Siheyuan: Starting from 1958

Sha Zhu understood that Yan Fugui's real purpose in laying the groundwork was to learn cooking from him.

How can this be.

Ma Hua served as his apprentice for five or six years, and he almost never stopped showing filial respect to him during festivals and holidays. Only then did he become a ninth-level chef in the steel rolling mill.

If he really accepted Yan Fugui's stingy son as his apprentice, not only would there be no benefit, but he might also stab him in the back for personal gain at any time. That would be like teaching his apprentice to starve himself to death.

But he kept one thing of Yan Fugui's in mind.

Tang Dashan in the front yard and Huang Longfei in the back yard can host five or six banquets every month, but I can only host one or two banquets every month.

This means that all the street banquets were snatched away by the two of them, so I have no work to do.

In order to earn more money to pay off his debts, he decided to take the initiative and even directly intercept Tang Dashan and Huang Longfei and take over the work in their hands.

As for whether doing so would offend Tang Dashan and Huang Longfei.

He Yuzhu didn't take it to heart at all. Accepting banquets depends on cooking skills. He Yuzhu believed that his cooking skills far surpassed those of Huang Longfei and Tang Dashan.

If people are willing to invite me to host a banquet, no matter what means they use, I earn the money based on my own ability.

If you have the ability, you can also intercept and take the initiative.

…………

In the next few days, He Yuzhu was like a different person. Every day after get off work, he had one more thing to do than others. He went around the steel rolling mill asking people if anyone had any happy events during that period and if they needed a chef to prepare the banquet.

After returning to the courtyard, he did not go home directly as he did before, but stood at the gate of the courtyard and stared at all strangers who wanted to enter the courtyard.

Since you need a certificate from the commune to go out, strangers rarely come to the courtyard.

Maybe the next stranger to come to the courtyard is here to take over from Tang Dashan and Huang Longfei.

"Comrade...Excuse me, does Comrade Tang Dashan who works in the kitchen of the steel rolling mill live in this yard?" After waiting for an unknown amount of time, a very unfamiliar voice finally sounded in He Yuzhu's ears.

The other party specifically asked for Tang Dashan, and most likely asked him to be the one to host the banquet.

He Yuzhu immediately felt that his chance had come, and immediately asked with an expectant expression: "Comrade..."

"Do you need a chef to help you prepare the banquet at home?"

The middle-aged man smiled and replied, "My son is getting married soon. I heard that Comrade Tang Dashan in the kitchen of the steel mill is very good at making banquets and his price is reasonable, so I came here specifically to ask him to help make the banquet..."

"correct……"

"Comrade, you haven't told me whether Comrade Tang Dashan lives in this yard."

"I'm in a hurry and I'm waiting for Comrade Tang Dashan to tell me what to buy next."

"Although my son's marriage is a happy event, I am not a wealthy person, so I have to save as much as possible."

"I heard that when Master Tang helps people prepare banquets, he also helps the host to prepare the menu. He calculates the amount of vegetables and various seasonings that need to be purchased in advance, so there is almost no waste after they are used up."

"This is the first time I've met such a good chef. I must ask him to help prepare a banquet for my son."

He Yuzhu quickly replied: "Comrade..."

"To tell you the truth, I am also a great cook."

"I used to be an eighth-level chef in a steel mill, but something happened and now I'm a ninth-level chef in a steel mill."

"But my cooking skills are definitely better than Tang Dashan's."

"I can do everything that Tang Dashan can do, and I can cook better than him."

"Why don't you just go find him and come to me directly."

"We only charge three dollars for banquets with less than five tables. We guarantee that you won't suffer any loss."

"Who are you?" The middle-aged man didn't expect that he would meet someone who would cut him off when he came to see Tang Dashan, but he didn't stop the other party from recommending himself to him. For the middle-aged man, the more people who want to take over his banquet, the more intense the competition, the less money he needs to pay, and maybe he can really meet a chef with better cooking skills than Tang Dashan.

"My name is He Yuzhu. A few years ago, I was an eighth-level chef at the steel mill and also served as the team leader of the canteen at the steel mill."

“I was the one who prepared all the banquets on the street before.”

"At that time, no matter who it was, they would give a thumbs up when they mentioned the dishes cooked by me, He Yuzhu."

"It would definitely be better if you asked me to be the host at your house than to invite Tang Dashan."

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then frowned and asked back: "Are you saying your name is He Yuzhu?"

He Yuzhu's face lit up and he said, "How's it going, comrade..."

"Have you heard of my name on the street?"

"My banquet-making skills are definitely better than Tang Dashan's. If you invite me to your home to make banquets, you have definitely found the right person."

"It's only three dollars, and I promise to make a feast for you that will be envied by everyone."

Seeing that He Yuzhu started to brag without waiting for him to speak, the middle-aged man immediately showed an embarrassed expression on his face, and then refused under He Yuzhu's stunned gaze.

"I'm sorry... Master He..."

"I still want to invite Master Tang to my house for a banquet. Your cooking skills are so good that we can't afford it..."

After saying that, he prepared to enter the yard.

He Yuzhu was stunned.

Judging from the middle-aged man’s reaction just now, he obviously knew what he was doing, but now he refused to let him prepare a feast at his home. He couldn’t understand it.

Seeing that the other person wanted to leave, he quickly pulled him aside and asked, "Why?"

"My cooking skills are obviously better than Tang Dashan's, so why don't you invite me to your house to cook? You must explain it to me today, otherwise you can't come in."

Seeing that He Yuzhu was determined to achieve his goal, the middle-aged man could only bite the bullet and say, "Master He..."

"It's not that I don't want to invite you to my house to take the banquet."

"It's really because my family is poor, and I can't afford your bullshit."

"When you were at a banquet on the street, you would always bring back two lunch boxes of meat and vegetables. The meat and vegetables from the two tables combined were not as much as what you brought home."

"It's not easy for the family to save up some meat coupons. The pork is for each person to eat."

"If I invite you to prepare a banquet, you will put half of the pork into the lunch box. What will the guests eat?"

"And you just asked me that charging three dollars is too much."

"If it's a banquet with less than three tables, Chef Tang only charges two dollars, and apart from eating at the banquet, he never takes leftovers home unless the host offers them to him."

"Chef Tang only charges two dollars and fifty cents for a banquet with three to five tables."

“It’s only three dollars for a table of six to ten.”

"If I really invite you to my house for a banquet, not only will I have to pay you three dollars for your work, but the two boxes of meat and vegetables you took away are worth at least three dollars, which adds up to six dollars."

"My family doesn't have the financial resources to hire you as a chef. Chef Tang is more practical..."

"Please let me go and not delay my search for Master Tang."

He Yuzhu was dumbfounded. He didn't expect that the reason why people didn't ask him to prepare the banquet was because he brought food from home.

"If the cook doesn't steal, the crops won't be harvested..." This was a sentence that He Yuzhu often said before, and it was also the reason why he often brought vegetables home from the kitchen of the steel rolling mill and the host's family.

He didn't expect that he would fail to get a banquet because of this sentence. He couldn't figure it out. (End of this chapter)