MAC’60s Chapter 37.1

Xu Shuang’s superior was surnamed Wan—Wan Guodong. Wan Guodong wasn’t exactly young; he looked to be nearly fifty. After a few more years of holding on, once he managed to secure a position for his youngest son at a state-run restaurant in the county town, he could retire in peace and enjoy a quiet life.

Precisely because of this, Wan Guodong had always abided by the principle of “the less trouble, the better.” Especially after Xu Shuang joined the restaurant, he came around even less.

Xu Shuang had organized the kitchen matters meticulously, saving him a great deal of effort. Wan Guodong only came by when there were inspections from higher-ups or for meetings.

Xu Shuang’s gaze drifted between Wan Guodong and Xie Yuejin. After a whole winter, it was obvious that the relationship between the two had grown significantly closer. Just before she entered, Xie Yuejin had said something that had Wan Guodong laughing heartily.

Of course, that smile disappeared the moment he saw Xu Shuang.

Wan Guodong wore an expression of natural authority. “I’m entrusting this matter to you, Xu Shuang. We’re all people working for the cause of socialism, so let’s not keep things to ourselves. A person shouldn’t be too selfish.”

These words were clearly pointing to Xu Shuang’s unwillingness to teach Xie Yuejin a few specific dishes. Evidently, Wan Guodong’s support had now fully and completely shifted toward Xie Yuejin. He was preparing to groom Xie as the restaurant’s mainstay.

Xu Shuang looked deeply at Xie Yuejin, making him visibly uncomfortable.

Xie Yuejin said, “Xu-ge, why are you looking at me like that?”

Xu Shuang shook her head. “Just admiring your talents.”

In just over two months, not only had he gotten Wan Guodong on his side, but he had also managed to charm him into a daze.

Xie Yuejin shifted awkwardly, subtly moving a bit farther from Wan Guodong.

But Xu Shuang didn’t let the matter drop. “Leader, if you want me to submit an application for Xie Yuejin to become a junior chef, I can’t do it. First of all, becoming a junior chef requires an assessment. When I became one, I had to register and undergo a standardized evaluation in the county before I could start working. Second, there’s no such thing as two chefs running the kitchen at the same time. A head chef is a head chef, and a second chef is a second chef. If Xie Yuejin gets his certification, I want to ask you: who’s going to be in charge from then on—him or me? Who will prepare the restaurant’s main dishes, and who will bear the responsibility? If Xie Yuejin feels he can shoulder that burden now, then fine—I’ll submit a request for a transfer right away, and the main responsibilities of this kitchen can go to him.”

Xu Shuang wasn’t stupid. He could pretty much guess what Xie Yuejin had been up to the whole winter.

This guy was bold and cunning. After dragging Wan Guodong into the mud, there was no way the two of them would be comfortable seeing Xu Shuang standing high and dry on the shore.

Either they’d try to drag him down too, or they’d slowly help Xie Yuejin gain influence in the kitchen. If one were to think about it more darkly, once Xie had more say, all the dirty and exhausting work would be pushed onto Xu Shuang—and when something went wrong, naturally, the blame would be his.

There was no way Xu Shuang was going to play the fool.

Over the years, Wan Guodong had grown quite the temper from being a leader. Xu Shuang’s unyielding attitude—neither soft nor compliant—infuriated him. He slapped the table and burst out angrily, “Who are you threatening? If you want to leave, then leave! You really think the restaurant can’t run without you?”

To be honest, Wan Guodong had always had mixed feelings about Xu Shuang. The man was undeniably capable, but his temper was a problem. In the past, when Wan said something Xu didn’t like, he would silently walk away, clearly showing that he didn’t respect him.

Now, with the sweet-talking and socially adept Xie Yuejin for comparison, Xu Shuang’s attitude only made him angrier.

Was his request really that unreasonable? All he was asking was for Xu Shuang to apply for a junior chef certificate!

