Chapter 1 Dongpo Pork
The state-run restaurant Lin Qingqing mentioned was located in an alley in the city center. The location wasn't remote, but it wasn't particularly lively either. The restaurant's entrance wasn't large; it was just big enough for two people to walk in side by side. To the right of the entrance was a counter where a plump middle-aged woman sat. Behind her, on the wall, hung a menu with the names of the dishes and their prices.
The menu reveals that the restaurant's chef specializes in Huaiyang cuisine. However, due to current resource shortages, many oily dishes, such as the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish which requires deep-frying, are not on the menu. But some dishes are quite plentiful, including famous dishes like Dongpo pork, Wensi tofu, and braised lion's head meatballs.
According to Lin Qingqing's customers, the head chef of this state-run restaurant came from the capital and his ancestors were chefs who cooked for the emperor—this was Lin Qingqing's guess. Because this matter was quite sensitive, everyone was keeping a low profile, and the state-run restaurant dared not use this to promote itself.
But some things can still be said. For example, the current chef has inherited his grandfather's skills and has superb knife skills, making excellent dishes.
The customer was clearly a gourmet, which made Lin Qingqing want to give it a try. Taking advantage of yesterday's bonus, she mentioned it to Xie Wei, and so the two of them came over today.
Yesterday, Lin Qingqing boasted that she could order whatever she wanted, but in reality, even she herself didn't dare to order that much when they actually got here. Otherwise, they would use up all their meat and fish coupons today, and they would have to eat vegetarian food for the next month. Besides, the two of them couldn't finish eating so much.
So the two of them decided to order three dishes: Dongpo pork, vegetarian roast goose, and pickled bamboo shoots with pork belly. Dongpo pork is a main dish, with one plate containing five ounces of meat. Pickled bamboo shoots with pork belly uses both cured and fresh pork, and although the amount is not large, it still adds up to two ounces. So this meal would consume seven ounces of meat.
Vegetarian roast goose is made with tofu skin. At this time, bean products were also in limited supply. However, Lin Qingqing made sure to bring all the tickets from home with her before leaving, including a ticket for one jin of bean products, which was just enough.
She was excited when ordering, but felt a pang of pain when paying and getting the receipt. It wasn't the money that bothered her—the meal cost less than four yuan in total, less than half her bonus. The main concern was the receipt; after this meal, she'd have to be more careful with her food for the next month.
But the heartache was fleeting. Even without pork, there were offal; it was still easy to eat meat, though preparing it would take some effort. Besides, Lin Qingqing felt that going out for a meal occasionally was nice; otherwise, living such a tight budget all the time would be unbearable.
They arrived early, and since it was just the two of them in the restaurant, they could sit anywhere. Lin Qingqing, as usual, found a seat by the window, and Xie Wei had someone bring a pot of hot water, pouring a cup for each of them.
The dishes at the restaurant are all made to order, and Huaiyang cuisine emphasizes knife skills and cooking time, so even though they were the first group of customers to enter the restaurant, they still had to wait for more than half an hour before their dishes were served.
The first dish served was Dongpo pork.
Dongpo pork uses large chunks of pork belly, which are cut into neat square pieces and tied together with cotton thread in a cross shape to maintain their shape. The clean white porcelain plate on which the Dongpo pork is served is flawless, with no nicks or blemishes, and no oil stains on the outside of the pork pieces. This shows that the chef pays great attention to the aesthetics of the plating.
The bright red color of the Dongpo pork contrasted sharply with the white porcelain plate, making it look incredibly appetizing. Lin Qingqing picked up a piece of Dongpo pork, took a bite, and her eyes lit up immediately.
The fatty meat is rich yet not greasy, melting in your mouth, while the lean meat is chewy yet tender. Because of the Shaoxing wine, it leaves a subtle aroma of wine on your lips and teeth.
"Try it, it's delicious," Lin Qingqing said, and then ordered rice to be served.
Xie Wei also picked up a piece of Dongpo pork and put it in his bowl. He tasted it and nodded, saying, "It tastes good."
The waiter quickly brought over a bowl of rice, along with a dish of pickled bamboo shoots and pork belly. Actually, pickled bamboo shoots and pork belly should be made with spring bamboo shoots, but at this time only winter bamboo shoots were available. Since the taste is similar, the restaurant used winter bamboo shoots instead.
