Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Remember, only by respecting and honoring the elderly can you have the dignity to stand firmly in this courtyard.

"To live a long life, one must know the rules."

Jia Dongxu took the plate, nodded, and remained silent.

Having followed his master for several years, he had heard these words so many times that they were practically calloused—yet, ironically, the reasoning was exactly the same as what his mother, Jia Zhangshi, had said.

At first, Jia Zhangshi guarded against Yi Zhonghai like a thief, fearing that her son would be led astray.

But later they discovered that the longer Jia Dongxu stayed with Yi Zhonghai, the more filial he became to her, serving her tea and water, and his words became sweeter and his temper softened.

The old lady was beaming from ear to ear, telling everyone she met, "You listen to everything your master teaches you; your elders have seen more of life than you have!"

"Old Yi, did you get your bonus today?"

Liu Haizhong froze as soon as he entered the door, his eyes fixed on the dishes on the table: the braised pig's head meat was shiny and oily, the eggplant and pork stew smelled delicious, the scallion and egg salad was golden and tempting, the shredded potatoes were crisp and piled on the plate, and the cabbage was stewed until soft and bubbly... This table was more elaborate than even during the Chinese New Year!

Yi Zhonghai grinned: "We're the big shots in charge of this compound, shouldn't we have this much respect?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong felt relieved.

Well, they are, after all, the "high-ranking" members of the courtyard house. What's wrong with them eating a little better? It makes sense!

Once all the dishes were served and the wine was poured, an older woman tactfully took her bowl and went to the backyard to keep the deaf old lady company, leaving only three men in the house to sit around the octagonal table and enjoy themselves.

Jia Dongxu may be greedy, but he is absolutely disciplined.

He poured wine for his master first, then filled the cup for his second uncle Liu Haizhong, before daring to take the first bite of meat and start devouring it.

……

After a few rounds of drinks, Yi Zhonghai wiped his mouth and got down to business: "Old Liu, you know about Sha Zhu getting a job as the deputy director of the canteen at the steel rolling mill, right?"

"How could I not know? The factory loudspeaker announced it three times in a row! How dare some wok-tossing worker climb over my neck and become an official?"

Liu Haizhong's face immediately darkened, and his tone was full of sourness.

He recently applied to be a workshop team leader, but was rejected because of his educational background.

Within a few days, Chef He Yuzhu was transformed into a leading cadre, holding a position many ranks higher than his predecessor.

The deputy director of the canteen is a formally established cadre position, while the group leader? He only gets an extra two yuan a month in subsidies, which is nothing.

Yi Zhonghai shook his head with a sneer: "He used to pretend to call us 'sir,' but now that he's got wings, just you wait and see. In his eyes, we two 'powerful figures in the compound' are not even worth a sneeze."

"That idiot Zhu..."

Liu Haizhong was so angry he almost clenched his fists.

He spent his entire life living in a courtyard house, and the only respectable thing he had was the title "Second Uncle".

If even this little bit of face is trampled on, then he won't have a good year!

"Old Yi, do you think there's any way to teach him a lesson? He's been too cocky lately! It's one thing if he doesn't greet me, but he's always hanging around Old Yan's house, eating and drinking without including me. What does he mean by that? Does he look down on me?"

Yi Zhonghai remained calm and raised his glass to clink it lightly: "There's always a way..."

But now that he's a cadre, we need to be strategic and take it slow.

He lowered his voice, his eyes turning cold: "His departure from Fengzeyuan makes it easier for us to keep an eye on him."

They can accurately predict and strike every move, both inside and outside the factory.

As long as you seize on one mistake, you won't be afraid he won't admit his mistake.

The two of them took turns speaking, their secret plotting meticulously concealed.

While munching on a chicken leg, Jia Dongxu chimed in with a few suggestions, but unfortunately, half of his mind was on listening while the other half was completely absorbed by the food.

By the time the banquet ended, he had eaten at least a third of the food on the table, and went back to his room to sleep, wiping his greasy mouth.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, He Yuzhu put on his apron and began to cook.

Just as he was kneading the dough, a soft "ding" sounded in his mind—

[Cooking skill level has reached the maximum]

Immediately afterwards, an unprecedented sense of clarity welled up in my heart.

This is not simply a matter of practice makes perfect, but a leap in perception.

When he kneads dough, he can even detect the distribution of tiny air bubbles within the dough; when he cuts vegetables, each cut precisely avoids the fiber breakage points, locking in the fresh juices to the maximum extent; as he stirs the wok, controlling the heat seems to become an extension of his body, allowing him to control it with ease.

No one would believe this feeling if I told them.

A first-level chef relies on experience, a second-level chef relies on talent, but now he seems to have unlocked the "eye of cooking".

Just like how he could unleash his power by mobilizing his qi and blood after reaching the maximum level in Xingyi Quan, his cooking now also carries the meaning of "Tao".

He once quietly asked Master Zhang, "Have you ever seen anyone cut meat by listening to the grain of the meat?"

Master Zhang rolled his eyes at him: "Don't scare me, kid. Even the patriarch wouldn't dare say that!"

After reaching the maximum level in fishing, he simply stopped going often. Every time he cast his line, he would return with a full catch. The fish in the river would flee at the sight of his boat, making him a veritable "waterway cleaner." His Russian and English skills were just for leveling up; after reaching the maximum level, he didn't notice anything unusual and temporarily put them aside.

But every other max-level skill had left him speechless with awe.

