Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

I walked through the noisy corridor and headed straight for the cafeteria kitchen.

Ma Hua was wiping the cutting board with a rag, Liu Lan had already chopped a stack of green vegetables, and several apprentices were already busy. Steam rose from the steamer, the stove crackled, and the heat and aroma wafted over.

Master Liu looked up and chuckled, "Master He, you're in great spirits today!"

He waved his hand, his humility bordering on arrogance: "Hey, it'll do, it'll do!"

Liu Lan stared at his clothes, clicking her tongue: "That physique...that air of authority...how should I put it?"

Ma Hua chimed in, "Sister Lan, that's called 'well-dressed'! That's the compliment my master gave me when I wore his old work clothes!"

He Yuzhu nearly choked on his saliva: "Cough cough! Stop joking! Get to work!"

—That brat, his mouth is as slippery as a hot oil pan, I'm too lazy to argue with him.

Flames leaped in the stove, and the sounds of knives and chopping boards, shouts, and clattering pots and pans mingled together, making everyone in the kitchen feel like they were flying.

The steamer was busy lifting the steamer baskets, the cornbread steamer was adding firewood to the stove, and others were squatting in front of the cutting board chopping vegetables, rinsing rice, and marinating meat.

Just as He Yuzhu rolled up his sleeves to get started, a thought suddenly struck him—this Ma Hua may be a bit talkative, but he's honest, hardworking, and never tries to be cunning.

"MCA!" he raised his voice, "Come here for a moment."

In the end, he still called his apprentice.

Ma Hua knew perfectly well why his master had called him, but he kept a straight face and obediently moved to He Yuzhu's side, standing ramrod straight.

He Yuzhu picked up a spatula and tapped the stove: "Starting today, I'll officially teach you how to cook big pot dishes. If you master these skills, it'll be much easier for you to get promoted next year when the factory is evaluating employees and the director takes a liking to you."

The factory holds a rating assessment every six months, which can be done by self-nomination or by recommendation by the director.

Ma Hua understood immediately—his mentor was giving him a boost. He nodded emphatically, his eyes fixed on He Yuzhu's movements as he flipped the wok.

"Don't worry, Master! I will definitely learn with all my might and will never let you down!"

He Yuzhu knew that this kid was quick to learn and willing to put in the effort, but he couldn't sit still. Once his enthusiasm waned, he would definitely find something to talk about or sneak peeks out the window.

After demonstrating the three dishes, He Yuzhu shoved the spatula into Ma Hua's hand: "Did you understand? Here, you take charge of the cooking, and I'll stand by and watch the heat."

Ma Hua, who had been watching for a while, had sweaty palms. Upon hearing this, he immediately rolled up his sleeves, wiped the edge of the stove, and flicked his wrist to apply the oil, his movements as swift as if he had practiced a hundred times.

There are only two large stoves in the kitchen, and the chefs are already on a tight budget. If one of them takes sick leave, the other chef has to work non-stop until they are exhausted.

Right now, in the entire kitchen, only he and Chef Liu can reliably cook large batches of food for dozens of people. Others either burn the food with too high a heat or make it bland with too low a heat, which simply doesn't meet the demands of the kitchen.

If we train another MCA member, the shifts will be easier in the future, and we won't have to shoulder the burden when problems arise.

Once the first pot of food from the MCA was ready, He Yuzhu turned around and went to the hot water room to make a cup of strong tea. After blowing on the hot water a couple of times, he strolled back to the stove, sipping his tea while watching his apprentice toss the pot, taste the food, and adjust the saltiness.

Over the next few days, he was instructed to focus on mastering the control of heat—stir-frying over high heat, simmering over medium heat, and reducing the sauce over low heat. He had to learn everything by taste and feel with his hands. Once he had mastered the control of heat, he was taught when to add the seasonings, how much to add, and the order in which they were added.

As they were talking, a shadow flickered at the doorway, and Director Zhang accompanied a man in a navy blue uniform into the kitchen.

"Comrades, this is the newly arrived Deputy Factory Director Li, who will also serve as the Director of the Security Department. Let's give him a round of applause!"

A round of applause erupted.

Deputy Factory Director Li cleared his throat: "From now on, we'll all be comrades working side by side. We'll share the difficulties and the credit!"

After saying a few standard phrases, the person turned and left, their back straight, but their steps were so fast it was as if they were afraid to stay for even a second longer.

He and Director Zhang were at the same level; one was in charge of the gate locks and workshop patrols, while the other was in charge of the canteen stoves and the saltiness of the lunch boxes—it was really hard to say which one was making the most money.

He Yuzhu knew perfectly well: just the monthly food procurement for several thousand people was enough to make people figure out seven or eight tricks. And the security department? As long as no one was carrying machine tools out of the factory, who really took them seriously?

Deputy Factory Director Li was led around the factory by the heads of various departments, shaking hands, nodding, and smiling at people as if to familiarize himself with the place.

Canteen kitchen

He Yuzhu slammed the spatula onto the cutting board with a loud bang, the sound not loud, but enough to silence the entire room: "Listen up! From today onwards, no matter who you are or who's backing you, you're not allowed to take anything out of the kitchen except leftovers from entertaining guests—salt grains, scallions, cabbage stalks, none of them! The past is wiped clean; if anyone tries to take anything from now on, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Where can you find clean hands in the kitchen? If there's half a jar of soy sauce missing, just grab a spoonful; if the kids are craving steamed buns, just grab a handful of flour; if you take a few greens from a pile of cabbages home... In the past, Section Chief Liu would turn a blind eye to these things, but now that the new director, Deputy Factory Director Li, has those triangular eyes and a hooked nose, he looks exactly like someone catching a thief.

