The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 185 Director Qian's Arrangement: The First of Its Kind in the Entire Commune

On April 24th, the spring breeze brought warmth.

At the westernmost end of the Donggou Production Team of the Dachen Production Brigade, there is a low adobe house with a few broken bricks on its thatched roof.

Qian Jin called out twice from outside the fence gate before a hunched figure finally emerged.

This is the home of Wang, an elderly woman living alone and receiving government assistance. The person who moved out is Wang herself.

The old lady is seventy-five years old this year. Her son died in a landslide while building a reservoir, her daughter married far away, and her husband passed away from tuberculosis two years ago. Now she is all alone in the family.

The brigade helped her apply for the "Five Guarantees" program, but now she has lost her ability to produce goods and is entirely supported by the brigade.

"Auntie, the supply and marketing cooperative has come to see you!" Chen Kai, a sales agent at the Shuangdai store of Dachen Production Brigade, called out enthusiastically.

The old lady looked blankly at the people at the door, and stammered, "Oh, okay, come in?"

Just as the brigade cadre was about to speak in a friendly manner, Chen Kai interrupted, "Yes, yes, we definitely have to go in. Director Qian from our supply and marketing cooperative has brought you grain."

The old lady hesitated, then said, "Oh, okay, come in, come in."

She slowly opened the door, and Qian Jin and the others walked in carrying bags of flour.

The threshold was chipped, and the room was pitch black, with only a few sparks flickering in the stove.

The earthen bed was piled with quilts patched upon patched, and the wall was covered with dust.

The old woman squinted and stared for a long time, her mind somewhat blank, and after reading it, she still didn't know what to say.

She shakily tried to get off the kang (a heated brick bed), saying, "Director Ma hasn't come for two years."

Qian Jin put down the flour he was carrying and said gently, "Auntie, this is a small token of our appreciation from the supply and marketing cooperative."

Looking at these things, the old woman finally realized: "Oh, it's the government? The government has come to deliver things? Thank you, thank you for remembering this old woman."

She strained to open her cloudy eyes and stretched out her hands to shake hands with Qian Jin, who was behaving very respectfully.

The hands that Qian Jin touched were like withered tree bark, with black grime stuck in their fingernails that couldn't be cleaned.

He came into contact with too many hands like that over the past three days.

It seems that the hands of working people are all in this posture.

Qian Jin solemnly expressed the supply and marketing cooperative's condolences to her.

Chen Kai added enthusiastically, "Our Director Qian is doing a good deed. He brought you sponsorships from the city, and they're all high-quality products."

The old woman asked in confusion, "Huh, what is sponsorship? How do I get it? Do I have to get it myself? I can't pull it, I'm too weak, I can't walk anymore..."

"I've already brought it to you. There's flour, rice, millet, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, biscuits, white sugar, and brown sugar—all good stuff," Chen Kai shouted impatiently, yet trying his best to remain patient.

"You can make steamed white flour buns today!"

The old lady was stunned for a moment, then her eyes suddenly reddened: "No, no, you brought white flour buns? The last time I ate white flour was... the last time was..."

She thought for a while but couldn't remember when she last ate white flour steamed buns.

Tears fell as she lifted her clothes to wipe her eyes, revealing the straw rope tied around her waist.

This is the old lady's waistband.

Qian Jin looked grave and turned to lift the flour jar.

The bottom of the jar was covered with a layer of dark, mixed grains, it was hard to tell if it was sweet potato flour or sorghum flour, and there were many rice weevils crawling in it, making it look rather filthy.

So he scooped out the mixed grain flour and said to Chen Kai, "Go dry it in the sun, dry off the bugs inside."

He poured in fresh flour and placed the oil bottle on the stove.

The rice, flour, and cooking oil have been prepared.

He also made some biscuits for the old lady: "Have these for lunch."

As he was leaving, he saw half a rope hanging behind the door and looked at the production team cadre in astonishment.

The cadre sighed and said, "Last winter, my aunt almost hanged herself. Luckily, she was too weak; she didn't even have the strength to hang herself..."

Qian Jin said, "We still need to show more care for these people living on government assistance."

That's a very weak statement.

But he didn't have any more abilities.

The last household was that of martyr Zhang Chenggui.

