Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

"Hey, Zhuzi, wait a minute!" Yan Bugui quickly called out to him. "Um... Zhuzi, you see, I know quite a few people in the education system, and quite a few of them have daughters. If you want to find a partner, Uncle Yan can help you..."

He Yuzhu sneered inwardly: Is this guy trying to make money by being a matchmaker?

He waved his hand, interrupting, "Teacher Yan, I'm only sixteen, there's no rush to find a partner. I have to go to work now, see you later!"

After saying that, he gave Yan Bugui no more chances to linger and quickly walked out of the courtyard.

On his way to the restaurant, He Yuzhu suddenly remembered something, and his heart skipped a beat.

broken!

I promised to help the Xu family with their wedding banquet after the New Year, but I hadn't made the news yet. I can't keep that promise now.

"Tsk, troublesome..." He Yuzhu scratched his head. "I need to talk to Uncle Xu. Either we find someone else, or we quote a higher price to the public..."

He made up his mind to go to the Xu family's house after get off work today.

---------------

When we arrived at the Oriental Hotel, the kitchen was just starting to get busy.

As soon as He Yuzhu entered, he saw Wang Jianguo and Li Weidong standing dejectedly in front of the stove.

"Master He..." The two men looked at him as if they had seen a savior and rushed over.

"What's wrong?" He Yuzhu asked.

Wang Jianguo said with a bitter face, "I didn't come yesterday, and Master Chen said he'd make up for yesterday's missed time today..."

Li Weidong looked at He Yuzhu pleadingly, "Master He, you have to help us..."

He Yuzhu glanced at the time, then at the pile of ingredients in front of the two of them, and sighed, "Alright, hurry up and get started, I'll help you."

"Thank you, Master He!" The two were overjoyed and quickly made way for him.

He Yuzhu rolled up his sleeves, took out the Shenyuan amulet, and began to help the two prepare the ingredients.

His movements were incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, the radish was shredded, the potato sliced, and the pork diced…

Wang Jianguo and Li Weidong watched with envy and quickly perked up to learn from him.

Seeing this, the other kitchen helpers couldn't help but come over as well.

"Master He, could you teach me your shredding technique? I always end up with uneven slices..."

"Master He, how can I cut these meat cubes to be uniform in size without much effort?"

Without looking up, He Yuzhu continued explaining as he worked: "When slicing, keep your hand steady, don't let your wrist shake, and cut along the grain..."

"......"

As he spoke, he slowed down his movements to make it clearer for everyone to see.

Gradually, more and more kitchen helpers gathered around, and even some young apprentices came over, forming a small teaching scene.

Master Chen stood not far away watching, his brows slightly furrowed.

He walked over to He Yuzhu and whispered, "Yuzhu, if you do this... won't the other experienced craftsmen have something to say?"

He Yuzhu continued working, laughing, "Master Chen, what objection could there be? We're all learning from each other!"

"Even if it's just basic skills, if you're interested in any of my dishes, I can teach you! I'll share anything I know without reservation!"

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the young kitchen helpers around him lit up.

These days, craftsmen believe in the saying "If you teach your apprentice, you'll starve yourself." People as generous and willing to teach as He Yuzhu are extremely rare!

Seeing that he had said that, Master Chen didn't know how to persuade him any further. He just shook his head and turned to leave.

He found Zhao Dezhu, who was looking at reports in his office, and explained the situation in the kitchen, expressing his concerns: "Director Zhao, if Zhuzi does this, what about the other senior chefs..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dezhu put down the report and led Chef Chen to the kitchen.

Looking at the lively scene in the kitchen, a smile appeared on his face.

"Old Chen, haven't you figured it out yet?" Zhao Dezhu said, pointing in that direction. "Zhuzi is trying to win people over!"

"Winning people's hearts?" Master Chen was taken aback.

"Look at the way those young kitchen helpers and apprentices look at Zhu Zi..." Zhao Dezhu laughed. "Who's the largest group in our kitchen? Aren't they these young people?"

"They're usually bossed around by the experienced masters, making it incredibly difficult to learn anything real. Now that they finally have a mentor who's willing to teach and doesn't put on airs, how could they not be grateful? How could they not protect him?"

Master Chen suddenly realized and said, "You mean..."

Zhao Dezhu nodded and said, "Zhuzi is very clever! He'll quickly gain a foothold in the kitchen using this method. Even if any senior chef tries to trip him up, they'll have to ask these young people for permission first!"

Once Master Chen understood this, he couldn't help but smile wryly and say, "This kid... he really has a lot on his mind."

Zhao Dezhu shook his head and said, "Old Chen, don't underestimate him. Someone this age with this skill, could he be a greenhorn?"

He patted Chef Chen on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Zhu Zi knows what he's doing! Besides, this is a good thing for our restaurant. If the young people's skills improve, won't the overall level rise?"

Master Chen nodded, and the worry in his heart dissipated.

He Yuzhu's teaching continued all morning.

He not only taught knife skills, but also explained some basic principles of seasoning and heat control.

These things might be common sense for experienced chefs, but they are unheard-of "secrets" for these young kitchen helpers.

"So, the reason you stir-fry vegetables over high heat is to lock in moisture and vitamins..."

"The meat needs to be marinated first to allow the flavors to penetrate and to maintain its tenderness..."

"The broth needs to be simmered over low heat to develop its rich flavor..."

The expressions of sudden realization on everyone's faces fueled He Yuzhu's enthusiasm for teaching even more.

Teaching others is actually a way of organizing and reinforcing your own knowledge system.

Some issues that were not previously noticed were continuously corrected during the explanation process.

After finishing the lunch market at noon, He Yuzhu had just sat down to rest when Zhao Dezhu's assistant came to call him.

"Master He, Director Zhao would like to see you in his office."

He Yuzhu responded and followed.

In the office, Zhao Dezhu was sitting behind his desk. When he saw him come in, he smiled and pointed to the chair opposite him: "Sit down, Zhuzi."

"Director Zhao, you wanted to see me?" He Yuzhu asked as he sat down.

Zhao Dezhu cut to the chase: "Tomorrow is your day off this week, so don't drink anymore. The day after tomorrow is the city's cooking competition."

He Yuzhu said somewhat awkwardly, "Director Zhao, please don't worry, I remember."

Zhao Dezhu said seriously, "This competition is closed to the public. Only the contestants and staff can enter. We can't go in with you."

He paused, then took a paper bag from under the table and handed it to He Yuzhu: "This is the outfit the hotel prepared for you. Wear it the day after tomorrow."

He Yuzhu took the paper bag, opened it, and took a look.

Inside was a brand new white chef's uniform, made of thick, crisp fabric with fine stitching.

The most eye-catching feature is the chest area, where the four dignified and elegant characters "Oriental Hotel" are embroidered in gold thread.

"This..." He Yuzhu said in surprise, "Isn't this a bit too grand?"

"Of course," Zhao Dezhu said seriously. "You are now the face of our restaurant, so you can't go out looking shabby."

He stood up, walked over to He Yuzhu, and patted him on the shoulder: "Zhuzi, do your best the day after tomorrow. Don't be nervous, just perform normally."

"Winning a prize isn't important; what matters is showcasing the style of our Oriental Hotel!"

"Don't worry, Director Zhao, I will do my best," He Yuzhu said solemnly.

"Good!" Zhao Dezhu nodded in satisfaction. "Go back and get some rest and recharge your energy."