He Daqing, do you know how I've lived these past years?

Drum Tower of Sijiu City

"Brother, please help me. We are an orphan and a widow, and it's really tough for us."

A tall, righteous-looking woman was seen crying and clinging to the leg of a fat man.

"Xiaobai, you know my situation. I'm sometimes hungry and sometimes hungry. If this happens one day, my life will be in danger too."

"For your uncle's sake, I can only help you find a decent family. Here's some money; take it and treat Xiaoyong and the others to something good to eat."

The woman who collapsed and cried also clung tightly to his leg, saying:

"Brother, could you help me find a job? Otherwise, if they find out I have money, I might end up being sold into a brothel. There are several widows in my alley who have been kidnapped by their gang, and my ex-lover is ignoring me now."

The chubby man hesitated for a moment before saying:

"How about this, our commander is quite familiar with Lou Bancheng, and all the guards in the city have been replaced with his own people. I'll go and ask around for you."

The white widow laughed out loud upon hearing this, but then burst into tears.

"Brother, I'm just a widow, and I'm so thin. All the other shops in Loubancheng are run by family members, and they only hire workers from the steel mill, but I just can't handle it."

The chubby man also had a sudden inspiration and said:

"Here's what we'll do. I know a chef named He Daqing. He's a chef who makes the Tan family cuisine. He's quite skilled. You can go work as a helper in the kitchen of the steel factory and learn how to cook. I'll introduce you two then. Once you've both got a skill, you'll be able to make a decent living."

The white widow hesitated for a moment, then looked at her fair hands before agreeing, remembering the name He Daqing.

Without further ado, the chubby man started his motorcycle, had the widow ride behind him, and rode straight towards Lou's Steel Plant.

Under the arrangement of the housekeeper, Mrs. Lou, the widow began working as a helper in the factory canteen that very day.

……

"Knock knock knock knock knock"

As the bronze bell rang, workers emerged from several factory buildings.

"China Overseas, wait for me!"

Liu Haizhong called out to Yi Zhonghai as he ran.

Yi Zhonghai walked briskly towards the factory gate as if he hadn't heard anything.

"I don't know what's wrong with that fat guy, he used to always smile and offer me a cigarette whenever he saw me."

"Now when he sees me, he acts like he's in charge, talking to me like he's the boss. What's worse, he even asked me to offer him cigarettes. Ugh, he's already like this as a new apprentice. It ruins my whole day."

The sudden noise ahead startled Yi Zhonghai from his reverie.

"Look at this woman, she's such a righteous woman!"

"Hey, you know what, look at her ass, she's definitely got a son."

"I wonder if she's married or not. With a figure like that, I could break my ribs to make soup for her."

……

Yi Zhonghai was overjoyed to hear this. Having such a remarkable woman in the factory was like a gift from heaven—a chance to have a child!

So he squeezed through the crowd and looked at the woman in the middle.

"What, Xiaobai?"

Upon seeing that it was the White Widow, Zhong Hai's spirits plummeted.

"You're right, she did have two sons, but she couldn't have any more after that."

"No, this little white girl dares to work in the factory. Is she trying to pester me? I have to find a way to get rid of her, or my reputation will be ruined."

"But seeing this woman makes me hot-tempered. I'll go to Qin Family Village tonight and check on Huairu while I'm at it."

Zhonghai, who was still lost in thought, was suddenly startled by a hand patting his shoulder from behind.

Liu Haizhong, panting heavily, said:

"You bastard, Yi Zhonghai! I was calling you desperately from behind, and you dared to ignore me and even speed up! You don't respect Lou's Steel Plant, and you don't respect me at all! I'll make you regret this!"

A crow appeared on Yi Zhonghai's forehead, then in the blink of an eye, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, offered one to Haizhong, and said:

"Look at the mess this has made! I've got something to do. Oh, and I won't be home tonight. Tell my wife I'll treat you to dinner next time."

After saying that, he ran out of the factory gate without looking back.

Liu Haizhong also stared in disbelief, his mouth agape.

"Hmph, you think you can fob me off with a cigarette? I'm going to be the manager, and I've passed on my skills to my apprentices. They all listen to me, and Manager Lou smiles at me every day. Whether they eat your food or not depends on my mood."

After underestimating the situation, seeing the White Widow in the crowd also stirred his emotions.

"I can't take it anymore, is this girl from a brothel? Her every smile and gesture is killing me!"

With his hair tucked in, Liu Haizhong quickly ran towards the factory gate.

"I wonder if the child's mother went out to buy groceries while she was away."

……

Emei Restaurant

"Senior brother, look at my child's arms, he's definitely a master at flipping woks. I want him to become your apprentice."

A middle-aged man looked at the dried meat that He Daqing had brought and hesitated, saying:

"Da Qing, although we are brothers and family, I need to make this clear to you: the manager of this restaurant is a master from Sichuan, and I was introduced here by my master. If Yu Zhu doesn't learn the skills, he might have to leave."

