Chapter 10 - Famous Citywide Great Red Robe

The Chief Engineer's Office was one of the most powerful departments in the group company. A company's core is its business, and the Chief Engineer's Office manages shipbuilding. Other departments provide logistics support for shipbuilding. If the shipyard is an independent kingdom, Gao Ming would be its prime minister.

Ma Xiaowei was naturally a general under this prime minister. He was a legend in the shipyard. He was once the city's top high school exam scorer, admitted to Tsinghua University. He gave up the opportunity to stay in Beijing and resolutely returned to the shipyard. However, contrary to his expectations, the factory didn't value talented graduates and assigned him to sit idle in the research institute. While his contemporaries were promoted to assistant engineer, he remained a nobody.

Then came his reversal. Ma Xiaowei understood he had no backing, so he became a live-in son-in-law, marrying Feng Jia, the only daughter of an old party secretary. When the party secretary was still in power, Ma Xiaowei's career rocketed upward. He also gave the Feng family a grandson named Feng Xiaoxi.

Now, not yet forty, Ma Xiaowei was the group's deputy chief engineer. Everyone predicted that in the next leadership team, he would rise with Gao Ming - with Gao Ming as the top leader and himself taking the chief engineer position and deputy general manager. That would be truly making it.

Some underperforming men in the factory liked to talk about Ma Xiaowei, saying they'd rather remain workers than be a live-in son-in-law, with children taking their wife's surname, which was shameful.

But many young talents saw Ma Xiaowei as an idol, constantly speculating about whether factory leaders had unmarried daughters they couldn't marry off.

Ma Xiaowei had gathered a group of people around him, willingly used by him, from all walks of life. He wasn't stingy, always returning favors and providing corresponding care.

After Gao Ming's instructions, Ma Xiaowei immediately acted. He went downstairs and got into his black Passat. In the factory, car choices were deliberate - upper management drove Audis, middle management drove Volkswagens. They couldn't overstep. They shared one commonality: two small red flags on the windshield, showing their state-owned enterprise cadre status.

Ma Xiaowei made a phone call to Rou Mingrui, a street hustler on Coal Port Road. Xiao Rou was somewhat related to Ma Xiaowei, young and energetic. He was effective when needed, familiar with ground-level operations. Ma Xiaowei would find him to solve social issues.

"Xiao Rou, help me with something quickly," Ma Xiaowei always got straight to the point. "There's a Yu Mei Restaurant. Find their head chef. He's needed at the guesthouse tonight. Remember, it's the chef who can make spicy chicken, a big bright red plate."

"Director Ma, what a coincidence. I know that guy," Xiao Rou said. "I'll arrange it immediately. I'll deliver him before 5 pm."

"Good, handle it," Ma Xiaowei hung up and drove to the guesthouse, wanting to take this opportunity to get closer to Ou Jinhua and make an impression.

Xiao Rou drove to Yu Mei Restaurant, got out, and shouted, "Brother Huang! Brother Huang~"

No one responded. Only the conspicuous seal on the door was visible.

Xiao Hong came over, speaking through the glass door that the health bureau had inspected at noon. Being Sunday, they couldn't process health certificates. Reopening would likely be in two or three days.

Xiao Rou was amused: "Perfect timing to rest. Where's Old Huang? I have work to introduce. Leaders have heard about his cooking skills and specifically want to try it."

Xiao Hong said Old Huang and the boss went to install a water heater. Xiao Rou got the address, went there, knocked on the door, and explained the situation. Huang Peihu shook his head: "Not doing it."

"Brother, this is a great opportunity. Director Ma isn't an ordinary person. Getting his appreciation means you've made it in this field," Xiao Rou persuaded.

Wu Yumei, being smart, added, "Really can't go. Old Huang has no health certificate. If something goes wrong with the food, we can't bear the responsibility."

Huang Peihu also said, "I have no chef's certificate, no health certificate. What am I going there for? We've already been fined 2000 yuan. If something else happens, it won't just be a fine - I might end up in jail."

Wu Yumei said, "Yes, Old Huang was already detained for a night. We're not risking anything."

