Chapter 478: Entrustment

He Yuzhu squatted in the courtyard, nimbly trimming the shrimp spikes off the heads of the Little Lobster.

Liu Erhei leaned over and said with a grin, "Captain, the brothers are really craving the Spicy Crayfish you make. Can you make more tonight? I like the extra spicy kind the best; I feel like I could eat a hundred of them by myself!"

"In your dreams," He Yuzhu said without lifting his head. "See this? It's a real hassle to process these things. Just tasting a few each is enough."

Liu Erhei immediately turned around and shouted, "Everyone come over! Are twenty people enough? Some of you wash, some of you trim—don't let the Captain get tired!"

"That's more like it." Only then did He Yuzhu stand up and pull two bundles of toothbrushes and scissors from the vehicle. The crowd stared with wide eyes—good heavens, did the Captain move a tool shop here?

"Ten people to wash, ten people to remove the sand sacs from the shrimp heads," he commanded, and the courtyard instantly became lively.

Just as things were arranged, Man Yatou and her third sister, Liu Sanman, arrived.

Their baskets were almost full of Little Lobster.

He Yuzhu hurried over to help them unload the baskets.

The little girl opened her eyes wide as she looked at the people busy all over the courtyard and asked curiously, "Brother, what are they doing?"

"Making something delicious," He Yuzhu said with a smile. "You sisters stay tonight and taste your brother's cooking."

"This stuff... is it really edible?" Liu Sanman looked at the Little Lobster clawing about in the basin, feeling a bit stunned. Usually, they would just crush these things up to feed the chickens.

"Not only is it edible, but I guarantee you'll want more after one bite! See those people? They all tasted it yesterday, got hooked, and that's why they ran over to help!" He Yuzhu pointed at the crowd.

Liu Sanman smiled, not believing a word He Yuzhu said; she just assumed that as a northerner, he hadn't seen these things before and was just curious.

Man Yatou, however, watched with great focus.

He Yuzhu spoke up, "Little girl, I'll pay you for those Little Lobster."

"No!" Man Yatou stood up and shook her head vigorously, her small face turning bright red. "We don't have the ability to help you with anything big; this little bit is just a gesture of our hearts, we absolutely cannot take money!"

He Yuzhu looked at this girl, who was only a few years older than his own sister but already so sensible it made his heart ache, and felt a wave of emotion.

Children from poor families truly do shoulder half the sky early on.

"Fine, you don't have to take the money. But tonight, Brother will teach you two dishes. Once you learn them, you'll never go hungry wherever you go." He Yuzhu then handed the aprons to the sisters.

Man Yatou tied her apron and asked, "Brother, what kind of dishes are so amazing?"

"Spicy Crayfish, and Boiled Fish, which is the most popular dish in Beijing right now. You have the ingredients here; it just depends on the skill," He Yuzhu said.

"That's great!" Man Yatou clapped her hands in joy.

After a few days of getting along, she was already full of trust in this brother—anything he said could be done, would certainly be done.

For the next half hour, He Yuzhu taught them hands-on.

How to wash them, how to remove the sand sacs, how to prepare the seasonings, and how to control the heat.

Man Yatou learned very quickly; she remembered seventy or eighty percent after watching just once.

Although Liu Sanman was a bit timid, she was also very smart and learned quite well.

He Yuzhu let the two sisters work together to stir-fry a pot.

When it came out of the pot, the aroma was overflowing, and it actually looked quite professional.

"You girl, you really have a talent for cooking," He Yuzhu tasted a shrimp and nodded with satisfaction.

Man Yatou also took a Little Lobster, imitated He Yuzhu's movements, carefully peeled it open, put the meat in her mouth, and chewed. Her eyes instantly went wide: "Brother! This, this is really too delicious!"

Liu Sanman also tried one, and her face was full of disbelief—those things in the stinky ditch that no one wanted could actually turn into such a delicacy?

