Siheyuan: Cooking journey

"Xiao He, what do you think of these dishes? You have to show off your special skills."

In the bright kitchen, Director Yang gave instructions with a serious look on his face.

He Yuzhu said nothing and looked carefully at the dishes in front of him.

Nothing special, just home cooked food.

Cabbage, radish, carrots, potatoes, eggplant, that's all.

"Are there no other ingredients?" He Yuzhu wondered in his heart and confirmed again.

To be honest, this is not as good as the factory canteen, where there are plenty of chicken, duck, fish and meat in the freezer.

There's not even a speck of meat to be seen here.

It's not that there is absolutely nothing in it, just some animal oil and oil residue.

"That's all." Director Yang shook his head.

A middle-aged lady who had been observing quietly at the side interrupted and said, "Thank you for your hard work, young chef. Try to make it more delicious."

"Ok."

He Yuzhu nodded without saying anything more. He thought about what to do and started to prepare.

With just a few vegetables, no matter how skilled you are, you can’t create a full banquet.

But the simpler it is, the more it tests your control of the heat.

For a chef, seasoning and ingredients are important, but the most important and fundamental thing is the control of the heat.

For He Yuzhu, who has mastered the culinary skills, this is exactly what he does best.

However, he did not use his full-level skills, but instead used LV4, with an experience value of 99, and the dishes he made were also quite simple.

Cut the carrots into shreds and make a cold carrot salad, which counts as one dish.

Cut the white radish into pieces, heat the pan with meat oil, and cook a clear white radish soup.

Stew the oil residue and cabbage together and eat it as it is.

The last dish requires a little more effort. After the potatoes and eggplants are fried, the potatoes are stewed with the eggplant.

Three dishes and a soup were served in one go. The aunt next to him was dazzled and laughed:

"I don't know how your food tastes yet, but watching you cook makes it feel special, special, and special! I don't know how to describe it. It just feels very natural, and it's very comfortable to watch. It makes me feel relaxed."

"Sister-in-law, you mean to say this is like art."

Director Yang took over the conversation: "As the old saying goes, one who is good at one thing can become a master. I have eaten many dishes cooked by Xiao He, but this is the first time I have watched him cook. His every move is smooth and natural, as if he has practiced every step countless times and it is just right. There is an indescribable sense of harmony and beauty. The more I watch, the more I enjoy it."

"..."

He Yuzhu was a little confused. It was the first time he heard that there were so many tricks to cooking.

Never mind, they’re all compliments anyway, so there’s no harm in listening to a few more.

"Hehe, I'm not good at talking, but my meaning is pretty much the same as what you said."

Auntie smiled and said, "The dishes are ready. Bring them over first. It's time to eat."

"Sister-in-law, I won't go over there."

Director Yang seemed a little guilty. The aunt smiled and shook her head, but did not force him. She called a young man in a Zhongshan suit and they served the dishes together.

The food was ready and sent away.

Director Yang was pacing in the kitchen. He Yuzhu felt strange and asked:

"Director, aren't we leaving?"

"hold on."

Director Yang shook his head and then said solemnly: "Xiao He, do you remember what I told you before?"

"remember."

He Yuzhu blinked and said, "I went to your house to cook today."

"Okay, just remember it."

Director Yang smiled and nodded, then asked, "Xiao He, how many years have you been working? What is your current salary level?"

"I started working when I was 18, and it has been six years now. I am now an eighth-level cook."

He Yuzhu answered truthfully.

When asked this, he guessed that Director Yang was most likely going to give him a raise.

Unlike the production line, cooks belong to the logistics department and have a different salary system.

From level one to level eight on the production line, level eight workers have the highest salary, higher than the factory director. They are all experts and there are only one or two of them in each factory, and some places even have none.

It is different for cooks. From level one to ten, it is just the opposite. Level one has the highest salary and level ten has the lowest.

"After six years of work and three years of apprenticeship, you can now get a level seven salary."

Director Yang thought for a moment and said.

It’s up to you.

He Yuzhu nodded. The salary for level seven was not bad, 41.5 yuan a month, plus a 2 yuan squad leader subsidy, a total of 43.5 yuan.

The title of tall, rich and handsome is well-deserved.

As they were talking, their aunt came back.

Director Yang immediately asked impatiently: "How is it?"

"I was so busy that I didn't even feel like eating. But after taking a bite, my appetite was whetted. I ate two steamed breads."

The aunt's eyes were slightly red. She looked at He Yuzhu and said seriously, "Thank you, young master. I don't know how to thank you. Take this."

As the aunt spoke, she walked forward and stuffed a ticket into He Yuzhu's hand.

He Yuzhu saw that it was half a pound of meat tickets. Although he was tempted, he still declined:

"No, I don't need it."

"Please accept it. I'll have to trouble you to come twice a week in the future."

Auntie pretended to blame: "Are you dissatisfied?"

"no no."

He Yuzhu shook his head quickly and told the truth: "I really don't need it. I'm a bit lazy. I have to get up early to queue up to buy meat. I can't get up every time. It's a waste to give it to me."

"You kid, you don't even care about what you eat."

The aunt shook her head in amusement, tightly held He Yuzhu's hand holding the ticket, and reminded him: "You can buy it if you get up early."

On the side, Director Yang couldn't stand it anymore and winked at He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu saw this look, but didn't understand whether Director Yang wanted him to accept it or refuse it.

However, he had already declined several times, and it was really difficult to refuse again, so He Yuzhu accepted the ticket.

On the return trip,

He Yuzhu was very quiet and didn't say anything.

Director Yang also drives very quietly.

After a long while, he finally said, "You can take the ticket, or it will expire if you don't."

He Yuzhu didn't know what to say for a moment, he just stared at the ticket silently.

For some reason, I want to collect it.