The display made the people peeking from behind and those in the other line next to Chu Shenyu chuckle. "Well, look at that. Being handsome really gets you special treatment. Just look at that single portion—it's as big as one and a half of ours."
"Classmate Zhu, you can't be so biased! If you don't give me extra meat later, I'm going to go whisper in Mr. Chu's ear…"
Everyone laughed heartily, but none of them were actually serious.
The cafeteria servers held their stomachs in the palm of their hands. If you got on their bad side, their ladle would get a case of the shakes, and the already meager portion of meat would dwindle to nothing but broth and vegetables.
It was an unwritten rule that anyone who frequented the cafeteria understood. All they could do was feel a mix of envy, jealousy, and hate for Chu Shenyu.
Zhu Yun didn't say a word, nor did she spare Chu Shenyu a glance.
'Sometimes she handled things according to her whims, but other times she was adamant about setting boundaries for herself. In any case, she was the ugly duckling right now. It was best to keep her distance and not act overly friendly. She'd wait for everyone to let their guard down, by which time she would have transformed into a beautiful swan. Then, everything would be a different story.'
'She wasn't in a hurry. This mission was different from her usual ones; she had to spend an entire lifetime in this world.'
'Zhu Yun had thought it through carefully. The conclusion she'd reached after peeling back all the layers was that this was her life now. She just had to live it well, live it comfortably, watch out for petty people, and wait for the day she died of old age.'
'The mission itself wasn't a psychological burden. On the contrary, the information she received because of it, and her Teletubbies, would be her Golden Finger for getting by.'
After Chu Shenyu left, Wang Xianbing came up with a cold expression, holding out a stack of lunchboxes. "One of everything."
He had a pregnant wife at home, and since both of them earned a salary, they certainly weren't going to skimp on food at a time like this.
The four dishes on offer all looked delicious—perfect in color, aroma, and taste. His stomach had started rumbling the moment he'd reached the second floor.
Zhu Yun began dishing out the food efficiently but was side-eyeing him. Her hand began the "professional shake" that everyone dreaded, and with every jiggle, large chunks of meat fell from the ladle.
Wang Xianbing's face darkened. "Zhu Yun, what's the meaning of this?" he demanded in a low, seething voice. "I thought we were past this!"
"How are we past this?" she said coolly. "The money hasn't even been paid in full. And that's just material compensation. Emotionally, I'm still not over it."
"You're getting all worked up just because you're missing a few pieces of meat in one meal? For seven years in your house, I barely tasted a drop of oil. Did you ever hear me complain?"
"Take it or leave it!"
Whoever cooks is king. With the people behind him growing impatient, Wang Xianbing could only grit his teeth, take his food, and leave.
But then, Zhu Yun's clear, cheerful voice rang out from behind him. "Everyone's in for a treat today! Mr. Wang's family loves fish heads, which means we get to eat the rest of the fish! It's been coated in flour, deep-fried in peanut oil, and then braised. It's sweet, sour, and absolutely delicious. Even if you're not a fish person, I guarantee you'll eat your fill here!"
The crowd chuckled along. Family drama was the messiest kind of business, especially when it involved two women. There were always two sides to every story, and they were happy to listen to the gossip but not foolish enough to get involved and try to mediate.
Besides, based on Zhu Yun's cooking skills alone, they were willing to cut her some slack.
The work in the kitchen wasn't tiring at all. The body's original owner had been used to dirty, exhausting labor, but Zhu Yun came with the built-in attribute of immense strength. Plus, she had two sharp, proactive assistants she'd chosen herself, as well as two vegetable washers. All she had to do was give orders and occasionally flip the wok.
Three meals a day, she could make whatever she wanted to eat.
Her cooking was so good that she only had to mention a dish to the procurement staff, and they would eagerly deliver the ingredients by the next day, hoping for a taste themselves.
At other food windows, the morning menu was always the same few items: steamed buns, fried pancakes, filled buns, and fried dough sticks. Lunch was rice, steamed buns, and a few meat and vegetable dishes. Dinner was noodles, wontons, or steamed buns with pickled vegetables.
But at Zhu Yun's window? For breakfast, there were vegetable pockets, soup dumplings, pan-fried dumplings, rice noodles, assorted zongzi, shumai, steamed buns, and boiled dumplings. Her lunch menu never repeated a single dish for a whole month. In the evening, she served things like vegetable rolls, vegetable pancakes, and crispy layered buns. Even her noodles came in countless varieties, each with a flavor that left you craving more.
The workers at the machinery factory had excellent wages and benefits. It was the best of times before the economic reforms, and the young women at the factory had become picky eaters. They'd turn their noses up at vegetable buns, refuse to eat plain noodles, and reject simple meat and egg dumplings.
But at Zhu Yun's window, no matter how picky someone was, she'd win them over completely.
Once you'd eaten her food, you couldn't stand to eat from the other windows for several days in a row. The difference was just too stark.
Every time they lined up at her window, it was with a sense of breathless anticipation; it was impossible to guess what she'd make next. The unmarried young men who spent their money freely had a love-hate relationship with Zhu Yun—most of their salaries were "donated" to the second floor of the First Cafeteria!
Chu Shenyu was a man of refined taste. His clothing, his speech, and his mannerisms all exuded an air of sophistication. However, he had also spent time in the army, and when conditions were harsh, he could let go of the finer details.
But when conditions permitted, he never failed to treat himself well. For all three meals a day, it was as if he'd taken root there. As long as he wasn't working overtime or on a business trip, he would report to her window more punctually than anyone else.
Even when he had a business trip, he would first stop by the cafeteria to buy some food for the road.
