Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

"It's only right. You're skilled at making cold dishes, and you've figured out how to make them over time. If he still doesn't think about giving you a raise, why should you work for him?"

With He Yuzhu's current skills in cold dishes and stir-fries, he could easily find a place to work in any restaurant, so why would he need to take an apprentice's salary?

After being given some pointers by Hong Henian, Manager Hu came up with a set of words and then called his brother-in-law.

The text emphasizes He Yuzhu's importance to the restaurant, and it's mostly based on the actual situation, since He Yuzhu is currently in charge of both the cold dishes and the braised meat.

Although He Yuzhu is young, his skills are indeed excellent. Manager Hu was just being realistic and only emphasized the benefits He Yuzhu brings to the restaurant.

"Alright, the same salary as the pastry chef."

Manager Hu said, "Isn't it too low?"

Manager Hu originally intended to pay Erzao the same salary, but the boss decided to pay him the same as the pastry chef.

"It's already quite high, business is tough these days. It's just a cold dish, it's not that important."

"Alright, I'll go talk to him."

The world is indeed in a bad state right now. Prices are soaring and currency is devaluing. Even though restaurants seem to be doing brisk business, their profits are actually quite low.

He Yuzhu was watching his master and Miao Qishan play chess when he saw Wang Song beckoning to him. He went over and asked, "What is it?"

"The shopkeeper is calling you."

Wang Song said, "You should go quickly, you seem to be in a great hurry."

He Yuzhu arrived outside the manager's office and knocked on the door. Manager Hu's voice came from inside: "Come in."

He Yuzhu came in and first called out to Manager Hu, then was pulled to sit down.

Manager Hu didn't get straight to the point. Instead, he chatted about everyday things and asked He Yuzhu about his childhood apprenticeship.

Since He Daqing has already run away, He Yuzhu can say whatever he wants, just talk more about the time he spent learning his craft as a child.

This can also explain why one has a solid foundation.

Manager Hu said, "After communicating with the boss, he has agreed to pay 30 yuan a month."

He Yuzhu frowned slightly. His master had just instructed him to try his best to get the salary from the second kitchen.

Ye Xiangqun earns more than 40 yuan a month, while Hong Henian's salary is just over 50 yuan.

He Yuzhu said, "Isn't this a bit too low?"

"That's not low, considering you weren't cooking by the stove, were you?"

Chapter 64 Why should they call you Brother Pillar?

He Yuzhu was clumsy with words, so how could he possibly out-argue the eloquent Manager Hu? Manager Hu then launched into a long rant about the difficulties of running a restaurant.

The boss has already set a ceiling and a salary limit, which is already quite a lot.

After He Yuzhu argued his case and bargained, Manager Hu reluctantly raised the price to 35 yuan per month.

He Yuzhu thought he was pretty good at bargaining, but it wasn't worth it. Shopkeeper Hu deliberately understated the price by 5 yuan so that He Yuzhu would have to negotiate the price.

If you encounter a chef who doesn't know how to negotiate, then it's good if you can get the salary down to 30 yuan, which will save you some money.

He Yuzhu nodded reluctantly and then said, "Now that I'm a formal master, can I have a helper?"

"That works too, but then you can't work half-days."

He Yuzhu had already made preparations, after all, it was a bit unreasonable to work only half a day for such a high salary.

Evenings are peak hours for restaurants, and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to be away.

"Okay, okay."

He Yuzhu then asked, "Can I take the vegetables back with me?"

The restaurant not only provides the chefs with two meals a day, but also allows them to bring their own dishes. Previously, He Yuzhu was just a helper and could only have working meals, but he was not allowed to bring his own dishes.

Only the head chef can bring two lunchboxes, and the second chef can bring one stir-fried dish.

The main reason is that inflation was too severe in the past two years, and many people were unable to support their families even with their salaries.

The custom of chefs bringing their own dishes has been preserved.

"Okay, you can also bring a box of stir-fried vegetables, but the meat limit cannot be exceeded," Manager Hu instructed.

There are regulations on how much shredded meat can be in a stir-fry dish. You can't use too much meat in the dishes you bring yourself; you can only bring the standard amount. If you bring braised pork back every day, wouldn't the restaurant go bankrupt?

"Of course, I know the rules."

He Yuzhu thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll use Xu Huizhen as a helper."

"Oh, why her?"

The main things had been agreed upon, and it didn't matter who the helper was. Manager Hu jokingly asked, "Is it because that young lady is pretty?"

"No, Manager Hu, you can't just say things like that."

He Yuzhu quickly explained, "When I came to work, I took Xu Huizhen's place on the cutting board, so I wanted her to help me and teach her some knife skills."

"Okay, I agree to this. From now on, you will be in charge of cold dishes and braised meat."

