Chapter 40: The Rolling Mill

Chapter 40: The Rolling Mill

It was Sunday, and Yushui did not have school. He Yuzhu had some free time, so he took Yushui and Xiaohu to Shichahai to go fishing.

As soon as they arrived at Shichahai, He Yuzhu spotted Yan Bugui on the bank. In a bucket beside him was a small fish the size of a palm. He walked over to greet him: "Teacher Yan, you're out early today. You've already made a catch."

Yan Bugui saw He Yuzhu arrive with his fishing rod, Yushui, and Xiaohu. "Hey, it’s just because I came out early and picked a good spot."

"There is a real art to fishing, you know. How about I pick a good spot for you, and if you catch anything, we split it fifty-fifty?"

Hearing this, He Yuzhu thought to himself what a clever scheme Yan had. With his fishing skills, he could point to any random spot; if they caught nothing, he lost nothing, and if they did catch something, he’d get half. He couldn't lose either way.

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "No thanks. I'm mainly here to let the two little ones play today. I don't expect to catch much."

"You go ahead and get busy. I'll take them over there to find a spot."

He Yuzhu quickly took his leave of Yan Bugui and found a quiet, shaded place. He set down everything he had brought. He took out two small nets made from mosquito netting and handed them to Yushui and Xiaohu.

"One for each of you. Go ahead and scoop up some small fish and shrimp, but stay close to me. Don't wander off, or if you fall into the water, there will be no one there to pull you out."

Yushui and Xiaohu took the nets and happily replied, "Okay, brother!"

Watching them play on the bank, He Yuzhu picked up his rod and sat down to fish nearby.

After more than an hour, Yan Bugui sauntered over. Seeing that He Yuzhu’s bucket was empty, he said, "Zhuzi, the spot you picked isn't working out; you're not catching anything. Let me pick a good spot for you. We can still follow the rules we talked about."

He Yuzhu shook his head again. "No thanks, Teacher Yan. The main point today is just for the little ones to have a good time."

Yan Bugui looked at Yushui and Xiaohu, who were busy scooping up shrimp, and stopped pushing the fishing arrangement. Instead, he started chatting casually.

"Yushui should be starting school this year, right? How come I haven't seen you go to register?"

"She has started. She's at the primary school near my master's place. My master's wife took care of the enrollment."

"That's good, as long as her schooling isn't delayed. You haven't been back to the courtyard to visit for a long time. You used to come back every few days."

"There's nothing left in the house, so there's no point in visiting."

He Yuzhu did not tell Yan Bugui that he had sold the house to the neighborhood committee.

Yan Bugui then brought up matters in the courtyard. "Everyone in our courtyard who works at the rolling mill is saying that the factory is going to be transformed into a public-private partnership. It will be under state management, so we won't be exploited by capitalists anymore. Plus, they say wages are going to go up."

Yan Bugui was quite envious of the potential pay raise for those working at the rolling mill.

"That also means more hard work," He Yuzhu said, flattering Yan. "Unlike an intellectual like you, Teacher Yan, who doesn't have to exert yourself and still has time to come out and fish to supplement the household."

After chatting for a while, Yan Bugui left. He Yuzhu checked the time and, seeing it was getting late, decided to take Yushui and the others back for a meal.

He walked over to them and saw that their bucket was full of small shrimp. "You two caught quite a lot! Brother will fry these up for you when we get back."

He Yuzhu packed up their belongings and took them to his master's house. As soon as they entered, Yushui and Xiaohu showed off their catch to their master's wife: "Master's wife, come quickly and see the shrimp we caught!"

She looked at the bucket and said, "You caught quite a lot! That's wonderful."

"Brother, brother, fry the shrimp for us quickly!" Yushui and Xiaohu pestered him.

"Go wash your hands and rest for a bit. Brother will go cook for you, fry the shrimp, okay?" He Yuzhu said as he headed into the kitchen.

For lunch, He Yuzhu took out a good portion of extra shrimp from his storage space and made a large, heaping plate of fried shrimp. The two little ones polished off almost the entire thing.

After lunch, He Yuzhu took Yushui home. In the afternoon, someone knocked on the door. He Yuzhu went out and saw a young man he didn't recognize. "Who are you looking for?"

"I was sent by Mr. Lou. I'm looking for Master He Yuzhu who lives here."

"I am He Yuzhu. What does Uncle Lou need?"

The young man, though slightly skeptical that this youth was the master chef he was looking for, said, "Mr. Lou would like to invite Master He to the rolling mill tomorrow at noon to prepare a banquet."

"No problem, I'm free tomorrow."

"Very well, I will go back and tell Mr. Lou. When you arrive tomorrow, just have the guard contact Director Sun in the canteen." With that, the young man left.

The next day, after dropping off Yushui, He Yuzhu returned home, grabbed his backpack, and headed to the rolling mill.

At the factory gate, He Yuzhu got off his bicycle and went to the guard station. He saw that the guard on duty was someone he knew, Li Wei. He handed him a cigarette and said, "Brother Li, you're on duty today?"

"Zhuzi? It’s been over a year since you’ve been here. What brings you by today?"

"Nothing major. The canteen invited me to come cook a meal. Could you help me contact Director Sun in the canteen?"

"How old are you that they'd invite you to cook? Don't tease your Brother Li." Li Wei had evidently received the notice, but seeing it was He Yuzhu, he still found it hard to believe.

"Why would I lie to you? Just make a call and you'll see."

Li Wei made a call to Director Sun, and after confirming, he said to He Yuzhu, "Go on in. You know where the canteen is."

"Right, I'll head in. Let's talk later."

He Yuzhu parked his bicycle in the shed and walked slowly toward the canteen.

"Zhuzi, why are you at the rolling mill?"

He Yuzhu turned around to see Yi Zhonghai.

"Oh, it's Uncle Yi. I'm here to see Director Sun."

"What are you doing at the rolling mill? Why aren't you working at Fengzeyuan anymore? When are you moving back to live here?" Yi Zhonghai asked in rapid succession.

"I'll be back to live there in a while. I have things to do, I must be going."

He Yuzhu, not wanting to say more, turned and walked into the canteen. Yi Zhonghai watched him go, looking a bit displeased that he hadn't revealed his business.

He Yuzhu entered the canteen and greeted everyone.

"Zhuzi, why are you here? Is something the matter? If you need anything, tell Uncle Liu."

Uncle Liu was the current canteen foreman and head chef, and he had been on good terms with He Daqing.

"Uncle Liu, thank you, but I'm here to see Director Sun today."

"Director Sun is in his office. I'll take you there."

Uncle Liu started to lead the way, but He Yuzhu declined. "No need, Uncle Liu. I can find it myself. You go ahead and get back to work."

He Yuzhu went to Director Sun's office, knocked, and was granted entry.

"Uncle Sun, are you busy?"

"It really is you, kid. I got the notice from upstairs yesterday and heard your name, but I thought it was just someone with the same name. I didn't expect it to actually be you." Director Sun looked quite surprised.

"Since when did you become a master chef? Before your father left, he wanted you to come here as an apprentice."

"This is our family's trade, plus the guidance of my master. Becoming a master chef is a piece of cake for me," He Yuzhu said, laughing as he began to chat casually with Director Sun.