Chapter 9: Driving Away Pangzi to Establish Authority

"You finally came back, my precious grandson. Wuwu, you scared Grandma to death. Don't be naughty again, you hear? Taking Shazhu's things is one thing, but you must never touch anyone else's again, child!" Jia Zhangshi sat on the kang, wiping her teary eyes as she stroked Bang Geng's head. The first part sounded like human speech, but the rest...

Xiao Dang and Huai Hua also squeezed by the edge of the kang with teary eyes, looking at Bang Geng, but they didn't dare interrupt when Grandma was talking.

"Alright, Mom, take less of Shazhu's things from now on too. Shazhu hasn't been right lately!" Qin Huairu stood to the side, brushing her teeth incessantly and complaining vaguely. This Jia Zhangshi really loved to watch the chaos without fearing it would get too big; she had no idea what kind of person Shazhu had turned into.

"If we don't take them, is our whole family supposed to drink the northwest wind? Look for yourself, what's left in this house? It's another half a month until payday, and we're about to run out of food!" Jia Zhangshi glared fiercely at Qin Huairu. Why was she brushing her teeth in the middle of the night? She just wouldn't stop.

After finally finishing their washing, the family lay on the kang, each with their own thoughts.

Bang Geng clutched his stomach with one hand while secretly gritting his teeth. He had vomited all the chicken meat that evening and spent half the night in fear. Now his stomach was burning, but he didn't dare speak up, afraid that Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi would find him troublesome. After all, the whole family had suffered a major loss this time.

As his hunger grew, Bang Geng's hatred for He Yuzhu deepened. It was all his fault! He had insisted on having the Second Master report it to the Public Security Station, and he had even come up with the idea of poking his throat and refusing to take the blame for him! He had to get revenge on him!

"Ah!"

Accompanied by the crowing of a rooster, He Yuzhu sat up, bleary-eyed. He picked up the cigar he had taken a few puffs of, took a deep drag, and shook his head as he climbed out of bed.

Cold well water splashed onto his face, sending a sharp shiver through his entire body.

He Yuzhu tidied up. It looked like Qin Huairu was angry, or perhaps she was too embarrassed to see him; she hadn't even called out to him when she left today.

With his lunchbox on the table, He Yuzhu walked to the Rolling Mill kitchen with his hands behind his back, humming a tune: "Chicken chicken chicken chicken you, chicken chicken chicken chicken you~"

"Master He, you're here." Pangzi.

"Shazhu, morning." Liu Lan.

"Morning, Master He." Master Yang.

"Master, I've brewed your tea." Ma Hua.

He Yuzhu smiled and nodded at each of them, leaving everyone stunned. They didn't know what had gotten into him; they never saw a smile on his face usually.

"Hey, Liu Lan, you know you've offended people just because of your mouth, right?" He Yuzhu said with a smile and a shake of his head. Liu Lan was Director Li's mistress, a typical Chinese woman—sharp-tongued, strong-willed, and gossipy—but she didn't have any major conflicts with him.

He took a sip of tea. He had been curious when he first arrived yesterday: with over ten thousand workers at the Rolling Mill, why was the kitchen so small? After walking around, he realized there was more than one canteen. Theirs was the Small Kitchen for the leaders; they only went to help in the Large Kitchen after cooking special meals for the factory leaders.

"What's it to you? Everyone in your courtyard calls you Shazhu, so why can't I? You aren't exactly smart anyway." Liu Lan rolled her eyes at He Yuzhu while picking vegetables.

"Fine, fine, you're the boss, I can't afford to provoke you. Put down what you're doing; today I'm going to teach everyone how to cook two dishes!" Ma Hua thoughtfully put an apron on He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu shouted a few times and brought over the potatoes Ma Hua had peeled.

"Really? Quick, quick!" Pangzi smiled and squeezed to the front first.

He Yuzhu looked at the squinting Pangzi and frowned. If he remembered correctly, this guy had betrayed him for a bit of money, right?

"Hey, Pangzi, go to the Large Kitchen outside and help knead the dough." He Yuzhu put down his kitchen knife and gave the order coldly, staring at Pangzi. Pangzi's expression changed instantly.

"Why, Master He? I want to learn too. Can I learn first and then go? Please start?" Pangzi's face darkened for a moment, but he immediately put on a smile and said obsequiously.

He Yuzhu's Cooking was famous; hadn't guests from the neighboring factory specifically requested him to cook? How could Pangzi give up such a good opportunity?

