Courtyard House: He Yuzhu started in 1948

He Yuzhu helped save the school a lot of money. After Zhang Tianyong reported to the principal, the principal was very satisfied and approved five silver dollars to treat the teachers and students who had worked to dinner after school in the afternoon.

Five silver dollars, more than a hundred people...

There's simply no way to eat out.

So, you're saying that serving each person a bowl of braised pork and two flatbreads counts as treating someone to a meal?

Principal, you're a native of Beiping, how can you host a dinner party without alcohol?

Students bring their own lunches for lunch, so why are they so stingy with dinner?

We're not getting enough to eat at all.

Principal: It's not that I'm stingy, I just need to save on expenses.

Zhang Tianyong was even prepared to subsidize the expenses himself.

After learning about this situation, He Yuzhu asked Zhang Tianyong to give him the money.

Others may not be able to cook well, but He Yuzhu can, and so can He Daqing: "Director Zhang, if we're going to cook, we need to buy cooking utensils, right? Why don't we just buy them all together? My dad's a cook, he knows best where to buy the most affordable and cost-effective food, and we all know each other, so we can get credit. Let's buy the stuff first, cook a meal ourselves, and then pay the vendors tomorrow to deliver it, right?"

A big pot of stew, plus some cornbread, flatbread, or steamed buns, and you might not even spend five silver dollars.

Zhang Tianyong immediately felt that He Yuzhu's words made sense. Seeing that it was still early, he immediately took He Yuzhu to his home to invite He Daqing.

He Daqing was at home preparing to make steamed buns for the afternoon when he saw He Yuzhu come home so quickly. He was about to ask why, but when he saw Zhang Tianyong behind He Yuzhu, he swallowed his words.

After He Yuzhu introduced him and learned that Zhang Tianyong was an official at the school, he immediately became respectful.

This is a school official; isn't he even more powerful than the God of Literature?

After Zhang Tianyong explained his purpose, He Daqing thought for a moment and said, "Director Zhang, please write this down. I'll tell you a few places where you can go and buy the goods. I still have more than ten mouths to feed at home, and I have other work to do. I really can't leave. Please understand."

"I understand, I understand."

Zhang Tianyong had already learned from He Yuzhu that He Daqing was currently taking care of more than a dozen children who had no one to look after them. What a selfless dedication! How could he possibly waste his time?

"Master He is a man of noble character and integrity, and he is our role model. It's a pity that the school's resources are limited and we really can't help so many people."

Zhang Tianyong looked guilty. He Daqing blinked, wondering what he was so guilty about. He glanced at the simple-minded He Yuzhu and cursed inwardly: "You little brat, you look like a pig but you're smart!"

He Daqing seized the opportunity, chuckling sheepishly, "There's no such thing as lofty ideals. I'm just limited in my abilities, sigh..."

The two talked for a while, and then He Daqing told Zhang Tianyong where they were going to buy things: "Director Zhang, when you go shopping, take Zhuzi with you. I often take him to the market, and he knows the people there. Let him keep an eye on things so you don't buy anything bad."

"Okay, thank you, Master He."

Zhang Tianyong held He Daqing's hand tightly, "Yuzhu is a good boy. He is so outstanding, which is inseparable from Master He's guidance."

"Oh, no, I'm not very educated. I just beat them. The kids grew up after all that beating..."

He Yuzhu: Go to hell.

There were many places to buy things, and it took Zhang Tianyong more than an hour to finish shopping. It was only because the owner of the pot shop saw that he was a regular customer and lent them a tricycle; otherwise, he didn't know when he would have finished shopping.

When I deliver the money tomorrow, I'll just ride the bike back.

Back at school, before classes were even over, Lü Qinghuang, who was leading the students in chores, was quite surprised to see Zhang Tianyong return with so much stuff: "Old Zhang, why did you buy so much stuff?"

