Courtyard House: New Life, New Silly Zhu

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, and He Yuzhu, dressed in a brand-new set of work clothes, arrived at the steel rolling mill with the wave of workers.

Unlike yesterday when I came to the steel rolling mill alone, today everyone in the compound walked together on the road, chatting and having a great time.

When He Yuzhu entered the third canteen, many people had already started working.

"Master He is here! Have you eaten yet? Here are some freshly steamed buns, have one."

He had just hung his toolbox on the wall when a woman greeted him warmly.

She even handed a steamed bun to He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu wasn't intimidated at all. Holding the steamed bun, he responded to the woman, "Sister, you're too kind."

He said it, but he didn't eat the steamed bun.

Seeing He Yuzhu's expression, the older woman smiled and said to him, "Master He, you're new to the cafeteria and not very familiar with it yet. We prepare breakfast in advance every day, so everyone eats in the cafeteria in the morning. It's one of our cafeteria's perks."

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu suddenly realized that he had also bought meal tickets when he came to eat yesterday.

He Yuzhu noticed that the older woman was suddenly being very enthusiastic today, and that quite a few people were secretly observing him.

He understood immediately, so He Yuzhu casually took a bite of the steamed bun and said, "Not bad, the steamed bun is quite fluffy. I'll come to the cafeteria to eat tomorrow morning too, and I can save a meal."

Many people in the cafeteria saw He Yuzhu's actions, and they all breathed a sigh of relief after seeing him eat the steamed bun.

Taking advantage of the momentum, He Yuzhu introduced himself to everyone in the canteen: "Comrades, let me introduce myself first. My name is He Yuzhu, you can all just call me Xiao He. From now on, we'll all be eating from the same pot, so please take care of me." He then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Master He, you're too kind. We knew your cooking skills were there when we saw you cooking yesterday."

A cook wearing an apron complimented He Yuzhu.

He came from a self-taught background, and his ability to work in the canteen was purely due to the accumulation of experience over time.

I'm not a proper chef with a formal lineage, but I really admire chefs like He Yuzhu who truly have a lineage.

There's no other way. At this time, there are no online platforms or information explosions, so learning a skill is extremely difficult.

But that's normal, since learning a skill can provide for a lifetime.

When an apprentice becomes an apprentice, he must work for free for three years. Even then, the master will still test him. If he works himself to the bone for those three years but fails to win the master's favor and the master is unwilling to relent, then he will never learn the skills.

For example, in the TV series, Ma Hua is in this situation. He studied for so many years but never won He Yuzhu's favor. Even after Ma Hua went to the workshop with He Yuzhu, it was still the same. He was really not even as good as a farmhand.

Seeing the person in front of him being so flattering, He Yuzhu also had a very good attitude. Although he was a chef with a family tradition, it was better to keep a low profile when he first came to the cafeteria.

"You're too kind, sir. May I ask your name?"

"I wouldn't dare call myself a master. My surname is Ma, and I'm just an amateur. You can just call me Old Ma."

The man was smiling obsequiously and seemed to be of a very honest nature.

The other person introduced himself as well. "Master He, my surname is Wang, you can just call me Lao Wang. Like Lao Ma, I don't have much cooking skill, I just figured things out on my own."

After the two cooks finished speaking, the others introduced themselves.

"Master He, my surname is Wang. I'm the chopping block operator here. If you need anything prepared by me in the future, just let me know."

"Master He, my surname is..."

……

In a short time, He Yuzhu got to know most of the people in the cafeteria.

At this time, He Yuzhu also began to do the same work as them.

After all, it's the first day for a newcomer, so it's best to be diligent.

Of course, there wasn't much work to do at this time. Although it was a large factory, all they prepared for the large batches of dishes were radishes, cabbages, and potatoes.

Especially in Beijing, cabbage is the most common side dish.

Potatoes and radishes can be rotated, but cabbage must always be available.

Although there are no machines to cut cabbages in this era, and everything has to be cut by hand, there is no need to be particular about knife skills; just chop it up.

However, it is still a heavy industrial factory. So, it still has some meat in it.

Take this large piece of pork in front of you, for example; that's what He Yuzhu is going to do today.

Yesterday we made potatoes, so today we're making radishes. He Yuzhu can't make anything fancy, just this little bit.

Today's dishes are stewed cabbage and stewed radish with meat. He doesn't need to lift a finger to stew the cabbage, since it just needs to be cooked until tender. However, stewed radish with meat requires a bit more cooking skill.

He Yuzhu looked around and realized that he couldn't fully utilize his skills.

He didn't want to keep cooking communal meals here; he was hoping for a chance to cook for a private kitchen, like He Yuzhu in the TV series.

With that in mind, He Yuzhu went to the place where the ingredients were stored.

He found there were still quite a few seasonings left, but some of them were already quite dry. He Yuzhu knew that the cooks probably hadn't used these seasonings much.

He Yuzhu took a lot of ingredients and started making chili oil.

He wasn't worried that anyone in the cafeteria would complain. After all, people were focused on giving back at this time. As long as you were working, even if you wasted some things, no one would say anything. Besides, He Yuzhu wasn't wasting anything.

While He Yuzhu was making chili oil, many people in the canteen were quietly observing, especially the two chefs who were cooking, who didn't even blink.

When He Yuzhu started frying the spices, a fragrant aroma filled the cafeteria.

When He Yuzhu saw the two cooks, he smiled and said to them, "Master Ma, Master Wang, I've made some chili oil. If you want some, just help yourselves. It will enhance the flavor and it's not spicy."

It's worth mentioning here that, traditionally, Sichuan cuisine is all spicy. In reality, Sichuan cuisine boasts a perfect balance of numbing spiciness, freshness, and aroma; only Hunan and Jiangxi cuisines can truly be considered spicy.

Upon hearing He Yuzhu say this, the two masters' eyes lit up.

"That's great, Master He, then we won't stand on ceremony."

"Don't be so polite, we're all in this together." He Yuzhu said it didn't matter, since the goods belonged to the steel mill and he couldn't openly take them home.

As for whether people might learn how to make chili oil, he said it's not that simple. Even if he leaves the recipe out there for them to learn, they might not be able to learn it if he doesn't teach them carefully.