Chapter 87: Sichuan Cuisine Chef Pumpkin

"Yo! I didn't know, I never expected you kid to have gotten yourself a bicycle!"

Nan Yi, who had just followed Zhao Gangzi out, looked at Zhao Gangzi's bicycle in utter shock. This guy was several years younger than him, and he hadn't even found a way for himself yet, but he had already gotten a bicycle!

This made Nan Yi feel incredibly envious.

Or was it that the benefits at the Rolling Mill were so good that they just handed out Bicycle Tickets upon arrival?

"Alright, it's only a matter of time before you get a bicycle too. Hurry up and get on so we can go find that cousin of yours, Pumpkin," Zhao Gangzi laughed, then hurriedly gestured for Nan Yi to get on the bike. To tell the truth, Nan Yi hadn't even sat on the back seat a few times, let alone ridden one.

Today could be considered a proper experience, and he could be considered to have basked in Zhao Gangzi's reflected glory.

It drew the envy of many workers at the Machine Repair Factory, and even his old rival Cui Dake was gnashing his teeth. "Damn it, this kid Nan Yi has quite the connections. Hmph, isn't it just a bicycle? I'm determined to get that ticket at the end of the year!"

"When that time comes, I'll ride a bicycle and cruise around the back kitchen every single day!"

Half an hour later, Nan Yi brought Zhao Gangzi to the alley where he lived. Zhao Gangzi hadn't come empty-handed this time; he had specifically bought a few packs of cigarettes while passing by the supply and marketing cooperative.

According to Nan Yi, his cousin's usual hobby was smoking; he had to smoke nearly half a pack a day. Most of the money he earned from going out to cook for other people went into buying cigarettes.

And after the two arrived.

They saw a young man with a face full of stubble squatting on a stone pedestal, smoking with an expression of pure enjoyment.

"Nan Yi, is this person your cousin?" Zhao Gangzi said with a smile.

"Damn it, this kid is smoking again!"

Nan Yi got angry the moment he saw him. He jumped straight off the bicycle, walked over, snatched the cigarette butt from the man's mouth, and said, "Can you show some ambition? You can't save a cent at home, it all goes into smoking this stuff."

"If I didn't stop him usually, your dad would have beaten you to death long ago."

"Ah? Cousin? Hehe, my throat was just itchy, so I ran out to smoke a couple of puffs. I'm only smoking this one, not any more," Nan Yi's cousin said, hurriedly standing up and smiling apologetically as soon as he saw his cousin.

But Nan Yi didn't indulge him; he extinguished the cigarette butt directly and ground it hard with the sole of his shoe.

"Hey, your name is Pumpkin, right? I heard from your cousin that you have great skills in Sichuan Cuisine," Zhao Gangzi parked the bike and walked over with two packs of cigarettes to smooth things over. As soon as Pumpkin saw the two packs of good cigarettes in Gangzi's hand, his eyes lit up.

He hurriedly rubbed his hands together, stared at the cigarettes, and laughed, saying, "This brother knows me? It's rare for someone to appreciate my craft. Give me a few, I won't charge you, how about I go to your place and cook two tables for you?"

"Nan Yi, your cousin really is a chain-smoker," Zhao Gangzi found this person quite interesting, though he didn't know how his skills were.

But since it was recommended by Nan Yi, it couldn't be too bad.

"You don't know, Gangzi, this kid would do anything for a puff of smoke. It's a waste of such good skills."

Nan Yi looked at him with a sense of frustration that he wouldn't improve.

Pumpkin, standing to the side, didn't say much, just laughed, his gaze never leaving the cigarettes in Zhao Gangzi's hand.

Usually, he smoked rough tobacco; he would buy some tobacco leaves and roll them in paper to smoke. Even that cost quite a bit of money, and as for the boxed cigarettes, he couldn't afford them at all given his financial situation.

"Here, take a pack. This is Divine Eagle Brand!"

Seeing that this guy was quite interesting, Zhao Gangzi tossed the cigarettes in his hand over. Pumpkin was quick-handed and sharp-eyed; he almost fell to the ground just to catch the pack.

"Hehe!"

Pumpkin held the pack of cigarettes like a treasure, sniffing it repeatedly with his nose. Finally, he slowly pulled one out, lit it with a match, and took a slow drag.

"Good smoke, good smoke. This one stick must cost several cents, right?" Pumpkin looked completely satisfied.

Afterward, he extinguished the cigarette he had just lit, stuffed it back into the pack, and tucked the rest into his pocket. This stuff was one less every time you smoked it; it was better to save it and smoke it slowly later.

"Gangzi, look at his pathetic state. Hurry up and tell him about the matter," Nan Yi shook his head. His cousin had good skills, but his addiction to smoking was just too strong.

"Hmm? What do you want with me? What kind of cooking?"

Pumpkin looked puzzled.

"Heh, it's like this. I'm an employee at the Hongxing Rolling Mill here in Sijiucheng, and our back kitchen is currently short of a head chef..."

"..."

Zhao Gangzi explained the situation, adding that if Pumpkin went to the factory to try out, as long as his skills were recognized, he might even get a few extra dollars in subsidies.

Pumpkin's eyes lit up, and he became incredibly spirited after hearing this.

"More than 20 dollars a month? That's so much!"

"How many cigarettes can I buy with that?! I'll go, I'll definitely go! With my skills, you can rest assured!"

Pumpkin hurriedly patted his chest to guarantee it, fearing that Zhao Gangzi might suddenly go back on his word. Usually, when he cooked for others, he only made a few cents a meal, and there wasn't always work every day.

Making five or six dollars a month was already pretty good.

Even at over 20 years old, he still had to rely on his family to subsidize his pocket money.

"Of course! You prepare at home first, and go to the Rolling Mill tomorrow. Just report my name at the guard post; my name is Zhao Gangzi," Zhao Gangzi was also quite happy. This Pumpkin looked much better than Silly Pillar.

At least he didn't look like the type of person who would do something like sabotaging the cooking.

Pumpkin was very happy and ran home like a child to report the news. Not long after, Pumpkin's father, who was Nan Yi's Second Uncle, insisted on keeping the two of them at home for a meal.

A salary of over 20 dollars a month was secondary; the main thing was obtaining the status of a worker. In this day and age, that was an iron rice bowl; who wouldn't have to call him 'Old Brother' when they saw him?

It was clear that Pumpkin's father was very confident in his son; he had already started preparing a feast before he had even gone to the factory.

It wasn't until the afternoon that Zhao Gangzi rode his bicycle back with a flushed face. As soon as he returned to the Rolling Mill and finished reporting the situation, he heard the latest news about Yi Zhonghai.

A panel of experts held a consultation overnight and finally reached a serious conclusion: Yi Zhonghai suffered from severe schizophrenia. He could no longer stay in prison and was sent directly to the Red Star Psychiatric Hospital on the spot.

Before this, First Aunt had specifically come to visit Yi Zhonghai, but what surprised everyone was that after First Aunt returned, she immediately announced that she was divorcing Yi Zhonghai and they were going their separate ways.

And the house temporarily belonged to First Aunt alone.

Because of the divorce, the injured neighbors in the Siheyuan were at a loss. They had originally intended to find First Uncle to pay for damages, but this old thing had truly gone insane.

Now that they were divorced, they couldn't go after First Aunt either. They could only stop mentioning the compensation and had taken a beating for nothing.

Now some people even suspected whether Yi Zhonghai and First Aunt had colluded to divorce on purpose for everyone to see; otherwise, how could so many people really let this old thing sell his house to pay off his debts.