After Zhang Tianyong explained to Lü Qinghuan, panting, Lü Qinghuan looked at He Yuzhu with even more affection in her eyes.

Master He and Xiao Yuzhu are both good people.

This kitchen helper was definitely worth the money.

Faced with the praise from Lü Qinghuan and Zhang Tianyong, He Yuzhu simply smiled. In fact, many things were just a matter of teachers being a bit old-fashioned, such as coal ash... It wasn't that the teachers couldn't think of them, but that they simply hadn't considered them.

He bought pots and pans, and he can cook them when the cafeteria chef arrives in a couple of days. It's just that He Yuzhu got them ahead of schedule.

He Yuzhu told his classmates to build up the stove, and then he washed the cutting board clean and started cutting the pork skin.

The school uses tap water and also has its own well. If the tap water is cut off, the water from the well can also be used.

Wells were a rare commodity. Wells in Beiping were difficult to drill; sometimes it took more than ten meters to find one. If it was a sweet water well, that was fine, but the worst were bitter water wells.

Moreover, because of the wells, a group of thugs called "water tyrants" emerged. They made money by guarding the wells, hiring water carriers to deliver water, and raising water prices for customers. They were extremely vicious. The people of Beiping who needed well water secretly cursed their ancestors for eighteen generations.

The well in No. 5 Middle School was dug by the Japanese during their time there. It's a genuine sweet water well, and it was because of this well that the school was chosen to be located here.

The coal from the winter wasn't used up, so He Yuzhu built two stoves and lit two pig-slaughtering pots. He first scrubbed the pots twice to remove the rust, then rubbed them with pig skin after they were heated up. He rinsed the pig offal in hot water, and while the offal was boiling, He Yuzhu kneaded the dough. Once the offal was cooked, he took it out and started rendering the oil.

Ten pounds of pork, twenty pounds of offal, plus cabbage and glass noodles, but unfortunately no firm tofu...

First, make the dough, then prepare the vegetables. Once the dough has risen and the oil has been rendered, throw in the spices like Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers, and the aroma will immediately fill the air. Add water and start cooking. Then, call the classmates to bring over the washed pork offal. He Yuzhu takes a cleaver and chops it up quickly. Once the water boils, put it directly into the pot. After finishing, let the classmates wash and chop the vegetables while he starts steaming buns.

He Yuzhu was busy cooking, while his classmates who were helping him stared intently at the fragrant pot.

Lu Qinghuan, Zhang Tianyong, and several other teachers who had been working chatted on the side. Zhang Tianyong looked at He Yuzhu, who was busy at work, and became more and more satisfied: "Old Lu, you've hired a good employee. With his skill level, why do we need to hire a cook? Let him do it. Wow... he brought us such a big surprise today. If we let him run the kitchen in the future, the three thousand dollars that the principal begged for can probably keep us busy for two or three months longer."

"Yes, what a good child."

Looking at He Yuzhu, Lü Qinghuang couldn't help but feel a little regretful: "Yuzhu is so capable, shouldn't we apply to the principal to give him some salary? Before, we only thought of having him work as an excuse to let him study, but now that he's so capable, it wouldn't be appropriate not to pay him, would it?"

Another teacher said, "Giving money is one thing, but if the school uses a thirteen-year-old worker and it gets out in the newspapers, it won't do either him or the school any good."

Zhang Tianyong pressed further, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

"I think it would be more suitable for him to handle the purchasing for the kitchen."

The teacher who objected offered his solution: "Xiao Yuzhu is familiar with the market; let him do the shopping. He can make some extra money. Our school is poor; we have to carefully budget three thousand yuan. There's not much to it, and those officials wouldn't even consider it. I think it's more suitable for Xiao Yuzhu to do it. The pay isn't much, but it's still part of his salary, isn't it?"

Zhang Tianyong was an upright man and wanted to refuse such a lucrative offer, but Lü Qinghuan stopped him and said instead, "I think Teacher Qiu is right."

This is the best solution.