Volume 1, Chapter 38: "Stop it, Shazhu!"

Chu Yan, having tidied herself up, tilted her head curiously upon hearing Jianshe’s soft mutterings.

“What is it, Brother Jianshe?”

“Nothing, just wondering where the Jia family gets their money. But that has nothing to do with us. Come on, let’s get you to work!”

“Mhm~”

……

“Deputy Factory Director, it’s like this: I went to the kitchen, and they told me I’d been fired. Sir, could there be some mistake? I’m the only cook in the kitchen!”

Sha Zhu looked at Deputy Factory Director Li Sheng, his face full of confusion.

In the past, he and Deputy Director Li had been on nodding terms; he had even gone out of his way to cook meals for the director’s family. Yet today, Deputy Director Li simply focused on sipping his tea and reading the newspaper, leaving He Yuzhu completely ignored. This left Sha Zhu feeling both displeased and bewildered.

“Sha Zhu, you know exactly what your problem is!”

“Your moral character is questionable, you’ve been to the police station, and you have a criminal record now—you’re making our factory lose face!”

“Besides, you were absent from work for so long while you were in custody; that was your own fault. Our factory operates by the rules. With your record and such a long unauthorized absence, it’s going to be difficult to reinstate you.”

After saying this, Deputy Director Li took another leisurely sip of tea and rose to refill his cup. Having worked as a cook at the factory for so many years, Sha Zhu was someone Deputy Director Li didn’t want to completely alienate, so he maintained a posture of "following procedure" and "there’s nothing I can do."

Sha Zhu grew anxious.

“Deputy Director, I admit I was wrong, but I’m the only cook in the factory! If I leave, the whole place will fall into chaos!”

“I’ve heard rumors that the dishes my apprentice has been making have received a lot of feedback. Don’t worry, the moment I go back, I’ll make sure the food is impeccable!”

Thinking the Deputy Director was just trying to push him, Sha Zhu hurried to demonstrate his importance. Fearing the director didn’t understand, he added, “In this day and age, where are you going to find a good cook? Why not let me fill the position for now, and we can discuss the rest later?”

“Comrade He Yuzhu, why don’t you understand? Not only have you severely damaged the reputation of the Red Star Rolling Mill with your previous actions, but you have also been absent for many days. According to the rules, the factory has already dismissed you!”

Deputy Director Li frowned at Sha Zhu, dissatisfied with his lack of awareness. If it weren't for his decent cooking skills, which were useful for entertaining guests, and the fact that he was usually a troublemaker—often pilfering public property and letting his children run wild in the canteen—he would have been fired long ago. But previously, there was no replacement cook. Now that Su Jianshe had arrived, there was naturally no need for him.

However, seeing that he had stooped so low only for the Deputy Director to respond this way, Sha Zhu—once the only cook at the Red Star Rolling Mill and the former "God of War" of the courtyard—was suddenly consumed by rage.

“Listen here, Li! If you don’t agree to let me return to work today, even if you send a sedan chair to invite me later, I won’t come back!”

“I’d like to see what kind of decent food those guys like Ma Hua can make!”

With that, Sha Zhu slammed his fist onto the desk in front of the Deputy Director, the loud thud echoing as if he were about to start a fight.

However, Deputy Director Li looked at him with contempt.

“Do you think the factory can’t run without you?”

“Sha Zhu, let me tell you, the factory has already found a new cook whose skills are a hundred times better than yours!”

Sha Zhu froze, looking at the Deputy Director in disbelief.

“Impossible. That’s absolutely impossible!”

Facing the stubborn and deluded Sha Zhu, he still refused to accept reality.

Deputy Director Li spoke slowly again:

“Don’t be unconvinced. Su Jianshe is not only a master of culinary arts, but his character is also far superior to yours!”

“He would never be like you, teaching his apprentices only the bare minimum!”

Looking at Sha Zhu, Deputy Director Li’s eyes were filled with disdain. Thinking of Su Jianshe and comparing him to the man before him, he felt a deep sense of irony. Sha Zhu usually relied on his cooking skills to look down on everyone, while Su Jianshe always greeted people warmly and looked out for others when it came to food. The two were simply incomparable!

“Su Jianshe? You mean the one from our courtyard?”

Sha Zhu, who had been confused about who could have replaced him, stared at Deputy Director Li in disbelief upon hearing Su Jianshe’s name.

“That’s right, Su Jianshe from your courtyard!”

“Sha Zhu, considering your years of service to the factory, I advise you to seek employment elsewhere!”

