Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Tired of yelling, she took a breath and turned to glare at Jia Dongxu: "Dongxu! Go find your master tomorrow! Tell him to find a way to deal with that idiot! My heart aches just looking at him! Who does he think he is, daring to disrespect the Jia family?"

Jia Dongxu sat at the table, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the wooden surface, his face gloomy.

He had long disliked He Yuzhu—a lousy cook with no connections or family support, yet he was doing very well, and even the factory leaders treated him with great respect.

On what grounds?

He muttered, "Tomorrow I'll go to the steel mill and ask my master how to deal with him."

Upon hearing this, Madam Jia nodded vigorously, "Yes! We must have Master take action! He must be taught a lesson!"

……

Before the turmoil had subsided, Xu Fugui had just returned home from get off work, and it was already getting dark.

The projectionist job has never been on time.

If the workers don't stop working, the movie can't be shown; if the workers work overtime, he has to wait.

By the time he stepped into the courtyard, the meeting had already ended half an hour earlier.

Xu Wangshi worked away from home and rarely came home, so it was as if no one cared about her family.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xu Damao spent his days wandering around, drinking, gambling, and doing whatever he pleased.

Xu Fugui kicked open the door and saw his son lying on the bed, reeking of alcohol so much that even mosquitoes avoided him.

His temper flared up instantly, and he slapped Xu Damao across the face with a sharp crack, jolting him awake from his dream.

"You bastard! I was being soft-hearted and let you come back early to rest, but what did you do? You pretended to be sick and went drinking?"

"Father! Father, listen to me!" Xu Damao covered his face and shrank his neck, speaking urgently, "I didn't drink recklessly! It was Sha Zhu who invited me! He hosted a banquet today, inviting many people, and I benefited from it..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Fugui's hand froze in mid-air.

He squinted: "Who did you say? Who did you invite?"

"He Yuzhu!" Xu Damao sat up, his tone tinged with smugness. "He was incredibly generous today, not only sharing his lunchbox with everyone but also treating us all to a meal! I was just happy, so I only had a few drinks..."

Xu Fugui snorted coldly, his expression softening slightly, but he still frowned: "You certainly know how to pick up bargains."

Then tell me, what is your current status? An apprentice?

"Yeah." Xu Damao scratched his head.

"Then do you know," Xu Fugui said slowly, his voice low, "that your father, I, am a seventh-level projectionist."

As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Xu Damao shrank back and quickly waved his hands, "No, no! How could I dare look down on you! I just wanted to ask... between you, a level seven projectionist, and He Yuzhu, a level two cook, who is more respectable?"

His eyes gleamed, and his words held a hidden meaning.

Xu Fugui stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly sneered, didn't answer, and turned to go into the inner room.

But that laugh, like a knife scraping against a brick wall, carried an indescribable chill.

"What's the point of comparing? A second-level cook earns a little over eighty yuan a month. Do you think this is some roadside food stall? The skills they have are almost good enough for state banquets! Only high-ranking officials can afford to eat here. Ordinary people can only dream of it."

Xu Fugui's face grew darker as he listened, and his heart skipped a beat—it sounded like these words were slapping him in the face.

"Dad, did you know that Sha Zhu is now a Level 2 cook?"

"What?!" He looked up abruptly. "Who did you say? Sha Zhu?!"

He almost jumped off the stool.

He knew the He family's secrets inside and out. He Daqing had only been gone for a little over two years. Back then, Sha Zhu was just a junior apprentice doing odd jobs by the stove. How could he have jumped from apprentice to level two in just two years? You're kidding me!

"Really! Why would I lie to you?" Xu Damao said anxiously, lowering his voice, "Shazhu's cooking is ten times better than any state-run restaurant we've ever eaten at! If He Yushui hadn't blurted it out, I would still be in the dark."

He specifically told me not to tell anyone.

Xu Fugui was stunned, his brows furrowing.

If someone else had said that, he would have spat and left long ago.

Judging from Xu Damao's expression, it didn't seem like he was making it up... But the problem is, a Level 2 cook! That's the level that gets you into Chungcheongbuk-do as the head chef!

An eighteen-year-old cook at the second level? That's unbelievable!

"Alright, alright, I got it." He waved his hand coldly. "If he tells you not to talk, then shut up and stop gossiping! Instead of wasting your time, you should be learning projection technology. What kind of behavior is it to hang out with that bunch of scoundrels all day, wasting your time like this!"

He glared at his son, his anger rising.

They had originally hoped that this kid would be promoted to Level 8 projectionist within three years, so that he could at least stand tall in front of the Lou family when proposing marriage.

My daughter-in-law works for the Lou family. Recently, I heard rumors that the public-private partnership is not going well, and the Lou family is in a hurry to find a respectable husband for their daughter.

But what about his son? He's always loafing around, doesn't even know when the movie is off-center, all he does is drink, brag, and waste his days!

If things continue like this, she won't even be worthy of being married, let alone being proposed to!

"Look at He family's idiot Zhu!" Xu Fugui gritted his teeth. "He's a second-level chef at such a young age. He's very skilled and a steady person."

