Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

He Yuzhu watched as Wang the matchmaker took the 30,000 yuan and left with her people, and couldn't help but curl his lip.

"Is that all?" he muttered to himself, not loudly, but several neighbors nearby heard him.

Aunt Qian hadn't gone far when she heard this and came over and whispered, "Zhu Zi, 30,000 is quite a lot. Matchmaker Wang's trip wasn't in vain."

He Yuzhu shook his head, disdainfully saying, "Aunt Qian, do you think 30,000 is a big deal to Yi Zhonghai?"

"A sewing machine worth over two million yuan, just pulled it out like that... This matchmaker Wang... she's still a bit too short-sighted!"

Aunt Qian, after being prompted by his words, finally understood and clicked her tongue: "Now that you mention it, it's true... If it were me, I would definitely ask for an extra fifty or eighty thousand."

He Yuzhu secretly lamented the missed opportunity. If he had handled it well, he could have not only squeezed Yi Zhonghai out of a fortune, but he might have even been able to ruin Jia Dongxu's marriage.

But then I thought, if Qin Huairu were really gone, this courtyard would lose some of its charm.

"Alright, Aunt Qian, I'm going back now." He Yuzhu waved his hand and turned to go back into the house.

He closed the door, put away the things he had bought, and started thinking about work the next day.

The Oriental Hotel is not like the Emei Restaurant; it has more rules and stricter requirements, and only ordinary people can eat there.

"I have to do well tomorrow and not embarrass my master," He Yuzhu silently encouraged himself.

He took out the wooden box that his master, Chen Baoguo, had given him from the cabinet and opened it gently.

Shen Yuan lay quietly inside, the blade still gleaming with a cold, eerie light in the dim light.

"Buddy, tomorrow's the day."

He put the knife back down, then took out his Sichuan cuisine notes and carefully flipped through them by the light of the kerosene lamp.

Although he already had the master-level Tan family cuisine tradition in his mind, his understanding of Sichuan cuisine far exceeded that of ordinary people.

However, the master's notebook contains many unique insights and experiences in dealing with various emergencies, which are all valuable assets.

He Yuzhu kept reading until his eyes started to feel sore before putting away his notebook, blowing out the lamp, and getting into bed.

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The next day, before dawn, He Yuzhu opened his eyes.

He jumped up, got dressed, and went out into the yard.

He stretched his arms and legs, got into a stance, and slowly began to practice Bajiquan.

After finishing a round of boxing, I was slightly sweaty and felt my blood and energy were flowing smoothly.

I went back inside, wiped myself down with hot water, and changed into a clean set of blue cotton clothes.

He took the wooden box containing Shen Yuan, walked out of the house, locked the door, and left.

At a breakfast stall at the street corner, he ordered six large meat buns and two bowls of soy milk. After eating his fill, he headed towards Qianmen Street.

He didn't walk very fast; when he arrived at the entrance of the Oriental Hotel, it was still a quarter of an hour before nine o'clock.

The guard at the gate had changed shifts; he was a man in his thirties, with a straight back, clearly a former soldier.

"Comrade, I'm the new Sichuan cuisine chef. Director Zhao asked me to come over at nine o'clock today." He Yuzhu stepped forward and said.

The guard sized him up and nodded: "Go in. I heard about you yesterday."

"Thank you," He Yuzhu said, and walked into the Oriental Hotel.

Passing through the grand lobby and through that familiar side door, the bustling atmosphere unique to the kitchen area immediately comes into view.

As soon as He Yuzhu entered the back kitchen passage, he saw Chef Chen standing by a stove talking to someone.

"Good morning, Master Chen." He Yuzhu walked over and greeted him.

Master Chen turned around, saw it was him, and smiled: "Little He is here, right on time! Come on, let me take you to the changing room to change your clothes."

As he spoke, he led He Yuzhu deeper into the passage.

The changing room was small, with a row of metal lockers against the wall.

Chef Chen opened an empty cabinet, took out a brand-new white chef's uniform and a chef's hat, and handed them to He Yuzhu: "Here, try these on, they should fit."

He Yuzhu took the clothes; the fabric was thick and the stitches were fine, clearly indicating it was a good quality item.

He quickly changed and looked at himself in the mirror on the wall.

The moment you put on the white chef's uniform, your whole demeanor changes; you lose some of your carefree attitude and gain more competence.

"Hey, get energized!"

Master Chen praised him, then his gaze fell on the wooden box that He Yuzhu had been carrying, and he asked curiously, "Little He, what's in that box? It looks like a treasure."

He Yuzhu smiled, placed the wooden box on the long bench next to him, and opened it: "It's a knife that my master gave me when I finished my apprenticeship."

Master Chen took a closer look and saw a simple, antique-style kitchen knife lying in the box. He couldn't help but exclaim, "What a fine knife!"

"Your master is really good to you. This knife is clearly the work of a master craftsman. Does it have a name?"

"Yes, it's called Shenyuan," He Yuzhu said, gently stroking the blade.

"Chenyuan... a good name." Master Chen nodded. "Come on, I'll take you to your stove."

Master Chen led He Yuzhu to a stove on the inner side: "This stove will be yours from now on. Next to it is your cutting board and worktable. Oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and all kinds of seasonings are all in this cabinet. Just let me know if you need anything."

He Yuzhu looked closely and saw that the stove was very clean and all kinds of tools were arranged in an orderly manner.

"Thank you, Master Chen," he said gratefully.

"Don't mention it, we're on the same team now." Master Chen waved his hand. "Get familiar with things first, I have some things to take care of, I'll explain in detail to you when I'm done."

"You go about your business," He Yuzhu nodded.

After Master Chen left, He Yuzhu took "Chenyuan" out of the wooden box, found a whetstone, filled it with some water, and began to carefully sharpen the knife.

It's not that the knife isn't sharp enough, but rather it's a ritual, a process of getting used to the knife.

After sharpening the knife, He Yuzhu stood up and looked around.

Several kitchen helpers were busy chopping and washing vegetables not far away.

He walked over and casually asked, "Hey buddy, what can I help you with?"

The kitchen helpers were stunned for a moment, then looked up at him.

They were all young people in their early twenties, working at the lowest level in the kitchen.

It's only natural for the masters to direct them to do their work, and they rarely take the initiative to ask if they need any help.

A round-faced kitchen helper was the first to react, and quickly said, "Master He... no need, no need, we can handle it."

"Don't mention it, I'm new here too, I'm just killing time anyway." He Yuzhu smiled and picked up a radish, skillfully chopping it.

With a swift movement, he sliced ​​the radish into evenly thick slices, then into thin shreds, his speed dazzling the eye.

The kitchen helpers stared in disbelief. The round-faced helper exclaimed sincerely, "Chef He, your knife skills... are amazing!"

"Practice makes perfect."

He Yuzhu kept chopping, chatting with them as he went: "My name is He Yuzhu, you can just call me Zhuzi from now on. What do you guys call me?"

"My name is Wang Jianguo, his name is Li Weidong, and that's Zhang Qiang," the round-faced kitchen helper introduced them one by one.

"Jianguo, Weidong, Qiangzi," He Yuzhu said with a smile, calling out to them one by one. "Please take care of me in the future."

His easygoing attitude instantly shortened the distance between him and the kitchen helpers.

While they were busy working, they chatted casually, and He Yuzhu quickly got a general idea of ​​what was going on in the kitchen.

Which chef specializes in which dishes? Which chef has a bad temper? What should we be aware of when choosing a chef?

These seemingly trivial pieces of information are actually very important to a newcomer.