Courtyard House: New Life, New Silly Zhu

The menu should include both meat and vegetables, and all the items that need to be prepared should be listed. This way, the host can choose the items and prepare them accordingly.

He Yuzhu also added a few dishes from other cuisines to the menu, mainly because there are many outsiders in Beijing who might like other dishes. With more dishes, it would be easier for them to choose.

Ding Ding Ding

When the bell rang to signal the end of the workday, He Yuzhu got up, hung up his washed apron, slung the bag containing the knife over his shoulder, and left the cafeteria.

Upon arriving at the factory gate, the worker soon came to He Yuzhu.

"Master He, have you been waiting long?" the worker said politely.

He Yuzhu shook his head and smiled, "Brother Zhang, it hasn't been long."

The worker's surname was Zhang, and he was one year older than He Yuzhu, so He Yuzhu called him Brother Zhang.

Brother Zhang was polite to him because he wanted He Yuzhu to host the banquet, and He Yuzhu was polite because this man was his customer. Politeness is sometimes a matter of attitude, and He Yuzhu understood this basic social etiquette.

During their conversation, they discovered that they both lived in Nanluoguxiang, but he lived in Suoyi Hutong.

However, unlike No. 95, the courtyard where he lived was a large tenement.

The courtyard was a mixed bag of people, but most of them, like those in courtyard number 95, were factory workers, so the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

So on their way back, the two gradually met up with other residents.

"Master He, why are you with us today?" a resident of the tenement asked He Yuzhu.

"Brother Zhang's baby is having a one-month celebration, I'll go help out with the feast." He Yuzhu answered this question loudly.

Just like doing business, you need to build a reputation and spread it widely. Now that he has this opportunity, He Yuzhu must speak out loudly that he is ready to take over.

Chatting casually along the way, the two soon arrived at one of the large courtyards in Suoyi Hutong. Upon entering the courtyard, it was obvious that it was very different from the courtyard at No. 95.

The most obvious thing is that the courtyard is not very big, with multiple families living there, and the living space is cramped.

Soon, He Yuzhu followed Brother Zhang to a room. After greeting the workers, He Yuzhu followed Brother Zhang into the room.

"Master He, come in, please come in." Brother Zhang gestured for He Yuzhu to enter.

The door to the room wasn't closed. He Yuzhu nodded and went into the room.

The room wasn't big, only about 20 square meters, and it was divided into a bedroom and a living room, simply separated by a wooden board.

As soon as He Yuzhu entered, he saw a woman carrying a small baby walking out of the inner room.

"Is this your sister-in-law? Hello." He Yuzhu greeted her.

The woman didn't recognize He Yuzhu; she just smiled and nodded.

At this moment, Brother Zhang took off his coat, hung it on the rack, and introduced it to He Yuzhu with a smile.

"This is my wife. We both came from the countryside to live in the city. Brother He, please don't stand there. Sit down and have some water." Brother Zhang warmly invited He Yuzhu to sit down.

After handing the child to Brother Zhang, the woman brought over the tea tray and filled their cups with tea.

After thanking him, He Yuzhu took a sip of his drink before getting down to business.

"Brother Zhang, please don't be so polite." He Yuzhu put his bag aside and took out the menu he had written that afternoon.

He Daqing used to frequently go out to prepare banquets, so He Yuzhu was quite familiar with this process.

"Brother Zhang, come and take a look. These are some dishes I can cook. See which ones you'd like me to make." He Yuzhu handed the menu to Brother Zhang.

"Hey, let me take a look. Xian'er, you take a look too, let's order together." Brother Zhang took the menu and turned to the woman, asking her to come and take a look.

The woman didn't refuse and sat down next to Brother Zhang. The two of them started looking at the menu.

It's not just about looking at the dishes, but also about looking at what needs to be prepared.

Fortunately, meat ration coupons weren't needed at this time, so the two of them were quite generous with meat and vegetables.

While looking at the meat, they asked He Yuzhu how much meat he needed, and He Yuzhu explained the details.

An hour passed quickly, and the two decided on the dishes to be prepared for each table, for a total of ten tables.

Each table serves eight dishes, including both hot and cold dishes, plus a soup.

It's clear that the couple takes this full moon celebration very seriously. It's not just about the large number of tables, but also the fact that there are a full eight dishes.

Of course, it's mainly because there are many people living in this courtyard, plus my colleagues from the factory, so ten tables isn't a lot.

However, because prices were not too high at that time, He Yuzhu could cook a meal for 5 yuan.

That adds up to 50 yuan, plus 10 yuan for the cook, making it 60 yuan in total. With drinks and cigarettes included, it's around 80 yuan. After deducting the gifts received, it's more than enough for Brother Zhang, a level three worker.

However, He Yuzhu also heard from Brother Zhang that he was from the countryside, so He Yuzhu told Brother Zhang that the chef wanted to keep some samples, that is, to keep some of the dishes that were cooked.

Without a second thought, Brother Zhang nodded in agreement. He said with a smile, "I understand the principle of the cook tasting the meat first before slaughtering a pig or sheep."

With that in mind, the two became even more animated in their conversation, and He Yuzhu even went over the details of the stove.

Brother Zhang got up, led He Yuzhu out of the room, and went to a corner where there was a stove.

This stove also exists in courtyard number 95. It is public property and is used by everyone when needed, but it is mainly used for preparing banquets.

"This stove is still usable. The bricks inside are still good. We'll just need to add some more mud to the outside later." He Yuzhu examined the stove carefully and then turned to Brother Zhang to say this.

Then he pointed to a spot nearby and said to Brother Zhang, "Brother Zhang, we need to build a stove here. We'll need two stoves burning at the same time, otherwise we won't have enough time."

"Okay, no problem. I'll do as you say, Chef He." Brother Zhang readily agreed, knowing that one stove was clearly not enough to cook so many dishes.

Seeing how agreeable he was, He Yuzhu nodded and told him how big the stove should be, and that he would bring the pot over later.

This pot is one of the family heirlooms left behind by He Daqing. It is not as good as the pots in the steel rolling mill, but it is larger than the pots in other people's homes.

After the two made their decision, He Yuzhu said goodbye and returned home.

When He Yuzhu got home, everyone in the yard had already started eating, including Old Man Yan. He Yuzhu made it home without any problems.

Instead of cooking, he picked up a large pot that was placed on the floor in the kitchen, moved it to the sink, and began to wash off the dust.

Logically speaking, this pot needs to be maintained regularly and used for cooking often. However, He Yuzhu didn't have the means to do so before. Now that he needs this old buddy to come in handy, He Yuzhu naturally has to clean it thoroughly.

After washing and drying the surface, He Yuzhu applied a layer of oil and set it aside. Then he went to the kitchen and took out many other things that needed to be prepared.