Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

After that incident in the woodshed, Chen Xiangdong became more cautious. The area around the woodshed was bustling with people, almost the only route for theater staff going to the canteen for meals, so it seemed best to behave himself from now on.

Ultimately, it's because the formal appointment hasn't been finalized yet, and if something goes wrong at this crucial juncture, it could be disastrous.

Chen Xiangdong pondered to himself that he had indeed been too high-profile since his rebirth. As a temporary worker, the theater troupe could easily dismiss him with a single sentence.

With nothing much to do in the afternoon, he went to the canteen and helped the kitchen staff pound the fried rice into fine half-grain rice using a stone mortar. He worked for half the afternoon to prepare a large basin of it.

After all, it's enough for seventy or eighty people; just pounding the rice can make your arms ache and swell.

While Fatty Qin was busy preparing the marinade in the kitchen, Yu Baoliang approached Chen Xiangdong with a smile, trying to get closer to him: "Dongwa, how come you're so capable? You can even make steamed pork with rice flour. I saw Old Qin making Changwu crispy pork the other day, did you teach him that too?"

Chen Xiangdong was busy pounding rice and didn't even look up: "Oh, that? I learned it from an old cookbook."

Yu Baoliang's smile grew even more eager as he snatched the pestle from Chen Xiangdong's hand: "Look, you've been working on it for half the afternoon. Take a break, there's not much left. I'll do the pounding."

Chen Xiangdong was stunned for a moment. Looking at Yu Baoliang's enthusiasm, he knew exactly what the fat man was thinking. He was probably trying to get information about the "old recipe".

Despite his burly appearance and honest face, and his quiet demeanor in the kitchen, Chen Xiangdong knew that Yu Baoliang was actually a cunning and wicked man.

He had learned this lesson in his previous life: Yu Baoliang was cunning and shrewd, keeping his mouth shut but secretly calculating more shrewdly than anyone else.

To be honest, Chen Xiangdong would rather deal with Fatty Qin than get too entangled with Yu Baoliang. In his previous life, Fatty Qin was tricked by this guy and almost got kicked out of the kitchen.

He smiled without revealing his expression and said, "Teacher Yu, you've gone to a lot of trouble."

Yu Baoliang waved his hand: "What's so tiring about it? This is our kitchen job, after all. When we're steaming the meat later, I'll give it a try. Dongwa, could you give me some pointers?"

Chen Xiangdong: "I wouldn't dare to offer guidance. Master Yu, you've been doing this for so many years, and I'm still just a beginner. If you have any questions, let's figure them out together."

After chatting and laughing with Yu Baoliang for a few minutes, Chen Xiangdong excused himself to go to the kitchen to check on how the meat was marinating. Then, right under the noses of Fatty Qin and Yu Baoliang, he skillfully coated the meat with rice flour, arranged it on a plate, and steamed it in one smooth motion.

It steamed for a full hour, just in time for dinner.

The moment Chen Xiangdong lifted the lid of the steamer, a cloud of steam billowed out, filling the room with the aroma of meat. He leaned closer and saw neatly arranged slices of meat, glistening with oil and pink. He picked up a piece with his chopsticks, and the slice trembled slightly. The rice noodles, soaked with the meat juices, glistened with oil.

"Wow..." Fatty Qin swallowed hard. "This steamed pork looks delicious."

Yu Baoliang and Li Qiufen stood to the side, their eyes fixed on the plate of steamed pork in the steamer. They didn't say anything, but their Adam's apples bobbed.

Chen Xiangdong picked up a piece with his chopsticks and brought it to Fatty Qin's lips: "Master Qin, please try it first to see if it's salty."

Fatty Qin didn't stand on ceremony, taking a bite and chewing twice before his eyes lit up: "Great! Delicious! The meat is so tender, and the rice noodles are so fragrant. From today onwards, our kitchen will have a new signature dish!"

That evening, the steamed pork with rice flour caused a great sensation in the theater troupe's canteen.

The actors craning their necks to peer into the kitchen while waiting in line for their meals were completely captivated by the enticing aroma.

"Master Qin, what delicious food is being made in that steamer? It smells so good!"

"Steamed pork with rice flour!" Fatty Qin's voice was so loud that the whole cafeteria could hear it: "This is a new dish from our troupe. You're all welcome to try it today."

"What?"

"That steamed pork with rice flour from southern Shaanxi?"

"Wow, our theater troupe is doing really well now! We can even afford to eat this famous dish!"

