Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

The next morning, before dawn, He Yuzhu woke up.

He stretched in bed, got up, and went out to exercise.

After finishing my workout, I washed up and changed into the brand-new, high-end chef's uniform that Zhao Dezhu had given me.

I looked in the mirror and wow, I have to say, this outfit really makes a difference.

"It's pretty good, it's got that chef's touch."

He Yuzhu nodded in satisfaction, picked up the wooden box containing "Chenyuan", locked the door, and set off in high spirits.

The competition was held in the kitchen of the Municipal Workers' Cultural Palace, a spacious venue suitable for hosting events.

When He Yuzhu arrived, several large trucks from various organizations were already parked at the entrance of the Cultural Palace, and chefs dressed in various chef uniforms were entering one after another.

Staff members at the entrance strictly verify identities; apart from contestants and staff wearing specific identification, no unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter.

He Yuzhu handed over his competition certificate and successfully entered the Cultural Palace.

After walking through the corridor, I arrived at the kitchen preparation area, where a bright and spacious view suddenly opened up before me.

Inside, there are more than thirty independent worktables arranged neatly, each equipped with a standard double-burner stove, cutting board, sink, and basic seasoning rack.

Directly in front was a semi-circular judging panel, where five or six respected masters were already seated.

More than twenty chefs, ranging in age from thirty to fifty, had already arrived in the hall. There was only one young man like He Yuzhu, who looked to be in his early twenties.

Many people are familiarizing themselves with their workbenches and checking their cutting tools.

He Yuzhu found workstation number 25, which had his name and the "Oriental Hotel" label on it, put down the wooden box, and began to do the pre-match checks.

(Please remember 1110.com for the fastest chapter updates)

While he was busy, he caught a glimpse of someone on the judges' panel looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

He Yuzhu looked up and met Master Wang's gaze.

Master Wang nodded slightly to him, a hint of encouragement on his face, but did not come over to speak.

He Yuzhu understood immediately and nodded in acknowledgment.

The other party is one of the judges this time, and he is a contestant, so we need to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

Just as He Yuzhu was composing himself, a hoarse voice said behind him, "Oh, who do we have here? Isn't this He Yuzhu, the apprentice at our Emei Restaurant?"

He Yuzhu turned his head and saw a man in his forties, tall and thin with prominent cheekbones standing next to his workbench.

He Yuzhu's mind raced as he recalled that the man's name was Sun Decai, and he was Master Wu's apprentice at the Emei Restaurant.

He Yuzhu searched through the original owner's memories and found that when Sun Decai was at the Emei Restaurant, he often ordered his apprentices around because of his seniority.

The original owner had been ordered around to do chores quite often in the past, but unexpectedly, when they ran into each other here today, the other party even took the initiative to cause trouble.

He Yuzhu sized up Sun Decai, a half-smile playing on his lips:

"Who do we have here? Their voices sound like they've been slammed in a door! It's Master Wu's 'top student,' Senior Brother Sun!"

He feigned surprise and continued, "Oh, your outfit... Fengzeyuan? Tsk tsk, Emei Restaurant just closed down a few days ago, and you've already gone to work at Fengzeyuan, which is famous for Shandong cuisine?"

"It seems Senior Brother Sun was well-prepared. Really...tsk tsk..."

This barbed remark clearly pointed out Sun Decai's suspicions of betraying his master and abandoning principles for personal gain.

Several chefs who were preparing nearby immediately perked up their ears, their eyes scanning back and forth between He Yuzhu and Sun Decai, and some even couldn't help but chuckle softly.

In the culinary world, lineage and character are of utmost importance. Sun Decai's behavior would be looked down upon anywhere.

Sun Decai's face instantly turned a deep liver color...

He never expected that the apprentice who used to be so afraid of him would now be so quick-witted, with every word hitting him where it hurt!

"You...you're talking nonsense!" Sun Decai pointed at He Yuzhu angrily. "What do you mean by 'prepared in advance'? The Emei Restaurant has already closed down, so I can't find somewhere else to go? This is called 'a wise bird chooses a good tree to perch on,' what do you know, you little brat!"

"Oh—" He Yuzhu drawled, feigning sudden realization, "So it's about choosing the right tree to perch on!"

"Brother Sun's cultural level has improved; he can even use idioms now. It seems he didn't just learn Shandong cuisine at Fengzeyuan. Not bad, not bad..."

"You!" Sun Decai was so choked that he almost couldn't catch his breath.

He originally intended to give He Yuzhu a hard time before the match and demoralize him, but unexpectedly, he was the one who got the blow.

Enraged, he lowered his voice and threatened, "He Yuzhu, don't be so arrogant! You think wearing this uniform makes you a master chef?"

"You're just a sixteen-year-old kid who hasn't even grown up yet. You only got lucky and got a few compliments from the reporters, and now you think you know your place?"

"Today's match features only seasoned veterans; let's see how you embarrass yourself!"

He Yuzhu picked at his ear, giving him a "what are you barking about?" look, and said lazily, "Senior Brother Sun, the competition is about skill, not volume or seniority."

"If you're really that good, we'll see what you're capable of on the stove later. All this rambling on here makes people think you're here for a competition, and others might think you're a stand-up comedian!"

"What, Fengzeyuan teaches this?"

"Pfft—" A chubby chef next to him couldn't help but burst out laughing, and quickly pretended to cough and turned his head away.

Sun Decai pointed at He Yuzhu and stammered "you you you" for a long time, but couldn't come up with another harsh word.

He realized that the He Yuzhu in front of him was a completely different person from the one he knew at the Emei Restaurant.

Continuing to argue will only make you look worse.

Sun Decai glared at He Yuzhu, said "We'll see!" and slunk back to his workbench.

He Yuzhu watched his retreating figure, curling his lip in disdain: "That's it? A piece of trash with a combat power of less than five dares to provoke me? Does he really think I'm the same idiot I used to be?"

He easily defused the pre-match commotion and relaxed instead.

Looking around, he noticed that many chefs were looking at him with more curiosity, clearly having overheard the conversation.

He Yuzhu was not intimidated. He nodded calmly to those who looked at him, and then calmly began to wait for the competition to begin.

On the judges' panel, Master Wang, who had been keeping a close eye on the commotion, had a hint of a smile in his eyes.

This kid is not only skilled, but also has a tough personality, which is good for him.

The other judge sitting next to him asked in a low voice, "Old Wang, is that He Yuzhu, the one you praised last time? He's not very old, but he has quite the temper!"

Master Wang said calmly, "It's normal for capable people to have a temper! They're better than those who have no ability and only know how to talk."

These words were pointed, and upon hearing them, the judge glanced at Sun Decai, who was not far away, and said nothing more.

At 9:00 a.m. sharp, a leader of the food association, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, walked onto the small podium in front of the judges' panel.

He took out a megaphone and announced the official start of the first Beijing Culinary Exchange Competition.

After the leader gave a few words of encouragement and explained the competition rules, the chief judge announced the questions for the first round.

"In the first round, you have 40 minutes to complete a dish with 'chicken' as the main ingredient."

"The food ingredients and basic seasonings are ready at the work station. Special seasonings can be requested from the staff."

"You all understand, right? Well then, I declare the first round of the competition here to begin!"