“Su Jianshe is now not only the head chef of the rolling mill but has also been promoted to director of the canteen. His cooking skills far exceed yours; there’s no point in you staying here!”

“Impossible!” Sha Zhu roared.

His face twisted as he glared fiercely at the Deputy Director. “Impossible! He’s just an ordinary worker; how could he possibly be proficient in cooking?! He doesn’t know how to cook at all. This is all fake; you’re lying to me!”

Seeing Sha Zhu daring to roar like that, his face flushed and his fists clenched as if he were about to strike, Deputy Director Li quickly called the security department.

Moments later, several burly men stepped forward, restrained Sha Zhu, and threw him out of the rolling mill.

“Let go of me! Let me go!”

Watching Sha Zhu’s crazed demeanor, the men recalled his past behavior and couldn’t help but spit in disgust:

“What a piece of work! Ugh!”

“Sha Zhu, back when you were in the canteen, I told you that you and Qin Huairu were far too close. You’d give me nothing but the dregs of the pot while giving her a full ladle. Do you even have a conscience?”

“Exactly, acting all arrogant just because you’re a cook!”

“Didn’t you always love taking food home, huh? Go ahead, keep doing it! Let’s see if we stop you this time—we’ll beat you until you beg for mercy!”

“Hmph.”

“Let’s go, brothers. Don’t bother with a lowlife like this. I wonder what delicacies Chef Su will make today!”

“Right, look at Chef Su—superb skills and a great character!”

Watching the crowd leave, Sha Zhu stood up with a look of fury.

“Su Jianshe! It’s him again!!”

“Just you wait, you bastard! I won’t let you off!!!”

“It’s all because of you that I’ve lost my job!”

Recalling the days when he was the head chef at the rolling mill, Sha Zhu’s heart was in turmoil. Back then, who didn’t respectfully call him "Head Chef"? Now, he was cast out like a stray dog—unemployed, penniless, and having given his last savings to Sister Qin. How was he supposed to survive this cold winter?

Thinking of this, Sha Zhu’s eyes turned bloodshot, his fists clenched tightly as he stared fixedly at the direction of the rolling mill.

“Su Jianshe, just you wait. Let’s see how I handle you today!”

“Woof, woof, woof...”

Su Jianshe patted the dog’s head and walked leisurely toward the rolling mill.

“Taking a hot bath before work is truly delightful, especially in winter! Not only is my body warm, but the tub is so big that bathing together with Yan saves water—what a great harvest!”

System: (Confused)

At this moment, the familiar system notification echoed in Su Jianshe’s ears.

“Ding! Would you like to check in?”

Su Jianshe suddenly looked at the dog beside him, which was scratching its neck with one leg.

“Doggy, what do you think my luck is like today?”

“Woof, woof, woof...”

Su Jianshe hadn’t used his talent, so the dog naturally didn’t understand, but it still stood up and wagged its tail in response.

“Good, then I must be in for a streak of good luck today!”

Hearing the dog’s barking, Su Jianshe smiled and rubbed his hands together.

“Check in!”

“Congratulations to the host for obtaining 100 portions of premium dog food!”

Su Jianshe suddenly sensed a large pile of high-grade dog food appearing in his space and received its detailed information. This food was of exceptional quality, capable of making a pet’s fur glossy and extending its lifespan—far superior to ordinary bones.

“Heh, you’re in luck today!” Su Jianshe shook his head with a wry smile, but he wasn’t disappointed since he didn’t have any urgent needs. Besides, the food really was quite good. With the cold winter approaching and prices in the capital set to soar, if he continued to feed the dog ordinary food, once the neighbors in the courtyard found out, they would surely report him to the neighborhood office or the police station, accusing him of misconduct and causing unnecessary trouble.

“Woof...”

“Alright, stop barking. I know you’re very pleased today!” Su Jianshe shook his head again, picked up a few clean leaves, and poured some dog food for the dog. “Eat slowly, there’s plenty more. Don’t run off, or you might get caught and turned into stew!”

The dog sniffed the food, a flash of excitement in its eyes, and then began to eat greedily, without even a moment to spare for its master.

After feeding the dog, Su Jianshe headed toward the rolling mill. On the way, he ran into the Third Master, Yan Fugui, who was riding his bicycle slowly. In this cold weather, even walking quickly would make one feel the biting wind, let alone riding a bike like Yan Fugui.

“When the weather warms up, I’ll have to get a bicycle for myself and for Yan.”