The three tile-roofed houses looked neat and tidy. The brigade cadre explained that the government had helped build them, as the Zhang family's house had originally become a dilapidated building.

Before they even entered the room, they heard coughing.

Zhang Chenggui's wife, now a widow, was drying herbs in the yard with a headscarf wrapped around her head. When she saw people coming, she hurriedly wiped her hands with her apron.

Her husband participated in earthquake relief efforts in 1976. While digging out children from the rubble, he was hit in the spine by an aftershock and died after lying in bed for six months.

Strictly speaking, he could not be considered a martyr, but after careful consideration, the county leaders still awarded Zhang Chenggui the title of martyr.

Because his family was really poor.

"Sister-in-law, this is a token of the supply and marketing cooperative's appreciation." Qian Jin placed the rice and flour on a stone table in the courtyard.

A girl of about ten years old was sitting at the stone table, doing her homework in the sun, the pencil tip too short to hold.

Upon seeing a stranger, he quickly closed his well-worn textbook—the words "Elementary Algebra" on the cover were almost worn away.

"Quickly thank the leaders," Widow Zhang nudged her daughter and bowed to express her gratitude first.

Qian Jin quickly helped the two up and explained his purpose in going to the countryside to conduct research in order to better serve the people.

He squatted down to look at the child's homework book, which was covered with arithmetic problems. The front was filled with writing, then the back was filled, and when both sides were filled, the writing was erased and reused.

The homework paper is all crumpled and grime from wiping.

He patted his pocket and stuffed the pen he always carried into the little girl's hand: "Study hard and go to university in the future."

The little girl's eyes lit up like stars when she saw the brand-new fountain pen, but she didn't dare to take it and quickly looked timidly at her mother.

"Take it," Widow Zhang said, her voice trembling. "Your father would be so happy to know you can use a fountain pen."

Qian Jin instructed Chen Kai: "You must send a bottle of ink today. I will provide the child with stationery from now on. You can report the expenses to me every month."

Chen Kai said, "Leader, I will guarantee her education, I will support her education until she goes to university."

Once you go to university, the state will support you.

Qian Jin shook his head and smiled: "No need, I'll handle this."

Chen Kai's heart sank immediately.

The group was talking in the courtyard when the old man's coughing came from inside the house.

Widow Zhang rushed inside in a panic, and Qian Jin followed her in to take a look.

In the dimly lit room, a gaunt old man lay on the kang (a heated brick bed). When the blanket was lifted, his legs were swollen and shiny, and his skin was so taut it was almost transparent.

“My father-in-law’s edema has flared up again; it’s an old problem.” Widow Zhang scooped up a spoonful of rice. “Director Qian, please sit down. I’ll go and cook some porridge for him so he can get some nutrition and feel much better.”

Qian Jin said, "You should go to the health center and have a doctor take a look. Buy whatever medicine you need as soon as possible. If our commune doesn't have it, let me know and I will arrange for someone to purchase it internally. Then you can just go to the pharmacy to get the medicine."

As he spoke, he jotted down the family's special needs in his notebook.

Widow Zhang was very excited upon hearing this, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, thanking him repeatedly.

Qian Jin walked away backwards.

He spent three days visiting all the elderly people receiving the five guarantees and families of martyrs and soldiers in the entire commune.

He wrote down the relevant family situations and needs in a notebook, and when he got back, he gave it to Liu Xiulan so that she could make a copy, lest he lose his notebook and all the research work would be for nothing.

The next day was April 26th.

Jin Hai has taken the past two days off to prepare for his eldest son's wedding.

This was the most important day for his family in recent years, and he needed to give it his all, so Qian Jin granted him three days off.

On the 26th, Qian Jin also had to take a day off to attend the wedding.

It was still dark when Qian Jin got up to make preparations.

He checked the time and went to wait at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative.

Before long, the sound of a "putt-putt-putt" engine grew louder as Zhang Aijun rode his Qingqi 75 to a steady stop in front of the supply and marketing cooperative.

The car engine was turned off, the headlights were switched off, and Lou Xiaoguang took off his military green hat, smiling as he stepped out of the car.

"Director Qian!" Lou Xiaoguang greeted him as soon as he got out of the car.

Qian Jin nodded to him and immediately noticed the canvas bag he was holding in his arms.

