All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

With all this nourishment every day, the two elders couldn't tell how much it was taking, but He Zhen and He Hua were both quite round, and He Hua's little belly was starting to show signs of growing bigger.

Since Xu Damao went in, Xu Xiaonuan's once robust physique has started to thin out, and she has become increasingly taciturn, which made He Yuzhu feel sorry for her for a while. He secretly sent a lot of nourishing food to Qin Jingru.

That's all he can do for his child. As a father, what else can he do?

Thinking about how Xu Damao has been in prison for several years, I wonder how he's been behaving. I heard he's been behaving quite well, and maybe he'll have a chance to get his sentence reduced early. Qin Jingru told him last time that the only thing that could keep him going in there was his child. Last week, she took Xu Xiaonuan to see Xu Damao for the first time, and both of them cried. Xu Damao cried like a child.

He Yuzhu could only feel sorry for Xu Damao in his heart. Of all people to offend, he had to offend Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu's family has recently had a great occasion. Bang Geng's repair shop business is doing well, and since he has a city hukou (household registration), he has successfully found a girlfriend. The two have decided to get married on the 15th of this month and have even invited He Yuzhu to help with the cooking.

He Yuzhu is still considering it, but Ran Qiuye has no objections. She says that the matter of the child is in the past, and since they are neighbors, it's no big deal to help each other out.

He Yuzhu didn't think so. In the past ten years, He Yuzhu and Qin Huairu had exchanged no more than a hundred words. Especially after Xu Damao's incident, he avoided this woman like the plague, as the psychological shadow was too great.

However, after thinking about it, he felt that he shouldn't refuse such a joyous occasion, so he agreed. However, Bang Geng did seem to have changed a lot in the past few years. Although he still ignored him, he would occasionally call Ran Qiuye "Auntie" when he saw her, which showed that Bang Geng had grown up.

In fact, apart from Qin Huairu and Banggeng, He Yuzhu has always taken good care of Xiaodang and Xiaokuihua. Whenever there is food, they are always given a share.

Perhaps he felt a little guilty towards the two girls, and also because the two girls were good to He Zhen and He Hua; the children had grown up together and had a very good relationship.

Last year, Xiao Dang got married. Her husband's family was of average means. Although He Yuzhu and Qin Huairu had a cold relationship, Xiao Dang was someone he had watched grow up. He secretly gave Xiao Dang a 100-yuan red envelope behind Qin Huairu's back. Xiao Dang was so moved that she hugged him and cried for a long time, saying that over the years, the only person who cared about her was this silly uncle.

Life goes on, and the reform spring breeze of 79 began to blow slowly from the south to the north...!

Chapter 94: Jingchuan Restaurant

In 79, Yanjing promulgated many reform policies, including those supporting the development of the private real economy. Although the policy regulations were in place, everyone was still very cautious in the actual implementation stage, fearing that there would be any reversals.

But He Yuzhu knew that in the coming decades, the country would only become more and more open, and he felt that this kind of laid-back life was rather tasteless.

He now goes to the big boss's house to cook a meal every two weeks to a month. The two are friends.

Besides being a cook, the big boss has also been particularly fond of discussing reform and opening up with him in the past year or two. Although He Yuzhu didn't want to reveal too much, he couldn't help but say once that they should find a place to pilot the reform, such as a certain place in the south.

This idea gave the big boss a sudden insight. In 79, the big boss went to the south, and as soon as he returned home, he sent He Yuzhu over.

After He Yuzhu arrived, he noticed that the big boss was in particularly good spirits today, so the two started chatting again. At the end of the conversation, the big boss said with some emotion.

"We're feeling our way across the river, like feeling for stones. The reform breeze from the South hasn't reached Beijing yet. I really look forward to that day coming soon!"

Upon hearing the big boss's words, He Yuzhu couldn't help but recall the saying from later generations: "The prosperous era of the future will surely be as you wish!"

Since the conversation had already reached this point, He Yuzhu was also itching to open a restaurant, so he told the big boss about his idea. Upon hearing this, the big boss clapped his hands and said happily.

“I support you in this. What are you worried about? Zhu Zi, if you open a restaurant, I'll be the first to patronize it. The biggest problem with reform is that no one dares to try. We should let some people get rich first, and then let them help others get rich, so that we can achieve common prosperity!”

When He Yuzhu saw the big boss, who was unusually enthusiastic about opening his restaurant, he was greatly encouraged and began planning the restaurant's opening.

