Volume One, Chapter Sixteen: The Steel Mill Chef

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Unfortunately, facing a table full of vegetarian dishes, none of the family members were willing to believe his words. The reputation of Third Uncle Yan Bugui as a miser was widespread; everyone knew what he was thinking. His insistence on having Su Jianshe give the meat to Third Aunt was simply to profit from it. First Uncle’s household did not let Su Jianshe take the pork belly back to handle, but the expressions of Yi Zhonghai and his wife were far from pleasant.

“That kid only knows how to eat and enjoy himself all day, spending our money. Not only did he buy meat, but he doesn’t even know how to respect his elders. Does he have any bottom line at all?” First Aunt clenched her teeth in anger.

Yi Zhonghai looked at the three-combination noodles paired with pickled vegetables before him, his appetite lacking, and sighed inwardly. “Sigh! If only bringing Zhuzhi and the Old Lady back from the police station makes all sacrifices worthwhile.”

Thinking that the return of the Foolish Zhuzhi and the Old Lady not only restored his status but also allowed him to suppress Su Jianshe with the Old Lady’s prestige, and that Foolish Zhuzhi would be grateful and care for him for life, Yi Zhonghai felt somewhat relieved. The expense of more than five thousand yuan seemed insignificant by comparison.

“Su Jianshe, you brat, just wait and see! Sooner or later, I will make you regret this!”

Meanwhile, Second Uncle’s household was unusually quiet, with no smoke rising from the kitchen. While most families in the courtyard were busy cooking, Second Uncle’s family was holding a meeting. A roomful of people sat around the table; only Second Uncle wore a stern expression, while the others appeared indifferent.

“Today’s meeting is just to discuss eating meat!”

At this announcement, everyone was stunned for a moment, then delighted. They had thought Second Uncle was indulging his officialdom obsession again; they never expected the topic to be about eating meat.

Liu Guangfu could no longer restrain himself and began offering suggestions. “Father, if we buy meat, I can ask my friends to get some extra bones and offal.”

Before he finished, his father interrupted, “Who said we’re buying?”

Second Uncle continued, “We’re going to borrow it. I saw Su Jianshe bought five jin of pork belly!”

“Five jin!”

“That’s a lot. Can they even finish it?”

Second Uncle added, “This time Su Jianshe has offended Old Yi. If he wants to survive in this courtyard, he’ll have to come begging me, Second Uncle. Then the meat will naturally be ours.”

Liu Guangfu asked confusedly, “So, are we just waiting for Su Jianshe to deliver the meat?”

Second Uncle replied proudly, “Exactly. Just watch how Su Jianshe brings the meat right to my doorstep!”

[Section on the Jia family omitted]

Jia Dongxu lay in bed, glaring toward Su Jianshe’s house. “Bah! Su Jianshe, you beast, what’s there to be proud of? Eating meat and not sharing a morsel with us—deserving of a thousand cuts!”

Little Dang shrank beside his mother, watching her knead dough, occasionally drawn by the aroma of meat. “Qin Huairu, you incompetent fool, can’t even get a bit of meat! What use are you?”

Qin Huairu wiped tears from the corners of her eyes, her heart filled with a mixture of grievance and resentment. She blamed both the Jia family mother and son, and also hated Su Jianshe and his sister, secretly wishing she had a brother like Chu Yan who loved her.

“Brother, this is so delicious!”

Chu Yan’s cheeks flushed as she took big bites of the braised pork, completely entranced. Su Jianshe smiled faintly and also took a piece to taste. This was authentic black pork, far superior in texture to those of the future, rich, tender yet resilient.

Accompanied by the braised pork, he devoured several bowls of noodles. After the meal, Su Jianshe relaxed contentedly, and Chu Yan, her face blooming with smiles, began washing the dishes.

After a short rest, Su Jianshe took some leftover braised pork and went to the dog’s nest to watch the street dogs. The dog, seeing Su Jianshe, was overjoyed, wagging its tail non-stop. The food Su Jianshe brought contained meat, but only a small amount of minced meat. After all, times were hard and good meals were rare.

He gently petted the dog. The cold wind swept past, the dog’s nest looked bleak, the street was empty, and passersby wore various expressions. Su Jianshe wrapped his clothes tighter and set off for home, his heart full of reflection.

“The weather in Sijiu City truly lives up to its reputation. I must quickly prepare winter supplies and arrange the wedding with Little Yan. No time to delay.”

