The others, including Tian Kai and Zhao Long, sat silently on the bench, looking down at their noses and minds, as if the two of them weren't there.
The atmosphere in the kitchen instantly warmed up as soon as the fat man appeared. Auntie Fatty asked him, "Where have you been? We've been waiting for you to collect the ribbonfish. Don't be greedy with the crabs, they're all frozen, they'll taste rancid if you cook them!"
As soon as Sha Zhu saw the fat man, the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably, and his right testicle began to ache slightly.
At this moment, Old Wang stood up and said, "Everyone's here, let's go." Then he took the lead.
The others left, chatting and laughing, leaving only Sha Zhu and Ma Hua behind.
Ma Hua took off his hat and spat, "What is he? Look at his smug look! Master, now that he's the class leader, those two bastards Tian Kai and Zhao Long have immediately betrayed us!"
Ma Hua was sitting there like a stand-up comedian. Whether Sha Zhu listened or not, he just sat there without saying a word.
After collecting the ribbonfish, it's time to prepare lunch.
Old Wang started giving orders: "Tian Kai and Zhao Long, help pick the vegetables. Fatty and I will cook. Everyone else, stay the same. Let's get started." He didn't assign any work to Sha Zhu and Ma Hua at all.
The fat man tied on his apron, walked to the stove, and glanced at Sha Zhu. Sha Zhu happened to look over too, and their eyes clashed like positive and negative electrons, sparks flying everywhere.
The fat man said to the fat aunt next to him, "Auntie, have you ever heard the story of Mr. Dongguo and the wolf?"
The plump aunt glared at the fat man and said loudly, "Never heard of it!"
The fat man said, "These people are just like wolves, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, always looking for profit and forgetting righteousness! They live in a self-centered world and can't see the contributions of others; if they are wronged by outsiders, they don't reflect on their own actions, but instead take it out on their own people. If you don't let them vent, they'll take a kitchen knife and chop you up!"
The kitchen erupted in laughter, especially Zhao Lao Er, who laughed the loudest and most exaggeratedly.
Ma Hua angrily threw his hat down again: "You..."
On the contrary, Sha Zhu gave the fat man a couple of ambiguous glances, just as the saying goes, a barking dog doesn't bite.
At lunchtime, Aunt Fatty simply pulled Fatty to the front to get the food, out of sight, out of mind.
With Liu Lan added to the mix, they chatted and laughed together.
Xu Damao also came to get food today. As soon as he saw Fatty, he excitedly went to the window and exclaimed, "Hey, Fatty!"
The fat man was very steady, scooping out exactly the right amount each spoonful. Xu Damao excitedly said to him, "Don't eat in the cafeteria tonight, come to my place, I'll treat you to drinks."
Xu Damao wanted to treat him to drinks, which was a good thing. But not today, the fat man said regretfully, "I have to take the ribbonfish home tonight, let's do it tomorrow. I'll borrow your kitchen tomorrow and cook."
Upon hearing that the fat man would personally cook the dishes, Xu Damao was overjoyed.
Others might not know, but how could he not? Fatty is now a favorite of the factory leaders! The two discussed for a few more minutes before leaving, satisfied with their lunchboxes.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Lao Wang and the others were eating around the table, and no one called out to Sha Zhu.
Sha Zhu took his own lunchbox and came over to fill it with rice.
Old Wang grabbed his hand and said, "Wait!"
Sha Zhu looked at Lao Wang, and Lao Wang looked back at him without backing down: "He Yuzhu, you are currently on probation at the factory. Your every move and word will determine whether you can stay in the factory in the future. Normally, someone who has made a mistake like you should first go for training, then take a unified exam, and then be reassigned. I don't know why the factory leaders arranged it this way, but since you've been brought back, you have to abide by the rules. I hope you will cooperate with my work in the future."
Sha Zhu finally spoke: "Are you done?"
Old Wang ignored him, and Sha Zhu also filled his bowl with rice and vegetables and went outside to eat.
After he left, Zhao Lao Er cursed angrily, "That bastard! He thought he was a master chef..."
During the lunch break, Zhao Lao Er suddenly came to Fatty in a mysterious manner and called him to go to the toilet.
Once outside, Zhao Lao Er asked him with great interest, "Fatty, are you interested in making some money during the New Year?"
Making money? The fat man suddenly realized! This really was a quick way to make money; why hadn't he thought of it before!
Sure enough, Zhao Lao Er said to Fatty, "During the Spring Festival, whether it's the capital or the surrounding communes, there are banquets everywhere. With your skills, you could easily earn thirty or forty yuan over the Spring Festival. I just don't know if you'd be willing?"
"Yes, of course we'd love to. But with just the two of us brothers, we might not have enough manpower."
Zhao Lao Er knew perfectly well: "Normally, it's best to have 5 people. One head chef, one chopping board operator, and the remaining 3 general helpers. You can find the manpower; I just want to work for you and earn a living."
Thirty or forty yuan! That's manageable. As for manpower, there's plenty of it! Chen Yan and Chen Fang are both very skillful, and if we bring Yu Li along, we're all set!
When Zhou Haiqin returned home that evening, the two employees brought back 6 jin (3 catties) of ribbonfish. She said with a happy but troubled expression, "Our family finally got two more portions of ribbonfish, but this stuff uses up so much oil."
There are only a few ways to cook ribbonfish, but no matter which method you use, it won't taste good if you don't fry it in oil first.
Moreover, the oil used to fry the ribbonfish is no longer usable. Frying the ribbonfish again would make Zhou Haiqin feel bad for two days.
At that time, cooking oil cost 70 cents a pound and was rationed with coupons. Employees were all given half a pound, and their families were given four ounces. Every household had to use it sparingly.
As for lard, meat is meat and oil is oil. Pork lard costs 1.05 yuan per jin! Not only do you need a ticket, but you also have to queue up the night before, just like in another world where you have to compete for the first release of a new product. If you go late, they will all be bought up by others.
Zhou Haiqin asked the fat man, "Come here, let me test you. Besides braising and pan-frying, what other ways can you cook ribbonfish?"
"Sweet and sour ribbonfish, spicy ribbonfish, dry pot ribbonfish, garlic ribbonfish, and grilled ribbonfish..."
Even in another world, there are only a few ways to cook ribbonfish. Apart from sweet and sour, Zhou Haiqin had never even heard of the other four ways to cook it.
Enraged, Zhou Haiqin twisted the fat man's ear a few more times before leaving to deal with these happy troubles.
This reminded the fat man of a childhood in another world where his mother taught him to use chopsticks, but he couldn't learn, and she scolded him; later, when he was an adult, he taught his mother to use a cell phone, but she couldn't learn, and she still scolded him...
Taking advantage of this moment, the fat man said to Chen Yan and Chen Fang, "Second sister, third sister, I have a way to make money, but it's a bit hard work. I don't know if you two are willing to do it?"
A way to make money? Chen Fang grabbed the fat man's ear and twisted it: "You've got some nerve! Daring to break the law, huh?"
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