Free Web NovelChapter 41: Chapter 35: The 1950s’ Scorned Wife (35)
Cake had actually found its way to Xiahua long ago, but it was a treat only the wealthy could enjoy. Even now, you could only find it in high-end restaurants that catered to foreign guests.
The larger supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores did sell them, but those cloyingly sweet, palm-sized little cakes were ridiculously expensive at two yuan each. And the taste was a far cry from what Chef Zhu made!
It didn’t matter if they were men or women; everyone cradled their cake and dug in, too busy eating to even speak.
They never knew that something so delicious could be made from just eggs, milk, and flour.
They wondered if Chef Zhu was an immortal, possessed of some magical Immortal Technique.
The apprentices’ eyes shone even brighter. It was as if, in this simple, unadorned cake, they could see their own bright futures. They pictured themselves surrounded by their own group of apprentices, just like their master, living a comfortable life where everything was handed to them.
Director Wang was an impatient man. He immediately ordered two strong workers to pack the large cake into a box, added a stack of plates and spoons, and headed straight for the office building.
"Well now, Director Wang, are you delivering popsicles again?" Seeing his grand entrance, the people in the office building couldn’t help but chuckle. "Popsicles are great, but if we eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, our stomachs might not be able to take it."
Director Wang grinned back. "Everyone, come try Chef Zhu’s new cake! If you like it, we’ll get a nine-layer one for the factory’s collective wedding during the Dragon Boat Festival!"
Everyone lit up at the news. A creation from Chef Zhu had never disappointed them. frёewebηovel.cѳm
A twenty-inch cake wasn’t small, but there were too many employees in the office building for it to go around. Only the female comrades, benefiting from the "ladies first" mantra, got their own slice. Otherwise, only the top leadership had the good fortune to get a taste.
The unmarried women savored their portions right away. The rest just had a small taste, saving the majority for their little rascals back home. They could already imagine those little hellions strutting around like proud roosters, bragging to everyone about the amazing treat they’d eaten and just how delicious it was.
The response to the cake was as good as expected. The leaders nodded in frequent praise, agreeing that it was a must-have for the collective wedding.
Zhu Yun finally had a moment to spare, so she went to discuss something with Director Wang. "Director, I know the details of the worker competition are still being finalized, but I think we should keep making and improving our popsicles, and in the meantime, let the hard-working employees all over the factory have a taste."
"The weather is so hot now, and they’re all in the workshops. Even with the fans creaking away, it’s still sweltering. A cool, delicious popsicle at a time like this would be a real comfort."
"Once they’ve had a taste, it’ll be like dangling a crisp carrot in front of a donkey. Don’t you think that will fire them up with motivation?"
’We’re all doing the same work, so why should someone else get one and not me?’
"I think... well, the cost of the popsicles isn’t high, which gives us a lot of room to maneuver. A daily competition would be too cumbersome and difficult to manage. Besides, everyone will be enthusiastic at the start, working hard for a single popsicle."
"But after a while, they’ll get tired of it. It would be better to hold the competition once a month. The prize could be equivalent to four popsicles a day for the month. We could deliver one directly on the day of the award, and the other three would be given as vouchers: one for a fruit-flavored bar, one for a bean-flavored one, and one for an ice cream bar."
"Wouldn’t you say that’s a much bigger temptation?"
Director Wang nodded repeatedly as he listened. "Huge!"
People from Xiahua, no matter how wealthy, tended to think it was foolish not to take advantage of a good deal. They also cared a great deal about face. This arrangement would satisfy a man’s pride, provide a practical way to cool off, and even let him bring home free popsicles for his wife and kids.
With more kids at home, the men would naturally have to work their tails off.
Besides, if they worked harder and improved their efficiency, their bonuses would increase too. It was a multi-pronged incentive!
Director Wang couldn’t sit still any longer.
He looked at Zhu Yun’s smiling face and understood. "Alright then, I need to make another trip to the office building. I’ll have to trouble Chef Zhu to go to the engineering department for me and deliver some cool relief to the comrades there."
Zhu Yun nodded. "Of course. I’m a vice director now, after all. I have to take on my responsibilities and help ease your burdens, sir."
"Great! I’ll leave it to you, Director Zhu," Director Wang said with a hearty laugh.
"It’s Vice Director Yun," Zhu Yun corrected, her tone revealing some resentment toward her own surname.
The surname Zhu wasn’t bad, but it was a homophone for the word "pig," a fact that some people secretly circulated as a joke. The original owner of her body had been an illiterate, coarse village woman who just so happened to be the first wife of Wang Xianbing, a so-called "Phoenix Man." Even though they were never officially married and had no real husband-and-wife relationship, her existence was still a thorn in Lin Jin’s side.
And so, the name "Zhu Yun" was passed around by the women in the family courtyards, twisted into a joke: she was a "pig" who daydreamed of sprouting wings to fly up and reach for the white clouds in the sky.
