cutting board had an even better effect than he had imagined. Even Wu Xiaochun, who was half-disabled, reduced the food loss rate to below 20%. The freshness-locking function kept the food in its best condition after just one pass through the cutting board.

Even Lin Jun noticed these past two days that potatoes no longer turn red when cut, cucumbers no longer wilt when cut, and green beans no longer taste bitter when cut.

However, Chen Wei naturally wouldn't explain that much to them, but just spoke mysteriously.

"Sincerity can move mountains! It must be your sincerity that touched the god of cooking!"

"The Kitchen God, huh?" Lin Jun shook his head with a smile, knowing full well that Chen Wei was talking nonsense.

However, since Chen Wei was sincere, he didn't expose him. Instead, he secretly and quickly put the ingredients into the large pot to prevent others with ulterior motives from seeing it.

The workers' feedback on the canteen has been getting better and better lately. Although it's still the same few old dishes, they're enough to make the workers who eat here applaud.

The cafeteria's large-scale cooking is quite easy to prepare. As long as you provide enough oil and salt, the price is affordable, and the portions are large and filling, people will be willing to come.

When Wang Defa was in power, he always focused on showing off his skills and didn't care how much oil and salt the workers needed to replenish after sweating so much every day, so naturally not many people supported him.

Now, because of the stale smell in the factory, everyone has plenty of oil in their stomachs, giving them more energy to work, so naturally everyone is more willing to eat in the canteen.

Many people even bring extra dishes home for their families to try when they receive their paycheck.

Meat and vegetables were still not selling well. Everyone's life was not easy, and they were under great economic pressure. Meat coupons were also a precious commodity, so Chen Wei often prepared a few portions of meat and vegetables and kept them there. Most of the people who came to eat were leaders.

I haven't seen Ma Dayong and Sun Ergou these past few days. I wonder if that kid is also busy preparing for the cooking competition.

Even when Wu Xiaochun delivered meals to people working overtime online, he didn't see Ma Dayong.

Chen Wei had no idea that these past few days had been agonizing for Ma Dayong.

-

In the steel rolling workshop, Ma Dayong wiped the sweat from his forehead and angrily threw the wrench back into the toolbox.

He has been transferred to the equipment department for three days now. The work is naturally much better than when he was pressing molten steel in the steel rolling workshop. At least he doesn't have to watch over the furnace for 10 hours a day anymore. But he still doesn't understand the names of the equipment and the terms for repair and maintenance.

I was completely bewildered, being bossed around by a bunch of young people from the equipment department, and I felt incredibly frustrated.

Ma Dayong now dreams of working in the kitchen and returning to his old profession as a chef.

But Ma Qianjin just wouldn't agree, and even his own mother's intervention didn't work.

"You better stay focused, at least until the cooking competition is over and you come back with a prize before I can openly transfer you to the canteen. Otherwise, how am I supposed to explain this to the factory leaders! If the canteen were under my management, it wouldn't be a problem, but it's under Chen Jianguo's. Your actions are giving Chen Jianguo leverage against me!"

Ma Qianjin spoke without any politeness, leaving Ma Dayong speechless, but he still couldn't help but feel extremely angry inside.

If it weren't for Chen Wei's presence, and the cafeteria being so short-staffed, how could my uncle not have asked him to go!

It's just a cooking competition, Chen Wei, you just wait!