Chapter 52: Leaving Fengzeyuan

Chapter 52: Leaving Fengzeyuan

After Fan Yao and Xiao Hu moved into the house, they spent their days playing chess and having fun with Yushui, leaving He Yuzhu with only the cooking to worry about. With little companions to keep her company, Yushui was in high spirits and recovered much faster.

Three days later, Yushui had completely recovered, leaving behind all the discomfort of her illness.

Early in the morning, just as He Yuzhu finished making breakfast, Yushui came running over. "Brother, Brother! I'm all better now, and nothing hurts. Can I go out to play?"

Fan Yao and Xiao Hu also stood behind Yushui, looking expectantly at He Yuzhu.

"Alright, once we've eaten, I'll take you all out to play. How about that?" He Yuzhu said.

"Yay!" the three of them chorused together, then huddled up to discuss where they wanted to go.

"Breakfast is ready, come over and eat first. If you don't eat properly, I'm not taking you anywhere," He Yuzhu said as he placed breakfast on the table and called out to the trio, who were deep in discussion about their outing.

Hearing this, the three of them obediently took their seats to eat.

After the meal, He Yuzhu cleared the table, and the three of them came before him together. "We've decided! We want to go to the zoo to see the tigers."

With their destination chosen, He Yuzhu packed some food and drinks and took them to the zoo.

Now that Yushui was fully recovered, He Yuzhu received a message from his master: "Zhuzi, now that Yushui is better, don't just hole up at home. Fengzeyuan is getting a bit overwhelmed lately, so come over and help out tomorrow without fail."

Summoned by his master, He Yuzhu had no choice but to obey, going to Fengzeyuan every day to assist in the kitchen.

Several months passed in a flash. One day, just as He Yuzhu arrived at the entrance of Fengzeyuan, Manager Luan hurried over to greet him. "Zhuzi, you've come at the right time! Quick, a table of guests has arrived in the private dining room. Get to the back kitchen immediately."

He Yuzhu was pulled along toward the kitchen by Manager Luan. "Manager Luan, what's going on? Where are my master and second senior brother?"

As Manager Luan tugged him along, he explained, "Your master was called away to attend a meeting at noon and hasn't returned yet. As for your second senior brother, someone came to inform him that his child fell ill, so he had to rush back to take the child to the hospital. I was just heading out to look for you and didn't expect to run into you right at the door."

Following Manager Luan into the kitchen in a rush, He Yuzhu was urged on, "Hurry up, the guests have been waiting for a while now."

"Alright, it'll be ready in a moment." He Yuzhu glanced at the menu and saw that the ingredients had already been prepped.

He Yuzhu stepped up to the stove and started cooking. Before long, one Sichuan dish after another came out of the wok, served by Manager Luan and the waitstaff to the distinguished guests' private room.

A short while later, He Yuzhu saw Manager Luan return to the kitchen and asked, "Well? Were the guests satisfied?"

Manager Luan replied, "Satisfied. Thanks to you being here today—there were two hardcore foodies at that table, and they are not easy to please."

"As long as they're satisfied, that's fine." After all, He Yuzhu was a cook; as long as the guests were happy with the food, nothing else mattered.

After a brief chat, more guests began to arrive. Manager Luan went back out front to host, and He Yuzhu immersed himself in work.

After work that evening, Manager Luan sought out He Yuzhu. "Zhuzi, you should just come back to work here permanently. Business at Fengzeyuan is great right now, and your master and second senior brother are too overwhelmed to handle it all. If an emergency like today happens again when neither of them is around, and there isn't a head chef in the kitchen to hold down the fort, Fengzeyuan's reputation will be ruined."

He Yuzhu thought about it for a moment, but still politely declined Manager Luan. "Manager Luan, there are quite a few people looking to hire me for banquets these days. It took a lot of effort for me to build up my reputation, and I don't want to lose it. I can help you hold down the fort for a little while longer, but you should find a few more people to bring on board."

Manager Luan sighed, "What a pity. Since you've made up your mind, I won't force you. But you must keep your word—don't stand me up before I find replacements."

