svetikya Page 258
Page 258
Only then did they let He Yuzhu leave the room and return to the kitchen.
A soup was quickly made, and then I made a taro and sweet potato ball.
Director Fan looked at the sweet potato balls on the white porcelain plate in front of him with great surprise and asked, "Chef He, this dessert is so beautiful. What's it called?"
"This is taro and sweet potato balls, made from taro and sweet potato. Please bring it to the table and let everyone try it and see how it tastes."
He Yuzhu was very confident in this dessert. He had just eaten a lot of meat and spicy food, and having some dessert after the meal would be a good way to cleanse his palate.
Director Fan thought it looked delicious and was full of confidence. On the way, he couldn't resist picking one up and putting it in his mouth.
It was indeed delicious. It's a pity that He Yuzhu wasn't an employee of the steel rolling mill, otherwise the quality of the meal replacements could have been improved even more.
The senior leader and several members had already eaten and drunk their fill, but after tasting the taro and sweet potato balls, they disregarded their image and scrambled for the taro and sweet potato balls on their plates.
Factory Director Yang quickly gave a wink to the deputy factory directors, signaling them not to compete with the inspection team members.
This comical scene was something even Director Yang had never seen before.
However, he was secretly pleased to see this, and his opinion of He Yuzhu improved even further.
This young man is humble and composed, a truly rare and excellent chef. It's just a pity he's not an employee of my factory, so I can't often enjoy his cooking.
After the inspection team finished eating the last taro and sweet potato ball, they went to the reception room to drink tea to sober up, and they kept praising He Yuzhu's cooking skills.
He Yuzhu rested for a while, and then saw Director Fan standing outside the door gesturing to him. He put down his enamel mug and went out.
Director Fan said, "Thank you so much, Master He, for your help today."
As they were talking, they slipped a red envelope to him.
"You're too kind. It's nothing. Besides, my dad was one of your soldiers. He used to come to the kitchen to play when he was a kid."
He Yuzhu spoke modestly, but pushed his hand forward.
"Take it, take it. We'll keep things separate here. Although you're considered a son of someone from the steel mill, you're not an employee of our factory. We're just doing you a favor for the night; it's just a small token of our appreciation."
If He Yuzhu didn't accept the offer, although he would still have done a favor, he would know that it would be impossible to ask him to cook again in the future.
Only if he accepts the red envelope will it be easier to invite him again next time he needs to treat someone.
He Yuzhu declined a few times, but eventually accepted the red envelope and put it in his pocket.
Director Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief; the task assigned by Factory Director Yang had finally been completed.
Then he said, "Chef He, your cooking skills have impressed the leader. We'll need your help again in the future. Could you cook for the leader at his home a few times?"
He Yuzhu thought for a few seconds, which made Director Fan very anxious, before saying, "As long as I have time, I would be happy to, but as you know, I also have work, so I may not be able to find the time."
"Yes, yes, yes, it won't interfere with your work. We can discuss it further if needed."
"Okay, just let my father know in advance."
That's what they say, but it still depends on your mood at the time. You can just say you don't have time to refuse.
Of course, if he has time, He Yuzhu doesn't mind cooking at the big boss's house, since the big boss is a person he can get along with.
Who could blame them when Director Fan gave such a generous red envelope!
The two discussed some details, and then Director Fan arranged for He Yuzhu and his son to get into a jeep and be driven directly home.
He Yuzhu entered the house. Xu Huizhen was packing her luggage. When she saw him come in, she asked:
"Have you got a meal yet?"
"I've already eaten. I ate at the steel rolling mill."
He Yuzhu dropped the red envelope and went to the bathroom to wash up. Just then, he heard Xu Huizhen ask loudly, "What are you doing? Someone gave you a red envelope?"
"Don't even mention it. Yi Zhonghai was so disrespectful and refused outright. Luckily, Director Yang stepped in to help me get revenge, gave Yi Zhonghai a good scolding, and ordered him to go to the glass bottle factory to make molds tomorrow."
"I'm asking you where you got this twenty yuan?"
"Of course it was given as a reward for cooking. Director Yang is very generous."
He Yuzhu then explained the whole story, and only then did Xu Huizhen accept the money.
He Yuzhu once said that when he came to the crib and saw his daughter Xiuer sleeping soundly, he couldn't help but reach out his finger to poke her chubby pink face.
"What are you doing? I just got her to sleep. If you wake her up, I'll get mad at you!" Xu Huizhen yelled, slapping He Yuzhu's arm.
He Yuzhu stopped, chuckled twice, and said, "I just missed my daughter!"
"Stop being so smug. You're never home during the day, and you don't even come to take care of your daughter. I have to look after the shop."
Xu Huizhen felt somewhat resentful. Giving birth was only painful for a moment, but taking care of a child was a never-ending ordeal, more exhausting than serving an ancestor.
He Yuzhu reached out and picked Xu Huizhen up, placing her on his lap and sitting down. He held her tightly in his arms, placing one hand on her stomach, and said, "You're pregnant with your second child. Why don't we find another maid to take care of the baby?"
At this time, there are still nannies available. The salaries of administrative staff are flexible, and if there are many children in the family, the cost of a nanny will be covered.
