Chapter 51: Chapter 45: Go Ahead, Hit Me
The workers at the textile factory had long suffered from the terrible food in the cafeteria!
Especially in the last two years. After they opened a stir-fry section and put Master Xiao in charge of it, the quality of the food from the big woks plummeted.
That was fine, though. If you wanted a change of pace, you could go to the stir-fry section. It cost a little extra, but the food was genuinely good.
But starting early this year, the kitchen got a new head chef. Master Xiao was removed, and the quality of the stir-fry also took a nosedive, becoming more and more inedible.
Paying extra only to be served something that turned your stomach had become a common occurrence in the stir-fry section.
Whether or not a meal was edible was completely up to luck.
Zhao Dong’s words were like lighting a fuse on a powder keg.
"Is the regular food not meant for human consumption? The beef in the potato and beef stew is so stringy and mushy, it’s like cotton wadding! And the potatoes are like watery mud—you can’t even pick them up with your chopsticks!"
"The cabbage with pork cracklings is just boiled in plain water! If you tried to feed it to the pigs, they’d go on a hunger strike!"
"The water spinach is all limp and wilted! It’s definitely leftover from yesterday. I doubt they even washed it. I nearly broke a tooth on a damn pebble!"
The crowd’s long-simmering anger was ignited in that moment.
"I’m telling you, it’s all because of that son of a bitch Huang Fusheng! He’s like a cuckoo in a sparrow’s nest—occupies the spot but does no work! He pushed out Master Xiao and is the one responsible for all this bullshit."
"That bastard couldn’t even pass the exam for a Third-level Chef, yet he somehow managed to get Master Xiao, a Second-level Chef, demoted so he could become head chef. Wang Defa is no good either, playing favorites like that."
"He’s a turtle on a railroad track pretending to be a manhole cover!"
"The factory allocates so much money, and this is what we get to eat? I bet some people are trying to scrape oil from a chicken’s foot—greedy down to the bone!"
The topic quickly shifted from complaining about the terrible food to attacking Huang Fusheng and Wang Defa.
The curses were incredibly foul.
"Zhao Dong, that son of a bitch! How dare he curse me like that! And he’s inciting the workers to riot! I’m gonna go chop him up!" In the back kitchen, Huang Fusheng was being showered with curses. Seething with rage, he snatched a bone cleaver from the knife rack and started to charge out.
The other chefs all peeked out to watch him, but not a single one tried to stop him.
Huang Fusheng charged to the doorway, then stopped. He turned back and cursed at the others, "You bastards, why aren’t you stopping me? If I actually go out there and chop someone up, the cafeteria will be in huge trouble."
"Your little act is as flimsy as a paper lantern—it breaks with a single poke. You think we need to stop you?" Xiao Lei scoffed.
This time, the other chefs really couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.
Huang Fusheng’s face turned beet red. In the end, he dropped the cleaver in his hand.
The incident had blown up, and even Wang Defa, who was also being cursed, didn’t dare to show his face.
In the end, Vice Director Liu Yusheng, who was in charge of the cafeteria, rushed over. It took a great deal of persuasion, but he finally managed to calm the workers down.
"Comrades, we have heard your demands and concerns. On behalf of the factory, I promise you that we will hold a meeting to study this issue immediately and ensure it is handled and resolved as soon as possible," Vice Director Liu pledged solemnly.
"I’ve heard that song and dance so many times my ears have grown calluses," Zhao Dong muttered before getting up and leaving.
"Zhao Dong, come to my office," Liu Yusheng called out, stopping him. The two of them left together.
"Vice Director Liu, about this incident..."
Liu Yusheng said with a stern face, "Your intentions in this matter were correct, but your methods were improper. You are a director, after all. You must be mindful of the impact. If this had escalated into a mass incident, how would we have handled it?"
"You’re right. I was being inconsiderate," Zhao Dong said, nodding. He didn’t argue further.
...
"The broth is so clear, yet the flavor is so rich and savory. It’s no wonder you can sell it for sixty cents a bowl and still sell so many in one day." The last of the customers had left, and Zhou Jie sighed with admiration as he watched Zhou Yan walk out of the kitchen.
He had been counting. They had sold sixty-four bowls of Kneeling Beef during lunch, and every customer who ate it had nothing but praise.
"I told you we could sell a hundred bowls, didn’t I? I wasn’t lying, was I?" Zhou Yan said with a smile.
He actually hadn’t been busy at all during lunch. In total, he had only stir-fried six orders of Diced Beef with Dual Peppers, reheated four orders of Beef with Dried Bamboo Shoots and two orders of Braised Pork Ribs. He’d spent an hour just chatting with Zhou Momo and had nearly fallen asleep.
"I believe you. I definitely believe you." Zhou Jie nodded. He had just had a bowl of the broth himself; the difference in quality was so obvious that he had no choice but to be convinced.
The recipe Zhou Yan had developed was far, far superior to his own.
’If I can master this, none of those hot pot vendors at the docks will be able to compete!’
"I heard from the workers that a fight almost broke out at the factory cafeteria because the food was so bad. They were all cursing out Wang Defa and Huang Fusheng. Apparently, a vice director had to come over to get things under control." Zhao Tieying looked puzzled. "It’s such a big factory cafeteria, how can they not even cook a decent dish?"
The workers who came in later were all discussing the incident. Zhou Jie and Zhao Hong also looked at Zhou Yan curiously.
