Rebirth He Yuzhu stays away from troubles

As the end of the year approached, staff from the Ministry of Metallurgy and the Ministry of Industry came to the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill to investigate and provide guidance more frequently. The meals served in the small canteen also left them with a deep and good impression and became a topic of conversation for them after dinner.

The trajectory of history is always so surprisingly similar. Deputy Director Li invited He Yuzhu to his father-in-law's house and cooked several meals for him. His father-in-law was left with a good impression of He Yuzhu.

After Director Yang took He Yuzhu to the big leader's house to cook a meal, every time the big leader and his wife saw He Yuzhu, they treated him politely and got along with him like their own son or nephew.

Because they are from Sichuan Province, they started living in Sijiucheng in their middle age. For them, Sijiucheng's food culture is just a way to solve the problem of having enough food.

Every time He Yuzhu went there, they ate the food he cooked and it was like they were back in their hometown in Sichuan Province when they were young, smiling like little kids.

As they became more familiar with each other, getting along became more and more natural. Sometimes after dinner, the big boss would keep him to play chess. In his previous life, He Yuzhu always thought that he was a bad chess player and the big boss was very good at chess.

In this life, when getting along with big bosses, He Yuzhu was natural and generous, without suppressing himself or trying to please them as he did in his previous life.

In reality, the two of them were evenly matched when playing chess. The leader looked so serious that he didn't seem to be giving in to He Yuzhu. This was interesting, and gradually, neither of them was convinced by the other.

This caused the big boss to "love and hate" He Yuzhu. The "love" was that he always missed the dishes he cooked; the "hate" was that when playing chess with him, He Yuzhu's chess would steal his home without him noticing when he was distracted or thinking about something. Every time He Yuzhu won, he would laugh happily. Yes, that boy was not unrestrained and happy.

As the wife of the big boss, every time she sees one wanting to regret his move while the other laughing heartily, she is naturally infected by it and thinks that it is not necessary for the old and the young to play chess so seriously.

After the public-private partnership and the merger and integration of several enterprises, the Red Star Steel Mill was formed to its current size. The Red Star Steel Mill now has nearly 100 engineers and various professional and technical personnel, three steel rolling workshops, three canteens and a small canteen for hospitality meals.

The original canteen director was a product of public-private partnership and compromise. The canteen he served at the time only served 1000 to 2000 people, and the business owner's philosophy before liberation was that it was enough for the staff to eat, and the "color, aroma and taste" of the dishes were not important.

As teachers led the people to overthrow the "three mountains" and establish a new country, under the leadership of teachers, through a series of policies and measures, workers and farmers enjoyed relatively stable jobs and incomes, and also participated in the decision-making and management of state affairs, enjoying corresponding rights and status.

As workers' status and position improved, the function of the canteen also needed to be gradually transformed. The meals provided to workers needed to be "hygienic, healthy, and nutritious", and "color, aroma, and taste" were gradually placed on the desks of the leadership team of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill.

As the end of the year approached, all the workers and departments were busy. That afternoon, the factory office secretary asked He Yuzhu to go to the factory director's office. When He Yuzhu got there, he saw Director Yang, Deputy Director Li, and the head of the personnel department were all there.

Seeing such a formal scene, He Yuzhu thought: "Is there something wrong with my political review? No way! There was no such thing in my previous life! We are from the He family. We are just poor cooks. In that era, we were hired to cook. There must be no problem with being hired farmers for three generations."

"In this life, I work seriously and steadily, and I am not as stupid, violent, or harsh as in my previous life..."

Deputy Director Li saw He Yuzhu's puzzled and serious expression and broke the silence. "Zhuzi, I came here today to discuss work matters with you. Don't let your imagination run wild."

"Come, sit here. Secretary, pour a glass of water for Deputy Director He." Deputy Director Li naturally dispelled He Yuzhu's nervousness.

"Deputy Director He, don't be nervous. We invited you here today to talk about the canteen director Zhou Youfu." Director Yang said solemnly with a military air.

"The canteen director Zhou Youfu was born in the old society and served on the front line of workers before liberation."

"But as he reached retirement age, the demands of the workers at the Red Star Steel Mill became higher and higher. He gradually felt that his efforts were not enough."

"After discussion by the factory leadership and after listening to the research opinions of the workers, the factory decided to let canteen director Zhou Youfu retire naturally and not to rehire him."

"Deputy Director He, please tell us what you think!" Director Yang looked at He Yuzhu sharply.

