Rebirth in 1960, My Industrial Age

Chapter 32 The Hateful Cook

The four days of New Year break passed in a flash.

Zhou Fengnian hasn't had enough rest yet and it's time to go back to the city to work.

However, in the past few days after the New Year, Zhou Fengnian ran around the village a lot with his father and his elder and second brothers, and even went up the mountain.

And he saw with his own eyes how Zhou's father turned around his reputation in the village.

Basically, he was just bragging and smoking, and the reason why Zhou Fengnian had not been home for a long time spread among the villagers' envious eyes.

He is highly valued in a large factory in the city, and we can't do without him even during the Chinese New Year. He has also become a leader, and so on.

Zhou Fengnian felt a little embarrassed after hearing this, so he just pulled his elder and second brothers away and took them into the mountains for a walk twice.

Although the original body grew up in the countryside, he had never been to the mountains. This was the first time Zhou Fengnian entered the mountains after traveling through time.

The mountain road is difficult to walk on. Those who have no experience and sufficient physical strength cannot even climb over a hill. Zhou Fengnian has good physical strength, but he was exhausted after climbing over a hill.

It was impossible to continue climbing over the mountain, and his elder and second brothers would not take him any further.

It is very dangerous in the deep mountains, and if you are unlucky, you may encounter wild boars. If you encounter this guy without a gun, you will be seriously injured at best.

However, it is only people like Zhou Fengnian who have never been to the mountains that feel strange. Rural people generally don't like to go into the mountains.

Going into the mountains is a common occurrence for them unless it is to dig wild vegetables or collect firewood; in comparison, they prefer to watch movies.

As soon as the projectionist from the city arrived, almost everyone in the village rushed to the commune.

Zhou Fengnian didn't have any feelings about watching movies. There were movie theaters in the city and he could go there anytime he wanted.

"Dad, Mom, we're leaving. You don't have to see us off. We'll be back during the holidays."

On the last day of vacation, Zhou Fengnian and Zhou Chunhua planned to go back.

When we came, the 28-inch bicycle was fully loaded. When we left, it was much easier, as we only had my younger sister with us.

Mother Zhou couldn't help but remind her again, "San'er, don't waste time when you find a suitable wife. Find a daughter-in-law for me as soon as possible."

Zhou Fengnian replied with a headache: "I know, I know, don't worry."

He has been hearing this kind of talk for three days, and even his elder and second brothers have been advising him privately.

It's not that he doesn't want to look for a job, it's just that there are too many tasks in the factory. If there are no tasks in the factory and he goes off work normally, it depends on whether he will look for a job or not.

"Okay, let's go. It's cold outside. Don't stand here."

After saying goodbye again, Zhou Fengnian rode away on his bicycle.

Setting out in the morning, Zhou Fengnian rode hard for several hours and arrived at Sijiucheng before noon.

"Hey, you guys are back, pretty quick."

Luo Cheng heard some noise in the front yard, came out and said with a smile: "Have you two eaten?"

"Not yet. Luo Gong, you haven't eaten either?"

"No, your Aunt Li is just preparing to cook, you guys can come too."

After hearing this, Luo Cheng immediately smiled and walked over to Zhou Fengnian, saying, "I haven't eaten the food you cooked for a few days, and I miss it. Your Aunt Li can't cook as well as you do."

"I'll tell Aunt Li later that you think her cooking is not tasty."

"You little bastard!"

After chatting and laughing for a while, Zhou Fengnian and his sister followed Luo Cheng to the backyard.

Zhou Fengnian’s cooking skills were already almost as good as those of the chefs in state-owned restaurants, and with every level of improvement in his cooking skills, he would naturally be able to cook more dishes, as if a master was giving him enlightenment.

It's just that this expert is a system. Luo Cheng was also curious about Zhou Fengnian's cooking skills. It wasn't so delicious when he tasted it more than two months ago. At that time, it was only slightly better than home-cooked food.