His canvas bag was bulging, and he proactively unzipped it, revealing a white chef's uniform and a set of kitchen knives inside.

"This is my complete set of equipment, I brought it all!"

Qian Jin smiled and nodded: "You're not wearing much. How are you feeling? Are you cold on the way?"

He took the luggage from Lou Xiaoguang's hand, inside which kitchen knives clattered together.

“It’s not cold, it’s just…” Lou Xiaoguang rubbed his hands, a troubled look on his face: “Director Qian, I, I, you know me, it’s all thanks to you that I was able to get into the state-run No. 2 Restaurant to learn cooking.”

"I'm willing to do whatever you ask me to do, but there are some things I might not be able to do."

"Actually, I think I have made some progress in my studies over the past six months. I have definitely made progress in my cooking skills, but I am afraid I am not yet ready to be the head chef in charge of a wedding banquet."

Qian Jin noticed the difficulty on his face and laughed heartily: "Don't worry, I've arranged everything. How can we fight a battle we can't win?"

Lou Xiaoguang breathed a sigh of relief: "That's for the best. Actually, I only know how to stir-fry shredded potatoes, braise eggplant, and make scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Now, Master Guan is mainly teaching me home-style dishes."

Qian Jin patted his arm to encourage him: "What you're going to cook today is just home-style food."

Lou Xiaoguang chuckled and said, "Huh? Usually, people would prepare a couple of meat dishes for a wedding, right? I heard from Brother Dajun that this time it's the eldest son of the warehouse keeper at the supply and marketing cooperative getting married."

"The supply and marketing cooperative is a large organization, and being a warehouse keeper is a very lucrative job. How could a family like that serve home-cooked meals to guests for a wedding?"

Qian Jin didn't reply, but smiled and led him to his office.

Under the dim light bulb, many plastic bags were densely packed on the ground.

These plastic bags were full of food, as you could tell from the oil droplets that had formed on them.

The oil droplets glistened under the light, making one's mouth water.

"Four Happiness Meatballs." Qian Jin untied the first bag to show him, and four large, dark brown meatballs rolled out, the sauce on their surface had solidified into a gelatinous consistency, and they emitted the aroma of star anise and cinnamon.

Lou Xiaoguang's eyes widened.

He had been an apprentice at a state-run restaurant for six months and had never tasted such elaborate dishes.

To be honest, he can't make Four Happiness Meatballs.

The second bag contained golden-brown fried chicken strips. "These are semi-finished products. You'll need to fry them in oil later. Is it okay to fry these meat strips in oil?"

Lou Xiaoguang said, "Absolutely no problem, it's very simple."

In the third bag lay a shiny roast chicken, with a few peppercorns still stuck to its skin.

The bags in the last two columns were even more impressive, prompting even a worldly-wise person like Lou Xiaoguang to nod in approval:
One serving of braised pork knuckle and one serving of braised beef.

The reddish-brown skin of the braised pork knuckle trembled slightly, while the tendons on the braised beef were yellowish-brown and shiny.

All good stuff.

"Where did this come from?" Lou Xiaoguang asked, his face full of shock.

Qian Jin retied the plastic bag: "I had someone prepare this in advance yesterday."

“I originally hired another chef to handle the wedding banquet, but something came up and he couldn’t come in person, so I asked you to fill in.”

“He prepared the dishes in advance. When the time comes, you can tell the host that you prepared these at the restaurant last night and that the credit will be given to you.”

Lou Xiaoguang asked with an awkward smile, "Um, is this good, Chief Qian? Well, I'm not just taking credit for someone else's work, am I?"

Qian Jin lightly punched him in the chest: "To be honest, this is all my doing, not yours. I'm the one who asked you to help me gain favors."

Lou Xiaoguang hurriedly said, "It's my duty, besides, I..."

“You don’t need to say anything, just listen to me,” Qian Jin said with a smile. “I’ve already made all the arrangements in the kitchen. Just say you stayed up all night.”

"Your main task today is to show off your style. You've seen how my brother Da Bao does that before, right?"

"You have to show the production team's guests how you are different from the country cooks, and let them know how capable we are."

Lou Xiaoguang readily replied, "To be honest, Chief Qian, I'm actually quite good at this."

