Siheyuan: I am the Smart Pillar

In the first grade class of Hongxing Primary School, He Yushui came in, and the classmates gathered around her in brand new clothes. They all looked at her with envy, and they didn't understand why He Yushui, who used to wear tattered clothes, was wearing such nice clothes today.

Yu Haitang and He Yushui are very good friends. She was very upset today. Born in poverty, she was looked down upon in this school. The clothes she was wearing were her sister's old clothes, and her mother had altered them for her. Seeing her sister wearing new clothes made Yu Haitang very upset. She didn't understand why. Anyway, she was very upset.

But she still forced herself to ask, "Yushui, who bought you this dress?" He Yushui was very happy. She was often laughed at by her classmates at school for dressing like a beggar. But today she was very proud. She raised her eyebrows and said, "This set of clothes and shoes were bought for me by my brother yesterday. They were bought at the supply and marketing cooperative and cost several dozen yuan."

In fact, He Yushui didn't remember how much money he spent yesterday, but that didn't stop him from showing off. His classmates were so envious that their eyes almost popped out, because their clothes were all made by their older brothers who had repaired them. Yu Haitang's eyes almost popped out with envy, he had wanted to have a brother since he was a child, like other children, to have a brother to support him when he was bullied.

Yu Haitang asked, "Hey, Yushui, can I go to your house tonight? Your brother is a chef, isn't he?" He Yushui thought about it and agreed. After all, Yu Haitang is one of her few friends. With such a friend, she can study in this class with peace of mind. Her brother should not be against it.

After delivering He Yushui, He Yuzhu went to the steel mill. Just a few minutes after entering the kitchen, the canteen director came in with his hands behind his back. The canteen director was a bald middle-aged man in his 40s, named Wu Laiyu. It was said that there was a severe drought in their hometown one year, and his father gave him this name in the hope that there would be rain in the fields.

Wu Laiyu stood with his hands behind his back, looking at everyone in the cafeteria with authority, and said, "Today, the superiors are coming to our cafeteria to assess the staff. This is a very good thing for everyone. If you are confident, you can sign up with me now." Everyone looked at each other. No one wanted to be the first to step out, after all, they did not have that much confidence in themselves.

Wu Laiyu was a little angry. If no one from the canteen took the assessment, wouldn't it mean that there was something wrong with him as the director? Wanting to get angry, He Yuzhu raised his hand and said, "Director, I'll sign up." Wu Laiyu nodded. At least there was one person taking the assessment, so he could still be justified as the canteen director.

The other aunts were whispering to each other, saying that He Yuzhu had only been here for a few days and he wanted to take the test. Wasn't he afraid of losing face? The canteen director didn't care about that. As long as the canteen could take the test this time, it was fine. Whether these people could pass the test or not was none of his business.

In the end, there were only five people in the cafeteria who took the exam. Wu Laiyu was angry, but there was nothing he could do. He glanced at the other people in the cafeteria and said, "Okay, the comrades taking the exam can take a break first, and the rest of you can go to work." Everyone nodded and went to work.

Today, the steel mill is very busy. All positions in the steel mill need to be re-evaluated. There is a banner at the entrance of the steel mill. Director Yang and the small leaders are welcoming something. Soon, a car arrived at the entrance of the steel mill. A middle-aged man got off the first car. The middle-aged man frowned and said, "It's a waste to do these fancy things. Waste is a very shameful behavior. I will never do it next time."

Director Yang immediately nodded and said he understood. He said to the middle-aged man, "Secretary Xu, do you want to take a rest first, and then..." Secretary Xu waved his hand and said, "We have several factories to assess today, so we don't have much time to rest. Let's get to work quickly."

Naturally, the leaders of the steel mill would not have any complaints. Secretary Xu thought for a while and said, "Well, let Engineer Li assess the fitters and forgers, and I will follow Chef Ma to assess the canteen." Everyone had no objections and went to their respective groups to do their own things.

Director Yang and a group of people went to the kitchen. Wu Laiyu awkwardly called out the five people who were being assessed. Director Yang looked unhappy. Secretary General Xu smiled and said, "Comrades, don't underestimate yourselves. You should have some confidence in yourself. Who of you five wants to be the first to show off?" He Yuzhu thought for a moment and stepped forward and said, "Reporting to the leader, I am willing to do it first."

Secretary Xu was very happy to see the young He Yuzhu. If a young man doesn't even have this little bit of drive, then Secretary Xu would look down on him. Secretary Xu winked at Chef Ma who was standing beside him. Chef Ma smiled and said, "Well, the young man is young and energetic. How old are you this year? How many chefs do you want to take the exam for?"

He Yuzhu smiled shyly and said, "I'm 18 years old this year. I've been learning to be a chef since I was a child. My family has three generations of chefs. I'm good at Sichuan cuisine, Shandong cuisine, and Tan cuisine... This time I'm going to take the Level chef exam." Chef Ma nodded and said, "Well, it seems that this is a family tradition. A calf is not afraid of a tiger. Then let's have a stir-fry, a steamed dish, and a soup."

He Yuzhu nodded, and his knife skills were outstanding as he placed the ingredients on the chopping board, which made Chef Ma beside him nod his head. After using the cooking promotion card, He Yuzhu had no problem taking the Level 4 chef certificate. After a while, the kitchen was filled with fragrance, which made Director Yang and the people who accompanied him swallow their saliva.

Wu Laiyu was very happy on the side, he didn't expect this kid to be so competitive. The three dishes were quickly finished, He Yuzhu first bowed to Chef Ma, he could tell that this chef was probably a big shot in the chef world, although he didn't know him, at least he could get to know him.

Chef Ma picked up the chopsticks beside him with a smile, took a bite of the stir-fried dish, then a bite of the steamed dish, and drank a sip of the soup. He nodded with satisfaction, looked at the examiners beside him and said, "What do you mean? What do you think of this boy's cooking skills?"