As soon as Wang Ying said that, the office fell into silence.
Then—
“Pfft—hahahaha…”
“Hahaha…”
Several of the younger staff couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Wasn’t it true? Doctor Jiang was always so haughty—didn’t that count as being full of fighting spirit? It was like she was just waiting for a single spark; with one little snap, she’d pounce and blow up the whole office.
That said, no one had ever confronted Doctor Jiang directly.
Although she wore her displeasure on her face, she usually disdained engaging in verbal disputes with them. So there had never really been an opportunity for a full-blown argument. Just like earlier—her usual move was to toss out a cutting remark and leave, showing her contempt. Occasionally she would mutter lofty principles, leaving others no angle to respond.
How were you supposed to argue with that? Chase after her?
Wang Ying didn’t care what kind of temper Doctor Jiang had, or how good her family background might be. Now that Wang Ying had arrived, she was one of the four doctors in charge.
When you’re capable, it’s already generous enough not to have much of a temper. To expect someone like that to swallow grievances? Impossible!
Besides, in this era, the status of worker comrades was still solid. In a state-owned factory, highly ranked technical workers could slam the table even with the factory director. Who needed to curry favor with anyone?
Regardless of what others thought, Wang Ying’s attitude happened to align with Doctor Yang’s temperament. Doctor Yang had never thought highly of Doctor Jiang in the office anyway.
Someone who came merely to pad her résumé—little skill, big temper. In Doctor Yang’s daily view, she barely counted.
“Wang Ying, go exchange for meal tickets later. Our factory cafeteria uses internal meal coupons at noon. Since you’ve just arrived, don’t buy too many at first—get used to things. There are two cafeterias: the main one and the small one. At noon, let Xiao Zhang take you to see both.”
As the saying goes, speaking ill of a third person is the key to strengthening a friendship between two people. Wang Ying’s earlier teasing had successfully helped her blend into the work environment.
It was also because Doctor Jiang’s temper was so poor—she hadn’t managed to get along with anyone in the office.
Wang Ying smiled and agreed. “Alright. We can eat together at noon.”
Xiao Zhang was even happier. She loved food and always struggled at the cafeteria—wanting to eat this and that, yet unable to decide. Now that she had someone to accompany her, she was thrilled.
On her first day at work, Wang Ying’s main task was to familiarize herself with the entire infirmary: the medicine cabinets, types of drugs, patient records, consultation procedures, documentation, archive management…
The trivial details filled up the morning. When noon arrived and the factory broadcast began playing “The Workers Have Power,” Xiao Zhang eagerly pulled Wang Ying to head out together.
“Master Liu at the main cafeteria makes an excellent braised vermicelli stew. If you go late, you won’t get any!”
As soon as Wang Ying heard that, she quickly stood up as well.
On the road to good food, any hesitation is disrespectful to the cuisine.
She grabbed her new lunchbox and left the infirmary with Xiao Zhang, not even bothering to ask why the others who hadn’t left weren’t heading to the cafeteria.
Doctor Yang also stood up to leave and instructed Nurse Xiao Yang, “Come to the house for dinner tonight. Your uncle managed to buy some good lotus roots—we’ll have lotus root soup this evening.”
Xiao Yang didn’t hesitate. “Okay, Aunt.”
Doctor Yang left, and Xiao Yang glanced in the mirror, adjusted her clothes, and departed as well.
Seeing that all the women in the office had left, the two older men also stood up. However, they went out together and headed in a different direction—not toward the main cafeteria.
The last to leave were Xiao Fei and Xiao Zhou.
Once the office was empty, Doctor Jiang, who had been hiding in a ward for some quiet, came out. The empty room only made her angrier; her mouth twisted with irritation.
“Tch!”
She had hidden in the ward, but none of them had called her to eat?
Fuming, Doctor Jiang stormed out and casually pulled the infirmary door shut behind her.
Meanwhile, Wang Ying and Xiao Zhang headed straight for the main cafeteria. By this time, a long line had already formed. The two joined the end of the queue, and Xiao Zhang took the opportunity to chat.
“My name is Zhang Na. I was assigned to the infirmary last year. I’m nineteen this year. My parents both work at the factory—my dad is a Level Seven fitter, and my mom works in logistics.”
Wang Ying was momentarily speechless. Girl, you’re revealing your entire family background right away—aren’t you afraid of being scammed?
“I already told everyone in the office about me. I’m twenty-two, and I’ve been married for several years.”
Zhang Na’s face lit up with curiosity. “Does your husband work at our factory?”
In those days, there were many dual-income couples, and many worked in the same unit. Especially married couples in the same workplace—it was perfectly normal. Zhang Na herself wanted to find someone from the sugar factory; her parents had said that way it would be easier for the couple to get housing.