Despite having a powerful backer, He Yuzhu felt he should keep a low profile. The saying "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down" is no joke. He didn't want his small restaurant to become the center of attention, or he would be in trouble.

He went to great lengths to choose a restaurant location, renting a street-front shop from a local street office. The street office initially refused to rent to him when they heard it was for a private individual, but He Yuzhu had no choice but to ask someone with connections to vouch for him before they finally signed the contract.

He Yuzhu also played a little trick, demanding a ten-year contract with a 5% annual rent increase. The other party thought it was a good deal and signed it immediately.

After the house was settled, He Yuzhu started the renovation. In this day and age, all the work had to be done by himself. He Yuzhu and his apprentices ran around and worked for more than half a year to get all the preparations for the restaurant done.

Finally, the restaurant opened in December 1979. Perhaps due to his connections with powerful figures, He Yuzhu decided that the restaurant would specialize in Sichuan cuisine.

The restaurant is named "Jingchuan Restaurant," and the signboard was even personally inscribed by the big boss. However, He Yuzhu is low-key and has never used this to promote himself.

With the restaurant's opening imminent, He Yuzhu wanted to quit his job at the steel mill. When he discussed this with Ran Qiuye, she immediately objected, saying it was like gambling with his future.

Although the salary at Zha Steel Plant isn't high, it's a state-owned enterprise, and He Yuzhu has worked there for so many years. Wouldn't it be great to receive a retirement pension in the future?

Look at this old man now, living comfortably on his retirement pension. That's the right path in life, not like you, over forty, suddenly thinking about opening a restaurant.

Not only Ran Qiuye objected, but the old man and his wife also objected. The couple had experienced too many hardships in their lives. If He Yuzhu had opened a restaurant ten years ago, he would have been criticized. Although it seems that reform and opening up have been implemented now, everyone in Yanjing is still very cautious. The risks involved are too great.

Since everyone objected, He Yuzhu had no choice but to continue working at the steel mill and keep the restaurant open as usual, with business hours from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Now they almost exclusively serve dinner. He Yuzhu opened the Jingchuan Restaurant, which is just a trial run to test the waters and see what the market is like.

The big boss had been concerned about He Yuzhu's restaurant opening. When he learned that his restaurant had finally opened, the big boss kept his promise and, on the first day of opening, brought his family and became the first customer of Jingchuan Restaurant.

As soon as they entered the restaurant, the big shot stopped and pointed at the room's decor, saying that the restaurant was very distinctive, grand and simple, with even the floorboards being bright and clean, making people feel comfortable as soon as they entered. Moreover, the first impression of the restaurant was that it was high-class!

He Yuzhu followed behind, introducing the restaurant to the big boss. He had spent a lot of time and effort decorating it, after all, this was his first time opening a restaurant.

He Yuzhu then showed the boss around the kitchen, and the boss praised the kitchen. Kitchens in this era were dark, small, and full of grease and smoke. In order to solve this problem, He Yuzhu knocked down this small warehouse and turned it into a kitchen. He also specially made two simple range hoods and modified electric fans. The kitchen was bright and clean.

Finally, He Yuzhu personally demonstrated his culinary skills to the tycoon's family. This restaurant specializes in Sichuan cuisine, and the tycoon is a native of Sichuan. He never tires of He Yuzhu's cooking. The children, on the other hand, had not eaten authentic Sichuan food for a long time and were slurping their mouths with delight at the spicy and numbing flavor!

This meal marked the first table at He Yuzhu's restaurant after its opening. However, everyone was very low-key, and the tycoon acted like an ordinary old man, having dinner with his family and then heading home. In fact, because it was the first day of business, no customers came in until the tycoon left.

It's a pity I didn't have a camera to take any photos; otherwise, hanging the photos on the restaurant wall would definitely be a family heirloom.

He Yuzhu wasn't in a hurry. Everything has a beginning. On the first day, he looked forward to it all afternoon, but in the end, no second customer came.

Just before closing time, a few minor leaders from the neighborhood committee finally heard that the restaurant had opened that day and came to show their support. When the leaders ate with greasy mouths and rosy cheeks, and said they would definitely come again next time, He Yuzhu realized that his restaurant definitely had potential.

However, the apprentices were somewhat disappointed, but their disappointment was obviously unnecessary. In this day and age, the most daunting thing is taking the first step. Once you take the first step, all difficulties are only temporary.

Aside from a few of his apprentices, only Ran Qiuye and the old man and his wife knew that He Yuzhu had opened a restaurant; no one else in the compound knew about it.