He Yuzhu had already made his point. Anyone who didn't believe him and ended up losing couldn't blame him for not warning them.

A few seasoned veterans scoffed privately: "He Yuzhu, you used to lead the class more enthusiastically than anyone else. You've only been a squad leader for a few days, and you're already putting on airs and scolding people? If you don't bring some back with you, wouldn't all those years of eating in the canteen have been for nothing?"

Deputy Factory Director Li returned to the security department, leaned back in his chair, and frowned: He hadn't made a sound since he arrived. When he spoke at the next meeting, he couldn't just say "work hard and unite with comrades," could he? People would really think he was just there to freeload a meal.

He got up and knocked on the door of the office next door: "Section Chief Liu, please inform all the colleagues on the day shift to assemble at the main entrance in five minutes. There is an important task to be assigned."

Section Chief Liu didn't even lift his eyelids—it was clear from his tone that he was trying to establish his authority.

He turned and went downstairs, shouting towards the gatehouse, "Xiao Wang! Go run over there and tell everyone to line up at the factory gate immediately; the new director wants to give a speech!"

Without stopping, Deputy Factory Director Li turned and went into the Women's Federation office.

"Director Wei, I would like to ask for your support—to temporarily transfer a few female colleagues to the security department to help out for a few days."

Wei Guangyu is a veteran of the factory and the head of the Women's Federation. Her rank is half a grade higher than that of Director Yang. Even Deputy Director Li has to address her as "Director Wei".

She was in her early fifties, with her hair neatly combed, her eyes bright, and her back straight.

Director Wei smiled and shook his head: "Little Li, our female comrades have never done the work of the security department before, this is not in accordance with the old rules."

"Don't worry, we won't be patrolling or on duty. Just cooperate with us in checking packages at the factory gate—it's inconvenient for male staff to search female workers' bags."

Wei Guangyu knew perfectly well: this was an attempt to establish authority and seize control of the discourse. But she herself was about to retire to the local women's federation, and it wasn't worth offending someone over something like this.

She beckoned to Xiao Wu: "After I'm transferred, you'll take over the Women's Federation. Go and select a few hardworking and reliable girls to assist Deputy Factory Director Li."

Upon hearing the Women's Federation's approval, Deputy Factory Director Li immediately headed straight for the factory gate.

At this moment, more than thirty security personnel were standing neatly inside the iron gate, their hats on, belts fastened, waiting for the order.

Deputy Factory Director Li cleared his throat and said in a loud voice, "Comrades, you've worked hard! This is the first meeting today, and I'll say one thing—not a single thing in the factory, not even a needle or a grain of rice, can be lost!"

The crowd responded in unison, "We promise!"

He raised his hand and gestured: "Effective immediately! Women's Federation comrades will assist in inspecting female workers' packages; male comrades will be divided into nine-person patrol groups, three people per team; the rest of the personnel will remain on duty, strictly checking everything anyone takes out of the factory—even a single vegetable leaf must be inspected!"

……

The bell rang

He Yuzhu, Ma Hua, and Liu Lan chatted and laughed as they walked toward the factory gate.

Even from a distance, twenty long lines could be seen moving slowly like dragons, each line standing straight, with people holding small flags to maintain order.

Just as I squeezed to the front, a female worker wearing a red armband called out loudly, "Ladies, please come this way!"

With a flick of his finger, he pointed directly at Liu Lan.

The inspection was swift and efficient, ending in less than twenty minutes, ensuring no one was late for get off work. The workers were exceptionally cooperative, standing ramrod straight and emptying their bags efficiently, without a trace of resistance on their faces—their self-discipline was genuine. Of course, a few were caught off guard and had their hidden items discovered; they were immediately led by security to the empty room on the west side, the door closed without a sound.

He Yuzhu was secretly thinking: Deputy Factory Director Li's decisive and efficient manner, and his first day at work, was enough to make the workers remember it for a long time.

When it was his turn, the security guards merely patted his pockets and glanced at his back before letting him pass.

He had to return the bicycle to Lou Xiao'e today. He hopped on and pedaled briskly, speeding towards the bookstore like the wind.

At the entrance of the bookstore, Lou Xiao'e was leaning against the door frame. Under the winter sun, her bright eyes and brows looked like freshly peeled bamboo shoots.

Seeing him arrive, her eyes lit up, and she said with a smile, "Silly Zhu, I'm craving your cooking today—come on, let's go to the market!"

Without saying a word, He Yuzhu helped her into the back seat, turned the handlebars, and headed straight for the vegetable market.

The pork stall was already packed, the good cuts were all gone, leaving only some lean scraps. He picked out a pound of lean meat and grabbed six pig's trotters—no receipt, cheap and good value.

These days, everyone's focused on pork fat, while offal, trotters, and bones are ignored, piling up in corners gathering dust, and fetching pitifully low prices. The price of lean and fatty pork, however, is a flat 18 cents per pound.

Today I specifically chose this uncommon item, just so Lou Xiao'e could have a taste of something new.

Upon entering the Lou family home, Lou's mother greeted him and immediately frowned upon seeing the bruises on his face: "Xiao He, how did you get bruised again?"

The wound hadn't scabbed over yet and needed to rest for a few more days. But Lou Xiao'e wanted to eat his cooking, so how could he refuse? He cherished his own wife dearly, and was happy to do anything with her.

"Mom, it was an accident, just a misunderstanding, it's nothing serious now," he said with a smile, trying to brush it off. Sometimes, it's better to keep things quiet than to make a scene; arguing only makes things more awkward.

Lou's parents gave him a few more words of advice: "Be careful when you walk" and "Don't get into conflicts with people." Their tone was gentle, but it was full of concern.