Siheyuan (courtyard house): My name is Shazhu!

"Brother, Jia Zhangshi's vomiting and farting are so smelly. Sister Huairu said that when she farts, the smell can't go out of the house for at least half an hour, so it's impossible to stay at home."

Her vomit smelled terrible; you could smell it as soon as you walked through the corridor. What illness does she have? Does her brother know? He Yushui was still covering her nose at home.

"I'm a cook, not a doctor, and I'm not omniscient. What illness does she have? I don't know either."

"Is there anyone in the world who knows everything, including the former Prime Minister Zhuge Liang?" He Yushui asked.

"Of course, no one knows everything. You also know Prime Minister Zhuge Liang. He knew a lot and was very capable, but he was not omniscient."

Otherwise, he wouldn't have failed in his northern expedition, leaving behind only the achievement of dividing the country into three kingdoms. He was already synonymous with wisdom, but not omnipotent.

Perhaps it is because we, his descendants, prefer his 'loyalty' that we value his wisdom.

"Our Chinese teacher said that Prime Minister Zhuge was wise and loyal to the country, and that we should study hard and become like him."

He Yuzhu pursed his lips. This teacher's motivational speech was excellent, setting a super goal for elementary school students. Impressive.

"Listen to your teacher. As for what you will do in the future, that's your choice."

"OK."

.......

A few days later, Manager Wang came to the kitchen with his hands behind his back and a big smile on his face. "Master chefs, I'm here to announce some good news."

"Starting this month, all the masters will receive a salary increase of more than 10%, all in whole numbers. Master Qi's salary will increase from 180,000 to 200,000, and Master Zhu's salary will increase from 500,000 to 600,000."

"Wu Gui and his fellow laborers also receive a bonus of 50,000 yuan each month, which is not included in your master's salary, but is given to you as pocket money."

"Manager Wang, what good news is there that will give us a raise? It hasn't happened in years," Master Ma asked with a smile.

"I took over the restaurant yesterday, and I am now the big boss. I need all the chefs to work together to make the restaurant a success."

"The restaurant is profitable, so I don't mind giving everyone more money. How much the restaurant profits is, it's all relevant to us."

"Boss, no doubt about it. You've treated us well all these years. We'll run the restaurant well, so you can rest assured," the master said, expressing his commitment.

"Don't worry, boss." Everyone echoed this sentiment. The work was the same, but the salary increased; no one disliked it.

Thank you everyone, thank you everyone.

Manager Wang left the kitchen with a big smile on his face.

"Our manager Wang is quite efficient. He took over the restaurant in less than a year. How much money did it cost? Our restaurant can earn 100 million a year, which is no small amount."

"They are all wealthy people. Manager Wang has been a restaurant manager for twenty years, so he must have a lot of money. He also has shares in the restaurant."

I don't know who our big boss is, or why he'd sell a restaurant with an annual income of 100 million.

"An income of 100 million a year may be a lot for us, but it may not be a lot of money for that big boss. Rich people have many stores."

"Think about it, Lou Bancheng is really something. He's known as 'Half of the City' in Yanjing, and nobody dares to object. How much money does he have?"

Lou Bancheng's family must be very wealthy. They own a steel mill, a flour mill, an oil press, a money exchange, a jewelry store, and so on.

There are also shipyards in Tianjin, and more than 20 buildings are shops. There are also shops in Dongdan, Xidan, Wangfujing, and Dashilan.

This is common knowledge, and even those who don't know it are likely aware of it; the top merchant in Yanjing City cannot possibly have few businesses under his control.

"No matter how rich Lou Bancheng is, he's not someone you can covet. You should focus on learning your culinary skills, becoming proficient as soon as possible, and earning money early. That's what you should be thinking about."

"We're just fantasizing about what life would be like if we had money."

He Yuzhu laughed when he heard this. Fifty or sixty years later, that short, fat, dark-skinned man said, "How do you spend money? How do you show it off?"