"Don't worry," He Yuzhu reassured him. "My master is still here, after all. Could I possibly disobey him?"

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now." Manager Luan shook his head and walked away with a look of regret.

The next day, Manager Luan went to find Fan Dakang. "Yesterday, when you two were away, a table of demanding foodies came in. Luckily Zhuzi arrived in time, otherwise Fengzeyuan's reputation would have been ruined in my hands. I wanted to keep Zhuzi on, but he refused. Could you help me talk some sense into him?"

Fan Dakang responded, "Alright, I'll ask him for you. But don't hold out too much hope. You know how stubborn Zhuzi's temper is."

"Just ask him first. If it doesn't work out, I'll look for someone else," Manager Luan said before leaving.

After Manager Luan left, Fan Dakang called He Yuzhu over. "Manager Luan wanted to keep you on yesterday, and you turned him down?"

"That's right, I turned him down," He Yuzhu answered.

"Why? Is staying at Fengzeyuan really that bad? With me and your second senior brother around, nobody would dare give you a hard time," Fan Dakang said.

He Yuzhu thought to himself that staying at Fengzeyuan might not be bad, but how much longer could Manager Luan remain in control here? The joint state-private ownership policy was officially taking effect this year; once a new, assertive state-appointed manager took over, Manager Luan himself would struggle to protect his position.

With no other choice, He Yuzhu told his master, "I'm doing quite well as I am. I'm not short on money, and I have time to do the things I enjoy."

Seeing He Yuzhu being so stubborn, Fan Dakang stopped trying to persuade him. "Fine, go back to your work for now. We can talk about this later."

Seeing this, He Yuzhu returned to the kitchen.

A little over a month after Fan Dakang had that conversation with He Yuzhu, the current state-appointed manager of Fengzeyuan was transferred away, and a new one assumed office.

Ever since the new manager arrived, he hadn't made any obvious moves, but He Yuzhu knew that the newcomer was no pushover—after all, a barking dog doesn't bite. He was simply biding his time to make a major move.

Yet, He Yuzhu never expected that the new manager's very first fire would be directed at him.

For several days in a row, Manager Luan had a gloomy expression, likely having clashed and had unpleasant disagreements with the new state-appointed manager.

On this day, as soon as He Yuzhu arrived, Manager Luan sent someone to fetch him.

Stepping into Manager Luan's office, He Yuzhu saw the grim look on the manager's face and decided to skip the pleasantries, asking directly, "Manager Luan, is there something you wanted to see me about?"

Upon seeing He Yuzhu, Manager Luan forced a smile. "Zhuzi, come sit down. I'll pour you a cup of water."

"Manager Luan, don't trouble yourself, I just drank some water on my way here. Just tell me what you need," He Yuzhu said.

Hearing this, Manager Luan sat back down. "Zhuzi, I originally wanted to keep you here at Fengzeyuan, but you weren't willing, only agreeing to come and help out. Now the newly arrived state-appointed manager is making an issue out of it. He doesn't agree to you coming here as a kitchen helper and wants to transfer someone in from elsewhere instead. My hands are tied."

He Yuzhu laughed it off. "Ha! Is that all you called me for? Didn't we agree beforehand that once you found someone, I wouldn't come anymore? Since the new manager has found his person, I'll just go back home."

Manager Luan handed over an envelope. "Zhuzi, this is the pay for this month. I've calculated it based on a full month just like last time. Take it, don't mind that it's not much—this is all I can do."

"It's only been half a month though, and you're paying me for the whole month. Won't this cause trouble for you?" He Yuzhu asked.

"It's fine, I still have the authority to make this decision. Just take it since I'm giving it to you."

"Alright then, thank you, Manager Luan."

Holding the money, He Yuzhu left and went to find his master, Fan Dakang, to explain the situation.

"I understand. Don't hold a grudge against Manager Luan; he's in a difficult position right now too. Go home and rest for a few days, and I'll find another place for you," Fan Dakang said after a moment of thought.

"I just came to let you know out of respect. Besides, after how well Manager Luan has treated me in the past, how could I possibly resent him?"

After bidding farewell to his master, He Yuzhu left Fengzeyuan for good.