The dog licked its lips and wagged its tail toward Su Jianshe’s departing figure. The biting cold made it tuck its tail and retreat back into its nest for shelter.

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A peaceful night passed.

At dawn, Su Jianshe and Chu Yan tacitly agreed to skip making breakfast. The old master at the breakfast stall, seeing the two customers return, beamed and even poured extra soy milk.

“Young man, this is soy milk and fried dough sticks for you and your lady. Do come often!”

“Definitely, definitely!” Su Jianshe replied with a smile.

Chu Yan blushed slightly but did not refuse. She took the steaming soy milk and drank a satisfying sip, immediately dispelling the chill. The crispy fried dough sticks were a delight with every bite. Chu Yan’s eyes narrowed in enjoyment, like a contented kitten.

“So comfortable...”

“Little Yan,” Su Jianshe interrupted her pleasure.

“Yes, Brother Jianshe?”

“Today we’ll get off work early. The weather’s turning cold, we should go buy some winter clothes and get ready!”

Chu Yan was startled and only then realized autumn was over. Buy clothes? Although Brother Jianshe had an income now, wasn’t that a bit extravagant? Did they have to buy together?

“Um... I think I’ll buy my own,” Chu Yan said, blushing again and shaking her head quickly.

Su Jianshe chuckled lightly. After all, he held the reins at home. Having paid for the breakfast, they held hands and walked down a quiet alley. Su Jianshe vaguely felt Chu Yan was leaning closer to him.

Eventually, he escorted her to her workplace. Looking back, Su Jianshe saw the dog wagging its tail and waiting faithfully, as if hoping for more egg cakes.

“No more today,” Su Jianshe said with a smile, patting the dog to comfort it.

It wasn’t that he was short on money, but he couldn’t feed the dog every day.

“You’re grown now. It’s time to learn to fend for yourself.”

The skinny dog looked puzzled.

“Don’t worry, there will be delicious food waiting for you. The good days are still ahead!” Su Jianshe stroked the dog’s head, then disappeared around the corner just as the dog began to dream of the future.

Before reaching the steel factory, Su Jianshe suddenly heard a prompt in his ear.

“Ding! Host, do you wish to check in?”

At the moment of check-in, Su Jianshe felt a surge of energy.

“What will today bring? Money, tickets, or a special skill?”

He chose to check in without hesitation.

“Ding! Congratulations, host has gained the Master Chef skill!”

Simultaneously, countless new ideas flooded his mind: recipes, secrets of timing, effects of seasonings, even the principles of food pairing and antagonism.

More importantly, he grasped the essence of the Master level.

“Any craft begins as an apprentice, then progresses through entry, proficiency, mastery, then master, grandmaster, and ultimately pursues the legendary divine level! Like God of Cooking, God of Knives, God of Swords…”

The Master level was sufficient to found a sect.

If Su Jianshe wished, he could recruit disciples immediately and make the Su family cuisine renowned far and wide.

Thinking of this, a smile crept onto his lips but quickly froze.

The braised pork he cooked last night flashed through his mind—from the knife skills to the seasonings and timing—all came under scrutiny.

“The uneven size of meat chunks was a mistake!”

“Too much seasoning, unhealthy and masking the true flavor—disappointing!”

“Poor control of heat—disappointing!”

Su Jianshe walked to his workstation, already planning to redo the braised pork once home.

“That braised pork was truly unpresentable!”

He smiled wryly.

“The system’s input instantly changed my perspective, but that braised pork was indeed subpar!”

While walking, Su Jianshe ran into two colleagues from yesterday.

“Hey, when will the canteen improve? Yesterday I even ate raw lettuce leaves. How are we supposed to work like this?”

“Yeah, Foolish Zhuzhi’s apprentices haven’t learned even a tenth of his skills after all this time. How can a cook who can’t even properly fry vegetables be called a chef?”

“Let’s wait a bit longer. I heard the factory director is recruiting new cooks and even poaching from other factories.”

“Really?”

“Really. Too bad our factory’s conditions are good, but other places aren’t bad either. Who would switch here?”

“So does that mean no good food? When will Foolish Zhuzhi return?”

“Exactly. The director’s already anxious and said if anyone thinks they can cook well, they can come and apply directly!”

“That’s too urgent. Cooking isn’t a joke!”

...

After watching them leave, Su Jianshe wondered if they were deliberately talking like this.

Why always discuss it in front of him?

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A slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, but Su Jianshe’s eyes burned ever brighter.

