The cafeteria still had to serve meals on May Day. After finishing up with lunch, Zhu Yun prepared the fillings, then directed her kitchen helper, Xu Xiaohui, to knead the dough. She told him and Sister-in-law Qian, "We'll be having steamed buns for dinner tonight. I've made several different kinds of fillings, so shape them differently."
These tasks were already second nature to the two kitchen helpers. Sister-in-law Qian replied with a smile, "Alright, Chef Zhu. You finally get half a day off, and you still have another event to rush off to. Aren't they just chrysanthemum buns, willow-leaf buns, and crescent-moon buns?"
"The ones we make won't be as delicate or pretty as yours, but we can make them distinct enough. You can go without worrying."
Zhu Yun nodded with a smile, picked up the side ingredients she had asked the procurement staff to buy, and left with her bag.
The day before, Tan Zhiming and his friends had managed to find a half-grown roe deer, two pheasants, and five wild rabbits. They had also pulled three black fish and a basket of river shrimp from the river.
They had extraordinary faith in Zhu Yun's culinary skills and had spared no effort foraging for food in the mountains, even gathering more than half a crate of wild vegetables and fruits.
By now, Sister-in-law Tan had already prepped all the ingredients. "You must be tired. Sit down, rest a bit, and have a glass of malted milk. I'll get the fish cleaned."
"It's still a while before they get off work. Let's take our time. Who knows how long the men will linger over their drinks? We could even serve the dishes as we finish cooking them, and it still wouldn't be too late."
Zhu Yun accepted the mug with a smile. While sipping the malted milk, she wrote out the day's menu on a piece of paper.
For the past month, she had been attending a literacy class every evening. Wanting to improve herself both inside and out, she had been working incredibly hard. Outside of cooking, all her time was spent with a book, learning to read. Now, her characters were written with straight, even strokes. While not beautiful, her handwriting was at least presentable.
The lychee fish was perfect for the black fish they had. It was a famous dish served at state banquets, beautifully plated and drizzled with a glossy, sweet-and-sour sauce. It was a delicacy that even people who disliked fish couldn't refuse.
*Maoxuewang* was a famous regional specialty. Numbing, spicy, and savory, with a rich, thick, and bright red broth, it was a dish with a huge following. It included a variety of ingredients, was simple to prepare, and used things that were readily available this season.
Speaking of state banquet dishes, Zhu Yun certainly couldn't forget "lion's head" meatballs. The premier himself had once praised them as "light but not bland, rich but not greasy." The selection of ingredients, the knife work, and the broth all had exacting standards.
The wild vegetables would be stir-fried with small river shrimp, dried chilies, and peanuts, served with steamed cornmeal buns.
There was also stir-fried dried long beans with cured meat, lotus root and pork rib stew, beggar's chicken, spicy diced rabbit, and stir-fried roe deer. Along with salted egg yolk baked pumpkin, it was a spread of ten meat dishes, each served in a large, flavorful portion.
Then came four lighter, palate-cleansing vegetable dishes: century egg with tofu, dry-fried napa cabbage, steamed wild vegetables coated in dry flour and served with a dipping sauce, and shiitake mushrooms with bok choy.
To round it out, there was a sweet potato dessert with spun sugar, a radish and dough drop soup, and for the main carb, pan-fried buns!
Zhu Yun listed out the menu and ran it by Sister-in-law Tan.
"Oh my goodness, Yun, you're a real lifesaver for our family's budget! We only needed to buy pork belly, ribs, eggs, and some vegetables. Everything else is wild game and greens from the mountains, yet you've managed to create such an impressive feast!"
Just hearing her list it out, Sister-in-law Tan was already thrilled and couldn't stop thanking her.
Zhu Yun and Sister-in-law Tan were both skilled in the kitchen, and two other wives came over to help later. By the time Tan Zhiming called everyone over, the main dishes were nearly ready, and an overwhelming, delicious aroma filled the entire courtyard.
The tantalized children lost all interest in playing and just hovered around the kitchen door.
Zhu Yun was in her usual attire: a hat, a face mask, and sleeve protectors. Though she wasn't wearing a white chef's coat, she had on a proper blue work uniform with a black apron tied around her waist.
She handled the difficult dishes herself, while for the simpler ones, she gave verbal instructions for the other wives to cook.
Through the kitchen window, she saw Wang Xianbing and his wife.
Lin Jin was three months pregnant. With one hand on her hip and the other on her belly, she walked with extreme caution. Wang Xianbing and Guo Meiyun flanked her like a pair of eunuchs, supporting her on either side.
Zhu Yun couldn't help but let out a derisive snort.
A wife standing nearest to her looked up, saw the scene as well, and said with a laugh, "These city wives are so delicate. She's acting like she's carrying a treasure in her belly, can't even walk on a perfectly good path."