The braised pork and bamboo shoot soup is served in a deep bowl. The soup is thick and white, and you can see winter bamboo shoots and chunks of meat inside, garnished with chopped green onions. On its own, the dish doesn't seem particularly outstanding, but it tastes completely different. The soup base is rich, the meat and vegetables are well-balanced, and the winter bamboo shoots are not bitter at all, only fresh. It's so delicious that you'll want to bite your tongue off.
Finally, the vegetarian roast goose was served. It's a cold vegetarian dish, famous for its bright yellow color and resemblance to roast goose. It has a sweet and savory flavor due to the addition of white sugar, and its soft and fragrant texture comes from being made with tofu skin.
In short, although these three dishes cost money, Lin Qingqing felt that the trip was well worth it.
...
After dinner, Lin Qingqing and Xie Wei went shopping at the department store.
Having been in Jin City for so long, she hadn't really visited the department store much—and by "visiting," she meant shopping. Last time, when they bought a bicycle, she had looked at every counter, but she was preoccupied with something else, so they only bought one bicycle.
Therefore, their main purpose for coming this time was shopping.
Although Lin Qingqing was an employee of the supply and marketing cooperative, she had no intention of supporting the business, so she and Xie Wei went to every counter and looked at all the clothes and shoes.
However, since she was now selling Xingfeng clothing, she received an extra item with each style of clothing to better showcase them, so Lin Qingqing wasn't short of clothes. Therefore, in the end, she only bought herself a pair of shoes, a hat, and a scarf. Lin Qingqing bought the same style of scarf in different colors, one for her and one for Xie Wei, making them a couple's set.
In addition, Lin Qingqing bought Xie Wei a pair of gloves and a wool sweater. As for other items, Xie Wei wouldn't have a chance to wear them anyway, and they had limited fabric ration coupons, so she didn't buy any more.
Besides clothes, Lin Qingqing also bought a bottle of face cream and an eyebrow pencil. These two items were vouchers issued during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays. Working at the supply and marketing cooperative had an advantage in this regard because there were more women, and these vouchers for daily necessities were always included in the holiday welfare vouchers.
The bottle of face cream that Lin Qingqing is currently using was bought before her wedding. It has been used for more than four months and is almost empty. This ticket came just in time to solve her immediate problem.
The eyebrow pencil was the first cosmetic she bought after arriving in the area. Although she had worn makeup for her wedding, the cosmetics she used were cobbled together by the other educated youth. Xie Wei would buy Lin Qingqing cloth shoes, but he wouldn't notice these things. So, it wasn't until now that Lin Qingqing had bought her first skincare product.
The reason for choosing an eyebrow pencil over other options is quite simple: applying foundation without drawing eyebrows or wearing lipstick makes one look pale, while wearing only lipstick is too noticeable. An eyebrow pencil is better because people won't notice it and will only make one look more energetic.
In addition, Lin Qingqing also bought a box of pastries and a bag of Maltesers.
In Lin Qingqing's previous life, Maltesers were a favorite treat for children, readily available in shopping malls and convenience stores. But now, Maltesers were a rare treat; a small bag of them was enough to buy four or five boxes of pastries.
If it weren't for the bonus, Lin Qingqing wouldn't have bought it—shoes, hats, clothes, and skincare products were not within the scope of her bonus expenses.
Despite buying so many things, Lin Qingqing only had a bag of Maltesers with her when she left, because all the other items were with Xie Wei. She opened the bag of Maltesers, took one out, and put it in Xie Wei's mouth: "Open your mouth."
As Xie Wei opened his mouth to eat the Maltesers, his tongue accidentally brushed against Lin Qingqing's finger. Lin Qingqing reflexively reached up and flicked her hand, as if lightly scratching his tongue.
Xie Wei's eyes darkened.
Lin Qingqing, oblivious to everything, popped a Maltesers into her mouth and asked, "Is it good?"
"Delicious," Xie Wei said in a low voice.
"Then have another one." Lin Qingqing said, putting another one into Xie Wei's mouth, but this time her fingers didn't touch his mouth.
Xie Wei held a Maltesers in his mouth, the sweet taste spreading throughout.
...
Although the two-day weekend system was not implemented at that time, most companies were able to guarantee one day off per week. Some companies had fixed Sundays off, while others, like supply and marketing cooperatives, required rotating days off.