“The factory canteen is nearly abandoned, can’t even cook vegetables properly.”

“And I just gained Master-level culinary skills...”

“Ahem, with Master-level skills, being just a cook is a waste of talent. Becoming canteen director wouldn’t be too much to ask, right?”

Determined, Su Jianshe immediately sought out the workshop supervisor.

The head of Su Jianshe’s workshop was Guo Yiping, nearly fifty years old, a Level 7 fitter known for his kind and righteous nature. Everyone called him Brother Guo.

“Brother Guo, I have something to discuss with you.”

Guo Yiping, busy with machine parts, didn’t turn but spoke directly to Su Jianshe behind him.

“Jianshe, I really can’t approve your leave. Look at you—how many full days have you worked recently? But I know you have your reasons and I understand.”

Su Jianshe smiled bitterly. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to work; it was the trouble caused by the courtyard people. Of course, he wouldn’t tell Brother Guo that.

“Brother Guo, I have some knowledge of cooking. I heard the director is recruiting cooks, and I want to give it a try.”

“Want to be a chef?” Guo Yiping stopped working and looked at Su Jianshe in surprise.

“No.”

“Then what do you want?”

“I want to see if I can get the position of canteen director.”

Guo Yiping was stunned, then laughed heartily.

“Alright! I can see your heart’s not in the workshop. Going to try won’t hurt. But canteen director… you have big ambitions. If you succeed, remember to save me the first spoonful every day!”

Su Jianshe laughed it off, taking it as a joke. Becoming a chef was hard enough, let alone the canteen director.

“Sure, if I become canteen director, I’ll always save Brother Guo the first serving!”

Guo Yiping clearly didn’t believe him, but Su Jianshe only smiled and didn’t explain further.

...

In the steel factory canteen, Director Yang frowned deeply, displeased as he looked at the kitchen staff being trained, including Ma Hua and Liu Lan.

“Comrades, the canteen is our logistics’ top priority. An excellent canteen not only ensures workers are satisfied with their meals but directly impacts Red Star Steel Factory’s operational efficiency.”

Yang’s expression darkened as he said sternly, “Yet yesterday’s meals weren’t even properly cooked. Which cook would make such a mistake?”

“Now, complaints about the canteen flood in, almost breaking down my office door. What do you expect me to do?”

“Is this how you cook?”

At that moment, Ma Hua, Foolish Zhuzhi’s apprentice, wearing Foolish Zhuzhi’s old clothes and taking over his duties, stood there looking aggrieved as the director scolded him. Unfortunately, Ma Hua had not inherited Foolish Zhuzhi’s culinary skills. Yesterday’s canteen meals were his handiwork.

Ma Hua sighed inwardly: Foolish Zhuzhi always kept me at arm’s length; what could I really learn?

Just as Director Yang was about to assign further tasks, Guo Yiping came in with Su Jianshe.

“Team Leader Guo?” The director’s anger lessened somewhat, showing respect for the skilled worker.

After all, if workers don’t even have sufficient food, how can they work? That’s no different from a capitalist.

Guo Yiping introduced, “This is Su Jianshe, a fitter from our workshop who claims to have some cooking skills. Since the factory is short on cooks, I brought him here to try. If he can handle it, it’ll be a great help.”

Chef? Director Yang glanced curiously at Su Jianshe standing behind Guo Yiping. Su Jianshe had a delicate face and tall figure, very different from Foolish Zhuzhi. But Yang did not judge by looks; instead, he asked:

“Su Jianshe—nice name! What dishes are you good at?”

“I know a bit of various cuisines, especially Sichuan cuisine.”

Sichuan cuisine! Yang’s eyes brightened because the guest he was about to receive was from Sichuan. If Su Jianshe’s Sichuan cooking was excellent, he would replace Foolish Zhuzhi.

“Good. This is the canteen. All seasonings and ingredients are here. Go ahead and give it a try!”

“All right!”

Su Jianshe did not hesitate. After washing his hands, he was about to start cooking.

Just as he reached for the hanging kitchen tools on the wall, Ma Hua, usually timid, suddenly spoke up with an annoyed look.

“Su Jianshe, stop! These utensils belong to my master. How can you use them?”

Su Jianshe glanced at this cheeky young man in surprise.

“Foolish Zhuzhi had such character, yet he also had loyal followers, tsk tsk.”

Su Jianshe ignored Ma Hua. The entire steel factory was publicly owned; how could the utensils be Foolish Zhuzhi’s private property?