He Yuzhu's family is not short of money, so hiring a nanny to take care of the child is not a financial burden at all.
Xu Huizhen said, "I was just about to tell you about this. Huizhi is pregnant now, and we don't have anyone to help us."
He Yuzhu thought for a moment and said, "Alright, pick one of the young girls you've recruited who is quick and nimble and has a gentle personality to be your nanny."
He Yuzhu's shop is a two-courtyard house. The front courtyard has been converted into a storefront, where he sells breakfast items such as steamed buns, dumplings, spicy soup, and fried dough sticks every morning. He employs several women and young girls.
"That works too. I'll pick one from them."
He Yuzhu said, "I'll be taking over the sales work at the cannery from now on. I've been focusing all my energy on the cannery lately, so I haven't had time to take care of you and the kids. How about we close down the breakfast business?"
When He Yuzhu opened this shop two years ago, he just wanted to make more money, mainly because he didn't have much money back then. In the past two years, his braised meat business has grown significantly, and the profits have been substantial every year. It's fair to say that He Yuzhu no longer cares about the small profits of a breakfast stall.
Especially now that Huizhen is pregnant with her second child and has to take care of her eldest daughter Xiuer, while Huizhi is also pregnant and will soon be going to the countryside to give birth.
It would be better to stop the breakfast business altogether, so that this courtyard can just be a home and be quiet.
Xu Huizhen had never thought about this question before, and she was quite surprised when she heard it. After thinking about it, it was indeed a good choice. Anyway, He Yuzhu now earns 90 yuan a month and has a quarter of the profit from the braised meat shop, so he won't have any problems with his future life.
However, he said, "It's a good idea, but we need to give them enough time to find new jobs. We can keep them working for another month or two until they all find jobs before closing the breakfast stall."
"Then it's settled."
The next morning, He Yuzhu arrived at the street office ahead of time and reported to Director Li about his visit to Yi Zhonghai the day before. Before he could finish speaking, there was a knock on the office door.
"Please come in," said Director Li.
Then the door was pushed open, revealing Yi Zhonghai's sour face.
Chapter 192 Very good, I'll wait one more day.
Yi Zhonghai's expression changed quickly, his face now plastered with a kind smile. After entering, he greeted Director Li, as if he hadn't even seen He Yuzhu.
After exchanging pleasantries, he said, "Although my skills have reached the level of an 8th-grade worker, I am just an ordinary worker in the steel rolling mill and have no right to decide what kind of work to do."
This statement was very skillful. First, it emphasized that the person's skills had reached the level of an 8th-grade worker, and then it explained that the person's status was different and that they did not have the right to take on outside work, thus indirectly explaining their own situation.
Director Li smiled and said, "Master Yi, this is because we didn't follow the procedure. It's not your fault. Here's what happened."
Then he explained what he had asked Yi Zhonghai to do, and concluded by saying:
“Starting today, I’ll be troubling Master Yi. You’ll go to the cannery with Zhu Zi, and he’ll explain to you what to do with the molds.”
"Yes, Director, I will definitely get things done."
The level of a street director is equivalent to that of a town mayor or party secretary. Ordinary residents would never be able to find the director to handle their affairs.
The residents are actually managed by the neighborhood committee. A neighborhood committee has one hundred to three hundred households, and the corresponding levels are the village head and the party secretary.
Although Yi Zhonghai was a level eight worker at the steel plant, he usually only dealt with the neighborhood committee.
This was the first time I had talked to the director of the neighborhood committee. Of course, it wasn't that I had never met Director Li before, but we had at most exchanged greetings when we met and had never spoken to each other privately.
Yi Zhonghai was still quite uneasy, wondering if He Yuzhu had complained about him to him. However, judging from his enthusiastic manner, at least they could maintain a semblance of harmony.
But just as they made contact, he was assigned to work under He Yuzhu and had to put up with his bad temper again. It was truly an unlucky year.
He Yuzhu said, "Sis, if there's nothing else, I'll take Lao Yi and leave first."
"Okay, I'll leave this to you. If there's anything you can't handle, come find me."
He Yuzhu nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely get things done."
He gestured for Yi Zhonghai to come out and asked, "How did you get here?"
“I came on foot,” Yi Zhonghai said.
He Yuzhu shouted, "Hey Lao Yi, with such a high salary, you don't even buy a bicycle?"
"Don't you know where my money went?" Yi Zhonghai retorted angrily.
He Yuzhu's words hit a nerve. Ever since He Daqing left, he had been having a run of bad luck, and most of the money he earned ended up in He Yuzhu's pocket.
Many of the remaining children went into the Xu family's household, and they now have to give them 30 yuan every month.
The elderly couple barely make ends meet with 30 yuan a month; how could they possibly afford to buy a bicycle?
Yi Zhonghai looked at He Yuzhu with deep resentment. It was all because of this scoundrel that he had ruined his family's wealth accumulated over decades.
He Yuzhu chuckled and said, "Alright then, since that's the case, I'll be generous and give you a ride on my bicycle today."
He Yuzhu was too lazy to ask, and even if he did, Yi Zhonghai would postpone it by saying that he couldn't ride a bicycle.
I can't exactly push my bicycle myself and then walk with him.