CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 38: THE COMPETITION BEGINS

Liu Fang stiffly turned her head and realized that all the meat processing plant leaders present were looking at her with displeased expressions.

Only then did she realize what she had just done.

Her face turned pale instantly, and she looked at Liang Guofu beside her for help.

Liang Guofu glared at her, only remembering him as her uncle after causing trouble?

He had desperately tried to signal her just now, his eyes were almost getting a cramp, and she couldn’t see?

How could this niece be so clueless? What kind of occasion is this for her to create such a scene? Is she afraid her job can’t be kept?

Liang Guofu kept a tight face, indifferent to Liu Fang’s plea for help.

Just as the atmosphere started to freeze around, Li Jianjun spoke coldly, "Alright, it’s just a bowl of soup, spilled as it did. Comrade Liu, it was indeed your wrongdoing; hurry up and apologize to the young Comrade."

On hearing this, Liu Fang’s face turned even whiter, but since the director had spoken, she could only bite the bullet and apologize to the waiter: "I’m sorry."

The waiter scoffed coldly, accepting her apology.

Liu Fang was so angry her brow throbbed, and when she looked up into Su Xiaoxiao’s gossiping expression, her face darkened even more.

This damn girl, didn’t she clearly see the soup heading towards her, how did it spill onto herself?

Facing her resentful gaze, Su Xiaoxiao provocatively smiled, "Oh dear, Comrade Su, look at your clothes, they’re dirty. Better go and change quickly."

Su Xiaoxiao’s voice was loud, attracting people nearby to look and point at Liu Fang.

In summer, clothes are thin and cling to the body, making the white inner garments underneath visible.

Since most state-run restaurants still didn’t have private rooms at that time, everyone, regardless of number, sat together in the main hall.

As a result, Liu Fang’s embarrassing scene was watched by countless people around, shamefully almost wanting to bury her head on the table.

She gritted her teeth silently, is this damn girl afraid she isn’t embarrassed enough?

Liu Fang’s face turned red; she shielded her chest and bowed to everyone present: "Sorry, leaders, I’ll go change my clothes first."

Having said this, she didn’t wait for the leaders to react and hurriedly hobbled out.

On the way, her embarrassed demeanor attracted quite a few onlookers.

She felt that she’d never been this humiliated in her life, her face burning red, hating Su Xiaoxiao to the core.

After Liu Fang left, Li Jianjun sighed and looked at the waiter, "Sorry, could you please continue serving the dishes?"

With the meddler gone, the other leaders at the table started chatting happily.

Liu Fang didn’t get a chance to eat and the canteen was out of food when she returned, leaving her with an empty stomach back at the dormitory.

Cursing Su Xiaoxiao’s ancestors through several generations in her mind.

Their women’s dormitory housed six people in total.

When she returned, the others were sitting on the side of the bed chatting.

"Have you heard, Mr. Wang is going to compete with the instructor Liang Guofu invited tomorrow."

Said a young girl mysteriously.

Upon hearing this, everyone perked up.

"Which instructor? How come I don’t know? Tell me quickly."

The girl being asked looked proud, "I heard Director Liang specifically invited from Lin City, said to be a young girl about our age."

"Really? So talented at a young age?"

Someone said enviously.

Before the words were finished, a mocking voice came from behind: "Talented? What can a country bumpkin do?"

Everyone immediately turned to look, and someone couldn’t help but ask: "Comrade Liu, you know the new instructor?"

Seeing everyone’s eyes fixed on her, Liu Fang suddenly felt like she was the center of attention.

Immediately straightening her back, "Of course I know, she’s just a fraud, what instructor? Just a country yokel."

As soon as she said this, several people in the dormitory changed their expressions.

Many of them also came from the countryside.

Hearing Liu Fang speak this way, their expressions instantly didn’t look too good.

Seeing their faces change, Liu Fang immediately realized, "I wasn’t talking about you, I meant that damn girl."

However her explanation at this moment was powerless, no one was willing to pay any further attention to her.

She could only sulkily return to her spot, wash up, and lay in bed hungry.

While silently tallying this score against Su Xiaoxiao.

The next morning, Su Xiaoxiao got up early and arrived at the workshop before the competition started.

Only to find Mr. Wang was already there earlier.

The two exchanged glances, the tension in the air crackling.

Mr. Wang sneered and looked away, filled with disdain.

Beside him was an assistant apprentice who, seeing her arrive, immediately joined his master in hostility.

Snorting lightly, they looked away.

Su Xiaoxiao: "..." Anyone unaware might think these two are some mythical guards.

To this type of person, Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t care less, she turned away to check her tools and cutting board for the competition.

The first event of the competition was meat cutting.

As Mr. Wang put it, the size and thickness of the cuts would directly affect the texture of the sausages later.

So, meat cutting is the most fundamental competition event.

Su Xiaoxiao agreed without much thought, as she thought he was right.

After waiting a while, Li Jianjun brought a group of leaders who arrived fashionably late.

Standing between the two cutting boards, he glanced over at them and spoke loudly, "Mr. Wang, Comrade Su, are you ready?"

"No problem."

Their gazes met in mid-air, the tense atmosphere in the workshop growing ever more heated.

Workers who arrived early had surrounded them in layers, unable to hide their faces’ gossipy delight.

Su Xiaoxiao looked up at the eager faces, oh well, entertainment was scarce these days, people were enthusiastic about gossip like never before.

Li Jianjun stood between them, waved his hand grandly, "Everyone quiet down, the competition begins."

As the words fell, Mr. Wang raised his chin, giving her a disdainful look.

He had worked hard to send off Old Grandpa Sun, becoming the master chef here in the factory; how could he let a young girl step over his head without recognizing her own weight.

At Li Jianjun’s command, the two started to cut with their knives.

Mr. Wang thought highly of his meat cutting skills, each piece cut evenly between fat and lean.

As expected, there was an exclamation from the crowd, he smugly thought, they must be amazed by his knife skills.

However, before a grin spread across his face, he heard a sharp voice, "Wow, this young girl is amazing, such knife skills take at least ten or eight years to master!"

"Not only fast but each piece is exactly the same size, absolutely perfect."

Mr. Wang couldn’t help but turn his head to look.

He saw the young girl with a silly smile from before now wearing a serious expression, holding a kitchen knife glistening with cold light, her movements deft.

In a fluid motion, a large chunk of pork was quickly cut into evenly fat and lean pieces, just the right size.

Mr. Wang’s face instantly turned green.