He Yuzhu thought to himself, "This is a life-threatening question! I can't just say I can do it, I can do it, I want to be the director!" He Yuzhu looked embarrassed and didn't know how to start.

Seeing that He Yuzhu was hesitant and unable to speak, the smooth-talking Deputy Director Li came to He Yuzhu's rescue again, "Hahaha... Deputy Director He, our intention is to promote you."

"After your master Luo Jianrong took several of your brothers to the Capital Hotel, they were invited to participate in several state banquets. The response was very good, and the logistics department above recognized them very much!"

"We know your craft and your family inside out. Both you and your wife work in the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill system, serving the workers."

"After this period of time, the canteen you are in charge of has been welcoming and seeing off guests. Our factory leadership team, directly affiliated leadership departments, related departments and people who come and go have all recognized your cooking skills and your professional ethics as a chef."

"We have all considered your teachers, family, abilities, and everyone's satisfaction with you, and have decided to give you a push. However, I wonder if you have confidence in the color, aroma, and taste of the food you will serve in the cafeteria in the future?"

Deputy Director Li looked as if he was saying, "I have confidence in you, I support you, and I stand by you."

"Well... to be honest, it is Deputy Director Li who dares to employ people and is open-minded. No wonder he was so successful during the ten years of the Cultural Movement." He Yuzhu admired him in his heart.

Listening to what Deputy Director Li said so bluntly, He Yuzhu still had to be humble!

"Everyone basically accepts and approves of the banquet. In fact, the big pot dishes mainly have only a few ingredients, and you need to use your brain to make them special."

"I think tomorrow I will improve the big pot dishes in the third canteen, and let everyone try them to see the response. Then the factory leadership team will make the final decision."

After He Yuzhu finished speaking, he looked at everyone present with confident eyes.

"Good, Deputy Director He is young and promising, calm and steady, responsible and capable of taking on responsibilities!" Director Yang praised happily.

"Young but old, are you saying I look old? I will only be 23 after the Chinese New Year! No, I want to beautify myself, I want to look younger..." He Yuzhu was shouting in his heart.

"Thank you fellow workers and leaders for your recognition and expectations of me. I will work hard!"

"Dear leaders, I'll have to get back to work first," He Yuzhu said to them.

"Go, go... Don't feel pressured, we all have confidence in you." Director Yang encouraged He Yuzhu.

The next day, He Yuzhu brought the "Atractylodes macrocephala, Amomum villosum, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, star anise, cumin, costus root, angelica dahurica, Sannai, Alpinia officinalis, dried ginger, etc." bought from the Chinese medicine shop to the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill.

He Yuzhu called Liu Lan, Ma Hua, and the fat guy to the canteen for the reception, and arranged for the other staff members to go out. He told them to grind "purple kojic, amomum villosum, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, star anise, cumin, costus root, angelica root, three nai, galangal, dried ginger, etc." into powder separately, and repeatedly asked them not to mix them together.

Yes, in this life, he will never hide anything. He Yuzhu wants to teach them cooking skills, recipes, secret recipes... little by little, hand in hand. He doesn't believe that with their skills, mastered food recipes, and seasoning secrets, they can't live a colorful, safe and smooth life.

In front of them, He Yuzhu mixed the ground "purple kojic, amomum villosum, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, star anise, cumin, costus root, angelica dahurica, galangal, ginger, dried ginger, etc." into two seasonings according to the proportions: "He's Thirteen Spices of a Hundred Flavors" and "He's Thirteen Spices of Meat and Vegetables".

After the preparation was completed, He Yuzhu asked Ma Hua to invite the monitor of the third canteen, handed him a certain amount of "He's Thirteen Spices" and "He's Meat and Vegetable Thirteen Spices", and told him when and how much vegetables and meat should be added when stir-frying the big pot dishes today.

The third canteen monitor left, and Liu Lan, Ma Hua and the fat guy looked at He Yuzhu with stars in their eyes.

At noon, the canteen’s big pots of dishes were laid out one by one. The aroma of the dishes was so charming that it made people salivate. The unique fragrance was unforgettable, as if one was in a refreshing gourmet world.

After lunch, everyone discussed during the break, and the deliciousness of the dishes in the third canteen was widely spread.

At 3-4 pm, the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill broadcast a female announcer's voice with a military air: "In view of the fact that Comrade Zhou Youfu, the canteen director, will retire at the end of the year, the factory labor union, the factory personnel department, and the factory director's office have decided to appoint Comrade He Yuzhu as the canteen director and he will officially take up the post after the New Year. I hope that the majority of workers and leaders will supervise this announcement!"