Our "mining dad" also said that he would buy a subway ticket, and there are too many jokes about it.

"If I earned a hundred million a year, I'd have at least seven wives, including a first wife, second wives, and concubines..."

"Keep dreaming! You want three wives and four concubines? If you dare marry so many, we'll throw a feast for you in three days. Brother Gui, keep the strings in order for the feast!"

There are no concubines but mistresses, dozens or even hundreds. This was common in later generations, and it still exists today, just no one broadcasts it over the loudspeaker anymore.

After chatting for a while, it was time to start work. The workers began preparing the dishes, and He Yuzhu began carving and decorating the various dishes.

Before mid-September, the number of guests at Emei Restaurant had increased significantly. By evening, there were an average of fifty tables of guests, while the restaurant only had thirty-two seats.

Some people arrive late, and He Yuzhu and his team also finish get off work late. It's not that all the customers rush to order at the same time, but rather that He Yuzhu cooks the dishes by himself, gaining experience points and making the most of his time.

There are advantages to returning to the courtyard late; not much happens. Just as things calmed down in the middle courtyard, Lao Gou, Xiao Lu, Tan Wu, and a few others started fighting again in the front courtyard.

The reason was that they switched from using rickshaws to transport people and goods to using regular rickshaws. They were all competing for business near Qianmen Dashilan, and conflicts had been increasing over the past six months. Finally, they couldn't hold back any longer and went back to the courtyard to fight.

Xiao Lu is the youngest and also the one who suffers the most. Lao Gou and Tan Wu are older and have known each other for a long time. They also have conflicts, but with Xiao Lu around, the two of them always deal with Xiao Lu first and beat him into submission.

There was no deep-seated hatred between the three parties, and they did not fight to the death.

The men fight, while the women at home argue about trivial matters during the day. It's because they don't have jobs and are bored out of their minds.

Occasionally, when I came back a little earlier, I would hear from Tan Guilan about what had happened in the courtyard. Although there was some commotion in the front yard, nothing out of line had happened.

Even if Jia Zhangshi from the Intermediate People's Court were a little more honest, she would only ask for a tiny amount. After finishing get off work at the steel rolling mill in the afternoon, she would still sit at her doorstep and provoke Yi Zhonghai as he returned home.

Since Liu Haizhong, his defeated foe, did not provoke him further, Yi Zhonghai dared not make the first move. Everyone in the courtyard understood the difference between striking first and retaliating later.

It's all He Yuzhu's fault that they've become smarter. That old shrew is educated now, and she's more terrifying than before.

Yi Zhonghai's forbearance only made the people in the courtyard start to look down on him. What's so scary about getting a few slaps? At worst, he'll just have to pay some money.

October 1952 arrived, and before that, three more families booked banquets. Two of them were at noon for their children's weddings. One family was on the first floor, and the other was on the second floor. The scale of the banquets was slightly smaller.

The cost of booking a banquet is three million per family, so Manager Wang gets six million. Adding the income from the two wedding banquets, he can earn at least fifteen million a day at noon.

There's another banquet tonight, only the second floor, for the National Day holiday. There are 42 tables in total, which will make the chefs work hard again.

Fortunately, when preparing dishes such as "boiled cabbage in clear broth" the day before, He Yuzhu once again felt his experience points surge.

"The clear broth that Zhu Zi makes is just as good as Lao Qi's in color and taste, and it's completely superior to mine. He can make boiled cabbage in clear broth at a master level, and he's even invited to state banquets."

Master Ma smiled at Qi Tianfu when he saw that He Yuzhu had prepared a top-quality broth that was as clear as boiling water.

"Zhu Zi's skill in making Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth is no worse than mine, but he still has a long way to go to reach the master level. There are still too few people who can make this dish in a year."

On the contrary, it's not as demanding in terms of skill as making everyday dishes like Dongpo pork, shredded pork with garlic sauce, or twice-cooked pork. What is a master chef? What is the unity of man and pot? I don't understand!