Siheyuan (courtyard house): My name is Shazhu!

The restaurant was doing quite well at lunchtime, right after the New Year. He Yuzhu was able to manage all the work by himself, without his master having to cook.

"Zhu Zi, your cooking skills have improved again after the New Year. I tasted a few of your dishes, and they're almost at the top level, which is about my skill level."

Aside from boiled cabbage in clear broth, your Sichuan cuisine skills are excellent. I would have reached your level at around forty years old, but you are only eighteen. You have a very high chance of becoming a master chef.

Boiled cabbage in clear broth is not a popular dish at restaurants because the preparation process is complicated and requires advance reservations. You've never seen me make it before, although your fourth senior brother has seen it a few times but hasn't mastered it.

You are a good cook, and I don't want to hold you back. Tomorrow I will bring you the complete Sichuan cuisine recipes so you can take a look. There are some dishes you've never made before, and I'll teach you how to make them when someone orders them.

There's also a Zhejiang cuisine cookbook, which our ancestors won a long time ago. You should take a look at it, and if you have the chance, you can learn it too.

Our Sichuan cuisine has long since spread beyond Sichuan province. In Beijing, due to the large population movement and the diverse tastes from all over the country, the skill of Sichuan cuisine alone is no longer sufficient.

You have the talent to be a chef. Learn the core methods of several different cuisines to cater to a wider range of customers. Don't tell others that you have Zhejiang cuisine recipes; some people will hold a grudge due to their sectarian bias.

"Thank you, Master. I will definitely not tell anyone. I have Zhejiang cuisine recipes."

With Zhejiang cuisine recipes available, it would be very easy for He Yuzhu to reach the level of a senior chef in cooking Zhejiang cuisine.

Even if you buy recipes from the store and collect recipes from all over the country, you won't have enough gold coins. With Zhejiang cuisine recipes, you can save another million gold coins.

Moreover, judging from the master's words, he wanted to keep the Zhejiang cuisine recipes in his own hands. These kinds of trophies from the patriarch are usually left to the eldest disciple or the next generation of the sect leader.

My master has traveled all over the country and seen a lot. He also understands that in cooking, one should learn from others' strengths and make up for one's own weaknesses. He no longer has any prejudice against any particular school of thought.

"Keep the recipe safe. I'm not young anymore, and it wasn't easy for me to take on such a talented apprentice like you. You must work hard and become a master chef."

"Master, how do I become a master chef?"

"Hehe, I don't know, it's a feeling, like everything blends together when you're cooking. What exactly is it? I'm not sure either."

"Master, I must become a master chef."

"Have confidence, and let nature take its course."

Qi Tianfu had a high opinion of He Yuzhu's talent. Even after He Daqing left, his attitude towards He Yushui was that this apprentice was talented, had good character, and he liked him!

It's not that our faction no longer has a leader; the position will be passed on to He Yuzhu. Very satisfied!

........

At 2 PM, the fourth senior brother brought the fifth senior brother back to the restaurant. Not long after, Master Ma brought back Brother Guizi. All four of them were happy to have made money.

He Yuzhu took He Yushui home. Master Ma and his fourth brother told them to go back, since everyone was still there at night. They had earned money and wanted to do some work so that He Yuzhu could rest.

Instead of returning to the courtyard house, He Yuzhu went to the house near Zhengyangmen to learn how to cook other famous dishes, mainly Cantonese cuisine, which would be suitable for him and his siblings.

Cantonese cuisine: a fusion of Chinese and Western techniques, with representative dishes including poached chicken and honey-glazed char siu.

Steamed Grouper: Fresh grouper is steamed over high heat for 7 minutes. The fish meat is tender and juicy, resembling garlic cloves, and has no fishy smell, representing the Cantonese culinary philosophy that "nothing is fresher than steaming."

Slow-cooked soup: Pork bones, old chicken, and other ingredients are simmered for over 3 hours, resulting in a clear and flavorful broth that embodies the wisdom of "food and medicine sharing the same origin." I've loved this soup since a past life, but I don't know how to make it; I must learn!

Hakka Stuffed Tofu: Tofu stuffed with minced pork, pan-fried and stewed to absorb the broth, blending Central Plains dumpling culture with Lingnan ingredients.

