Courtyard House: He Yuzhu started in 1948

study?

To paraphrase Commander Li: Learn my ass!

He Yuzhu entered No. 5 Middle School mainly to find a way out and escape the current or future situation.

Since he could read, He Yuzhu naturally didn't want to do manual labor.

Later, a popular online mentor in the education industry said something on a short video platform that He Yuzhu took as his guiding principle.

If you can't endure the hardships of studying, you'll have to experience the hardships of society. When you suffer in society, you'll regret not studying harder.

That's what He Yuzhu thought, but that's not the most important thing.

Zhang Tianyong, unaware of He Yuzhu's thoughts, assumed he genuinely wanted to study hard, so he explained, "Zhuzi, it's not that I don't want you to study, it's just that... you've been performing exceptionally well."

He Yuzhu's eyes widened as she listened to Zhang Tianyong's explanation: "Oh, so it's wrong for me to do well? Doing well means I'm being deprived of my right to study? Director Zhang, you've made me do so much work, how are you going to arrange my studies?"

Zhang Tianyong immediately said, "Old Lü and I have discussed it. You can be busy at the beginning, and later, when we recruit workers from the families of impoverished students, you can teach the kitchen helpers how to cook. That way, you'll have more free time, and you can learn. What do you think?"

"...I'll give it a try, but if you're hiring, could you let me hire one too?"

He Yuzhu brought up He Daqing's theory, "Cooking is all about intuition. Some people steam buns their whole lives and still can't get as good as someone who just started learning. Don't you think so?"

Considering the five openings, Zhang Tianyong thought it was acceptable: "Okay, but let's make it clear beforehand that the wages can't be higher. Two yuan per person per month, with three meals provided. Zhuzi, this job can only supplement the family income; we can't rely on it to support the whole family."

A wage of two yuan—you wouldn't find such a low price for a job in Beiping (Beijing).

Take rickshaw pullers, for example. After paying rent each month, they can earn about ten silver dollars a month by working hard.

"I understand! If we can't increase revenue, we can only cut costs."

Zhang Tianyong slapped his thigh: "Yuzhu, you're right, 'increase revenue and reduce expenditure'... You really are a genius at studying. And what did you just say about the donkey in the production team? What's a production team?"

He Yuzhu chuckled and then started thinking about who to hire.

He Yuzhu wanted Tian Zao to come. She longed to go to school, and having her help in the kitchen would fulfill her wish to go to school. She could also read some books occasionally, right?

But when He Yuzhu told He Daqing his idea, He Daqing strongly objected: "No way."

"Why not?"

"What's your relationship with Tian Zao? Why are you helping her so much? Aren't you afraid people will gossip?"

He Daqing looked at He Yuzhu and sighed helplessly. This kid seemed to have finally seen the light, but he still didn't understand basic social etiquette. He could only explain it to He Yuzhu in detail: "Our family and Tian Zao doing business with her brothers is mutually beneficial, and no one can find fault with that. But finding her a job is a different story. What does she have to do with you? Even if you don't care, does Tian Zao not care? What will the neighbors think? They'll drown you in their gossip!"

This is my daughter-in-law. You're trying so hard to help her, but it might backfire and cause your relationship to become more and more distant.

If He Yuzhu is allowed to act rashly, this family will fall apart sooner or later!

For a moment, He Daqing felt immense pressure.

"You know what a medicine pot is, right? When you borrow a medicine pot, you can't let the host hand it to you; you have to take it yourself. If you just hand it over, you're practically giving your illness to them!"

Seeing He Yuzhu's thoughtful expression, He Daqing breathed a sigh of relief.

You little rascal, take your time learning. There's a reason why the old rules have been passed down to this day.

He Yuzhu didn't think as much as He Daqing, but upon closer examination, He Daqing's words made sense. They would still need Tian Zao's help in the future, so it wasn't worth it for such a small matter.

If Tianzao isn't suitable, then who should we choose?

He Yuzhu looked at He Daqing, who blurted out, "Jia Zhangshi!"

"Who? Jia Zhangshi?"

He Yuzhu let out a strange cry, never expecting that He Daqing was talking about her: "No way! Absolutely not! She's never had enough of taking advantage of others. The school cafeteria's budget is already tight. If she eats and takes more than she should, won't the students go hungry?"

"Bullshit! With that meager salary, even if you could buy an extra twenty catties of pork a month, how could you possibly support a family? Jia Zhangshi can earn that much money a month just by pasting paper boxes at home."

He Daqing rolled his eyes dismissively, not taking the school cafeteria's wages seriously: "But this job is easy and can help her take care of her family, so it's a decent job for her. As for her bad habit of overeating, that's not her problem, it's yours."

Can human nature be changed?

He Yuzhu scoffed at her. He despised Jia Zhangshi from the bottom of his heart. If they weren't neighbors, He Yuzhu would never have given her a kind look!

"When I was cooking, I overheard the boss saying that those who use their minds govern others, while those who use their hands are governed. Whether you can get Madam Jia to listen to you depends on how you manage her. Do you think your father has been a head chef for so many years for nothing? Without some skills, how could I possibly keep those knife-wielding bastards in the kitchen in check?"

He Daqing wasn't good at preaching, but faced with his son who lacked social skills, he could only share his own experiences and values ​​with He Yuzhu: "Who is Jia Zhangshi? She's disliked by everyone in the compound, but we're neighbors living in the same compound. Think about it, you've already helped Jia Zhangshi, who's disliked by everyone. If you had the ability, wouldn't you help even more people and make more people remember your kindness?"

He Yuzhu knew his father was right, but he felt uncomfortable helping Jia Zhangshi deep down: "I don't want people to remember me well, I just don't want them to leech off me!"

"Bullshit! You paid Jia Zhangshi a salary? That's your money!"

Don't you understand the meaning of being generous with other people's money?

He Yuzhu didn't want to help, but after thinking about it all night, he still reluctantly went to find Jia Zhangshi.

"Hey, Pillar? What brings you here so early in the morning?"

Ever since Jia Dongxu started eating and playing with Tian Zao and his group of children, Jia Zhangshi's attitude towards He Yuzhu has improved considerably: "Oh right, you're having dinner with Bang Geng, right? Hehehe... Auntie will go call him now, this little rascal played wildly all day and is still asleep."

"No, Auntie, I was looking for you."

He Yuzhu suppressed his discomfort and asked Jia Zhangshi, "Auntie, you make paper boxes when you're at home, right? How much do you earn in a month?"

Upon hearing He Yuzhu inquire about making money by pasting paper boxes, Jia Zhangshi immediately became wary: "Zhuzi, why are you asking this? It's not much money, a dollar and a half at most."

Of course, this is an understatement; she was worried that He Yuzhu would ask her for Jia Dongxu's food expenses.

He Yuzhu: Go to hell!

If He Yuzhu hadn't taken He Daqing's words to heart yesterday, he would have turned and left.

It's not time to break the mold of the world yet. He Yuzhu wants to develop in a low-key manner, so he can't be unconventional.

Screw those old rules, I'm going to break them!