Siheyuan: The Qing Dynasty is back

Siheyuan, He Daqing's home.

Sha Zhu was cleaning up in the kitchen, while He Daqing was in his room, taking out two bottles of Maozi liquor and a pack of Huazi cigarettes from his space. He also took out some candies and snacks. He prepared his things and waited for Sha Zhu to finish cleaning up. He Daqing was pushing a bicycle, with Yu Shui sitting in front and Sha Zhu carrying things in the back.

When we arrived at the front yard, Yan Bugui was pulling at the flowers and plants again.

"Daqing, why are you still going out so late?"

"Yeah, I went out to see a friend. He works in a restaurant and probably just got off work now."

"Okay, I'll hold the door open for you."

He Daqing didn't stop and said without turning his head: "Thank you, Old Yan."

On the road, He Daqing was riding a bike, with He Yushui leaning in his arms in front and Sha Zhu sitting behind him holding something.

Originally, He Daqing wanted to let Sha Zhu ride the bike, but with his skills, he was afraid that Yu Shui would fall.

The three of them soon arrived at Master Sha Zhu's house. It was a separate courtyard with a wall and a somewhat dilapidated gate outside.

He Daqing asked Sha Zhu to knock on the door. Sha Zhu looked at the door, which he hadn't been to for a long time, feeling a little timid and a little guilty.

He Daqing glared at him, so Sha Zhu gritted his teeth and went forward and knocked on the door.

It was opened soon, and a woman in her fifties looked at the three people outside the door. After a careful look, she suddenly exclaimed, "Zhu Zi? Da Qing?"

He Daqing stepped forward and said, "Sister-in-law, I didn't expect you to recognize me after not seeing me for so long."

This is Sha Zhu’s master’s wife, Lu Qiaomei, the wife of He Daqing’s senior brother Hu Sihai.

Sha Zhu also shouted: "Master's Wife!"

Lv Qiaomei said with moist eyes: "Oh, the pillar has grown so big. You haven't come to see Master's wife for a long time."

He Yushui on the side also shouted: "Master's wife, I miss you too."

Lv Qiaomei quickly squatted down, hugged Yu Shui and said, "Our little Yu Shui has grown up and become more and more beautiful."

As he said this, he touched Yu Shui's head.

He Daqing pushed the cart and said, "Sister-in-law, is my senior brother home?"

Lv Qiaomei then remembered that she was too excited and everyone was still standing outside the door. She quickly said, "I'm at home. I just came back a while ago. You guys come in quickly."

As he said that, he took Yu Shui's hand and walked inside.

Sha Zhu was also carrying things, and He Daqing pushed the cart into the gate.

Inside is a small courtyard with three houses directly opposite, one on each side.

When I arrived at the courtyard, I heard Lv Qiaomei shouting, "Si Hai, come out quickly and see who's here!"

Hu Sihai, who was at home, heard the voice and came out. Seeing He Daqing, he said uncertainly, "You are Daqing? How come after so many years, you are still the same?"

He Daqing parked the car in the yard, came over, grabbed Hu Sihai's rough hand and said, "Brother, it's been a long time. You look as strong as you were back then."

"I've gotten older, I see. It's not as good as it used to be. I haven't seen you in all these years, where have you been?"

"Is this a pillar? After all these years, it has grown up in an instant."

He Daqing pulled Hu Sihai and said, "Brother, I'll tell you about my story later. Let's deal with this mess first."

After saying that, he shouted at Sha Zhu: "Come over here and kneel down!"

Sha Zhu hurried to Hu Sihai and knelt down in front of him. He choked with sobs and said, "Master!" Then he kowtowed three times.

Hu Sihai also came over and stroked Sha Zhu's head and said, "Hey! What did you do? You are still so honest! Hurry up and get up!"

He Daqing came over and helped Hu Sihai up and said, "Let him kneel down. We have taught him for nothing for so many years. He has been fooled and has lost his way. Just reflect on yourself here."

Lv Qiaomei also came over to persuade him: "Daqing, what are you doing? The child has finally come here, let Zhuzi get up quickly."

"It's okay, sister-in-law. I came here today to bring him to apologize to you. He has failed to live up to your kindness over the years. Let him kneel for a while, and we'll go in and talk."

Hu Sihai said, "Get up. I don't blame him. I just worry about him from time to time. Seeing that Zhuzi has grown so big now, I feel relieved."

He Daqing saw that Sha Zhu couldn't get up, and neither of them went into the house. He said to Sha Zhu, "Get up first, I'll settle the score with you later."

After hearing this, Sha Zhu kowtowed a few more times before getting up.

Lv Qiaomei held Yu Shui's hand and said, "Let's go inside first. It's cold outside."

After they entered the room, He Daqing put all the things on the table. Hu Sihai pushed them in front of him and said, "Daqing, I am very happy that you came to see me. You can take all these things back. I don't smoke anymore and I rarely drink. It would be a waste to leave them here."

He Daqing pushed him and said, "Brother, please accept it. I feel bad for not visiting you for so many years. This is just a small token of my appreciation."

Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Hu Sihai nodded and asked Lu Qiaomei to put the things away, and poured tea for He Daqing and Sha Zhu Yushui.

Hu Sihai and He Daqing sat facing each other, and Lv Qiaomei also sat with Yu Shui on one side. Sha Zhu stood behind He Daqing.

Hu Sihai said: "Daqing, where have you been all these years? Why haven't I seen you or heard from you?"

He Daqing told him how Yi Zhonghai and Bai Guafu had plotted against him and brought him to Baocheng, how they had prevented him from seeing Sha Zhu, and how they had not given him the living expenses he had given them, etc. Hu Sihai was furious.

