Courtyard House: New Life, New Silly Zhu

"Comrade He Yuzhu, welcome to our cafeteria family. I wonder what culinary skills you have?" While taking He Yuzhu to the cafeteria for the grading exam, Director Zhang also inquired about He Yuzhu's culinary abilities.

"Director Zhang, when I was 13, I went to Fengzeyuan to learn with my father, He Daqing. In 55, oh right, that was last year, when Tianjin Hongbinlou opened in Beijing, I also went there to learn halal cuisine. And my family has a tradition of learning Shandong cuisine, so Director Zhang, I know three cuisines." He Yuzhu introduced himself.

However, He Yuzhu actually kept some of his bad situations a secret.

For example, when I went in to learn cooking, I became an apprentice of a chef at a restaurant, but unfortunately my father ran away to Baocheng.

This offended his master at the time, causing him to be kicked out halfway through his studies, leaving him stuck in a limbo.

If you go to a proper restaurant without a proper lineage, people won't recognize it; you can only go to the kind of newly opened restaurant.

For example, Hongbinlou was where He Yuzhu entered under these circumstances. Unfortunately, he could only start as the lowest-level apprentice.

Unfortunately, the company was forced into a public-private partnership. The public manager was unhappy that the chefs were receiving a share of the restaurant's profits, which led to a conflict with the head chef. As a result, all the chefs left, and he, as an apprentice, couldn't stay either.

For the past two years, I've been picking up trash and coal scraps on the streets, and I've even been doing odd jobs carrying heavy bags.

Until a few days ago, he, He Yuzhu, transmigrated into the He Yuzhu of this world.

The director was surprised that the chef knew so many different cuisines. Usually, it's already impressive for a chef to learn one cuisine, but He Yuzhu knew three.

"Okay, okay, Master He, I understand. When the time comes to use your skills, I'll give it my all," Director Zhang said.

He Yuzhu said modestly, "Director Zhang, don't worry, I will definitely make you satisfied!"

"However, Zhu Zi, our factory is different from the restaurants outside. Our canteen mainly cooks large-scale dishes. This year, we implemented an eight-level system. Unlike the workers, our canteen chefs can only be assigned to level six at most. That means the highest salary they can get is 53.62 yuan. I need to make this clear to you in advance." Director Zhang explained some things beforehand.

"No problem, Director Zhang. I already knew before I came. I originally thought I would have to start as an apprentice, but I didn't expect to be ranked so quickly." He Yuzhu said this sincerely.

Director Zhang was very satisfied to hear this, since the truly skilled chefs were unwilling to come to the factory.

The chef profession is a labor-intensive one, relying on skills and practice. However, factories often produce large batches of food, which doesn't allow chefs to showcase their skills, so over time they become unwilling to work there.

Soon, Director Zhang led He Yuzhu to the third canteen where He Yuzhu stayed in the TV series.

"Zhu Zi, come here, go to that stove over there. Do your best and make two dishes. One is a big pot dish, and for the other dish, just use the ingredients as you see fit," Director Zhang said to He Yuzhu, pointing to a stove.

He Yuzhu stepped forward and, without saying a word, began to examine the items prepared on the cutting board.

The ingredients on the cutting board are very simple: potatoes, cabbage, some eggs, and chili peppers.

But that's normal, since we're cooking in a large batch today, not in a small kitchen.

However, based on what Director Zhang just said, one of the dishes must be cooked in a large pot, while the other is cooked in a small batch.

He Yuzhu then thought of two dishes: hot and sour shredded potatoes and stewed cabbage in a large pot.

Stewed cabbage is the simplest dish, after all, he's a professional chef.

Compare the two pots of the same size, and think about how much salt and water you need to add, and finally, when you take it off the heat, try to keep it about 80% cooked.

This is so that when the large pot of stew is finished cooking, the residual heat in the pot will cook the cabbage until it is done.

He Yuzhu put a lot of effort into the hot and sour shredded potatoes, because this was the dish he really needed to impress the cafeteria director.

The potatoes in the cafeteria are never peeled. He Yuzhu took out two potatoes of similar size and took a knife directly from his bag.

Using this cleaver, I started peeling the skin quickly and evenly. After peeling, I cut it into strips and put it in cold water.

This step is to wash away the starch in the shredded potatoes and maintain their texture.

Then he started stir-frying the vegetables. Before the shredded potatoes were taken out of the pan, He Yuzhu added some seasonings, which he had prepared himself.

However, after He Yuzhu finished cooking all the dishes, Director Zhang went out to work and hasn't returned yet.

After all, it's not just the third canteen that's taking the grading exam; the other two canteens are also conducting grading exams.

"Zhu Zi, your cooking skills are impressive. I can tell your dishes are good just by the aroma." Director Zhang had just stepped into the kitchen when he smelled the rich fragrance.

This surprised him greatly. He hadn't expected He Yuzhu to be so skilled, managing to make even a simple hot and sour shredded potato dish taste so delicious.

Director Zhang took out money and tickets from his pocket and handed them to an older woman in the cafeteria.

"I'd like a serving of hot and sour shredded potatoes and stewed cabbage," Director Zhang said.

Then he said to He Yuzhu, "Zhuzi, let's get one to try first. We kitchen staff need meal tickets and money to eat, just like the workers. But since we're already in the kitchen, we can eat first; it's one of our perks."

After being busy for so long, He Yuzhu was also a little hungry. He didn't stand on ceremony and took the steamed buns and vegetables that Director Zhang handed him and started eating.

After He Yuzhu finished eating, he looked at Director Zhang. He hadn't even waited for Director Zhang to say what level he was assigned to.

Director Zhang was halfway through his meal when he noticed He Yuzhu staring at him intently, so he couldn't eat anymore and smiled helplessly.

"Zhu Zi, your skills have already passed my test. I'll submit your certification report, and you'll be able to earn a level six salary. But you probably won't get it today; you'll only get level eight," Director Zhang explained.

Hearing Director Zhang say this, He Yuzhu was suddenly a little surprised. He asked curiously, "Director Zhang, will I get my salary today?"

Director Zhang smiled and said, "Of course. Our factory serves its workers; we don't pay you after you've worked. So you'll get your wages today. However, you are... well, today is the last day of the month, so you'll only receive half a month's wages. Wait a moment, I'll take you to the logistics department. Then you can officially start work tomorrow. How does that sound?"

He Yuzhu thought this era was truly remarkable. Back in modern times, factories would hold back a month's wages, sometimes not even paying the last month's salary. Now, before even starting work, you get half a month's pay. Why don't later generations learn this good habit?