Courtyard House: Passing through the Silly Pillar, Activating the Blessed Cave Heaven

47

He specially transplanted ten cypress saplings and planted them next to the chicken coop and sheep pen. Once these cypress trees grow into large trees with lush branches and leaves, they can provide shelter for the livestock from the sun and wind.

Currently, the animals still rely on the mud-walled huts built by He Yuzhu to protect themselves from the sun and rain.

Those precious rosewood saplings are still less than a foot tall.

Whenever he has free time, He Yuzhu goes to the hill where rosewood is planted to transplant the overly dense saplings to other places and thin them out.

Starting in the second half of 1947, with the constant changes in the war situation, the economic situation in the rear became increasingly severe.

The rampant devaluation of the legal tender led to a significant decline in Fengzeyuan's business.

But this also gave Wu Baotian more time to teach He Yuzhu the cooking techniques of Shandong cuisine.

He Yuzhu studied with great eagerness, often practicing making classic Shandong dishes such as sweet and sour carp, Zaozhuang spicy chicken, and braised chicken in the grotto-heaven-blessed land using ingredients he grew and raised himself.

By 1948, as the scale of breeding in Dongtianfudi continued to expand, He Yuzhu began to sell the poultry and livestock products produced in Dongtianfudi through Master Huang.

He used the money he earned from selling things to recruit six teenagers from impoverished families—Zhang Hu, Wang Chao, Ma Han, Zhao Dashan, Yang Shulin, and Liu Changchuan.

These teenagers all came from very poor families, and in the turbulent economic environment of the time, they could hardly make a living.

He Yuzhu provided them with 30 jin of corn and 10 eggs each month as payment, both as a favor and to ensure their loyalty by demonstrating his strength (including the M1911 pistol he acquired by chance).

These teenagers will become his important helpers in selling the produce of Dongtianfu (including poultry, eggs, corn and other agricultural products).

He Yuzhu was determined to build his own team. To ensure safety, he specially purchased three M1911 pistols, five Garand rifles, and 2000 rounds of ammunition for each type of rifle through special channels, just in case.

In the spring of 1948, He Yuzhu arranged for his men to order two oil presses from the steel rolling mill, each of which could hold 200 jin of rapeseed.

The top of the oil press is equipped with a 4-meter-long pressure bar. Utilizing the principle of 8 times leverage, simply placing stones on the tray at the top of the pressure bar can generate enormous pressure, allowing 200 kilograms of rapeseed to be pressed within an hour.

In May of the same year, He Yuzhu realized that a year later, China would undergo a historic transformation, and in order to record this important historical moment, he decided to buy a camera.

One afternoon, during his break at the restaurant, he went to the market to look for Ah Biao.

Through A Biao's introduction, He Yuzhu met Master Huang.

"Mr. Huang, I'd like to buy a camera, along with 120mm and 300mm lenses. Could you help me get them?"

"This is not a common item; it's a rare find. I need to inquire about it for you first," said Master Huang, shaking his head.

"Thank you for your help. Please feel free to name the amount of deposit you need," He Yuzhu said sincerely.

"We're all acquaintances, no need to be so polite. Let's talk about it when we have news."

Two months later, just when He Yuzhu was about to give up, Abiao suddenly came to Fengzeyuan and informed him that Master Huang had found the camera he wanted.

That afternoon, He Yuzhu returned to the vegetable market.