"It’s not surprising when you have amateurs leading experts and a system full of nepotism," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "A chef as skilled as my master is stuck working as a prep cook, while talented chefs can’t even get their hands on a ladle. Meanwhile, the ass-kissers become the masters. How could the food possibly be any good?"
Understanding dawned on everyone’s faces. They all got it.
"How’s your training with scalding the tripe and beef going?" Zhou Yan asked, looking at Zhou Jie.
"I’ve pretty much got it. I just prepared a few bowls under Fourth Aunt’s guidance," Zhou Jie said, full of confidence.
Zhou Yan glanced at the system’s quest log:
[Side Quest: Kneeling Beef Legacy. Apprentice: Zhou Jie, Learning Progress: 1/3]
"Not bad. You have a good foundation. Come back for two more days to solidify your skills, and then you’ll be ready to graduate," Zhou Yan said with a smile.
"Sounds good," Zhou Jie nodded, having no objections.
Just then, a bicycle stopped outside the door.
Zhou Yan looked up, then got up and went to the door to greet him. "Little Uncle."
Zhou Weiguo was wearing his military uniform today, the one he wore when he was discharged. It still looked very new. The change of clothes made him seem like a completely different person from yesterday—upright and imposing. It was as if Captain Zhou, the man who once led soldiers into battle, had returned.
He parked his bicycle and said with a smile, "I just got back from the county office and thought I’d stop by your restaurant on the way."
"What did they say at the personnel bureau?" Zhou Yan asked with concern. The matter had been dragged out for four years, and he was worried about potential complications.
Zhou Weiguo said, "The personnel bureau held a meeting this morning to discuss it. There’s no result yet. They told me to come back and wait for a notice, and that they’ll arrange things for me as soon as possible."
"That’s good," Zhou Yan smiled. "You haven’t eaten yet, have you? We haven’t either. Let’s have a simple meal together."
"Alright," Zhou Weiguo nodded and followed him inside.
Everyone greeted him.
Zhou Momo slid off her chair and ran over, her face beaming. "Little Uncle! Little Uncle! What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you," Zhou Weiguo said, smiling as he reached into his pocket. He held out his hand to Zhou Momo, revealing two shiny, gold-foil-wrapped coin chocolates in his palm.
"Wow! Gold coins!" Zhou Momo’s eyes lit up. She took them, overjoyed. "Thank you, Little Uncle!"
"You’re welcome." Zhou Weiguo’s smile grew even wider.
A supervisor he knew at the personnel bureau had casually given them to him. He had carried them all the way back for Zhou Momo. Seeing her eyes light up with a smile was sweeter to him than eating the chocolates himself.
"Shiny gold coins, wow~ wow~ such pretty big gold coins..." Zhou Momo took her coins and went off to the side to play.
You could tell she really loved shiny things.
In those days, showing off two gold coins could make you the envy of your friends for a long time.
Usually, kids were too reluctant to eat them right away.
Zhou Yan went to cook while the others sat in the shop and chatted. They were all talking about Zhou Hao’s wedding, which was set for this Sunday.
Zhou Hao was Zhou Jie’s younger brother. He was a non-commissioned officer in the army and was coming home on leave to get married. He was only scheduled to arrive three days before the wedding, so his family was handling all the arrangements.
While things were cheerful and harmonious in Zhou Yan Restaurant, across the street, Zhou Liangliang and his wife had already started fighting.
"I told you not to move, but you insisted! And look at us now! We haven’t sold a single bowl of noodles or a single hot pot! Am I supposed to just sit here with you and drink the damn wind?" Wu Guihua stomped her foot in anger.
"Magic Cloak," Zhou Liangliang muttered, frowning as he smoked. The ground was littered with cigarette butts. Even now, he couldn’t figure out why this was happening.
"Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! Put it out for me!" Wu Guihua slapped the cigarette from Zhou Liangliang’s mouth. "We spent so much money on all this meat, vegetables, and noodles today! If we can’t sell it, this whole month will be a waste!" She gave him a death glare.
"You think I spoil you too much..." Zhou Liangliang raised his fist.
"Go on, hit me," Wu Guihua shot back, pressing her face against his fist. "Zhou Liangliang, you’re a big man now, huh? You dare to hit your wife?"
Zhou Liangliang’s fist clenched and then loosened. Finally, he pulled it back and cleared his throat twice. "I’ll figure something out. It’s impossible for us not to sell a single bowl. That makes no sense!"
...
After a simple meal, Zhou Weiguo and Zhou Jie left.
Zhou Yan stood at the restaurant’s entrance, watching Zhou Weiguo ride his bicycle alongside Zhou Jie. The wind fluttered his empty left sleeve, and from this angle, you couldn’t tell he had a limp.
"Once Weiguo’s job is arranged, the matchmakers wanting to set him up will be breaking down the door of the old house," Zhao Tieying said with a gratified smile, standing beside him. "He’s finally come around."
"Then you have me to thank. I’m the one who did the ideological work on Little Uncle," Zhou Yan said, lifting his chin with a proud smile.
"Oh, is that so?"
"I swear on it."
"But aren’t you my son?"
"It’s the absolute truth!"
...
Meng Anhe, wearing a dark brown woolen coat, came out of the family courtyard with her two sons. She walked up and took the arm of Lin Zhiqiang, who was standing by the entrance. She asked quizzically, "You’re treating the factory director to a meal, so why would you choose Zhou Yan’s place? You know his wife. She’s so picky about food. If we just have some noodles here, won’t she complain about us for the next six months?"
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