Siheyuan: A Cook in the 60s

"How can it be the same? There are a lot of people outside, but here, there are only two of us. I made two servings, one for myself, and one for you to take away when you leave. I've already told Director Li about this, don't worry."

Li Huaide's work was a private job, so it didn't matter if he didn't get paid. He would make up for it elsewhere. But he had said before coming here that he should bring back some good food. He didn't care. The food he bought was not enough for twelve people. To be honest, even if twenty people came, it would be enough. He had originally wanted Cao Wei to bring some back.

He has never been stingy with his own people.

Cao Wei didn't make anything too outrageous, just some mapo tofu and a dish of stir-fried pork with Sichuan characteristics.

Liu Lan took a bite and was choking with spiciness. She took a bite of the fragrant white flour bun before stopping.

"It's spicy, but delicious." Liu Lan gave Cao Wei a thumbs up while chewing.

The dishes here, let alone the two plates of meat in front of her, even the white flour buns in her hand, were difficult for her to eat.

With the delicious food in front of her, she had no mood to talk to Cao Wei and only stopped eating when her stomach was full.

After the man had eaten his fill, he began to think about things.

"Hey, Master Cao, how do you think we should go back?" Liu Lan touched Cao Wei.

Cao Wei glanced at her and said, "If you have something to say, please talk to me nicely. Don't touch me. Men and women should not touch each other."

"Tsk, come on, come on, I'll stand further away. Can you speak?" Liu Lan said "Tsk", rolled her eyes, and felt that she had gone too far. The main reason was that Cao Wei's food was so delicious that people couldn't help but get close to him.

"Why are you in such a hurry? They still need to talk after their meal. There is only one car in this yard, so I guess we should go first." Cao Wei found a bowl for himself, got himself a glass of water, and drank it calmly.

No one came to ask him to come over and introduce himself to everyone.

Like in the drama, the big boss specifically asked Sha Zhu to come out to show him, but that also depends on the situation. A normal cook is in the kitchen, and after the meal is ready, it's done. If it's time to go out, wait for the host to arrange it. In today's scene, Director Li is the highest official and the host, and no one would be so desperate as to ask Cao Wei to go out to show him.

After hearing what Cao Wei said, Liu Lan was no longer in a hurry. There were no stools in the kitchen, so she found a place against the wall and sat down. She was very tired just now.

"If you ask me, your craftsmanship is really good, much better than Shazhu's."

"Silly Pillar? The one from the Fifth Canteen?"

"That's right, his mouth..." At this point, Liu Lan paused, a little curious: "Hey, your chef's mouth is not forgiving, he speaks rudely, and you are not much different."

Cao Wei: ...

There's probably something wrong with this woman.

"Just say so."

"But you are more reliable than him. He would put a lot of money into his own pocket after cooking a meal, and he wouldn't share any with us." Liu Lan seemed to realize that he had said something wrong and tried to make amends for himself.

"You really just say whatever you want. Aren't you afraid that I will report you?"

"Isn't this your cook's rule?"

"What kind of rule is this? We chefs don't have such rules." Cao Wei shook his head.

"So today you..."

Cao Wei rolled his eyes and said, "You should understand that the work you did today was private work. These two meals are our wages. You served the dishes and washed the vegetables today, so even if you are a small worker, you still have a share."

"Is that idiot who keeps saying 'If the cook doesn't steal, the crops won't be harvested' wrong?"

"Of course, work must be paid. This is my reward." Cao Wei pointed to the packed food.

"So you guys in the three cafeterias don't take any food home?"

"What are you talking about? How is that possible?" Cao Wei rolled his eyes. "If you want to take the small canteen back, that's possible, but how can you take the big canteen back? That's embezzlement of state-owned assets."

Liu Lan was shocked when Cao Wei said this. "I'm not well educated, don't scare me."

"That's just what you say. You won't really dare to take the food back, right?" Cao Wei said with a strange look on his face.

"No, only Sha Zhu would do that." Liu Lan waved her hands repeatedly. She had been thinking about imitating Sha Zhu, but after hearing what Cao Wei said, she immediately didn't dare to do it.

"That fool." Cao Wei frowned.

"Is it really that serious?" Liu Lan asked cautiously.

"Why would I lie to you? There are so many people cutting meat and cooking in the cafeteria. They just need to make some money for themselves within a certain range. There is enough leftover food in the kitchen. It will be different if you take it back."

"why?"

"Take it back, are you going to eat it yourself or give it to your family?"

"Of course it's for my family..." Liu Lan paused here, and she understood.

"That's the problem." Cao Wei shrugged. "There are dozens or even hundreds of people in the kitchen, and behind them are dozens or even hundreds of families. If this hole is opened and they take it back, what will be left in the canteen?"

"Then why is the small canteen okay?" Liu Lan didn't understand.

"The small canteen is not a formal one. It is a place where leaders secretly cook for themselves and give some to the cooks, which is meant to keep the cooks quiet. It is also a kind of job. It depends on skills, which is different from the big canteen."

"So that's how it is." Liu Lan narrowed her eyes slightly: "Master Cao, you really know a lot."

"Come on, forget it. Today you are my kitchen helper, so I'm going to give you a word of advice. Don't commit suicide by saying that I taught you that. That would be very unfair to me."

Cao Wei sighed. Actually, he didn't say this to Liu Lan. He just wanted to flatter Liu Lan and, by the way, Li Huaide. He just wanted to tell him that he was a simple and honest person.

The two chatted intermittently, and it was already half past seven.

Wei Wei opened the door with a red face and walked in. As soon as he came in, he threw a pack of cigarettes to Cao Wei. Cao Wei took it and looked at it. He couldn't help but complain: "Wow, Zhonghua."

In this era, to distinguish whether cigarettes are good or bad, besides looking at the packaging, one also looks at the filter. For example, the 2.3-cent cigarettes they smoke don't have filters, while the ones with filters look great when you take them out of your mouth.

"Director Li gave it to you."

"That's too stingy, just one pack?"

"Hey, you're still complaining about it. Do you know how rare this thing is? I'm jealous just looking at it."

"You didn't swallow mine, did you?" Cao Wei looked at Wei Wei with suspicion.

Wei Wei's face turned red, "Go away, go away. No matter what, I am your immediate superior, why do you talk to me like that?"

"Well, you are the leader, can you leave now?"