Xu Qingqing got up, preparing to take Fan Guangshen to the cafeteria to show off her skills, when a very arrogant voice came from the side: "Hey! Do you know who this person is? You dare to confess?"
Upon hearing this voice, Fan Guangshen lowered his head again, his clenched fist loosening and then clenching again in an instant.
"Who are you?"
Xu Qingqing stared at the newcomer, dressed in the standard attire of the era—a military overcoat and cap, with a blade of grass dangling from his mouth. He swaggered over to Fan Guangshen, wrapped his arm around his neck, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes: "Of course I'm here to apply for a job too."
Fan Guangshen was a head shorter than him, and he staggered, forced to get close to the other man. The other man continued, "Zhang Dajun, his family has been cooking for generations. I'm definitely better than him. He's a member of the 'Five Black Categories'."
Fan Guangshen closed his eyes, clenching his fists tightly, not daring to refute. This was his only chance; if he missed it, his grandmother…
Time passed slowly, and Xu Qingqing waited, wondering if Fan Guangshen would retaliate or remain silent and be a coward. If one cannot overcome one's own weaknesses and does not fight back, such a person will forever be immersed in a dark and hopeless state of mind and will forever fall into depravity.
After a long while, Xu Qingqing waited in vain for a counterattack. She frowned and glanced at Fan Guangshen, finally letting out a deep sigh, her eyes filled with unspeakable disappointment in him.
"Let's go. Let's make it clear beforehand: whoever cooks the best and satisfies me will become the head chef of the steel mill. Otherwise, get out of here!"
I don't care about the other person's identity. As long as their cooking skills are up to par, none of that matters. Don't bring up any more gossip in front of me. I don't care, and I don't want to hear it. Do you understand, Comrade Zhang?
When Zhang Dajun saw Xu Qingqing defending Fan Guangshen, the smug smile on his face vanished completely. In the past, whenever he exposed Fan Guangshen's identity, everyone would avoid him like the plague, afraid of being implicated. He always enjoyed seeing Fan Guangshen's pained expression at such times, seeing a once proud and arrogant man reduced to being despised by everyone.
Haha! What goes around comes around!
Speaking of which, Zhang Dajun's ancestors were all servants of the Fan family. The Fan family was famous for its imperial chefs, and the lineage continued until the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty abdicated. During this time, the Fan family patriarch took a liking to Zhang's family and accepted him as an apprentice.
Unexpectedly, the Zhang family's ambition ran rampant, and they dreamed of replacing the Fan family as the imperial chefs. So they secretly formed cliques and tried to get close to a nobleman. Unfortunately, they were out of luck. Just when the Zhang family was about to succeed, the nobleman's plot to murder the prince was exposed, and he was sentenced to death by the emperor. The Zhang family was almost implicated as well.
Therefore, the Zhang family's ambition was discovered by the Fan family's ancestor, who crippled the Zhang family's hands, forced them to drink a bowl of poison, rendered them mute, and drove them away.
What the Fan family ancestors didn't expect was that there was another person in the Zhang family who was secretly learning the Fan family's recipes. That person was the apprentice's son, who had long harbored hatred for the Fan family and had passed it down from generation to generation, warning his descendants to avenge their family's hatred.
The trouble that happened to the Fan family was reported by the Zhang family.
In the kitchen, Xu Qingqing pointed to the two large pots and then to the ingredients on the other shelf, and instructed, "You two can use the ingredients here as you like. In a little while, besides me, there will be other people who will judge your dishes. You only have two hours. After two hours, it will be lunchtime."
"Also, during this time, besides cooking, don't do anything else. If I find out, you're fired immediately!"
Xu Qingqing spoke the last sentence with great emphasis, giving Zhang Dajun a focused glance.
Zhang Dajun's face was ashen as he suppressed his displeasure. Fan Guangshen remained silent as he walked up to the vegetable rack, which was full of cabbages, with only potatoes on the ground besides them.
Xu Qingqing felt embarrassed. She had forgotten that the cafeteria had been closed for the past few days, and the logistics department had stopped purchasing ingredients. The vegetables on the shelf were leftovers from before and had not been disposed of.
"Well, we only have a limited amount of ingredients, so please use the cabbage and potatoes you have!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Dajun immediately objected: "Are you kidding me! How can I showcase my culinary skills with just these two methods!"
"Do it or don't, why all this nonsense? Learn from him, he did it this way!" Xu Qingqing pointed to Fan Guangshen, who was washing cabbages.
Zhang Dajun glared fiercely at Fan Guangshen, then suppressed his resentment. Seeing this, Xu Qingqing snorted and left the cafeteria.
Time flies.
Fan Guangshen and Zhang Dajun prepared the dishes and waited for Xu Qingqing to inspect them. The two stood in front of their respective dishes, and there were two identical dishes on the table: stewed cabbage and potatoes.
Xu Qingqing glanced at them and walked outside. Just as the two were puzzled, she stopped at the door and said calmly, "Bring out all the dishes you've prepared!"
After saying that, he continued walking outside. Zhang Dajun looked at Fan Guangshen with disdain and said, "Fan Guangshen, what's the use of you doing so much? The quality of the dishes is important, not the quantity. This time, you have finally lost to me."
Fan Guangshen remained silent, packed his vegetables, and walked outside. Behind him, Zhang Dajun chuckled and deliberately bumped into his shoulder as he passed by.
Fan Guang gave him a deep look, a slight smile playing on his lips, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.
Xu Qingqing and Factory Director Li sat down together, with two plates of stewed cabbage and potatoes in front of them. Xu Qingqing picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of potato, put it in her mouth, frowned, then tasted the other plate. After that, she put down her chopsticks and waited for Factory Director Li.
Factory Director Li tasted them one by one and didn't find any difference. They were all equally delicious. If he had to choose, he couldn't decide. He didn't understand why Xu Qingqing wanted to keep one of them. In his opinion, both of them were good cooks, so it would be better to keep them both.
With a worried look, he shook his head at Xu Qingqing: "I can't tell the difference. Why don't you do it yourself?"
Xu Qingqing rolled her eyes at him and said, "Alright, alright, I'll do it."
"Look! See these people behind me? You all distribute your dishes to them." Xu Qingqing pointed to the workers behind her and gave the instructions to Fan Guangshen and Zhang Dajun. Then she added, "Whoever distributes the most dishes will be the chef at the steel plant."
"This is unfair! I object!"
Upon hearing such an outrageous request, Zhang Dajun immediately objected loudly. If the chef were selected in this way, he would definitely lose. He had just mocked Fan Guangshen for doing too much, but now he was the one being mocked.
Xu Qingqing stood up, walked around the table to him, and said coldly, "Fairness? Do you think there is any fairness in this world? It's ridiculous. You didn't listen carefully and didn't think about what I meant. I said there are other people besides me. Did I say how many people are in this 'other people'?"
This is a steel factory, not a restaurant. You're responsible for feeding thousands of workers. Do you think you can just make one meal? Ha, you're a complete brainless idiot!
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