All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

"Zhu Zi, you're still as glib as ever. Come, sit down. You know this city, Guocheng!"

He Yuzhu smiled and nodded, shaking hands with Lou Guocheng. Lou Xiao'e's father, Lou Dongcheng, had passed away. Her elder brother and mother had both come this time, so it seemed that this meal was not simple. He Yuzhu was also a little uneasy.

Lou Xiao'e smiled and sat down opposite He Yuzhu with her arm around his. Lou's mother and elder brother smiled helplessly when they saw this. He Yuzhu, on the other hand, felt a little embarrassed and told Lou Xiao'e to sit up straight.

With everyone present, Lou Xiao'e began calling the waiters to serve the dishes.

As the exquisitely presented Cantonese dishes were served, Lou Xiao'e said to He Yuzhu with a hint of pride.

"Zhu Zi, look at this restaurant. The decor is great, but the taste is absolutely authentic. And look at the presentation—it looks high-class. That's why they can charge such high prices. Now, let me get to the point: have you really never thought about opening your own restaurant?"

He Yuzhu picked up a piece of grouper, savored it carefully, and then his expression changed. Lou Xiao'e saw that He Yuzhu hadn't listened to her, so she pulled his arm in dissatisfaction and said angrily.

"Pillar, I'm talking to you."

He Yuzhu, now fully awake, quickly shook his head.

"Xiao'e, I know what you mean, but I'm sorry, I really don't plan to open a restaurant again. I'm quite enjoying this kind of life now. I raise dogs, walk birds, and occasionally buy some groceries and cook a nice meal. This kind of life is pretty good!"

Lou Xiao'e snorted when she heard He Yuzhu's words and stopped talking.

Upon seeing his sister like this, Lou Guocheng burst into laughter and said to He Yuzhu.

“Zhu Zi, you have a lot of skills, but you lack ambition. My father always told me that if you weren’t a cook, you would have achieved great things as a businessman. He said your vision for the future was even more farsighted than his. All the things you told him have come true over the years. Zhu Zi, you’re two years younger than me. Are you really just thinking of retiring in your old courtyard house?”

He Yuzhu shook his head helplessly. Back then, he had indeed talked a lot about future development with Lou Dongcheng. He really didn't have any big ambitions in his life. He just wanted to live a peaceful life for a few years.

"Guocheng, to be honest, I'm not very ambitious. A few years ago, I also ran a restaurant, but after less than three years, I handed it over to my apprentice. I think that in this life, one should follow one's heart and do what one wants to do while one can still move. Why bother competing for so much? You can't take anything with you when you die!"

Seeing that He Yuzhu still had this attitude, Lou Guocheng shook his head and didn't try to persuade him any further. The group started chatting about everyday things and their experiences over the years. They enjoyed the meal and praised the restaurant's food. However, He Yuzhu frowned when he ate a certain dish.

After the meal, Lou Xiao'e called the waiter to pay the bill. The meal was really expensive, costing several hundred yuan. This was in 1983, and the price was considered high-end in Beijing.

He Yuzhu tried to hold back, but in the end he couldn't and shouted at the cashier.

"Call your manager here!"

The waiter was taken aback. Lou Xiao'e and the others had also taken a liking to He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu remained silent with a sullen face. Seeing this, the waiter could only apologize and say, "Please wait a moment!"

After saying that, he jogged away.

After the waiter left, Lou Xiao'e asked curiously.

"What are you doing? This price isn't expensive. To be able to eat such authentic Cantonese food in Yanjing City, this price is very reasonable!"

Lou Xiao'e thought that He Yuzhu thought the price was too high and wanted to talk to the manager, which was a bit embarrassing.

Lou's mother, standing nearby, also offered advice.

"Zhu Zi, forget it, it's just a meal. You haven't been to Hong Kong, where prices can range from several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars. A few hundred dollars isn't expensive at all!"

He Yuzhu smiled helplessly and explained.

“Aunt Zhong, I’m not talking about the price. You know I’m a chef by trade, so I’m very sensitive to taste. This restaurant has clearly marked prices, which is fine, but if the price is high, it should match the quality. The grouper dish we just had was too loose in texture, and they added a lot of scallion segments to mask the original flavor of the fish. The fish wasn’t very fresh. I just wanted to ask the manager what’s going on. I didn’t mean anything by it!”

After hearing this, the others were also curious. Lou Xiao'e even picked up her chopsticks, took a small bite, put it in her mouth, chewed it a few times, and asked in confusion.

"No problem?"

