Chapter 65: Cafeteria Routine

The next day, after seeing Yushui off, He Yuzhu headed straight to the Municipal Bureau cafeteria.

Upon entering, he was somewhat surprised to see quite a few people eating. Did the bureau cafeteria provide breakfast too?

He walked over to the small kitchen at the back and noticed that Master Huang hadn't arrived yet. Since there was no one else around, he pulled up a stool and sat down to rest.

After waiting for more than an hour, Master Huang and the others arrived one after another.

He Yuzhu stood up and greeted him, "Master Huang."

Master Huang asked, "Zhuzi, how long have you been here? Didn't I tell you yesterday that you didn't need to come so early?"

He Yuzhu scratched his head and said, "Nobody told me?"

Master Huang slapped his thigh and sighed, "Ah, I thought the director had already filled you in yesterday. Here is how it works: we are only responsible for the small kitchen. We don't light the fires in the morning; we only cook for lunch and dinner, so there's no need to show up so early. Also, there's another master in our small kitchen named Song Cheng, who couldn't make it these past few days due to a family matter. He will be back in a few days. Once I retire, the two of you will take over. Since the bureau doesn't have days off, you two can coordinate whenever you want a break. Occasionally, we also lend a hand in the main kitchen."

"Understood, Master Huang. I've got it," He Yuzhu replied.

"Time to get to work. Let me show you around the routine," Master Huang said.

Accompanied by two kitchen assistants, Master Huang led He Yuzhu to the cafeteria warehouse. "Every day, we come here to collect the ingredients. Actually, they prepare everything beforehand, so we don't even strictly have to come in person—the assistants can just haul them back."

"Old Huang, what brings you to the warehouse in person today?" an older warehouse keeper greeted him.

"We have a newcomer, so I'm showing him the ropes," Master Huang replied, bringing He Yuzhu to the entrance. "This is our new cook who will be taking over my position, Master He Yuzhu. And this is Liu Wei, the head of the warehouse keepers."

He Yuzhu took out a pack of Front Gate cigarettes he had bought earlier and handed them out to Master Huang and Old Liu. "Team Leader Liu, please take good care of me moving forward."

Old Liu chuckled, "Master He, right? Don't call me team leader, it sounds too stiff. Just call me Old Liu. We'll be dealing with each other plenty from now on."

"Would that be disrespectful? How about I call you Uncle Liu?"

Master Huang chimed in, "Zhuzi, just call him Old Liu, and Old Liu, you call him Zhuzi. It sounds much more affectionate that way."

Old Liu smiled, "That works just fine. We'll go with what Old Huang says. Zhuzi it is."

"All right then, Old Liu it is from now on," He Yuzhu agreed.

While they were talking, the assistants had already gathered the vegetables. After saying goodbye to Old Liu, He Yuzhu and Master Huang returned to the small kitchen.

Master Huang instructed, "After bringing the ingredients back, assess what needs to be made and have the assistants wash and prep everything according to your standards. Take a look at today's ingredients. What shall we make for lunch?"

He Yuzhu inspected the provisions: three large catfish, a hefty slab of pork ribs, tofu, napa cabbage, and potatoes. "How about braised catfish with tofu, braised pork ribs with potatoes, and stir-fried shredded cabbage with vinegar?"

"Sounds good. Let's go with those three dishes," Master Huang approved.

At noon, Master Huang stood by, watching He Yuzhu expertly slaughter the fish and prep the ingredients. Before long, all three dishes were ready.

Shortly after, the bureau leaders arrived at the private dining room to eat and expressed their satisfaction with the meal.

Once the leaders finished dining, Master Huang told He Yuzhu, "All right, it's time for us to eat as well. After lunch, you can take a break. If your home is close by, you can even go back, but someone must stay behind on duty."

After finishing his meal, He Yuzhu stayed behind for duty. He brewed a pot of tea, found a corner, sat down, and pulled out a copy of *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* to continue reading.

Time flew by, and before he knew it, it was time to prepare for dinner.

Master Huang reminded him, "In the evening, we only need to cook dinner for the leader on duty. If there's a banquet or any other special occasion, the director will notify us in advance."

"Got it, Master Huang," He Yuzhu acknowledged.

Dinner was handled effortlessly.

Master Huang announced, "All right, time to clock out."

He Yuzhu picked up his backpack, said goodbye to Master Huang, and went to his master's place to pick up Yushui and head home.

