This is hardly surprising.
The original owner's culinary skills were not bad; according to the System's grading system, they were roughly at the primary silver level.
After transmigrating, He Yuzhu's culinary skills gradually improved, advancing from primary silver to intermediate and senior levels, and now reaching the primary gold level.
Primary silver is equivalent to the standard of a national first-class chef, intermediate silver represents a top international standard, and senior silver was already a rarity in this world.
Despite the material scarcity of this era, he only needed to make a few slight adjustments, and everyday dishes like sweet-and-sour shredded cabbage or shredded radish salad could be transformed into astonishing delicacies.
Every guest who tasted his cooking became a regular.
Gradually, hosting duties came around almost every two or three days.
No one blamed He Yuzhu, because these tasks benefited everyone involved: the factory leaders could use them to build closer relationships, the chefs and kitchen staff could take home leftover food, and he himself could improve his culinary skills.
However, he understood that he could not keep improving without limit.
He Yuzhu decided to temporarily keep his cooking at the senior silver level and never use the primary gold level.
Otherwise, once word spread, it would be difficult to continue living his current leisurely life.
Yet too much monotony is also boring, and life occasionally needs a ripple or two to spice things up.
Today was one of those rippling days He Yuzhu had planned.
After the banquet ended, he kept Mahua behind and told the others to leave.
"Master, is there anything else?"
Mahua asked.
"If we don't teach that Xu Damao a lesson, I definitely won't be able to sleep tonight!"
He Yuzhu said.
"Master, you can't deal with him—the factory leaders are still here!"
"Precisely because the leaders are present, we can deal with him."
"Why is that?"
"Xu Damao drinks in three steps. Step one: sweet-talk the leaders and butter them up; step two: make grand boasts to himself, drinking three cups for every one the leader drinks; as for step three..."
"What on earth is step three? Tell me quickly!"
"What else could it be? Of course, drinking until he blacks out! Mahua, go check if there's anyone else around."
Mahua went out to check and quickly returned to report: "There's no one left. Only Xu Damao is passed out on the bed in the reception room."
Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu put down his enamel mug and jumped off the stool.
"Let's go!"
He took Mahua and strode unsteadily toward the reception room...
Early the next morning.
In the back kitchen of the Red Star Rolling Mill.
Xu Damao woke up with a start, the chill from his hangover making him shiver.
He opened his eyes groggily and found himself tied to a stool, his lower body exposed.
A noise came from behind him. He turned his head and saw He Yuzhu sleeping soundly on a long bench.
Xu Damao shouted anxiously: "Shazhu!"
He Yuzhu rolled over, grunted, and slowly opened his eyes.
Xu Damao said anxiously: "Untie me right now! Believe it or not, I'll go report you to the factory!"
He Yuzhu replied lazily: "You just wait until the old women from the cafeteria get here in a minute. They'll be here any second now—let's see what you do then!"
After saying that, He Yuzhu lay back down and went back to sleep.
Hearing this, Xu Damao felt a cold jolt in his heart.
Although he was usually quite shrewd, whenever he encountered that group of women, he lost all his nerve.
To make matters worse, he was still naked from the waist down. If word got out, the whole factory would know about his humiliating ordeal.
Thinking of this, Xu Damao immediately changed his tune and said ingratiatingly, "Brother Zhu, I was just joking. I really won't go report you to the factory. I'm freezing to death right now—hurry up and untie me!"
He Yuzhu sat up and said sternly: "You really don't know the rules. I'm not harming you; I'm helping you!"
"Do you have any idea what you did after getting drunk yesterday?"
"After getting drunk last night, you ran behind the factory wall, saw a pretty girl, and straight up grabbed and kissed her. You refused to let go, and in the end, you even took off her pants!"
"Good thing I ran into you. If it had been anyone else, you wouldn't be tied up here right now—you'd be locked up in the police station!"
"Do you know what this kind of behavior is called? Sexual harassment!"
Xu Damao was dumbfounded after hearing this.
"No way?"
He said uncertainly.
After all, he knew what kind of person he was; doing something like that wasn't entirely outside the realm of possibility.
"Believe it or not, it's up to you. If you don't believe me, I won't untie you. When those women get here in a while, I'll let them have a good look at you!"
"Do you know what 'watching a melon' means? That's right—it means stripping off your clothes and parading you around the factory for everyone to see!"
"Now that you understand, that's settled. Once they've had a look and cleared up the situation, I'll bring the victimized girl over so you can confront each other face-to-face. Then the matter will be resolved!"