He said, "I was wondering why Zhuzi didn't come without even saying hello. It turns out it was this villain who did it. It's really infuriating."

"A few days later, I sent my second disciple Zhiwen to the courtyard to ask. He said Zhuzi was not at home. A fat woman said Zhuzi had left with his father. I thought you all went to other places and left in a hurry. I didn't expect to be fooled."

He Daqing knew it was probably Jia Zhangshi. At that time, Sha Zhu probably took Yu Shui to Baoding to find him.

Hu Sihai and his wife have only one son, but the son doesn't like cooking but likes reading. Now he is a teacher at a university and lives with his wife and children in a house assigned by the school. It's more convenient there.

Hu Sihai is still reluctant to leave the kitchen where he has worked for most of his life, and now he is in the kitchen of Emei Hotel, teaching his apprentices and showing off his skills occasionally.

At that time, the two of them also liked Sha Zhu very much, mainly because Sha Zhu was hardworking, honest and not so cunning.

Hearing how the two siblings had suffered so much when they were young, Lv Qiaomei wiped her tears and said, "Zhuzi is the same. He would rather take his sister to pick up trash and go hungry than come to see Master's wife. Master's wife has always treated you as her own child. How could she laugh at you?"

Sha Zhu also said sadly: "I'm sorry, Master's wife, I was so angry about my father's death. Then someone said those things. I was confused."

As he said this, he knelt down and kowtowed several times to his master's wife, Lu Qiaomei.

This made Lu Qiaomei feel so distressed that she hugged Sha Zhu's head and started crying.

Seeing this, Hu Sihai also said with red eyes: "Okay, isn't Zhuzi fine now? Don't be like this. The past is in the past, and everything will be fine in the future."

Then he changed the subject and said, "Daqing, how is your cooking over there these years? Have you improved?"

Inheriting all of He Daqing's memories and having access to a network as developed as in later generations, He Daqing's cooking skills are no less than anyone else's. In addition, with his spiritual perception, he can be very meticulous in controlling the temperature of the food.

He Daqing said: "I have been constantly improving my cooking skills over the years. I have mastered the original Tan family dishes, and I can also cook the Sichuan dishes we learned together. Later, I also learned Shandong cuisine and some other new dishes. I think it should be pretty good."

After hearing what He Daqing said, Hu Sihai said happily: "Well, you are here. It just so happens that our Sijiu City will hold a cooking test in a few days. There will be quite a lot of people at that time. You can try it and see if you can get a good grade. This will be of great benefit to you in the future."

Then he asked, "Zhu Zi, how are you rated in the factory now?"

Sha Zhu wiped his head and said, "I am mainly responsible for the small kitchen in the factory. The leaders all said that the food was delicious. But the factory said that I am still young and only assigned me an eighth-level chef."

He Daqing said with some regret: "Does it mean you are too young? I heard that you are always in the kitchen and act like the boss, and you don't even take your leaders seriously. It's good enough that they can give you an eighth grade. If you weren't a good cook, you would have been fired long ago."

This silly Zhu lowered his head again. He had no face in front of his father. It was because he couldn't beat his father.

Hu Sihai said, "Then you should try it this time, Zhuzi. Our hotel has the recommendation qualification. Tomorrow is the last day to sign up. I've signed you up, and the assessment will be in a week."

When Sha Zhu heard that he could take the test, he was very happy. He was quite confident in his cooking skills.

He Daqing said, "That's fine. It just so happens that Zhuzi hasn't graduated yet, so we should hold a graduation banquet. When the assessment is over, we can hold one. It can be considered a celebration together."

Hu Sihai thought for a moment and said, "Everyone is having a hard time these days, and some ingredients are hard to buy. Why don't we just make a few simple dishes and ask a few colleagues to come and try them. Don't be too extravagant."

He Daqing said, "Brother, you don't have to worry about this. I will arrange it when the time comes. When the time is set, you can notify them."

After chatting for a while at Hu Sihai's house, it was already completely dark outside. He Daqing took Sha Zhu and Yu Shui and said goodbye.

Lv Qiaomei packed a lot of delicious snacks and candies for Yu Shui. These were all given to her by her son and apprentices. The old lady was reluctant to eat them, so this time they all went to Yu Shui.

On the way back, Sha Zhu asked, "Dad, what level do you think I should take to take the exam?"

He Daqing also remembered the current situation of the chef industry. Most factories can only employ chefs with a level 6 salary at most, and the salary cannot be increased if the salary is higher.

So he said to Sha Zhu, "You are now at level eight, and you make thirty-five dollars a month. By then, you should have no problem passing level six. If you pass, you can get forty-eight dollars a month. Add your two dollars for squad leader, and you can get fifty dollars a month."

"But you better keep your mouth shut this time. This time it's not your factory that recommended you. We borrowed your master's quota. Don't cause trouble for your master. Don't spread the news everywhere. Did you hear me? After you pass the assessment, you can go back to your leaders with the certificate. I believe that by then they will be too embarrassed to put pressure on you."

Sha Zhu said angrily, "These bastards who suck the snow from the workers, they say the food I cook is delicious every day, and they also pressure me not to pass the exam. I will add some laxatives to their food in the future, so that they will all have diarrhea after eating it."

He Daqing cursed angrily: "What nonsense are you talking about? Have you forgotten the rules of the chef's trade? Why do you care who they are? Just focus on making your dishes. If you weren't foul-mouthed and ostentatious in the kitchen, would they be able to suppress you?"

If he wasn't riding a bike, He Daqing would have wanted to kick Sha Zhu a few more times.

In this way, when they arrived at the courtyard, some people were already asleep. Fortunately, Yan Bugui left the door open for them.