According to current regulations, chef rank and work seniority were both factored in. Chef certificates had eight levels in total, but unlike factory technical job grades, a junior chef started at Level 3. Above that were Level 2 and Level 1, then Special Level 3, Special Level 2, Special Level 1, followed by Technician and Senior Technician.

Xu Shuang himself was currently a Level 3. Once he accrued enough seniority the following year, he could sit for the Level 2 exam.

So, at this stage, for Wan Guodong to ask him to apply for a certificate for Xie Yuejin was complete nonsense. Only someone who had reached Level 1 had the authority to evaluate others for certification. Xu Shuang’s current level didn’t qualify him.

Even if it did, based on Xu Shuang’s standards, Xie Yuejin wouldn’t meet the requirements for a junior certificate anyway.

When Xu Shuang’s face darkened, Xie Yuejin felt both resentful and intimidated.

The moment Wan Guodong spoke, Xie Yuejin sensed things were going badly. He quickly stepped in to mediate: “Xu-ge, Xu-ge, I know I’m not up to the standard yet. Please don’t get upset. I’ll keep practicing this year. If you guide me, I’ll definitely live up to the leadership’s expectations and earn the junior certificate on my own!”

It wasn’t that Xie Yuejin was siding with Xu Shuang—he simply knew the reality of his own skill level.

If Xu Shuang left, he couldn’t hold up the restaurant on his own.

And if he couldn’t, then there wouldn’t be much product passing through the restaurant. How would he manage to make his annual winter windfall?

Xu Shuang’s expression remained cold and firm. He seemed determined not to argue further with the two of them. If Wan Guodong said one more word, he would apply for a transfer on the spot.

After all, the restaurant at Shengli Commune had always held him in high regard. If he transferred over and hung in there for a year or two, he could take the Level 2 test and then work his way into a county-level position.

Wan Guodong’s face had also turned grim. That winter, he and Xie Yuejin had conspired to sell off a portion of the restaurant’s stockpile. Just the proceeds from selling half of the vegetables and dried goods—originally set aside by Xu Shuang—brought in 500 yuan!

Wan Guodong was ecstatic. As a small-time leader in the town, it wasn’t like he never received any perks—he managed a state-run restaurant, after all.

But those perks usually amounted to a few ration tickets or the occasional food item from the restaurant. Nothing substantial.

It made sense that Wan was so determined to get his son into a county-run restaurant.

The town was small, and the restaurant business limited. Any minor move he made would be noticed.

But the county was different. The restaurants there were bigger, and there’d be more opportunities to dip his hand in the pot.

However, that winter, Xie Yuejin had shown him just how much opportunity there was—if one was bold enough.

Xie Yuejin found someone to help him move the restaurant’s dried goods and exchange them for cash. Then, citing bad weather and issues with plumbing and electrical repairs, he frequently closed the restaurant.

It was winter anyway—cold, with few customers, and no inspections from superiors. As long as the restaurant stayed open during the days surrounding the New Year, no one would care.

People would only remember what they bought during the holiday, not the fact that the restaurant had been closed for repairs most of the time.

By keeping the restaurant open only half the time and closed the other half, it became easy to hide the discrepancies.

As for the accounts, they simply filled in the blank periods to match.

No one knew where Xie Yuejin found his contact, but the person even provided him with some rare industrial coupons. Xie used those to trade for ration coupons and quickly patched up the gaps in the records.

That way, even if someone as powerful as the emperor came to check, they wouldn’t find any faults—the inventory matched the books exactly.

Xie Yuejin also said that this year’s scheme had been thrown together on short notice, but next winter, they could plan ahead. They could start saving up ration coupons during the rest of the year, since the restaurant handled plenty of them in other seasons. Slowly accumulate them and set them aside.

Then come winter, they’d only need to swap goods for cash and use the stored coupons to balance the books.

Wan Guodong couldn’t help nodding in agreement. He even started to think his current position was perfect. He used to envy those at the county level, but now he figured—there’s no way you could pull this kind of thing off at a county-run restaurant.