Rou Mingrui said, "My dear brother, my dear sister, can't my little brother handle this for you? Just go and show up, and I'll take care of the rest."

Wu Yumei said, "Little Rou, you might not be able to fix this. Today's health bureau inspection on a Sunday is suspicious. This is targeting us. We won't help unless we find the person behind this."

Rou Mingrui had no choice but to call a friend. In small places, social networks are complex, and through one or two connections, you can find anyone. He found out the reason for the health bureau's inspection - it was a so-called public report, but actually just familiar people who disliked Yu Mei Restaurant and wanted to cause trouble.

The name wasn't hard to find - Yin Bingsong.

Rou Mingrui knew Yin Bingsong, a true top-tier social big shot who was untouchable.

He could only call Ma Xiaowei and explain the situation. Ma Xiaowei was frustrated. He knew what Yin Bingsong was like. Logically, they should be on the same side, but they were actually incompatible, with deep conflicts.

Ma Xiaowei thought to himself that such a small matter shouldn't be escalated to Gao Ming, nor did it require direct confrontation with Yin Bingsong. Helping Yu Mei Restaurant resolve this issue and responding as needed would suffice. In terms of resources, Yin Bingsong was no match for him.

"Xiao Rou, handle it like this. Bring me the health bureau's fine slip. I'll take care of it. Come to the guesthouse to cook a dish. It's not work, just a private gathering between friends to show off cooking skills. 1000 yuan for transportation, and I'll help get the health certificate and keep the health bureau from causing more trouble. What do you think?"

Rou Mingrui repeated these words verbatim. Huang Peihu, who was already planning to negotiate a price, naturally agreed when offered such satisfactory terms.

"But I'll bring my own pot and ingredients. I'm not used to the hotel's kitchen," he said.

"Of course," Rou Mingrui was happy.

He went back to the store, took some of the morning's purchased ingredients, grabbed his iron wok and spatula, and took Huang Peihu in his bread van, arriving at the guesthouse before 5 pm.

Ma Xiaowei hadn't met the chef. He was busy chatting with Ou Jinhua and his daughter in the sea-view villa. As the shipyard's top young talent, his demeanor and appearance were extraordinary. Ou Jinhua was quite appreciative.

Ou's daughter also chatted with him a bit. Ma Xiaowei secretly sighed, "This is how a real man should choose a wife." He regretted marrying too early. Comparing a Princeton-graduated, English-speaking wealthy young lady to his fat, vulgar wife Feng Li was like comparing an elegant white deer in a green forest to a black pig in a country pigsty.

Feng Li weighed 130 jin when young, now 180 jin, with a face full of fat. She constantly visited beauty salons and luxury stores, was very suspicious, and often caused scenes at the Chief Engineer's Office. Last time, she even scratched the face of a newly assigned female college graduate because the girl had sent Ma Xiaowei a text message about work arrangements.

Ma Xiaowei had wanted to divorce several times, but his father-in-law's disciples were still in power. Divorce would harm his career. Having finally climbed to the deputy chief engineer position, leaving the shipyard would make him nothing. He couldn't afford to lose everything, so he could only endure.

Collecting his thoughts, Ma Xiaowei stood up, politely excused himself, saying he would return in an hour to escort the investigation team to dinner in the East Sea Hall of the main building.

After leaving the villa, Ma Xiaowei headed directly to the guesthouse kitchen, where he found Huang Peihu already changed into chef's attire. He barely looked at anyone, not out of disdain, but because he was incredibly busy and had to handle every detail.

"Thank you, thank you, Xiao Rou, for taking care of the chef," Ma Xiaowei shook hands with Huang Peihu and then spoke to the administrative head chef. The guesthouse chef was dissatisfied with bringing in an outside cook, seeing it as disrespectful. Ma Xiaowei couldn't reveal this was Gao Ming's arrangement, so he could only bear it himself. After a lot of sweet talk, he finally pacified the administrative head chef.