Chapter 102: Zhang Wangcai

He Yuzhu shook his head helplessly. If it were someone else's restaurant, he wouldn't have bothered with it. But this was the brand he had worked so hard to build, and it had already caused this problem in such a short time. If things continued like this, the quality and reputation would collapse sooner or later!

He dared not say he would build a century-old brand, but at least in his lifetime, the "Five Capitals" restaurants would still be well-known twenty years from now.

At this moment, the manager pushed open the door and came in with two waitresses. He Yuzhu was also taken aback when he saw the manager. In his memory, the restaurant manager should be a man in his forties, so how did she become a young woman in her early twenties?

The young girl was quite pretty, and her figure looked particularly stylish in her women's suit, which was a fashionable look in this day and age.

The young girl came in, saw the group, and immediately smiled and greeted them respectfully.

"Hello, I'm the manager here. How can I help you?"

Lou Xiao'e and the others took a liking to He Yuzhu. Seeing this, He Yuzhu had no choice but to say, "A little girl is fine, she's a little girl."

"Young lady, where did you get your grouper from?"

The female manager was taken aback and asked with some confusion.

"Sir, is there something wrong with this fish?"

He Yuzhu didn't pretend to be mysterious and pointed to the grouper.

"This fish is already a bit stale. I remember that the first rule of the Beijing-Cantonese Restaurant is not to use stale ingredients, right?"

The female manager was slightly flustered, then nodded and apologized.

"Sir, may I...may I try some?"

He Yuzhu did not stop her. The female manager asked the waiter to bring a new pair of chopsticks, picked up a piece of fish, carefully put it in her mouth and tasted it. But she frowned. When she looked up and saw He Yuzhu's cold face, she picked up another piece. But this time she still couldn't taste anything that was not fresh.

Seeing this, He Yuzhu shook his head helplessly. Seeing that the female manager wanted to speak, he then said...

"Call your head chef over here!"

The female manager put down her chopsticks, took a deep breath, and instead of listening to He Yuzhu's advice to call the head chef, she looked at He Yuzhu and changed her attitude, saying something meaningful to him.

"Sir, I can tell you're a native of Beijing, right? Do you know who owns the Jingyue Restaurant?"

He Yuzhu became interested when he heard the female manager's sarcastic remarks. Was she getting into a conversation?

"Oh dear, now that you mention it, I really don't know who owns this restaurant. Young lady, does the fact that this grouper isn't fresh have anything to do with who owns the restaurant?"

The female manager snorted and said somewhat smugly.

"We are the Jingyue Restaurant, one of the five famous restaurants in Beijing. Our ingredients are always freshly killed and cooked. I just ate several bites and I can't taste anything wrong with the flavor. Uncle, I think you're out of your mind! If you want to cause trouble, don't you even know where you are?"

Hearing the female manager's words, the Lou family members were somewhat displeased, but adhering to the principle of avoiding trouble, Lou Xiao'e tugged at He Yuzhu's arm and whispered something.

"Forget it, let's go!"

He Yuzhu ignored Lou Xiao'e's tugging. The girl's tone only fueled his temper. He despised people who knew they were wrong but didn't admit it. He looked at the plate of steamed grouper on the table, picked up the plate, and slammed it upside down on the table. The sound of the plate shattering startled everyone present!

The female manager was also startled. She glared at He Yuzhu and turned to call for help. He Yuzhu snorted and said in an unfriendly tone.

"I'm giving Zhang Wangcai five minutes to get over here, or he can shut down his Jingyue Restaurant!"

The female manager was stunned when she heard the name Zhang Wangcai. Her expression changed, and she looked at He Yuzhu again. After scrutinizing him for a while, she didn't dare to say a word and turned to run to the kitchen.

Even after the female manager had run far away, He Yuzhu's face remained sullen. Lou Xiao'e and the others were also confused about the situation. Lou Guocheng simply told Lou's mother to sit down first. He vaguely guessed what had happened, but he did not intend to make a fuss. He just glanced at He Yuzhu thoughtfully.

A moment later, a fat man dressed in a chef's uniform came running towards them, panting heavily. He rushed into the private room and angrily berated everyone inside.

Who contacted me?

The fat man's eyes darted around the private room. As soon as they landed on the right, he saw He Yuzhu, who still had a sullen face. The fat man stumbled and knelt straight down at He Yuzhu's feet.

This scene shocked everyone, including the female manager who followed closely behind; she was stunned by what she saw.

He Yuzhu glanced coldly at the fat man, said nothing, and casually sat down on a chair next to him, speaking calmly to the kneeling fat man.

"Zhang Wangcai, get over here yourself and taste this grouper to see if there's anything wrong with it!"