Wang Ying shook her head. “No, he works in another unit. At a restaurant.”
Zhang Na’s eyes widened. “Really? Doesn’t that mean you get to eat good food every day? Is he a head chef? What dishes can he cook? Which cuisine? Does he cook at home?”
Wang Ying replied, “…Not good food every day. Yes, he’s a chef. He can cook quite a lot—knows a bit of various cuisines. He cooks at home too. But now that I’ve started work, we’ll probably eat separately during the day.”
Zhang Na looked envious. “I wanted to marry a cook too, but my parents said no. They said someone who cooks all day in a kitchen won’t even want to touch a pot at home. I guess that makes sense. Maybe marrying a cook isn’t that great—what if he won’t cook for me and I still have to cook for him? That’d be such a loss! And cooks usually look… well, my mom says even if they look good now, they’ll get fat later. My dad says cooks all have big faces and thick necks—not good-looking when they’re old…”
Wang Ying: “…It’s not that bad-looking.”
Honestly, she had never imagined Xu Shuang becoming ugly. When they were together, he had the kind of build and face that, with a change of clothes, could walk a modern runway. If Wang Ying had passed him on the street, she would never have guessed his profession. The typical image of a cook was more like Chen Dong—a round mound of flesh. But Xu Shuang had kept himself well-controlled over the years.
Wang Ying tried picturing Xu Shuang getting fat.
…Hiss.
Strangely intriguing.
Zhang Na had chattered like a little sparrow for quite a while before suddenly realizing what she had said. Her face turned bright red.
“I—I—I didn’t mean your husband would—would turn into that!”
That was just how she was—once she got talking, she couldn’t stop and blurted everything out. Great. She’d just offended her new friend!
Seeing her flushed face like a red apple, Wang Ying smiled and gently pinched her cheek. “I know. You didn’t mean it.”
A young, innocent girl—everything she said was “my dad says” and “my mom says.” Clearly from a happy, obedient family. Wang Ying wasn’t about to hold it against her.
Zhang Na hugged Wang Ying’s arm. “You’re so nice.”
Wang Ying sighed. “I am nice, but you can let go now.”
Zhang Na blinked. “Why? Do you dislike me?”
Wang Ying said, “Look ahead.”
The cafeteria lady serving food was glaring impatiently at them.
Zhang Na: !!!
“I’ll have one serving of braised vermicelli, one stir-fried cabbage, and one white flour bun.”
Blushing, Zhang Na ordered and handed over her meal tickets.
Wang Ying followed right after, glancing at the options. “I’ll have one braised vermicelli, one soy-sauce eggplant, and one white flour bun.”
The cafeteria lady efficiently scooped the dishes into Wang Ying’s lunchbox and handed her a steaming hot bun.
Wang Ying had worried she might not be full and was about to assess the bun’s size—thinking she’d order another if needed. But when she saw it, she changed her mind. State-owned factories were generous—the bun was dense and solid, equal to one and a half from a state-run restaurant.
She took her lunchbox and eagerly found a seat to eat.
There was no meat in the braised vermicelli, yet it required a meat dish ticket. Wang Ying didn’t think it inappropriate at all, because the steaming dish gave off a strong aroma of pork lard—clearly a generous amount had been used.
Zhang Na had already stuffed two bites into her mouth and mumbled, “That’s how our cafeteria is. They render pork fat for cooking, then stew cabbage with the cracklings—so it counts as a meat dish. One portion of meat turns into two meat dishes. So stingy.”
Wang Ying stirred her vermicelli. Though called braised vermicelli, it contained plenty of ingredients—cabbage, tofu, radish, and a few bits of pork cracklings that hadn’t been picked out.
The vermicelli itself was interesting—slightly thicker strands, infused with the fragrance of lard, glistening with oil.
Wang Ying took a bite. The vermicelli was springy and smooth, with a slight hint of spice. Even though it was a vegetable dish, stir-fried in animal fat, it was richly fragrant. With her keen palate, Wang Ying immediately identified what made the dish outstanding: two things. First, the vermicelli itself was excellent—not sticky, not breaking. Second, the chili paste added to it was quite good—aromatic, spicy, with a touch of sweetness.
Zhang Na asked, “Tasty, right?”
Wang Ying alternated between bites of vermicelli and big mouthfuls of the white bun. “Delicious!”
The soy-sauce eggplant was just average, but the braised vermicelli was truly good.
Wang Ying felt that her working life might actually be something to look forward to—at least she wouldn’t need Xu Shuang to prepare a lunchbox for her anymore.
“Where’s the small cafeteria Doctor Yang mentioned?” Wang Ying asked on the way back, her stomach full.
Zhang Na pointed ahead. “Come on, we still have time. Let’s go take a look.”
