Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Over the past two years, Yi Zhonghai has brainwashed him with the idea that "elders are never wrong," which has worn down his temper to the point of being soft-hearted. Now he doesn't even dare to think of arguing back.

"Hurry up! Don't wait until they've chewed the meat to pieces and swallowed it before you start crying!" Madam Jia shoved Qin Huairu in the back.

The crickets inside the house were also making a huge fuss, their cries growing louder and louder.

Qin Huairu's heart clenched, and she finally sighed, picked up the empty bowl, and walked out with heavy steps.

A gust of cold wind blew, and she shivered.

As you approach the He family's door, a rich aroma wafts towards you—the oily fragrance of stewed meat mixed with the aroma of soy sauce fills your nostrils, making your stomach rumble with a mix of flavors.

She gritted her teeth, raised her hand, and gently knocked on the door.

"Thump, thump".

The lively laughter and chatter inside the room came to an abrupt halt.

A moment later, the door creaked open a crack, and He Yuzhu peeked out, his brows furrowing immediately upon seeing her: "Sister-in-law Jia? What's wrong?"

Qin Huairu forced a smile, her voice barely audible, "Silly Zhu, your cooking is absolutely amazing, the aroma has even reached my house."

Banggeng started crying as soon as he smelled the meat, insisting he wanted some... We haven't had any meat in ages, could you... spare some for the child to satisfy his craving?

As she spoke, her neck unconsciously stretched forward, and she desperately glanced at the table in the room from the corner of her eye.

He Yuzhu remained expressionless, his tone crisp and decisive: "What a coincidence, I just finished eating, and there wasn't a single bite left."

I'm so sorry, sister-in-law.

Before he could finish speaking, the door slammed shut with a loud bang, leaving not a crack.

"Shazhu! Open the door... and see if there's anything left..." Qin Huairu was anxious, her fingers gripping the door frame tightly, her voice trembling.

"Crunch—"

The door was opened again, and this time Xu Damao stood in the doorway.

He had a smile on his face, but his eyes revealed a hint of smugness: "Oh, Sister Qin is here? Zhu Zi wasn't lying to you, we really finished eating! With his cooking skills, five dishes were fought over by four people, and the soup was all drunk up."

"But..." He pulled out a small dish of peanuts from behind him, grinned, "I have some scraps hidden here, do you want some?"

The peanuts were shriveled and yellowish, clearly the least noticeable dish on the table. If he hadn't had sharp ears and snatched them from under the Third Uncle's chopsticks first, he probably wouldn't have even gotten a piece of them.

A flicker of reluctance flashed in Qin Huairu's eyes, but she still stubbornly tiptoed to peek into the house: "Really... there's no food left?"

"Oh, my dear Sister Qin!" Xu Damao spread his hands and stepped aside. "Look at yourself, the table is almost licked clean, the soup is almost gone, how could you possibly hide it? Would I, Xu Damao, cheat you?"

She finally saw clearly—the table was a mess, the plates were so empty they reflected light, and there wasn't even a single scallion.

My heart sank little by little.

"Do you want more of these peanuts?" Xu Damao shook the plate, his tone carrying a hint of charity. "If you don't want them, I can take them back inside."

"Don't even mention it, Jia Dongxu is the same, letting a pregnant woman like you run around begging for food... tsk tsk."

"Da Mao, thank you." Qin Huairu interrupted him, took the plate, and quickly poured all the peanuts into the bowl without turning her head. "I'm leaving now, the kids at home are waiting."

She turned and left quickly, her steps hurried, as if afraid that if she stayed even a second longer, tears would burst out.

"Hey..." Xu Damao stood there, watching her figure disappear into the corner of the yard. He clicked his tongue and then slowly turned around and went back into the house.

……

He Yuzhu sat in the room, his face gloomy.

He heard everything that just happened, but he wasn't bothered at all.

Qin Huairu? Ha, in his past life, when he was kicked out, she was still in the yard eating melon seeds and watching the show!

You can't raise an ingrate; she's the best at repaying kindness with enmity.

The thought of those old grievances made his chest feel like it was being pressed by a red-hot iron, causing a dull, painful tightness.

Not long after the meal, Yan Bugui tactfully took his leave.

He Yuzhu didn't want to listen to the radio, and he didn't want it left outside—it would be noisy when there were many people around, making it impossible to read; besides, if that thing was left outside, it might become "community property" one day and he would never be able to get it back.

He pulled out an agricultural science book from the cabinet and started reading.

The content was already thoroughly memorized, but the system still calculated the proficiency level—only the efficiency dropped from +2 to +1.

Therefore, he never overdoes things; once he finishes reading a book, he returns it to the library and gets a new one to continue reading.

Every word and phrase was absorbed into his mind, and he could memorize them instantly, all thanks to that mysterious proficiency system.

Agricultural skills proficiency +2

Agricultural skills proficiency +2

Agricultural skills proficiency +2

Lines of prompts scrolled before his eyes, as quiet as the wind in a wheat field at night.

After nearly two hours of reading, He Yuzhu devoured the book word for word, even memorizing it.

As the last page was turned, a system notification sounded softly—Agronomy skill upgraded to level three!

"Agricultural ecology...crop cultivation...soil science..." He murmured the newly emerging knowledge in his mind, his eyes flashing slightly. "I didn't expect to unlock so much hard stuff just by leveling up to level three. Although I haven't mastered it yet, it's enough for me to play around with."