He Daqing shook his head and said:

"Don't worry, senior brother. I'll teach him when he gets home. If he doesn't listen, I won't say anything even if I beat him to death."

The middle-aged man nodded, accepted the dried meat, and said to He Yuzhu:

"Then you'll be working for me from now on, but there's a condition I need to tell you: your father is here, and he knows all about it."

"The first rule is never to betray your teacher or ancestors."

"Secondly, although cooks don't go hungry during famine years, we cooks can't steal. That means we can't steal vegetables from the kitchen. If caught, we'll be expelled from the school."

"From now on, when you're in the kitchen, the manager will let you take groceries home."

He Yuzhu glanced at He Daqing, and seeing him nod, he agreed as well.

A moment later, He Yuzhu became an apprentice in the presence of the shopkeeper and many cooks.

He Daqing also used the restaurant's ingredients to cook two Tan family dishes, declined the manager's offer to stay, spent ten silver dollars on a cup of yellow wine, left He Yuzhu peeling potatoes behind, and headed towards the police station.

Half an hour later, He Daqing arrived at the police station and saw a bustling scene at the main entrance.

Jia Gui was simply smoking and giving orders to a large group of people.

He also quickly stepped forward and said:

"Old Jia, Old Jia!"

Jia Gui turned around and saw that it was He Daqing. He smiled and stood up, gave a few instructions to the people next to him, and then walked up to He Daqing.

"Your Majesty, what brings you here today? Please come in and have some tea."

He Daqing also shook his head and said:

"Old Jia, I've come today to ask you for a favor. Come to my house for dinner, and see what I brought."

Having said that, he raised the cup of yellow wine in his hand. Jia Gui, smelling the aroma of the wine, looked up at the sky and said to the patrolman behind him:

"We'll clear the tables in about half an incense stick's time. Everyone else, please come tomorrow. Make sure the list is ready; I'll send it over later."

After saying that, he took Da Qing's hand and walked towards Nanluoguxiang.

No. 95 Nanluoguxiang

Liu Haizhong, a short man, ran into the yard and saw his wife, Zhonghai, playing with rainwater. He said:

"Zhonghai's wife, Zhonghai has something to do, he won't be back tonight."

Without waiting for a reply, she ran straight to the backyard.

"Snapped"

The door slammed shut, and a moment later, a whirring sound came from inside.

The loud slamming of the door startled the wealthy old woman next door, causing her to drop the large piece of fatty meat she was about to eat. The old woman, furious, exclaimed:

"Damn fatso, if this were before, I would have beaten him to death."

A moment later, He Daqing and Jia Gui carried meat and vegetables into the courtyard, looking at Zhonghai's wife who was in a daze.

The Qing dynasty also stepped forward and asked:

"What's wrong, sister-in-law? Thank you for helping to bring the rainwater today. Why don't you come to my house for dinner later? I'll invite Zhonghai too."

Zhonghai's wife shook her head and said:

He's not coming home tonight.

Jia Gui also said enthusiastically:

"It's okay, I don't need to cook since I'm alone. We can just eat whatever's ready. Let's go."

Zhonghai's wife hesitated for a moment and said:

"That's really troublesome. I'll help you wash the vegetables."

Da Qing immediately turned around and started a fire to fry some pork cracklings and stir-fry some vegetables.

Jia Gui, seeing Jia Dongxu hiding nearby, also pulled out some fried dough sticks from his pocket and loudly asked:

"Dongxu, come here, hiding and sneaking around, to your uncle's place."

Jia Dongxu opened the half-closed door, rushed to Jia Gui, picked up the fried dough stick, bowed deeply, and said:

"Thank you, Uncle."

Jia Gui patted his head and said:

"Good boy, eat quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold. Where's your mother?"

Jia Dongxu looked up at the courtyard gate and said:

"Mom is picking up vegetable scraps at the West Gate market right now. I want to wait until Mom comes back so we can eat this fruit together."

Upon hearing this, Jia Gui angrily slammed his fist on the stool and said:

"What's going on? I gave her some silver dollars these past two days, and she's still picking up vegetable scraps. Isn't this a disgrace to Jia Gui?"

After scolding him, seeing Dongxu cowering in fear, he suppressed his anger, pulled out a dozen or so silver dollars from his pocket, and said:

"Dongxu, keep this money safe for yourself. Use it to buy something to eat when you're hungry. Don't give it to your mother; she doesn't know how to use money."

Jia Dongxu cried as a result:

"Thank you, Uncle. Mom said this money is for me to get married. Every time I come back, my face and neck are covered in scratches. She also saves the best food for me."

Jia Gui also sighed and said:

"Dongxu, your uncle knows your mother, but you can't be like her. From now on, if you're hungry, go to No. 5 Taozhi Alley and have your aunt cook you something nice to eat. You're so thin, you've got no meat on your bones. Bring a bowl over later and get some vegetables to take back to your mother."

……