He Yuzhu was quite happy when he came out of the manager's office. He couldn't help but go to the yard and see Xu Huizhen still washing potatoes.

He walked up to her and said, "Xu Huizhen, would you like to change jobs?"

Xu Huizhen looked up and rolled her eyes: "You're just an apprentice, how could you possibly help me change positions?"

"Don't worry about this. Just tell me if you still want to wash the vegetables?"

"Of course I don't want to."

Xu Huizhen said angrily, "I should have come a day earlier. Who knew you would take my spot? We agreed that I was here to chop vegetables, but you, you scoundrel, took it from me. Now I can only wash vegetables."

Then Xu Huijun stretched out her two hands, which were already white from being soaked in water, and shook them in front of He Yuzhu's eyes: "Look at these, they're all peeling from being soaked in water. It's all your fault, you bad guy."

Although the two have reconciled and become ordinary friends, Xu Huizhen still often uses this incident to tease He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu said, "This isn't my fault, I didn't know either. Now, would you like to change jobs?"

When He Yuzhu said it the first time, Xu Huizhen thought he was joking. But after hearing it again and being asked, she realized something was wrong.

"Can you really help me?"

Xu Huizhen found it very strange. The last time her brother came, she asked him to talk to the shopkeeper on her behalf. She really didn't want to wash vegetables anymore.

Xu Hui, the older brother, reluctantly mentioned it to the shopkeeper, Hu, who was also in a difficult position. There was no extra space in the entire kitchen, so Xu Huizhen could only continue washing vegetables for the time being.

He Yuzhu nodded and said, "I really can help you, but I have one condition."

Xu Huizhen was very suspicious, and when she heard the last part, her face suddenly turned red: "You...what do you want to do?"

He Yuzhu was so captivated by Xu Huizhen that he forgot to reply.

Fourteen or fifteen-year-old Xu Huizhen hadn't fully blossomed yet, but she was already very attractive. She had a slender figure and wore a clean cotton jacket. Her face was rosy from the sun, and she was very beautiful, like Lin Daiyu burying flowers in a New Year's painting. She had a pair of bright, watery eyes that revealed a shy expression, giving people a refreshing feeling.

He had met many girls before, but none of them could compare to her, because she had a unique and elegant charm that gave He Yuzhu a fresh and unusual feeling.

Some women are very beautiful, but they don't make people's hearts flutter.

But some women may look ordinary, but you can still catch their eye and make them fall head over heels in love.

That's what happens when you click with someone.

Xu Huizhen's pretty face flushed even more, looking radiant and alluring. She lowered her head shyly and said reproachfully, "What are you staring at?"

He Yuzhu then came to his senses and said awkwardly, "I didn't see anything."

Then he asked, "Now there's a chance for you to not have to do the vegetable washing."

Xu Huizhen hesitated for a moment, wondering if He Yuzhu would act like Zhang Yong did with Xiangcao, before asking, "Tell me your conditions first, and I'll consider whether to agree or not."

He Yuzhu said, "You're younger than me, so from now on you'll call me Brother Zhuzi, and I'll help you get a different job."

Xu Huizhen breathed a sigh of relief, secretly blaming herself for thinking such strange thoughts and imagining He Yuzhu as a bad person.

However, the thought of having to call He Yuzhu, this big bad guy, "Brother Zhu" still makes me a little embarrassed.

Why should they call you Brother Pillar?

“I can help you change jobs. Look at your hands, they’re all peeling from being soaked in water. It’s a little better now that the weather’s not cold, but once autumn is over and winter comes, your hands will crack all over when you wash vegetables.”

Hearing this, Xu Huizhen was frightened. Thinking about it, it made sense. In winter, she would only wash vegetables occasionally at home, and her hands would get frostbite. If she washed vegetables all day long, how could her hands have any good skin?

"You're not lying to me, are you? You just want me to call you 'brother'?" Xu Huizhen asked, still somewhat disbelieving.

He Yuzhu said, "I didn't ask you to call me now. Let's talk things over first. After I've helped you get it done, you can call me Brother Zhu, okay?"

Thinking of her hands, cracked from the cold in winter, Xu Huizhen nodded shyly: "If you can help me change them, I'll call you Brother Zhu from now on."

"Okay, then it's settled. Just wait for my good news."

He Yuzhu had already spoken to the shopkeeper; if Xu Huizhen didn't agree, there was nothing he could do.

Just before Manager Hu made the announcement, he spoke with Xu Huizhen in advance, so that Xu Huizhen would have to call him Brother Zhu from now on.

"Yes, I keep my word. If you help me, I'll acknowledge you as my brother."

Xu Huizhen was a little confused. She watched as Manager Hu led her to the cold dish area and said to He Yuzhu, "I've brought you this person. From now on, he'll be your helper."

"Thank you, Manager Hu."