Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

"My name is Zhao Dezhu, and I am the head of logistics at the hotel." The middle-aged man finally introduced himself. "I have read Mr. Sun's letter, but I must make it clear beforehand that the Oriental Hotel is not a place where you can get in just by having connections."

He stopped and turned to look at He Yuzhu, his eyes scrutinizing him. "Old Sun praised you to the skies in his letter, saying that you mastered the true art of Tan family cuisine at the age of sixteen and are also skilled in Sichuan cuisine. But I need to see your abilities with my own eyes before I can decide whether to keep you or not."

He Yuzhu met his gaze calmly: "Director Zhao, whether the craftsmanship is genuine or not, you'll know once you try it."

"Go ahead and test me. If my skills aren't up to par, I'll leave immediately without saying another word."

Zhao Dezhu stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly grinned and said, "Good, you have the confidence."

"However, young people, confidence is a good thing, but don't let it become arrogance."

"We just lost a Sichuan cuisine chef a few days ago. The reason... I won't go into details. Right now, the kitchen is short-staffed. If you're really capable, this position is yours."

"But if you don't have the skills, I advise you to go back as soon as possible and not waste your time here."

He Yuzhu said confidently, "Director Zhao, I understand. Let's let the food speak for itself."

Zhao Dezhu nodded in satisfaction: "Okay, come with me to the kitchen."

The two continued walking forward, passing through two doors, and arrived at the kitchen of the Oriental Hotel.

The kitchen is very large, covering over 100 square meters, and is divided into different areas such as hot dishes, cold dishes, and pastries.

It was time to prepare the ingredients, and a dozen chefs and helpers were busy at work.

Upon seeing Zhao Dezhu enter, many people stopped what they were doing and greeted him, "Director Zhao."

Zhao Dezhu waved his hand, signaling everyone to continue their work, and then led He Yuzhu to a relatively empty stove.

"Xiao He, this is a temporary stove in our kitchen. You'll be working here for a trial run today."

Zhao Dezhu pointed to the stove and said, "I'll give you an hour to cook three Sichuan dishes: twice-cooked pork, Kung Pao chicken, and Mapo tofu."

"The ingredients are all there, you can pick them yourself. There's only one requirement: that neither I nor the senior chefs in our kitchen can find fault with them."

Upon hearing this, many people in the kitchen stopped what they were doing and looked over curiously.

This young man looks to be only in his early twenties. Can he really do it?

He Yuzhu remained calm and nodded in agreement, saying, "Alright, Director Zhao, please taste it in an hour."

After saying that, he took off his cotton-padded coat and hung it aside, rolled up his sleeves, and walked straight to the food section.

He Yuzhu quickly selected the necessary ingredients and returned to the stove to begin processing them.

His movements were not fast, but every step was extremely precise.

The experienced chefs in the kitchen were initially just glancing around casually, but as He Yuzhu moved, their expressions gradually became serious.

After preparing the ingredients, He Yuzhu began cooking.

As these three dishes were successively taken out of the pot and plated, the entire kitchen was filled with an enticing aroma.

"Director Zhao, the three dishes are ready. Please enjoy them," He Yuzhu said to Zhao Dezhu as he placed the three dishes on the prepared tray.

Zhao Dezhu glanced at the clock on the wall; it hadn't even been an hour yet.

He walked to the stove and his eyes fell on the three dishes.

Its appearance alone is impeccable.

Zhao Dezhu picked up his chopsticks and tasted the three dishes in turn. Then he put down his chopsticks and let out a long breath.

He looked at He Yuzhu, his expression complex, and asked, "Who taught you Sichuan cuisine?"

He Yuzhu frankly said, "I used to be an apprentice at Emei Restaurant, where I studied under Master Chen Baoguo."

Zhao Dezhu suddenly laughed and said, "Good lad, so you come from a prestigious school. No wonder you do it so authentically."

He turned to the people in the kitchen and said, "Everyone come and have a taste, give your opinions."

The experienced chefs, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately gathered around upon hearing this and each picked up their chopsticks to taste the food.

For a moment, only the sounds of chewing and occasional exclamations of praise remained in the kitchen.

"This twice-cooked pork is authentic!"

"The Kung Pao Chicken is cooked to perfection!"

"Your Mapo Tofu is better than mine!"

After the experienced chefs finished tasting it, they looked at each other and saw shock in each other's eyes.

This young man doesn't look very old, but his skills... are definitely up to par!

After Zhao Dezhu and the others had tasted it, and received affirmation from several experienced chefs, they were all satisfied.

He then said to He Yuzhu, "Xiao He, from today onwards, you will be the Sichuan cuisine chef at our Dongfang Hotel."

"As for salary... let's start with 800,000 a month, and we'll raise it if I do a good job."

He Yuzhu was secretly delighted, but he remained calm and said, "Thank you, Director Zhao. I will definitely do my job well."

Zhao Dezhu patted him on the shoulder: "Don't thank me, it's because you're capable! But this is a government-run hotel, there are many rules and strict requirements, so you'd better be prepared."

"I understand," He Yuzhu nodded.

"Alright, then you can familiarize yourself with the environment today, and start working officially tomorrow." Zhao Dezhu said, then said to an experienced worker next to him, "Old Chen, take Xiao He around and tell him about our rules here."

The experienced craftsman surnamed Chen walked over with a smile: "Alright, Xiao He, come with me!"

He Yuzhu followed Chef Chen around the kitchen, familiarizing himself with the functions of each area and the division of labor among the staff.

Chef Chen is a talkative person. As we walked, he introduced himself: "You are in our Sichuan cuisine team. From now on, you will mainly be in charge of Sichuan cuisine."

"Our group now has four people, including you. I'm the group leader, and the other two are surnamed Wang and Li, respectively. They've been working for over ten years."

Under Chef Chen's guidance, He Yuzhu became familiar with the entire kitchen's operating procedures and got to know many colleagues.

Most people were quite polite to him, after all, his skills were undeniable, and anyone with eyes could see that he was truly capable.

However, there were a few people who didn't look at him with friendly eyes.

He Yuzhu didn't care. He learned what he needed to learn and asked what he needed to ask, maintaining a humble yet assertive attitude.

Around 4 p.m., Zhao Dezhu came to find him again.

"Xiao He, be here at nine o'clock sharp tomorrow morning, don't be late."

Zhao Dezhu instructed, "Also, we have some important guests at noon tomorrow, several leaders from the Commerce Bureau. Are you in charge of the cooking?"

He Yuzhu nodded without hesitation: "No problem, Director Zhao."

Zhao Dezhu nodded in satisfaction: "Okay, that's settled for today. You can go back and get ready."

He Yuzhu thanked them, packed his things, and left the Oriental Hotel.

He overheard some older women talking by the pond that morning about Jia Dongxu going to Qin Family Village to propose marriage. Since he had nothing else to do, he decided to go and chat with Matchmaker Wang.

She hasn't come looking for him since the incident with the He family. It's better to give this kind of person some benefits, because you might need her help with future system tasks.