Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

You Fulai acted quickly, and during his free time, he went to Zhang Sheng and mentioned the matter.

After hearing this, Zhang Sheng looked at You Fulai as if he were a fool.

You Fulai, with great effort, slapped Zhang Sheng directly on the back of the head:

"What the hell are you looking at? Come out and fight me one-on-one!"

To be honest, Zhang Sheng was still a little intimidated by a genuinely angry You Fulai.

He's far superior to him in both rank and skill, not to mention he has a master.

Zhang Sheng covered the back of his head, looking aggrieved.

"Brother Lai, why did you hit me? We're still brothers, right? We're of one mind, but you're playing tricks on me."

"Look at what you're saying, telling me to go to the courtyard to find Master He and become his apprentice? I'm afraid I'll be beaten to death by Master He before I even kneel down."

"Brother, I'm just a worthless piece of trash, but my parents are waiting for me to save them. I can't stay here and leave."

You Fulai waved his hand impatiently, took out a cigarette, tossed one to him, and lit it himself.

"Be serious, kid. Do you think I'd joke about something like this? My master just told me himself."

"Take your things and respectfully kowtow to my uncle and his wife in the courtyard. My uncle will surely accept you."

"Let me tell you, my uncle has been observing you for a while now. Don't blame me if you don't seize the opportunity later."

Zhang Sheng realized that You Fulai wasn't joking, and was immediately both surprised and delighted, so much so that he could barely speak:

"Come on...Brother Lai, so...I'm going to defy fate?"

"Hahahaha..." You Fulai laughed after hearing this. This was something he often said. After becoming an apprentice, didn't he also defy fate?

He patted Zhang Sheng on the shoulder:

"So, seize the opportunity!"

Zhang Sheng nodded solemnly:

"Brother, don't worry, I'll kowtow myself to death today to become your disciple!"

You Fulai smiled:

"Don't worry, you won't die. Your good days are coming."

Zhang Sheng seemed to have thought of something, and spoke hesitantly:

"Um... um..."

"Just say what you want to say. What's with all this stammering? Let me tell you, my uncle likes people who are straightforward and decisive." You Fulai didn't hide anything.

Zhang Sheng scratched his head and spoke up sheepishly:

"Brother, I only have one dollar and forty-two cents on me. Could you... could you give me some more? Otherwise, it would be too shabby for me to go and become an apprentice like this."

You Fulai had already guessed it, and took out 20 yuan from his pocket and handed it to him:

"Take it, pay me back when you have more money."

Holding the money in his hand, Zhang Sheng was deeply moved, his eyes welling up with tears. He looked at You Fulai and solemnly promised:

"I'd go through fire and water for you, Brother Lai!"

You Fulai felt a surge of warmth in his heart after hearing this. He used to be the one who needed help, but he never expected that he would be able to help others so soon.

He waved to Zhang Sheng:

"Go and get ready. Don't come to work this afternoon; just get things done!"

"good!"

In the evening, the wind and snow were heavy. You Fulai rode his bicycle with Zhang Sheng to No. 95 courtyard.

The neighbors in the courtyard all knew You Fulai, Li Jiuzhou's first disciple, so there was no reason to stop him from entering the courtyard.

The two stopped in front of Li Jiuzhou's house.

Li Jiuzhou happened to see this, so he came out of the house. He didn't say anything, but just waved in the direction of Sha Zhu's house.

Let them take care of their business; they can come to him for anything else.

The two obeyed and went directly to the Intermediate People's Court.

Before even entering the house, You Fulai started speaking, his voice so loud that many neighbors in the courtyard could hear him:

"Uncle-Master, I've brought someone with me, Zhang Sheng, an apprentice in the canteen. He's hardworking and reliable, and quite talented. I humbly request that you grant me an audience!"

Sha Zhu walked out with a cigarette dangling from his lips, accompanied by his wife Qin Huairu and son.

After seeing the people come out, Zhang Sheng immediately knelt down in the snow and kowtowed three times. When he looked up, his forehead was covered in snow.