The crowd erupted in excitement, especially Jia Dafang's plump wife, whose eyes lit up with excitement. She shouted to her husband, "I've been away from home for over ten years, and I've been craving that steamed pork with rice flour from my hometown for ages!"

When the first plate of steamed pork with rice flour was served, everyone was excited. The pork slices were glistening with oil and the rice flour was soaked with broth, making everyone's mouths water.

Having already lined up first upon receiving the news, Liu Dezhu couldn't wait to grab a bite and stuff it into his mouth. After only two chews, his eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed, "This meat is absolutely amazing! It melts in your mouth, it's so delicious it'll make your eyebrows fall off!"

Upon hearing this, the people in line behind became even more impatient, tapping their empty bowls with their chopsticks: "Hurry up, give me one too!"

Fatty Qin scooped the food into the rice bowl spoonful by spoonful, his face beaming with joy: "There's still plenty of food; everyone will get some."

The new dishes launched by the kitchen this time were a great success, and they also shut up those who secretly complained that the cafeteria only served pig feed.

Qin the Fatty leaned over the food serving window, craning his neck to watch the employees who were eating their bread, even dipping the layer of oil at the bottom of their rice bowls in it. At that moment, he felt like he had reached the pinnacle of his life, feeling incredibly proud and elated.

The steamed pork with rice flour that night was later remembered fondly by many of the troupe's veteran members. Someone suggested to Director Jia that they make it once or twice a month to improve the troupe's meals.

Jia Dafang was initially reluctant, grumbling about how much meat he would have to buy. But after his wife shut the door and scolded him, he decisively announced the next day that steamed pork with rice flour would be officially added to the cafeteria menu.

Steamed pork with rice flour can't be eaten every day. The troupe's food allowance is simply not enough. We can't just eat whatever we want for the first half of the month and then eat dirt and drink cold water for the second half.

But from that day on, everyone in the troupe noticed that the kitchen's cooking skills seemed to have suddenly improved a lot. Even the "potato feast" that everyone used to dread seemed to have become more delicious.

On October 28th, a metal-shelled covered wagon drove into the theater troupe's compound.

Li Zhangqing and Fu Xiaoyue had just come out of Lu Meiyin's room after practicing their singing when they spotted the green car parked in the front yard from afar. The two girls stared wide-eyed at the makeshift car, their faces full of curiosity and wonder.

"What kind of car is that? Why is it different from the ones we usually see?" Fu Xiaoyue tugged at Li Zhangqing's sleeve.

"I don't know either... It looks pretty high-end." Li Zhangqing stood on tiptoe and strained to see in that direction.

As soon as the car door opened, two men dressed in Zhongshan suits, who looked like cadres, stepped out, pens clipped to their chests and briefcases in their hands. Jia Dafang had already come out of his office to greet them, his face beaming with smiles, his back bowed even lower than usual.

"Oh my, Director Niu, Section Chief Yang, what brings you both here in person? Please, please come inside!"

Han Wenxue followed behind, carrying two cups of hot tea, and eagerly led them into the office.

People from the troupe gathered around in twos and threes, standing at a distance and whispering among themselves.

"Who's this? Looks like he's someone important, right? Look at Jia Dafang, he's hunched over like his head is practically stuck in his crotch."

"It must be the county leaders. Didn't they say they were going to hold an awards ceremony last time? I guess they came here for this."

"What, you two don't know yet? Today's event is to commend Dongwa, the one who put out the fire."

As a group of people were discussing something, director Liu Qiaosheng's voice suddenly came over the loudspeaker in the courtyard:

"Hey, hey, hey! All theater staff, assemble in the backyard immediately upon hearing this! Assemble in the backyard right now!"

Having received the notification long ago, Chen Xiangdong specially changed into his brand-new black work clothes and liberation shoes.

Upon hearing the horn, he pushed open the door to the woodshed and came out. His usually messy hair was now neatly combed, and he even dampened it a little to create a 3/7 part.

Fatty Qin was peeking out of the kitchen when he saw Dongwa's attire and burst out laughing: "Hey, Dongwa, you look quite presentable now that you've dressed up!"

Chen Xiangdong was a little embarrassed by his laughter. He tugged at his clothes, wiped the dust off his shoes, and retorted with a stiff neck, "What do you know? This is called a vibrant and energetic spirit!"

"Alright, alright, you're all set!" Fatty Qin waved his hand cheerfully. "Go on, don't keep the boss waiting."

Chen Xiangdong chuckled, clenched his fist, and strode towards the backyard with his head held high.

He's the star of today's awards ceremony!