Chapter 44: I Can't Hold It In for Another Day!

Everyone's eyes turned toward the corner, where Xiao Lei sat on a stool with a look of leisure on his face.

The muscles on the faces of the chefs and kitchen assistants twitched slightly as they struggled to keep from laughing.

Master Xiao's mouth was truly poisoned; his insults were incredibly harsh.

He truly left no dignity for Huang Fusheng or Wang Defa.

Outside the door, Wang Defa was red in the face with rage, his fists clenched tight.

"Xiao Lei, you... you are simply lawless!" Huang Fusheng was also stomping his feet in anger, pointing at Xiao Lei. "Do you have any sense of discipline? Do you have a conscience? Do you even care about our Director Wang?!"

After saying this, he didn't forget to turn to the crowd: "Tell me, am I right?"

The kitchen remained silent; no one moved to answer Huang Fusheng.

Master Xiao had worked in the kitchen for over twenty years and was a legitimate second-class chef. His culinary skills held the undisputed top position in the factory canteen.

Every chef and assistant present had received guidance from him at some point.

They couldn't bring themselves to "eat from the bowl and then curse the cook."

If Huang Fusheng wanted to flatter Wang Defa, they weren't obligated to join in.

Besides, what Master Xiao said wasn't wrong at all.

Ever since Huang Fusheng became the head chef, the stir-fry dishes he was responsible for had gotten worse by the day. Consequently, when the canteen chefs went out, they were often insulted by workers, unable to hold their heads high.

Back when Master Xiao was the head chef, they were praised quite often.

"A duck climbing a slope finds the path steep, and a crab walking finds the path narrow," Xiao Lei mocked. "Zhou Yan learned his skills in a canteen. If he opens an honest restaurant, his ability to get customers to come to him is his true skill. If you put half the energy you use licking Wang Defa into cooking, the workers wouldn't insult you so harshly."

"Xiao Lei, you..." Huang Fusheng gnashed his teeth.

"Enough, it's almost time to get off work, get the prep ready!" Wang Defa walked into the kitchen and said in a heavy voice, "Huang Fusheng, come out here for a moment."

"Director..." Huang Fusheng quickly swapped to a fawning smile and followed him out of the kitchen, immediately lodging a complaint: "That bastard Xiao Lei has a lax attitude and no sense of organizational discipline. He openly insulted you. I think we should find a way to fire him!"

"Fire him my ass. His seniority is longer than mine, and he hasn't committed any actual error. How can I fire him?" Wang Defa rolled his eyes at him. "I heard Zhou Erwa's restaurant is starting to sell braised and stir-fried dishes today. They're trying to challenge our stir-fry. Today is critical; you better step up your game."

"I guarantee I'll step up!" Huang Fusheng immediately stood up straight.

...

"Wang Wei, wasn't Zhou Yan's cooking famously terrible? How did his reputation suddenly flip? Lately, everyone talks about Zhou Erwa's restaurant as soon as mealtime hits."

"Yeah, a couple of months ago, everyone was complaining that his stir-fry was worse than the canteen's mass cooking. I didn't expect college students from the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute to eat there two days in a row."

Two female accountants from the finance department were walking toward the factory gate with Wang Wei, their faces filled with curiosity.

"I think Zhou Yan just hadn't found his niche before. One person can't manage a menu that covers everything," Wang Wei said, brushing back her short hair with a smile. "He's changed his strategy now, only doing noodles and Qiaojiao Beef. The taste is even better than the state-run restaurants. I heard they're starting to sell braised and stir-fried dishes today. Let's go try it and keep up with the trend."

"We should try it, otherwise we won't be able to join in the gossip with the women in the workshops," Wen Ling nodded.

"I haven't seen Zhou Yan much since he left the canteen. Is he still as handsome? Wang Wei, you see him often, do you know?" Zheng Xiuhui asked with a gossipy look.

"Hmm, he's about the same," Wang Wei said with a smile.

She had gone to the shop to eat noodles the day before yesterday and saw Zhou Yan. His appearance hadn't changed, but his aura was different—he had shifted from his original state of dejection and confusion to one of confidence and composure.

The improvement in his temperament made him more charming; he had that look of light in a young man's eyes.

The three of them chatted all the way to Zhou Erwa's restaurant. Having just finished the shift, several tables were already occupied.

"Little sister, come on in, sit inside," Zhao Tieying greeted them with a smile.

"Okay, Auntie Zhao," Wang Wei replied with a smile, leading the two to an empty table. She looked up at the menu board hanging on the wall.

"These prices... braised beef with dried bamboo shoots for one yuan? That's even more expensive than the canteen's stir-fry."

"True, braised ribs are 1.60 yuan. That's almost a day's wages for me."

Wen Ling and Zheng Xiuhui were somewhat stunned, taken aback by the prices of the braised and stir-fried dishes.

The customers entering the shop one after another also hesitated upon seeing the prices on the board.

Zhao Tieying felt anxious. She opened her mouth to speak but didn't know how to explain. If it were her, she would look at these prices and turn around and leave; regardless of how good it tasted, it wasn't something she could afford.

"The prices aren't actually that expensive. Our canteen uses procurement vouchers, so our prices are nearly half of what they are at the farmers' market," Wang Wei explained with a smile. "In an individual restaurant like this, a jin of beef costs two yuan. A serving of braised or stir-fried beef must have at least three *liang* of beef, so the meat cost alone is sixty cents. That's not even counting the side vegetables, seasonings, oil, rent, and labor. They barely make twenty or thirty cents per serving, which is less than they make on a bowl of noodles."

