The workers at the textile factory have long complained about the terrible food in the cafeteria!
Especially in the last two years, since the a la carte section opened and Master Xiao was transferred to be in charge of it, the quality of the regular cafeteria food has plummeted.
That would be fine if you could just go to the a la carte section for a change of pace, pay a little extra, and get something that actually tasted good.
But since the beginning of this year, the head chef in the kitchen was replaced, Master Xiao was dismissed, and the quality of the a la carte dishes has also gone downhill, becoming increasingly inedible.
Paying extra money only to be disgusted by the food has become common place in the a la carte section.
Whether you can actually eat a meal there depends entirely on luck.
Zhao Dong's words were like lighting a fuse to a powder keg.
"Isn't the regular cafeteria food meant for people to eat? The beef stew with potatoes, the beef is so overcooked it's like cotton, and the potatoes are like mush, you can't even pick them up with chopsticks!"
"The fried lotus root slices are boiled in plain water; even the pigs would refuse to eat them!"
"The water spinach is wilted and limp, definitely leftovers from yesterday. They probably didn't even wash it; a small stone almost broke my front tooth!"
The long-suppressed anger of everyone was ignited at this moment.
"I say it's that bastard Huang Fusheng! He's like a cuckoo bird occupying a sparrow's nest, squeezing out and suppressing Master Xiao, causing all these problems."
"This scoundrel couldn't even pass the third-level chef exam, yet he managed to get Master Xiao, a second-level chef, demoted and took over as head chef. Wang Defa isn't any good either, he only promotes his cronies."
"He's like a turtle crawling on the railway tracks, pretending to be a king!"
"The factory allocated so much money, and this is what we get to eat? Some people are probably scraping oil off chicken feet – greedy to the bone!"
Soon, the topic shifted from complaining about the bad food to attacking Huang Fusheng and Wang Defa.
The insults were extremely harsh.
"That bastard Zhao Dong! How dare he insult me like that! And he's even inciting the workers to cause trouble! I'm going to go and chop him up!" Huang Fusheng, having been thoroughly berated in the kitchen, was furious. He grabbed a cleaver from the knife rack and was about to rush out.
The other chefs all peered at him, but none of them tried to stop him.
Huang Fusheng stopped at the door and turned back, glaring at them and saying, "You guys, why aren't you stopping me? If I really went out and chopped someone up, the canteen would be in big trouble."
"Your little act is like a paper lantern, easily broken with a poke. Why would we need to stop you?" Xiao Lei sneered.
The other chefs couldn't hold back their laughter anymore.
Huang Fusheng's face turned red, and he finally dropped the knife.
The incident caused quite a stir, and even Wang Defa, who had been insulted, didn't dare to step forward.
Finally, Liu Yusheng, the deputy factory director in charge of the canteen, arrived and, after much persuasion, managed to calm the workers down.
"We understand the needs and concerns of our comrades. On behalf of the factory, I promise you that we will hold a meeting immediately to discuss this issue and ensure that it is handled and resolved as soon as possible." Deputy Factory Director Liu solemnly promised.
"I've heard that same old line so many times." Zhao Dong muttered, getting up and leaving.
"Zhao Dong, come to my office." Liu Yusheng called out to Zhao Dong, and they left together.
"Deputy Factory Director Liu, regarding this matter..."
Liu Yusheng said sternly, "Your intentions were right, but your approach was a bit inappropriate. After all, you are a department head, and you need to be mindful of the impact. If this escalates into a mass incident, how will we handle it?"
"You're right, I was inconsiderate." Zhao Dong nodded, no longer arguing.
...
"This broth is so clear, yet the flavor is incredibly rich and delicious. No wonder it sells for sixty cents a bowl, and they can sell so many bowls a day." Zhou Jie remarked to Zhou Yan, who had just come out of the kitchen, after all the customers had left.
He had been counting; they sold sixty four bowls of cross-legged beef today, and all the customers praised it highly.
"I told you we could sell a hundred bowls, didn't I?" Zhou Yan chuckled.
He wasn't actually very busy this afternoon. He only stir-fried six portions of minced beef with double peppers, heated up four portions of beef with bamboo shoots and two portions of braised pork ribs, and chatted with Zhou Momo for an hour, almost falling asleep.
"I believe you, I definitely believe you." Zhou Jie nodded. He had just drunk a bowl of the soup, and the difference was so obvious that he had to admit it.
The recipe Zhou Yan had developed was far superior to his own.
If he could learn it, no other soup pot stall at the dock would be able to compete!
"I heard from the workers that there was almost a fight at the factory canteen because the food was so bad. The workers were all cursing Wang Defa and Huang Fusheng, and a deputy factory director had to come over to control the situation." Zhao Tieying said, somewhat puzzled. "How can such a large factory canteen not even be able to cook a decent dish?"
The workers who arrived later were all discussing the matter, and Zhou Jie and Zhao Hong also looked at Zhou Yan curiously.
"It's not surprising that this kind of situation occurs when amateurs are guiding professionals and favoritism is rampant." Zhou Yan said with a smile. "Even my master, such a skilled chef, can only work as a kitchen assistant, while chefs with some skill can't even touch a spoon. Those who are good at flattering become the head chefs. Do you think they can cook well?"
