Courtyard House: He Yuzhu started in 1948

Before get out of class ended, a stew and a braised pork dish were ready. Because there were leaders present, white flour was used to steam the buns, and a large pot of stew was made with two-inch square pieces of pork.

It was still a big pot of stew, cooked in the oil from frying braised pork, and it smelled amazing.

The five elderly women helping in the kitchen were drooling from the aroma; they never ate such oily food at home all year round!

He Yuzhu had anticipated this situation and bought several masks during the shopping trip to avoid drooling and embarrassing himself.

These older women didn't go out to work not because they didn't have money, but because they couldn't spare the time. But now things are better; they can do some work at the school without neglecting their families. Although the salary is low, it's enough for them.

Before the bell rang, the school leaders arrived at the cafeteria. Zhang Tianyong accompanied them from the front, while He Yuzhu walked over and stood gracefully to the side.

"Director Zhang, hello leaders, I am He Yuzhu, the head of the kitchen."

The presence of school leaders provided an opportunity for the older women in the kitchen to become even more fearful of themselves.

The current principal, Zhang Jingtao, was a student of Cai Shike, the founder of the Fifth Middle School. He was quite famous in the education circles of Beiping. If it weren't for his fundraising efforts, the school would not have had the money to maintain the canteen and dormitories.

"You must be Master He?"

Zhang Jingtao was very amiable, and he looked at He Yuzhu with great approval, after all, He had saved him money: "When I was young, I had the honor of tasting your father's cooking, which was truly superb, especially the stir-fried double crisp and the soup-filled yellow croaker. I still remember it vividly to this day."

He Yuzhu, on behalf of He Daqing, thanked Zhang Jingtao for his praise, but did not say anything more.

He Yuzhu had never eaten either of the two dishes Zhang Jingtao mentioned, not even in his two lifetimes.

Behind the stove, the eyes of five old women were fixed on He Yuzhu and the group of school leaders.

He Yuzhu's confident self-introduction was seen as a sign of sycophancy by them.

Arrogant at first, then obsequious!

Even at such a young age, he's already so easily swayed!

If you're the king of hell in the kitchen, why don't you dare show your teeth in front of the school leaders?

After walking around the stove, Zhang Jingtao saw the steaming white steamed buns in the wicker basket and said to Zhang Tianyong, "Director Zhang, our funds are not abundant, so we can't just supply these white steamed buns indiscriminately."

"Yes, Principal."

Zhang Tianyong immediately nodded to indicate that he understood. He Yuzhu then came over to help Zhang Tianyong explain, "Principal, it's like this. We originally planned to steam mixed grain buns, but Director Zhang said that you would be eating here today, so I discussed with Director Zhang and we decided to make something nice for you. After all, you've worked so hard to build the canteen for No. 5 Middle School; you're a hero of No. 5 Middle School. We can't reward such a hero who has contributed so much to No. 5 Middle School with just mixed grain buns!"

Meanwhile, He Yuzhu said that because his father used to be the head chef at Fengzeyuan Restaurant, he was acquainted with many vendors in the vegetable market and slaughterhouse. When the school bought vegetables, they would buy them at prices lower than the market price, and the discounts were very attractive.

Five old women in the kitchen: Bah! Sycophants!

Zhang Tianyong's expression was rather unpleasant; He Yuzhu had used all of his own words!

But thinking about it, Zhang Tianyong felt relieved. He could say these things to He Yuzhu, but he couldn't say them in front of Zhang Jingtao.

"Yeah?"

Hearing that he could save money, Zhang Jingtao was even happier. Thinking of Lü Qinghuan and Zhang Tianyong's praise for He Yuzhu, he expressed his gratitude to He Yuzhu: "I heard from Tianyong that you contributed a lot to the construction of the No. 5 Middle School's cafeteria. On behalf of the teachers of No. 5 Middle School, I thank you for your selfless dedication."

"How much effort can a little kid like me put in? It's the result of the collective wisdom and efforts of Director Zhang, the principals, and the students."

