Siheyuan: Starting from 1958

The third canteen of the steel rolling mill.

He Yuzhu was cutting vegetables on the table with a face full of anger and frustration.

As a chef in a steel rolling mill, and a level nine chef at that, he shouldn't have been doing these things.

But the fat man used the excuse that there were not enough kitchen helpers in the third canteen and insisted on giving He Yuzhu half a basin of potatoes, asking him to cut them before cooking, and not to affect the serving of the dishes in the third canteen.

In order to not give He Yuzhu a reason to refuse, the fat man took action himself and took a pot of cabbage and started cutting it not far away.

In this way, even if He Yuzhu had any objections, he would not be able to find a reason to refute, after all, the squad leader was there to cut it off.

Although he was a ninth-level chef in the steel rolling mill, he was not the canteen monitor after all.

The only difference is that cutting cabbage is less laborious and does not require much effort.

Cutting potatoes is not only laborious but also requires a lot of effort.

Even though He Yuzhu is very good at cutting vegetables, his arms still go numb after cutting half a basin of shredded potatoes.

More importantly, as one of only three chefs in the third canteen, he had to cook after cutting the meat.

"Master He... our third canteen was given an extra hundred kilograms of vegetables for lunch today. Each chef needs to cook one more pot of dish, but the time for serving the dishes cannot be changed. Hurry up..." The fat man's eyes never left He Yuzhu. As soon as He Yuzhu finished cutting the potatoes, he began to arrange the next waiter.

Cooking is the job of a chef in a steel rolling mill. Although He Yuzhu felt his right arm starting to feel numb and sore, he still nodded.

I didn't dare to take dictation for even a minute, I just picked up the iron spoon and started cooking in the big pot.

Normally, I only need to cook five large pots of food every day, and I still have time to rest.

Today he has to cook an extra big pot of dish. Not only does he have no time to rest, but he also has to hurry up, otherwise he won't be able to serve the meal on time.

The fat man will definitely hold him accountable then.

Besides, as the canteen monitor, Fatty cooked six large pots of dishes himself. As the chef of the third canteen, He Yuzhu had no reason to refuse.

"Xiao Li, Xiao Wang, the two of you come here..."

The fat man picked up the big iron spoon for cooking at the same time, and shouted to the two kitchen helpers he had liked not far away.

"I remember you mentioned to me yesterday that you wanted to learn cooking and become a chef in a steel mill..."

"From today on, I will teach you how to cook... Let's start with frying a big pot of food..."

"Once you have cooked the big pot of food, you will be able to pass the Level 10 Chef Assessment..."

"I'll fry one in front of you first. Just watch how much oil and salt to put in the pan, when to add the vegetables, and when to stir-fry..."

"You two take turns cooking the next pot, and I'll give you instructions..."

The two kitchen helpers named by the fat man were very excited. Smiles quickly appeared on their faces, and they were excited and grateful: "Thank you, squad leader. We will definitely study hard..."

After saying that, he prepared to become the fat man's apprentice.

Although the fat man had just been promoted to a level nine chef, according to the kitchen regulations, a level nine chef was already qualified to take in apprentices.

But the fat man stopped him: "No need to become my disciple..."

"Master and apprentice are about fate. Although I have passed the ninth-level chef assessment, I am still a long way from becoming a master teaching an apprentice..."

"I can teach you how to cook. If you have any questions about cooking, you can come and ask me, but we are not a master-disciple relationship."

"I learned all my cooking skills from Deputy Director Wang in the back kitchen, but he didn't accept me as his apprentice, and I won't accept you as my apprentice either." "When I have the ability to be a master in the future, if you still want to worship me as your master, then I will accept you as my apprentice."

He Yuzhu had been punished for his crimes when he worked in a canteen. When faced with the situation where several chefs were teaching the assistants how to cook dishes from a large pot, he did not dare to speak out even if he had any objections.

But it's different now.

He has not been punished, and the fat guy used to be his apprentice. Even if he is now the squad leader, the fat guy can't do anything to him as long as he doesn't violate the discipline.

He immediately interrupted, "Fatty, you are breaking our chef's rules."

"How can you teach others how to cook without becoming their apprentice?"

"Moreover, in our profession of chefs, even if the two sides become master and apprentice, the master has to observe the apprentice for several years before he can teach the apprentice."

"Where can you be found? You're not even a master and an apprentice, yet you're teaching others how to cook."

The fat man snorted coldly and asked back: "That's why I became your disciple and learned how to cut wood for three years without even going to the stove."

"Luckily, Deputy Director Wang came to the kitchen of the steel mill, otherwise I would still be following you around cutting the dough and not being able to get on the stove."

"Master He, I don't understand the rules you mentioned. I only know the rules set by Deputy Director Wang in our kitchen. As long as someone wants to learn cooking skills, no matter if they are a kitchen helper or an apprentice, we won't stop them."

"You want to keep your cooking skills to yourself and not teach others, but I am different."

"All my cooking skills were taught to me by Deputy Director Wang. I must listen to Deputy Director Wang. As long as anyone in our Third Canteen wants to learn, they can come to me. They don't have to become my apprentice."

"Hurry up and cook. Don't worry about my business."

After the fat man finished speaking, he called two kitchen helpers to start cooking.

He Yuzhu didn't expect the fat man to be so disrespectful to him and not be stingy with his cooking skills. He also couldn't understand why he was so happy to teach others cooking.

Aren’t you afraid that teaching your apprentice will starve you to death?

But no matter what the fat guy does, he will definitely not teach his cooking skills to others easily.

Little did he know that all the kitchen helpers and apprentices in the third cafeteria heard what he just said.

As the squad leader, Fatty was determined to teach them cooking skills, giving them the opportunity to break away from their status as kitchen helpers and apprentices and become chefs in the steel rolling mill.

As a result, He Yuzhu actually wanted to cut off everyone's opportunity and make everyone work as apprentices and kitchen helpers in the kitchen for the rest of their lives.

For a moment, everyone looked at He Yuzhu with eyes filled with anger and dissatisfaction.

I was even secretly glad that He Yuzhu was not chosen in the vote a few days ago.

After cooking three large pots of dishes in a row, He Yuzhu was so tired that he could hardly lift his right arm.

Looking at the fat man not far away directing two kitchen helpers to cook in a big pot, it would be a lie to say that I was not envious.

He immediately looked at the other kitchen helpers, pointed at one of them and said, "Master Deng... after I add seasonings to the big pot, come over and help me stir-fry the food. My arms are so tired that I can hardly lift them."

The kitchen helper who was targeted thought that He Yuzhu would reform himself and teach him cooking like the squad leader.

Unexpectedly, He Yuzhu only wanted me to help stir-fry the big pot dishes, and even did things like adding seasonings behind my back. It was obvious that he was worried that I would learn his cooking skills.

The frustration and anger in my heart were beyond words. Without even raising my head, I refused on the spot: "Master He..."

"I have my own things to do and can't help you." (End of this chapter)