Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 115 Surprise or not? Unexpected or not

After He Yuzhu finished untangling one, Director Ren, who had been nodding repeatedly, spoke again.

"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and carry the rest over. Also, who usually does the butchering of the meat? Learn from them. You have to find a master to learn this outside."

"Yes, Director." The first to reply was the young man who had just gone to get the apron, followed by several others.

The sheep was quickly brought over.

"Zhu Zi, slow down, let them learn, okay?"

"Okay, Uncle Ren, it's nothing."

"well."

He Yuzhu moved a little slower with the second sheep, and even with the added explanation, the breakdown was still very fast.

Then, as the third, fourth, and finally the last one were broken down, the young men on the side were still a bit confused. Only the first young man who spoke up kept gesturing with his hands and muttering something.

"Alright, everyone's had their fun. Go back to your work. We'll have noodles for lunch today. Let's start by making the dough."

The person in charge of the dough asked, "Boss, what do we do with the steamed buns?"

"What else can we do? We'll just have to eat it tomorrow. Can't the people on night shift eat it?"

"Oh!"

"Hurry up and go, don't miss lunch."

"Yes."

"Zhu Zi, do you think we need to prepare any side dishes or anything?"

He Yuzhu explained what was needed, and Director Ren began giving instructions, leaving Squad Leader Huang out in the cold. Normally, Director Ren would arrange these tasks.

Because of his long service (years of military service) and because Director Ren doesn't know how to cook, he often gets angry with this Squad Leader Huang. This is why he didn't say a word when He Yuzhu confronted Squad Leader Huang just now.

He Yuzhu didn't need to wait for Director Ren to ask anymore; he immediately started assigning tasks: washing offal, cutting meat, boiling water, and telling the noodle maker what kind of noodles to make.

After telling a chef how to make mutton soup, the rest of the ingredients were almost ready.

When He Yuzhu started preparing the secret ingredients again, Squad Leader Huang wanted to watch, but He Yuzhu stopped abruptly.

"Squad Leader Huang, do you even know the rules?"

"Hmph." Squad Leader Huang turned and walked away.

When they started making the meat sauce, Squad Leader Huang came over again. Before that, it was just the basic stuff; you only know how skilled you are when you get to the stove.

If the wok from the Military Control Commission hadn't been so big, He Yuzhu would have flipped it over while cooking. However, he made the most of that short shovel, flipping it up and down, and the aroma of the food in the wok filled the air, eventually spreading out of the canteen.

It wasn't even noon yet, but the departments near the cafeteria were already starting to rumble with hunger from the aroma.

"What's the cafeteria making today? It smells so good!"

"I really want to go and see it."

"How much longer until it's time to eat?"

"It's still early, there's still half an hour left."

"."

Actually, the people in the cafeteria were pretty much the same, except they were drooling.

Director Ren gave He Yuzhu a thumbs up. Today, he, Old Ren, was going to show his skills. This was the difference between a properly trained chef and someone who learned by shoddy work.

Once the ingredients were cooked, He Yuzhu began preparing the broth, sharing his secret recipe without holding anything back.

He also demonstrated how to make noodles, which wasn't difficult for the other chefs, but he still talked about the cooking time and temperature.

When it was time to eat, it was like a battle; everyone rushed over with their lunchboxes.

When eating, it goes without saying that it's like having a little hook inside your stomach—how cool is that?

"Cuiping, Zhuzi's skills are truly exceptional. How did this child learn them?"

"I don't know either, Sister Xia, is this noodle delicious?"

"It's so delicious, it's a pity I can't take it back for the kids to try."

"That's easy, I'll just have Zhu Zi come over to your house and cook you a meal another day."

"How could I forget about this? No need to reschedule, let's do it today."

"what"

"Hehe, Zhu Zi just happened to need my help. I can't do this for nothing. I'll give him an extra meal."

"Oh, what's up?"

"Keep it a secret. We'll talk about it after it's done. Oh, and when you get off work, tell his parents that Zhuzi will be home a little late, so they shouldn't worry."

"Row."

The people in the cafeteria eat the last meal, and they get really anxious as they watch the noodles dwindle.

In the end, the leaders were afraid that the staff would overeat, so they imposed restrictions, which allowed the cafeteria staff to get some food; otherwise, the food would have been completely wasted.

After the meal, Director Ren pulled He Yuzhu to his office and said with a smile, "Zhuzi, would you be interested in coming to my office?"

“Even if I come, you wouldn’t dare accept me. I’m only 14.”

"Oh, look at my memory! Could you come and give me a training session every now and then?"

"I'm fine with big pot dishes, but nothing else. I'm not qualified to take on apprentices yet."

"A big pot of food is fine, a big pot of food is fine, it's settled then. Your Uncle Ren won't work for you for nothing. I can't pay you, but how about the ingredients are priced according to the head chef's wages?"

