Hearing Zhou Yongli's question, Mo Yuan was stunned, his face showing astonishment: "How many? Hundreds of people? Are you kidding me?" His voice was filled with disbelief, as if he couldn't believe the number he was hearing.
It turned out that when Fan Dacheng was introducing the Liangkou Coal Mine to Bao Ruijin, Mo Yuan was distracted and hadn't fully heard the description of its scale. He only knew there were many people in the mine, but not the exact number. However, after observing the number of people coming out of the mine shaft, he roughly estimated there were only about a hundred people at most. Based on this, he thought that if he brought a few people to help with cooking, they should be able to manage. After all, he was quite confident in his culinary skills.
But now, the number of several hundred people mentioned by Zhou Yongli left him dumbfounded. Although he was skilled at cooking, the sheer number of people made his scalp tingle. This was no small matter! Moreover, in Zhou Yongli's view, since Fan Dacheng had already given the order to hand over the canteen's chefs to Mo Yuan's command, it was only natural that Mo Yuan would be responsible for taking care of everyone's meals. This seemed like a matter of course.
However, for Mo Yuan, this was undoubtedly a significant challenge. He had never had any experience with such a large-scale cooking operation and had no idea how to handle it. At that moment, he fell into deep thought, inwardly groaning, "What am I going to do now?"
After all, it would be easy for him to stir-fry a small dish or cook a large pot of rice while also ensuring the taste, but it would be a different story if he had to cater to the needs of hundreds of people.
When he married Lin Xue, he actively participated in the wedding preparations, but the most crucial element was the menu he meticulously designed. The actual cooking was done by the village's experienced chefs who were skilled at cooking large batches of food, along with many enthusiastic villagers.
Now suddenly found himself in this unfamiliar environment, facing such a complex situation, he simply couldn't handle it with full confidence. At this moment, he could only remain cautious, feeling his way forward step by step.
As a hospitable host, Zhou Yongli naturally had an unshirkable responsibility to provide assistance.
He led Mo Yuan to the canteen and explained their purpose to everyone. Upon learning that the mine's accountant had personally brought them and conveyed the mine manager's orders, the canteen manager immediately patted his chest and assured everyone that he would do his best to support Mo Yuan's work.
Mo Yuan had no time for pleasantries; time was of the essence. He could only urge Chef Lao Fan to take him to check the available ingredients. After all, even the most skilled chef needs sufficient ingredients to bring out the best in their cooking—"even a clever cook cannot make a meal without rice."
Old Fan didn't hesitate. As a kind-hearted man in the mine, he was always cheerful and amiable to everyone. Now, with the arrival of the Imperial Censor, personally ordered by the mine manager and led by accountant Zhou Yongli, he knew he couldn't easily offend the man, even though he couldn't figure out his methods or identity. After all, he was just a cook, and now the Imperial Censor needed to eat, so he had to be careful in serving him.
"Comrade Mo Yuan, what do you think of these vegetables? Our mine has limited resources, so this is all we can offer. If it's not enough, I can send someone to buy some more," Old Fan said with a smile, while also observing Mo Yuan's reaction.
Looking at the half-pig and other ordinary ingredients in front of him, Mo Yuan couldn't help but sigh, "Is this what the miners eat every day? Although it doesn't look simple, it's what they deserve after working so hard every day. After all, as a state-owned coal mine, everyone does heavy physical labor, and they can't recover their strength if they don't eat well!" So he nodded, indicating his satisfaction.
Seeing this, Lao Fan breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he had completed half of his task. Next, he took Mo Yuan to see the rice and flour, the miners' staple foods. Seeing the ample food reserves, Mo Yuan was also gratified, as the miners needed to consume a lot of energy every day.
Finally, Lao Fan told Mo Yuan that he could let him know if he needed anything else. Mo Yuan nodded and thanked Lao Fan for his hospitality. Then, he started cooking, knowing that the miners needed a delicious meal after a hard day's work.
Mo Yuan waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to buy any more ingredients. After all, in this emergency, there was simply no time or means to make large-scale purchases. Time was of the essence, and they could only solve the problem by using what they had locally.
According to Lao Fan, this pork was only purchased recently when leaders came to inspect the area. Normally, everyone's meals don't include this much meat.
Mo Yuan thought for a moment and understood the reason. It must be because of Bao Ruijin's arrival that the pork was originally intended for special meals for the leaders, and the amount of meat actually used in everyone's meals was probably pitifully small.
However, now that he is here, such a situation will naturally not occur again.
Everyone is working tirelessly on the front lines to provide disaster relief, and we must not let them feel discouraged. Therefore, it is something Mo Yuan can do to ensure that everyone can eat well amidst their hard work.
Moreover, based on Mo Yuan's understanding of Bao Ruijin, even if he did manage to give Bao Ruijin special treatment, given the current situation where others are fighting bloody battles on the front lines while he can only sit in the rear and command without causing trouble, it's impossible for him to accept such a situation. For someone like Bao Ruijin, sometimes other pursuits are more important than the desire for food!
If I presumptuously try to guess what my leader means and give all this pork to Bao Ruijin, he might blame me if he finds out!
So he immediately instructed Lao Fan to lead the others to prepare the ingredients. Mo Yuan planned to return later to decide what to cook. Then, he left the kitchen with Zhou Yongli; there were other important matters to attend to.
………………
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