Culinary skills produced by the Space-Time Administration Bureau were a hallmark of excellence. The quality was absolutely guaranteed, comparable to that of an Imperial Chef from ancient times.
Lin Jin was pregnant and had been suffering from a poor appetite. But after eating the braised carp Zhu Yun made, she devoured it with relish, even the fish head.
She was truly torn, disgusted by the situation on one hand, but her cravings, dictated by the little ancestor in her belly, won out on the other.
With no other choice, Wang Xianbing had to brace himself and get their food from her for all three meals. But every time it was his turn, Zhu Yun would personally take over serving, and her hand would shake so much that not only would he get no meat, but his portion size wasn't even guaranteed to be sufficient.
After this happened twice, Wang Xianbing gave up and started asking someone else to get food for him.
But who was Zhu Yun? Even if the original owner of her body had been a bit simple and uncultured, she was the type who refused to be taken advantage of and loved to stir up trouble.
She had anticipated this from the moment she started making trouble for Wang Xianbing, so she had her Teletubbies keep an eye on things.
This time, it was a vice squad leader who worked under Wang Xianbing. His pay was average. Every payday, he'd keep enough for a few packs of cigarettes and eagerly mail the rest home to support his family. He could never afford to treat himself to a meal on the second floor; he probably didn't even know where the entrance to the First Cafeteria was.
Wang Xianbing had entrusted him with the task, secretly promising him ten catties' worth of grain ration coupons and five yuan a month.
It was just a little extra walking. The vice squad leader made a show of bashfully refusing a couple of times but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation and accepted the offer.
"Miss, I'll have one of every dish," a short, rough-faced man with a scar near the corner of his eye said, sounding a little nervous.
Zhu Yun had strong spiritual power, which came with an excellent memory. Most of the people who came for food were regulars. Whenever an unfamiliar face appeared, they were almost certain to become a regular by their next visit.
Zhu Yun glanced at the man and dipped her large ladle into the food, scooping up a portion that was half full of meat.
The man's eyes lit up, but in the next second, she started to shake the ladle.
The man couldn't help but let out a cry of dismay.
The people around them were all relatively well-off. After eating her food for the better part of a month, they had all started to see Zhu Yun through rose-tinted glasses.
Although her looks were a bit plain and her skin was so dark she could blend into the background, she had a straightforward and generous personality. She rarely lost her temper with anyone. The only exception was Wang Xianbing; whenever she looked at him, her eyes were cold enough to freeze water.
They figured this man must have somehow provoked Classmate Zhu.
The flames of their gossip-loving hearts were kindled, and they were all happy to watch the show.
"Miss, please stop shaking it! I'll take whatever's left," the man said quickly, watching the pieces of meat fall and remembering what Wang Xianbing had told him.
Without looking up, Zhu Yun continued to shake the ladle. When not a single piece of meat was left, she asked, "Do you still want it?"
This vice squad leader had been working at the factory for a long time. He had the skills and experience, but he wasn't very savvy or flexible. He had a one-track mind and always ended up with thankless tasks. After toiling away for so long, he was still just a minor vice squad leader.
He couldn't help but ask in a gruff voice, "Hey, what's wrong with you? Picking up the bad habits of outside chefs. If it weren't for us workers toiling away every day, would you have such a cushy job?"
"We all work for the state. You get paid for your work, so why are you treating people differently? There's no justice in this!"
"I'm going to ask your director if someone can get a job here based on skill alone, with no regard for character!"
Whoa, he was trying to blow things up. Everyone stopped what they were doing.
Someone recognized Vice Squad Leader Zhang and, knowing what a hothead he was, stepped forward to pull him back, afraid he'd cause real trouble. "Vice Squad Leader Zhang, what made you decide to splurge on a meal here today? Do you have relatives visiting?"
"Come on, I just got my food and haven't eaten yet..."
Vice Squad Leader Zhang was still fuming. He shrugged the man's arm off and glared at Zhu Yun. "Director Liu Fu, stay out of this. This is a matter of principle! If I don't see it, I won't say anything, but now that I've encountered it, how can I just stay silent?"
"Who knows how many of our comrades have suffered in silence! I have to expose this today. I can't let one person harm the interests of the collective!"
Zhu Yun tossed her ladle down and had Sister-in-law Qian take over serving. She smiled and said, "The lunch break is short, so everyone who wants to eat, please stay in line. I happen to be free now to have a nice chat with this gentleman."
Vice Squad Leader Zhang thought she was scared and puffed out his chest. "Get your director over here! You need to show some remorse, write a self-criticism report, and have it announced over the loudspeaker! Otherwise, you'll just dare to do this kind of wicked thing again!"
Zhu Yun sneered and looked him up and down. "Go on, tell me. Who put you up to this? Given your circumstances, it's hard to believe you'd come here to splurge just once."
"This has nothing to do with anyone else! And what's wrong with my circumstances? You're the one committing a class error, judging people before you serve them!" Vice Squad Leader Zhang shouted, his face a mask of indignation.
"That's right, Classmate Zhu," a pretty young woman chimed in disapprovingly. "You're the head chef, so you should just focus on cooking. Why are you also serving the food? It's one thing to give some people special treatment, but how can you do it at the expense of others? There's a limited amount of food, and the money and coupons you collect are all accounted for. If you give one person more meat, doesn't that mean someone else gets less?"
Zhu Yun glanced over at her. This woman was another regular on the second floor. She'd heard others call her name before. And what a coincidence—it was Lin Jin's best friend, that "poor soul" who had supposedly been tricked into a reluctant marriage with Mr. Chu!