MM Racing Chapter 1019 Zhong Yi is anxious
Chapter 1019 Zhong Yi is anxious
The door was gently pushed open, and Zhong Yi leaned in halfway, his face showing a hint of worry he couldn't hide: "Master, do you have a moment? I need to talk to you about something."
Gu Nan put down his pen, looked up and smiled, tapping lightly on the spread-out production report with his fingertip: "What's wrong? Is there not enough food in the kitchen, or is someone in one of the workshops complaining about the food again?"
Zhong Yi quickly shook his head, strode to the desk, and lowered his voice, saying, "It's not about the kitchen. I went to the warehouse to get soy sauce and vinegar, and when I passed the office building, I saw He Yuzhu go into Deputy Factory Director Li's office and stay there for quite a while before coming out. When he came out, he was all smiles, walking with a swagger, his smugness was palpable even from a distance. Although I don't know exactly what they talked about, something felt off; it probably wasn't anything good. Master, is Deputy Factory Director Li openly trying to challenge you? Should we take some precautions?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Nan simply smiled faintly, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said calmly, "Let them do whatever they want. Your job is to manage the kitchen well, ensure that the thousands of workers in the factory can eat fresh and hot meals every day, and make sure there are no hygiene issues or shortages. Other matters are none of our concern and are not our business."
Zhong Yi was taken aback, his mind racing with doubt—Deputy Factory Director Li was clearly vying with his master for the factory director position, and it was practically a direct confrontation, so why was his master acting as if nothing was wrong? He wanted to offer a few more words of advice, but Gu Nan seemed to read his mind, putting down his teacup and adding, "Don't worry, this factory director position may not necessarily be mine, but it definitely won't go to Deputy Factory Director Li. Do you understand now?"
Zhong Yi was taken aback at first, then his eyes lit up—his master's words had a hidden meaning! It seemed he already knew what was going on; the higher-ups had probably already decided on the candidate. Deputy Factory Director Li was just a clown jumping around like a fool, and the factory director position was most likely to be his master's. No wonder he was so calm! He nodded quickly, straightening his back a bit: "Master, I understand! Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on the kitchen. Hygiene, portion sizes, cooking time—everything will be perfect. I won't cause you any trouble!"
Seeing his sudden realization, Gu Nan smiled and said nothing more. He picked up his pen again, his gaze returning to the blueprints, and lightly circled the mark "precision bearing"—right now, it was more important to finalize the production plan for this batch of precision parts supplied to the military workshops; everything else was just a trivial matter.
Zhong Yi tiptoed out of the door. Just as he reached the corner of the corridor, he saw Ma Hua squatting by the stove picking vegetables. When he saw him come out, he quickly came forward and said, "Master, have you finished talking to Grandmaster? What did Grandmaster say? Isn't he worried? Deputy Factory Director Li has already placed people at the entrance of our kitchen."
Zhong Yi patted his shoulder, lowered his voice and chuckled: "At first, I thought the same as you, and I was also worried for Master. But now it's different—Master knows what's going on. He probably already gave us instructions from above, so we don't need to worry about it."
Ma Hua always trusted his master's judgment and nodded repeatedly: "Absolutely! You know, when our master first started working, our canteen was a drafty shed with broken stoves. Now? The tiles are shiny, and we have steamers and freezers. Our master single-handedly built all of this. He's incredibly capable!"
He was about to continue speaking when he caught a glimpse of He Yuzhu passing by the cafeteria entrance out of the corner of his eye. He immediately stopped talking and subconsciously shrank behind Zhong Yi—after all, He Yuzhu used to be his master, and although they had parted ways, the reverence he felt for him hadn't completely dissipated.
He Yuzhu also spotted Zhong Yi and Ma Hua, who were huddled together whispering. They immediately stopped talking when they saw him, their expressions clearly indicating they were talking badly about him. He sneered inwardly, initially intending to go over and say something sarcastic, but then changed his mind. He simply tugged at the corners of his mouth, revealing a meaningful smile, and turned to walk towards the workshop—once he became the head chef of the canteen, he would have plenty of opportunities to deal with these two kids.
As Ma Hua watched He Yuzhu's figure disappear around the corner, he became even more uneasy. He tugged at Zhong Yi's sleeve and asked, "Master, wasn't his smile a little off? Could he be up to something?"
Zhong Yi glared at him and pointed to the iron pot on the stove: "Alright, stop thinking nonsense. Hurry up and chop this basket of potatoes. The workers from Workshop Two will be coming to get their food soon. Remember, kitchen work is your job. You don't need to worry about the intricacies of the factory, understand?"
Ma Hua knew that his master meant well, so he nodded, picked up a cleaver and started chopping potatoes: "Master, don't worry, I will definitely not get involved in these things, I will just do my job well."
Zhong Yi nodded in satisfaction and turned to walk towards the warehouse—he still needed to check the meat he would be using that afternoon, and he couldn't afford to make any mistakes. The kitchen couldn't tolerate any carelessness; that was what he needed to focus on most right now.
He Yuzhu chuckled twice, recalling the scene of bumping into Ma Hua in the cafeteria kitchen earlier. Ma Hua used to be his apprentice, whom he had personally trained. In terms of master-apprentice relationship, Ma Hua was much closer than his current master, Zhong Yi. If he could win Ma Hua back and get him to say a word for him at a crucial moment, or even... trip up Zhong Yi a little, he could give Zhong Yi a surprise attack.
The more he thought about it, the more reliable the idea seemed: deal with Zhong Yi, then cling to Deputy Factory Director Li's coattails—Deputy Factory Director Li was practically on his way to the factory director's position; if he became Li's confidant, how could he not have a chance to rise in the ranks? At that point, not only would he be able to return to his position as head chef, but he could even manage the entire canteen. As for Gu Nan? Hmph, even if he found out, he couldn't find fault with him. After all, Ma Hua had taken the initiative to get close to him; at most, it was Ma Hua "remembering old times," what did it have to do with He Yuzhu?
With his mind racing with calculations, even his work felt much easier.
The day flew by, and as soon as the afternoon bell rang, Gu Nan packed up and headed home. He never participated in the factory's attempts to build relationships over meals and tea—a group of people getting together and saying things they didn't mean was a waste of time and had no real purpose.
He knew perfectly well that the factory director's position was neither for him, Gu Nan, nor for anyone surnamed Li. Sooner or later, a new factory director would be sent down; these deputy directors were merely there to maintain the status quo. Since arguing was pointless, he might as well focus on doing his job well, keeping a firm grip on production in the workshop, and ensuring the accounts were clear and accurate. Even if someone came to audit him later, they wouldn't be able to find any errors.