Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

But He Yuzhu simply couldn't be bothered with these idle gossips.

Having been reborn, he had long since seen through it all—engaging in too much social interaction with these neighbors was a complete waste of time.

What about friendship or face? After the 1980s, everyone went their separate ways. Who still remembers whom?

In his past life, he was like an old ox, still working hard in front of the stove even in his sixties, serving as a free long-term laborer for the Jia family for his entire life.

In this lifetime? He's only ruthless to himself; not mistreating himself is the most important thing.

Once his younger sister, He Yushui, got married, more than half of the burden on his shoulders was lifted, and he felt completely relieved.

Just as he finished cooking the last dish at Fengzeyuan, Manager Wang lifted the curtain and entered the kitchen, beckoning to him, "Zhu Zi, come out for a moment."

He Yuzhu wiped his hands and followed him out, when he heard Brother Wang laugh and say, "The transfer order has come down. The steel rolling mill specifically wants you to be the deputy director of the canteen."

I won't stop you anymore; I've already prepared your files.

After I get my paycheck, I just need to go report for duty tomorrow.

He immediately understood that Li Huaide had already smoothed things over.

He grinned and said, "Brother Wang, could you make an exception for me? I'd like to use my salary to buy some unplanned supplies for our shop. I'll cook a nice meal for everyone tonight as a way of thanking you all for your support over the years, and thank you for your patronage as well."

"You're quite observant, kid." Brother Wang chuckled. "Alright, I'll check what's left in the warehouse later and make a list for you."

These public-private partnership restaurants always have a surplus in their monthly purchases, since customer traffic is hard to predict. They usually set aside about 10% of the previous month's revenue as extra ingredients, which can be handled flexibly without needing tickets.

With He Yuzhu's culinary skills being so evident, who wouldn't be tempted? There was no reason for Brother Wang to refuse.

When the matter was mentioned back in the kitchen, Master Li Yuanguo and his senior apprentice Zhang Deliang, who had already been informed, simply nodded with smiles.

When the others heard that there would be extra food tonight, their eyes lit up—Sha Zhu was really going to give away money!

My monthly salary is over seventy yuan, that's pretty good! Two hearty dishes for each of us, no problem.

Not long after, Manager Wang officially announced the transfer news and handed him a list: ten catties of pork, two chickens, fifty catties of Chinese cabbage, vermicelli, tofu, eggs... all genuine high-quality goods, all sold to him at the original price.

That night, the kitchen was brightly lit.

He Yuzhu, along with his master and fellow apprentices, started cooking. The spatula flew, oil splattered everywhere, and the aroma of stewed meat, fried meatballs, braised fish, and stir-fried liver tips filled the air.

Four large lunchboxes were packed full, with each person holding two boxes of steaming hot dishes in their arms, beaming from ear to ear.

Before he left, they patted him on the shoulder one by one: "Zhu Zi, don't forget your brothers when you get to your new workplace!"

"Don't worry, I'll come back for meals during every holiday!" He Yuzhu laughed and left with four lunchboxes.

The aroma of meat wafted in the air.

---

"Hey, Zhu Zi, struck it rich today?"

As soon as Yan Bugui pushed the bicycle into the courtyard, his eyes were immediately drawn to the four heavy lunch boxes on the back of the bicycle.

I usually bring two at most, but today I brought double that number; my eyes are practically glued on.

He Yuzhu stopped with a smile: "There's some good news. Third Uncle, have you eaten? If not, why don't you come over for a drink?"

Before the words were even finished, Xu Damao's irritating voice came from behind: "Count me in, Brother Zhu! I'll bring peanuts!"

He pushed his beat-up bicycle up, all smiles, followed by his father, Xu Fugui. "Smack!" he slapped him on the back of the head. "What are you meddling in for? Can't you see we need to get things done?!"

"Oh, Dad! Brother Zhu and I are best buddies!" Xu Damao covered his head and jumped back a step, still not admitting defeat.

Xu Fugui was about to raise his hand again when He Yuzhu quickly stopped him: "It's alright, Uncle Xu, Da Mao can come whenever he wants. There's plenty of food."

Xu Fugui then stopped, glared at his son, and softened his tone: "You're always idling around. If you were half as sensible as Zhuzi, I'd be laughing in my sleep." He turned to He Yuzhu and waved, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Zhuzi."

"Hey, we're all family, no need for formalities." He Yuzhu waved his hand. "Just come over in twenty minutes."

After saying that, he pushed the cart home and asked his younger sister, He Yushui, to carry two lunchboxes to Grandma Li and Old Wang's house.

The children from both families used to be so thin they looked like bean sprouts, the kind that could be blown over by the wind.

Now her cheeks are rosy, and she walks with a brisk pace—all thanks to He Yuzhu's daily support.

The saying "Even in a famine, a cook won't starve" is no exaggeration.

He practically single-handedly raised both families' children to be strong and healthy.

Both families are also grateful.

Old Mrs. Li would check his collar every day to see if it was dirty and then take it to wash it; Old Wang was even more diligent, taking care of everything from firewood and coal briquettes to changing light bulbs and fixing faucets, and he would always have his two sons ask, "Brother Zhu, is there anything else we need you to do?"

Sometimes you don't even have to say a word; the work is done efficiently for you.

This sentiment is more valuable than money.

After distributing the two lunchboxes, the remaining two were not enough to satisfy the four of them. He Yuzhu then quickly prepared three more hearty dishes: golden and fragrant scrambled eggs with scallions, crisp and smoky stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and glistening, spicy stir-fried sausages. The chili peppers burst into flames, filling the room with heat.

As soon as the last dish was served, Yan Bugui and Xu Damao arrived like cats smelling fish, one carrying half a bottle of Xifeng liquor and the other carrying a bag of peanuts.

