Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

The other leaders laughed after hearing this, their faces showing genuine approval.

After finishing their meal, the workers were all beaming with joy, walking with a spring in their step, their energy and spirits seemingly transformed—this wasn't just a meal, it was like recharging and extending their lives!

Amidst this joyous atmosphere, the canteen director Zhang and factory manager Yang smiled stiffly, their lips twitching as if they were being pulled up by a string.

Director Zhang was very uneasy.

The more outstanding He Yuzhu became, the more it seemed that he, as the director, was merely occupying a position without performing his duties.

Others work like tigers, and the workers are eating with gusto; but what about me? I just sit by the stove all day, not even knowing if the food is too salty or too bland.

Factory Director Yang's heart sank even further.

In the entire steel rolling mill, there were only two people who truly had powerful backers: himself and Li Huaide.

Apart from Wang Shushu, who is about to retire and is relatively stable, the rest are like rootless duckweed, unable to make a ripple.

But now, Li Huai has brought out a formidable opponent – ​​not only is his skill amazing, but he can also win over all the workers' hearts with just a pot!

This is getting serious!

However, He Yuzhu was completely unaware of these thoughts.

He exchanged a few polite words with the leaders, then turned and went into the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and stood in front of everyone.

"It's my fault for making everyone stay up a little longer today, and I apologize in advance."

Before he could finish speaking, Chef Zhang interrupted him abruptly: "Director He, you're being too kind! If making good food is considered wrong, then our cafeteria should have closed down long ago!"

The others nodded in agreement.

Although their dishes were returned in the afternoon, He Yuzhu immediately agreed to teach them the skills. What's a little bit of face? After learning, becoming an eighth-level cook will be a piece of cake.

He Yuzhu smiled and raised his hand to gesture for silence: "Then I won't ramble on. I'll just say three things."

First, hygiene.

Our kitchen... to be honest, it's not very impressive.

Starting tomorrow, three people will take turns cleaning each day. It won't be tiring, but the area must be clean.

If I ever see greasy grime or a blackened dishcloth again, don't blame me for turning on you.

Everyone listened intently, holding their breath, and no one dared to interrupt.

"Secondly, I do not encourage shaking the spoon."

He paused, his eyes sweeping around: "I know some people like to give special treatment to those with connections, and have leftovers packed up and taken away."

But let me make this clear from the start—as long as it's under my watchful eye, this kind of thing will be avoided if possible.

I don't want to be reported to the authorities someday for not managing the team properly.

These words sound calm, but they are actually laced with hidden barbs.

How many times did he shake the ladle in his past life? Not to curry favor with anyone, but for revenge—those who offended him, he sprinkled salt into their rice; those he offended, he stuffed chili flakes into their food.

Not to mention, I also had to bring food to those ungrateful bastards from the Jia family. Two tin lunchboxes were filled with leftovers. No meat was no problem, as long as there were plenty of seasonings, it smelled delicious!

It's ten times better than the bland soup in your own pot.

"Thirdly," he raised his voice, "from now on, anyone who wants to learn how to cook in a large pot will be taught by me, He Yuzhu, without holding back a single skill."

The air suddenly became still.

"I used to work at Fengzeyuan Restaurant, where I was a second-level cook."

wow——

Several people almost jumped up.

Level 2?!

Those are top-tier individuals! In the entire city of Beijing, there are only a handful of first-class cooks, and it depends on seniority, connections, and comprehensive evaluation.

Level 2 is already the ceiling that ordinary people can reach!

And these people, the highest they can get is level four, and after more than ten years they are still struggling to reach level three.

Now, a second-level master stands in front of them and personally says he wants to teach them the craft?

"Director He... are you serious?" someone asked in a trembling voice.

"Can we become your apprentices?" The apprentices' eyes were red, completely disregarding the fact that He Yuzhu was a few years younger than them.

When it comes to skill, age is nothing!

He Yuzhu waved his hand: "There's no rush to become an apprentice."

I am too young now, and it would be improper for me to take on apprentices.

Besides, there are few opportunities for individual training in the factory, so even if I taught you, you wouldn't have the materials to practice with.

He grinned: "But I guarantee that everything I teach is genuine."

The more capable you are, the easier it is for me.

Otherwise, with seven or eight huge pots burning all day long, even someone with an iron body would collapse.

Upon hearing this, a sigh of relief immediately filled the kitchen, followed by a burst of laughter.

Peace of mind.

This isn't just empty promises; it's a real opportunity!

Everyone knows that the only way to get a raise in the kitchen is to get promoted.

After becoming a full-time employee, the monthly salary is 27.5 yuan, which sounds like a lot, but can it support a family of four? It's a tight budget. Clothes are patched and mended, rice and flour are carefully budgeted, and we live in a dormitory building allocated by the company. We cook in the hallway and have to queue for the toilet.

People like He Yuzhu who own their own property are extremely rare.

These days, dual-income families are extremely rare. A workplace is the lifeblood of a family, passed down from generation to generation, and is comparable to a family heirloom.

Now, a bright path suddenly appears before them—as long as they are willing to learn, they can acquire skills, advance in rank, and have hope for the future!

That night, the lights in the steel mill's canteen stayed on for an unusually long time.

As long as He Yuzhu is willing to teach them how to cook, what's a little extra work? Cleaning is routine, and flipping a wok is a rare treat.

If you really had to swing an iron wok every day, the kitchen would have long since turned into an alchemy room from the fumes.

He Yuzhu's amazing skill at lunchtime has cemented his status as a legend in the kitchen.