"Aren't you making a mistake?"

"Can't I even ask my supervisor for permission?"

"Yes, yes."

"That's settled then. I've finished asking for instructions, and I'll have Comrade Wang Cuiping inform you. You absolutely can't not come."

"That won't happen."

"Haha, good, you've given me a chance to vent my anger today. Here, take this packet of tea." Director Ren took out about two ounces of tea from the drawer and handed it over.

He Yuzhu picked it up and smelled it.

"Wow, you're really generous! This must be Longjing tea."

"You know your stuff. A comrade went south and had it brought back. You're lucky today."

"Thank you, Uncle Ren. I'm very fortunate to have this."

"Go, go, go find your Aunt Xia. This is all the good stuff I have left."

"okay!"

He Yuzhu left the canteen and went to Wang Hongxia's place. Wang Hongxia immediately assigned him the task of buying ingredients.

"Aunt Xia, aren't we going to that principal's house tonight? Is it okay to buy groceries as a gift? Or should I prepare something else? At the very least, we should get a box of Beijing Eight Delicacies."

"This little brat has learned how to give gifts? Is he trying to make me and the principal both make mistakes?"

"No way, isn't it normal to bring a box of snacks when visiting someone's home?"

"Are you looking for a beating? I told you to buy groceries, so go buy groceries. Here's the money, buy what you need."

"Oh, I'll just buy whichever I think is best?"

"You're the one who decides what to buy, yet you expect me to decide? You're the one who's cooking!"

"Oh, so you wanted me to come and cook for you? You should have said so earlier. Do you have any dietary restrictions? What kind of food do you like?"

"Old Fourth is from Jiucheng, his hometown is Shandong Province, you can handle it."

"This person isn't just an ordinary acquaintance, is it?"

"You'll understand when you get there. Why ask so many questions? Just do your job well and things will be much easier."

"Alright, but I can't take this money."

"Take it, you're making me make a mistake, aren't you?"

"Okay, okay, I'll take it. Also, I'll bring it directly to you after I've finished shopping?"

"No, that's not appropriate. You should go to the cafeteria this afternoon. I think your Uncle Ren will be very happy. You really made him look good today."

"No, no, I just got back from his place. Why don't I find somewhere to wander around by myself? I'll come pick you up soon after get off work."

"Okay." He Yuzhu left the Military Control Commission and rode his bike home. Wang Hongxia had just told him that Wang Cuiping would let his family know when she got off work.

But he still had to go back and tell her. He left early in the morning and didn't go back for lunch. His mother wasn't worried, but I guess his grandmother was. He just went out to ask about school, and it took him all day to ask her about it?

Back in the compound, we entered the middle courtyard smoothly. Clearly, this was not yet a difficult time, and the gatekeepers were not yet in place.

When he got home, he was naturally interrogated. He Yuzhu gave a brief account, and Chen Lanxiang said, "You were able to get into the Military Control Commission? Why don't you listen to your father and change your age on your household registration?"

"I don't want to be a cook for the rest of my life."

"So what do you want to do? Don't tell your dad this, or he'll get furious."

“Learning to cook is just a hobby, and your son has some talent, so he can do it if he really can’t find anything else to do in the future.”

"what about now?"

"Isn't this what you were asking about school? I don't know what majors those schools offer. I'll just choose one and do whatever I can do after graduation."

"What is a profession?"

"It's like a school that teaches cooking, carpentry, and blacksmithing; these are all considered professions."

"Oh, I see. You'd better make a good impression when you go to the principal's house tonight."

"I know."

"Is the money your Aunt Xia gave you enough? I'll give you some more."

"No need, just getting some food."

"Get something good, don't be afraid to spend the money."

"it is good."

After reporting to his mother, He Yuzhu went out again. He couldn't possibly go shopping right at the end of the workday; what could he possibly buy then? It wasn't like now.

Of course, he's not going to buy it; there's nothing in the space. He'll just grab whatever's suitable for making Shandong cuisine.

As it was almost time to leave work, He Yuzhu carried the groceries he had taken out and waited outside the Military Control Commission.

He took a section of pig intestine, a carp weighing about three pounds, a pig stomach, a chicken gizzard weighing about half a pound, a piece of tofu, and some cucumber and tomato as well.

When Wang Hongxia came out, she saw him waving and could see the big carp hanging on his car from afar. She walked over and opened the handlebars to take a look.

"Did you add your own money, kid? The money I gave you couldn't buy these things."

“I went home and told my mom. She gave me some money. We can’t just make one dish when we’re making Shandong cuisine, can we? We can’t just make a completely vegetarian one. These are all classic Shandong ingredients. It doesn’t cost much.”

"It's not much, I'll make up the difference for you."

"You're slapping me in the face, aren't you? If that's the case, I'm not going."

"Why are you so stubborn, kid?" Wang Hongxia slapped him on the back in exasperation.