And look at you... you've made a complete disgrace!

"Dad, why are you suddenly so angry?" Xu Damao shrank his neck.

"fine.

Starting tomorrow, you'll be learning the techniques from me diligently, without missing a single step!

But he didn't realize that the more he suppressed Xu Damao with such high pressure, the more fiercely Xu Damao would retaliate sooner or later.

-

Click!

A crisp cracking sound exploded from between the joints, like chains breaking, and muscles and bones resonated.

He Yuzhu stood in the center of the room, his blood surging like a tide, as if a hot current was rushing through his body, and every muscle was roaring and awakening.

Xingyiquan, max level!

He looked down at his arm; the veins were bulging, and beneath the skin seemed to lie immense strength.

The wardrobe stood against the wall, crammed full of clothes and bedding, weighing at least five or six hundred pounds.

He stepped forward and hugged her tightly, then pushed off with his toes and easily lifted off the ground, as if he were carrying nothing more than a bundle of firewood.

With a single punch, the brick wall cracked open like a spiderweb, sending debris flying everywhere.

If he were to unleash his full power, this strike would likely have the force of two thousand pounds! Even if ten strong men surrounded him unarmed, he would dare to meet them head-on—as long as they didn't use guns, no one could hold him down.

"This system... is too overpowered." He Yuzhu grinned, his breathing so steady that it didn't seem like he had just undergone a transformative metamorphosis.

Not only did his strength surge, but his height also increased, his sleeves became noticeably shorter, and his trouser legs were stretched taut.

He raised his hand and touched the top of his head, clicking his tongue: "Looks like I'll have to get a new set of clothes made."

My gaze swept across the system panel:

[Proficiency System]

[Host: He Yuzhu]

【技能：厨艺（二级：349562/1600000）、家务（五级：800/800）、俄语（五级：800/800）、英语（五级：800/800）、钓鱼（四级：625/800）、形意拳（五级：800/800）】

System space: 5 cubic meter

The cooking skills haven't reached their peak yet; above level two, there are even levels three and four... The true maximum level is probably a long way off, but each level up is a qualitative leap.

As for carpentry and medicine, he had already borrowed a few old medical books from the old workers in the factory. He would read them for two hours when he got back in the evening, and then spend an hour practicing wood shavings and mortise and tenon joints. It was a bit tedious, but as he watched his proficiency gradually increase and the space quietly expand to five cubic meters, he felt as sweet as if he had been filled with honey.

"There's enough food stored up," he muttered to himself. "Now it's enough for me and Yushui to eat comfortably... But I remember before, there were never any leftovers. When we were getting food at the factory, we would feel bad if even a drop of soup was spilled, and the workers would glare at us and yell at us for ages."

If this is the case in Beijing, one can only imagine what it is like in other places.

He suddenly froze, his gaze deepening.

"With such a monstrous system... isn't it possible to do something even bigger?"

At first, he hesitated. What kind of trouble could a cook possibly cause?

But then I thought—I speak foreign languages, know medicine, can fight, have top-notch skills, and can expand my space… Even if I fail, it's just a waste of time, but what if I succeed?

A sudden thought flashed through my mind, and a vague memory surfaced.

I remember seeing a news story when I was old, but I can't recall the title. I only remember that it was about an old man who developed a rice variety that doubled the yield per acre, feeding millions of people...

What was it called again?

Hybrid rice.

He couldn't remember other things clearly, but he remembered the news about hybrid rice perfectly.

People who lived through that era felt a sudden tremor in their hearts and their eyes welled up with tears when they heard the words "we will never have to go hungry again."

Since rice is under the jurisdiction of agronomy, he might as well casually read some agronomy books—that's just how the system is, crude and direct, you can increase your proficiency just by getting involved.

Whether you call it a case of being half-baked but all-knowing, or a lucky accident, his culinary skills are a prime example. He originally only knew Sichuan cuisine and Tan family cuisine, but with the system's support, he can now easily master all eight major cuisines, and even make a couple of less common dishes like sour fish soup from southeastern Guizhou and medicinal duck soup from southern Fujian.

Just as he was about to turn to the books to charge his phone, the door was suddenly pushed open with a bang, and Xu Damao barged in carrying a fat carp weighing more than three pounds, his trouser legs still covered in mud from the riverbank.

"Hey Xu Damao!" He Yuzhu frowned. "Can't you knock before you come in? And you brought a fish, do you think I'm your personal chef?"

"Hey, Brother Zhu, you've got it backwards!" Xu Damao grinned, slamming the fish on the table. "I specially invited you to cook this! See? It's lively and jumping around. Old Zhang from the river mouth just caught it today. One dollar and seventy cents, I bought it at a bargain price! Pretty good deal, right?"

"Come on," He Yuzhu scoffed. "You expect me to cook a fish? And I'd have to add two side dishes too. That's a huge loss."

Take it home and cook it yourself.

"No way, Brother Zhu!" Xu Damao immediately changed his expression, grinning as he leaned forward. "You know my skills, right? Once the oil's in the pan, the fish's practically charcoal! It'd be such a waste to ruin such a good fish!"