Siheyuan (courtyard house): My name is Shazhu!

Qi Tianfu saw him return and asked, "Zhu Zi, has everything been taken care of?"

"Master, the matter has been resolved."

"Take a break, then you can chop and prepare the ingredients."

"become."

Working at the Emei Hotel, the apprentice's work hours are from 10:30 am to around 8:30 pm.

They lived in single dormitories, and their three meals a day were provided by Emei Hotel. Every three days, they received a main dish and steamed buns. Any leftovers were also shared among the four apprentices.

Their meals were much better than those of ordinary families, about the same as those of an average middle-class family.

The main reason is that many wealthy people come to eat, and they leave a lot of food uneaten, which makes the kitchen staff happy, as there are always leftovers of chicken, duck, fish, and meat.

Each of the three head chefs prepares two dishes daily, one meat and one vegetable, to take home. The dishes they bring home vary slightly. This is generally a standard practice across all restaurants.

There was a lot of food left over, so the head chef could take some home, and the remaining food could be enjoyed by the four apprentices.

The three head chefs of Emei Hotel are Qi Tianfu, the master chef of Yizao, and He Yuzhu's chef, who are at the level of a half-master of Sichuan cuisine.

Master Ma Guangnian, the second chef, is in his forties, not very tall, and is from Sichuan. He is another successor of Sichuan cuisine and possesses advanced Sichuan culinary skills.

Sanzao is the fourth senior apprentice, Su Qiang. He is a 24-year-old Sichuan cuisine chef with an intermediate to advanced level. He is a good person, hardworking, and very proactive.

The Emei Restaurant only had four assistants, which was also related to the fourth senior brother. When he had free time, he would help the assistants prepare the dishes. Many times, he would prepare the dishes for the three kitchens himself.

No one said he was stealing their jobs. During lunch and dinner when there were many people, the four workers couldn't keep up with the demand.

It can only be said that they were being too polite to the 'rich people,' and there were so many of them. Emei Restaurant is a Sichuan restaurant, and among the transient population of Yanjing, some people like mildly spicy flavors.

Besides their kitchen staff, because the kitchen area is not big enough, there are two large houses behind the restaurant where seven middle-aged women are responsible for the staple food and also wash dishes.

"Snap, snap."

He Yuzhu began sharpening his knife before cutting, another essential task for a chef.

"Old Qi, this past week, it seems like Zhuzi has finally figured things out. His knife sharpening and knife skills have improved. He's got the makings of a chef. Congratulations!" Master Ma Guangnian began praising He Yuzhu.

Master Qi Tianfu smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It's only been a few days, it's hard to say. We cooks have other skills as well. It's more important to have several skills if you want to work on the stove."

If he picks it up quickly and masters the other skills well, then he'll have the makings of a chef. For now, we'll have to wait and see.

"Brother Qi, you're too modest. Look at my apprentice, he arrived early, but his skill level isn't as good as Zhu Zi's. Your fifth brother isn't bad either; he's very diligent. That kid is pitiful too."

Fifth Senior Brother Zhao Qian, his name is a bit strange, I don't know why. He was a homeless child who started begging for food when he was seven years old.

When he was thirteen, he was carrying bricks when the Emei Hotel was adding dormitories outside, earning only one thousand yuan a day (one cent 55 years later).

These heartless capitalists not only employ child laborers, paying them a thousand yuan a day (one cent), which isn't even enough for three meals, but they also exploit them to save money.

Because he worked very hard and never slacked off, his master took a liking to him and kept him on as a handyman at the Emei Hotel.

Before, people would go hungry twice a day in society. There was no salary at the Emei Hotel, but at least there were three meals a day. It was much better than not knowing if there would be a next meal or if they would starve to death.

At the beginning of the year, he was taken in as Qi Tianfu's fifth disciple because he felt that the child was hardworking, meticulous, and not overly ambitious, and that he could become a good chef when he grew up.

One year older than He Yuzhu, she possessed a maturity beyond her years and never mentioned her parents while working in the kitchen.