But after spending a few months together, Luo Cheng felt that Zhou Fengnian's cooking skills had improved a little every once in a while.

During the Chinese New Year, he and his wife went to a state-owned restaurant and felt that the chef's cooking skills there were almost as good as Zhou Fengnian's.

Stir-fry the bacon and chicken from before the New Year, add some pickled cabbage and egg drop soup, and serve with steamed buns made from double-grain noodles. It’s so comfortable to eat in the middle of winter.

Luo Ben, who didn't have a big appetite, only ate three steamed buns made of 100 grams of flour and a bowl of egg drop soup.

After eating, Luo Cheng sat on the recliner, rubbed his stomach and said, "Not bad, have you ever had a master before? I haven't seen you practice, how come your cooking skills are getting better day by day?"

"Mr. Luo, this is how you learn things quickly. If my family hadn't been poor and couldn't afford to send me to high school, I might have been your schoolmate."

"Impulsive, you are so impetuous."

After Luo Cheng scolded him with a smile, he continued, "But I trust your cooking skills. I miss you if I don't eat your food for a day. Your cooking skills are much better than the chef in the courtyard next door, and you are dozens of times better than him."

"Mr. Luo, please stop talking nonsense. I will cook dinner for you from now on. Is that ok?"

Zhou Fengnian smiled. This old man was trying to play tricks on him, but he had been planning to cook to improve his cooking skills, so it was nothing to cook after returning home in the evening.

Luo Cheng also laughed out loud embarrassedly. He did have this plan, but he felt a little embarrassed when it was revealed.

"By the way, what's going on with the cook next door? This is the first time I've heard you say something bad about someone, Mr. Luo."

"Don't mention it, that cook is really not good."

Luo Cheng got angry when he talked about it: "Last time, an old classmate from Tsinghua University came to visit us. I heard that the chef in the No. 95 compound was quite good, so I asked my wife to invite him."

"So his craftsmanship is not good enough?"

"My skills are OK, almost as good as yours, but I am not a good person, far behind you."

Zhou Fengnian smacked his lips when he heard that. Why was he always compared to others? Just take it as a compliment.

"Although we only cooked one table of six dishes, we also gave him a red envelope of two yuan. As a result, the cook took away a lot of things when he left, including two boxes of vegetables, half a pound of meat and four ounces of white flour."

Many restaurants were closed at the time, so it was not convenient to eat out. I also had a lot of food at home, so I asked someone to come and cook for me.

“It’s not much, but the behavior is really annoying.”

Thinking about it now, Luo Cheng still feels very unhappy.

The four heavy lunch boxes were taken away, which made Li Nianhua very angry.

Although their family doesn't care about these things, just for cooking a table of dishes and giving them two dollars as labor fee, they have done quite well.

You can't eat and take at the same time!

But Luo Cheng and Li Nianhua were intellectuals, and their upbringing prevented them from quarreling with outsiders, so they just watched the cook eat and take away the food in anger.

From then on, Luo Cheng would rather travel all over the city than invite someone to cook at his home.

After finishing speaking, Luo Cheng sighed again: "Luckily I met you, otherwise if I wanted to eat something good, I would have to go to Fengze Garden or Hongbinlou."

Logically speaking, Zhou Fengnian provides the craftsmanship, and Luo Cheng and his wife should provide the raw materials, but every time they provide the materials, Zhou Fengnian must compensate them again the next time, and he is not willing to take any advantage of them.

He's a good guy.

"Look at what you said, Mr. Luo, you have taken good care of me. Aunt Li often washes the sheets for me and my fourth sister, and teaches my sister how to sew. A few meals are nothing."

Zhou Fengnian smiled and said, "It just so happens that I also like to eat. After the tasks in the new workshop are completed, I can take a break for a while, and then I can study food carefully."

Luo Cheng shook his head and said, "Finished? That's not certain."

(End of this chapter)