Wang Wei didn't lower her voice intentionally, so the others heard everything.

Since Wen Ling and Zheng Xiuhui were both accountants, they understood once Wang Wei explained it that way.

"That makes sense. If they prepare too much and don't sell it, they might even lose money," Wen Ling nodded.

Hearing this, the customers nodded in agreement. As expected of a canteen accountant, her explanation was simple and easy to understand.

This was transparent math. Meat was expensive to begin with; looking at it this way, the dish prices actually seemed to have decent value.

"Then shall we order two dishes to try?" Zheng Xiuhui asked.

"How about we order a serving of Qiaojiao Beef and one dish, and we can split it?" Wen Ling suggested.

Wang Wei said, "How about the Diced Beef with Double Peppers? Last time I saw people eating it with noodles, it looked very appetizing."

"Sounds good," Wen Ling and Zheng Xiuhui nodded with smiles.

"Auntie Zhao, we'd like to order," Wang Wei called out, ordering a serving of Diced Beef with Double Peppers, a serving of Qiaojiao Beef, and three bowls of rice.

"Alright, dearies, I'll stir-fry them for you right away," Auntie Zhao said with a beaming face, her eyes practically melting as she looked at Wang Wei.

This girl was too good. If not for her explanation, they wouldn't have known how to break the ice this afternoon.

Seeing this, other customers also began to order.

The braised beef with bamboo shoots and the Diced Beef with Double Peppers were the most popular. Few people asked for ribs, and the two-yuan serving of Fragrant Basil Carp went completely unnoticed.

The freshly stir-fried diced beef arrived at the table in no time. The peppers were bright in color, the beef surface was slightly charred and coated in a bright red oil, and the spicy aroma wafted toward them with the steam, making the eyes of the three women light up.

"It smells so good! This portion is quite large; there must be at least three *liang* of beef. It's very honest!" Wen Ling praised.

"This diced beef looks perfect for eating with rice. It's freshly stir-fried," Zheng Xiuhui said, swallowing hard.

"Here you go, dearies, your Qiaojiao Beef." Zhao Tieying brought over the Qiaojiao Beef, along with three dry dipping bowls, three small bowls, and two plates of pickled radishes. She said with a smile, "If you finish the soup, just call me and I'll refill it. It's unlimited."

"Auntie Zhao, if we only order one serving of Qiaojiao Beef, can we really have unlimited soup? Won't you lose money?" Wang Wei said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Lose what? Unlimited soup is our rule. You can drink as much as you want," Zhao Tieying laughed, then raised her voice slightly, "It's the same for everyone! You can refill the Qiaojiao Beef soup for free, don't be shy!"

"Okay!" the customers responded with smiles.

"Auntie Zhao is so kind. Compared to those rude servers in the state-run restaurants, she's like an angel. Even better than the canteen ladies," Wang Wei remarked.

"True, eating here makes you feel good," Wen Ling nodded. She glanced at Wang Wei and said with a smile, "You'd be even better as a mother-in-law; you seem very easy to get along with."

"That's true," Zheng Xiuhui nodded, looking at Wang Wei. "Wang Wei, the two of us are already married with kids and won't have another chance, so you should seize the opportunity."

"What are you two talking about? Just eat your food," Wang Wei said with mock indignation. These two older sisters from the office loved to tease her.

"Come, let's each take two pieces of beef to start. Two pieces each is just right." Zheng Xiuhui smiled, picked up her chopsticks, dipped a slice of beef into the dry dipping powder, and popped it into her mouth. She was instantly stunned.

The slice of beef was thin, soft, and tender beyond her imagination, with a faint milky aroma that collided with the spicy dipping powder on her tongue.

Delicious!

"I'll try this diced beef first." Wen Ling took a small spoon, scooped a portion of the Diced Beef with Double Peppers over her rice, mixed it slightly with her chopsticks, and took a large bite.

The beef was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, fragrant, spicy, and oily. As she chewed it with the fragrant rice, a powerful sense of satisfaction arose.

The beef was very fragrant with plenty of *wok hei*. The combination of green and red peppers was not just a collision of colors, but a perfect marriage of aroma and spice.

She had eaten diced beef at the factory canteen last month, but the texture and taste were far inferior!

"Mixing this diced beef with rice is incredible. It's beyond words!" Wen Ling looked at her two friends, frantically recommending it.

Wang Wei, who was sipping a bowl of soup, spoke up upon hearing this: "This soup is so fresh! You guys try it. The hotter it is, the fresher it tastes. They say it's been simmering for eight hours!"

Satisfied customers are undoubtedly the best advertisement.

However, most customers still chose the Qiaojiao Beef.

At sixty cents a serving, with meat and soup, plus a bowl of rice, one person could eat very heartily.

If you had a dining companion, you could order a dish to share, and it wouldn't be expensive per person.

As the dishes arrived, praises were heard incessantly.

The customers were extremely satisfied.

Today, the stir-fried and braised dishes of Zhou Erwa's restaurant had successfully taken their first step.

...

"What kind of Kung Pao Chicken is this? It tastes burnt! Even the peanuts aren't crunchy!"

"Is this how Garlic Sliced Pork is supposed to be cut? It's thicker than my shoe insole!"

"Dammit, I can't take it for one more day!"

"Huang Fusheng, come out and taste this yourself! Is this something meant for people to eat?"

In the factory canteen, in the dining area in front of the stir-fry section, Zhao Dong slammed the table and cursed angrily.

The workers who were currently eating all turned to look at him, as if they were looking at a hero rising up.