The courtyard house, without the script of Sha Zhu.

Chapter 138 Cao Wei's Assistance, Radio Tickets

Although the astonishment lasted only a moment, it made Li Huaide secretly delighted, thinking to himself: It's all settled! It's all settled!

It should be noted that Li Huaide knew his father-in-law very well, and he usually kept his emotions hidden.

Even if it only lasts for a moment, it is enough to show how shocked the other person is at that moment.

Inviting Cao Wei to help me was definitely the right move.

As the dishes were served one by one, the elderly man, seated at the head of the table, silently savored each bite, reflecting on the experience.

He seemed to have no intention of speaking, or rather, the key factor that would change his expression had not yet appeared.

That was the last dish, and its overall shape resembled a peony flower.

This dish is golden and glossy, with a bright amber-colored sweet and sour sauce that makes it visually striking.

The old man's pupils focused slightly for a moment upon seeing the dish.

This time, he didn't taste it directly. Instead, he looked at it for a while before taking out his chopsticks and gently picking up a piece.

After putting it in your mouth, accompanied by the crackling sound of the crispy outer skin, the first sensation in your mouth is the crispy and fragrant outer skin, while the fish meat inside is smooth, tender, and chewy, with a pleasant sweet and sour taste that is not greasy.

The fish meat even had a light sheen of juice, perfectly showcasing its tender and delicious flavor.

Even the old man in front of me couldn't help but close his eyes for a moment after finishing the dish.

It's important to understand that this dish had a significant impact on him, as he could sense that even the slightest error in cooking time or temperature was disastrous.

Without deviation, the taste wouldn't be what it is now. After exhaling a deep breath, he couldn't help but look at Aunt Zhang beside him and said slowly.

"Let's call this young chef out here."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhang's face flashed with surprise for a moment. She knew her boss best; he was not someone who met people easily, yet this time he had taken the initiative to ask to see him.

This is enough to show that the dish greatly shocked her husband.

After nodding slightly, he stood up and turned to walk into the kitchen. Cao Wei, who was in the kitchen, was still somewhat nervous.

Although he had put this innovative peony fish fillet on the table in advance, he was facing Li Huaide's father-in-law. Logically speaking, what delicacies hadn't someone of that level eaten?

It would be very difficult to impress the other person or gain their respect.

However, Cao Wei only hoped that this would satisfy the other party, at least make Li Huaide's official career smoother, so that he, as Li Huaide's man, could have a more comfortable life in the factory.

When the so-called Aunt Zhang appeared in the kitchen, Cao Wei remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was quite excited.

He could see that when Aunt Zhang looked at him, her expression relaxed and showed a hint of approval.

What he said next completely put his nerves at ease.

"Xiao Cao, could you come here for a moment?"

At this moment, Cao Wei felt less excitement and more a unique confidence that belonged to a time traveler.

This kept his expression relatively calm.

Without taking the initiative to speak, she simply followed Aunt Zhang and arrived at the main hall for the first time.

He saw the people sitting there, but his gaze didn't wander aimlessly. He glanced at them casually before lowering his head. After all, he knew that some things weren't for him to look at carelessly at the moment.

If it might offend the other party, then there's no need to do it.

This measured approach seemed to elicit a hint of appreciation from the old man sitting in the main seat. Soon after, a deep and resonant voice rang out.

"I heard from Huai De that your name is Xiao Cao, right?"

"Yes."

Cao Wei spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, without much deliberate flattery.

And naturally, he wasn't like the original owner of the idiot Zhu, who was summoned by the so-called big leader and acted like a mute; that was just stupidity.

This caused the old man to raise an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. He had expected the other man to be speechless or stutter. Cao Wei's reaction, however, truly delighted him.

"Your cooking skills are very good, but this dish makes me a little curious; I've never heard of it before."

Seeing this, Cao Wei looked at the peony fish slices and slowly introduced them.

"Sir, this dish is called Peony Fish Slices. Its predecessor was the imperial dish Peony Chicken Slices, but that was too complicated and not very approachable."

"So I changed the chicken to fish, which is more in line with the general public, but it makes the cooking process a little more complicated."

These words finally sparked a hint of interest in the old man's eyes, and he couldn't help but continue to ask questions.

"Oh, how long did it take you to practice making this dish before you succeeded?"

"How long you train is not important; what matters most is the determination to move forward. It was under Director Li's guidance that I gained this drive to move forward and innovate. After all, only in this way can we better build our motherland."

At this point, Cao Wei stopped talking. As the saying goes, when it comes to flattering such a high-ranking leader, there's an art to it.

Licking too superficially will only make the other person feel uncomfortable. Try to lick gently so that both parties feel comfortable.

Just as Cao Wei had expected, Director Li smiled with satisfaction after hearing these words.

For the first time, a smile appeared on the old man's usually tense face. He couldn't help but look at Li Huaide and tease him.

"Huai De, after all these years, I've finally seen you develop this awareness, though I learned about it through this young comrade."

At this moment, Li Huaide was completely dumbfounded.

He never expected Cao Wei to say such a thing, or rather, in his view, Cao Wei's skill at his age was already quite remarkable.

That's quite impressive. I never expected that he would be even more eloquent than me.

Upon realizing what was happening, he became even more excited upon hearing the teasing. This was the first time his father-in-law had acknowledged him. He had almost formed a thousand words in his mind, but in the end, he could only manage to utter one sentence.

"Not at all, it's all because I'm heavily influenced by my father-in-law."

Upon hearing this, the old man smiled and looked at Cao Wei, nodding slightly.

This can be considered the greatest recognition for Cao Wei. After all, for someone of his level to nod to a cook speaks volumes.

Cao Wei didn't say anything at this moment, but subconsciously looked at Aunt Zhang next to him, and sure enough, she also chuckled and spoke.

"Alright, you two can continue chatting. Chef Cao is probably still hungry, right?"

After understanding this implication, Cao Wei left the main hall under Aunt Zhang's guidance.

Perhaps because of Cao Wei's words or actions, the old man now looked at Li Huaide with a hint of liking for the first time.

Unfortunately, the other party was a typical "phoenix man" (a man from a poor background who achieves success through humble beginnings), which he disliked. After all these years, even with his help, the man hadn't accomplished much. But Cao Wei's appearance this time marked the first time he had changed his opinion of Li Huaide.

Thanks to these words, Li Huaide was finally able to catch his breath at the dinner party.

After the dinner ended, Aunt Zhang casually handed over an envelope.

Cao Wei was very sensible; after accepting the gift, he went to the door.

Led by the military vehicle, they returned to the gate of the compound.

It wasn't until he got home that Cao Wei opened the envelope.

Upon seeing the result, I was instantly taken aback.

It contained nothing but radio tickets.

It's important to know that radios only began to enter the public eye shortly after the introduction of the rationing system.

But that's just understanding. In this day and age, getting a bicycle ticket is incredibly difficult, let alone a radio ticket.

This made him admire the other party's generosity.

The next day at work, Li Huaide invited Cao Wei to his office and showered him with praise.

He even made a joke about it.

"Xiao Cao, I didn't expect your speaking skills to be almost on par with your cooking skills."

"Not at all, it's all thanks to the director's influence."

Hearing this, Li Huaide felt extremely pleased, and he even started addressing Cao Wei as a brother.

However, just when Cao Wei was living a comfortable life...

He even briefly forgot about those beastly neighbors, but accidents always happen at this time.