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Chapter 2564 Home-Style Dishes

【ding dong】

[The host's transmigration into this instance world can be described as perfect.]

[The system rewards the host with 1% memory recovery, bringing the total recovery to 8%]

[The host is about to leave the instance world "Chasing Jade"]

The next instance world is the period drama "Home-Style Dishes"

[Timeline: 1979; Location: Nanjing Yangzi Petrochemical Plant]

[The host's identity is Su Ning, a new chef at the No. 2 canteen of Yangzi Petrochemical. This time, she transmigrates into the body of the male protagonist, Liu Hongchang, and will become his colleague.]

Before Suning could process the information in the system, a familiar feeling of dizziness washed over him.

Suddenly everything went black, and I heard a buzzing sound in my ears, like several bees circling in my head.

Su Ning subconsciously closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, she was standing on an unfamiliar street.

The street wasn't wide, and the houses on both sides were dusty and gray, with some faded slogans painted on the walls, such as "Learn from Daqing in industry, learn from Dazhai in agriculture." Most of the red paint had peeled off, making it look like it had been painted several years ago.

Bicycles come and go on the road, their bells ringing incessantly. Occasionally, a Jiefang brand truck rumbles by, its exhaust pipe billowing out a plume of black smoke that makes people on the roadside cough.

Suning looked down at himself. He was wearing a navy blue khaki work uniform with the four large white characters "Yangtze Petrochemical" printed on the chest. The characters were neat and square, clearly indicating that they were issued by the factory.

He was wearing a pair of liberation shoes, with green canvas uppers, rubber soles, and tightly tied laces.

The pants were also blue cargo pants, and there was an unwashed oil stain on the knee, I don't know where it got there.

She touched her hair again; it was a bit longer than in the previous world. It wasn't a buzz cut anymore, but it wasn't too long either. She parted it neatly with a comb.

This hairstyle is really popular these days. Suning glanced around on the street and saw that seven or eight out of ten men had this hairstyle.

Suning stood by the roadside, processing the new memories in his mind.

This is Nanjing Yangzi Petrochemical, officially known as Yangzi Petrochemical Company, which is a key national project.

Construction only started seven or eight years ago, and it's still not fully completed.

The factory area has already taken shape, with towering chimneys and crisscrossing pipes, making it look like a city made of steel from a distance.

Suning's task today is to report to the human resources department.

The second canteen was short of a chef, so the factory hired Su Ning from outside and asked him to give it a try.

Suning was quite confident, as her culinary skills were already exceptional.

In addition, having slaughtered pigs and braised meat for so many years in the previous instance world, my cooking skills, while I wouldn't dare say they're the best in the world, should be more than enough to serve a factory canteen in this era.

Moreover, the 1980s will soon be upon us, a golden age when even pigs could fly.

Therefore, the times will give you many opportunities, and you can make a name for yourself no matter what you do.

In addition, I remember there were a lot of beautiful women in the TV series "Home-Style Dishes", so there will definitely be many interesting stories to come.

……

The personnel department is located in a three-story building on the east side of the factory area. The first floor houses the mailroom and security department, while the second and third floors contain various offices.

Su Ning went up to the second floor, found the room with the sign "Personnel Department", and knocked on the door.

"Come in," came a middle-aged woman's voice from inside.

Suning pushed open the door and saw a woman in her forties sitting behind a desk. She had curly hair, wore a gray polyester shirt, glasses, and was filling out some form with a pen in her hand.

The woman looked up at Su Ning, sized her up, and asked, "You're the new chef, Su Ning?"

Su Ning nodded, took out a letter of introduction from her pocket, and handed it over. "Yes, I am Su Ning, here to report for duty today."

The woman took the letter of introduction, glanced at it, then looked at Su Ning, a satisfied expression appearing on her face.

She had seen many chefs who came to report for duty, most of whom were old men in their forties or fifties, slovenly, and smelling of cooking oil.

This young man is clean-cut and neat, and he is also handsome and energetic, making him a pleasant and easy-going person to look at.

"Master Su, you've come at the right time. The second canteen is desperately short-staffed and can't keep up with the demand. If you don't go soon, the workers won't be able to eat lunch." As she spoke, the woman took out a work ID and a key from a drawer and handed them to Su Ning. "This is your work ID and the key to the changing room. The second canteen is on the west side of the factory area. Just go out of this building, turn left, and walk through two workshops. It's easy to find."

