Siheyuan (courtyard house): My name is Shazhu!

The next morning at eight o'clock, He Yuzhu woke He Yushui up and got her ready. He Yuzhu then placed two glasses of milk, two eggs, and three meat buns on the table, each bun weighing two ounces.

He Yushui's eyes widened when she saw the three kinds of food on the table. She swallowed hard and her stomach rumbled. She was craving it.

"Rain, sit down and eat."

"Let your brother eat first." Little Rainwater was very polite.

"Okay." He Yuzhu peeled the egg, swallowed it in two bites, picked up the milk and drank two mouthfuls in a row. He drank more than half of the milk down, feeling refreshed!

Before I traveled through time, I ate milk and eggs for breakfast three times a week.

He Yushui followed suit, opening her mouth wide, trying to eat an egg in two bites. However, her mouth was small, so she only managed to eat about half an egg in two bites, which was quite a lot.

She chewed a few times but couldn't swallow, and choked. She put her little hand on her neck, ready to help her swallow.

"Rainwater can be swallowed with a few sips of milk; you ate too quickly."

Egg yolks are hard to swallow, especially for young children who eat large amounts of egg in one bite. It's okay if there's water nearby.

He Yushui drank four or five mouthfuls of milk before swallowing most of the egg.

"Brother, I'm choking! Is this what you call milk? I've never had it before. Finish the egg, and I'll eat the meat bun. I haven't had a meat bun in ages."

"Eat slowly, you can't finish three meat buns." Watching He Yushui hurriedly finish the egg and then start eating the meat buns.

Her small mouth was stuffed full, her cheeks bulging. She had just bitten open the thin bun, swallowed it, and said with a slightly flushed face,

"Brother, I think I'm full, but I want to eat the meat filling from the steamed buns."

"You eat the meat filling, and Brother Baozi eats the dough."

"Thank you, brother."

Although He Yushui said she was full, she still ate the filling of the bun in a few bites and then rubbed her little belly.

He Yuzhu wanted to laugh, thinking that children could be interesting, and he hoped that they wouldn't change when they grew up.

"Brother, will I still be able to eat meat buns and eggs in the future? Milk is delicious too." He Yushui asked about the next meal as soon as she finished eating this one.

"Okay, Rainwater will be obedient. We'll eat twice a week, and there will be other good food too. But we can't tell outsiders. How should we tell them?"

"Steamed cornbread and pickled vegetables, and cornmeal porridge to drink while sipping from the bowl." He Yushui had been well-educated by He Daqing.

"That's what we'll say, no matter who it's to. Let's take a break, then we'll go to work."

"OK."

After finishing his meal, he locked the door and rode his bike to work with He Yushui.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, after settling He Yushui in, I found my master, told him about yesterday's events, and then shared my plan with him.

Qi Tianfu did not object.

He Yuzhu also wanted to see what kind of things this old man Yi Zhonghai could do.

Why should I pay five yuan for food and drink every day for free? I have money, so I don't need to take advantage of this small thing.

Over time, people will start to gossip.

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and He Yuzhu's knife skills reached an advanced level. His master began to teach him how to cook.

It has to be said that my master was really good to me. Most people wouldn't have been able to learn cooking skills in less than two years.

Of course, the master was cooking, and I was watching and listening to him explain the key points of each step.

There were only three dishes: twice-cooked pork, boiled pork, and Mapo tofu. These were all signature Sichuan dishes, with simple ingredients that were commonly found in the market.

The master's idea was that you can't bite off more than you can chew; you should start by learning these three dishes to lay the foundation for learning other Sichuan cuisines in the future.

The master was unaware that he possessed a system, and He Yuzhu didn't pay much attention to it either; that's how all the apprentices were taught.

He Yuzhu was also pleasantly surprised to find that, with a master's instruction, he could still gain experience points even without cooking. Each dish gave him eight to twelve experience points.

With over 600 experience points per month and over 7,000 experience points per year, even without cooking, one can reach the graduation standard and become an intermediate chef after a month and a half.

