The courtyard house, without the script of Sha Zhu.

Chapter 114 First Visit to the Steel Rolling Mill, Interview

At this moment, Director Li was still in shock.

There was nothing we could do, even though we'd heard that the head chef at Fengzeyuan was the youngest in its history.

It was even touted as miraculous, and they even created an extraordinary dish.

The most crucial factor is not anything else, but his age; he's said to be only in his teens or twenties.

This information was circulating in Fengzeyuan and was not a rumor. However, in Director Li's ears, it was a complete exaggeration.

Some things just get more and more outrageous as they're passed around.

Therefore, he believed he could become the youngest head chef and create new dishes.

He should be at least thirty years old, but when the twenty-year-old Cao Wei arrived, he completely stunned him. After all, given Cao Wei's transformation, people would probably believe him if he said he was talented.

Upon hearing the other party's call, Director Li recovered from his shock, his eyes filled with a mixture of politeness and suspicion.

"Hello, are you Cao Wei?"

Cao Wei was not surprised by this attitude; in fact, he had been prepared for it and nodded slightly.

First, he took out a Daqianmen cigarette and offered it to me.

This pleased Director Li greatly, and he didn't beat around the bush, continuing directly.

"It's almost time. You can come and take a look at the dishes."

As he spoke, Director Li led Cao Wei to the small kitchen.

As they arrived, Director Li also gave a brief introduction.

"This is somewhat of a coincidence for you, isn't it? You were the head cook at Fengzeyuan when you took office and were in charge of cooking in Daqing."

"That was my master."

After Cao Wei finished speaking, Director Li was briefly surprised and couldn't help but ask a question subconsciously.

"No, I heard from outside that your master is Zhang He, isn't he?"

"This was my first master. Because of some things, he temporarily left Beijing and entrusted me to his brother Zhang He."

After listening to Cao Wei's explanation, Director Li nodded.

Afterwards, Cao Wei glanced at the dishes on the table and realized that it was no longer simple. You see, although the bill system has not yet officially arrived, the quota system has already been implemented.

But what's on this table right now? Top-quality pork belly, two or three whole chickens, and even two or three fish that look like they weigh at least three to five pounds each.

This is something that ordinary families wouldn't even dare to dream of during the New Year, yet it appeared here so casually.

This also shows that at this time, the practice of discussing business over meals was still prevalent in steel rolling mills, or even in society at present.

After Cao Wei glanced at it lightly, Director Li couldn't help but speak again.

"It's past ten o'clock now, you can get ready to start."

Director Li then turned to leave, but was suddenly stopped by Cao Wei.

"Um, wait a minute."

This made Director Li look at Cao Wei with a puzzled expression.

Cao Wei, with a light laugh, began to explain.

"As the chef, I definitely need to know what the guests can and cannot eat, right?"

"I don't have any major dietary restrictions. As for the dishes, just don't put too much spice in them. By the way, that fish of yours, cough cough, you could try cooking it."

Director Li nodded, increasingly approving of Cao Wei, especially since he even inquired about the guests' preferences.

He Daqing was like that at first, but he became more and more casual later on.

Upon hearing Director Li's words, Cao Wei smiled knowingly.

As the saying goes, "If the cook doesn't steal, the grain won't be harvested."

Clearly, Director Li had heard of this dish, but he might not have actually tried it many times.

Cao Wei nodded and quickly got busy.

For Cao Wei, making this kind of dish was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

After all, the dishes he usually cooks at Fengzeyuan are incredibly meticulous. However, he is also very clear that this is essentially a job interview, so he is treating it with great caution.

As the aroma wafted from the kitchen, Director Li couldn't resist and rushed over.

Cao Wei, who was already resting, spoke up when he saw Director Li arrive.

"There's only one dish left, and it tastes best when it's hot. Director Li, could you please arrange for someone to bring these dishes up?"

Looking at the dazzling array of dishes and the enticing aroma, Director Li couldn't help but feel his mouth water.

Cao Wei smiled knowingly and then magically produced a small plate of food from behind his back.

It can be said that all kinds of dishes are available, and there is a small amount of each.

This made Director Li raise an eyebrow, while also giving Cao Wei a knowing look.

While taking a couple of bites, Director Li didn't forget his business.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Director Li did not arrange for anyone to serve the dishes; instead, he simply carried the dishes outside himself.

This surprised Cao Wei at first, but after thinking about it carefully, he quickly understood the reason.

After all, the steel rolling mill has just undergone a transformation, and Director Li was someone Lou Bancheng had retained and appointed. Although he hasn't been laid off yet, for the sake of his career, he definitely needs to try and win over the leaders.

Although the dishes had not yet been served in the private room, the aroma wafting through the air had already gradually permeated the space.

This made Director Yang's eyes light up.

With great enthusiasm, Director Li first served two appetizers.

But the very first dish made Director Yang pause for a moment.

It was a rather bland-looking cabbage dish.

Factory Director Yang couldn't help but frown slightly, but Chairman Lou, who was standing nearby, spoke up at the right moment to explain things to Cao Wei.

"Boiled cabbage in clear broth, that's the quintessential Sichuan dish. It seems Xiao Cao really went all out this time."

Somewhat skeptical, Director Yang took a spoonful and tasted the unparalleled freshness.

Factory Director Yang was stunned. It wasn't the taste of cabbage, but rather a combination of several ingredients with the flavor of chicken. Although there wasn't a single speck of meat in the dish, it was undeniably delicious.

This was actually prepared by Cao Wei on short notice. After all, it's an interview, so he had to be prepared. He had already started preparing yesterday.

While Director Yang was surprised, the others all tried it and couldn't help but marvel at how extraordinary this boiled cabbage was.

After that, the dishes were served like a continuous banquet.

Dongpo pork is tender and delicious, and while spicy chicken is spicy, it has a numbing sensation even more.

Cao Wei put in about 70% of his effort in making each dish.

Even the final dish, pickled fish.

He even used 80% of his skills.

It wasn't that Cao Wei was arrogant, but rather that he was always like that.

At Fengzeyuan, he habitually didn't reveal his final trump card, after all, in his opinion, that was enough.

Your true trump card skills should be reserved for crucial moments.

Under Director Li's somewhat shocked gaze, these high-ranking leaders, who usually kept to themselves, were now eating like whirlwinds, completely disregarding their table manners.

The only one who remained calm was Lou Bancheng, since he could serve Cao Wei this kind of dish at home every few days.

After finishing the meal, Director Yang was generous with his praise.

"This skill is truly worthy of being the head chef at Fengzeyuan!"

"Yes, yes, if we have a chef like that in the future, our factory will be proud to serve banquet dishes, and we'll be able to do even better in the future."

As the others echoed his sentiments, Director Yang soon couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly.

That's right, we've reached a critical juncture. This person is good, but he was ultimately recommended by Lou Bancheng. Lou Bancheng has some reservations about him, and the key question is, what price will he have to pay to keep such a talent?

A regular chef working in a small kitchen?

However, there is already someone in charge of the kitchen, and it would be unreasonable to directly appoint a deputy director.

But if people aren't given enough status...

"They definitely wouldn't even look at that," he thought to himself, just as he was having a headache. The director in charge of the logistics department of the steel rolling mill couldn't help but speak up.

"Director Yang, I think it would be better to make him a temporary deputy director of the canteen, working as a substitute for a regular employee, and then also working as a cook in the canteen. That way, he can earn two salaries, which is about the same overall."