He had a good relationship with his fourth and fifth senior brothers. His eldest senior brother was over thirty years old and had graduated from his apprenticeship ten years ago. He had returned to his hometown in Northeast China and had never seen anyone since.

The second senior brother, Zhao Ming, works as a head chef in the canteen of the Municipal Materials Bureau. His monthly salary is thirty yuan, which is a bit low, but his job is very stable, and he is polite to everyone.

As for my third senior brother, Zhou Dayou, our relationship was just so-so, or even very bad, because he went to work at another Sichuan restaurant.

In the past six months, I've fought with him four or five times, which has made him afraid to come to Emei Restaurant to find my master again.

Many people at Emei Restaurant applauded this, while others disagreed, considering it a trivial matter of finding a job.

Little did they know, beating up the third senior brother was not a "public feud" at all, and had nothing to do with which restaurant he went to.

Instead, the third senior brother looked down on He Yuzhu's skills when he first joined the sect, thinking that he didn't have much basic skill and didn't seem like someone from a family of cooks.

He often lectured He Yuzhu in his conversations. "Silly Zhu" had just entered the Emei Hotel and had been enduring He Daqing's words.

Fortunately, two months later, he went to work at a Sichuan restaurant not far away, which gave He Yuzhu an opportunity.

Given 'Silly Pillar's' past personality, enduring for two months was already difficult enough; he would definitely seek revenge if given the chance. He used the pretext of avenging his master to do what he liked.

Qi Tianfu didn't scold him too much, but just told him to control his temper and fight less.

Although a master no longer interferes with where his apprentice works after he graduates, if you go to work at a Sichuan restaurant nearby, it will give people the impression that you are taking away your master's job.

With the preparation of the dishes completed for the day, He Yuzhu gained another 280 experience points.

With 10,000 experience points at the intermediate level, it won't take more than two months to reach the advanced level in knife skills.

Because there may not be enough ingredients prepared, and most of the time you still need to chop and prepare the ingredients, you still have experience points to gain.

Because it was Tuesday, there weren't many people dining at the restaurant. At 6:30 p.m., He Yuzhu returned home from Emei Restaurant, which was less than five kilometers away. Emei Restaurant was located in the Xicheng District.

"Brother, why are you back today? Whose bicycle is this? It's so pretty. Can you take me out to play?" He Yushui pushed the bicycle into the house and saw it.

Where's our dad?

"Dad went out again after dinner, leaving me to play at home by myself until nine o'clock to go to bed. Brother, can you take me out for a bike ride?"

"Rain, it's cold outside at night in winter. How about I take you out to play during the day sometime?"

He Yushui still wanted to go out and play. Pouting, her face darkening, she tugged at He Yuzhu's sleeve and shook it. "Brother, let's go out and play today. I want to ride a bicycle."

"We'll play a little less, and take you to the park when the weather is nicer." He Yuzhu, having lived two lives, still didn't know how to deal with a little girl about to cry?

"Brother, that's great!" He Yushui clapped her hands excitedly when she heard that they were going to the park. Her mood changed from gloomy to sunny. Can girls change their expressions this quickly?

They wrapped He Yushui up tightly, put her on a bicycle, and took her out.

"Zhu Zi is back. Whose bicycle is it? I borrowed it from the hotel." He ran into Yi Zhonghai at the restroom as he went outside.

"I bought it at a secondhand store. My dad gave me the money so it would be convenient for me to use after get off work. Here's the receipt, take a look."

He Yuzhu wasn't surprised when Yi Zhonghai asked about the bicycle. The military control committee had told him earlier that day to be on the lookout for suspicious people and things.

'Silly Pillar' is not yet able to buy a bicycle on his own.

Yi Zhonghai: "Old He bought you a car, he's really good to you. Will you be driving home after get off work from now on?"

"Not many customers go home, but on Saturday and Sunday nights, they might come back late, so there are more people."

"Be careful when you go out to play in the rain; the roads are difficult to walk on in the dark," Yi Zhonghai said.

"Thank you, Comrade Yi Zhonghai. We'll be leaving now."

"Goodbye, Uncle Yi."