Too many eyes watching. If the place closed for repairs, and someone found out, it would be a huge scandal.

After pulling off this scheme together, the two of them came to an unspoken understanding.

Wan Guodong needed to keep Xie Yuejin at the restaurant—ideally promote him to a managerial role—while Xie would continue helping Wan reap the benefits. This way, they could both pocket a big haul every year.

Wan Guodong was even thinking it would be easier if Xu Shuang left. Wouldn’t that make everything smoother between him and Xie?

But Xie Yuejin wasn’t that greedy.

He knew that Xu Shuang was essential to the restaurant. First, only with Xu around would business be good. With strong sales in the other three seasons, they could accumulate enough stock to offload in winter.

Second, Xie understood how dangerous what they were doing was. If they got caught, it wouldn’t just be a slap on the wrist—it could be a matter of life and death.

In his view, doing this once a year was more than enough. One round, and each of them could make several hundred yuan—nearly two years’ salary.

If things kept going like this slowly and steadily for a few years, the family would have savings.

Wanguodong could very well enjoy a comfortable retirement, while Xie Yuejin planned to save up some money. Once Xu Shuang left, he would pull some strings to get himself a Level 2 worker certification.

Don’t misunderstand—Xie Yuejin wasn’t counting on a Level 2 certification to earn a salary. Rather, once he had that title, he could start looking for new ways to make money.

His skills in cooking weren’t great, but he had brains.

He could just find someone who could actually cook. With so many lucrative opportunities out there, why not explore something profitable? By then, his appetite for risk probably wouldn’t be so big anymore—he could just do small, subtle things that wouldn’t draw attention but would still earn money.

Thinking along these lines, Xie Yuejin looked at Xu Shuang with particular regret. Initially, he had wanted to rope Xu Shuang into this operation. But Xu Shuang had refused to play along.

On second thought, Xie Yuejin could understand. Xu Shuang had real skills, while he had nothing. Even if he begged Xu Shuang, the man might not be willing to share the profits with him.

Fine then—if he wouldn’t share, so be it!

Xie Yuejin felt a mix of relief and fear. Relief, because he believed that even without Xu Shuang, he could find someone else to partner with. Fear—well, that was only natural.

It wasn’t like he was fearless by nature. He was simply risking it all for the sake of money.

Xu Shuang knew exactly what the two of them had done in private. Even Xie Yuejin didn’t think he had completely fooled Xu Shuang.

But he was betting that even if Xu Shuang knew, he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

That past winter, they had covered all their tracks. No one could find any flaws.

Maybe Xu Shuang could say that the townsfolk could confirm the restaurant had been closed. But who exactly stood guard outside the state-run restaurant all day to see when it was open or closed?

Xie Yuejin had been very cautious. When he closed the restaurant, it wasn’t for an entire day. Sometimes it was for half a day, sometimes it was open for just part of the day.

With such mixed signals, one family might say the place was open that day, another might say it was closed.

He could easily say the restaurant ran out of ingredients and had to close temporarily.

He even went to the county twice under the pretext of restocking supplies for the restaurant.

A whole combo of cover stories was in place—seamless and tight.

Xu Shuang might expose them next winter, but by then, he’d find another way to cover his tracks.

He had already arranged for the restaurant’s goods to be taken away in several small batches, not all at once. Unless someone caught them in the act, he always had an excuse ready.

For example, he could say the restaurant had snow leaks and was afraid things would get damp, so they temporarily stored items at someone else’s house. Or that the goods were just part of the restaurant’s regular consumption.

He made fake accounting records a day in advance—sometimes several different versions—and would pull out the one that matched whatever the current situation was.

Xu Shuang, seeing how Xie Yuejin had just finished his speech and was now busy playing peacemaker between Wanguodong and himself, seemed to have figured all this out.