The old man and Ran Qiuye didn't publicize the matter, after all, in this day and age, opening a restaurant is not a very honorable thing.

At Jingchuan Restaurant, He Yuzhu did not mistreat his apprentices. He gave each of his five apprentices a 5% share of the profits, and Ma Hua a 10% share. Currently, the restaurant's business is not good, so there is no fixed salary. Once the business improves, each of them will receive a fixed salary of 100 yuan per month, and this will increase in the future.

Since there's not much business right now, all the apprentices come in shifts after get off work, so now there have to be two of them every day. Actually, although each of these apprentices only knows one specialty of a cuisine, it doesn't mean they can't cook Sichuan cuisine. They can cook everyday Sichuan dishes, it's just that they can't cook special dishes. However, with MCA (Ma Hua) overseeing things for a long time, this problem can be solved.

With more shares, Ma Hua naturally had to do more work. He took care of all the other miscellaneous tasks at the restaurant, and personally oversaw the preparation of special dishes. He Yuzhu was in charge of purchasing, and he liked to stroll around the restaurant every day when he had nothing to do.

There aren't many customers who actually require He Yuzhu to personally handle the cooking. He's only opening this restaurant to test the waters. His main goal is to open a high-end restaurant, but unfortunately, it's not suitable for this era.

A Sichuan restaurant quietly opened at the entrance of Nanjie Hutong. At first, it didn't cause any trouble, and business was dismal. However, ten days after it opened, several people from the market management department entered the restaurant.

As soon as the group entered the restaurant, they started making a ruckus, demanding that the owner come out, saying that someone had reported them. They even showed the owner a seal and threatened to shut down the shop. He Yuzhu wasn't in the restaurant at the time, so his apprentices immediately protested and started pulling and shoving at the group, drawing a large crowd.

Although the apprentices didn't know why He Yuzhu opened the restaurant, He Yuzhu had told them that his restaurant had powerful backers and that nothing bad would happen to it.

However, this slap in the face happened too quickly. Only ten days later, someone started causing trouble, so the apprentices were naturally unhappy. They pulled at a few managers while sending someone to notify He Yuzhu.

More and more people gathered around, all curious to see what was going on. When they heard that a private restaurant had opened there, everyone immediately became curious.

Seeing this, many people started pointing fingers and saying the restaurant should be shut down, accusing it of capitalist restoration. They argued that such practices needed to be addressed. However, some onlookers stood up for the restaurant, saying that with the current emphasis on reform and opening up, and government support for private businesses, why shouldn't people be allowed to run a restaurant?

The crowd was buzzing with discussion, and the matter escalated, soon blocking the alleyways. Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu hurriedly rode his bicycle towards the scene. He saw a large crowd gathered in the distance and immediately sensed something was wrong. However, remembering the people behind him, he suddenly became bold and shouted at the crowd.

"Get out of the way... get out of the way! Let's see who dares to shut down my restaurant!"

Chapter 95: Sanhao Restaurant

He Yuzhu rushed into the crowd, not even bothering to park his bicycle properly, and shouted at the group of people who were pulling at each other.

"Stop it, all of you! Who gave you the right to shut down my shop?"

When the main character arrived, the group immediately turned their attention to He Yuzhu, and one of them snorted and said.

"You are the owner. Someone reported that your restaurant has hygiene problems. We are now closing your restaurant down. If you have any objections, please come to our bureau!"

Hearing this, He Yuzhu laughed in anger. His restaurant had only been open for ten days, and he hadn't even served ten tables of food in total. Moreover, most of his customers were repeat customers. What kind of monsters had he offended this time?

He Yuzhu ignored everyone and stood in the middle of the crowd, shouting to them.

"Dear fellow villagers, our Jingchuan Restaurant is a legitimate restaurant. We have obtained all the necessary business licenses and have received support from many leaders. Moreover, our restaurant is clean and hygienic, provides attentive service, and serves delicious food. There will absolutely be no problems!"

Seeing so many people watching, He Yuzhu had an idea: wasn't this the perfect time for advertising?

After saying that, He Yuzhu turned to the managers and spoke.

"Have you inspected my restaurant for hygiene issues? You shut it down without even inspecting it. Do you have no respect for the law? There are so many people here. Come with me to my restaurant and see for yourselves what the hygiene is really like!"

As he spoke, He Yuzhu gestured for them to enter. The group exchanged glances, then looked at the huge crowd of onlookers. Helpless, they could only enter the restaurant one by one.

