The first floor of the canteen was a riot of noise, like a rising tide.
The normally orderly queue for food had become chaotic, dozens of eyes fixed on the most prominent dish on the counter—the garlic-steamed grouper—each with a different expression.
“Is this the dish? I heard it caused the poisoning yesterday… it’s the same cook!”
“Smells good, but what if it causes trouble again…”
“Don’t touch it! Don’t touch it! People are still in the clinic!”
In the center of the crowd, a woman in a pink polyester shirt was standing on tiptoe, shouting with a sharp, piercing voice.
“Everyone listen up! This grouper was made by Su Wanqing! She’s the one who mixed pufferfish innards into the dish yesterday!”
“She dares to cook seafood again today? Is she trying to send all of us in the military district to the clinic?”
Su Wanqing stopped in her tracks as she came down the stairs.
She immediately recognized the woman—Lin Xiu, Su Weiwei’s close friend from the arts troupe.
Su Wanqing quickened her pace, her almond-shaped eyes flashing sharply, and her voice rang out clearly:
“Lin Xiu, if you can’t speak properly, you might as well donate your tongue.”
“The matter from yesterday has already been fully investigated by the military affairs office. Xiao Wu framed me—what does that have to do with me?”
Lin Xiu was momentarily speechless, then sneered: “Ask yourself, who doesn’t know your seafood tastes fishy and awful? Comrades would rather gnaw on dry bread than eat it!”
“We were just trying to have a friendly cook-off, and you’re too scared to compete because you’d lose too badly, right?”
“Or maybe you just don’t want to bother trying at all.”
Lin Xiu’s words came out like bullets, hitting every nerve.
The crowd grew larger, their chatter louder.
Su Wanqing scoffed, tilting her head to look at Lin Xiu with undisguised contempt.
“Compete with Su Weiwei? I’m afraid winning would be beneath me.”
She stepped forward slightly, her voice low but every word clear:
“You say my seafood smells fishy? Were your teeth unbrushed this morning, or is your nose blocked?”
“Oh, I forgot—wild boars can’t taste fine grains. I won’t argue with you.”
Lin Xiu’s face turned a deep liver color, her finger trembling as she pointed at Su Wanqing. “Y-you’re talking nonsense!”
She stepped forward, trying to push Su Wanqing.
Su Wanqing sidestepped easily.
Lin Xiu stumbled and nearly fell into the counter, knocking over a stack of empty enamel bowls, clattering loudly.
Seeing Lin Xiu fail, Su Weiwei, hiding behind the crowd, clenched her teeth and cursed silently: useless!
Su Weiwei pushed through the crowd, her eyes red, and grabbed Lin Xiu: “Xiu Xiu, don’t get upset, Wanqing didn’t do it on purpose.”
Then she turned to Su Wanqing, her tone both pitiful and helpless: “Wanqing, I know you want to prove yourself, but everyone was frightened.”
“Why don’t… you just avoid seafood? Cook some home-style dishes instead. Everyone will feel more at ease.”
“At ease?” Su Wanqing scoffed.
She lifted the counter’s dust cover, letting the rich aroma immediately fill the air.
“This garlic-steamed grouper was made from freshly landed grouper this morning, cleaned perfectly, cooked with precise timing.”
She scooped a piece of fish and, in front of everyone, took a bite. Chewing carefully, she said:
“The meat is firm, the garlic doesn’t overpower the freshness of the fish, the taste is perfect.”
“Comrade Lin is speaking nonsense, deliberately stirring trouble and undermining the canteen’s atmosphere, isn’t she?”
The rich aroma acted like an invisible hook, making everyone’s stomachs growl.
The crowd immediately became lively; doubts dissipated under the wave of aroma.
Su Weiwei’s eyes flickered with panic, then she forced a pained expression: “Wanqing, Xiu Xiu isn’t doubting you—it’s just that everyone has a shadow over your seafood dishes.”
She suddenly raised her voice:
“Let’s have a cook-off, okay? Just home-style dishes, with the canteen staff and comrades as judges. If you win, everyone will know your skills are fine; if you lose, you can step back from seafood for a while and give everyone an explanation. How about that?”
Yesterday’s failed attempt was now being brought up publicly.
The purpose was clear: to trap Su Wanqing in a bind.
If she refused, she’d seem guilty; if she competed, Su Weiwei looked sure she would lose.
“Why should I compete with you?” Su Wanqing retorted, her almond eyes narrowing. “My cooking doesn’t need your validation, nor can a so-called competition define it.”
“Or is it that you’re so eager to compete because you think you’ll win?”
“Wanqing, how can you say that about me…” Su Weiwei suddenly stepped back, tears falling, “I’m just looking out for you. If you don’t want to, I won’t force you.”
A female worker with glasses pushed through the crowd, scolding Su Wanqing: “You’re going too far! Weiwei is just trying to help you, and you turn it back on her!”
“You’re just showing off because your husband is Chief Lu. Without him, you’d have been kicked out of the district already!”
“Exactly! If you have skills, compete with Weiwei; if not, don’t hog the canteen space!”
The chorus of agreement grew louder and louder, everyone indignant.
Su Wanqing watched all of this with cold eyes.
She didn’t believe Su Weiwei wasn’t behind this, arranging “supporters” in advance to force her hand.
In that case, why so anxious?
Su Wanqing’s mood stayed light. She didn’t respond: “Looking out for me? More like looking out for yourself.”
She didn’t bother arguing further. Picking up a communal spoon, she struck the edge of the counter with a clear, sharp sound:
“Your eyes are sharp, your noses work. Whether this fish is good or bad, one bite will tell. Why listen to someone trying to stir trouble?”
She scooped a piece of fish and handed it to the first person in the crowd who had reached forward, drawn by the aroma:
“Here, comrade, try it first and bear witness.”
The young soldier couldn’t resist, popped it into his mouth, and his eyes lit up. “Delicious! So fresh! No fishy taste at all!”
With this first affirmation, the crowd completely came alive. Doubts were washed away by the aroma and taste, and everyone eagerly began serving themselves, praising the dish in chorus.
“Really good! The garlic aroma is perfect!”
“Comrade Su has great skills—who spread rumors about it being fishy?”
“Too mean! Such a delicious dish, impossible to have poison!”
In a short while, the plate of garlic-steamed grouper was emptied.
Those workers who had earlier jeered now shrank back, afraid to speak.
Su Wanqing looked at the scene, a faint smile curving her lips.
“Weiwei, don’t forget—the day after tomorrow is Monday. Finished that apology draft yet?”
She turned to Su Weiwei, whose face had gone pale, her gaze filled with mockery, her voice just loud enough for her to hear.
Then she ignored her completely and walked back to the kitchen.
In a corner as the crowd dispersed, Su Weiwei stood stiffly, all trace of grievance gone, replaced by defeat and anger.
She stared at Su Wanqing disappearing through the back door, a sharp, intense malice flickering in her eyes.
Su Wanqing… what exactly is going on?
She looked like a completely different person.
Or were those past moments of meekness and patience all just pretending?
No… that’s not right! Su Wanqing didn’t even dare to take on the cook-off before—clearly, she lacked skill and feared losing to her!
Su Weiwei quickly composed herself, a secretive smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Back in the kitchen, Su Wanqing hummed a tune as she worked.
She completely brushed off the earlier unpleasantness.
Her mind was now full of excitement for leaving work together with Lu Yan later.
Especially since it was Lu Yan who had initiated it—so easy to let the mind wander…