Siheyuan's Silly Pillar has been replaced by someone else

Having no other choice, the fat man had to explain the significance of Wensi Tofu to the group of people.

He emphasized, "Wensi Tofu is a dish served at state banquets. How big is your restaurant that you want to serve state banquet dishes?"

In the entire city of Beijing, how many chefs are qualified to cook for state banquets?

The words "state banquet dish" stunned Yi Zhonghai and his entourage.

"You mean, Sha Zhu's cooking skills are good enough to prepare dishes for state banquets?"

Their eyes were fixed on the fat man, hoping he would utter something other than those two words.

The fat man said, "I've never eaten at a state banquet, how would I know?"

This answer wasn't what they wanted, but it offered them some comfort.

"I knew Sha Zhu's cooking skills couldn't be that good. If he were that good, we would have hired him to cook state banquets."

"Yes, the fact that we didn't contact him means he's not qualified."

Yan Bugui and Yi Zhonghai discussed for a while, belittling He Yuzhu to no end, before Yan Bugui recovered from his shock.

They simply couldn't accept that He Yuzhu's achievements were beyond their comprehension.

In the end, the fat man made a hot and sour shredded potato dish.

This is a home-style dish. Fatty's basic skills are quite good; the potato shreds are cut to a uniform thickness.

After eating it, the group thought it was quite good.

Yan Bugui smelled the aroma and said, "It tastes almost the same as what Sha Zhu makes."

Don't ask him why he's so sure. The answer is that he's been eating cornbread for decades, drawn by the aroma of He Yuzhu's family's food.

Yi Zhonghai thought of the deaf old lady again. At this moment, he finally understood why the deaf old lady, who already had him to take care of her in her old age, still needed to hire a cook.

Having a chef to take care of you in your old age is truly a luxury.

Their restaurant isn't big, and they can't afford to serve any particularly expensive dishes.

Qin Huai then asked, "Old Yi, Old Yan, how are things?"

Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui exchanged a glance and agreed.

Liu Haizhong returned from outside and, having heard about the commotion, curiously came over.

"I heard you hired a head chef?"

Qin Huairu said with a smile, "Old Liu, you've come at the right time. Quickly try this dish and see how it is."

Liu Haizhong didn't stand on ceremony and tried it. He hadn't really thought much of it, figuring it would be acceptable.

After eating, his eyes lit up: "Where did you find this chef? His skills are pretty good."

This dish tastes almost exactly like the ones at Sha Zhu's restaurant.

Based on his evaluation, Yi Zhonghai and the others mistakenly believed that the fat man's cooking skills were quite good.

"Fatty, it's settled then, you'll be the head chef of the restaurant from now on." Qin Huairu didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to become the head chef and was ready to finalize the deal.

The fat man, looking smug, began to negotiate: "You've all seen my cooking skills. How much are you planning to pay?"

You should know that the head chef at Shazhu Restaurant earns several thousand yuan a month.

Qin Huairu started playing the victim again: "Fatty, my restaurant can't compare to Sha Zhu's. I definitely can't pay you that much."

How about one hundred dollars?

She said that price through gritted teeth. If she weren't incapable of doing the job herself, she would never have offered such a high salary.

Not only was he heartbroken, but Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui were also heartbroken. Neither of them had ever earned such a high salary in their lives, yet now they were expected to pay others the same amount.

But we can't refuse to pay this salary.

Yan Bugui, in particular, knew that this amount of money was not much.

You should know that Yan Jiecheng's restaurant pays the chefs five hundred yuan a month.

The fat man snorted and stood up: "You'd better find someone else."

Back in the day, my skills were even better than those of the MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association).

"One hundred yuan? Who do you think you are?"

Yan Bugui said, "You said it yourself, it was back then. How many years has it been since you cooked in the kitchen?"

When it comes to scheming, the three old men in courtyard number 95 are second to none.

Despite their haggling, the fat man ultimately didn't ask for the high price of 500.

However, his price wasn't low; he asked for three hundred yuan a month. After the fat man left, Liu Haizhong asked, "When will your restaurant open?"

Now that everything is ready, the group naturally doesn't want to wait any longer.

Qin Huairu, in particular, was hoping to use this restaurant to trick Bang Geng into bringing home a wife.

She certainly hoped the restaurant would open soon.

"We'll open for business as soon as we've tidied up a bit. Old Liu, don't forget to come and support us."

Liu Haizhong left with a smile. After he left, everyone in the courtyard knew that Qin Huairu had found He Yuzhu's apprentice to open a restaurant together.

Fatty did indeed consider himself He Yuzhu's apprentice before, and had learned cooking skills from He Yuzhu.

In addition, everyone thought that Yi Zhonghai and his group were shrewd and would definitely not hire someone who was not good at cooking, so they didn't think much of it.

Therefore, everyone thought that Yi Zhonghai and his associates were about to make a fortune.

Currying favor with the powerful is an instinct for residents of courtyard houses.

When they learned of this news, their eyes were filled with envy and respect as they looked at Yi Zhonghai and the others.

Yi Zhonghai hadn't felt that way in years, and he was incredibly excited.

In order to restore the old man's glory, they are much more proactive when it comes to paying money.

When Xu Damao returned home and learned of the news, he felt that something was amiss.

Not understanding the situation, he went to MCA.

"Is the fat man's cooking really that good?"

Ma Hua is well aware of this, saying, "The fat man didn't study with my master for long, so he doesn't know many dishes."

Xu Damao then said, "You mean, Yi Zhonghai and the others were scammed?"

Ma Hua shook his head: "That's not what I meant. Fatty doesn't know much, but it's enough to run a small restaurant."

Think about it, that old steamed bun shop wasn't very big, and the people who ate there mostly ordered ordinary dishes.

Xu Damao said resentfully, "They got off too easy."

MCA shook its head again.

This has left Xu Damao completely bewildered.

He's the one who says the fat guy is a good cook, but Ma Hua doesn't agree that the fat guy makes money.

"What exactly do you mean? Can you explain yourself clearly?"

Ma Hua explained, "The fat man's cooking skills are definitely good enough to support a small restaurant."

If he and his wife opened a small restaurant like that, they might not make a lot of money, but it would be enough to live on.

But if I partner with someone, there won't even be enough money to pay salaries.

Xu Damao quickly understood: "According to you, their business will definitely lose money in the end."

Ma Hua said, "I haven't had any contact with Fatty for over ten years. I'm not sure how good his skills are now."

What if he learned to cook from someone else?

Xu Damao said dismissively, "There are no such 'what ifs'. He's been working in the factory all these years, where would he learn to cook?"

You're just too timid.

"Alright, I'm relieved that their business isn't doing well."

It's true that Xu Damao can't stand seeing others doing well; that's definitely part of his personality.

If there were no problems with Yi Zhonghai's restaurant, Xu Damao would definitely try to sabotage it.

Ma Hua doesn't care about him. What happens to the people in the courtyard is none of his business.

He's content as long as those people don't bother him.

Xu Damao went out without saying any of this, but instead praised Yi Zhonghai and the others highly, as if they were about to make a fortune.

His tactic is called "praise to death".

The people in the compound didn't understand these things, and when they saw Xu Damao, they all said that Yi Zhonghai and his group could make money. So they wanted to invest as well.

Their reasoning was based on a phrase often used by Yi Zhonghai: one shouldn't be too selfish.

Unable to admit that he was wrong, Yi Zhonghai shifted the blame to Yan Bugui.

Yan Bugui was also unwilling to agree. He believed that others should be grateful if he didn't take advantage of them; how could he tolerate others taking advantage of him? (End of Chapter)