"Clap!" He Yuzhu glared: "If you don't leave, I won't teach today. I'll tell Director Li: it's either him or me!" An aura of someone long accustomed to being in a position of authority suddenly erupted from his body. He picked up the kitchen knife and slammed it hard onto the chopping board. The others were instantly terrified, sweating profusely, unable to understand where He Yuzhu had gotten this aura—it was even more intimidating than the Factory Director.

"Ah! Ah, yes, yes, I'm going right now." Pangzi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a sheepish grin, bowed, nodded repeatedly, and walked out. As soon as he left the Small Kitchen, his legs went soft, and his face turned vicious: "Damn you, He Yuzhu, you just wait! I don't even care to watch!"

Watching Pangzi leave, He Yuzhu withdrew his aura, picked up the kitchen knife, and began to slice the potatoes into shreds with a *swish-swish-swish*.

"The first dish: shredded potatoes in sour and spicy sauce. It's the simplest dish, but it tests a chef's foundation the most. First is knife work: it must be thin and uniform. Watch." Everyone watched as He Yuzhu's knife flew up and down like a butterfly, *swish-swish-swish* incessantly, turning each potato into shreds of consistent thickness and uniform thinness. They couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

"Next is the stir-frying: oil temperature, heat control, tossing..."

Everyone watched He Yuzhu's movements, desperately trying to memorize them in their minds. The envy in their eyes was about to overflow. They hadn't expected a simple dish of shredded potatoes could be cooked with such Art. Smelling the fragrance in the air, several of them swallowed hard.

"It's done, everyone have a taste."

He Yuzhu lifted the wok with one hand holding the spatula, and with the other, he grabbed a large plate and poured the cooked shredded potatoes onto it.

Several people scrambled to pick up their chopsticks and taste it.

"Sss, hot, hot, hot." Ma Hua didn't stand on ceremony and was the first to grab a mouthful, stuffing it into his mouth, then he stood there hissing and blowing, making everyone laugh until they doubled over.

After tasting it, everyone nodded one after another. They hadn't expected that simple shredded potatoes could be so delicious; he truly lived up to being a master chef!

"Not bad, Sha... Master He, you really have some skills." Liu Lan almost let "Shazhu" slip out, but she immediately covered her mouth and then praised him with a smile.

"You're too kind. Come, after you've tasted it, I'll explain it to you in detail. When you're free, practice your knife work more. No matter the dish, knife work is the foundation. First, let's talk about how to hold the knife..."

"The second dish: sour and spicy cabbage!"

Half the morning passed, and He Yuzhu had completely conquered everyone in the Small Kitchen with his two dishes. Of course, there was also the reason that he was teaching his Cooking selflessly, and perhaps the reason for his outburst of aura in the morning. Anyway, on the surface, everyone respected him now, and that was enough. When their hearts were set on the same goal and they put their strength into the same place, it would be easier for him to do more things.

After all, if you have a bunch of petty people behind you, even if they don't ruin things, they're still disgusting, aren't they?

At noon, under He Yuzhu's guidance, several of them cooked a dish each, and the leaders didn't even notice that He Yuzhu hadn't been the one cooking today's dishes.

"Check-in!"

"Congratulations on your successful check-in, you have received a Kitchenware Set."

Sure enough, He Yuzhu looked at the set of over twenty knives that had appeared in his space. The items obtained from checking in were indeed related to the location. If he were to check in at a bank vault...

Near the end of the shift, seeing the ingredients Ma Hua had set aside, He Yuzhu shook his head and distributed them to everyone. Especially Liu Lan, who was given a full three pounds of pork, which made her beam with joy. Even though she was Director Li's mistress, she usually didn't get such good things. When He Yuzhu left, she even diligently brushed the dust off his clothes, making He Yuzhu feel incredibly awkward.

The authority of the Small Kitchen had been established. Once he taught them, he wouldn't need to do it himself anymore, except for major leaders. This way, he would have more time to do his own things, such as researching information and so on.

As for the lunchbox, he didn't plan to bring one anymore. After all, on the path he wanted to take in the future, even the smallest stain would be infinitely magnified by these petty people.

"Ma Hua, go home first, then come with me to buy groceries. My brother-in-law is coming over today, you can come and have a bite too." Looking at the respectful Ma Hua, He Yuzhu sighed. If this were his past life, he would have at least gotten Ma Hua a position as a police dog... ah no, a proper staff member. What a pity.