Xu Damao was so anxious he was jumping up and down. "Don't you dare trick me, this is no joking matter!"
"Believe it if you want."
He Yuzhu turned and walked toward the door.
"Hey, wait, old He, old He!"
"Still calling me old He? Forget it, whatever."
He Yuzhu walked out without looking back, and Xu Damao panicked and shouted, "Grandpa!"
He Yuzhu frowned and waved his hand. "Does your family's ancestor worship involve calling people that? Just two syllables will do!"
Xu Damao took a deep breath and gritted his teeth as he shouted: "Grandpa!"
He Yuzhu instantly smiled. "Ah, good boy. Wouldn't it have been fine if you'd just called me that sooner?"
With that, He Yuzhu walked over and untied the ropes, lecturing him as he worked: "Come on, Grandpa will untie you, hurry up, hurry up. Let me tell you, kid, if you hadn't run into me, you'd be sitting in a prison cell right now, understand? I'm doing this for your own good!"
Xu Damao stood up and asked: "Where are my cotton trousers?"
He Yuzhu pointed to the rack nearby. "Right there, hanging out to dry!"
"And my briefs?"
"Those? We tossed around too much last night, and it took a huge effort just to drag you back. How could I worry about briefs? Why don't you go check the back courtyard?"
Xu Damao put on his cotton trousers, the smile that had just been on his face instantly vanishing into a dark scowl. He pointed at He Yuzhu and cursed angrily: "Shazhu, you really are a bastard!"
He Yuzhu said innocently: "Look at you, putting on your pants and immediately turning your back on someone?"
Xu Damao gritted his teeth: "You just wait, I'll definitely settle this score with you!"
He Yuzhu casually picked up a kitchen knife from the table. "Right now, I'll let you taste how tough I am!"
Xu Damao turned and bolted. Ever since he was a kid, he had been beaten countless times by He Yuzhu, and he knew very well he was no match for him.
Watching his flustered and bedraggled figure, He Yuzhu chuckled softly: "Let's see how you go on blind dates now!"
He Yuzhu and Xu Damao lived in the same courtyard. Xu Damao was selfish, hypocritical, and deeply envious—a thorough hypocrite.
The two of them usually went tit-for-tat, neither willing to yield an inch.
He Yuzhu was very familiar with *Love Across the Courtyard* and knew the characters inside and out.
In his view, someone like Xu Damao was simply unreasonable.
According to Deaf Old Lady, if it were the War of Resistance Against Japan, Xu Damao would definitely have been a traitor.
Today was the day of Xu Damao's blind date with Lou Xiaoe.
Just think, Lou Xiaoe had once given birth to He Yuzhu's only offspring; how could He Yuzhu ever allow the two of them to get involved?
Seeing Xu Damao hurry off, He Yuzhu tidied himself up and immediately headed home.
If this play was to come to a satisfactory conclusion, every single link in the chain was crucial.
Before leaving, He Yuzhu picked up his lunchbox and was about to step out when he suddenly remembered something, picked out a rooster head from the basin of stewed chicken.
It was only a twenty-minute walk from the factory to his home.
As he neared home, passing an abandoned bridge, He Yuzhu caught a whiff of something burning mixed with the rich aroma of chicken.
He couldn't help but smile.
It seemed that although his transmigration had caused a few ripples, many details remained just as they were.
He leaned over to peer through the bridge arch and sure enough, he saw Banggeng and his two younger siblings gnawing on beggar's chicken.
Banggeng was still holding a stolen bottle of soy sauce, pouring a little over the chicken every now and then.
He Yuzhu didn't disturb them and quietly walked away.
*
In front of the courtyard gate, He Yuzhu gazed up at the lintel with a deep sense of emotion.
Grey walls and green tiles, their rustic simplicity carrying a sense of steady permanence.
This was the ancient capital of a thousand years, every alley and every residence imbued with the traces of time.
This was a standard old Beijing courtyard house.
The main gate was set off-center in the southeast corner; unlike ordinary dwellings, this was a unique touch of old Beijing flair.
As the saying goes: "Open the main gate to the southeast, no need for a feng shui master."
What did that mean?
It meant that if the main gate was set in the southeast position, there was no need to seek out geomancers—the feng shui of this residence was naturally auspicious.
He never imagined he would actually find a place to live here, and he couldn't help feeling deeply moved.
Fifty years from now, this property would be worth hundreds of millions.
After a brief daydream, He Yuzhu stepped up the steps.
