Courtyard House: New Life, New Silly Zhu

Today is Friday, June 8th, and tomorrow is the factory's workers' get-together.

He Yuzhu started working in the canteen early in the morning, and he worked with great vigor.

"Master He, the way you're cooking today, anyone who didn't know better would think you're going to war," someone couldn't help but tease He Yuzhu when they saw him like this.

He Yuzhu didn't mind at all, and instead replied with a smile, "Isn't cooking this dish in this cafeteria just like fighting a war?"

Anyone could see that He Yuzhu was in a good mood at this moment, but when everyone was busy, no one was in the mood to discuss these things, especially since the weather was even hotter today.

After cooking the large pot of vegetables, I took off my apron, washed it in the sink, and then hung it by the door. It would dry in the sun in less than an hour or two.

His body, beneath his apron, was already soaked with sweat. Not only him, but the other two chefs cooking the large batches of dishes were even more so.

He walked to the pool, turned on the tap, and washed his entire upper body clean, not even caring that his clothes got wet.

"Master He, let's go outside for some fresh air." Old Ma also came to the pool, rinsed his hair, and, shirtless, invited He Yuzhu to sit outside.

"Okay, let's go outside and sit for a bit, it's so hot outside." He Yuzhu wiped his face, nodded, and they walked outside together.

Seeing the two men go outside, another chef, Old Wang, also came out. The three of them sat under the shade of a tree, enjoying the summer breeze and trying to find a bit of coolness.

Old Ma took out cigarettes and offered them to Old Wang and He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu waved his hand to refuse, but Old Wang took the cigarettes. The two lit them and, while puffing away, they reminisced about the past.

Back when it was a privately owned factory, there weren't this many people. Two cooks were enough for their canteen. Now, even with one more person, they're still struggling to keep up.

Amidst this rambling, He Yuzhu began to feel drowsy.

It was too hot in the summer, and the chirping of the cicadas in the trees only added to the noise. However, the sound was like white noise, making He Yuzhu's head nod little by little.

The lunch break bell rang, startling He Yuzhu awake. He stood up and stretched. The three of them also got up and headed towards the third canteen. By now, their clothes were already dry from the heated brick bed.

Back at the third canteen, everyone busied themselves, some serving food, others carrying things, and it took quite a while before they finally got a moment to catch their breath.

"Master He, Master He?"

Just then, He Yuzhu heard someone calling him. Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw a factory worker.

"Comrade, hello, what can I do for you?" He Yuzhu stepped forward and greeted the worker.

"Chef He, I know you're the best cook in the cafeteria, so I was wondering if you're free this Sunday?"

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu immediately knew what it was about, and his eyes lit up. He'd been here for two months without any work, and now he could finally start earning some.

"I wonder what kind of banquet you're planning, brother?" He Yuzhu wanted to ask in detail.

The worker took out a pack of cigarettes, pulled one out and handed it to He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu took the cigarette and waited for the worker to continue.

"My wife and I, all our family members died a long time ago, only the two of us are still alive. We've been married for over a year and have a child, so we wanted to hold a celebration for the baby's one-month birthday." The worker said, his eyes filled with hope for the future.

He Yuzhu nodded knowingly. The country had only been established for a few years, and it had only been truly stable in the last two years. Before that, there had been wars, and many people had died or been maimed. Not many people had actually survived, especially outside the city, where entire villages had been wiped out.

He Yuzhu understands the worker's desire to hold a full-month celebration for his child, because it's not just about the child, but also about new hope.

"Holding a full-month celebration is no problem, but I want to ask when it will be held?" He Yuzhu's question was purely redundant, as most of the people at this time were workers who only had time to rest on Sundays. However, he still had to ask.

"Master He, I'd like to take tomorrow off to buy the supplies, and then we'll hold the banquet on Sunday. What do you think?" the worker asked He Yuzhu.

"If you can get everything ready by tomorrow, Sunday is fine. But we're busy right now. How about this, after get off work, I'll go back with you and we'll discuss it. What do you think?" He Yuzhu thought Sunday was fine, but since she was at work, she wanted to discuss it in detail after get off work.

After He Yuzhu finished speaking, the worker nodded, but did not leave, clearly still having something to ask.

"Master He, how did you calculate this?" the worker asked He Yuzhu, looking somewhat embarrassed.

There are no elders in the family, so he doesn't really understand these things.

He Yuzhu knew this matter inside and out. To be precise, in his memory, He Daqing always charged a different price each time he came to someone's house to prepare a banquet.

In the beginning, I wasn't very famous. I would help people prepare banquets in Beijing and only earn a few dollars, or sometimes I wouldn't even get any money. I would just get some gifts.

But after he joined Fengzeyuan, his reputation grew, and the money he charged became higher and higher.

However, He Yuzhu is currently just a cook in the factory and cannot be compared to He Daqing.

So He Yuzhu thought for a moment before speaking: "How about this, we're all colleagues, so I won't ask for much. I'll just charge one yuan per table, and you can provide some help with the cooking, comrade, what do you think?"

The amount of money isn't high, but each situation needs to be analyzed individually. Currently, He Yuzhu is a cook at the factory, and his reputation is limited to this small area.

If you want to earn more money, you can't rely on this fixed salary. You have to build up your reputation and do more work outside. That's the only way to earn more money.

The worker agreed to the price without hesitation, since the price He Yuzhu quoted wasn't high. Everyone had eaten the dishes He Yuzhu made in the third canteen and knew his culinary skills.

After the two agreed, He Yuzhu returned to the kitchen, picked up a piece of paper and a pencil, and began to write the menu.

He Yuzhu pondered for a moment what dishes should be listed on the menu.

Specifically, to cater to the general public's tastes, you can't just start by writing about things like Sichuan cuisine.

The cuisine in Beijing is predominantly Shandong-style. Even poorer families who couldn't afford it were influenced by its milder flavors. Even the currently popular Sichuan cuisine required some modifications. This is what is known as Beijing-style Sichuan cuisine.

Having made the decision, He Yuzhu began writing the menu.