Siheyuan (courtyard house): My name is Shazhu!

Xu Damao's house!

"The mutton soup must have been made by He Yuzhu. It smelled good; that kid's got decent skills. We have mutton, and we'll make it this afternoon, but we just can't replicate his taste."

Xu Fugui also admired He Yuzhu's cooking skills.

"We're not professional chefs after all, so there's no use in envying other people's skills. We'll probably just make the old lady next door drool with envy." Xu Damao's mother didn't care much either, as they had plenty of ingredients for the New Year at home.

"He's just a cook. When I get into university, he'll still have to cook for me." Xu Damao said with a hint of envy and jealousy.

"Da Mao, focus on your studies and get into university. That's much better than being a chef. No matter how good their skills are, they'll still serve you."

However, you shouldn't provoke He Yuzhu unless absolutely necessary. His heart isn't in the courtyard house right now, and if anyone angers him, something terrible will definitely happen.

"Dad, I understand. We have a good relationship now, so I won't bother him for no reason. He's a pretty good henchman."

"Da Mao, don't underestimate him. He Yuzhu isn't really 'stupid,' he's straightforward, not stupid. If you want to be friends with him, put in some effort; he's useful."

"Da Mao, remember what your father said: it's not important to give small favors to friends. Always have more friends and fewer enemies."

"Father, Mother, I understand. I get along well with him. Our relationship wasn't good before, which might be related to my father."

"Perhaps. He Daqing isn't in the courtyard anymore. Thinking about it carefully, I don't really have that much of a grudge against him. You are the next generation; you decide how you want to get along."

"Yes, Father."

Liu Haizhong was throwing a tantrum at home, believing that He Yuzhu's failure to bring him mutton soup meant he was being disrespectful and a bad person.

Yi Zhonghai, Yan Bugui, and the others were all drooling. The taste was too good. Even if they had the ingredients, they couldn't make it taste like this.

Perhaps being a chef is a good job; at least the food he makes tastes delicious.

Yi Zhonghai thought for a moment, then took the meat he bought to the backyard, which was close to He Yuzhu's house, and decided to avoid the trouble.

Yan Bugui, his wife, and children were drooling. Their family only had a few meat dumplings for the New Year; they didn't even have braised pork.

Tan Guilan didn't care. When He Daqing was around, the food tasted better, which was related to the fact that they were the chefs.

Right now, she's constantly thinking about whether to get married or adopt a child; money is no longer an issue for her.

She was grateful to He Yuzhu for all of this; otherwise, she wouldn't have received so much money. She knew she still had a considerable amount of money in the bank; even with the interest rate dropping, she was still getting a significant amount for free.

After simmering over high heat for ten minutes, the mutton soup was turned down to a simmer. He Yuzhu went out of the house again to set off firecrackers with He Yushui.

This girl, she even uses firecrackers to blow up the unmelted snow in the courtyard for no reason; she's very playful.

This is what a real little girl should be like. Why does she have to act like a little adult?

An hour later, I went back to the kitchen to make lunch.

After making the wontons and preparing the side dishes, I called out from the kitchen, "Rain Water, come back for lunch!"

"They've arrived."

"Brother, we're having wontons for lunch. They're delicious, I love them." He Yushui said upon seeing the two large bowls of wontons.

There's also mutton soup in the kitchen, with plenty of mutton in it. If you want some, just scoop out a few pieces.

"Brother, don't we have to wait until tonight to eat?"

"There's plenty of mutton today, enough for the two of us for several meals. The chicken stew with mushrooms is also ready, about three or four pounds. Eat as much as you want. This afternoon I'll make braised pork."

"I'll ladle some mutton soup. My brother's mutton soup smells so good. I smelled it when I was playing in the yard. We're having chicken stew with mushrooms for dinner."

Why look down on chicken stew with mushrooms? This is my signature dish, and I'm counting on it to be remembered in history.

"Brother, the mutton is delicious, so tender and juicy, and the saltiness is just right. You should eat some too." He Yushui still prefers meat.

He Yuzhu took a piece of rib, tasted it, and found it to be quite good. Having good cooking skills is also a good thing; it can make food taste even better.

"Brother, teach me how to make dumplings this afternoon? It's not very fun setting off firecrackers outside by myself."

"Can."

At 1:30 pm, he took a few burning coals from his own stove and lit the stove in He Yushui's room to prepare to steam buns.

My stove only has one burner, so when I cook, it feels too slow if there are a lot of ingredients.

In winter, He Yuzhu had coal. After buying 500 kilograms of coal, he started buying coal from the mall, which was very cheap and convenient, and the coal would appear directly in the original coal pile.

After He Yuzhu got off work, He Yushui would stay in the main house, usually until after nine o'clock, before going back to her small house to sleep.

Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and she's been staying in the main house the whole time, not cooking in her side room.

She said it was to save money, burn less coal, and save more money. What was the real reason? He Yuzhu didn't care.

Bring the braised pork to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook slowly for five minutes. While the pork is simmering, prepare to steam buns, a common practice in most households in Yanjing (Beijing).

In Beijing, there is a saying: "Even if you don't steam buns, you'll still have something to show for it." Steaming buns during the Spring Festival is not only a traditional custom, but also carries the meaning of striving for success, symbolizing a prosperous future.

Steamed buns symbolize people's pursuit of a better life. Their unique production process—steaming the dough after it has risen—will cause it to gradually plump up, just like people's pursuit of a better life, symbolizing prosperity, wealth, and good fortune.

In old Beijing, there was a custom of not cooking from the first to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. Therefore, people would make steamed buns and other staple foods on the 28th and 29th of the lunar new year to meet the needs of the Spring Festival and avoid taboos.

As a descendant of the previous generation, He Yuzhu did not adhere to the custom of not cooking from the first to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

Before 2008, some families would entertain guests at restaurants instead of cooking at home; customs were changing.

Steaming buns doesn't involve He Yushui. The key to steaming buns is the dough rising, not just kneading it after it has risen and then shaping the buns.

Place the shaped steamed buns on a steamer rack, pour cold water into a pot, place the steamer rack on top, and start steaming the buns.

The steamed buns are quite large; two steamers hold eighteen large buns, which are ready in twenty-five minutes. Along with dumplings, it's enough for the two siblings to eat until the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.

"Brother, why didn't you call me to steam the buns? I want to learn too." He Yushui ran over.

"The key to steaming buns lies in the early stages, especially in kneading and proofing the dough. I proofed the dough last night, but you didn't learn how. I'll teach you next time we have the chance to steam buns."

You need to wait a while before making dumplings. Steam the dumplings directly, don't freeze them. Don't make dumplings too early, otherwise the soup from the filling will soak through the dumpling skin and cause it to break.

Let's take a break. There's no work until 5 PM. Except for the dumplings, the remaining dishes won't take long.

"Brother, how long should the braised pork be stewed? Is it too long? Do I need to add potato chunks?"

"There's plenty of braised pork; it weighs over three pounds after stewing, so there's no need to worry about not having enough."

"Brother, I think it would taste better with fewer potatoes. The braised pork flavor is strong, and it's still soft and tender."

"If you like, I'll add a few pieces of potato. Add them when the braised pork is almost done; you don't need to worry about it."

What other dishes are available?

Steamed sea bass and sweet and sour pork.

"They're all delicious, thank you, brother." Another greedy little girl.