He knew—he was no longer the same.

"This system is amazing! I can't wait to see the shocked faces on the workers' faces at lunchtime..."

After making breakfast, He Yuzhu rode his bicycle to the school gate with his daughter, Yushui, and said sternly, "Stand up straight for class today, you hear me?"

After the little girl skipped and hopped into the school gate, he turned the car around and headed straight for the steel rolling mill.

The factory doesn't provide breakfast, but lunch is a large meal cooked in a communal pot.

But apart from those unfortunate people who couldn't leave, no one wanted to eat in the canteen—after all, dinner was two or three cents more expensive, and the thrifty old employees preferred to get more food at noon to take home.

Upon arriving at the factory, He Yuzhu didn't rush to change into his work clothes; instead, he went into the kitchen first.

Seeing that most of the people had arrived, he stood in front of the counter and clapped his hands twice: "Is everyone here? I spent all night thinking about it and came up with a few standard procedures for cooking large pot dishes for you."

As he spoke, he pulled out a piece of paper covered in dense writing and slapped it against the wall.

"The amount of salt, soy sauce, stir-fry time, and seasonings for each pound of vegetables are all clearly stated."

Even if you've never even touched a pot before, following this recipe will guarantee at least 80% of my taste.

The kitchen helpers crowded around to take a look, and their eyes widened in astonishment—this wasn't just a recipe, it was practically a kitchen battle manual!

"Alright, stop standing there, go get the ingredients."

Follow this list exactly this afternoon!

At the command, the kitchen erupted in chaos.

The sound of splashing water as people washed vegetables filled the sink, and the clapping and chopping on the cutting board was lively. Amidst the steaming heat, He Yuzhu would occasionally offer pointers: "Hold the knife firmly, pull your fingers back! Use your wrist to generate power, not your arm!"

Sure enough, after he explained it to me, even the dumbest apprentice became much more efficient at cutting potato shreds.

Following the instructions and recipe, Chef Luo and Chef Zhang started cooking.

Three common home-style dishes—stewed cabbage with glass noodles, braised eggplant with green beans, and stir-fried minced meat with shredded radish—look simple to make, but if the cooking time is not right, the taste will be off.

He Yuzhu paced back and forth between the stoves, hands behind his back, timing the conversation like a military supervisor: "Is the oil hot enough? Just add half the salt; adding water is something lazy people do!"

After the dish was cooked, he took a bite first—and raised his eyebrows slightly.

Much better than yesterday.

Although it's not yet at his level, it's already far ahead of the past.

"Come on, have a taste."

The crowd gathered around to try it, and were immediately stunned.

"Holy crap... why did this smell suddenly come up?"

"The moment I opened the pot today, it smelled so good, I thought there was something wrong with my nose!"

Master Luo lowered his head and took two big bites, his face changing: "This is fucking amazing, much better than what I make myself... but compared to Director He, it's still a bit lacking."

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "You guys have a good foundation, but you can't control the heat properly and just throw in the seasonings by feel."

Our factory only makes a few dishes; once you've mastered them, you can still cook them to perfection.

Before he finished speaking, he rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular forearms: "I'll do the last batch myself."

Open your eyes wide and look carefully.

Remove from heat! Pour in oil!

Without even extending his hand, he could tell the oil was seventy percent hot just by glancing at the color of the flame.

As soon as the smoke rose, the vegetables were poured into the pot. With a flick of the spatula, the entire pot of vegetables tumbled and rolled in the air like surging waves, yet not a single leaf spilled over the edge of the pot.

He tossed the wok like a knife, his movements crisp and clean, as if the wok were an extension of his body.

Finally, add the seasonings, adjust the flavor, and reduce the sauce—all in one smooth motion.

As the pot tilted, the steaming hot dishes were poured into the rice bowl, and the aroma exploded out like a powerful punch to the nose.

"Hiss—" An apprentice swallowed hard. "Director He, may we... have a taste?"

"Nonsense, why not eat it if it's free!" He Yuzhu said with a laugh.

A group of people immediately grabbed their chopsticks and surrounded them.

After the first bite, the entire room fell silent.

Some people squinted, some froze, and some even had tears welling up in their eyes as they chewed.

For more than ten seconds, no one spoke; the only sounds in the air were chewing and swallowing.

He Yuzhu broke the silence: "What's wrong? Everyone's like they've been paralyzed?"

"Director He!" Chef Zhang looked up abruptly, his voice trembling slightly. "This...this is simply the best cabbage I've ever eaten in my life! When I was a child, my family was poor, and we rarely had a full meal...that bite just now reminded me of the last meal my mother made for me...it's exactly the same..."

Master Luo didn't say anything, but silently extended his second chopstick, his movements so fast they were almost swift.

Seeing this, the others forgot all about politeness and started scrambling for the food.

"Excuse me! Let me take another bite!"

"Get out of my way! I targeted him first!"

He Yuzhu was shaking his head with a smile when suddenly a thought struck him—that's right, I just maxed out my "Master Chef" skill yesterday…

Could it be... that indescribable aroma just now wasn't just due to skill, but also the system's enhancement?

He picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

In an instant, layers of flavor exploded on the tip of the tongue, salty, fresh, and sweet, oily but not greasy, as if every strand of vegetable had been given a soul.

His throat bobbed, and saliva was secreted uncontrollably.

He opened his eyes wide and murmured softly:

"Holy crap, this is so delicious!"