Siheyuan: Starting from 1958

The kitchen of the steel rolling mill.

Tang Dashan, the canteen monitor, suddenly walked up to Wang Dong with an anxious look on his face. He quickly glanced around and made sure there were no outsiders nearby before speaking: "Master..."

"I just heard some bad rumors in the kitchen. They seemed to be directed at you. They came from the workshop."

Wang Dong frowned, but did not react too radically.

After he became the head chef, he encountered so many things, big and small, in this position that it was no exaggeration to say that they were "innumerable". He had long since mastered the ability to remain calm in the face of such temptations.

Seeing Tang Dashan answered calmly, "What's the hurry..."

"It's just some rumors, isn't it? Look how scared you are."

"Speak slowly..."

Tang Dashan scratched his head and was embarrassed to answer: "Rumor has it that you, Master, are Director Li's men on the surface, but are actually Director Yang's men, and that you have very serious ideological problems."

"Director Yang made mistakes at the steel mill and is currently undergoing labor reform. They should be placed in the most difficult positions so that they can deeply understand their mistakes through labor."

"But not only did you not put them in the most difficult positions, but you treated them well in the kitchen and let them do the easiest work. It's clear that you are Director Yang's people, secretly helping Director Yang and his people."

"I'm worried that this matter will affect the relationship between you and Director Li once it gets to his ears..."

"I did some research on it."

"These rumors should have come from Workshop One."

"I suspect that Yi Zhonghai and Bang Geng did it."

"Since Qin Huairu married Yi Zhonghai, the Jia family and the Yi family have come together again. You don't get along with either of them. In addition, Yi Zhonghai made a mistake by suppressing Director Yang. We transferred Director Yang and his men from the first workshop to the kitchen in front of them. No one knows better than them how important Director Yang and Deputy Director Zhang are to our steel mill."

"It's no exaggeration to describe them as a hot potato."

"I guessed at the time that they might make a fuss about the incident between Director Yang and Deputy Director Zhang, but I didn't expect Yi Zhonghai to be so active and wait three or four months before taking action."

Wang Dong thought that the rumors brought by Tang Dashan were bad news, but it turned out to be just about his preferential treatment of Director Yang and Deputy Director Zhang in the kitchen of the steel rolling mill.

Facing Tang Dashan's worried gaze, he calmly replied, "It's nothing serious, don't worry."

"Yi Zhonghai wants to bring me down through these rumors. This is really underestimating my strength."

"I have been the deputy kitchen manager and kitchen manager for five or six years. I have a great reputation and connections in the steel mill, so I will definitely have no problem keeping my position."

"Yi Zhonghai and Bang Geng's methods are not up to standard. At most, they can only tickle my itch."

"do not worry……"

"I will not risk losing my position as the kitchen manager of the steel mill to favor Director Yang and Deputy Director Zhang."

"As the old saying goes, forgive others when you can."

"If Director Li really intended to suppress Director Yang and Deputy Director Zhang in the steel mill, do you think he would have put these two people in Yi Zhonghai's hands when he demoted them?"

"Besides, I have transferred them to the kitchen for three or four months. If Director Li is dissatisfied with this behavior, do you think I can still keep my position as the head of the kitchen?

Tang Dashan was no fool. He immediately understood the hidden meaning of Wang Dong's words. He stared at Wang Dong with wide eyes and asked, "Master, what do you mean?"

"It was Director Li who instructed us to take care of Director Yang and Deputy Director Zhang in the kitchen."

Wang Dong shook his head and replied: "Director Li did not instruct me to do so. Even if he had such an idea, he would not have given me an order."

"After all, in the eyes of their superiors, Director Yang and Deputy Director Zhang are both people who made mistakes."

"Taking care of them at the steel mill involves a question of position." "So even if Director Li has this intention, he won't express it directly."

Tang Dashan's expression, which had just relaxed, flashed with worry again, and he quickly reminded: "Master..."

"As you say."

"You are taking care of Director Yang and Deputy Director Zhang in the kitchen of the steel mill. Will your superiors think that your position is problematic and punish you?"

Wang Dong thought for a moment and replied, "This result cannot be ruled out."

“But with Director Li looking after me, I will definitely not suffer too much loss.

"You may rest assured about that."

"correct……"

"After several months of care, Director Yang and Deputy Director Zhang should have recovered to a certain extent..."

Tang Dashan nodded: "I have recovered a long time ago."

“Although I’m not as good as a guy in his twenties or thirties, I’m at least twice as good as someone who just entered the kitchen.”

"That's fine."

"Go talk to them and tell them that Yi Zhonghai and Bang Geng spread rumors about me."

"By the way, tell them that I might be punished for this."

"Give them a heads-up in advance by telling them that there will likely be some changes in their next positions."

"The kitchen may transfer them to more important positions at any time, so they should be mentally prepared."

“But our kitchen will not respond to any notification.”

"Even if they are undergoing labor reform, they will be rotated to different positions to gain experience like other apprentices in the kitchen, and they will never be allowed to suffer losses in important positions all the time."

…………

In a canteen of the steel mill, Director Yang and Deputy Director Zhang, who had just finished a busy lunch break, were sitting on chairs to rest.

Although they didn't have to do any physical work in the kitchen under Wang Dong's care, it was still very tiring to work for several hours in a row.

Just as they were chatting with each other about the interesting things that happened in the kitchen in the morning, Tang Dashan didn't waste any words and walked straight to them and sat down.

"Lao Yang, Lao Zhang... you must have heard about the rumors in the kitchen, right?"

As soon as Director Yang saw the expression on Tang Dashan's face, he realized that these rumors were not as simple as he had imagined, and asked directly: "Team Leader Tang..."

"Will these rumors have some impact on you and Director Wang..."

Tang Dashan did not hide anything and nodded directly: "My master will definitely be punished. After all, this is related to the issue of position."

"I should be fine. Even if I am in trouble, Master will take care of it."

"I'm here now to remind you of something."

"After this incident, we will definitely give you a harder job, but it won't last too long. Just like the other kitchen helpers, you will be rotated once a month."

"You two have been in the kitchen for so long to keep your bodies healthy, so a month of physical labor should be no problem."

"My master asked you to prepare in advance." (End of this chapter)