"You know I was already pretty good at knife skills, and after I went to the Second Restaurant, I practiced my knife skills for two more months. Now, I'm not bragging, but I can rank in the top five in knife skills among all the chefs in the Second Restaurant's kitchen!"

Qian Jin nodded in satisfaction.

“You may not be familiar with Comrade Jin Hai, but he is an honest man. He has been a warehouse keeper for twenty years and has never had a single item of the goods he handled go wrong.”

He patted Lou Xiaoguang on the shoulder and said, "Today is his big day. You better perform well. Don't think he's like those corrupt custodians. He didn't embezzle public property. We have to make him look good."

Lou Xiaoguang nodded emphatically: "Chief Qian, just you wait and see, I'll give it my all today!"

When the motorcycle started again, it was already dawn.

The plastic bags were repackaged to ensure there was no damage, and then everything was put into the canvas bag.

Lou Xiaoguang was about to leave when Qian Jin handed him another bag:
"You know that Chief Qian never mistreats his own people. Here, I've prepared a set of tools for you. You're going to be a famous chef in the seaside catering industry, so you need to have a set of eye-catching equipment."

The bag is opened.

Inside is a set of knives.

All six knives, with uniform ebony handles and double-sided wet-sharpening, were housed together in an ebony inlaid knife holder.

Lou Xiaoguang drew the knife to examine it. He was quite knowledgeable about knives now and immediately named it based on its design:
"Chopping knife, slicing knife, chef's knife, small chef's knife, fruit knife, multi-purpose knife..."

He tested each knife in turn, praising them highly: "Great stuff, Chief Qian, this is really good stuff!"

Qian Jin pointed to the logo and said, "Zhang Xiaoquan kitchen knife. This is a complete set of knives that I managed to buy through a lot of trouble. Let me tell you, these are the knives that chefs at state banquets use now."

“I bought two sets in total. You can give the other set to my brother Da Bao later. Don’t say it’s a gift from me. Just say it’s a thank-you gift you asked someone to buy for you.”

Lou Xiaoguang understood Qian Jin's good intentions in wanting him to gain favor with Guan Dabao, and said gratefully, "Chief Qian, my life's turnaround is all thanks to you!"

Qian Jin pointed to the knives: "Make good use of them, these are all good knives."

This set of knives is a high-end set from the mall, costing two thousand yuan for the whole set.

Ebony is not a precious wood, but the handles of this knife set have been ergonomically adjusted according to the human hand grip, making it easier for users to use.

The blade steel is made of 101-layer SG2 powder steel, with a hardness of 63.

Then the blade steel undergoes special heat treatment, including quenching at 1,000 degrees Celsius, constant temperature at 50 degrees Celsius, and deep cooling to -120 degrees Celsius. This is a new forging technology that is difficult to achieve at present.

The blade was fully V-shaped, with a thin and sharp edge. Lou Xiaoguang's eyes lit up after he rubbed it horizontally with his fingers.

Nice knife!

Comparing people with others will lead to death, and comparing goods with goods will lead to throwing away.

In comparison, the set of knives he brought was too crude; there was no comparison.

The motorcycle took him first to the production team where Jin Hai's family lived.

At this time, a temporary stove had been set up in the courtyard, and two large iron pots were washed until they shone brightly.

Several women were picking vegetables, and the lush green spinach was floating in a basin of water.

Seeing the motorcycle approaching, Jin Hai's wife, Liang Ermei, greeted him with wet hands: "Master, you've finally arrived!"

Lou Xiaoguang's legs felt a little weak when he got off the bus.

He saw red lanterns hanging at the door, a brand-new Forever brand bicycle with a red ribbon tied to it, a sewing machine, and all kinds of new furniture laid out at the door. He also saw the character for "happiness" pasted on the glass windows of the house.

This was the first time in his life that he had worked alone, and it was a major job.

Facing the approaching Jin family, he took a deep breath and calmly said:

"Hello, I am Chief Qian, oh, your Director Qian's subordinate. My name is Lou Xiaoguang, and I currently work at the Second State-owned Hotel in Haibin City."

Jin Hai came upon hearing the news.

He came with several of his brothers.

Seeing how young Lou Xiaoguang was, the group had some doubts, but upon hearing Lou Xiaoguang's self-introduction, they quickly became serious.

