Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 268

Factory Director Yang was somewhat relieved. After all, He Yuzhu was relatively young, and if he didn't explain things to him, he might say something wrong and make the higher-ups very angry.

Secretary Zhang reminded him, "The factory manager's car is ready."

"Okay, let's set off too."

Factory Director Yang got into the car with He Yuzhu, and Secretary Zhang also sat in the passenger seat. This time, Director Fan stayed at the factory and did not come along.

The jeep drove out of the steel mill and headed west, soon arriving at a villa area. The license plate must have been registered beforehand, as the gatekeeper let it through directly.

Finally, we arrived at the outside of a villa.

After getting out of the car, Director Yang straightened his back noticeably and his expression became very serious, a far cry from his previous amiable demeanor.

Without even guessing, He Yuzhu knew he was about to meet the big boss, so he unconsciously straightened his back and straightened his clothes.

Factory Director Yang once again instructed He Yuzhu: "Be careful once you go inside, and don't say anything carelessly."

He Yuzhu made his assurances again, but he was still a little uneasy.

Lin Changzheng was the highest-ranking leader I had ever met, but he was just an official in the district public security bureau.

The person I'm about to meet is a high-ranking leader from a ministry, so I'm naturally a little nervous.

The top leader is the most direct and powerful person in the capital; his word carries significant weight.

When Lou Xiao'e's father was investigated, the top leader had already stepped down from his post, but he only made one phone call and released the whole family.

I'm really looking forward to meeting the big boss soon.

I took a deep breath and followed Director Yang up the steps.

Factory Director Yang was very satisfied with He Yuzhu's performance. An ordinary young man might have panicked, but He Yuzhu remained calm and composed.

After climbing the steps, Director Yang rang the doorbell.

"coming."

Not long after, a woman dressed as a nanny opened the door.

Seeing that it was Factory Director Yang, I was still a little confused.

Factory Director Yang spoke very politely: "Hello, ma'am, I'm Yang from the steel rolling mill. I had an appointment to report to the leadership today, and I brought this cook with me."

The nanny recognized him, of course, but she still said, "Director Yang, several people have already come to report on their work. I'll go and ask for instructions first. Please wait a moment."

"Okay, please."

Although they know each other, these words still need to be said once.

Despite being just an ordinary nanny in the household of a high-ranking official, Director Yang treated her with the utmost respect.

After all, even a fourth-rank official is treated like a servant in front of the prime minister.

The nanny closed the door behind her, and the two waited a minute or two before the door finally opened.

"Director Yang, the leaders would like to invite you two in."

"Thank you."

At this point, even Director Yang's secretary was kept outside. Of course, she couldn't actually stay outside; the nanny would arrange for the driver and accompanying staff to rest in another room.

After all this trouble, He Yuzhu finally entered the villa.

Currently, those who can afford to live in villas in Beijing are mostly high-ranking officials.

Upon entering, it felt distinctly different from the living environment inside a traditional courtyard house; this place was filled with a modern atmosphere.

After passing through the entrance hall, you can see several old men chatting in the living room in the distance.

The one in the lead was, of course, the big boss we'd met before, who was speaking to several men in their fifties dressed in Zhongshan suits and exuding an air of authority.

Some of the members were from the previous inspection team, while others were strangers.

At this moment, Director Yang was noticeably more hunched over. He walked over directly, warmly shook hands with the senior leader, and then introduced He Yuzhu to him.

"Is this Chef He who cooked last time? I'll leave dinner to you tonight."

The higher the rank of a leader, the more polite they are when speaking to ordinary people. Their strictness is only directed at their subordinates, while they are able to get along well with the general public.

"You're too kind, sir. Please rest assured, I will do my best to prepare this meal for you today."

Holding the high-ranking leader's hand, He Yuzhu was still a little excited, but it was a pity that he couldn't take a picture of this scene so that he could tell his children about the past in the future.

The senior leader was very satisfied with He Yuzhu's attitude and patted him affectionately on the shoulder. He was also very pleased to see He Yuzhu again, as he could finally relive the feeling of being back home.

However, He Yuzhu only saw him for a short two minutes before being led into the kitchen by the senior leader's secretary, Wang.

The room is quite large, about twenty square meters, and it has both a wood-burning stove and the latest gas stove.

Secretary Wang showed He Yuzhu the prepared ingredients and utensils: "Take a look and see if there's anything missing, so I can have someone prepare it."