"I, Zhang Sheng, humbly request Master He to accept me as his disciple. If I am accepted, I will certainly be filial to my master and mistress, and bring glory to my sect's lineage!"

After he finished speaking, he kowtowed heavily again. And that wasn't all; he kept kowtowing without stopping.

It seems that he would keep kowtowing if Sha Zhu didn't accept him as a disciple.

Sha Zhu's lips twitched slightly, thinking to himself that his apprentice was probably a tough nut to crack!

He felt a pang of pity, but feigned composure and spoke:

"Alright, stop kowtowing, I'll take you in!"

Zhang Sheng looked up, his face beaming with joy.

"Master and Mistress, please accept my bow!"

And so Zhang Sheng successfully became an apprentice, and the neighbors in the courtyard also got to watch a show.

The closest people were the Jia family, and they felt somewhat agitated and resentful.

Jia Zhangshi suddenly said:

"Dongxu, that silly Zhu already has two apprentices, and he even gets gifts from them during holidays. When are you going to take on an apprentice?"

Jia Dongxu curled his lip after hearing this:

"Mom, I'm only a level three fitter. How can I be qualified to take on apprentices? At least a level five fitter is required to be qualified to take on apprentices, and I'm still a long way from that."

At this point, Jia Dongxu's lips curled up slightly:

"But I'm confident I'll advance to the fourth grade this year!"

Both Jia Zhangshi and Tong Jie showed joy upon hearing this; this was a big deal!

Jia Dongxu knew what was going on, and his mind calmed down a lot after returning from Baiyun Temple for the second time.

He believed that the talisman given by the old sage had worked.

My skills have improved rapidly recently under the tutelage of my master, Yi Zhonghai.

This is also the reason why he dares to say that he will be promoted to the fourth level this year.

At the same time, he was also pushing himself. His brother-in-law, Zhang Shih-hao, had only been working at the steel rolling mill for a few years and had already become a level four fitter.

He, Jia Dongxu, also had a sense of shame. Even if he couldn't compare to Li Jiuzhou and the others, he couldn't at least not do too badly.

Sha Zhu's family hosted a feast tonight, with Zou Fulai cooking. He took on an apprentice today, so a good meal wouldn't be too much to ask.

Sha Zhu gave a gift, and Li Jiuzhou, as his senior brother, also gave one.

It wasn't much, but it was enough for Zhang Sheng to resolve his family's troubles, and there was even some left over to make his life a little more comfortable.

Since they've taken you under their wing, they're one of our own. There's no reason for us to watch our own people suffer.

The next day, Sha Zhu took half a day off to go to Zhang Sheng's house to help solve the problem.

With someone to rely on, Zhang Sheng immediately perked up.

When his parents found out, they almost knelt down before Sha Zhu, even with their broken legs.

I was so moved, my ancestors' graves must be emitting auspicious smoke.

Those who had hoped to see the Zhang family make a fool of themselves felt as if they had swallowed shit.

Zhang Sheng has become an apprentice, and it's none other than He Yuzhu, the famous chef of Beiping!

It seems we won't be able to bully them anymore; they've risen up, and they're even about to take off!

The saying "Red Star emerged from the big pot in Beiping" is no joke.

Being able to work as an apprentice in the kitchen of a steel rolling mill is already something that others envy.

Now things are great; he's been accepted as an apprentice, and his future looks bright.

In the steel rolling mill, Li Jiuzhou sat in his office contemplating life.

He thought about what had happened to Zhang Sheng.

He thought of it this way because there were many workers in the factory who were in the same difficult situation as him, or even worse off.

Li Jiuzhou wanted to resolve this because his status was different from before.

If he were just a cook, his abilities would be limited, and he could only help those around him.

But things are different now. He is a division-level cadre and director in a large factory with tens of thousands of employees, and he needs to have a comprehensive view of the situation.

Although he hasn't officially taken charge of a region yet, he can plan ahead or try to resolve these issues.

Moreover, he already had an idea in mind.