Chapter 76 - 46: Long-suffering Wife of the 50s (46)

Chapter 76: Chapter 46: Long-suffering Wife of the 50s (46)

’But the kids are still on summer vacation, and a lot of the family members don’t work, so they have all the time in the world. If they get a taste of Director Yun’s cooking, I bet they’d bring their own stools and line up from morning till night...’

It was an exaggeration, but when it came to Zhu Yun, Director Wang didn’t think it was an overstatement at all.

He couldn’t help but break into a sweat. "But everyone’s heard how good your cooking is, Director Yun. They’re all curious to have a taste. After the meeting in the office building just now, a lot of the other leaders were asking me about you."

Zhu Yun raised an eyebrow, slowly sipping her tea.

"Ahem, so we really will have to trouble you to get back in the kitchen, Director Yun. But once you’ve trained up your apprentices, you can take it easy," Director Wang said, his voice lacking some conviction. ’Right now, they’re only saying that meals won’t cost money or require tickets, but wages will be paid as usual. They might even cancel bonuses to make it seem like everyone is starting on a level playing field.’

Zhu Yun considered this for a moment. "Actually, I could also give some pointers to the other head chefs."

The moment she spoke, an excited Director Wang refilled her teacup. "Director Yun, please continue!"

Zhu Yun chuckled. "The other head chefs have been cooking for many years. They’re already experienced and have their own unique understandings. If I just give them a few pointers, the dishes they make will improve significantly."

"It would be much more effective than me struggling to train twelve apprentices for three to five years."

Director Wang froze, then asked hesitantly, "Director Yun, a person’s craft is their livelihood. If you give pointers to others, aren’t you smashing your own rice bowl?"

’Everyone has a selfish side. Since ancient times, our people have guarded their skills closely. How could they just be passed on to others? Those two little words, ’give pointers,’ are enough to make you half a master to them. Is Director Yun really that selfless?’

Zhu Yun smiled. "The culinary arts are vast and profound. I’m just giving them a few tips; how could they possibly surpass me so easily? Here’s my thinking: every head chef has their own signature dishes. Instead of making the staff and their families run all over the place, we should put the head chefs on a rotating schedule."

Director Wang was completely baffled, but that didn’t stop him from nodding excitedly and leaning in to listen closely.

"Simply put, we gather all the cooks from the four cafeterias for some basic training. Then, we have them rotate through each cafeteria. This way, the staff and families in every section will get a chance to eat each chef’s food every so often, without having to pine for a specific one."

"Through this training, the head chefs’ skills will improve. And once the cafeterias are reorganized, they’ll be much easier to manage. We won’t have a situation where some cafeterias only have a handful of staff while others are run off their feet, which is a genuine waste of both materials and manpower."

Director Wang nodded along as he listened. Then, it dawned on him. He looked at her with a smile. "Are you aiming for another promotion, Director Yun?"

But Zhu Yun wasn’t smiling. Seeing that no one was around to overhear them, her expression became unprecedentedly grave. "Director, have you considered what would happen if we completely open up the cafeterias?"

Director Wang looked at her. "Director Yun, opening up the cafeterias is an order from the higher-ups. It’s so everyone can eat their fill and eat well. It’s like how the farmland in the countryside all belongs to the collective—everyone works the fields together, and then the grain is divided up."

"When people eat well, they have more energy for work."

The corner of Zhu Yun’s mouth twitched. "But you know the mentality of some of our family members. Normally, to save food for their children, they might only eat until they’re about sixty percent full. But once the cafeterias are completely open, they’ll eat until they’re one hundred and twenty percent full. Wouldn’t you agree?"

Director Wang nodded. ’That much is certain,’ he thought. ’Only a fool wouldn’t take advantage of a free meal.’

"But the amount of crops grown in the fields is finite. The farmers themselves don’t have enough to eat. If we let everyone here eat their fill without restraint, how long do you think these good times can last?" Zhu Yun’s single question reined in Director Wang’s enthusiasm.

"Isn’t that a question beyond the scope of us small-timers?" Director Wang asked, his forehead breaking out in an even heavier sweat.

Zhu Yun continued, holding her tea. "Let me tell you, it’s incredibly difficult for starving villagers to get relief grain, just as it is for an enterprise to get allocated funds from above. If our food supply runs out, what will happen to the tens of thousands of employees and family members in our factory?"

"Director Yun, stop trying to scare me and just tell me what your plan is!" By now, Director Wang knew that Director Yun must have a trump card up her sleeve and was just waiting for him to walk into her trap.

"I want to know the total population of our factory and calculate how much grain would be consumed per day if everyone ate until they were completely full at every meal. All incoming ingredients should be registered in a central warehouse daily, and then I will be responsible for their distribution," Zhu Yun slowly explained her plan. "From a health perspective, eating until one is seventy or eighty percent full is ideal; it places no burden on the digestive system. The rest of the grain allocation can be saved. As long as we have reserves in the storehouse, our hearts can be at ease!"