After Jiang Shan finished speaking, she curled her lips in smug satisfaction. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her scalp.
“Ah! Jiang Zao, what are you doing?!”
Jiang Zao grabbed her hair and yanked it hard, her expression blank.
“What am I doing? Saying hello to you. What, when you bumped into me just now, were you trying to bully me on purpose?”
“You greeted me in that way and tone—I can’t exactly be rude in return.”
She had been worrying about not having a chance to deal with her, yet here she was, delivering herself right to her doorstep. If she didn’t give her a couple of hits, it would really be letting her down.
With her hair seized, Jiang Shan couldn’t fight back. In the end, she burst into tears and begged for mercy.
“Sis, I was wrong! I won’t dare do it again!”
Jiang Zao released her coldly, brushing her hands off in disgust as if she had touched something filthy.
Jiang Shan was furious but didn’t dare say a word.
Wang Meili hadn’t expected Jiang Zao to have such a fierce temper, resorting to violence at the slightest disagreement.
“Alright, stop it. Let’s report in first and not cause trouble. There’ll be plenty of chances to deal with her later.”
After changing clothes, everyone gathered outside the locker room.
Chang Sanxi pointed at Jiang Zao.
“Jiang Zao tied her hair the best. You two should also tuck the loose strands by your faces behind your ears.”
Wang Meili’s hair reached her shoulders, thin and sparse. Her face was relatively wide, so she usually left some strands down to cover the sides. She knew that for cooking, all hair had to be tied back. Determined to outperform Jiang Zao professionally, she steeled herself and pinned all her hair back tightly.
After fixing her own hair, Jiang Shan turned around, froze, and blurted out:
“Meili, your face looks so big. And your hair is so thin—how can you have so little hair?”
It would have been better if she hadn’t said anything. But now both Chang Sanxi and Wu Shengli looked over.
Wang Meili was so angry her nostrils flared.
“You—”
What could she say?
They were temporary allies. If she spoke too harshly, Jiang Shan might turn against her. If she spoke lightly, it wasn’t worth saying at all.
And Jiang Shan wasn’t wrong—her face was indeed large, and her hair was indeed sparse.
But she shouldn’t have said it in front of everyone, humiliating her.
Realizing too late that she had said something wrong, Jiang Shan covered her mouth.
“Sorry, Meili. I spoke too bluntly just now.”
Wang Meili could only swallow her anger.
“It’s fine.”
Jiang Zao paid no attention to them. Standing by the door, she looked inside through the glass window.
The pastry workshop was large. Aside from the conveyor belt being electric, everything else was done manually—kneading dough, portioning it, and even the fermentation room.
Everyone worked in an orderly manner.
In the aisle, a middle-aged woman with a broad face and thinning hair was making rounds.
Chang Sanxi pushed the door open.
“Come in.”
Jiang Zao stood by the door and walked in first.
Near the fermentation basin, she saw the middle-aged man who had overseen their test that day—Master Sun. He was portioning dough, tossing each piece onto the scale. Every single one weighed exactly three liang.
As they entered, some workers glanced up briefly before continuing their work; others didn’t even look up.
The inspecting woman walked over. Deep nasolabial lines pulled down her face, and she habitually kept a stern expression, making her look severe and… difficult to approach.
Jiang Zao noticed that the woman looked very similar to Wang Meili.
Chang Sanxi introduced her.
“This is the leader of our pastry team—Team Leader Qin Xuehua.”
“Team Leader Qin, these are the new workers: Jiang Zao, Jiang Shan, Wang Meili, and Wu Shengli. How would you like to assign them?”
Qin Xuehua’s expression was cold as she swept her gaze over them.
“Jiang Shan and Wu Shengli go to the fermentation room. Wang Meili will follow me to learn pastry-making and memorize ingredient lists.”
Her cold gaze passed over Jiang Zao without assigning her anything.
Chang Sanxi reminded her, “Team Leader Qin, Jiang Zao hasn’t been assigned yet.”
Qin Xuehua let out a cold snort.
“Some people are quite capable, aren’t they? Master Sun wants to teach her personally—I can’t manage that.”
Of course, Chang Sanxi knew Master Sun intended to teach her personally. Otherwise, why would a master who had already stepped back from production come back to the pastry workshop?
But a master was a master, and a team leader was a team leader.
Qin Xuehua ignored Jiang Zao in front of everyone and even took the lead in mocking her. How could Jiang Zao’s future in the factory be easy?
Bang!
Sun Ligen slammed the dough in his hand onto the workbench, picked up a clean cloth, and wiped the flour from his hands.
