Siheyuan: A journey of mountains and rivers

Seeing that the third aunt and Zhang's mother had washed the vegetables, He Yuzhu prepared to cook.

"Mom, Auntie, let me do it. You two can just help me out!"

As he spoke, He Yuzhu took out the ribs that had been blanched in water and added peanut oil to the pot.

The third uncle couldn't sit still and immediately came out to join in the fun.

He saw He Yuzhu pouring a full pot of oil and couldn't help but stare.

"He Yuzhu, what are you going to do with all that oil? Wouldn't it be a waste to fry the spareribs?"

After He Yuzhu put the ribs down, the third uncle stomped his feet in pain.

The third uncle's family has never had any oily food all year round. Now seeing He Yuzhu actually taking the precious fried pork ribs, the third uncle's face is full of regret.

The best cook in the entire courtyard is Zhang Yuan, but Zhang Yuan is only a level nine chef now.

This is not because Zhang Yuan is incompetent, but because he is not good at dealing with people.

Although He Yuzhu is now cooking quite well, he also knows that when it comes to home cooking, his cooking skills are definitely not as good as Zhang Yuan's.

If Zhang Yuan had the same emotional intelligence as Xu Damao, he might be able to become a level seven chef.

However, He Yuzhu did not look down on Zhang Yuan because of his lower rank. On the contrary, he quite liked Zhang Yuan's straightforward character.

After a while, the ribs were fried.

He Yuzhu put the ribs aside to drain the oil, and then stir-fried the chopped ginger and scallions.

He was stir-frying the ribs in the pot, and when he looked up, he saw the third uncle's eyes were wide open.

"Hey, He Yuzhu, you're really good at cooking!"

After the spareribs were stir-fried, He Yuzhu added the freshly cut potatoes and other side dishes.

"Hahaha, Uncle Third, thank you for the compliment!"

The whole courtyard was filled with the aroma of meat. When the ribs were almost cooked, He Yuzhu took out the casserole.

He happened to buy a few pig's trotters, so today he decided to make the pig's trotter stewed with soybeans.

He Yuzhu repeated the previous steps and steamed the pig's trotter.

When the pig's trotters were just cooked, He Yuzhu put the soaked soybeans in.

The group ate melon seeds while waiting for the food to be ready.

But there were no pressure cookers in that era, so pig's trotters cooked slowly.

For He Yuzhu, it is certainly not difficult to make a pressure cooker according to the principle, but the matter is urgent and he has no time now, so he can only wait until next time.

Soon, the fragrance filled the entire courtyard. An old man and others came over and took a look from time to time.

Even uncles one and two who have high salaries can only eat meat a few times a year.

Not to mention meat, even eggs are rare items. Last time, He Yuzhu saw a fight between two old man’s family over eggs, as if there were not enough eggs to go around.

So the meal He Yuzhu had at home this time could be said to be even more sumptuous than the Chinese New Year.

Soon, the spareribs and pig's trotters were cooked. He Yuzhu also prepared a plate of peanuts and a plate of cucumbers, and everyone was ready to eat.

The third uncle and aunt were already extremely hungry, and their eyes were fixed on the dishes that He Yuzhu brought.

"Everyone, come and eat. Director Li, Uncle Three, Aunt Three, all of you, please sit down. Don't be polite. Come and eat quickly!"

While He Yuzhu was serving the dishes, Zhang's mother quickly asked everyone to sit down.

When the dishes were served, the third uncle's eyes widened.

"He Yuzhu, you really spent a lot of money. These spare ribs are so expensive. You bought so many at once. How can I feel good about it?"

Seeing the greedy look on the third uncle's face, He Yuzhu immediately invited him to pick up his chopsticks.

"Yes, old man, look at this soybean stewed pig's trotter, it's so delicious, I like this dish the most, but I haven't eaten it for ten years. He Yuzhu, thank you so much today!"

The third aunt picked up a piece of pig's trotter with chopsticks, put it into her mouth and enjoyed it.

When He Yuzhu saw this, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Come on, Uncle Third, Director Li, everyone come over and have a drink, let's all have a drink!"

Everyone was no longer restrained at this time and sat around the table to enjoy the food.

After a few drinks, the third uncle got drunk and started talking about his past.

"He Yuzhu, let me tell you, your Third Uncle was a rare intellectual in Siheyuan. I'm not lying to you, I am a man of great learning! Back then, the First Uncle and the Second Uncle couldn't compare to me!"

Hearing this, the third aunt immediately stopped him.

"Old man, you are drunk. You are making a fool of yourself by saying these things. He Yuzhu, please don't take it seriously. Your uncle is just drunk and talking nonsense!"

He Yuzhu and Director Li laughed out loud and didn't take it seriously.

"You old woman, stop getting in the way here. He Yuzhu, what I said is true! When it comes to knowledge, Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong have nothing to compare with me!"

Of course, what the third uncle said is true. Although the first uncle and the second uncle work in a steel rolling mill, their knowledge reserves are far less than that of the third uncle.

But now the eldest uncle has absolute power in the courtyard, and the third uncle must be having a hard time living under them.

Moreover, according to the third uncle's current status in the courtyard, he has no ability to fight against the other two.

"He Yuzhu, I heard that you were inviting Uncle San and Director Li to dinner. I also wanted to know, so I brought some wine and cold dishes. Let's eat together!"

At this time, everyone saw Zhang Yuan walking in hurriedly.

The news that He Yuzhu invited them to dinner had already spread throughout the courtyard, and now everyone was attracted by the smell of meat wafting from He Yuzhu's house.

"Zhang Yuan is here! Come, come, come, let's eat together, sit down quickly!"

He Yuzhu had no aversion to Zhang Yuan. If he wanted to eat, then they could eat together. It wouldn't affect anything.

As he spoke, Zhang Yuan took out a bottle of Fenjiu and a few cold dishes and put them on the table.

"Zhang Yuan, you're here if you want to, but what are you bringing with you?"

Zhang's mother scolded with a smile, then stood up and got a pair of chopsticks for Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan was not shy. After greeting Director Li and the third uncle, he immediately sat down and enjoyed his meal.

"Hey, He Yuzhu, you cooked these dishes! I didn't expect that your cooking skills are so good, almost catching up with mine! You really don't show off your talents!"

He Yuzhu smiled slightly.

Zhang Yuan's words were the greatest affirmation of his cooking skills, and Zhang Yuan was a straightforward person, and He Yuzhu liked this character of his very much.

"If you like it, eat more. You're welcome!"

A few people were toasting each other when they suddenly heard someone outside the door.

"He Yuzhu, are you there? I have something to talk to you about! Can I come in?"

He Yuzhu listened carefully and found out that it was Jia Zhang's voice.

A few people looked at each other, and He Yuzhu got up and opened the door.