Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"The Ministry of Industry has decided to invite several engineers from our older brother country to assist in the construction."

One of them is a top-notch technical expert whose skill level is equivalent to half of our research institute.

But he has one notable trait—he can eat a lot, and he's addicted to Chinese cuisine.

Li Huaide paused, staring at He Yuzhu: "He took a tour of Beijing, eating everything from Peking duck to hot pot, from Mapo tofu to xiaolongbao, and thoroughly enjoyed himself."

The boss said that as long as you keep him happy, the key technologies will be yours for the taking.

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu's lips curled into a confident smile.

"Don't worry," he patted his chest, his voice crisp, "Not to mention Chinese food, even if he specifically asks for Russian beef stew or Kiev chicken rolls, I can recreate them!"

He spoke each word with deliberate pause, his voice brimming with confidence.

With maxed-out culinary skills and the right ingredients, there's no dish that can't be cooked.

Seeing him like this, Li Huaide felt completely at ease.

"I knew I could have made the right choice by coming to you." He sighed, his tone unusually serious. "At first, Director Yang wasn't willing to hire this engineer."

"I'm afraid that even though you're a good cook, the customer might have a polar bear-like palate, and since you don't know how to cook Western food, you might mess it up and offend them."

"But I assured the boss—with you here, the dinner table is the battlefield, and we're guaranteed to win."

He stared at He Yuzhu, his eyes filled with expectation and even more trust.

"For the next period of time, the cafeteria will be your main battleground."

You need to feed him so much he can't walk before you can get the technical data back.

But Li Huaide refused to budge, insisting on bringing in his father-in-law for backing, which finally convinced the Ministry of Industry to give its approval.

If this deal goes through, Li Huaide will be the first name on the list of credits.

From now on, intervening in production tasks will be perfectly legitimate, and no one can find fault with it.

Thinking of this, his eyes lit up when he looked at He Yuzhu—this was no ordinary colleague; he was a lucky charm and a benefactor!

"The growth period of eight or nine months is reduced to two months in the upgrade space, and the plants are already fully ripe and golden... This speed is terrifying."

He Yuzhu stared at the golden wheat field surging like waves in the Vitality Space and couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

But a sudden tightness gripped my heart: if outsiders knew that this thing could really grow so wildly, the steel mill would immediately have to change its name to the National Agricultural Experiment Base!

"Who cares? Heaven, earth, and I know."

When asked, they knew nothing; it was all just good luck.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart.

What's being planted now isn't just wheat, but also a large field of medicinal herb seeds—ginseng, lingzhi, sanqi… all rare and scarce items—obtained from the black market at high prices.

As long as we perform as well as wheat, we can count money while lying down on harvest day.

More than two months have passed since the expansion of the steel rolling mill.

During this period, the entire factory worked with all its might, and efficiency soared to its peak.

The canteen has been completed, the steel frame of the greenhouse has been erected, and the main structure of the workshop is almost finished. It will be basically completed in another month.

Most of the engineering corps soldiers withdrew, and the workers gradually returned to their posts, and the machines roared up again.

He Yuzhu's system was also busy.

With both carpentry and medical skills at max level, the system space has expanded to 400 cubic meters—a full 240 acres, stretching as far as the eye can see.

He has already sown medicinal herb seeds on half of the land, and plans to leave the other half to try planting high-yield crops.

Upgrading new skills is as slow as climbing a hill.

Mechanical repair is only at level two, and Tai Chi is also stuck at level two without any progress.

He's been so busy lately that he's barely having time to breathe. He even has to carve wood and patrol the fields in his spatial dimension at night.

At this pace, we'll have to endure at least the next six months until the greenhouses are on track before things can ease up a bit.

That evening, I was writing "Greenhouse Operation Specifications" at my desk, the pen nib scratching softly, when suddenly there was a "knock knock" on the door.

"Come in."

A clerk pushed open the door and entered: "The security guard called and said there are two people looking for you at the gate."

He Yuzhu's eyelids twitched, and he immediately understood—his two junior apprentices must have arrived.

The original canteen has now been renamed Canteen No. 1, and the newly built Canteens No. 2 and No. 3 have already started operating.

Chef Luo and Chef Zhang each took away their key personnel: a level 10 master chef and two skilled handymen, all of whom were experts in handling woks and turning the food.

With three people leaving at once, the cafeteria suddenly became deserted.

Fortunately, the logistics team is hiring more people, otherwise He Yuzhu would really have to personally cook and stir-fry.

He put down his pen, put on his coat, and headed straight for the door.

As soon as they reached the door, two middle-aged men immediately came forward, bowing respectfully in unison: "Uncle-Master!"

The two men were three or four years older than him, but given their seniority, they still addressed him respectfully as "Uncle-Master" when they met.

"Okay, please come in and complete the formalities."

He Yuzhu nodded and led the two to the personnel department to register. Afterward, he took them on a tour of the factory area, explaining the layout, division of labor, and work schedule.

The steel rolling mill is now twice the size of what it used to be, and it takes at least ten minutes to walk from the far east end to the third canteen.

"The highest level we can get here is a sixth-grade cook, but the job is easy," he said as he walked. "Dinner is easy, we get off work early, and we can just ask me anything we don't understand."

"If I get the chance, I'll even give you some extra lessons so you can practice your skills."

Along the way, he described in detail the current state of the kitchen.

