Siheyuan: Cooking journey

The beginning of a new day.

The sun was shining brightly and the weather was great.

He Yuzhu's mood is as beautiful as the weather.

The cafeteria in the morning.

Everything is the same as usual, the daily routine of kneading dough and steaming buns.

He Yuzhu kneaded the dough quietly. Round white steamed buns were born in his hands and then lined up obediently on the chopping board, as if they were standing in a row as if they were being punished.

Every movement is smooth and continuous, like flowing clouds and running water, revealing a harmonious beauty that attracts the attention of others.

not far away.

Liu Lan and Qin Huairu were busy peeling potatoes.

"What kind of weather is this? It's so gloomy. When the sky is gloomy, my mood becomes gloomy too."

While complaining, Liu Lan secretly glanced at the chopping board and said in a low voice, "Sister Qin, do you think He Yuzhu is a little different today?"

"Have it?"

Qin Huairu tilted her head to take a look curiously.

In her sight, He Yuzhu's face was gentle, and he lowered his head slightly to concentrate on kneading the dough. From this angle, only his profile could be seen. However, even so, Qin Huairu still noticed the difference. He looked so handsome that she couldn't help but take a few more glances.

An inexplicable feeling came over me.

Qin Huairu withdrew her gaze, lowered her head and continued to peel potatoes.

Some things, some events, you can't see the full picture if you are too close to them.

When I saw it clearly, it was already very far away.

"No way."

Liu Lan's voice became even lower. "Didn't you notice? He Yuzhu doesn't seem to be in a good mood today."

"Why didn't I feel that?"

Qin Huairu looked over there again in confusion and felt that He Yuzhu was no different from usual.

This "normal" is based on the standards of these two months.

Whether it was during working hours or the occasional encounter in the yard, he always looked cold.

Thinking of this, Qin Huairu felt mixed emotions.

At this moment, she was not sure what mood or thoughts she was in.

Once upon a time, thinking of his goodness and the place she once had in his heart, she wanted so much to fight for that place for the sake of lunch boxes, for the sake of children, or even for unknown reasons.

The distance is getting farther and farther, and the gap is getting bigger and bigger.

I thought that if I let go of those inappropriate thoughts, I would be able to calm down.

But this is not the case. When some things are let go and dissipate, we discover that there is something else hidden underneath.

"Maybe you just got here, so there's no comparison."

Liu Lan whispered, "I'm telling you, He Yuzhu was like this two months ago, cold and indifferent, ignoring people, and was indifferent when you talked to him. Recently, I felt that he was also an ordinary person, really, I didn't say that he was not like a human being before;

"Anyway, I can't really describe it. I just felt like he was so distant from us before, but he's been better recently. We can still talk to each other occasionally, and he seems to be in a good mood. Now, he's back to being the same as before, cold and silent. I can clearly feel it."

Qin Huairu peeled potatoes silently without saying anything.

She didn't know what to say. In her eyes, He Yuzhu had always been like this.

...

Lunch in the cafeteria began with music playing on the radio.

The workers lined up in long queues.

The people in front ordered their food and started talking about it.

"The canteen is different now that the director has changed. Yesterday they had chicken, and today they have pork."

"It smells so good. I don't know how long it's been since I last tasted meat."

"Yesterday's chicken was a stroke of luck, today's is real."

“I don’t know why, this cabbage used to taste good, but after adding pork, it feels like a completely different dish.”

There was constant discussion in the front, and the people queuing at the back were even more eagerly looking forward to it, wishing they could rush to the front immediately, fearing that if they were a step slower they would miss the meat.

Outside the cafeteria.

Yu Li brought her sister Yu Haitang and introduced the situation.

"This is the cafeteria. You have to queue up to buy food. You can exchange money for meal tickets, or use food coupons directly. Meal tickets are the most cost-effective."

"Sister, is your work hard?"

Yu Haitang noticed her sister's slightly tired expression.

"not bad."

Yu Li smiled and acted like a sister.

"On your first day at work, my sister will treat you to a meal. You don't know how delicious the food in our cafeteria is. It's obviously potatoes and cabbage, but the taste is completely different from what I cook at home."

"My brother-in-law mentioned it to me." Yu Haitang recalled, "The person who cooks in the cafeteria is He Yuzhu, he's a pretty good cook. He even said he wanted to invite him to our house for a banquet."

When Yu Li heard her sister mention this, she felt a pang of sadness.

The original wedding almost turned into a funeral. I thought life would get better and better, but it turned out to be worse than before.

At that time, there was no worry about not being able to get married, but now, she is stuck in a marriage that is in name only.

"By the way, I heard that at that time, my brother-in-law's family was planning to introduce He Yuzhu to me, right?"

Yu Haitang curled her lips, raised her chin slightly, and said arrogantly: "You really think too much. How could I possibly look down on a cook who cooks."

"Don't say that. He Yuzhu is actually a good person."

Yu Li looked at her sister who always had high standards and sighed:

"He earns a good salary every month, is single, works in the cafeteria, has no worries about food and drink, and can have whatever he wants to eat. It would have been great if you two could have gotten together back then."

"What's so good about it?"

Yu Haitang curled her lips arrogantly and said disdainfully:

"No matter how good you are, you are just a cook. I don't want you even for free."

"You……"

Yu Li hesitated slightly, shook her head, and ultimately said nothing more.

The two walked into the cafeteria.

In this steel mill, female workers are regarded as rare animals.

As soon as Yu Haitang, who exuded youthfulness, appeared, she immediately became the focus of the audience.

Yu Li's appearance is not inferior to her sister, but her sister is taller and more eye-catching.

In addition, Yu Li was wearing work clothes and looked a little disheveled after being busy for a morning, while Yu Haitang, wearing a floral dress, was more radiant in comparison and almost stole all the limelight.

"Look, look, is there a new one? She's so pretty."

"I heard that an announcer came. I guess it's her."

"Our steel mill finally has a beautiful girl. Is it because she is pretty that they hired her?"

"Hey, why are you all lining up at the back? Wait for me."

......

Listening to the workers' discussions, a hint of pride flashed across Yu Haitang's face.

Seeing them running to the back of the team just to get a closer look at her, she became even more arrogant. She glanced at Yu Li and said disdainfully:

"Sis, you see how popular I am. What kind of person do you want to find? I'm not bragging, but I really don't like a cook."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard discussions coming from the front.

"How can Deputy Director Li have a stroke? When he fell, the canteen director was also in trouble."

"What a disaster! The previous canteen director had it all his own fault. He didn't even put any meat in the dishes."

"That's right, that's right. You see, things are different now that He Yuzhu is the canteen director. I'm notifying you that the prices of vegetables will remain the same, and there will be meat in every meal from now on."

"Hey, when it comes to meat, none of you can do it better than me. Liu Lan, the one who serves the dishes, used to be in our workshop. I often took care of her. I'll ask her to give me a few more pieces of meat later."

......

Yu Haitang's face froze, and he looked at Yu Li hesitantly.

"Sister, are there two He Yuzhu in your steel rolling mill?"