Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

If this can be achieved, it will not only solve the problem of winter vegetables for employees, but also become a model experience to be reported.

"Was it really that cook who suggested it?" He stared at Li Huaide, his tone becoming more serious.

"Why would I lie to you?" Li Huaide smiled bitterly. "To be honest, I didn't even dare to believe it myself."

But ever since this kid came to the factory, he's been wandering around the factory area every day, looking at the most remote and obscure spots.

That day he asked me why the space behind the warehouse wasn't being used, and that's when I noticed that empty space... and out of the blue, he had this huge idea.

The leader remained silent for a moment, then a slow smile appeared on his lips.

This chef is no ordinary person.

"This plan is indeed quite impressive. Greenhouses... A while ago, a comrade of mine who works at the Ministry of Agriculture mentioned it briefly. Currently, several rural cooperatives are conducting pilot projects, and the feedback has been positive."

However, its implementation within the steel rolling mill still requires careful discussion.

The leaders of the Ministry of Industry spoke frankly and did not try to hide anything.

Logically, this project should fall under the jurisdiction of the agricultural sector. If the industrial system gets involved, it's easy to cause trouble. There are people above who won't let it go, and pushing it forward will inevitably involve a lot of wrangling and bureaucratic hurdles.

But the problem is—this is actually beneficial to the steel rolling mill!

Other leaders haven't commented yet, but he knows perfectly well: fresh green vegetables in winter? Amazing! His old friend praised it himself—it's reliable!

He paused, sighed, and said with a hint of regret, "Let's put the chef transfer on hold for now."

Since this chef was able to come up with such a brilliant idea, he's no ordinary cook.

As he said this, he couldn't help but swallow.

Those vibrant green bok choy and tender spinach that you could squeeze juice out of them... just thinking about them makes my mouth water.

Ask him to completely give up on He Yuzhu? Impossible!

"As for the greenhouse, you should go back and refine the plan. Don't just make it an empty shell; you need data, a budget, and implementation steps."

Once we have a decent plan, we'll hold a meeting at the ministry to discuss it.

Upon hearing this, Li Huaide felt a great weight lifted from his heart.

He was genuinely a little hesitant just now—if he really handed He Yuzhu over, it would be easy to gain temporary favor, but what about the future? A full stomach in one meal is not as good as a full stomach in every meal!

As long as He Yuzhu stays at the factory, the hospitality meals are guaranteed; besides, now that the factory has made a name for itself, how many other companies will want to learn from its experience? Orders will surely pour in.

As he was making these plans, he and Director Yang accompanied the leaders of the Ministry of Industry to eat and chat in the small canteen. The room was warm and filled with laughter.

Outside the canteen, workers were already lining up for meals in a long queue.

The news that a meat dish was added today had already spread throughout the workshop, and many people had been eagerly anticipating it all day.

For these frontline workers, the meat and vegetables in the canteen are a real benefit.

Although the meat shreds in the two ounces of vegetables are no more than one-third, the key point is that you don't need meat coupons! You can get it done with just meal coupons.

Add to that the irresistible aroma of food that fills the room as soon as you walk in, and who could possibly sit still?

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong met halfway through the journey. As soon as they saw each other, they decided to stand side by side. Then a familiar face squeezed in from behind, and the three of them formed a team.

When Master Luo saw this, a cold smile immediately appeared on his lips.

Perfect timing! Once these three are done fighting, he can sneak off to the kitchen for a nap.

He subtly winked at the apprentice beside him: Keep a close eye on them, the person Director He specifically instructed is here.

When it was Yi Zhonghai's turn, Chef Luo's movements were swift and decisive—he thrust the rice scoop in firmly, sank it down, then flicked it upwards at an angle, and scooped it into the lunchbox with a splash.

It looks impressive, but it's all just fancy tricks.

With that spoonful, there were a few green peppers floating on the surface, but no meat at all underneath; when lifting the spoon, it was deliberately tilted so that any bits of meat that could be flung off would be flung back into the pot.

In the end, only two tiny bits of minced meat, no bigger than sesame seeds, remained in the lunchbox.

When Yi Zhonghai opened it, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

After waiting so long, this is all you get? Is this just green peppers stir-fried with air?

"What's wrong, Master Yi? Would you like something else?"

Master Luo grinned, his face full of amiability, but his words were impeccable.

He's a seasoned veteran; even if he's already deeply offended someone in his heart, he'll still put on a smiling face and never let anyone catch him red-handed.

Yi Zhonghai glanced down at his lunchbox; there were still many coworkers around him waiting to get their meals.

He gritted his teeth but ultimately remained silent.

What good will it do if we make a big fuss? At most, we'll get some more food, but we'll inevitably be gossiped about behind our backs—arguing with the cooks over a piece of meat is too petty.

He turned and walked away silently.

Next up was Liu Haizhong, who also ordered the same dish: shredded pork with green peppers.

The results of it?

Half a spoonful of green pepper, two specks of meat; the other half spoonful of braised eggplant, with more skin than flesh, glistening with oil, looks greasy.

Liu Haizhong's face immediately darkened, and he directly questioned, "Old Luo, is this what you call serving vegetables? Where's my meat?"

"Hey, Chef Liu!" Chef Luo's voice suddenly rose, his face beaming with an innocent smile. "There's only so much meat. Everyone can have a bite as a token of appreciation. Our kitchen doesn't skimp on frontline rations! If you don't believe me, feel free to check. The door is wide open!"

He shouted these words loudly and clearly, and everyone around him could hear them clearly.