Afterwards, He Yuzhu taught Man Yatou how to make Boiled Fish.

This time he used grass carp, explaining step-by-step from slicing the fish and preparing the seasonings to the heat for heating the oil and the technique for pouring it, then letting her operate independently.

Man Yatou was not very strong, so many steps required her third sister's help, but after trying it, she had already mastered sixty percent; with more practice, she would surely be able to make it very well.

He Yuzhu praised, "Man Yatou, you really have a gift for cooking; opening a restaurant in the future won't be a problem."

When Man Yatou heard this, her eyes instantly lit up.

At dinner, He Yuzhu specifically arranged for Town Mayor Shao Lin and the two sisters to sit at the same table.

During the meal, he brought up the situation at Man Yatou's home, specifically mentioning her troublesome grandmother.

Shao Lin sighed, "I know her family is in difficulty, but there are many such families in town, and there is really a limit to what we can help with..."

"I'm not asking for your financial help," He Yuzhu lowered his voice. "I want to ask you to help keep an eye on things, don't let that old lady come and stir up trouble..."

Shao Lin understood immediately and nodded, "You can rest assured about that, I will definitely look after it."

At this moment, Shao Lin remembered something and smiled, "Brother He, don't forget the recipe you promised to teach our cafeteria chef for the Little Lobster."

"I've already passed the recipe to Man Yatou," He Yuzhu smiled at the little girl. "If your chef wants to learn, he'll have to apprentice under her."

Shao Lin was a sensible man and immediately said to Man Yatou, "Girl, let your eldest sister come to the town cafeteria to help tomorrow. By the way, that recipe... teach it to your eldest sister as well."

Seeing that Shao Lin was transparent in his dealings, He Yuzhu continued, "Town Mayor, let me be frank with you. We are heading to Guangdong to build a large factory, and in the future, we will need tens or even hundreds of thousands of people. The factory is only a few hundred miles from here, and in the future, your local mountain goods and agricultural products can all be transported there. As for the price, it will be absolutely fair."

Shao Lin's eyes lit up instantly. He had long heard that He Yuzhu paid high prices for mountain goods, even paying pork prices for Little Lobster. This relationship had to be well maintained.

"Brother He, are these words true?"

"How could I lie to you about such a thing?" He Yuzhu laughed.

Liu Erhei interjected from the side, "Town Mayor, you don't know yet, do you? Our Captain is a great hero who shot down over thirty United States planes! When a hero speaks, it's as solid as a nail!"

Shao Lin's hand shook, and his chopsticks almost fell onto the table: "You are that He Yuzhu?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

The look in Man Yatou's eyes as she looked at him instantly changed from gratitude to worship.

Liu Erhei added, "The Captain is also the Chief Engineer of the new factory! Anything he promises you is set in stone!"

Man Yatou had originally thought that it would be hard to meet again after this parting, but hearing that there could be future dealings, she hurriedly asked, "Brother, when the factory is built, can I come find you?"

He Yuzhu felt a stir in his heart—this girl was not simple; she saw further than most children.

"Town Mayor Shao, from now on, when goods are sent over, I will only recognize you and Man Yatou," he said seriously. "I won't accept anything sent by others." He Yuzhu was also returning the favor.

Shao Lin immediately replied, "Don't worry, girl, from now on you will be the one following the shipments."

The meal was enjoyed by both host and guests, and it wasn't until ten o'clock in the evening that Shao Lin left with his people.

When He Yuzhu walked the two sisters home, Man Yatou said, "Brother, I will go catch two more baskets of Little Lobster for you tomorrow morning."

"Alright." He Yuzhu did not decline; he knew this was the little girl's way of expressing her heart, "We happen to be passing by the county town tomorrow, would you like to go see your mother together?"

Man Yatou looked up in surprise: "Can I really go?"

"Of course." He Yuzhu patted her shoulder, "See you tomorrow morning."