Upon hearing He Yuzhu's words, the kneeling fat man lowered his head, not daring to look at He Yuzhu, gritted his teeth, and kowtowed to He Yuzhu with a "thud".

Seeing this, no one dared to speak. He Yuzhu snorted, judging from the fat man's expression, he probably already knew there was something wrong with the ingredients.

He Yuzhu tapped the table with his hand, waiting for the other party's explanation.

Zhang Wangcai, with a mournful face, secretly glanced at He Yuzhu. Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, he could only say with a mournful expression.

"Master...Master, this batch of grouper was originally fresh, but the restaurant had a power outage last night. I...I think they only died recently, and with a little cooking, most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference, so...I..."

He Yuzhu was extremely irritated at the moment. He slammed his hand on the table with a "bang," causing the bowls and chopsticks on the table to fly everywhere, and everyone in the room became even more silent.

He Yuzhu pointed at Zhang Wangcai's nose and cursed.

"When I opened Jingyue Restaurant, how many times did I tell you? Cantonese cuisine is all about preserving the original flavor. The ingredients must be fresh. You think that by adding so many scallions to cover it up, no one will know? You think you can show off your culinary skills? Zhang Wangcai, let me tell you, if you want to establish yourself in Beijing, you can't rely on such short-sightedness for long, understand?"

Zhang Wangcai nodded repeatedly, looking terrified, indicating that there would absolutely be no next time.

Seeing this, He Yuzhu's anger subsided a bit. This mistake was understandable. These people had just come from an era when they couldn't get enough to eat, and seeing such expensive ingredients being wasted, they all had their own little thoughts.

But once you take advantage of a cheap deal the first time, you'll want to do it again. Until one day, someone suggests using even lower-quality ingredients instead. By then, your heart is already riddled with holes. Taking risks for profit will only lead to the restaurant's regrettable closure.

With the reform and opening up, Beijing will soon attract wealthy people from all over the country and even the world. At that time, there will be as many restaurants as you want. If Beijing-Guangdong restaurants want to be competitive, they must have something unique to attract people.

The word "authentic" is what wealthy people value most. When a brand concept takes root in people's hearts, when hundreds or thousands of Cantonese restaurants in Beijing mention authentic Cantonese cuisine, people will think of Beijing-Cantonese restaurants. This is the brand restaurant that He Yuzhu wants to create.

True quality makes us stand out in the world!

Seeing that the Lou family members were too embarrassed to reprimand them too much, He Yuzhu stood up with a stern face and said.

"Dispose of all the stale ingredients. Also, if the dishes are already on the table, explain the situation to the customers and offer the entire meal for free. Remember, in the future, if this happens, you must resolutely dispose of the ingredients. This applies not only to you, but also to the other apprentices. I need to make sure they all follow this rule. We'll find a time on Saturday and talk about it then!"

Zhang Wangcai nodded vigorously in agreement, without the slightest intention to refute.

He Yuzhu stood up, then his expression changed. He smiled and said to Lou's mother and the others.

"Aunt Zhong, I'm so sorry to have upset you today. You don't need to pay for the meal. Let's go and let them handle things here!"

Lou's mother smiled and nodded. The group slowly walked out of the private room. He Yuzhu walked to the back and happened to meet the female manager from before.

Chapter 103: What a terrible thing to do!

When the female manager saw He Yuzhu looking at her, her nervousness was written all over her face.

He Yuzhu walked up to her, thought for a moment, and then spoke.

"Young lady, do a good job. Remember this lesson. In the future, no matter who raises questions, you must not talk back to customers, understand?"

The little girl nodded hurriedly, clutching her hands together, clearly feeling extremely uneasy and scared.

Zhang Wangcai, who was standing nearby, thought that the little girl had offended He Yuzhu, so he hurriedly stepped forward to teach her a lesson. He Yuzhu snorted and glanced at him.

"Her problem is a lack of experience, but she can learn and improve. Your problem is much more serious. Remember what I just said, and this kind of thing must never happen again!"

Zhang Wangcai nodded and bowed, agreeing immediately!

He Yuzhu ignored them and followed the others out of the restaurant.

Zhang Wangcai is He Yuzhu's third apprentice and has been by his side for almost eight years. When He Yuzhu is looking for an apprentice, the first thing he looks for is the character of the person.

Although Zhang Wangcai's name sounds rustic, he is indeed an honest and kind person. As the eldest son in his family, he single-handedly supported his seven younger siblings and his elderly mother. His circumstances were far more difficult than those of Qin Huairu. He Yuzhu was like a second parent to him.