"Isn't that the truth? She's only three months along, right? Whether the baby is positioned forward or back, or even if it's twins, you can barely see a thing under her clothes. Not like her, acting like she wishes she could stick her belly out to look five or six months pregnant."
"It's rare to see someone coddle themselves to this extent!"
Just then, an auntie poked her head into the kitchen. Seeing that Zhu Yun had put down her ladle, she asked with a smile, "Classmate Zhu, are you done with your work? Come on out, Auntie has something to discuss with you."
Zhu Yun glanced up, not recognizing the woman. Unenthusiastically, she said, "Go ahead and say it here. I still need to watch the stove."
"My husband is Director Li from the production department. You can just call me Aunt Li," the woman said, warmly grabbing Zhu Yun's hand and pulling her outside. "I see the food is almost ready. Come out and chat with Auntie for a bit."
And just like that, Zhu Yun was dragged away.
The Tan family's courtyard was a decent size, large enough for two big round tables. Most of the guests had arrived and were chatting and laughing while snacking on sunflower seeds and peanuts.
"This is my nephew from my side of the family. He's a high school graduate and just started working in our factory's accounting department. You young people will have plenty to talk about." Pulling Zhu Yun aside, Aunt Li pointed to a young man and began the introduction with a smile.
Zhu Yun was taken aback. 'I may be a chef, and in the eyes of others, an uncouth, illiterate country woman, but my skills earn me a high salary. Plenty of people have tried to play matchmaker for me during the brief moments when I'm serving food.'
'Usually, I just give my ladle a sharp shake—the most direct and effective way to nip those attempts in the bud.'
'This was the first time someone had dragged a potential blind date right in front of me. How tactless!'
Since Zhu Yun was wearing a mask, her displeasure wasn't immediately obvious to the two people before her.
The man wore a white shirt and work trousers, with a blue sweater over top. His black leather shoes were polished to a mirror shine, and his hair was so greasy with some kind of pomade it looked like a frying pan.
He was about 1.7 meters tall with a dark complexion and unremarkable features. At best, one could say he looked energetic.
"Hello, Classmate Zhu," he said, his tone less than enthusiastic, as if speaking to her were a great act of charity. "My name is Wu Quanquan. I'm a local from the Capital City. I have five older sisters at home, and I'm the only son."
"After we get married, we'll be one family. It wasn't easy for my parents and my sisters to raise me. My parents will definitely live with us, in the courtyard next door."
"We'll keep ten yuan from our salaries, and you'll hand over the rest. That way, we won't be unable to save money to raise children."
"You're a good cook, so you should teach my sisters a few things. Then they can become chefs too, earn a high salary, and stand tall in their own husbands' families."
"Also, I already have three children, two of them boys, so you won't need to carry on the family line. You just serve them well, and when they grow up, they'll surely take care of you in your old age and see to your funeral."
Zhu Yun's eyes went wide. She looked from one of them to the other, truly failing to comprehend how they could have such nerve.
Aunt Li laughed heartily. "My nephew is a great catch. He doesn't mind that you're divorced and uneducated. All that matters for a young couple is that you get along without too much fighting."
Just then, Guo Meiyun walked over, supporting Lin Jin, and couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Aiya, Classmate Zhu, you should hurry up and agree. Mr. Wu is quite a catch. He's been on blind dates with many women, so it's a rare honor that he's taken an interest in you."
"It's not easy for a divorced woman to find a partner. You could say Mr. Wu is the best of a bad lot. He's a perfect match for you in every way!"
Lin Jin tugged on her friend's sleeve but then turned to Zhu Yun and advised her with an equally supportive look, "Meiyun's words might not be pleasant to hear, but she has a sharp tongue and a soft heart."
"Classmate Zhu, whether it's his family background, job, education, character, or looks, Mr. Wu is perfectly acceptable. You shouldn't reject him right off the bat. You'll only know if you're a good fit after you've dated for a while."
Zhu Yun let out a dry laugh. "Oh? Have you dated him? How else would you know so many details?"
"Is it because Mr. Wu is short, divorced, and has been on many blind dates that he's become the butt of your jokes?"
Aunt Li and Wu Quanquan were, on one hand, thoroughly embarrassed and annoyed with Lin Jin and Guo Meiyun. On the other hand, they felt that the match with Zhu Yun was promising. 'Look,' they thought, 'she's already defending him after just meeting him for the first time.'
"This is a matter between Classmate Zhu and me. I'll ask you two to leave," Wu Quanquan said, his face cold.
"One of you is single, and the other is married. You two clearly have too much time on your hands, meddling in other people's matchmaking," Aunt Li said, quite angry herself. "How much do you really not want to see Classmate Zhu do well for herself?"