This is one of Director Qian's subordinates, and this is a chef at the state-run No. 2 Restaurant.

None of them had ever eaten at the state-run No. 2 Restaurant in Haibin City; in their eyes, it was a place only those at the commune leadership level could go.

Lou Xiaoguang took the canvas bag off the motorcycle and said, "Inside are some dishes I prepared in advance. Find some plates and put them away. I need to cook them again."

"Also, could you please find me a room to change my clothes? I need to get ready to start work."

Jin Hai respectfully offered the cigarette with both hands: "Please, Master, this way please."

Lou Xiaoguang waved his hand, refusing the cigarette.

He took his canvas bag and went to change his clothes.

Qian Jin handed the large canvas bag he had prepared to Liang Ermei. Liang Ermei and her men opened it, and upon closer inspection, they all exclaimed in surprise, "Wow!"

Jin Hai rubbed his hands together and said, "What are you all making such a fuss about? Hurry up and give them—hey, awesome!"

The greasy food was revealed inside the plastic bag.

All hearty dishes!

Liang Ermei and her team hurriedly untied the plastic bag.

One bag of vegetables and one plate.

She exclaimed, "The chefs at state-run restaurants are really meticulous and exceptional. Look, they've prepared everything for us in advance."

"This roast chicken is so plump, its belly is so bulging..."

When I opened it, it was stuffed full of shiitake mushrooms.

The shiitake mushrooms, soaked in chicken oil, became glistening with moisture, leaving Jin Hai's relatives exchanging bewildered glances: "You can cook roast chicken like this?"

Then Lou Xiaoguang came out.

He wore a chef's hat and uniform, and on his feet were the rubber boots provided by the state-run No. 2 Restaurant.

His entire body was covered in white.

The Kim family, who had initially had doubts about his abilities because of his youth, now only felt respect for him.

Some people began to whisper in admiration: "A small weight can weigh a thousand pounds."

Lou Xiaoguang then took out two more sets of knives.

The display of the new knives attracted a large crowd.

They only use one knife for cooking at home; where have they ever seen so many unusual knives?
The morning mist drifted by, and the dawn gradually broke.

The sun has risen.

Qian Jin was busy at the supply and marketing cooperative until nine o'clock before he set off. Zhang Aijun came back on his motorcycle to pick him up and took him to Jin Hai's house.

He glanced at Jin Hai and saw that he was wearing a brand-new navy blue polyester Zhongshan suit with two plastic flowers pinned to his breast pocket, the stems of which were wrapped with red ribbons.

Upon seeing Qian Jin arrive, he quickly stepped forward and extended his hands, saying, "Director Qian, you've arrived? Come in, come in and have a seat. Jinlong, you accompany our director for tea."

Qian Jin waved his hand: "Don't worry about me, you all go about your business. What time is the auspicious hour today?"

Jin Hai smiled somewhat embarrassedly and said, "We don't pay so much attention to wedding customs these days. We'll see how the driver gets there later."

Nowadays, people don't even have wedding ceremonies when they get married.

The country advocates thrift throughout society. In ordinary families, the groom would bring his bride back on a bicycle, while those with poorer circumstances would use a small cart.

There wasn't even a wedding banquet. The newlyweds simply bowed to the portrait of the leader and their parents, and neighbors and relatives came to witness the occasion.

Jin Hai was considered a respectable person in the countryside, so his son's wedding was a grand affair.

However, the ceremony was not very grand. Nowadays, there are no traditional activities. A car is sent with betrothal gifts to pick up the bride, and a meal is served as soon as she is brought back.

But this was enough to make the other families in the production team look up to them. Qian Jin overheard someone from the Jin family saying:

"This is the first time our production team has sent out a small truck to pick someone up. Last time, when the team leader's daughter got married, only a motorcycle came..."

Around noon, the children from the production team suddenly came running in from the village entrance, shouting:

"I'm coming!"

In the distance, a Jiefang brand pickup truck, adorned with red decorations, slowly drove along the dirt road.

The not-so-new small truck had a large red ribbon tied to the front, red cloth strips tied to the rearview mirrors, and paper-cut "double happiness" characters pasted on the driver's side window, all rustling in the spring breeze.