Everyone suddenly understood.
"How are you doing with learning to blanch tripe and beef?" Zhou Yan asked Zhou Jie.
"Almost there. I just blanched a few bowls under Fourth Aunt's guidance." Zhou Jie said confidently.
Zhou Yan glanced at the system task bar:
[Side Quest: Inheritance of Cross-legged Beef. Apprentice: Zhou Jie, Learning Progress: 1/3]
"Not bad, you have a good foundation. Come back for two more days tomorrow and the day after to consolidate your skills, and then you can graduate." Zhou Yan said with a smile.
"Okay." Zhou Jie nodded, having no objections.
Just then, a bicycle stopped outside the door.
Zhou Yan looked up, got up, and went to greet him at the door: "Uncle."
Zhou Weiguo was wearing his military uniform today, the one he wore when he returned from demobilization. It still looked very new. With the change of clothes, his spirit and demeanor were completely different from yesterday. He looked upright and imposing, as if Captain Zhou, who led troops into battle back then, had returned.
He parked his bicycle and said with a smile, "I just came back from the county town and stopped by your restaurant on the way."
"What did the personnel department say?" Zhou Yan asked with concern. This matter had been dragging on for four years, and he was worried about potential complications.
Zhou Weiguo said, "The personnel department held a meeting this morning to discuss this matter. There's no result yet, so they told me to come back and wait for notification. They'll arrange everything for me as soon as possible."
"That's good." Zhou Yan smiled. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? We haven't either, so let's have a simple meal together."
"Okay." Zhou Weiguo nodded and followed them inside.
Everyone greeted each other.
Zhou Momo slipped down from her chair and quickly ran over, her face beaming with joy: "Uncle! Uncle! Why are you here?"
"I came to see you." Zhou Weiguo smiled, patted his pocket, and held out his hand to Zhou Momo, revealing two shiny gold coin chocolates in his palm.
"Wow! They're gold coins!" Zhou Momo's eyes lit up. She reached out and took them, overjoyed. "Thank you, Uncle!"
"You're welcome." Zhou Weiguo's smile became even brighter.
These were given to him casually by a familiar leader in the personnel department. He carried them all the way back for Zhou Momo, and seeing her so happy made him feel even sweeter than if he had eaten them himself.
"Shiny gold coins, wow~ wow~ such beautiful gold coins..." Zhou Momo took her gold coins and went to play by herself.
It was obvious that she really liked shiny things.
In those days, showing off two gold coins could make your friends envious for a long time.
Usually, people wouldn't even dare to eat them.
Zhou Yan went to cook, while the others chatted in the shop, mostly about Zhou Hao's wedding, which was scheduled for this Sunday.
Zhou Hao was Zhou Jie's younger brother, a non-commissioned officer in the army. He had taken leave to come back for his wedding, only arriving three days before the wedding, with the family handling all the arrangements.
While Zhou Erwa Restaurant was full of joy, across the street, Zhou Liangliang and his wife were already arguing fiercely.
"I told you not to move, but you insisted on moving! Now look, not a single bowl of noodles or a single bowl of soup pot has been sold! Are we going to starve here?" Wu Guihua stomped her feet in anger.
"Magic cloak." Zhou Liangliang frowned and smoked, a pile of cigarette butts on the ground. He still couldn't understand why things had turned out this way.
"Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! Put that out! We spent so much money on all this meat, vegetables, and noodles today. If we can't sell them, we'll have worked for nothing for a whole month!" Wu Guihua clapped her hands, knocking the cigarette out of Zhou Liangliang's mouth, glaring at him.
"I've spoiled you..." Zhou Liangliang raised his fist.
"Go ahead and hit me!" Wu Guihua challenged, pressing her face against his fist. "Zhou Liangliang, you're getting cocky, daring to hit your wife?"
Zhou Liangliang clenched and unclenched his fist, finally pulling it back. He cleared his throat and said, "I'll figure something out. We can't possibly not sell a single bowl; that doesn't make sense!"
...
After a simple meal, Zhou Weiguo and Zhou Jie went back home.
Zhou Yan stood at the entrance of the restaurant, watching Zhou Weiguo riding his bicycle alongside Zhou Jie. The wind ruffled his empty left sleeve, making it impossible to tell that he had a limp.
"Once Weiguo's job is settled, matchmakers will be lining up at the door of the old house to arrange a marriage for him." Zhao Tieying said, standing beside him with a beaming smile, looking relieved. "He's finally come to his senses."
"Then you have to praise me, I'm the one who talked some sense into my uncle." Zhou Yan said, lifting his head and smiling proudly.
"Really?"
"Absolutely!"
"Aren't you my son?"
"Absolutely!"
...
Meng Anhe was wearing a dark brown woolen coat today. She came out of the residential compound with her two sons and went up to Lin Zhiqiang, who was standing at the door, and hold his arm. She said, somewhat puzzled, "You're inviting the factory director to dinner, why would you choose Zhou Yan's place? You know his wife, she's so particular about food. If we just eat noodles, she'll be complaining about us for half a year?"