Sha Zhu's Rebirth in the Courtyard: Starting with Hitting Someone in the Head

Chapter 71 Fengzeyuan Invitation

Li Huaide is hosting a dinner at Fengzeyuan Restaurant.

When He Yuzhu received the message, he was leaning back in his recliner drinking tea. He laughed when he heard the words "Fengzeyuan." This man certainly knew how to pick a place; it was the place where he graduated.

In the evening, he changed into clean clothes, hopped on his three-wheeled motorcycle, and set off. When he arrived at the entrance of Fengzeyuan, Li Huaide was already waiting on the steps, his leather shoes gleaming.

Seeing He Yuzhu get off the tricycle, he stepped forward and extended his hand. "Comrade He, it's just the two of us today, no outsiders."

The two entered the private room, which was small, with a square table, four chairs, and a traditional Chinese ink painting of lotus flowers hanging on the wall.

The waiter handed over the menu, which Li Huaide pushed in front of He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu didn't look at the menu and immediately ordered the dishes: grilled fish, braised sea cucumber with scallions, a vegetable dish, and a soup.

Li Huaide asked what he wanted to drink, and He Yuzhu said Moutai. Li Huaide's eye twitched slightly, and he smiled as he ordered the waiter to bring the Moutai.

Before the food was even served, there was a knock on the door. A middle-aged man in a white apron poked half his body in; he had thick eyebrows and large eyes, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. "Zhu Zi, it really is you. The old folks at the shop said you were here, so they came to check."

He Yuzhu stood up. "Senior Brother." He turned to introduce Li Huaide, "My senior brother is Liu Chun, the head chef of Fengzeyuan." Li Huaide stood up and nodded.

Liu Chunchong apologized to Li Huaide, saying they had disturbed their conversation, and then turned to He Yuzhu. "You rarely come all this way, so please try the dishes for your senior brother and give him your feedback."

He Yuzhu agreed, and Liu Chun turned and left.

A moment later, the waiter brought out a dish: shredded pork with garlic sauce. He Yuzhu picked up his chopsticks, took a small piece, chewed it, and then put the chopsticks down.

Liu Chun followed him in and stood to the side, rubbing his hands on his apron. "How is it?"

He Yuzhu picked up another piece of food with his chopsticks, chewed it, and put it down. "Was the pickled pepper container changed?"

Liu Chun stopped rubbing her apron. "I changed it last month; the old one cracked."

"The jar wasn't soaked long enough, so the sourness is half a step too weak. Soak it for another half month and it will be back to normal. The ratio of ginger and garlic was right, but the oil temperature was a bit too high, and the shredded pork was cooked for half a minute too long, making it tough. The fermented bean paste is from Pixian, so it's not adulterated. Overall, it's alright. Once you've properly seasoned the jar, stir-fry it again, and I'll taste it then."

Liu Chun nodded, took out a small notebook from his apron pocket to jot down a few notes, thanked him, and turned to leave.

Li Huaide looked at He Yuzhu, placing his chopsticks on the table. "Comrade He, are you and the head chef of Fengzeyuan Restaurant apprentices?"

He Yuzhu sat down again and spread the napkin on his lap. "Liu Chun is my senior brother, the head chef of Fengzeyuan Sichuan Cuisine. There is also a second senior brother, Zhang Degui, who is a head chef. I graduated from my apprenticeship here when I was sixteen. At the graduation banquet that year, I made spicy crab, boiled fish, grilled fish, dry pot ribs, and rattan pepper chicken. The senior chefs in Beijing recognized me as a leading figure in the new school of Sichuan cuisine."

Li Huaide paused for a moment, then put down his lighter. "You're the one who came up with the new Sichuan cuisine? That year, Fengzeyuan's new dishes became famous, and the whole of Beijing was talking about it. I wasn't in Beijing at the time, but I heard about it from friends several times and always wanted to meet this chef."

"Well, I saw Director Li today." He Yuzhu picked up his glass, took a sip of Moutai, let the liquor roll on his tongue and swallow, the aroma of the sauce rising up his throat.

The grilled fish arrived, its skin crispy and fragrant, its flesh snow-white, and the rich, red broth bubbling beneath the iron plate. Next came the braised sea cucumber with scallions; the sea cucumber was glossy black, the scallions fried to a golden brown, and the aroma of scallion oil permeated the air in the private room.