Roast suckling pig: Available in two types, "smooth skin" and "crispy skin," both with crispy skin and tender meat. Originating from the "roasted pig" of the Western Zhou Dynasty, it symbolizes prosperity and good fortune.

Lobster Baked in Superior Broth: Live lobster is baked, resulting in tender and springy meat. A common dish at wedding banquets, it highlights the exquisite preparation of seafood in Cantonese cuisine.

Make the four dishes and one soup listed above. The slow-cooked soup and roast suckling pig are a bit more complicated, but you should still learn how to make them. Even if you're a chef and don't run a restaurant, you should still be able to enjoy a variety of delicious dishes yourself.

I don't dislike cooking for myself; I haven't reached the point where I'm just waiting to die. I even feel a sense of accomplishment when I cook for myself.

He Yushui went out to play with the children, while He Yuzhu started making a slow-cooked soup, simmering it for three hours, with a roasted suckling pig in between.

The traditional charcoal roasting method is used, which is the classic way to roast suckling pig. For this purpose, I bought a complete set of roasting suckling pig equipment from the mall, including a marinated, five-kilogram special suckling pig.

We'll roast the suckling pig at 5:10 PM; an hour is enough time, plus we need to wait for the soup to be ready. Next, we'll prepare the fish and work on making Hakka stuffed tofu.

After the roast suckling pig started to be roasted and the aroma wafted out, He Yushui, who had already returned home, came to He Yuzhu's side and refused to go back no matter what.

She sniffed every now and then, taking in the smells. Because the room was warm, they didn't kick her out.

"Brother, what is this dish? It looks like a little pig. Are we having it for dinner?" He Yushui asked, drooling.

"Roast suckling pig is a famous dish in Cantonese cuisine, and it's very popular in the Guangzhou area. Let's try it today."

"Mmm, brother's cooking will definitely be delicious." "He Yushui, why didn't you say you wanted to save money?"

Do you have other children to play with when you go out?

"Of course! I took out the rubber bands, and five girls jumped rope with me. They all live nearby, and we know each other's names. We even play together sometimes."

"Have fun, just don't fight."

"We won't fight. Everything's arranged, so there's no need to fight over anything. Only boys like to fight. Brother, this morning Fourth Senior Brother and Master Ma both gave me a red envelope containing 50,000 yuan."

"Take the red envelope home and keep it safe. Since you're not working and don't earn money, you don't need to spend any."

"I'll save it for my brother's wedding." The little girl was thinking quite far ahead.

"You can save it first and use it later. We don't need your money now. Just focus on your studies and have fun."

He Yuzhu is a "ten-thousand-yuan household" after all, so he doesn't need He Yushui's small amount of money.

"Brother, we have four dishes and a soup for dinner. This is roast suckling pig. What are these three dishes and the soup called?" He Yushui asked during dinner.

"The three dishes are lobster baked in broth, steamed grouper, and Hakka stuffed tofu. The soup is a slow-cooked, flavorful broth. Do you like it?"

"I like everything, but will it cost a lot of money?" People only care about the cost after they've eaten it all.

"We have money, so we'll do whatever we like."

"Brother, what if we can't finish eating?"

"We'll eat tomorrow. There will be leftovers of the roast suckling pig and the slow-cooked soup, but we can finish the other three dishes."

"When I went out to play this afternoon, they said their family runs a small shop and they have meat every week. Isn't life here better than in the courtyard house?" He Yushui asked.

"Zhengyangmen, also known as Qianmen Street, was the commercial center of Yanjing City a long time ago."

As an extension of this area, Dashilan is home to many time-honored shops and traditional local culture.

This area was once a hub for gold and jade jewelry, teahouses and taverns, and storytelling theaters, creating a unique commercial atmosphere.

Many people here run businesses, and their living conditions are better than those in the courtyard houses. In the courtyard houses, the middle and back courtyards are mostly occupied by laborers, while the people in the front courtyards mostly don't have formal employment, and their incomes are much lower.

"Brother, I don't understand." He Yushui said honestly.

"It's okay if you don't understand. You'll understand when you grow up. It's not about whether we own a house here or what we eat."

"I know."