At 6:30 PM, guests were seated. Ma Xiaowei, as deputy chief engineer, could only sit at the end of the table. In fact, he hardly sat at all, constantly bustling about, busier than the administrative staff. The administrative director even joked, "Director Ma, are you trying to steal our jobs?"

"We're all for the factory," Ma Xiaowei smiled apologetically. Checking the time, cold dishes had been served for a while, and three cups of wine had been drunk. It was time for hot dishes.

Ma Xiaowei ran to the kitchen personally, nodded in this direction, and Huang Peihu began cooking. His movements were skilled, ensuring quality and quantity - absolutely the explosive flavor of a street-side restaurant.

The head chefs looked down on this street-style cooking. A five-star hotel kitchen could make such dishes but considered it beneath them. Their division of labor was more refined, with higher standards. Catering to a broader audience was key. Overemphasizing local characteristics was a taboo. Today's guests were from Shanghai and Southeast Asia. Serving such a spicy dish would be disruptive.

This was a reputation-damaging move. If Ma Xiaowei hadn't guaranteed the guests would love it and taken full responsibility, the kitchen would never have allowed it.

The servers brought up a Great Red Robe dish. To maintain authenticity, Huang Peihu even brought his own enamel basin to serve the dish, preserving its original flavor and details.

Ma Xiaowei watched the VIPs' expressions. Ou Jinhua and others were casual, showing no particular reaction. With so many dish choices, they wouldn't be attracted to a dish that looked entirely of red peppers, probably not even touching their chopsticks.

But Ou's daughter clearly became happy, even showing her little tiger teeth. At this moment, Ma Xiaowei's heart stirred, feeling everything was worthwhile.

Ah Li took a bite, then used public chopsticks to pick some and place it in front of her father, insisting Ou Jinhua try it.

The daughter-doting Ou Jinhua couldn't eat spicy food, but if his daughter said it was good, he'd say even dog shit was fragrant. He tasted it and nodded seriously, "Mm, not bad."

Since Ou had said it was good, others had to taste it. The Southeast Asian guests in the investigation team also took a bite, nodding and praising, but only one bite - they'd die before taking a second.

Locals were curious too, tasting it and finding it nothing special. They were used to delicacies and weren't impressed, but out of politeness, they gave a thumbs up, saying Ou was a gourmet.

Ma Xiaowei understood - only Miss Ou truly loved it, but that was enough to achieve the predetermined goal.

He looked at Gao Ming, who had a blank expression but slightly nodded, meaning "well done."

Then servers brought out a plate of fried ice cream, saying it was a special dish from the chef, given to the most beautiful lady at the table.

The plate was naturally placed in front of Miss Ou. Ah Li was delighted, her expression overflowing. She finally realized this was a carefully arranged reception, bringing the Yu Mei Restaurant's chef.

Gao Ming looked at Ma Xiaowei again, his eyes smiling. The leader assigned task 1, the subordinate proactively completed task 2 - well done.

Ma Xiaowei was confused. He hadn't arranged this. Who gave the script? Who asked for the dish? Could it be the chef?

The banquet began its drinking battle. Unlike usual Maotai drinking, today they drank red wine, quite restrained. Ma Xiaowei didn't want to miss this opportunity to build relationships. Back and forth, he forgot about the chef's matter.

After sending the investigation team back to their accommodation, it was quite late. Ma Xiaowei remembered the issue and called Rou Mingrui.

"It's done. I brought the fine slip and gave him 1000 yuan. Sent him home," Xiao Rou said.

"Good, you worked hard. Let's have a drink sometime," Ma Xiaowei said.

...

Of the 1000 yuan Rou Mingrui gave, Huang Peihu only kept 200 for ingredient costs, returning 800. Xiao Rou, being a social operator, couldn't refuse the money after some argument. He said the money would be spent in the store.

"Come by often, have a drink with brother," Huang Peihu had the demeanor of a big brother, skilled at winning people over. He knew how to chat with society's characters. He wouldn't be someone who would just be ordered around. In the kitchen, he had already probed the details of the shipyard's VIP reception, and even dressed in chef's whites, he went to the East Sea Hall entrance for a peek, coincidentally seeing Ah Li. Now he understood everything.

