Siheyuan (courtyard house): My name is Shazhu!

He Yuzhu can resell meat and he's not short of money, so why would he do it? Jun Emei Manor is short of meat by the end of the year. Does anyone know why?

Perhaps Manager Wang did it on purpose; the purchasing is all done by his people, so there might be something fishy going on.

He Yuzhu listened without offering any comment.

"Goods are expensive during the Lunar New Year, and the price of refined grains is also rising. A few cents isn't much, so people don't pay much attention. Many people are concerned about the price of coarse grains; as long as it doesn't rise, they're fine."

"There's still a month and a half until Chinese New Year. The price increase period is almost over. With only half a month left until the holiday, what kind of holiday supplies won't go up in price? A 30% increase would be considered low."

"With the Lunar New Year approaching, people need more supplies so they can have a good holiday."

"Our goal is still to make money. If we have money, there's nothing we can't afford. We don't care if prices go up by 30%. If we don't have money, we can still watch others celebrate the New Year at the same time."

"Zhu Zi, are you still not taking any jobs around the Lunar New Year? I'm going to take some jobs, so please cover for me." Chef Ma was also straightforward.

"I don't take on jobs. My income at the restaurant is quite good. I save half of it every month, and in three years it will be enough for me to find three wives," He Yuzhu joked.

"Haha, Zhu Zi, you're awesome! Saving 500,000 a month, 18 million in three years, enough to marry five wives."

"But, three days and you'll be skinny as a monkey, five days and bedridden, at most half a month, and then we'll be feasting."

"Zhu Zi, as a man, I can understand. Your senior brother can only tell you to take it easy. Women are fiercer than tigers. Even Wu Song might not have been able to defeat three tigers, let alone us."

"You two are getting married soon, but Zhu Zi still has three years left. Time flies, so you should take it easy."

"Zhu Zi's idea is excellent; men still need multiple wives and concubines, and many children bring many blessings."

"Little Guizi, you're asking for trouble again, aren't you?"

"We have quite a few war widows here too. Beijing was peacefully liberated, but other places weren't. Many men died, so there were many widows."

"I want to find a few more women. Some of them are fine, but don't go for women who only partially open their doors. They're not clean. You're all men, I can't be bothered to talk to you. Is that you, Fourth Brother?" Master was also a man.

Master, don't you know how terrible widows are? Widows with sons are even more terrible. Even princes can't handle widows like that, let alone us.

"Master, five years ago, I was young, wasn't I? Later, I was able to resist the temptation and hold back." The fourth senior brother's face was very red. Even the honest child had this kind of history.

"You're an apprentice, you have no income, and you need to be completely broke to resist temptations. These are minor matters. When you have the chance, you can purchase some supplies for the restaurant. Why not make money if you can?"

"Indeed, Lao Qi is right. Money is still the most important thing for us. We need money to get things done."

"Yes."

The atmosphere at the restaurant was always pleasant, and my work went smoothly.

He Yuzhu's bravery in fighting off the robbers had spread throughout the courtyard, and people in the middle and back courtyards had heard about it, including the deaf old lady.

He Yuzhu single-handedly defeated over a hundred robbers; none of them escaped. They were either beaten to death or knocked unconscious, and all were captured and taken to the military control commission.

Regardless of their lives, these robbers will not have a good ending once they reach the military control commission; they'll just have to wait to die.

Upon hearing the news in the morning, Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu, who were on their way to work, were nearly scared to death. He Yuzhu was so powerful; if he were to kill them, the consequences would be unimaginable.

We should avoid provoking Sha Zhu in the future; thankfully, he won't hit us first. The two of us went to work trembling, feeling very anxious.

"Hahaha, my brother is awesome! From now on at school, if any fool dares to bully me, I'll have Zhu Zi deal with them." Xu Damao felt he had a powerful backer.

In the morning, Qin Huairu also heard the news and, amidst the affirmations of many women, ran home to tell Jia Zhangshi.

"Grandma, everyone in the yard is saying that last night..."

"Are you telling the truth, you idiot... He Yuzhu is such a good fighter, and he killed so many people. Has he been arrested?" Jia Zhangshi asked, trembling all over.

"Grandma, He Yuzhu beat up the robbers, which is a meritorious act. Last night at eight o'clock, after he finished beating the people, he returned to the courtyard before nine o'clock."

Someone from the neighboring compound witnessed it and came to our compound to tell us. He Yuzhu didn't deny it when he came back.

"That's too easy on him. He Yuzhu is such a good fighter, shouldn't we be careful?"

Qin Huairu saw that Jia Zhangshi was trembling with fear and looked down on her mother-in-law who bullied the weak and feared the strong, but she still said something.

"If we don't provoke him, we'll be fine. We're not robbers. He Yuzhu knows how to hit people, he won't just randomly hit ordinary people like us."

"That's good. We'll stay away from him in the future, so he won't take his anger out on us."

Qin Huairu looked down on Jia Zhangshi; she was also timid and afraid of death.

Because He Yuzhu's culinary skills have reached the advanced to intermediate level, and he is young and energetic, he is not particularly busy when there are many customers.

While the other three chefs were resting, he cooked all by himself and prepared the ingredients whenever he had time. The chefs in the kitchen thought he was hardworking and had a talent for cooking.

He Yuzhu was happy to see that he was getting more than 700 experience points every day. If he did this every day, he could reach the master level in Sichuan cuisine in about three years.

Around the Spring Festival of 55, there was still no "public-private partnership". Perhaps I could become a master chef and then leave the restaurant.

Working in a factory means you'll rarely get to cook simple dishes; it's mostly large-scale cooking, and the cuisine won't be primarily Sichuanese. You'll gain very little experience, and it will take too long to reach the master level.

If the restaurant's chefs remain the same, they will go to work in the factory in mid-55.

Since it's not Saturday or Sunday, there are fewer customers, and He Yuzhu gets off work around 7:30.

The next day, back at the courtyard house, in the front yard, Platoon Leader Yue was waiting for him at Yan Bugui's house.

"Comrade He Yuzhu, it's time to get off work. I was waiting for you at Comrade Yan Bugui's house. You got off work a few minutes early today." Platoon Leader Yue was with three soldiers.

"Platoon Leader Yue wants to see me. Should I go to the Military Control Commission or go to his home?" He Yuzhu asked.

"Let's go to your house. There are some things I need to tell you about the robbers, and I'll also give you the banner that the higher-ups decided to issue to you."

Originally, someone from above was coming to present a banner, but your work hours didn't fit, and it's not a big deal, so I'll present it on your behalf." Platoon Leader Yue explained the purpose of the courtyard house.

"Please come in, everyone. I just got off work and haven't started the fire yet. It's a bit cold inside, so please bear with me."

"Brother, I'll go start a fire." Starting a fire at home had become He Yushui's task.

"Comrades, have some water first to warm yourselves up."

"We have other things to do, so we'll give you the banner first."

He Yuzhu politely accepted the banner from Platoon Leader Yue. The banner was red with yellow characters that read "Brave in fighting robbers, both wise and brave."

He Yuzhu also felt that he was a wise general, not a brave man, because he was both brave and resourceful.

"Comrade He Yuzhu, we've come here to tell you about the fate of these nine robbers."

They robbed you, but that was only one of their purposes. Their real purpose was to beat you badly and break your limbs.

Of the nine people, there's one named Lü Sanlu, who lives in your courtyard. You know him, right? It was his idea.

"Lu Sanlu, he's the one who tried to break my limbs. Where is he? I'm going to kill him." He Yuzhu began his performance.