Under a fixed salary, unless one is an exceptionally conscientious worker, most people wouldn't give up their day off. Even with the addition of a bonus system at the Qingshan Supply and Marketing Cooperative, few are willing to forgo their rest. After all, bonuses aren't guaranteed, but rest time is a real, tangible benefit.
Even someone as hardworking as Sister Zheng had been taking normal breaks before.
But after November, Sister Zheng stopped taking breaks. If the supply and marketing cooperative didn't close at six o'clock sharp, she might have voluntarily implemented the 770 work system.
Lin Qingqing knew about Sister Zheng's desperate efforts but didn't pay much attention to them.
She didn't care, but Sister He cared a lot.
You know, Sister Zheng had the highest sales in September. Although her total sales for the two months were lower than Lin Qingqing's, the difference wasn't significant. She's working so hard this month; what if her final total sales actually surpass Lin Qingqing's?
Lin Qingqing is alright, at least she has Director Gao backing her up. But if she doesn't become the store manager, I'm finished!
So, during lunch, Sister He subtly inquired, "I heard that Sister Zheng hasn't had a break for the past two weeks. Did you know about that?"
"I know," Lin Qingqing said while eating.
"I know why you're not worried?" Sister He got anxious first when she heard her nonchalant tone. "I heard that Sister Zheng's turnover has almost doubled compared to the same period last month!" Sister Zheng's turnover almost tripled last month. If this continues, she will definitely pass the assessment target!
But Lin Qingqing didn't even raise an eyebrow: "This is a good thing!"
Sister He suspected that Lin Qingqing was unaware of the gap between herself and Sister Zheng, so she had to be more explicit: "Your sales revenue wasn't much higher than hers in the first two months. What if her total sales revenue surpasses yours if this continues?"
"This is a good thing."
Sister He fell silent, pursing her lips as she looked at Lin Qingqing: "Is that really what you think?"
Lin Qingqing paused for a moment and said, "Then what do you think I should do?"
Sister He thought she had been persuaded and said without hesitation, "Of course I'll work overtime!"
"I don't really approve of this kind of blind overtime." If one person works overtime to boost performance, it will inevitably lead to another person working overtime, and then to everyone, eventually resulting in the abnormal phenomenon that leaving get off work on time is not a sign of loving one's job.
This is also a true reflection of Lin Qingqing's work in her previous life. After graduating, she entered a big company, received a raise every year and was promoted every three years. At a young age, she made a down payment and bought her own house. Her life seemed very successful. However, in reality, she had to deal with a short-tempered boss, difficult clients, and endless overtime. Countless times, she returned home in the morning light.
In the end, before he could even move into the house he had painstakingly saved up for the down payment, he died suddenly and was transported back to the 1970s, which was even worse than going back to the pre-liberation era.
Therefore, although Lin Qingqing said that she was willing to risk her life for her work, what she really thought was that working overtime was impossible, and she would never work overtime in her life!
Sister He was exasperated: "Aren't you afraid that Director Gao will ultimately choose her as manager?"
"It's too early to say all this now," Lin Qingqing said. Because of the increased variety of clothing styles and the higher price of autumn and winter clothes, although her sales this month were slightly lower than the same period last month, her turnover increased significantly. Moreover, Lin Qingqing said, "If Director Gao ultimately chooses her, it can only mean that I am not as skilled as her."
Sister He was surprised that Lin Qingqing lacked ambition, and asked through gritted teeth, "Do you not care who becomes the manager?"
"Yes," Lin Qingqing said.
"What about me? You wouldn't mind if I became the manager?" Sister He originally had no intention of competing because she thought it would be difficult for Sister Zheng's sales to surpass Lin Qingqing's. However, she had heard in the past two days that Sister Zheng's sales had increased significantly compared to last month, and she began to feel a sense of crisis.
If Lin Qingqing becomes the manager, she can still curry favor with her, but if Zheng Guifang becomes the manager, she will definitely be purged for associating with Lin Qingqing.
She didn't want to be purged, so she had to take matters into her own hands.
After figuring this out, Sister He suddenly understood. She realized that her sales volume wasn't bad either, and it was significantly higher this month than last month. Moreover, she had an advantage over Sister Zheng—Sister Zheng's sales volume tripled last month.
If Sister Zheng can participate in the competition, why can't she?