In fact, the group had just been inside the restaurant and were shocked by its decor. This restaurant, inside and out, cost He Yuzhu nearly 10,000 yuan, which almost emptied his entire savings.

Over the years, he has been taking his apprentices to host banquets for weddings and funerals everywhere. All these years of hard work have been poured into this business. Now, if someone says they want to shut down his restaurant, he'll definitely fight them.

The restaurant's decor is grand and simple, which is sure to catch the eye and give people a refreshing feeling in this era.

After everyone entered the inner room, He Yuzhu began to invite the other onlookers to come in and visit the restaurant. When everyone entered the restaurant, they immediately exclaimed in amazement. Many young people made up their minds as soon as they entered the restaurant that they must come and eat there if they had the chance.

He Yuzhu led everyone inside for a tour. The restaurant was large enough. The front restaurant was originally only about 40 square meters, but He Yuzhu felt it was too small, so he rented the two warehouses at the back and knocked them all down.

One room was used as a kitchen, and the other was opened up to the outside, instantly tripling the area. He Yuzhu also made a series of modifications, such as adding windows, to improve the lighting. In short, the 10,000 yuan was well spent.

Even if you gave someone else 20,000 yuan, they couldn't renovate it like this. He Yuzhu still owes a lot of favors. His network of relationships over the years has allowed him to get along well in Yanjing City.

In fact, relationships are reciprocal. If you are just an ordinary chef, people won't give you face. But if you become the best chef, people will feel honored to know you. This is the true application of a network of relationships.

He Yuzhu's culinary skills are absolutely top-notch in Beijing's food circles. His amazing vegetarian dishes are almost lost to time, and many bigwigs who love vegetarian food have heard of He Yuzhu's reputation.

He Yuzhu led everyone from the hotel lobby into the back kitchen. When the clean and tidy kitchen reappeared in front of everyone, they were all amazed. If this restaurant could still close due to hygiene issues, then there would be no clean restaurants in Yanjing.

He Yuzhu's apprentices all had neat short hair and clean white chef's uniforms. He Yuzhu even made them stretch out their hands for everyone to see, and then he shouted at them.

"At our Jingchuan Restaurant, hygiene is our top priority. Chefs cannot have long hair, long fingernails, or be improperly dressed. Any food must be tasted by the chef first, and only if the chef approves it can it be served to the customers. Also, all the ingredients in our restaurant are fresh. I am the one who does the purchasing for the restaurant. Every day, I buy a portion of the vegetables and take it home for my wife and children. Only when I can eat with peace of mind can our customers feel at ease!"

"Great! This chef is right! This is exactly the kind of restaurant we ordinary people need!"

As soon as He Yuzhu finished speaking, some people in the crowd echoed his words, and the crowd began to discuss it, pointing and commenting on the newly opened private restaurant. It was clear that the majority of people supported it.

There happened to be a family of three in the crowd. The male head of the household clearly agreed with what He Yuzhu said, and immediately raised his hand and shouted at He Yuzhu.

"Master, it's almost dinnertime now. I'd like to order. Do you accept food coupons or cash?"

When He Yuzhu saw that business had come to his door, he immediately smiled and began to have his apprentice greet the customers.

With someone taking the lead, several shouts of ordering food immediately arose from the crowd. Several apprentices transformed into waiters and began to bustle about. At some point, the managers who had come in first saw this and waved their hands, and the group slunk away from the crowd toward the door.

He Yuzhu pretended not to see them and let them slip away. Looking at his busy apprentices, He Yuzhu began to think about a new problem: it seemed he needed to hire two waiters.

From that day on, Jingchuan Restaurant became incredibly popular. It was so sudden that even He Yuzhu hadn't expected the business to boom so quickly.

So the apprentices immediately started taking turns to compete. These days, there are tons of people looking for jobs, and they picked out two girls with good figures and looks with just a few casual picks.

He Yuzhu personally trained them, and the purpose of the training was only one: to make them understand that the customer comes first and that they should never argue with the customer over any issue!

These days, no matter what kind of shop it is, the service is terrible. The seller is the boss, and the buyer has to obediently follow orders. If you're buying groceries, you have to buy whatever they give you. There's no such thing as being picky. Dream on!

If you dare to utter a sound, every vegetable vendor there will verbally abuse you. And it's not just the vegetable vendors; service staff from all walks of life are expert at arguing. Who dares to mess with them?

These days, there's nothing you can do. You can't complain, and even if you do, they'll still yell at you. You can't fire them either, because it's their job.