Once the two had reached a secluded spot, Director Wang said with exasperation, "Ma Hua, why did you have to confront Sha Zhu head-on?"

Ma Hua feigned a wronged expression and said, "Director Wang, I didn't want to either. Sha Zhu is my mentor. Whatever he asked me to do before, it was what I, as his apprentice, should do. But he asked me to take the blame for him. You know this job was hard-earned for my family. If I get fired from the factory, how will my family survive?"

Looking at Ma Hua's aggrieved expression, Director Wang understood that Sha Zhu had gone too far this time. He had always thought highly of Ma Hua; he was honest, reliable, hardworking, and never complained.

Director Wang sighed again, thinking of Sha Zhu's cooking skills, and patted Ma Hua on the shoulder: "Ma Hua, how about I move you to another kitchen? You talked back to Sha Zhu in front of so many people today, are you afraid that in the future..."

Ma Hua bowed deeply to Director Wang: "Thank you, Director Wang. I'll stay in our cafeteria. I don't believe Sha Zhu could do anything worse. Besides, I've taught myself some cooking skills."

When Ma Hua saw that Director Wang was silent, he immediately understood that Director Wang thought he was bragging. After all, Sha Zhu had learned to cook from his father since he was a child, while Ma Hua was a self-taught cook who had no formal training.

He hurriedly said, "Director Wang, my cooking is just as good as Sha Zhu's. How about I cook a few dishes for you to try after they leave tonight?"

Seeing Ma Hua's confident demeanor, Director Wang swallowed back his words of refusal: "Alright, then make me two dishes tonight so I can try them. Okay, you've been out with me for quite a while now, so go back and get busy. Remember, don't argue with Sha Zhu again. If you really can't stand it, remember to tell me."

Ma Hua thanked Director Wang repeatedly before leaving the office and heading straight to the kitchen. As he walked, Ma Hua curiously asked in his mind, "System, where's my reward?"

"Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the 'Angry Confrontation with Stupid Pillar' mission. You are rewarded with the 'Glib Tongue' skill. Keep up the good work and achieve even greater success!"

"Smooth-talking? What the hell is this? Did they swap Xu Damao's tongue onto my body? This is disgusting." Ma Hua felt nauseous.

"Please don't use such a lowly term as Xu Damao to describe him," the system explained. Gradually, Ma Hua understood the effect of being glib-tongued: it made him more sensitive to all kinds of flavors, regardless of the dish.

With just a taste, he could not only describe how the dish was made almost perfectly, but also identify which seasonings were used. Good heavens, with this tongue, my culinary skills would improve by leaps and bounds! After all, in my previous life I had only just passed level three of the exam.

On the way, Ma Hua carefully recalled the taste of the dishes that Sha Zhu had made. "Tch, Sha Zhu's skills aren't that great," she thought. "By today's standards, he'd be at most a level four." Just like that, the burden on her heart instantly lifted.

I thought Sha Zhu could be that good, but thinking about it, he's really something. If Sha Zhu were that skilled, he wouldn't be stuck in this steel mill; he'd be working in a fancy restaurant by now. Why would he be earning such a meager wage here? (The factory cook's salary is capped at level six.)

When Ma Hua stepped into the kitchen, he instantly felt everyone's eyes on him. When Sha Zhu saw that Ma Hua had actually returned, he slammed his ceramic water jug ​​heavily on the table: "Ma Hua is in charge of cleaning the kitchen today. Nobody is allowed to help, you hear me?"

Seeing Sha Zhu's smug expression, Ma Hua angrily cursed, "Fuck your grandma! Let whoever wants to do it do it. Sha Zhu, if you're so capable, then don't do it! What are you pretending to be, you bastard?"

Ma Hua then remembered that he was going to show off his skills to Director Wang that evening. With a disdainful look, he walked to the stove and busied himself with his work. As for Sha Zhu's orders, to hell with them! Sha Zhu could refuse if he wanted; let's see who's in trouble tomorrow.

The kitchen hygiene is all clearly defined. Before, MCA's respected teacher was eager to clean up for Silly Chu, but now that he has turned against Silly Chu, he won't lick Silly Chu's boots anymore.

Ma Hua also took the opportunity to look at the seasonings from this era while tidying up his things.

Later generations were used to using elaborate seasonings like "three flowers" (a type of seasoning), but this era didn't have any of that. Good heavens, forget chicken bouillon, there wasn't even MSG! Dark soy sauce and premium soy sauce were just common flavorings; soy sauce was the only option. It was incredibly scarce! No wonder this era valued secret recipes so much. I remember in later movies and TV dramas, many chefs would secretly sprinkle a handful of mysterious seasoning from their sleeves when the dish was finished cooking.

When Sha Zhu saw that Ma Hua dared to talk back to him, he immediately remembered that he had just severed ties with Ma Hua. He snorted coldly and yelled at the fat man, "Fatty, are you dead? Hurry up and clean up the mess for me. If you please me, I'll teach you a few tricks tomorrow, you hear me?"

"Oh, thank you, Master! You're so kind to me! Come, come, Master, please have some tea!" Fatty's face lit up with joy when he heard that Sha Zhu would teach him a few tricks tomorrow. He ran straight to Sha Zhu, diligently filled the water vat, and respectfully handed it to Sha Zhu. Then he happily started cleaning up.

Seeing Sha Zhu and the fat man standing to the side, Liu Lan immediately whispered to Ma Hua, "What are they? Neither of them are good people. Hey Ma Hua, you're talking back to Sha Zhu like that, what are you planning to do in the future?"

"Let's just take it one step at a time. Sister Lan, there's nothing I can do. Sha Zhu is really going too far," Ma Hua said, feigning a wronged expression.

After listening to Ma Hua's words, Liu Lan looked at him with pity, sighed, and walked aside to continue her work.

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