Qian Jin put down his teacup, walked out, and adjusted the Party member badge on his chest.

Today, he specially changed into the gray woolen Zhongshan suit he wore when he went to give a lecture to customs, with two pens clipped to his pocket, one red and one gold—this was the dignity of being a wedding officiant.

Jin Hai solemnly invited him to be the officiant at the newlyweds' wedding.

The small truck screeched to a halt in front of the house.

Inside the carriage, the three turns and one sound glistened in the sunlight:
The Forever brand bicycle was tied with a red ribbon, the Butterfly brand sewing machine was covered with a red cloth, the Jinling brand watch lay in a glass box, and the Red Lantern brand radio was tied with a red string.

Sixteen-legged furniture pieces were neatly arranged on both sides of the carriage—four folding chairs, a square table, a three-door wardrobe, and a double bed, all still freshly painted.

"Wow, what a spectacle!" The crowd erupted in excitement.

Several young men counted the legs in the carriage, while the women marveled at the sewing machine.

Some of the brides went over to take a look and their eyes welled up with tears: when they got married, they only had a new bed or two red enamel basins and a red thermos, and some even only had a wooden sewing box.

The groom, Jin Daguo, jumped off the train, a Hero fountain pen clipped to the pocket of his military green Dacron shirt.

He turned to help the bride, but her red shoes slipped on the car's running board, and she almost fell into his arms, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

Her bright red wedding dress was made of Dacron material, which shimmered with a delicate luster in the sunlight. Her two braids were tied with red ribbons, which swung back and forth with her movements.

Jin Hai went to lift the red silk covering the leader's bust and invited the leader to witness the wedding.

Qian Jin cleared his throat and took out a piece of red paper from his pocket.

The crowd pointed and whispered at him:

"This is Qian Jin, the new director of the supply and marketing cooperative..."

"He's incredibly skilled; Ma Defu is just a greenhorn in his eyes..."

"He's such a good person. As soon as he took office, he distributed gifts to all the elderly living alone and families of martyrs and soldiers in the entire commune. He gave out so many things; it's really enviable..."

Qian Jin began reciting the wedding vows, which follow a fixed format:
"Fellow revolutionary comrades, today..."

A crackling sound rang out.

The production team accountant lit the thousand-shot firecrackers hanging on the locust tree, and smoke immediately filled the air, with red scraps of paper fluttering down like flower petals.

After the smoke cleared, Qian Jin continued reading: "Comrade Jin Daguo and Comrade Wang Xiaohong developed a revolutionary bond through their shared labor..."

"Now, please have the newlyweds bow to the portrait of the leader!"

Below the portrait of the leader in the center of the main room is an octagonal table, on which is a red paper package containing "Quotations from the Leader".

The bride and groom bowed deeply three times.

"Bowing to the revolutionary patriarch!"

Jin Hai sat on the bench, his knees trembling uncontrollably.

When the newlyweds bowed, he hurriedly stood up to return the bow, almost knocking over the enamel teacup on the table, which drew laughter from the crowd of onlookers in the courtyard.

There was no bowing ceremony between husband and wife.

Finally, Qian Jin pulled out two red marriage certificates from his pocket, the national emblem on the cover gleaming in gold.

He handed the marriage certificate to the two of them, and the wedding was considered over.

The melody of "The East Is Red" filled the spacious courtyard.

Qian Jin took a closer look and exclaimed, "Good heavens, it's an old item!"
It turned out that Jin Hai had hired a broadcaster from the commune. The production team didn't have electricity yet, so the broadcaster brought over a hand-cranked phonograph powered by a diesel engine.

As the melody of "The East Is Red" flowed, Qian Jin led the applause, which rained down on the newlyweds.

The bride scatters wedding candies.

Adults, children, and the elderly were all scrambling to grab it.

The scene was extremely lively.

Qian Jin seized the opportunity to grab two yuan as well, not for any other reason than to participate.

Weddings these days have a great atmosphere.

Especially when it's mealtime.

Today is a good day; the weather is great, and the midday sun makes the courtyard scorching hot.

Eight tables were set up, and in the center of each table was an enamel basin with the character "囍" printed on it. The basin contained stewed cabbage with vermicelli, with a few glistening pieces of fatty meat floating on top.

The children circled around the table, while the adults kept a close eye on them, afraid they would embarrass themselves.