"Thank you."

Suning took the work permit and keys, thanked him, and turned to leave.

The woman suddenly called out to Su Ning again: "By the way, there's a cook in your second canteen named Liu Hongchang, who's in charge of the cooking just like you. He's a bit stubborn, but he's not a bad person. Try to get along with him and avoid any conflicts."

Liu Hongchang.

Su Ning silently repeated the name in her mind.

This is the male protagonist in "Home-Style Dishes," a cook at a state-owned restaurant who later transferred to work as a canteen cook at a factory.

This person's most prominent characteristic is his stubbornness; once he's made up his mind, nothing can sway him. However, he has a kind heart, is loyal, and is exceptionally devoted to his family and friends.

When Su Ning watched this show in the last century, she was quite impressed by the character.

"Thank you for the reminder, sister! I will pay attention to getting along with my colleagues."

"Smart! Go!"

"Goodbye, big sister."

……

After leaving the personnel department, Suning walked westward into the factory area.

The Yangzi Petrochemical plant area is very large, with neat rows of plane trees lining both sides of the road, their lush green leaves blocking out the sun overhead.

The road was filled with workers in blue work clothes, some riding bicycles, some walking, and some gathering in twos and threes to smoke and chat.

In the distance, several buildings were under construction, with workers climbing scaffolding. The clanging and hammering sounds mingled with the roar of machinery, creating a lively scene. The second canteen was a single-story building made of gray bricks, with a spotlessly clean cement area in front of it.

There was a wooden sign at the entrance with the words "Second Canteen" written on it in red paint. Some of the paint had worn off, but it was still legible.

As Suning pushed open the door, a fragrant aroma of food wafted out, a warm and comforting scent of oil and steam that instantly whetted her appetite.

The cafeteria wasn't large, with a dozen or so long tables, each with four benches. The tabletops were polished to a shine, reflecting people's images.

The kitchen was in the inner room, separated by a long food serving window. Several small blackboards hung above the window, displaying today's menu: braised pork, stir-fried greens, tomato and egg soup, with rice sold starting from two ounces.

The handwriting is crooked and messy, but the content looks genuine; it's no wonder it's the canteen of a large state-owned factory.

Suning walked around the food serving window and into the kitchen.

The kitchen was steaming, with two large pots bubbling away, one simmering braised pork and the other making tomato and egg soup.

A man in his thirties, wearing a white apron and a white hat, stood by the stove, tasting the soup for saltiness with a large iron ladle in his hand.

The man had a square face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, and slightly thick lips; he had the kind of honest and simple appearance.

Hearing the noise, he turned around, saw Su Ning, paused for a moment, then grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth.

"You must be the new Suning? My name is Liu Hongchang, and I'm the head chef here." Liu Hongchang wiped his hands on his apron, extended his right hand, and greeted him with a smile.

Su Ning grasped his hand, feeling its strength and calluses, clearly the work of someone who spends years wielding knives and ladles. "Hello, Master Liu, I'm Su Ning, just started today. We'll be colleagues from now on, you can just call me Xiao Su."

Liu Hongchang looked him up and down, his eyes filled with curiosity. "You don't look very old! In your early twenties? Where did you learn to cook? A state-run restaurant or the canteen of some big factory?"

Su Ning smiled and casually made up an excuse: "I'm twenty-one! I learned from a master chef, traveled to many places, and worked in several restaurants. I can handle both big pot dishes and stir-fries, as long as they won't make anyone's stomach upset."

"Haha..." Liu Hongchang laughed heartily upon hearing this, patted Su Ning on the shoulder, "Good! You know how to talk! Unlike some chefs who brag about how great they are as soon as they open their mouths, but the dishes they make are like pig swill, and they still say that others can't eat them. I like your style."

Then he turned around and walked to the stove, picked up the big iron ladle, and stirred it in the braised pork pot. The pieces of meat rolled in the thick sauce, glistening with oil, making one's mouth water just looking at them.

Liu Hongchang scooped up a piece of meat, blew on it, and handed it to Su Ning, saying, "Try this, it's my braised pork, see if it suits your taste."

Suning didn't stand on ceremony and took it, putting it in his mouth.

The meat was stewed until tender and melted in your mouth, rich but not greasy, with a perfect balance of salty and sweet flavors, and cooked to perfection.

