Courtyard House: New Life, New Silly Zhu

"Oh, Director Zhang, if you were talking about something else, I might have to think about it, but I really don't know how to cook those dishes made by the Soviets."

He Yuzhu was talking nonsense with a straight face, and when Director Zhang first heard He Yuzhu say this, he thought that he would do it too.

But upon closer listening, wow, it's fine if you can't do it, but saying it like that is really asking for trouble.

"Alright, Zhu Zi, stop joking. Give me a straight answer. You really can't do it?" The cafeteria manager was still unwilling to give up.

To be honest, having lived through the era of the internet explosion, he actually knew what the Soviets ate: borscht, rye bread, and large kebabs, that was about it.

But the question is, what is his current status? Is he just an ordinary cook, or a cook who has never left Beijing in his entire life, and suddenly claims he can cook those Soviet dishes?

I'm afraid that as soon as he finished speaking, the first thing to come would be the factory's security department dragging him to check if enemy agents had infiltrated.

However, although he didn't know how to cook it, he knew what the Soviets liked to eat, so he could just cook it according to Russian tastes.

So he quickly grabbed Director Zhang's hand and said to him, "Director Zhang, why are you in such a hurry? Listen to me carefully. Although I don't know how to cook the dishes the Soviets eat, their region is relatively close to Northeast China. Wouldn't it be the same if I cooked some Northeastern dishes for them?"

Upon hearing this, Director Zhang suddenly realized, "That's right, the climate in the Soviet Union is similar to that in Northeast China; people freeze to death in winter. They probably really do eat the same things."

With that thought in mind, Director Zhang stopped worrying and carefully instructed He Yuzhu, "Zhu, then there will be a meal tonight. You can cook Northeastern cuisine for me."

"Director Zhang, I guarantee I'll complete the mission. Just you wait and see," He Yuzhu assured him with a smile.

Director Zhang nodded without saying anything more, then turned and left.

By evening, many people had left the canteen, so He Yuzhu left two kitchen helpers behind and had already prepared the necessary paperwork.

"Come on, Zhang San, come with me." He Yuzhu took the menu he had written and led Zhang San toward the small storeroom.

Tonight, He Yuzhu is prepared to show off his skills, not only by taking care of the Soviet experts, but also by taking care of the factory leaders.

After all, the Soviet experts would all leave soon, but the leaders would still be the same leaders, and we would still have to rely on them for our livelihood.

After taking Zhang San into the small warehouse, they took some vegetables that could be eaten raw, a small half of a pork rack, and a pork hock.

Before arriving at the warehouse, He Yuzhu never expected that there would be a freezer in the factory's small warehouse at this time.

Looking at the noisy freezer, He Yuzhu opened it and found that it contained perishable items, such as pork and slaughtered chicken.

After getting his things, He Yuzhu went straight back to the cafeteria. He didn't do anything else, but planned to make a few Sichuan dishes, then Northeastern mixed salad, sweet and sour pork, and braised pork knuckle.

Of course, he also made it according to the tastes that Russians who came to China in later generations liked to eat.

They prefer sweet and sour flavors, high oil and sugar content, and strong tastes.

Of course, the most important thing is to prepare good wine.

After all, those Soviets could really drink at the dinner table. Many important deals in our country were made over drinks.

The drinking culture didn't originate in China; in fact, it truly began when the Soviets came to China.

Even the special meals were, to put it bluntly, prepared specifically to cater to these Soviet experts.

However, this habit was inherited by those leaders. Of course, this has nothing to do with He Yuzhu. He is just a cook. He only needs to cook his own meals well.

"Director Zhang, has the new cook finished preparing the food? If so, have them serve it." Director Li from the logistics department whispered to the canteen director beside him.

"Director Li, I've already made arrangements for today."

"That's fine then. But you described this chef as amazing. I wonder if his dishes will suit the tastes of these Soviet experts."

"Don't worry, I specifically asked, and he said the dishes he's preparing are from Northeast China, and the taste there is quite similar to that of the Soviet Union."

After listening, Director Li didn't say much, and could only nod helplessly.

To be honest, if he were in charge of making the arrangements, he would definitely have all the Soviet experts eat out, even if it was to Old Moscow.

However, there are quite a few Russians, and if they go to restaurants outside, the prices are very high, and it's hard to know how much it will cost.

But these are not the most important things. The most important thing is that when you eat and drink outside, you can't enjoy yourself to the fullest, and you can't urge others to drink more.

Once you leave the factory, you represent the factory's image, so you can't do anything shameful.

More importantly, their original plan was to get these Soviet experts drunk and then extract knowledge from them.

Although Soviet experts would diligently teach the workers, they also needed to devise ways to extract additional knowledge from them.

After all, although they are all communist countries, there are still differences between them.

Upon entering the private room, Director Li saw that the Soviet experts were already seated, so he quickly went over and sat down next to the factory leader.

"Gentlemen, we are all gathered here today. Let's drink to this together." Director Zhao stood up as usual, raised a glass of wine to the Soviet experts, and then downed it in one gulp.

After Director Zhao started, all the other leaders took turns offering toasts.

The Soviet experts, however, were not afraid at all; they drank with each one who came.

By the time He Yuzhu brought the dishes to the table, everyone had already finished their drinks.

"Distinguished leaders, all the dishes are served. Please let me know if you need anything."

Before leaving, He Yuzhu said something and went back to the small kitchen.

He had just seen those Soviet experts and factory leaders drinking from glass cups, gulping down each cup in one go, which amazed He Yuzhu.

I wonder if they can handle drinking like this. Thinking of this, I got up and went back to the kitchen to cook a pot of hangover soup.

Hangover soups are usually sweet and sour, which can stimulate appetite and replenish fluids and nutrients. That's why He Yuzhu made tomato and tofu soup.

I simply cooked a pot, but I don't know if it's enough.

However, He Yuzhu didn't mind and started cooking in the small kitchen with two helpers.

To accommodate the Soviet experts, there was plenty of meat in this meal.

Of course, He Yuzhu didn't treat himself badly either; he had already placed two boxes full of meat and vegetables in his own space.