Qian Jin was led to the main table, where a bowl of egg drop soup with oil floating on top of it was placed in front of him.

The leaders and cadres of the brigade and production team sat down, surrounding Qian Jin like stars around the moon.

Many people went to watch Lou Xiaoguang cook.

The new bride will have plenty of time to see him later, but the head chef of the state-run restaurant in the coastal city can only see him today.

The firewood crackled and popped beneath the two large iron pots.

Lou Xiaoguang, wearing a snow-white apron and with beads of sweat on his forehead, was stirring the bubbling sauce in the pot with a long-handled spoon.

His chef's hat swayed gently with his movements, and the children stood on tiptoe to count the folds on the hat.

"This is a legitimate head chef from a state-run restaurant!" Jin Hai proudly introduced to the guests, pointing directly to the red characters "Second State-run Restaurant of Haibin City" embroidered on Lou Xiaoguang's apron.

He spoke with a rather arrogant air about him.

We hired a chef from the coastal city, which is the first of its kind in the entire commune.

Lou Xiaoguang kept his eyes on the pot and his nose on the stove, quickly getting to work just like Guan Dabao.

With a flick of his wrist, the iron ladle struck the edge of the pot with a "clang," like a monk striking a bell.

Golden oil droplets bloomed on the surface of the sauce, and the aroma of star anise and cinnamon burst forth, causing the surrounding crowd to take a deep breath in unison.

Qian Jin prepared five main dishes, so Jin Hai's family had less pressure in preparing the ingredients, and Lou Xiaoguang also had less pressure in cooking.

The main dish is stewed cabbage and pork. It's a large pot of stew, and each table gets one pot.

Other simple dishes include stir-fried shredded potatoes, stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and stir-fried bok choy with dried shrimp.

Lou Xiaoguang has already prepared the main course; all that's left is the main dish.

The main dishes are all pre-cooked and only need to be heated.

Lou Xiaoguang kept Qian Jin's instructions in mind.

Perform well and have class.

He wielded the iron ladle in his hand like a juggler, and every now and then he brandished the cleaver to chop scallions, making a sound like horses' hooves.

The pot of Four Happiness Meatballs is ready to be heated.

He set out the plates and swung his long spoon to put four meatballs into the plates at a time.

Four large, dark brown meatballs trembled slightly on the plate, their surfaces coated with a glistening sauce that revealed faint pink meat particles inside.

He pointed to the green cilantro leaves and chopped white scallions and said, "May the newlyweds live an honest and upright life, and may their days be prosperous and thriving!"

"Great!" Many people cheered.

Jin Hai poured the wine.

With the Four Happiness Meatballs served, there were already quite a few dishes on the table, and it was time to begin the meal.

As soon as the four-happiness meatballs were placed down, more than a dozen pairs of chopsticks were simultaneously reached up on each table.

They were all colleagues; staff from the secondary distribution stations also came and were seated at the same table.

Li Weiguo picked up half a meatball, and brown meat juice dripped down his chopsticks. He quickly took a bite.

Your teeth first encounter the soft outer skin, then the chewy meat filling, and finally bite into a crunchy water chestnut.

"Ugh!" Li Weiguo puffed out his cheeks, unable to speak, but could only give a thumbs up.

Wei Quanmin, who had beaten him, said disdainfully, "What a scoundrel!"

He was too late and only managed to grab a small piece of meatball.

Then he looked around and saw that Chen Kai had snatched a whole meatball.

He was about to take a piece when he saw Chen Kai enthusiastically place the meatball in front of Cao Lihua, the only female comrade on the table: "Lihua, eat, you look haggard lately..."

Cao Lihua put the meatballs back.

The main point is that I, an old woman, am distancing myself from you all.

Next up are fried chicken strips.

This is a dish that no one has ever seen before.

The golden-brown chicken strips are neatly stacked, each one coated with fine breadcrumbs and fried until fluffy and crispy.

A daring young man seized the opportunity when no one was looking and stole one. He burned his hands and thrashed about, hissing and yelling.

Lou Xiaoguang wiped the sweat from his forehead and served the dishes. After they were placed on the table, the dish sparked a discussion among everyone: "What is this?"

"Fried pork strips?"