“Of course, everyone has the right to participate in the competition,” Lin Qingqing said.
Actually, she would rather Sister He actively participate in the competition than have Sister He place all her hopes on her. It wasn't that she was afraid of bearing other people's expectations; to be honest, since she dared to suggest to Director Gao that everyone participate in the competition, she must have been confident in herself, and she had anticipated the current situation.
She was afraid that Sister He would place all her hopes on her, and that if she became the manager in the future, she would not receive the expected benefits and would turn around and hate her.
This might seem like overly wicked, but the allure of self-interest is undeniable and can be quite real.
If Lin Qingqing really becomes the store manager, she certainly won't only consider herself when doing things, but will also have to consider the interests of the supply and marketing cooperative.
If she shows favoritism towards someone, it will inevitably lead to dissatisfaction among others, thus causing conflicts among employees. On the other hand, if she treats everyone the same, those who support her, like Sister He, may feel resentful, especially since Sister He is one of her competitors. She doesn't want to hear anything like, "I gave up the opportunity to compete in order to support you," from Sister He.
Rather than doing this, it would be better not to accept this favor in the first place.
If her earlier statement was largely made out of spite, then after receiving Lin Qingqing's reply, her mind began to stir completely.
It's better to rely on yourself than on others. Lin Qingqing becoming manager by clinging to her coattails is definitely not as good as her becoming manager on her own!
But Sister He hesitated a bit and asked, "You won't blame me later, will you?"
"No," Lin Qingqing said.
With those words from her, Sister He felt relieved and stopped urging Lin Qingqing to work harder and beat Sister Zheng. She even secretly hoped that Lin Qingqing would keep her word and not bother to work hard. She lacked confidence in competing with Lin Qingqing, but she didn't feel that she was inferior to Sister Zheng in any way.
However… Sister He remembered something and asked again, “Then… will you still have people buy fabric from me in the future?”
Lin Qingqing smiled and said, "Of course, no matter which counter a customer goes to to buy, the money is always earned by our supply and marketing cooperative."
Lin Qingqing wasn't unaware of Sister He's thoughts; she was simply worried that while Sister He said it was okay, she might secretly resent her and refuse to refer customers to her. Realizing this, Lin Qingqing wasn't saddened or upset. Although she always treated people kindly, she had never considered developing close friendships with her colleagues. After all, once personal feelings were involved, many issues would become complicated.
As for Sister He's worries, there's really no need to worry.
If Lin Qingqing cared about this matter, she wouldn't have suggested changing the assessment personnel to Director Gao, nor would she have said those things just now. Instead, she would have used words to discourage Sister He from participating in the competition.
The reason she did this was simple: Lin Qingqing wanted more than just a small branch manager position at a supply and marketing cooperative.
No matter how high her personal sales volume is, at most it will make the supply and marketing cooperative's year-end report look better and the year-end bonuses more generous.
To grow from a supply and marketing cooperative into a department store requires everyone's collective effort, as individual strength is ultimately too limited. Therefore, a sales slump is not what Lin Qingqing wants; she hopes to see everyone progressing together.
Lin Qingqing thought that this was also the situation that Director Gao hoped to see, because a person who is single-mindedly suppressing others and eliminating dissidents cannot lead the supply and marketing cooperative to go far.
But Lin Qingqing wouldn't tell these things to others, because she saw things clearly, but others might not. Opening your heart doesn't always guarantee gratitude; it might be met with indifference, ridicule, or even being betrayed.
When people interact, they still need to hold back some things.
Sister He didn't know what Lin Qingqing was thinking, so she was skeptical of Lin Qingqing's words. However, she didn't show it and smiled, "Of course I believe you're not such a stingy person." It was as if Lin Qingqing was stingy for not helping.
Sister He had already decided that if Lin Qingqing kept her word, she would definitely help her out when she became a manager. But if she said one thing and did another, then she shouldn't blame Sister He for being ruthless.
By this time, Sister He no longer believed that Lin Qingqing could become the manager.
...
Sister He has changed.
If at first there was only suspicion, then after she followed Sister He's example and gave up her planned rest, everyone in the store was now completely convinced.
The supply and marketing cooperative staff held four different attitudes toward Sister He's transformation.
