Siheyuan: Revenge of the Stupid Pillar

Two days later, on the last day of March, the steel rolling mill held promotion assessments. Today, not only were the cooks assessed, but also the fitters, forgers and other workers had to be assessed.

He Yuzhu arrived at the third cafeteria early. Liu Lan, Ma Hua and others who had already known the news immediately surrounded him to cheer him up.

Liu Lan: "Zhu Zi, I wish you good luck in your exam!"

Ma Hua: "Master, I wish you success!"

Qin Shou: "Master He, I wish you a successful start!"

Chu Sheng: "Master He, I wish you get what you want!"

Fan Tong, "Master He, I wish all your wishes come true!"

"Haha, with your blessing and God's help, I will definitely pass the test smoothly!"

He Yuzhu's face was filled with smiles, and he had no sense of nervousness before the exam at all.

Surrounded by Liu Lan, Ma Hua and others, He Yuzhu came to the first canteen where the assessment was held.

He Yuzhu was the only one taking the chef assessment today, but almost all the people from the dozen or so kitchens at the steel rolling mill came.

Of course, they came to the First Cafeteria not to cheer for He Yuzhu, but to laugh at him.

They didn't think that He Yuzhu could pass the assessment for a third-level cook. After all, He Yuzhu was only a seventh-level cook before, but he wanted to be promoted four levels in a row and reach the top in one step. This was undoubtedly a foolish dream.

"Is this idiot Zhu crazy? He is a level 7 cook, but he signed up for the assessment for level 3 cook. I think he is crazy about getting promoted!" Sun Daqiang said sarcastically.

Sun Daqiang, the head chef of the first canteen, is the only level five cook in the steel rolling mill.

The fat man quickly agreed: "Master Sun, you have a sharp eye. This silly Zhu is indeed mentally ill. Otherwise, how could he be fooled by a widow?"

After Fatty was transferred to the new canteen, he was completely reduced to a coolie, doing all the dirty and tiring work, so she was full of resentment towards He Yuzhu.

When he accidentally learned that the reason he was transferred to the new cafeteria was He Yuzhu's doing, he wanted to eat his flesh, drink his blood, knock his bones, suck his marrow, sleep on his skin, and pull his hair...

"But I heard that Sha Zhu's cooking skills were recognized not only by Director Yang, but also by the directors of the Meat Processing Plant and the Grain and Oil Plant..."

"Who did you listen to?"

"Don't you know? Two days ago, Director Yang invited Director Zhao from the Meat Processing Plant and Director Qian from the Grain and Oil Plant to dinner, and it was Sha Zhu who hosted them."

"If Sha Zhu's cooking skills hadn't impressed our factory director, why would Director Yang have made an exception and allowed Sha Zhu to take the assessment for the third-level cook?"

When Yang Xinmin saw He Yuzhu coming, he stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and encouraged him: "Zhuzi, don't be nervous, you'll be fine!"

"Thank you for the encouragement, Director. I also think I'm fine!" He Yuzhu looked relaxed.

Yang Xinmin smiled and said, "I just like your confident look."

When everyone saw He Yuzhu and Director Yang talking and laughing, some were surprised, some were envious, and some were jealous...

"Director, could you introduce today's judges to me?" He Yuzhu said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Of course no problem. Do you need me to introduce you to some leaders in the factory?" Yang Xinmin grinned and chuckled.

He Yuzhu waved his hands hastily, "That's not necessary. How could I not know all the leaders in the factory? I only don't know these two leaders in the middle!"

Yang Xinmin whispered, "The two in the middle are both chefs of the State Guest House. The one on the left is Master Cao, a first-level cook, and the one on the right is Master Tian, ​​a second-level cook."

He Yuzhu's pupils shrank when he heard this. "Oh my god, it's just a chef promotion exam. Why did you get the chef from the State Guesthouse? Is it necessary to have such a high standard?"

Yang Xinmin seemed to see He Yuzhu's surprise and explained, "There is no food connoisseur in our factory. The highest-level chef is only a level 5 cook. He is not qualified to be a judge for the level 3 cook assessment. That's why I have to ask for external help!"

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu hurried forward to greet the two chefs from the state guesthouse.

The two chefs seemed a bit arrogant and indifferent to He Yuzhu's initiative to show goodwill, and there was even a hint of contempt in their eyes.

It was enough to be polite, and He Yuzhu did not try to please anyone deliberately. After all, if he was too humble, people would look down on him.

The assessment content is not complicated. The judges draw two dishes, one meat and one vegetable, on the spot. The chef cooks them on the spot and then lets the judges taste them. If the judges nod, it means you have passed the assessment. If the judges shake their heads, it means you have failed.

Chef Cao won a dish of shredded pork with fish flavor, and Chef Tian won a dish of shredded potatoes.

Seeing these two dishes, He Yuzhu frowned slightly.

These two dishes may seem simple, but they are extremely challenging for the chef’s cooking skills.

Fish-flavored shredded pork is a triple test of the chef's knife skills, heat control, and seasoning. The shredded pork must be thin and uniform, the ratio of sweet and sour must be balanced, and the tenderness of the shredded pork must be maintained during the rapid stir-fry. All of these require the chef's precise control. Mistakes will occur if you are not careful.

Shredded potato is a great test of the chef's knife skills and heat. The shredded potato must be of uniform thickness, length and width, which is a great challenge for the chef's knife skills. During the stir-frying process, the heat must be controlled to ensure that the shredded potato is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and crispy but not raw.

He Yuzhu possessed master-level cooking skills after all, so how could he be stumped by such small dishes as shredded pork with fish flavor and shredded potatoes? After a brief pause, He Yuzhu walked up to the operating table without hesitation.

The first thing He Yuzhu had to cut was the shredded potatoes.

The moment He Yuzhu picked up the kitchen knife, his entire temperament seemed to change.

I saw him pick up a potato, press lightly on the potato with his left thumb, and wave a kitchen knife in his right hand.

"Dong dong dong..."

The kitchen knife in his hand was like a magician waving a scepter, dancing gracefully and smoothly.

In a blink of an eye, He Yuzhu stopped the knife and elegantly placed the potatoes into the water. The potatoes then spread out, and each potato shred was as thin as a needle but of the same size.

An expert can tell whether something is good or not with just one move. The two chefs of the State Guesthouse, who had looked disdainful just now, instantly became serious after seeing He Yuzhu's knife skills.

To be honest, the moment they saw He Yuzhu, they felt a little angry.

Because He Yuzhu was too young, they didn't believe that He Yuzhu had the cooking skills of a third-level cook, and felt that the steel mill was wasting their time by asking them to be judges.

After seeing He Yuzhu's knife skills, they immediately put away their contempt, because they couldn't guarantee that their knife skills could surpass He Yuzhu's.

When Sun Daqiang saw He Yuzhu's knife skills, he opened his mouth in amazement. Such miraculous knife skills were beyond his reach. At this moment, he realized the gap between himself and the other party. At the same time, he also felt that He Yuzhu could really pass the assessment for a third-level cook.

Yang Xinmin looked at everyone's expressions and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

In fact, he made an exception and allowed He Yuzhu to take the assessment for the third-level cook. Many people had objections, and he opened this back door for He Yuzhu under pressure.

At this moment, it seemed as if all the pressure had disappeared.