"No, pork can't be this tender."

"Hey, the chefs at those state-run restaurants in the city know how to cook..."

Wei Quanmin finally managed to snag a whole set this time.

He picked up a chicken strip, and the crisp "crunch" sound as he bit down surprised him greatly.

The chicken strips are snow-white and tender, still steaming hot. Dipped in salt and pepper, they are savory with a slight numbing sensation.

They were discussing what it was, and after much discussion, someone finally whispered something:
"Director Qian has some really unconventional methods, but he's incredibly kind to his subordinates' mothers."

The others were silent for a moment, then someone began to complain:
"When I got married the year before last, I wanted Lao Ma to get me some special-supply liquor, but he couldn't."

"If you work for Old Ma, you'll never get him to bleed; he'll only suck your blood."

"Pear Blossom, what kind of meat is this? It's so tender! But I think it's not as tender as yours, hehe..."

Cao Lihua rolled her eyes.

If there hadn't been no empty seats at the other tables, she would have left Chen Kai's side long ago.

When the roast chicken was served, a chorus of exclamations erupted from the threshing ground.

The whole chicken was arranged in a pose as if it were about to take flight, with white sesame seeds evenly sprinkled on its golden skin, and a sprig of cilantro in its beak, making it look as if it had just strolled back from the fields.

With a gentle nudge of his chopsticks, Qian Jin easily removed the chicken leg meat from the bone.

He picked up a piece and handed it to the old Party Secretary next to him. The old man's toothless mouth moved as he exclaimed, "Delicious! This chicken is even more delicious than Jufengde in Quancheng Prefecture back in the day!"

The mall offers a wide variety of roast chickens, many of which are regional specialties. The one Qian Jin chose is a new type of roast chicken developed by a professor of food engineering at an agricultural university.

The chicken skin is crispy but not burnt, and the meat is tender but not dry. The best part is the shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots stuffed inside the cavity, which have absorbed the umami flavor of the chicken oil and retained the freshness of the mountain delicacies, causing people to scramble for them.

The braised pork and braised pork hock were served at the same time.

The braised pork is sliced ​​as thin as cicada wings, and the translucent slices have beautiful marble patterns with alternating layers of fat and lean meat.

"His knife skills are amazing! I was watching him just now, and the way he wielded the knife was like a hen pecking at rice!" Chen Kai exclaimed, beaming with delight.

The braised pork knuckle is preserved in its original form, with an overall bright red color that looks very appealing. The skin is decorated with diamond-shaped cuts, and the inside is soaked in sauce.

Several people scrambled to get it, but with just a gentle pry with the tip of a chopstick, the skin and flesh separated, revealing the trembling gelatinous substance inside.

After they had finished eating, one by one they untied their belts.

Yu Zhenfeng said in a low voice, "My younger brother is getting married soon, you guys were talking about it..."

"You'll be lucky if Director Qian doesn't send you to jail," Li Weiguo sneered.

Yu Zhenfeng roared in fury: "You son of a bitch!"

Li Weiguo, seemingly unafraid despite being drunk, said, "What's wrong? You all know what you've done in the past. Am I telling you the truth? I'm just asking you, are you scared?"

Chen Kai picked out a piece of pork knuckle skin and gave it to Cao Lihua: "Lihua, eat this. People say it's the best thing for women to eat."

Everyone at the table was at their wits' end: "Chen Kai, are you out of your mind?"

"Pear Blossom looks at you like you're dog shit. Don't you even have that much sense?"

"Get out of my way, stop being disgusting. Let me tell you, it's not your turn to participate in the sword duel!"

Chen Kai's face darkened: "I'm telling you, this is the last time you'll disrespect me!"

“I heard what you were saying. What’s the point of your babbling? Old Zhao, tell them our inside information, so they won’t keep dreaming of making money off us.”

Zhao Ze'an, who hadn't spoken until now, glanced at him sideways, his face dark.

Li Weiguo asked suspiciously, "What's wrong? Do you have any inside information?"

Others also pressed for answers.

Finally, Zhao Ze'an had no choice but to take the pipe out of his mouth and lower his voice to say:

"Director Ma is coming back!"

"Director Ma sent us a message; he's coming back to get rid of Qian Jin and bring him back to power!"

(End of this chapter)