Over the next few days, He Yuzhu fully grasped the rhythm of the cafeteria and began handling the work with ease.

Just as He Yuzhu arrived at work one morning, the cafeteria director tracked him down. "Zhuzi, the bureau chief is hosting some war buddies in the cafeteria tonight. Cook up a good meal for them, and the ingredients will be delivered shortly."

"Will do, Director," He Yuzhu replied.

Not long after, Cafeteria Director Zhao Sheng delivered a massive pile of ingredients.

He Yuzhu took a look—it was an exceptionally lavish spread, featuring chicken, fish, pork, and even a large pig's head.

Zhao Sheng asked, "Well, Zhuzi? Need anything else? Just say the word."

"How many people are coming tonight? Any dietary restrictions or particular flavor preferences?"

"Including the bureau chief, there will be five people. They were all soldiers back in the day, so I doubt there are any fussy eaters."

"Alright then, I'll take care of it."

After seeing Director Zhao off, He Yuzhu set to work preparing the ingredients.

In the evening, Bureau Chief Liu and his comrades arrived. Director Zhao came into the kitchen to inform He Yuzhu that it was time to serve. "Zhuzi, are you all set? Everyone's here."

"Been ready for a while. Serve away," He Yuzhu said.

Director Zhao began carrying He Yuzhu's dishes into the private room one by one.

One of Bureau Chief Liu's comrades, a native of Yangzhou, looked at the braised whole pig's head, lion's head meatballs, and squirrel-shaped mandarin fish on the table, tasting them one by one. "Old Liu, where on earth did your cafeteria hire this master chef? This Huaiyang cuisine is genuinely authentic."

Bureau Chief Liu smiled proudly, "Our master chef doesn't just do Huaiyang cuisine well; his Sichuan dishes are even better. Come on, try this Mapo tofu—it's no worse than what you'd get at a top-tier restaurant."

"Is that so? Then I must give it a proper try." A comrade with a slight Sichuan accent picked up a spoon, scooped up a portion, and tasted it.

"Well? Authentic?" Bureau Chief Liu asked.

The Sichuan-accented comrade gave him a thumbs-up. "Old Liu, did you secretly poach the master Sichuan chef from Fengzeyuan?"

Bureau Chief Liu boasted happily, "No, how could that be? But it's pretty close."

"How so?" the others asked, full of curiosity.

"This master chef was a direct student of Master Fan, the legendary Sichuan chef at Fengzeyuan."

The Yangzhou comrade chimed in, "Wait, that doesn't add up. Then who cooked this Huaiyang cuisine?"

"He did too," Bureau Chief Liu replied. "Not only is he skilled in Sichuan and Huaiyang dishes, but he's also a master of Lu cuisine and Tan family cuisine."

The Yangzhou comrade asked in disbelief, "Old Liu, how on earth did you manage to invite him? With skills like that, any major restaurant would fight over him. Why would he work in a bureau cafeteria?"

"You guys don't know the whole story, do you? Our bureau's Deputy Director Zhou is related to his master by marriage. It took a tremendous amount of effort to bring him here."

The others started clamoring to meet this master chef.

Unable to brush off their requests, Bureau Chief Liu finally sent Director Zhao to invite He Yuzhu over.

Entering the private room, He Yuzhu asked, "Chief, you called for me? Is there something wrong with the food?"

"No, the food is exceptionally good. It's just that my comrades here want to meet the chef behind it," Bureau Chief Liu explained.

Seeing how young He Yuzhu was, the comrades were thoroughly astonished.

The Yangzhou comrade asked, "Little comrade, who did you learn Huaiyang cuisine from?"

"I taught myself," He Yuzhu replied.

"Ever thought about visiting Yangzhou?"

Bureau Chief Liu glared at him, "What do you mean? Are you trying to poach my talent right in front of me?"

"Not at all, I just want this master chef to come to Yangzhou for a cultural exchange."

"Get lost, don't even think about poaching him. Not happening!"

The Yangzhou comrade insisted, "We have to respect the person's own wishes, right? What do you say, Master Chef?"

He Yuzhu smiled politely, "Apologies, I have no plans to change places."

Bureau Chief Liu laughed heartily, "You heard him, so banish any crooked thoughts from your mind. Zhuzi, it's getting late, head on back and get some rest. No need to make any more dishes."

"Understood, Chief," He Yuzhu said, and turned to leave.