When Ma Hua rushed back to the steel mill's kitchen, it was in complete chaos. Director Wang was stamping his feet in frustration in the canteen: "That idiot Zhu! I only criticized him a few times yesterday, how come he's quitting his job today? He's completely out of control!"
Director Wang, who was in a hurry, was a little surprised to see Ma Hua arrive. Didn't Ma Hua tell him to go take the exam? Why did he come back now?
Seeing the surprised look in Director Wang's eyes, Ma Hua immediately pulled out his freshly made Level 6 chef's certificate from his pocket and handed it over, respectfully saying, "Director Wang, I have not failed you."
Ma Hua has a lot of respect for Director Wang, after all, he is considered one of his benefactors.
Hearing Ma Hua's words, Director Wang, who had been anxious moments before, instantly relaxed his furrowed brows. He immediately took the small booklet Ma Hua handed him, and when he saw that it said "Level 6 Chef Certificate," he was overjoyed. He patted Ma Hua on the shoulder and said, "Good lad, you're something else! I knew you could do it! Hahaha, not bad, not bad at all!"
After laughing, Director Wang looked at Ma Hua with some concern: "Ma Hua, I want to ask you, do you know how to cook large-pot dishes? I don't know what's wrong with Sha Zhu, he didn't come today, this..." Director Wang was a little worried, after all, there is a difference between stir-frying and large-pot dishes.
“No problem, Director Wang, just you wait and see,” Ma Hua said, walking towards the stove where Sha Zhu used to work. Hearing that Sha Zhu hadn't come, Ma Hua chuckled inwardly. How could Sha Zhu possibly come? He'd been beaten to a pulp by Ma Hua yesterday! How could he say that about Sha Zhu? Wasn't that insulting a dog?
The fat man chopping vegetables nearby saw Ma Hua approaching and gave him a disdainful look. This "Ma Hua" only knows how to work hard and doesn't know how to flatter anyone. Now look what happened, he's been expelled from the sect.
Then, seeing this "twisted dough stick" walk to his master's stove, he immediately became agitated and scolded Ma Hua: "Ma Hua, what are you doing? This is my master's place, don't touch it! Get away from me. Do you hear me?"
Ma Hua looked at the pot in front of him, feeling somewhat speechless. Although Sha Zhu wasn't here, this fat guy was still incredibly lazy; he hadn't even cleaned the pot properly, and Ma Hua hadn't even had a chance to start. Then, the fat guy's mocking voice reached Ma Hua's ears.
Ma Hua immediately replied indifferently: "Your master didn't come. The director asked me to cook. What's it to you? If you have something to say, go find the director. What are you trying to prove here? I'm not some stupid guy who will put up with you. If you're ready, get lost. Don't bother me. Get lost."
Originally, MCA did not want to treat the fat man this way, but it was just too annoying. However, when they thought about what the fat man had done before, they couldn't help but react.
I didn't like him much when I read the original novel. The fat guy looked like a smug little man, and he did a lot of things to belittle the MCA in order to curry favor with Sha Zhu.
Upon hearing that this "twisted dough stick" was telling him to get lost, the fat man immediately straightened his back and glared angrily at Ma Hua. Then, as if remembering something, he jogged off towards Director Wang, only to return a moment later with his head hanging low.
Ma Hua had no time to worry about the fat man. He stood quietly by the stove, looked at the prepared side dishes, and then put on his previous reward, "Single-mindedness." Ma Hua immediately felt as if he had entered a world of his own, with only the pot in front of him in the entire world.
The pot in front of him was about a meter in diameter. After scrubbing it clean and letting the water evaporate, Ma Hua poured in the prepared cooking oil and lard. Once the oil in the pot started to smoke slightly, he added the seasonings, scallions, and garlic to sauté until fragrant. Ma Hua carefully observed the color of the ingredients in the pot. When the scallions and garlic changed color slightly and a fragrant aroma filled the air, he stirred it a few times before leisurely adding the chopped cabbage stalks.
All that's left is to stir-fry the cabbage leaves back and forth with a large hand ladle. Once the cabbage stalks in the pot soften slightly, immediately pour the remaining cabbage leaves into the pot. Then, as the ingredients in the pot change, add various seasonings such as salt and MSG in turn.
When Ma Hua finished cooking and served it, she noticed that everyone in the kitchen was staring at her in surprise. They hadn't expected Ma Hua to be able to cook, and the dish smelled amazing!
Ma Hua smiled calmly. Actually, stir-frying a large pot of vegetables isn't difficult. Practice makes perfect. As long as you cut the ingredients well and master the heat and timing of adding seasonings, it won't taste bad. The hardest part is having real strength; a pot weighing over 100 pounds is no joke.
At this moment, Chef Yang, who had already prepared the dishes, stood up in surprise upon smelling the aroma filling the air. He stared intently at the dishes that Ma Hua had just cooked and cautiously asked, "Chef Ma, may I try a bite of your cooking?" How could Ma Hua's cooking smell so good? I really want to try it. Could it be that I am not even as good as Ma Hua? With a nervous heart, Chef Yang finally spoke.
"Master Yang, please don't call me that. It's shortening my lifespan. Just call me Ma Hua," Ma Hua quickly waved his hand and said. Master Yang has been able to stay in this canteen for so long without fighting, grabbing, or taking sides. He must be a very insightful person.
The fat man, unable to stand it any longer, immediately mocked, "Master Yang, what are you saying? Master Ma? Does he even deserve the title? You dare to taste his cooking? I know without even looking at it that it must be awful."
Master Yang ignored the fat man, picked up a spoon and scooped some into his lunchbox, then carefully tasted it with his chopsticks. But when he put the food to his mouth, his expression instantly changed. "This...how is this possible?" Master Yang, unconvinced, picked up another piece of food and brought it to his mouth.
Seeing Chef Yang's expression, Liu Lan, who was watching the commotion from the side, also tried some for herself. After taking the first bite, she exclaimed, "Ma Hua, you've made some pretty good food!" Hearing Liu Lan's words, the kitchen staff also tried some without believing it. After tasting it, their expressions changed drastically, and they nodded in agreement with pity.
Only the fat man continued to be stubborn: "Hmph, how much money did you guys take from MCA to speak up for him like this? I don't believe that someone who has never cooked before can cook well."
Although the fat man was stubborn, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, giving him away. The others didn't care about the fat man and immediately started discussing having Ma Hua's stir-fried dishes for lunch.
After finishing his meal, Chef Yang sighed deeply and said to Ma Hua with utter dejection, "Chef Ma, truly, heroes emerge from among the young! I admire you." He thought to himself, "Looks like I'm really getting old. Even Ma Hua cooks better than me." A shadow of gloom crossed Chef Yang's eyes as he thought this.
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