"Alright, Aunt Wang, hurry up and get in the car. I don't know how far it is, you'll have to give me directions."

"Not far, also in Dongcheng, in Fuzhong Hutong."

“Fengfu Hutong?” He Yuzhu felt like he had heard the name of this hutong somewhere before, but he couldn’t remember where.

"So you've been there?"

"No, it just sounds familiar."

"Let's go, I'll show you the way."

When they arrived, He Yuzhu found that this alley was much quieter than theirs. The courtyard was naturally not as big as his house, but it was still quite large.

When they entered the place Wang Hongxia had mentioned, Wang Hongxia pushed the door open and came in without even knocking, which left He Yuzhu somewhat bewildered.

Upon entering, I saw a large courtyard, not small in size, with quite a few rooms, about seven or eight.

Then three children rushed out of the west wing. The oldest was a boy of about thirteen or fourteen, the second oldest was also a boy of about ten, and there was a little girl of three or four.

"Mom, you're back."

"Mom, who is this person?"

"Mom, what are we having for dinner?"

"Zhao Xingbang and Zhao Zhenhua, have you finished your homework?" Wang Hongxia asked, picking up the youngest one.

"No, Mom, I just heard you came back," the eldest son replied.

"What? Who is this person? His name is He Yuzhu, you can call him Brother Zhu."

"Ah!" the two children exclaimed in unison.

"What do you mean 'oh'? He's just tall, only half a year older than Xingbang. But Xingbang, you should learn from your brother Zhuzi. He's already graduated from junior high school, while you're still in the second year of junior high."

"No way, he's half a year older than me."

"What do you think? Hurry up and call someone."

"Hello, Brother Zhuzi," the three siblings said in unison.

"Okay, okay, hello everyone. What's the little girl's name? Here, have some candy." He Yuzhu casually pulled a handful of candy from his pocket and stuffed it into the youngest girl's hand.

His hands were so big, such a large handful that the little girl couldn't hold it all in her hands. Seeing the candy about to fall, tears welled up in her eyes.

The two boys rushed over as soon as they saw the candy and caught all the pieces that were about to fall. Now, the little girl burst into tears.

"Mom, my brother stole my candy, waaaaah!"

"You still have so many candies in your hand, why are you crying? Your brother Zhu asked you your name, but you didn't answer, you were only looking at the candies in your hand."

"It's alright, Aunt Xia. My sister is the same way. She only remembers food. She forgets everything else when there's food around."

"Hahahaha." The two boys burst out laughing.

The little girl glared at her two older brothers and clutched the candy in her hands tightly to her chest.

"Give me back my candy, it was given to me by my older brother."

"We're going to do our homework." Seeing that things were not going well, the two boys immediately ran away.

"This girl's name is Zhao Shengli. Sheng means prosperous and beautiful. She was born after the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan. She was given this name to commemorate the hardships of those years."

"Shengli, what dishes do you like to eat? Your brother will cook for you tonight."

"Meat, I like to eat meat."

"Then we'll cook meat tonight." He Yuzhu held up the fish he was carrying.

"Wow, what a big fish! It must taste delicious."

"Shengli, what kind of fish is it? Tell Grandma." At this moment, a voice came from the main room, and then He Yuzhu saw a sprightly old lady come out.

"Grandma, Grandma, the fish my older brother brought is a huge fish."

"Really? Let Grandma see."

"Hongxia, who is this young man?"

"Mom, his name is He Yuzhu. He is an old acquaintance of Feng Nian. Feng Nian lived in their compound when he was working at the steel mill."

"You look quite dashing, young man. How old are you? Do you have a wife?"

He Yuzhu was dumbfounded by the question; what did this have to do with anything?

Then, for a moment he didn't know how to address the old lady in front of him, and he just stood there awkwardly.

Upon seeing this, Wang Hongxia quickly said, "Zhuzi, this is my mother. You can call her Grandma Wang if you like."

The old lady could tell from Wang Hongxia's behavior that this was no ordinary acquaintance; their relationship was definitely more than just old acquaintances.

However, she didn't ask her daughter, nor did she say anything.

"Pillar, right? Welcome to my home."

Hello, Grandma Wang.

"Where's my dad? He hasn't come back yet?" Wang Hongxia asked.

"You don't know your dad. If he doesn't come home half an hour late every day, he's not himself."

"Who said I come home late every day? I'm home now, aren't I? You're making things up about me in front of outsiders again, old woman."

"Oh, isn't this our Principal Wang? You're such a busy man, why are you back so early today?"

He Yuzhu looked at Wang Hongxia and thought, "So the principal you were talking about is your own father? He's a real acquaintance, someone I know very well."

Wang Hongxia smiled when she saw He Yuzhu's expression, the meaning of which was self-evident: "Aren't you surprised? Aren't you surprised?!"
(End of this chapter)