Chapter 26

Qin Huairu's arrangements He Yuzhu doesn't care about; as for whether Xu Damao will strike first, he doesn't bother either; at most, when he's discovered, he'll add insult to injury. m.

His main duty now is still the canteen side.

This meal of artificial meat can last a day or two, and there are only a few days left until month-end; as long as we hold out until the beginning of next month, the canteen's shortfall will be considered filled.

He arrived early at the canteen; today there definitely won't be any meat at noon, but he still wants to make it as good as possible.

Liu San ni also came early; seeing He Yuzhu strolling in the canteen, he hurriedly hid in a small storage room, seeing Pangzi who had been sent to do odd jobs arrive.

He hurriedly waved at him.

"Master Liu, if you don't go out to prepare food, what are you doing hiding in here?" Pangzi glanced around, "Before long Director He will catch you and surely give you a severe scolding."

"I'm just doing my job properly; how could he not criticize me?" Liu San ni understood well that he wouldn't last long at the Steel Rolling Mill, and He Yuzhu definitely wouldn't tolerate him.

After all, he was brought in by the previous canteen director.

"Pangzi, I see you're not getting anywhere in the canteen either; why not leave with me?" Liu San ni began to tempt, "Then you can become my disciple, and I'll teach you everything."

Of course they didn't plan to just leave like that.

Liu San ni set his sights on He Yuzhu's secret seasoning, namely the hot pot base for making boiled meat; once he gets hold of it, he'll have a place wherever he goes.

"Pangzi, this task is yours."

Liu San ni and his group were scheming here; actually He Yuzhu also planned to get rid of them, wanting to turn the canteen into an iron bucket and certainly wouldn't want these few rotten pieces of wood.

"Master, what are you thinking?" Ma Hua whispered, "Why don't you go check today's prepared dishes?"

He Yuzhu waved his hand, deciding to use the hot pot base he brought as bait to see which insider-outsider would come to steal it.

After finishing lunch, Liu Lan from the supply team came over, saying her family was holding a wedding and hoping to use He Yuzhu's secret recipe to make a dish.

"He's thinking quite a lot; what does he plan to offer in exchange?" He Yuzhu narrowed his eyes and asked, "If it's too little, I can't possibly give it to them."

This family is quite sincere, planning to exchange ten catties of fine grain tickets.

The people in the canteen were somewhat surprised; ten catties of grain is no small amount, especially fine grain, and He Yuzhu's recipe in his hand is indeed formidable.

As for that, it's foreseeable that there won't be a food shortage for several years.

Pangzi's eyes were almost red; if he got hold of this recipe, he could also live a good life from now on.

"Ma Hua, you stay here and tidy up; I'll go back for a bit, and if anyone asks, say I went out to contact business." He Yuzhu said, then seized the chance to slip out of the Steel Rolling Mill.

He didn't return to the Courtyard House but went straight to the Grocery shop, pulled a suitable hot pot base from the system, quickly processed it into a paste.

Back in the canteen, he casually put the base on the stove, then went to discuss things with Ma Hua.

The idea of someone wanting to exchange grain tickets for this was entirely his fabrication, just to bait a fish.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Pangzi slipped out with beady eyes, glanced around seeing no one, and his dirty hands reached for the stove.

Halfway there, he suddenly remembered something and turned to run toward the storage room.

"You Pangzi, how can you have no guts at all and still want to be a chef?" Liu San ni exclaimed in frustration, "He Yuzhu could even beat you to death."

Pangzi squatted there without uttering a sound.

"We chefs aren't stealing; we're borrowing." Liu San ni continued, "If chefs don't steal, the five grains won't be harvested—has He Yuzhu never stolen anything?"

As time dragged on, Liu San ni grew increasingly anxious; today was the best opportunity, and he couldn't let the cooked duck fly away.

Then he would do it himself.

He looked around, stuck his hand into the bowl, picked out a bit and put it in his mouth; he thought his cooking skills were superb, wondering what flavor he could detect from these seasonings.

He licked it with his tongue; a spicy sensation filled his mouth, feeling like he could breathe fire. Soon his throat felt it too, and he couldn't speak.

He Yuzhu had added perversely spicy chili powder to the hot pot base; this stuff is extremely potent—back in his hometown, a barbecue shop planned to make a comeback.

He specially held an event: whoever could eat three perversely spicy chicken wings could get free barbecue.

For over half a year, no one succeeded.

Pangzi panicked in the storage room, watching Liu San ni clutch his throat and keep gagging; he thought there might be some poison inside.

They dragged Liu San ni back, and he anxiously asked what to do.

Unfortunately, he had been rendered speechless by the spice.

He really had no other option; he wanted to find He Yuzhu for a solution, but Liu San ni grabbed him, fearing that if He Yuzhu showed up he would lose face.

Afterward, he wouldn't be able to get by in the chef circles.

Although chefs do steal things, that usually refers to pilfering vegetables and such; stealing a secret recipe like this is still frowned upon, and if caught, one would face severe punishment.

After all, the master still relies on this to support himself in old age.

Now he feels it's not that spicy anymore, but his lips have swollen up; from a distance they look like two sausages hanging there.

"Pangzi, we're done for." Liu San ni said hoarsely, "He Yuzhu is really too tough to deal with."

Now Pangzi looked a bit dumbfounded—he had boarded some thief's ship, hadn't gained anything, and this job seemed about to be lost.

The two still clung to the hope of not being seen, but He Yuzhu, accompanied by Ma Hua, had already arrived at the door of this storage room.

"You two, this secret seasoning isn't that tasty, is it? Whether you're transferred to a branch factory or quit your jobs, I just don't want to see you two tomorrow morning."

"Master, we haven't done anything at all." Pangzi clung to He Yuzhu's leg, "I swear to heaven."

"Otherwise I'll have to send you to the Security Section; I know a bit about Master Liu's master as well, so let's each keep some dignity."

As for Liu San ni's background, he had long investigated it clearly; this person's master was a helper at a big restaurant back then, and upon closer examination the two sides still have some karmic ties.

It won't come to a deadly strike.

Liu San ni didn't hesitate either; he got up and left the canteen.

Pangzi pleaded again, saying he had been deceived and didn't want to leave the canteen; otherwise his father would surely beat him to death.

"Insider-outsider."

He Yuzhu gave Ma Hua a look, picked up his cup, and went to find a place to drink tea.

"Brothers, today we'll loosen his muscles and bones; tomorrow we won't have this chance."