Su Jianshe didn’t have time for these trivialities and soon arrived at the entrance of the rolling mill. Unexpectedly, he encountered an "old acquaintance" at the gate—Sha Zhu. Sha Zhu was shivering so hard his feet were thumping on the ground, his clothes tattered and covered in mud and dust, looking particularly wretched. Passersby were curious why he wasn’t going in, but no one wanted to get involved.

People looked at him, their whispers mixed with sarcasm and contempt.

“Su Jianshe, you’re finally here!”

Sha Zhu’s face was blue from the cold, and upon seeing Su Jianshe, he was so excited he nearly burst into tears. He had been waiting there for nearly half an hour; he had even seen Yi Zhonghai but hadn’t had the heart to greet him. And here was Su Jianshe, making him wait so long.

Before Su Jianshe could speak, Sha Zhu threw a punch at him.

“I’ll show you for bullying Bang Geng and stealing my job! Today, you’ll learn who you’re dealing with!”

Sha Zhu was currently ignoring all consequences, focused only on beating Su Jianshe, never once considering that he might not be a match for him.

“Sha Zhu, stop!”

The security guard at the gate tried to step in.

But Su Jianshe suddenly waved his hand and instantly clamped down on Sha Zhu’s fists. He had wanted to kick him away, but looking around at all the iron equipment, he feared that if he didn’t hold back his strength, Sha Zhu would slam into it.

“Su Jianshe, let me go! You dare steal my job, I’m not finished with you!” Sha Zhu roared.

“What are you barking about?”

Su Jianshe executed a leg sweep, knocked Sha Zhu down, and kicked him to the side.

At this moment, the comrades from the security department arrived late. Several burly men quickly restrained Sha Zhu and prepared to take him to the security office. The leader looked embarrassed and quickly apologized to Su Jianshe:

“Director Su, I am terribly sorry. Sha Zhu has been standing at the rolling mill for a long time; I thought he was just reluctant to leave, I didn’t expect him to attack you. Please rest assured, we will handle this matter properly and give you a satisfactory resolution.”

“Good.”

Su Jianshe nodded calmly. He knew that even if they sent Sha Zhu to the security office, the factory wouldn't punish him too severely. After all, Sha Zhu had worked at the mill for many years; if they simply handed him over to the police or punished him harshly, it would hurt morale, and the leaders wouldn't agree to it.

“Thank you, comrades. It seems I’ll have to cook personally today. You brothers should come early; if you’re late, there won’t be any food left!” Su Jianshe laughed.

The security comrades perked up upon hearing this—after all, this was Chef Su cooking in person!

“We’ll be there, definitely!” everyone responded.

Su Jianshe greeted them with a smile and hurried toward the kitchen. Having been late and then running into the security department, he had to make at least a superficial effort.

Both parties were happy, except for Sha Zhu, who was covered in dirt, looking miserable and ferocious while being pinned down by the guards.

“Sha Zhu, if you cause trouble again, you can just stay at the police station!” Shortly after Su Jianshe left, Deputy Director Li looked at Sha Zhu, who was being held down again because of his struggling, and felt a headache coming on. Thinking of Sha Zhu’s past contributions, the Deputy Director hadn’t sent him to the police station.

“Deputy Director Li, it’s not my fault! That beast Su Jianshe not only sent me to the police station but also stole my job!” Sha Zhu protested indignantly. “He even bullied Sister Qin and beat Bang Geng into a cripple. How can I not be angry?”

“If I weren't freezing and starving, I would have dealt with that animal already!”

Before Sha Zhu could finish, he was interrupted by Deputy Director Li.

“Enough! Stop making a scene, or you’ll really bring shame to the factory! I’ve already given you a chance—from now on, you’ll be a temporary worker in the factory with a monthly salary of thirteen yuan and fifty cents!”

Thinking of how this guy was always going out to cause trouble and even dared to make a mess at the factory gate, the Deputy Director felt his rage burning.

Sha Zhu, completely oblivious, asked, “Deputy Director Li, what exactly will I be doing?”

“I’m telling you, if I go back to the kitchen, I’ll make sure Su Jianshe knows how a dish should be stir-fried!”

“That kid isn’t even dry behind the ears and he’s already the canteen director? I absolutely do not accept it! I’ll make him submit!”

Seeing Sha Zhu still babbling nonsense, Deputy Director Li said bluntly: “Clean the toilets. The factory’s toilets are all yours!”

Having said that, he walked away without looking back.

Sha Zhu seemed to just realize what had been said.

“You can leave the cooking to me, don’t you worry…”

“What?! Clean the toilets?!”

Sha Zhu jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on and rushed out to argue with Deputy Director Li.

But where was there anyone to be found?

Sha Zhu stood there, stunned.