Things are a bit tight right now, but the new staff will be in place within two weeks, and things will get better soon.

"Uncle-Master, this place is so much better than Fengzeyuan!" one of them exclaimed excitedly. "Don't worry, we will never let you down!"

The two have been learning to cook for five years and are still apprentices. It's not that their skills are lacking, but rather that Fengzeyuan has long been fully staffed.

During the wave of public-private partnerships, all positions were fixed, and newcomers simply couldn't get in.

Two fellow apprentices in the same batch were not officially hired, but these two came from the poorest families, with families to support and waiting for food to come to them.

After much deliberation, the master specifically recommended that they come to the steel rolling mill to find a way to make a living.

Although the highest level a cook in the factory can achieve is level six, even a level eight master chef can still steadily support his family here.

"Okay, you can start getting familiar with the work these next two days. Your wages will be calculated as apprentices, 18.5 yuan a month. I'll let you know when there's a performance evaluation."

He Yuzhu grinned, patted the two men on the shoulder, and led them on a tour of the factory area. Before the excitement had even died down, he led them towards the personnel department.

As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the personnel department, I ran into Bai Danyu.

She was looking down at the documents when she heard footsteps. She looked up and saw He Yuzhu. Her eyes lit up immediately: "Director He, you've brought the newcomer to report for duty?"

"That's right!" He Yuzhu replied with a smile. "The kitchen is almost starving. These two are my uncle's apprentices. They worked in the kitchen at Fengzeyuan for five years. Their skills are unparalleled."

As soon as I asked, they immediately dropped their work in the city and came to support us frontline workers.

His tone turned somber, and he sighed, half-jokingly, "If no one comes to carry the spatula anymore, the cafeteria will have to switch to selling sliced ​​steamed buns."

Bai Danyu chuckled softly, "Your mouth... it must be tough on you, Director He. Try to get some rest more often—"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she suddenly realized something was off about them. Her ears burned slightly, and she quickly added, "I'll handle the formalities. You brought the letter of introduction and your household registration book, right?"

"All done." He Yuzhu nodded, paused, and then suddenly lowered his voice, "Section Chief Bai, actually... I have something I'd like to trouble you with."

Bai Danyu's heart skipped a beat.

The words "Take care and get some rest" were still echoing in my ears. Upon hearing this, my second sister-in-law's words from a couple of days ago immediately popped into my head: "You're getting too close to Director He. Don't let it cause gossip later."

She took a deep breath, her expression remaining calm: "Then come into my office and we'll talk." Turning to Sister Sun beside her, she instructed, "Sister Sun, help Director He complete the onboarding procedures for these two comrades."

Once inside the office and the door closed, the air seemed to quiet down.

Bai Danyu sat behind the table, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the cap of her pen.

This room is much brighter than He Yuzhu's. After all, she is a section chief, two ranks higher, so it is only natural that she has her own separate room.

But at this moment, she inexplicably recalled her second sister-in-law's teasing remark: "Director He gave you some snacks, and you actually accepted them? I think your heart is sweet too."

"Section Chief Bai," He Yuzhu got straight to the point, "I've been tinkering with medical books lately and came up with a recipe for making medicinal wine, but I'm missing a few herbs. I've searched all over Beijing but haven't been able to find them all... I'd like to ask you for help inquiring about them."

Bai Danyu breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Oh? Second Brother happens to be in charge of the medicinal herb preparation. I'll ask him about it when we get back."

Do you have the prescription?

"Yes, yes!" He Yuzhu pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket, hesitated for a moment before handing it over, and asked, "Section Chief Bai, can you read traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions?"

"I don't understand." She shook her head, smiling frankly. "My dad never expected me to inherit his skills. I'm the only child in the family who has never touched a medicine grinder."

He Yuzhu felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.

If someone knowledgeable were to see this prescription, they would probably blush with embarrassment on the spot.

The ingredients inside look ordinary, but they actually contain hidden secrets—especially the one called "tiger root." It is clearly written as "root," but everyone knows that it refers to tiger penis.

This wine, once brewed, is said to be invigorating, replenishing vital energy, and refreshing the mind; one sip is enough to carry two sacks of rice up to the third floor.

He doesn't need it himself, but he can save it for ten or eight years. On the day the jar is opened, it won't be worth gold!

Fortunately, Bai Danyu didn't understand.

After handing over the prescription, He Yuzhu left the office.

Not long after, the formalities for the two apprentices were also completed smoothly.

He led the group to the materials department, where they received a set of benefits including work clothes, lunch boxes, towels, and aprons, before heading straight to the first canteen.

The kitchen was filled with smoke and fumes, and the two remaining handymen were wiping the stove.

He Yuzhu cleared his throat and said loudly:

"Let me introduce you. Qian Shih-hu and Mu Chang-zheng are the new cooks, currently apprentices."

But starting today, they'll be in charge of the communal cooking! We'll be bringing in more people over the next two weeks, so the three of you will lend a hand during this time. Thanks for your hard work.

After saying that, he turned to the two men and his eyes narrowed: "Changzheng and Shihu, you two will be in charge of cooking a big pot of vegetables for lunch. I will watch from the side."

If it works out, this kitchen will be your domain from now on.

"Don't worry, Uncle-Master!" Qian Shih-hu rolled up his sleeves, his voice booming, "We don't want to be called 'lazybones' at home!"

Mu Changzheng nodded emphatically, his eyes shining.