I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

The woman standing nearby, tears streaming down her face, quickly stepped forward to help Zhu Zi up: "Silly Zhu Zi, listen to your master's wife, sit down and tell me slowly. Your master's wife will definitely get revenge for the injustice you suffered!"

Wu Yousheng trembled with rage, pointing at He Yuzhu and yelling, "Foolish Zhu, you idiot! You're such a fool! You never come to your master when you're in trouble. I've been teaching you since you were twelve, how could you be so stupid!" He then shouted, "Ersheng! Grab your weapons! Let's go get justice for Zhuzi!"

Ersheng, who had been listening with righteous indignation, rushed to the kitchen upon hearing this. When he came out, he was holding a kitchen knife in one hand and a mirrored box in the other.

He Yuzhu was stunned by the scene, and Zhou Weiguo quickly stepped forward to stop him: "Brother Wu, calm down! We've gotten all the justice we needed. Don't worry, this isn't over. I'll make that guy pay!"

Wu Yousheng looked puzzled: "You got it back? How did you get it back?"

Zhou Weiguo smiled confidently, "First, I made him pay six thousand yuan and hand over six side rooms and the back room. Then I ruined his and his apprentice's promotion exam. Although there was an element of luck involved, if they had passed, one could have been rated as a level 7 worker and the other as a level 3 worker."

Wu Yousheng was still somewhat dissatisfied: "Is this all the punishment? They can always take the exam again sooner or later!"

Zhou Weiguo shook his head confidently: "Impossible, absolutely no chance!"

Wu Yousheng was skeptical: "Brother Zhou, even though you're Zhuzi's uncle, don't exaggerate."

He Yuzhu quickly chimed in, "Don't worry, Master! My uncle keeps his word! There's nothing he can't do at the steel rolling mill!"

Why are you so confident?

He Yuzhu couldn't help but show off: "Master, my uncle is an engineer, an 8th-grade fitter, and the head of the technical department at the steel rolling mill!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yousheng and his family of three looked at Zhou Weiguo in shock, finding it hard to believe that this young man held such an important position.

Wu Ersheng joked, "Zhu Zi, look at how smug you are! Anyone who didn't know better would think you were a section chief!"

He Yuzhu, head held high, said proudly, "Brother Ersheng, don't underestimate me! I'm now the canteen director of the steel rolling mill, a proper deputy section-level cadre!"

Wu Ersheng looked incredulous: "Zhuzi, when did you learn to brag? You're just a cook with only an elementary school education, how could you become a director or an official?"

He Yuzhu's face flushed red, and he scratched his head sheepishly, "It's all thanks to my uncle's help..."

Wu Yousheng looked at Zhou Weiguo seriously, and Zhou Weiguo immediately nodded to confirm: "Brother Wu, Zhuzi isn't lying, it's all true."

"Excellent! Excellent! Zhu Zi has really made something of himself! I know quite a few chefs, including several who cook for state banquets, but this is the first time I've ever seen a chef become an official! Well done!"

Zhou Weiguo keenly noticed that when Zhu Zi revealed his position, a hint of joy flashed in his master's wife's eyes, but it was suppressed by a look from Wu Yousheng.

Taking the opportunity, Zhou Weiguo asked, "Brother Wu, is this restaurant facing some difficulties?"

Wu Yousheng forced a calm demeanor: "No, nothing's wrong. Everything's fine."

He Yuzhu exclaimed anxiously, "That's impossible, Master! The Emei Restaurant used to be a two-story building with dozens of tables and over a dozen senior brothers. How come... And why is Brother Ersheng working as a waiter now?"

Wu Yousheng looked somewhat uneasy: "Business is tough these days. I've closed some of the shops and rented them out, leaving only this one. Your master's wife, Ersheng, and I are just making do. I don't need you to worry about me! Now that your uncle has taken care of everything, I'm relieved. You wait here, your master's wife and I will cook you some of our signature dishes." After saying that, he glared fiercely at Ersheng, as if issuing a warning.

After Wu Yousheng entered the kitchen, Zhou Weiguo turned to Ersheng and said in a deep voice, "Ersheng, what exactly happened? Tell us quickly while your father isn't here; maybe we can help."

After much hesitation, Er Sheng still dared not speak.

Zhou Weiguo's tone turned stern: "Do you have to wait until something terrible happens to your father before you tell me? By then it'll be too late to regret it!"

Ersheng shuddered, glanced towards the kitchen, and said in a low voice, "My father... doesn't want the public-private partnership to happen."

Zhou Weiguo understood that it was already the end of 1956, and the public-private partnership was entering its final stage. If they did not cooperate, it would be considered resistance to the policy, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Why is your father unwilling? Tell me in detail."

Ersheng sighed, "At first, he agreed, but after seeing other restaurants around us gradually merge with the restaurant, he felt something was wrong. When customers went to eat, some of the restaurant managers deliberately caused trouble; the manager of the restaurant next door even physically assaulted a customer. What my dad couldn't stand the most was that his friend said those restaurant managers, in order to save money, interfered in the kitchen, complained about the high price of seasonings, said that good food was useless, and even reduced the portion sizes. My dad said that running a restaurant is about conscience; the food should be delicious, the portions generous, and the ingredients fresh. He couldn't stand people saying that Emei Restaurant's food was bad, the portions small, and the ingredients poor; if the reputation was ruined, his life would have been wasted..."

Zhou Weiguo didn't need to listen further to imagine how difficult it must be for restaurants that hadn't yet partnered with the company at this critical juncture.

No wonder there wasn't a single customer in the restaurant at mealtimes. It seems I need to find an opportunity to give Brother Wu a good talking-to; I can't let him make a foolish mistake.

Although He Yuzhu didn't understand the policies very well, he could sense his master's difficult situation and quickly asked, "Brother Ersheng, what about the other apprentices? Where did Brother Dasheng go?"

Ersheng looked helpless: "Two months ago, my dad was afraid of dragging everyone down, so he sent all the apprentices home. The restaurant just couldn't support the family expenses, so my brother had to go out and do odd jobs to supplement the family income..."

He Yuzhu exclaimed incredulously, "Impossible! How could Master be short of money?"

No matter how much he pressed, Er Sheng remained silent, his face turning extremely grim.

Seeing this, Zhou Weiguo knew that asking any more questions would be useless, so he stopped talking.

In less than ten minutes, Wu Yousheng had cooked four dishes and a soup and brought them to the table. He didn't sit down, but smiled and said, "Brother Zhou, I'm really sorry, I didn't prepare many good ingredients today. Please make do with what you have."

Zhou Weiguo quickly pulled him back: "Brother Wu, you're looking down on me! We're all family, how can you be so formal? Sister-in-law, please sit down too!"

Wu Yousheng declined, saying, "Brother, how can we cooks serve food? Besides, this is our first time meeting. We absolutely mustn't."

Zhou Weiguo then understood why Zhu Zi never served food when he went out to cook; it turned out he had learned the rules from his master.

He insisted, "Brother, you're Master Zhu, we're family! If we keep arguing like this, it's disrespecting your younger brother! Ersheng, sit down too, let's eat and chat!"

Wu Yousheng glanced at his wife, and the three of them finally sat down.

Seeing the two sit down, Zhou Weiguo quickly took out a bottle of special-supply liquor from his belongings and opened it without saying a word. Then he took out a pack of special-supply cigarettes from his pocket and distributed them to everyone.

He said with a smile, "Zhu Zi, go pour some wine for your brother, let him taste it and see how it is."

P.S.: Please urge me to update more and give me good reviews. Thank you!