Xie Yuejin had already gotten control over everything in the restaurant—except Xu Shuang.

He had even somehow gotten the waitstaff on his side.

Thinking back, it wasn’t hard to guess how—probably using excuses like saying wages would still be paid, but someone’s “relative” was coming to help and learn the trade. These kinds of ridiculous lies.

The waitstaff may not have been entirely unaware, but Xie Yuejin clearly knew how to keep them quiet.

Xu Shuang found it all very disappointing.

He had taken over most of the restaurant’s work, keeping everything orderly and well-managed. But now, even the waitstaff probably preferred Xie Yuejin.

After all, Xu Shuang was strict with money and followed the rules. He wasn’t nearly as likable as someone like Xie Yuejin, who handed out benefits and made everyone feel involved.

Xu Shuang thought to himself that the compliment he gave earlier about Xie Yuejin’s “skills” wasn’t sarcasm—Xie really did have skills.

He had been suppressed by Xu Shuang for years, and yet, in just one winter, he’d managed to turn the situation completely.

From Wanguodong at the top to the waitstaff at the bottom, everything had been handled flawlessly.

Wanguodong, after being coaxed a bit by Xie Yuejin, still looked unhappy, but he understood the importance of the situation.

No matter what, they still couldn’t do without Xu Shuang at the moment.

After the New Year, people had been constantly asking when Xu Shuang would return. The restaurant’s pig trotters didn’t taste the same, and the dumplings and buns had declined significantly in quality.

Wanguodong knew full well that even without the downtime that came from closing the restaurant half the time in winter, their revenue this winter was still noticeably lower than in previous years.

They couldn’t afford to let Xu Shuang go just yet.

Wanguodong composed himself and spoke again with the magnanimous tone of a leader who didn’t hold grudges.

“Xiao Xu, you’re young. It’s understandable that some things don’t come easily to you. Let’s put the matter of the junior certification aside for now. You’ve got the skills, and Yuejin still needs to learn from you. Now that you’re back, of course, the restaurant business will be in your hands.”

Wanguodong couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret. That one winter had earned him 500 yuan. If they could pull that off a few more times, he could have sent his son to a restaurant job in the city.

But Xie Yuejin had a point—starting in spring, the restaurant didn’t stockpile goods. Everything was bought fresh, so it’d be risky to try anything again too soon.

Once a year during winter was just right. Much less risk.

Once the townsfolk got used to the restaurant often being closed in winter, they wouldn’t even need to close as often. Business would naturally be slow, and they could just do a little less each day and still skim off the top.

Hearing Wanguodong’s words, Xu Shuang showed no expression.

Wanguodong said a few more platitudes before preparing to leave.

But before he could go, Xu Shuang stopped him.

“Something else?”

Xu Shuang didn’t mince words. He directly took out paper and pen: “I wrote a handover note before last winter. I’m writing another one now. You and Xie Yuejin both sign it.”

Now that he knew what kind of good deeds these two had been up to, Xu Shuang had just one thought—make sure he didn’t get dragged into it.

That way, when everything blew up, he could walk away clean.

Wanguodong didn’t want to sign, but he knew that if he refused, Xu Shuang wouldn’t take responsibility for anything.

He had no choice but to repeat the same handover process as when Xu Shuang first took leave.

Xu Shuang carefully folded and stored the signed document. There really wasn’t much else he could do against Wanguodong and Xie Yuejin, but he didn’t believe these two could escape the iron fist of justice forever.

Speaking of which, the term “iron fist” was something Wang Ying had taught him. Wang Ying had once said, people like Wang Yaozong, who sneak around and do shady things, are bound to face the iron fist of socialism sooner or later.

Sure enough, Wang Yaozong had suffered a major downfall.

Now, Xu Shuang was just waiting to see when these two would get hit by that iron fist.

Xu Shuang returned to his post, as if nothing had happened in the past. Xie Yuejin also went back to his proper place, showing no intention of competing with Xu Shuang.