Basically, he was summoned by the factory's big shots to cook a dish, just a guest chef. But Huang Peihu wouldn't let this opportunity go to waste. He wouldn't just be used; he'd use others too.

After returning, he tore off the seals from the store door and stove, reopening for business, and casually spread word to create a mysterious atmosphere and sense of prestige.

Fragrance needs more than just an alley. In this era of internet marketing, but you can't lack fundamentals. Without a solid base, even if hyped, it would cool down quickly.

In fact, it wasn't just Yu Mei Restaurant promoting itself. Other forces were involved too. Xiang Bing's Weibo post got over 100,000 views. Not because the writing was great, but because her photography skills were excellent. She could perfectly capture the smoky, fly-restaurant atmosphere and the oily, spicy dishes through her lens. With "A Bite of China" Season One being hugely popular, her post went viral.

But Weibo was for nationwide users. Outsiders wouldn't travel far to taste the Great Red Robe. So it just gained a reputation. What really worked was word of mouth within the shipyard.

Ma Xiaowei bringing an outside chef to entertain the investigation team, making the big boss eat with a mouth full of oil, giving a thumbs up and saying "OK", even wanting to pack some to take back to Singapore for family to taste - Chinese cuisine is global number one, Jiang Tail's cuisine is top-notch, and the shipyard area's food completely won over foreign guests. The simple masses love such stories, and this wasn't baseless - it was verified by multiple sources.

Rumors spread that Yu Mei Restaurant's chef was a martial arts master who had saved those people at the internet cafe, also supported by on-site photos.

Another rumor claimed Yu Mei Restaurant changed its menu. A Great Red Robe dish was priced at 99.9 yuan, using free-range, green-certified local chickens. Only ten were available daily - come late, and you'd miss out.

People are always like this. When something's freely available, no one cares. But mention it's limited, and they'll rush to get it. In the following days, Yu Mei Restaurant's business would boom - but that's another story.

The next day was Monday. In the morning, Huang Peihu didn't go to get a health certificate. He didn't even have an ID, so naturally couldn't get the certificate. He made lunch, packed it in a thermal box, and delivered it to the middle school, chatting with the gate guard about yesterday's experience.

The gate guard's eyes were sharp. He suddenly asked, "Do you know Old Xiang?"

Factory people all knew each other. This was a place with no secrets. Yi Leng honestly admitted he'd known the elder Xiang's daughter for many years and wanted to take care of the child.

"You must have some untold story," the gate guard said. "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret."

Yi Leng expressed his thanks, left the thermal box, gave the guard a cigarette, and then left.

Just after he left, Ah Li arrived. The gate guard said, "You really came to apply? I asked the principal this morning. He said your foreign university qualification is recognized in our country."

Ah Li was delightedly surprised: "Really? That's great!"

The gate guard picked up the phone, called the principal's office, and then let Ah Li in.

Ah Li wasn't actually there to apply, just passing by. She didn't expect this unexpected surprise. She found the principal and introduced herself. The principal was a serious middle-aged intellectual who asked about her qualifications.

"I didn't bring my degree certificate," Ah Li shrugged. "I only have my passport with me."

She took out a red-covered Singapore passport. The principal looked and said, "Introduce yourself in English."

Ah Li's English had no Singaporean accent, a very standard American accent. Though the principal wasn't an English major, he had basic discernment skills. Hearing her, he was secretly pleased. Her English was good, but her foreign status was more important - now the school could claim to have a foreign teacher.

The principal said, "Not bad. However, our school has no establishment quota. You can only be a substitute teacher, teaching children English. What do you think?"

"Substitute teacher means what was previously called a civil teacher?" Ah Li was delighted. "That's great, it's my honor!"

The principal smiled bitterly. Several young teachers had been waiting for establishment and had to resign because substitute teacher treatment was low with no future. This well-dressed Singaporean girl was so excited about a substitute teacher position. This didn't necessarily show her noble character, only that her family was wealthy and she was worry-free. For substitute teachers, this was just life experience, but for other young teachers, this was real life.

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