If you max out this skill, you'll theoretically be able to master the cultivation techniques for all crops with ease.

The only uncertainty is whether the system will simply cram all the core methods of hybridization breeding into his head.

There's still enough time; there's no need to rush.

He suddenly remembered the abandoned vacant lot behind the steel mill's canteen—it hadn't been touched during either of the two expansions, and the weeds were taller than a person's calf.

Once he advances two more levels in agronomy, he can casually mention to Li Huaide: "Let's build a vegetable greenhouse."

Eating fresh vegetables in winter is no longer a dream, and he can also secretly try planting some improved varieties of wheat and rice. When he "accidentally discovers" them, he can report them to the factory and thus gain merit.

His approach is to develop quietly and make a fortune in silence.

Even though he now possesses many skills, what he misses most is still the warmth and comfort of cooking over a stove.

Being a chef is his true calling.

-

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, He Yuzhu got up.

With a flick of the spatula, a steaming hot breakfast is ready.

After quickly finishing his meal, he pushed the old-fashioned bicycle and carried He Yushui to school.

Now that they live in the same direction, she goes to school and he goes to work, and they can get to the school gate in ten minutes with just a turn of their bicycles.

After dropping off the person, I turned the handlebars and headed straight for the steel rolling mill.

The road from the courtyard to the factory area is so short that it puts one in a good mood.

Once you exit the alley, you can walk through streets and lanes without any obstruction.

When he arrived at the factory gate, he took out his transfer letter and flashed it. The gatekeeper glanced at it and waved him through.

Knowing the way well, he found Li Huaide's office, knocked three times, and heard a "Come in" from inside.

"Director Li, I've arrived." He Yuzhu walked into the house with a smile, carrying a bottle of wine. "I brought you the tiger bone wine we agreed on last time."

"Oh! Zhu Zi, we've been waiting for you!" Li Huaide beamed, snatched the wine bottle from him, and carefully placed it in the cabinet as if it were a treasure, locking it away. Then he stood up, patted Zhu Zi on the shoulder, and said, "Come on, let's get the onboarding done! Your appointment as deputy director of the cafeteria has been approved, and it's perfectly legitimate!"

The personnel department had been notified in advance, and once the files were submitted and the official stamp was affixed, the process was so fast it was like going through a formality.

After settling things over, Li Huaide personally took him to see Director Zhang of the canteen, instructing him as they walked: "From now on, Director Zhang will be in charge of general affairs, and you will be in charge of the food quality and assist in managing the kitchen. Just make sure the division of labor is clear and work well together."

Upon reaching the kitchen door, Li Huaide coughed twice, and the pots and pans immediately fell silent.

"Stop for a moment, everyone. Listen to me."

He stood in the middle, exuding an imposing aura: "This is He Yuzhu, the newly arrived deputy director of the cafeteria."

He was put in charge of improving the meals and also helped Director Zhang with kitchen affairs.

Let's give our new colleague a round of applause.

A burst of applause rang out, and many chefs peeked out to take a look.

"Deputy Director He!"

"Hey, Xiao He's here!"

They called each other quite affectionately. After all, this young man had amazed everyone with his braised pork at the last skills competition. Who didn't know he was a formidable character?

When the noise subsided, He Yuzhu took a step forward, his voice not loud but clear:

"Greetings, everyone. We've met before."

From this day forward, we are comrades in arms in the same trench.

I'm open to sharing my knowledge. If you have anything you want to learn or don't understand, feel free to ask me anytime. I'll teach you step by step.

But I also hope everyone will support my work and work together to make our steel rolling mill's job even more secure and profitable!

As soon as he finished speaking, the kitchen erupted in chaos.

"Really? I'd love to sign up for the sweet and sour pork ribs course!"

"That's right! I've been stuck on the proficiency test for years. If I could learn a few tricks from an expert, becoming a second-level cook would be just around the corner!"

The applause was thunderous, ten times more enthusiastic than before.

Only Director Zhang, standing in the corner, had a slightly stiff expression, forced a smile, and clapped his hands a few times.

But a thought struck him – he knew that he had been lazy lately, his purchasing accounts were unclear, and the quality of the meals had declined, which had drawn criticism from his superiors.

This time, Li Huaide personally led a team and provided full support, clearly indicating his intention to promote a newcomer to a higher position.

After Li Huaide led He Yuzhu away from the kitchen, they went to the office to familiarize themselves with the procedures and to check the logistics warehouse. They kept moving and explained everything in detail.

In Director Zhang's eyes, this whole operation was nothing short of a blatant successor training plan.

Why would a dignified logistics director personally lead a canteen deputy director around the entire factory?

This isn't just reporting for duty; it's a declaration of sovereignty!

He gripped the thermos in his hand, his knuckles turning white.

I'm afraid my position is really not secure anymore.

Director Zhang initially didn't think too much about it, assuming that He Yuzhu was just there to go through the motions.

But the current situation has him stuck in a limbo – his position is very precarious.

If you don't want to be squeezed out, you either need to quickly get in touch with Director Yang and solidify the relationship, or you need to kneel down and pledge allegiance to him completely, only then will you have a chance to gain a foothold.

Li Huaide led He Yuzhu on a tour of the kitchen, thus completing the handover.

The work of the deputy director and the director is actually quite similar, but the key is that Li Huaide trusts He Yuzhu from the bottom of his heart.

He knew that once this person came in, Old Zhang's qualifications would be overturned sooner or later, leaving not even ashes.