He chewed a couple of times, nodded, and sincerely praised, "Good. The fatty meat isn't greasy, the lean meat isn't dry, and the caramelization is perfect, without a hint of burnt taste. Chef Liu, your skills are top-notch even in a state-run restaurant."

Upon hearing this, Liu Hongchang's eyes lit up, and he grinned from ear to ear. "Okay, I love what you're saying. From now on, we'll work together. You can cook and I'll chop the vegetables, or you can chop the vegetables and I'll cook, whatever works. Anyway, there are only two cooks in the second canteen. When it's busy, we'll be exhausted, and when it's slow, we'll be bored to death. You should be prepared."

"Okay! Then we'll do as Master Liu says."

Su Ning smiled, rolled up her sleeves, walked to the sink to wash her hands, then picked up the kitchen knife from the cutting board and examined the blade.

The knife was sharpened very quickly, and the blade gleamed coldly under the light, clearly showing that Liu Hongchang had sharpened it with care.

Suning picked up a cabbage and, with a swift stroke, chopped it into even, fine shreds of uniform thickness and length, arranging them on the cutting board like rows of neat soldiers.

Liu Hongchang watched from the side, his eyes widening, and finally he couldn't help but exclaim, "What amazing knife skills! Xiao Su, where did you practice? I've seen many chefs in my life, but you're the first one who can cut cabbage like this."

Su Ning gathered the shredded cabbage into a bowl and said with a smile, "You'll get better with practice. I used to work in a large canteen, cutting dozens of kilograms of cabbage every day. After two years, it was hard not to cut it finely."

Liu Hongchang believed him, nodded, and said with emotion, "No pain, no gain. You're capable. With you here in our second canteen, the workers are in for a treat."

The two talked and worked together very well.

Liu Hongchang was in charge of cooking the stew, while Su Ning was responsible for chopping and stir-frying the vegetables. With two large pots on the stove burning at the same time, the temperature in the kitchen rose sharply, and both of them were sweating.

But no one complained or said they were tired; they worked with great enthusiasm.

……

At lunchtime, long queues formed outside the cafeteria.

The workers, carrying enamel basins and meal tickets, chatted as they lined up, discussing everyday matters such as how the food was, which workshop had an accident, and whose family had a baby.

As soon as the window opened, the crowd surged forward. The chef at the front peeked inside, smelled the aroma of braised pork, and swallowed hard. "Chef Liu, this pork smells amazing today! My mouth is watering just from the smell!"

Liu Hongchang stood behind the window, holding a large iron ladle, his eyes narrowed into slits as he ladled food. He joked with the workers as he served them, "Eat more if it smells good. We have a new chef, Chef Su, who is even better than me. You're in for a treat from now on."

The workers looked into the kitchen and saw Suning chopping vegetables. They started talking amongst themselves.

"Wow, the new chef is quite young! He's also so tall and handsome. He doesn't look like a chef at all; he looks more like a college student."

"What's wrong with being young? Young people have better skills! Since Chef Zhang retired, the food in the second canteen has gotten worse and worse. It's time to bring in a new person."

"That's right, that's right. Master Liu can't handle everything by himself, so it's good to have a helper."

Su Ning stood behind the chopping board, listening to these words, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

He looked at the steaming kitchen, at Liu Hongchang standing at the window getting food, and at the workers queuing up for their meals, and suddenly felt quite at ease.

Although this era was not the modern world he was familiar with, the feeling was still very familiar to him.

A group of people toiled for a living, sweating profusely in the factory and eating a hot meal in the canteen. Although life was hard, they had hope and a future.

Suning really likes this feeling.

Just thinking about the sycophantic treatment of Liu Hongchang, the male lead in the original drama "Home-Style Dishes," Su Ning was at a loss for words.

However, Wen Hui and Liu Hongchang were both willing to give and receive, so no one else could say anything about it.

At this moment, Suning poured the chopped vegetables into the pot. The spatula flew, and the vegetables jumped around in the pot, making a sizzling sound.

The cooking fumes rose up, mingling with the aroma of food, filling the entire kitchen.

He casually grabbed the towel around his neck, wiped the sweat from his forehead, took a deep breath, and began his first day in the factory canteen.

However, Su Ning never expected that the system would play such a huge joke on him, directly causing the plot of "Home-Style Dishes" to take a new turn.

...(End of this chapter)