Upon hearing this, many people immediately assume: Oh, so everyone's hair is like this, it's not just your bangs.

To make matters worse, Master Luo immediately added, "If Master Liu thinks it's not enough, how about another serving? I'll definitely give you a couple more yuan!"

The sound was so loud that almost half of the cafeteria could hear it.

A murmur suddenly broke out in the crowd:

"You want more meat with so little? Are we even going to eat it or not?"

"Yeah, why are you rushing me? If you think it's not enough, go call yourself..."

The person who spoke was not from the forging workshop, so naturally they were not afraid of his face as a level six forging worker.

Liu Haizhong stood there, his face turning red and white in turns.

There were constant urging voices behind me, and meal tickets were limited; if I ordered another meal, I would have to pay for it myself.

Finally, clutching his lunchbox, he turned and squeezed into the crowd of people eating without saying a word.

No sooner had Liu Haizhong left than Jia Dongxu stood in front of the food serving window.

Master Luo gave a forced smile, and with a flick of his large ladle, a thin strip of meat, as thin as a toothpick, fell into the lunchbox with a "smack," without a single drop of oil appearing.

Jia Dongxu's face immediately darkened: "Master Luo, this is too much..."

Before he could finish speaking, the smiling face opposite him instantly turned cold, and his eyes narrowed: "Fine, very well! It's all my fault, okay? Come on, bring it! Bring as much as you want, this old bone of mine can't handle a spoon anymore!"

Before he finished speaking, with a "clang," the iron spoon was thrown directly onto the side of Jia Dongxu's rice bowl. He ripped off his apron, turned around, and walked away, his back view more resolute than the wind.

An apprentice next to him sighed, silently stepped forward to take over, and said angrily, "Master Luo just finished cooking four big pots of vegetables, he was sweating profusely, and he still came over to help serve the food, and what happened? Someone complained that there wasn't enough? Master Jia, you can do it yourself, I don't dare to touch the ladle."

After saying that, she really didn't move, crossed her arms, and just stared at him coldly.

"Hey, Jia Dongxu, why don't you just take your food and leave?"

"Exactly, the cafeteria's portion sizes are always unpredictable, why are you making such a fuss?"

The buzzing of voices around him made Jia Dongxu feel a tightness in his chest.

A single shred of meat is considered a meat dish? Are we not allowed to say anything?

But he also knew that if he continued to be stubborn, he would be going against the entire cafeteria.

In the end, he could only grit his teeth, pick up his lunchbox, and leave looking dejected.

When it was the workers' turn, the style changed drastically—

The apprentice raised his hand and scooped down hard with his rice scoop, piling up a huge mound of rice and vegetables. Even though there wasn't much meat, the green peppers were piled up to the brim, and no one dared to utter a single word of objection.

The groups behind them walked and laughed as they carried their heavy lunchboxes. When they looked at Jia Dongxu's empty lunchbox, their eyes were filled with disdain: What else could this be but looking for trouble?

The cafeteria hasn't been renovated yet, so the space is cramped and sound travels quickly.

The farce that happened earlier had already been noticed by many people.

Jia Dongxu walked silently to the table where Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong were sitting, put his lunchbox on the table, and said in a voice that was almost dripping with sweat, "Master, I really didn't mean to cause trouble... This food is just outrageous."

Liu Haizhong pulled back his bowl and almost jumped up: "Mine is even worse! At least yours has a shred of meat, but mine is—all vegetables!"

Yi Zhonghai silently pushed his lunchbox out.

The meat dishes for the three people combined didn't even amount to the length of a finger, and the vegetable dishes were even more sparse, barely enough to fill them up to half full, only about a third of what they usually eat.

The air suddenly froze.

Jia Dongxu suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing with anger: "Master...is this the cafeteria deliberately targeting us?"

He was about to grab his lunchbox and rush back to argue with them.

"Don't go!" Yi Zhonghai grabbed his wrist, his voice extremely low. "Keep your voice down!"

He had already scanned the entire cafeteria—only the dishes for the three of them had been "shaken".

Other people's bowls are filled with a full spoonful, some even with an extra spoonful.

If this escalates, you'll be the one who suffers.

"It must be Sha Zhu who's behind this." Yi Zhonghai narrowed his eyes, his tone gloomy. "He's the deputy director of the cafeteria; he's the only one who could pull something like this."

And look, only the three of us suffered.

Complain? Where to complain? Who would believe that?

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong's anger flared: "Old Yi! I only went to talk to Sha Zhu about cooperation because I listened to you, and now look what's happened! I can't even eat in peace! You're making me suffer because of you?"

"What are you yelling about!" Yi Zhonghai suddenly hissed. "I've suffered just as much! Didn't you agree yesterday for the sake of a reputation for 'loyalty'? What's the point of saying all this now!"

Although his words were harsh, he knew he couldn't afford to break off relations at this point.

He took a breath and said gently, "Old Liu, we were careless this time."

If there's a next time—the three of us will gang up on him and flip his table! I'm a level seven fitter, and you're a level six blacksmith. Do you think the factory will favor a cook?

Hearing this, Liu Haizhong felt somewhat relieved.

He works in the workshop, and even the foreman calls him "Master Liu." Why should he be bullied by a cook here?

Jia Dongxu, however, wore a bitter expression and muttered in a low voice, "Master... I... don't have enough to eat."

While others might have enough meat for a day, he had to divide it into two meals—the steel mill only had meat a few days a month, and he would only eat half of it, taking the rest home for his mother, wife, and children to enjoy.