Not to mention Director Zhang's old-fashioned ways, even the workers are talking about it during their leisure time: a tough deputy director has come to the canteen, and his cooking is more exciting than a theatrical performance!

Director Zhang is all about setting rules and regulations; who has ever seen him personally teach his apprentices? Let alone increase their work points—but He Yuzhu is different. He has real skills and is willing to share them.

After walking around the kitchen, He Yuzhu strolled slowly back to his office.

Once the door is closed, the world becomes peaceful.

Aside from the busy time around mealtimes, this deputy director position is incredibly leisurely, like being on vacation all day, perfect for immersing oneself in honing skills.

With more than two hours left before he was supposed to get off work, he wasn't in a hurry to show his face; he just stayed in his chair and flipped through a book.

I really put in a lot of effort today—I cooked vegetables for seven large pots by myself; anyone else would have collapsed by now.

But what about him? He's a master of Xingyi Quan, with muscles and bones as strong as steel. Not to mention flipping a wok, if he really wanted to do some fancy tricks, he could toss the entire stew pot around like an acrobatic act.

He held back a bit because he didn't want to scare the onlookers.

Now he's the deputy director, so he's not burdened with trivial matters, and he's too lazy to bother with those petty things anyway.

There are too many rules and regulations these days, but He Yuzhu had already planned it out: first, he would max out his skills, then secretly conduct some agricultural experiments, and once he made progress in hybrid breeding, he would report it directly to claim credit.

The proper way to make money is to save up some money to get married, and then go into business and make a fortune when the opportunities arise in the 1980s.

He opened the book and began to read quietly.

Agricultural skills proficiency +2

Agricultural skills proficiency +2

Agricultural skills proficiency +2

I closed the book just before the deadline and glanced at the progress bar—at this rate, I could reach the maximum level in agronomy within a month.

The time is just right.

Although he knew the steel rolling mill inside and out, he still had to pretend to "investigate" it.

Otherwise, if you spend all your time holed up in the office drinking tea, and then suddenly submit a report, wouldn't people suspect you of using connections?

He remembered clearly that the factory was about to expand, and it would be perfect to throw out the greenhouse plan at that time.

The wasteland behind the canteen warehouse is a waste to leave empty. Planting some high-yield crops can both be used for experimentation and generate income.

Before leaving, I took a look around the kitchen. The floor was so clean you could see your reflection in it. Chef Zhang even handed me a shift schedule: three-three-four shifts, each person only needs to sweep twice a week. With so many people, the work is easy.

"Thank you for your hard work, Master Zhang."

After saying that, He Yuzhu pushed the cart out the door.

While 99% of people were still walking, he had already hopped on his bicycle and sped out of the factory area.

Many people saw it and turned to look.

"Hey, isn't that Sha Zhu?"

"It's true! They just rode off without even saying goodbye..."

Yi Zhonghai also noticed it, and his brows furrowed.

Because of this guy, Factory Director Yang criticized him yesterday for not being good at training apprentices.

Thinking about this, I felt a tightness in my chest, as if a stone was pressing down on it.

Adding to that, the afternoon announcement over the loudspeaker: "After deliberation by the factory's Party Committee, He Yuzhu has been appointed as the deputy director of the canteen..."

The news was like a thorn, piercing my ear.

Official position? He didn't care.

He had been offered the position of workshop foreman before, but he declined it—taking on apprentices was too troublesome, and he would have to worry about trivial matters.

Why is Sha Zhu able to become the deputy director? Just because he can cook two dishes?

That guy is selfish, disrespectful, and has terrible relationships with his neighbors. How could the factory leaders put him in charge of the canteen? They must be blind!

He only dared to think these words to himself.

Would you really let him yell at his boss to his face? He wouldn't dare.

Jia Dongxu then leaned over, his tone tinged with sarcasm: "Master, Sha Zhu... he really got the job."

"Hmm," Yi Zhonghai responded indifferently, "Ignore him."

Such a person won't be smug for long; sooner or later, they'll fall flat on their face.

He patted his apprentice on the shoulder, feigning magnanimity: "We are the backbone of the working class. No matter how much he gets promoted, he'll still be just a neighbor in this courtyard house. He can't cause any trouble."

He spoke with great conviction, but in his heart he was already making plans.

The old lady kept saying that she wanted Sha Zhu to take care of her in her old age, saying that Jia Dongxu was unreliable.

Yi Zhonghai didn't rush to respond. Right now, he just wanted Sha Zhu to help the Jia family a little more so that he could relax for a few years.

The problem is—the old lady clearly knows how to manipulate Sha Zhu, but she deliberately keeps it to herself.

What exactly is she planning? The more Yi Zhonghai thought about it, the more he felt that things weren't so simple.

Let's go find Lao Liu.

Yi Zhonghai's mind was in turmoil. That old bastard Liu Haizhong had spent his whole life exploiting loopholes and accumulating seniority, and he was almost on the verge of becoming the director, but he was brought down by He Yuzhu, a kid who had just turned eighteen.

He didn't believe Liu Haizhong could swallow this insult—it was a real official position, not something anyone could just snatch.

Let's go with the flow and invite Lao Liu for a drink tonight, adding fuel to the fire and making things even more interesting.

On the other side, He Yuzhu didn't rush home after work. Instead, he went to Hongxing Elementary School to pick up his younger sister, He Yushui.

The little girl skipped and hopped into his elbow, muttering the storytelling broadcast on the radio that day, her face full of innocence.