"Hey! Uncle San, Xifeng liquor? Has the sun risen in the west?"

Xu Damao, with his sharp eyes, immediately spotted the half-glass bottle in Yan Bugui's hand and was so shocked that his eyebrows shot up.

Although there was only half a bottle left, it was like cutting off a piece of his thigh for "Old Man Yan" - a bottle of Xifeng liquor costs one yuan, and half a bottle is enough to buy two meals of steamed buns.

Yan Bugui didn't even lift his eyelids, slamming the wine bottle on the table: "This cheap liquor is too harsh and doesn't do justice to Zhu Zi's skills."

Xu Damao pouted: "But this half-bottle isn't even enough to moisten your mouth."

"That's enough, you guys drink, I'm not touching it." Yan Bugui waved his hand, his tone indifferent, but he knew perfectly well that every drop counted, and no matter how good the wine was, it wasn't as reliable as grain coupons.

He Yuzhu brought out the last plate of spicy sausages and placed it on the table. With three meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, plus Xu Damao's plate of dusty peanuts, this table was so impressive that half the families in the alley couldn't put together such a feast for the New Year.

It's not a lie to say that I don't drink alcohol.

He didn't completely quit drinking; he still had to clink glasses when socializing. But he had long since suppressed his little bit of drinking on ordinary days—it would be more worthwhile to practice a couple more skill books rather than have that time for a few sips.

Xu Damao grinned, rubbing his hands together as he leaned closer: "Zhu Zi, how about... you give me a taste of your 'treasure'?"

"Get lost!" He Yuzhu didn't even turn his head. "All that's left is the base; we still need it to entertain guests on our wedding day!"

He had already planned it out in his mind—on the day he got married, he absolutely had to dig a cellar at home.

Otherwise, if this wine is left out in the house, who would know and covet it? Last time Director Li came over, he managed to pry a bottle off, and now he only has a little bit of old root left to soak in wine.

"The ingredients for that stuff are hard to find. I ran myself ragged just to find a tiger bone in Beijing. I couldn't gather any of the other medicinal herbs."

Xu Damao's eyes lit up: "How much will Director Li contribute?"

He Yuzhu held up one finger and then made a five.

"Twenty-five?!" Xu Damao almost jumped up. "That's enough to buy three bottles of Moutai!"

"Moutai is easy to buy, but can you buy this wine of mine?" He Yuzhu sneered, stopped talking nonsense, and started eating.

The first chopstick was to pick up a piece of braised pork rib for He Yushui, but it was completely unnecessary—the little girl had already mastered the art of "grabbing food," and before her chopsticks even touched it, her bowl was already piled high with food.

Yan Bugui and Xu Damao finally managed to save face today and didn't shovel food like starving ghosts, but they were still so fast that their chopsticks flew through the air as they shoveled the food into their mouths like a tornado.

This table of food had just finished steaming hot, while the Jia family next door were already craving it so much that the pot was steaming hot.

Banggeng, with his keen nose, smelled the aroma of meat even through the wall. He threw down the cornbread in his hand with a "thud" and wailed, "I want meat! Mom! I want meat too! How long has it been since we've had any meat in our family!"

The Jia family is doing better now than before.

Yi Zhonghai secretly favored his family, secretly giving them half of the coarse grains at night, while outwardly pretending to divide them equally among the three households, and even saying that "grain is hard to buy."

With this protection, the Jia family wouldn't have to exchange meat coupons for grain. However, Jia Dongxu did heavy physical labor, and the few taels of meat coupons he received each month were so bad that they wouldn't even be smelled in a crowd.

Before, when I only ate coarse grains, I could even leave blurry shadows when I went to work.

Not to mention the stalks and Jia Zhangshi, which are green to the naked eye.

Every time they bought some meat, the father and son would fight over it more fiercely than dogs fighting over food. In the end, Qin Huairu, who was ten months pregnant, could only eat a bowl of oily soup to wash her rice.

"That damned idiot Zhu! And those stingy, childless Yan Laokou and Xu Damao! Are they deliberately trying to smear my grandson's hair?!"

When Jia Zhangshi heard Banggeng crying, she immediately got angry, scolded him, and then quickly coaxed him: "Be a good boy and eat your food, Grandma will think of a way to help you."

Her small, triangular eyes darted around, and she suddenly turned to stare at Qin Huairu: "Huairu, go to the He family and get some meat back."

Qin Huairu's face stiffened: "Mom...we don't get along with the He family, it's not appropriate for me to go."

"Who says it's inappropriate?" Madam Jia sneered. "You're pregnant! You come here with your belly sticking out, asking for some money. Does Sha Zhu dare refuse? If he doesn't, then sit at his doorstep and wail, and see if he still wants to live in this courtyard house!"

Qin Huairu bit her lip, feeling a tightness in her chest. What kind of logic was it for a pregnant woman to come to someone's door asking for meat? She was almost losing face, but she still forced herself to speak: "Mom, there are still Uncle San and Xu Damao over there. If I go and ask them directly... it would be too embarrassing."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi became anxious. Her eyes widened, and her voice rose: "Unsightly? You're pregnant! How come they're not afraid of looking bad when they're eating oily food and drinking scalding soup? Think about it, what's a couple of meals of hunger for us adults? The child is growing, and not a single bone can be missing!"

Jia Dongxu frowned and said in a low voice, "Mom, what will people think if they hear that Huairu went to ask for meat? Where will I, as her husband, put my face?"

"Shut up!" Madam Jia whirled her head, spitting almost onto his face. "Are you worried about your own reputation or your son's? Who will support this family in the future? Don't you understand?"

Jia Dongxu immediately fell silent, lowered his head, and dared not utter another word.