As he spoke, he handed over a menu listing today's dishes.

He Yuzhu glanced at the list and saw that it contained authentic Sichuan dishes. He then checked the ingredients to make sure that everything was available in the kitchen.

"Nothing is missing; everything is prepared perfectly here."

Just then, the sound of leather shoes clattered, and a middle-aged woman walked in. She was dressed elegantly, and without any introduction, it was clear that she was the leader's wife.

Secretary Wang then introduced the two parties.

The leader's wife smiled and said, "Master He is so young!"

I had some doubts in my mind. I thought that chefs get better with age, and the more experience they have, the better the food they make.

He Yuzhu in front of me is really too young. Although he looks very mature, he is at most in his twenties.

He Yuzhu said, "Madam, please rest assured, I have already obtained the Level 1 Cook certificate, so cooking is no problem for me."

The leader's wife smiled and said, "Really? Then I'd like to try your cooking first."

But in his heart, he wondered if he had gotten this level of cook certificate through connections.

According to the secretary, the chef surnamed He in front of them did not work in any big hotels or restaurants; instead, he started a braised meat business.

I couldn't help but wonder if the certificate was fake, and if I actually didn't have such high skills.

In other words, they wanted to taste He Yuzhu's cooking first, and only if they were satisfied would they serve the food to their guests.

"Chef He, you're a professional at cooking, so hurry up and get ready. If you need anything, just tell Secretary Wang and he'll go buy it. There's a supply station nearby that has all kinds of ingredients."

Although the leader's wife's words were very veiled, He Yuzhu still understood them.

This is to ensure that there are enough supplies and seasonings so that if the food doesn't taste good, then the responsibility can be absolved from the host and it will all be attributed to He Yuzhu's poor cooking skills.

He Yuzhu nodded and said okay.

The leader's wife gave a few instructions, and then specifically told Secretary Wang to fully cooperate with He Yuzhu's requirements and not to slack off in any way.

The big boss is treating us to dinner today. He boasted to his fellow Sichuan natives that he'd had authentic Sichuan cuisine at a steel rolling mill.

The leader's wife was very worried that He Yuzhu, the young chef, would ruin tonight's dinner.

The leader's wife received a satisfactory answer and then turned to leave.

Secretary Wang also put aside his airs, picked up an apron from the side and tied it around his neck to help He Yuzhu.

"Master He, you'd better give it your all, or you won't be able to get past Madam."

As the secretary to a high-ranking leader, he naturally knew what kind of character the leader's wife possessed.

She's really too difficult to please. We've had quite a few chefs come to cook for us before, but not many of them have satisfied the boss's wife.

They weren't serving authentic Sichuan cuisine, but rather other regional cuisines.

He Yuzhu nodded and thanked him.

Secretary Wang didn't participate in the inspection team last time, so she didn't get to taste He Yuzhu's Sichuan cuisine, which is why she was so nervous today.

However, He Yuzhu's subsequent performance completely won over Secretary Wang, putting him at ease.

Chapter 199 Conquering the Boss's Wife

He Yuzhu, who had been all smiles just moments before, suddenly became incredibly serious when he picked up the kitchen knife.

With lightning speed, the knife moved swiftly, and the vegetables and meat were quickly chopped. I couldn't resist checking them with my hand.

Each slice of meat and vegetable was of uniform thickness and size, and when arranged on the plate, it was a feast for the eyes, like a work of art. It can be said that the knife skills were superb.

Now it's believed that He Yuzhu obtained the Level 1 cook certificate through his own abilities.

He Yuzhu's movements were dazzling; he completed the preparations in just about half an hour.

He Yuzhu glanced at his watch and then asked, "Secretary Wang, when will the banquet begin? I need to start cooking in advance so that the dishes can be served on time."

Secretary Wang finally recovered from his shock, nodded, turned and went out. A moment later, he came back in and said, "You can start cooking now. As long as you finish here, the banquet can begin."

"Okay, I'll get right on it."

He Yuzhu picked up the wok and started cooking the first dish of the day.

A moment later, the aroma of the ingredients filled the kitchen. Secretary Wang sniffed slightly and couldn't help but swallow. Chef He's cooking skills were really good; just the aroma alone was enough to make one's mouth water.

Seeing that there were plenty of ingredients, He Yuzhu cooked a lot, enough to fill two plates.

"The first dish, Kung Pao Chicken, is ready."