Chapter 59: Cooking at the Rolling Mill Once Again

Chapter 59: Cooking at the Rolling Mill Once More

In 1957, the Rolling Mill completed its transition to a joint state-private enterprise. Half-City Lou was reduced to a mere shareholder drawing dividends, stripped entirely of his former authority.

One day, Director Sun, the head of the mill's cafeteria, came looking for him.

He Yuzhu was resting at home when he heard a knock. Opening the door, he was surprised to see Director Sun: "Oh, Uncle Sun, how did you manage to find this place?"

"Sigh, it wasn't easy tracking you down. I've been all over the place."

"I went to your old courtyard first, but I never expected you folks to have moved. It was Yan Fugui, the teacher from the courtyard, who told me you were living at your master's place, though he didn't know the exact address—only that your master was a head chef at the Fengzeyuan Restaurant."

"So, I went to Fengzeyuan. Luckily, I ran into your second senior apprentice, and he was the one who gave me your address. That's how I finally found you."

After listening to Director Sun vent his frustrations, He Yuzhu remarked, "You could have just asked Director Lou's secretary."

Director Sun shook his head. "I know I could have asked the secretary directly, but Director Lou isn't running things anymore. New emperor, new court. If I went to Director Lou now, what would the current factory leadership think of me? My position as cafeteria director would be hanging by a thread."

"Surely it's not that serious? You're doing a good job; they wouldn't just fire you, would they?"

"They wouldn't necessarily fire me, but they could transfer me to another post. All the previous leadership positions have been reshuffled."

"So what brings you here today?"

"To have you cook, of course."

"Cook for you? Is the cafeteria short-staffed? Didn't you just expand and hire a large batch of new people? You still can't find a single cook?"

"We have cooks, but they only know how to make bulk food for the masses. As for banquet dishes, ever since your father, He Daqing, left, I haven't had a single chef on hand who can hold down the fort. Otherwise, Director Lou wouldn't have hired you to cook in the past."

"Alright, so you've come to bring me money. How could I turn that down? When are we going?"

"How about tomorrow?"

"That works. Make sure you have all the ingredients ready. If you have any special requests, let me know early so we don't run out of time."

"No special requests. It's scheduled for tomorrow noon. Come over a bit early in the morning."

"Got it. I'll be there first thing tomorrow morning."

"Great, I'll wait for you at the factory gates." With that, Director Sun stood up and bid farewell to He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu urged, "Uncle Sun, sit a while longer."

Director Sun waved his hand. "No, I've been out long enough. I need to get back and report to the leadership."

He Yuzhu saw him to the door. "Uncle Sun, ride your bike carefully."

"Alright, head back inside." Director Sun mounted his bicycle and rode away.

Early the next morning, He Yuzhu arrived at the gates of the Rolling Mill. He didn't see any familiar faces; the guards on duty had all been replaced. Director Sun, who had been waiting by the entrance, hurried over the moment he saw him, helped him sign in at the registry, and led him inside.

Along the way, He Yuzhu made small talk: "Uncle Sun, the guards at the gate have all changed, haven't they?"

"Of course. The factory has expanded, and there are more people now. How could the old crew possibly keep track of everything? The new ones are all demobilized soldiers. They're sharp."

Before long, they arrived at the cafeteria.

"Zhuzi, do you want to come to my office for a rest first, or head straight to the kitchen?"

"Let's go to the kitchen first. I'll take a look at the ingredients you've prepared so I can figure out what dishes to make."

"Alright, follow me."

Director Sun led He Yuzhu to the small dining hall. The other staff in the cafeteria showed no surprise, having seen He Yuzhu a few times before. After exchanging greetings with everyone, Director Sun took him into the inner kitchen, pointed at a pile of ingredients, and said, "Take a look. This is everything we've got."

He Yuzhu sorted through them and nodded. The quality was quite good. "No problem. Leave the noon meal to me."

"With those words, I can rest easy. I have matters to attend to; if you need anything, just tell Master Liu." Turning to Master Liu, Director Sun instructed, "Old Liu, make sure you give him your full cooperation."

Master Liu replied, "Don't worry, Director."

With that, Director Sun left the kitchen to take care of his duties.

"Zhuzi, if you need anything, just tell Uncle Liu."

"Understood, thank you, Uncle Liu."

Uncle Liu patted He Yuzhu on the shoulder and turned to direct the rest of the kitchen staff to get to work.

Without wasting any time, He Yuzhu put on an apron, rolled up his sleeves, and set to work slaughtering chickens and cleaning fish.

Once everything was prepped and ready to be cooked, He Yuzhu took a sip of water from his mug and sat down to rest, waiting for Director Sun's signal.

At noon, Uncle Liu and the others headed out front to serve food to the workers, leaving He Yuzhu alone in the kitchen. Even as the workers began their lunch break, Director Sun still hadn't shown up. He Yuzhu started to feel a bit restless, wondering if some unexpected complication had arisen.

Just as He Yuzhu was about to step outside to check, Uncle Liu walked in. "Zhuzi, Director Sun sent someone with a message. The leaders are still in a meeting, so told you not to rush."

Hearing this, He Yuzhu felt reassured. "All right, I'll wait a bit longer. If anything else changes, Uncle Liu, please let me know."

Uncle Liu was busy serving food out front, so after delivering the message, he hurried back to the front lines.

It was past one o'clock, and by the time the workers had mostly finished eating, Director Sun finally rushed in, out of breath. "Zhuzi, hurry up! The leaders' meeting is over, they're on their way!"

He Yuzhu replied, "I'm ready. The chicken soup, braised pork knuckles, and Dongpo pork are already done. Send those out first so the leaders can start eating, and the rest will be ready in no time."

"Good, we'll do it your way!" Director Sun turned and shouted toward the front where the food was served, "Send a couple of people here right now to help carry the dishes!"

Two young female comrades hurried in, picked up the prepared dishes, and carried them into the Rolling Mill's reception room. At that moment, the leaders who had finished their meeting arrived as well. Director Sun quickly stepped forward to greet them: "Respected leaders, please start eating. The remaining dishes will be served right away."

Factory Director Yang smiled. "I didn't think I was hungry, but smelling the aroma of this food suddenly made my appetite roar. This smells incredible."

The others chimed in immediately. "That's right, Factory Director. Just smelling this has my mouth watering."

Factory Director Yang laughed. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Everyone, pick up your chopsticks."

With that, Factory Director Yang took the lead, picking up a piece of Dongpo pork. After savoring it carefully, he praised, "Rich without being greasy. Delicious! Everyone, dig in and try some."

The others had been hungry for a while, and at Factory Director Yang's words, they all picked up their chopsticks and began to eat.

Back in the kitchen, He Yuzhu operated at full throttle, sending the remaining dishes out one by one.

Inside the private dining room, the Rolling Mill leaders ate with great enthusiasm. In no time at all, the plates were practically licked clean.

Seeing this, Director Sun asked He Yuzhu to quickly whip up a few more stir-fried dishes to send out, ensuring the leaders were completely satisfied and well-fed.