A year and a half of experience at the senior chef level.

Of course, you still need to be able to work on a stove. It's unrealistic to expect to reach the level of a senior chef without ever having worked on a stove. When He Yuzhu was first an apprentice, his skills in various areas were quite poor.

He Yuzhu was in a good mood throughout the month, and he never left He Yushui's side once he entered the courtyard, so they had no chance to cause trouble.

However, He Yuzhu knew Jia Zhangshi and Yi Zhonghai's character well; they were looking for an opportunity and wouldn't give up on getting rid of him, or perhaps there was still rain.

At the end of the year, I was resting at home on Monday. At ten o'clock in the morning, I took He Yushui out to Beihai Park.

When I got to the front yard, I saw that some people were moving in.

It's Yan Bugui!

He Yuzhu saw the man directing the move. He was short and thin, wearing black-rimmed glasses and his clothes were patched in many places.

A woman carrying a small child entered the house. The woman was likely Yang Ruihua, Yan Bugui's wife, and the child she was carrying was probably Yan Jiekuang.

Judging from his appearance on television, Yan Jiekuang was born around 50.

The boy, who was under ten years old, was the eldest, Yan Jiecheng, and the child, who was three or four years old, was Yan Jiefang.

With the arrival of the three "grandfathers" in the future, and "a bird" to marry into the family next year, the "bird-filled courtyard" is beginning to take shape.

He Yuzhu smiled slightly, "Now that's starting to get interesting?"

Unaware that he had traveled from another time, he found himself extremely bored.

Nodding to Yan Bugui, the two siblings walked away from the courtyard.

Beihai Park is not far from Nanluoguxiang, less than two kilometers from the road. I didn't ride a bicycle because I was worried about not having a place to park it.

"Brother, this place isn't fun, there's no good scenery." He Yushui felt that this place was not good after entering Beihai Park for less than five minutes.

"It's winter now, the trees are bare, the hill looks bare, and there's no way to row a boat on the lake."

"Or we can go back and come back in May."

"Brother, let's not go home, let's go to Xinhua Bookstore. I've finished reading my comic books, can you buy me a few more?" He Yushui tugged at He Yuzhu's clothes and started to whine.

"We'll go to the bookstore to buy books, including comic books. Just make sure you don't fall too far behind in your studies. You're still young, so don't spend too much time studying; focus on playing."

"Brother, I know."

He bought five comic books for He Yushui. At Xinhua Bookstore, He Yuzhu also bought three books: one about car driving and repair, and the other two were current high school textbooks.

He Yuzhu wanted to know the difference between high school textbooks now and in the future.

.......

"Zhu Zi, you're right. Someone came to my house last night with alcohol, cigarettes, and a million yuan."

He suggested that I fire you from the restaurant. Judging from your appearance, you're not that Yi Zhonghai, but a young man in his early twenties.

I didn't agree. I just said I wouldn't get involved in your mess, that I had a good relationship with He Daqing, and that you shouldn't try to bribe me with a few dollars.

In the restaurant, I'm the head chef, but not the manager, so I don't have the authority to fire any of the restaurant's regular employees. I didn't even take the food; it wasn't enough for my monthly income.

Why are all the people in your courtyard houses like this? They'll stop at nothing to get back at you; it's disgusting just thinking about it. If you can't handle this situation, move to another house.

"Thank you, Master. That's fine. You just need to say you don't care."

As for changing houses, we don't need to. There are many things in society that are irrelevant to us, and life is rather uneventful and boring. That young man is Jia Dongxu, Yi Zhonghai's apprentice.

"Since they've made their move, I'll play along with them. I've got nothing better to do anyway," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"It's your decision. Let me know if you need anything."

"I understand. Thank you, Master."

"We are master and disciple, there's no need for formalities."

He Yuzhu continued to focus and became an apprentice at Emei Restaurant, diligently learning various culinary techniques.