He Yuzhu didn't take credit, but pointed out Zhang Jingtao's mistake in a serious tone: "Principal Zhang, this is what I should do. However, in the future, in the cafeteria, could you please call me Chef He? or Manager He? Please don't add 'Xiao' before it."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tianyong laughed and scolded, "Zhu Zi, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"I'm not making this up."

He Yuzhu answered seriously, saying to Zhang Jingtao and the group of school leaders, "I'm young, even younger than the students in the school. Over time, they'll definitely think I'm easy to bully. If your school leaders can't stand up for me, how will I treat everyone fairly in the future?"

It's not about wanting official positions, it's about wanting fairness.

I've been made a head chef by you guys at such a young age, so it's only fair that I ask you for a higher position, right?

Some people are easily frightened; they're the kind of people who bully the weak and fear the strong.

Zhang Jingtao and the school leaders burst into laughter upon hearing this, finding the kid amusing; it was the first time they'd heard of officials serving the sake of fairness.

Lu Qinghuan, who was behind, squeezed to the front and explained to Zhang Jingtao with a wry smile, "Principal, I didn't expect this kid to be such a power-hungry person."

Zhang Jingtao waved his hand: "He's not greedy for official positions. Little He... no, Manager He said he wanted fairness. We made him a manager at thirteen and didn't even pay him a salary. He's asking us for an official position. Isn't that fair?"

Then he said to He Yuzhu, "Manager He, the formation of prestige is not just about titles, but also about your daily behavior. The most virtuous do not conform to the common people, and those who achieve great things do not consult the masses. If you understand this saying, you will not need to establish your prestige in the cafeteria in this way in the future."

He Yuzhu shook his head: "I haven't heard the phrase you mentioned before, but I do know it: lead by example and be strictly self-disciplined."

Zhang Jingtao glanced at Lü Qinghuan and Zhang Tianyong beside him.

This kid really is one of your comrades!

Instead of continuing his teaching career, Zhang Jingtao went to the canteen to check out the food. He Yuzhu followed him and introduced the food to him.

The five elderly women in the kitchen were stunned.

He Yuzhu is incredibly bold, daring to let the principal address him by his title.

Is this kid really that brave?

We can't afford to mess with them! We can't afford to mess with them!

He Yuzhu remained calm and composed, completely intimidating the five old women.

The tables and chairs were secondhand, simply because they were cheap. Students help with carpentry at home, so any damage can be easily repaired.

While we were observing, school let out. Those who went home for dinner went home, while those who didn't go home for dinner and those who came to join in the fun all brought their own bowls of food from home and ran to the cafeteria.

According to the "Regulations on School Academic Years, Semesters and Holidays" promulgated in 1929 and the "Revised Regulations on School Academic Years, Semesters and Holidays" promulgated in 1931, there are two semesters a year, calculated from Monday to Sunday, with one day off per week. Summer vacation is 30 to 56 days, and winter vacation is 14 days for all levels of schools according to the Gregorian calendar.

In addition, there is a seven-day Spring Festival holiday in early April, and annual leave ranging from seven to fourteen days.

These are basically the only holidays.

Interestingly, the newly established regulations follow the Gregorian calendar for the winter vacation, which is two weeks long and runs from January 18 to January 31. The dates are correct, but the problem is that the date of the Spring Festival varies from year to year and is not always within the winter vacation period.

For 34 years, the Spring Festival has fallen on February 14th, outside of the winter vacation.

On this day, while writing in his diary on the campus of Peking University, the talented Ji wrote a sentence:

School is in session as usual today.

It was precisely because of this year that students complained bitterly, and several schools joined together to protest with banners.

When Yuan Shikai was setting up holidays, he even considered the Spring Festival. Are the people who set up the rules in your government just sitting around doing nothing?

This move had a significant impact. In order to appease the students, the education department later revised the winter vacation dates based on the specific circumstances of each year when setting the winter vacation schedule.

That is, taking a day off in lieu of leave.

Then, the system of compensatory leave continued.

hateful!