The courtyard was divided into three sections—front, middle, and back—and there were several respected elders who handled neighborhood disputes and mediation.
There were three senior patriarchs in this courtyard, respectfully addressed as First Uncle, Second Uncle, and Third Uncle.
Whenever a dispute arose within the courtyard, to prevent matters from leaking out, the three elders would usually preside over a full courtyard meeting to discuss and resolve the issue together.
The three elders lived in the three different sections of the courtyard, each with their own responsibilities.
Third Uncle Yan Fugui lived in the front courtyard, and everyone privately called him Yan Laoxi.
He was calculating to a fault, not only toward outsiders but even sparing none of his own sons.
He was a primary school Chinese teacher, supporting a family of seven or eight on just his salary, making for a very tight and meager life.
First Uncle Yi Zhonghai lived in the middle courtyard. He was a level-eight bench worker at the rolling mill, earning a monthly salary of ninety-nine yuan—even higher than the factory director.
He had no children and feared nothing more than having no one to care for him in his old age.
He was an impartial and fair man whom everyone in the courtyard respected and trusted.
He secretly helped destitute widows like Widow Qin and solitary elders like Deaf Old Lady, but he never mentioned it to anyone.
Second Uncle Liu Haizhong lived in the back courtyard and was a level-seven forge worker at the rolling mill.
He was obsessed with official titles, had a volatile temper, and frequently beat and scolded his sons.
In his eyes, apart from First Uncle and He Yuzhu, he, Second Uncle, feared no one.
As soon as He Yuzhu stepped into the front courtyard, he was intercepted by Yan Laoxi: "Zhuzi, off work!" He Yuzhu felt a slight tightening in his chest; he knew that everyone in the courtyard, young and old alike, called him Shazhu.
At first, he had found it a bit awkward, but over time he had grown used to it.
The moment Third Uncle called him Zhuzi, he knew nothing good could come of it.
"Third Uncle, you go ahead with whatever you're busy with, I have some urgent matters and I'll catch up with you later!" On one hand, he really did have things to deal with and had to guard against a petty villain like Xu Damao; on the other hand, he truly disliked Second Uncle.
In his eyes, there weren't many good people in this courtyard, and watching *Love Across the Courtyard* back then had almost made him die of anger.
However, he felt that First Uncle, Aunt Yi, and Deaf Old Lady were worth interacting with.
Although He Yuzhu wasn't particularly fond of Third Uncle, he put on a very thorough superficial show, making sure not to give the other man anything to hold against him.
Still, he would dodge him whenever he could, refusing to let anyone take advantage of him.
Third Uncle watched He Yuzhu hurry off, a look of puzzlement in his heart.
Truth be told, he really did need He Yuzhu's help with something.
He Yuzhu soon arrived at the middle courtyard, which was his home.
There were four major households in the middle courtyard: First Uncle, Xu Damao, Qin Huairu, and himself.
The courtyard was quiet in the morning. Qin Huairu was doing laundry by herself.
She was the mother of Banggeng, the boy who had stolen the soy sauce. She possessed delicate and pretty features, and though she was already the mother of three, she still retained an undeniable attraction to the opposite sex.
On a whim, He Yuzhu thought about teasing her from behind, but immediately realizing it was inappropriate, he quickly backed away.
Qin Huairu's late husband had been a fellow worker at the same factory; after he died in a workplace accident, the factory arranged for her to take over his position.
Now she was raising three children and her mother-in-law all by herself, and her monthly salary of twenty-five yuan was clearly stretched to the breaking point.
Even so, she stubbornly refused to let her children suffer, and coupled with her mother-in-law's insistence that she save money for her old age, the pressure of life multiplied.
With no other choice, she searched everywhere for additional sources of income.
Fortunately, the original owner often took food from the kitchen to give to them as charity.
Even so, children like Banggeng still occasionally resorted to theft.
If it were just that, He Yuzhu might not have cared to keep extending a helping hand.
However, the moment he first watched *Love Across the Courtyard*, he had despised this family, feeling that every single one of them was mercenary and heartless.
Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu's mother-in-law, was supremely selfish, hoarding money even when the family was in financial straits to guard against the future.
The three grandchildren had stolen valuables from Qin Huairu's maiden family since childhood, and after growing up, they even occupied their home. Although their jobs had been arranged with the help of Qin Huairu's maiden family, they never treated them well, and even stopped her from remarrying.
As a mother and a daughter-in-law, Qin Huairu could be considered a model of virtue, which was why so many people felt deep sympathy for her.