The first attitude is one of feeling sorry for Lin Qingqing. Previously, Sister He acted as if she were indifferent to worldly affairs, constantly saying she supported her becoming manager. But not long after, Sister He couldn't hide her ambition. Poor Lin Qingqing, she introduced so many customers to her and helped her achieve her performance targets, only to be rewarded with such an ungrateful child.
The second attitude is schadenfreude, like Miao Hui, who had long disliked Lin Qingqing and Sister He's pretentious act and had been hoping they would have a falling out so she could watch the drama unfold. Now her wish had finally come true. Then there's Sister Zheng, who thought Sister He's words were so sweet, but in the end, it was all a joke. She also felt Lin Qingqing deserved it for her poor judgment. At the same time, Sister Zheng was hoping the two would argue, because to her, the more murky the situation, the better.
The third attitude is that Sister He did nothing wrong. Since she completed the assessment task, she is qualified to compete for the position of store manager. It would be foolish for her to do nothing and let the position fall into someone else's hands!
The last attitude is to mind one's own business and not care. People who hold this attitude feel that since they have no chance of becoming managers anyway, it doesn't matter to them who becomes the manager.
Suddenly, the atmosphere at the supply and marketing cooperative's store became subtle.
However, as time went on, everyone noticed that although Sister He had revealed her ambition, Lin Qingqing's attitude towards her remained unchanged. She would answer any questions and, as always, referred customers who were reluctant to buy ready-made clothes to Sister He.
At first, some people suspected that she hadn't realized Sister He's intentions and privately reminded Lin Qingqing. But Lin Qingqing just smiled and said, "Whether it's buying from me or Sister He, it's all about our supply and marketing cooperative making money."
When this got out, some people said Lin Qingqing was too honest, while others, like Miao Hui, couldn't help but complain, "Is she an idiot?"
Director Gao's reaction was completely different from everyone else's. She privately told her husband about Lin Qingqing: "Comrade Lin is smart and has a broad perspective. If she is properly nurtured, she may have a great future."
"You think so highly of her?" Director Gao's husband asked with a smile after hearing this. "What do you plan to do if her performance is surpassed in the end?"
"Impossible." Director Gao shook her head. She kept a close eye on the performance of everyone in the store and knew that Lin Qingqing's performance, while not far ahead, was still significantly higher than others.
"No 'what if'?"
Director Gao wasn't entirely certain this time, only smiling slightly as he said, "Even if something unexpected happens, I have a way to arrange things for her."
If Lin Qingqing hadn't made a splash after joining the company, that would have been one thing, but in just a short time, the supply and marketing cooperative had undergone a complete transformation. Director Gao thought to himself, she wouldn't abandon such a capable employee like the steel mill did because of factional infighting.
...
Time slipped away quietly amidst fierce competition, and before we knew it, it was the end of the month.
On the last day, Sister He spent her commute calculating everyone's sales figures. Although Sister Zheng's pastry counter was downstairs, Sister He asked a familiar colleague to keep an eye on it. While she didn't know the exact numbers, Sister He guessed the approximate prices based on the lowest and highest prices of the products sold at Sister Zheng's counter.
The result made her feel relieved, because even at the highest price, Sister Zheng's sales were still lower than hers.
However, Sister Zheng's performance was better than hers in the first two months... Thinking of this, Sister He felt that she could not slack off, especially since Lin Qingqing's performance was better than hers.
Because they were both on the second floor, it was much easier for Sister He to keep an eye on Lin Qingqing than for Sister Zheng. Especially after deciding to participate in the competition, Sister He would secretly write down every single piece of clothing Lin Qingqing sold in her notebook. Although sometimes she would miss writing it down because she was serving customers or didn't see which piece of clothing the customer bought, the difference in amount wouldn't be too big.
Unlike calculating Sister Zheng's sales, after calculating Lin Qingqing's sales, Sister He felt pressured because Lin Qingqing's sales were much higher than hers.
After working hard for half a month, Sister He's thinking completely changed. She was no longer satisfied with just participating in the competition, but began to hope that she could become the store manager. The booming business in the past two weeks made her think that the gap between her and Lin Qingqing was not so big, but the result left her frustrated.
Sister He was very unwilling.
She felt she had to do something.
Author's Note: First update.
Please note that the food preparation and descriptions in this article are based on videos or recipes from platforms such as Xiachufang, Douyin, and Baidu Direct Search.
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