“Jiang Zao submitted five portions—three qualified. Without formal training, relying only on her eye, she can already reach this level. She’s a good seedling.”
“I, Sun Ligen, have devoted most of my life to this factory. Before retiring, I want to take on a disciple to pass on my craft. Does it bother you that much?”
Sun Ligen walked over.
He was of average height, with a square face, thick brows, and a broad build. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing sturdy, wheat-colored forearms and a pair of clean, well-trimmed hands.
His expression was cold, giving Qin Xuehua no face at all—determined to get justice for Jiang Zao.
Qin Xuehua suddenly smiled.
“Master Sun, you misunderstand. I didn’t mean to target you. It’s just that Jiang Zao has never learned before—how could she portion dough so precisely? I suspect there’s something wrong.”
“Comrade Wang Meili has learned cooking from her father since childhood. Her fundamentals are solid. If you want to take a disciple, you should prioritize her.”
Hearing this, everything Jiang Zao had wondered about suddenly made sense.
She had long been curious—Wang Meili’s father was a chef at a state-owned restaurant. Working under him meant connections and stable income. Why come to the food factory?
So it was for Master Sun.
Judging by appearances, Qin Xuehua was Wang Meili’s elder. Wang Meili and her family had planned for her to become Master Sun’s apprentice—but Jiang Zao had intercepted that opportunity.
No wonder they targeted her at every turn.
If you aren’t envied, you’re mediocre.
Jiang Zao wasn’t angry—she simply became more cautious.
Master Sun glanced at Wang Meili.
“Her father works in savory cooking. I’m a pastry master. She has no foundation in pastry—and no talent.”
What kind of random person did they think they could push onto him? Did they take him for a junk collector?
Wang Meili had learned savory cooking from Wang Shuangquan since childhood, but she preferred pastry. Compared to standing at a stove stir-frying dishes, she liked working with dough.
Seeing Wang Meili’s eyes redden, Qin Xuehua scolded angrily:
“Sun Ligen, don’t go too far! Meili is still a child—how can you speak to her like that?”
Master Sun said sternly,
“She’s twenty-four. Jiang Zao is only twenty. You and your niece bully Jiang Zao, yet I don’t see her crying.”
As Master Sun stood up for her, a trace of warmth passed through Jiang Zao’s heart, deepening her respect for him.
Qin Xuehua’s face flushed with anger, wanting to argue further, but Wang Meili stopped her.
“Aunt, don’t say anything more. This is my matter—I’ll handle it myself.”
Wang Meili straightened her collar, stepped forward, and bowed to Master Sun.
“Master Sun, hello. To be honest, I came to the food factory to become your apprentice. As a master of the northern school, you defeated Su-style masters in the national pastry competition with your self-created ‘Rain Mountain Crisp.’”
“Our factory’s improved recipes for jujube cake, bread, and soda biscuits—all thanks to you—have far surpassed dozens of surrounding county factories in sales. I deeply admire you. If I cannot become your disciple, I will regret it greatly.”
“On registration day, Jiang Zao agreed to compete with me. I hope you can give us a chance.”
“I want to prove myself to you personally!”
She bowed again.
In that national competition, Sun Ligen had ultimately achieved second place. Being the disciple of the runner-up would still be acceptable.
Sun Ligen held many pastry recipes. If she could obtain them…
Then lowering herself like this in front of so many people would not be in vain.
Jiang Zao lifted her thin eyelids slightly, her gaze dark as ink.
“I accept your challenge. If I win, you will apologize to Section Chief Zhang and Master Sun.”
The workers who had been secretly watching all raised their heads, whispering among themselves.
“Why is Section Chief Zhang involved?”
“Yeah, is there something we don’t know?”
Even Chang Sanxi was curious.
“Why should she apologize to Section Chief Zhang and Master Sun?”
Jiang Zao said with clear mockery,
“On registration day, when Wang Meili heard that Master Sun wanted to teach me personally, she slandered me, saying I got the position because of my looks.”
“Section Chief Zhang was kind and smiled at me while handling my registration. She then said I had an improper relationship with him as well.”
Wang Meili’s throat felt as if it were being strangled; her breathing stopped for a moment.
“I—I didn’t… that wasn’t me. Jiang Zao, you’re wronging me!”
Jiang Shan immediately chimed in:
“Jiang Zao, don’t falsely accuse people.”
“Don’t be fooled by her. I’m her cousin—we grew up together. I can testify for Wang Meili. Jiang Zao is a seductress who can’t even walk properly when she sees a man.”
Jiang Zao glanced sideways at Jiang Shan.
“Why are you putting your own résumé onto me? Do you want me to expose your mental illness?”