Li Huaide picked up a piece of grilled fish, chewed it, then picked up a piece of braised sea cucumber with scallions, chewed it, and placed his chopsticks on the bone plate. "Comrade He, I don't have many hobbies, I just like to eat."

He Yuzhu spat the fish bones onto the bone plate. "Then Director Li is in for a treat. I'm fluent in all eight major cuisines. Come to the courtyard another day, and I'll cook you a whole feast."

Li Huaide raised his glass and clinked it with his own. "It's settled then."

After a few cups of Moutai, Li Huaide loosened the buttons on his collar.

Outside the window, the leaves rustled in the evening breeze. Inside the private room, the lights were dim, and the lotus ink paintings on the wall were faintly visible in the lamplight.

"Comrade He, the factory held a meeting all afternoon yesterday. Next year, our factory's targets will at least double, and the number of workers will increase from the current four thousand to more than nine thousand. We will also expand the steelmaking workshop and the rolling mill workshop. That will be equivalent to a factory with ten thousand workers."

The canteen's supplies doubled accordingly; meat increased by a third, and side dishes and miscellaneous items increased by half. After doing the math, I realized that the food company's rations simply couldn't keep up.

He placed the wine cup on the table. "How much can you take?"

He Yuzhu finished chewing the sea cucumber in his mouth and swallowed it. He wiped his hands with a napkin, picked up his wine glass, and slowly finished his drink. "Director Li, as I told you last time, if you can find a more suitable buyer, then go find someone else. If you like my goods, we'll agree on a fixed price. Don't even mention doubling it, quadrupling it is fine too."

Li Huaide stared at him for several seconds. Doubling that would be 18,000 or 19,000 people; even several large factories combined couldn't handle that number. The young man in front of him picked up his wine glass and drank without batting an eye.

He Yuzhu placed the wine cup on the table. "Tianjin, I know it best. I have a way to guarantee the freshness of the seafood. Just think how many fish there are in the sea? The cooks at the steel mill don't know how to cook, so I'll teach them a few dishes. No need to use oil, just marinate them with seasonings and steam them. They're delicious, go well with rice, and are nutritious. I really don't care about Director Li doubling his profits next year. You can rest assured now that you've come to me. Come on, let's keep drinking."

Li Huaide picked up his wine glass and unconsciously stood up. He Yuzhu stepped forward, and the two wine glasses clinked together with a crisp sound. "Comrade He, I've decided to be your friend today. From now on, don't call me Director Li, call me Brother Li."

He Yuzhu smiled. "Brother Li, just let me know if you need anything."

It was already past eight o'clock when they finished eating. Li Huaide wanted to call the driver to take them home, but He Yuzhu waved his hand and said the motorcycle was at the door, and they could let it get some fresh air and dispel the smell of alcohol.

Li Huaide stood at the entrance of Fengzeyuan, watching He Yuzhu get on his three-wheeled motorcycle, the engine sputtering, and the taillights disappearing around the street corner.

The April evening breeze felt cool against his collar. He Yuzhu parked his car at the entrance of the alley, but instead of going inside, he took out a cigarette and lit it.

A train whistle sounded in the distance, a long, drawn-out blast that lingered for a long time before fading away.

Li Huaide is a man who loves good food, beautiful women, and associating with useful people. In this life, he prioritizes making friends, keeping a humble attitude. If you use someone well, they become a friend; if you don't, they become an enemy.

He Yuzhu threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out, wanting Li Huaide to feel that he was useful. Useful enough that Li Huaide wouldn't want to look for anyone else, in case he didn't have to run to Hong Kong, he could still rely on this person.

He drove his motorcycle into the yard and bolted the gate shut.

The lights were on in the main room, and Yushui had already gone to sleep, while the windows of the west wing were dark.

He walked to his desk, sat down, and took out a piece of paper from his storage space. It was covered with a detailed list of supplies he had compiled, noting which items would be in short supply, which items would increase in price, and which items would be squeezed out during the Great Leap Forward's steel production campaign.

He spread the paper on the table, picked up his pen, and drew several circles on the seafood from Tianjin and Shandong, the grains and meats from Hebei, and the miscellaneous grains, mutton, and dried fruit from Shanxi. Next to each circle, he wrote a line of small characters: "Collect more before 58, release them for use in 60."

The pen was set aside, and the paper was folded and put away. At this time in 59, supplies were scarce.

How much gold can these supplies be exchanged for?