Siheyuan: My wife is Xu Huizhen

Chapter 63 Praise
After being surprised, Ye Xiangqun's face was full of bitterness.

He Yuzhu's basic knowledge is high enough, and he hasn't officially learned cooking from the master yet. What he cooks is better than what he cooks at the second stove.

With his skills, he can make the first meal in any hotel or restaurant except for a few top restaurants in the capital.

He Yuzhu just smiled honestly. There was no benefit in talking more at this time.

Hong Henian said: "Zhuzi, although your skills have improved, you still need to learn more and practice more. You also know that we have no place for a chef in the kitchen now."

Although Tai Feng House has a total of 5 stoves, there are currently 5 master chefs, each of which is equipped with a second stove chef. Even if He Yuzhu is skilled in Sichuan cuisine, Tai Feng House no longer needs it.

These ten people can already meet the current requirements.

Besides, the only people who can cook Sichuan food are your own masters and senior brothers. You can't take the position yourself, so you can push the senior brothers down.

He Yuzhu nodded: "I understand, I'm good at making cold dishes now."

It's getting hotter soon. It's the most uncomfortable time to stay by the stove cooking in the hot summer days.

As soon as I start cooking, I will be covered in sweat. There is only one oscillating fan in the kitchen, which is only slightly better.

Although there are shops selling ice to cool down in the capital, it is so hot in the kitchen that even placing two large ice cubes is of no use.

He Yuzhu wanted to stay here because he had a lot of experience in making cold dishes, and he could survive the hot summer, and then go to the stove to practice cooking in autumn.

This way you can escape the hot summer.

Seeing that He Yuzhu was neither arrogant nor impetuous, Hong Henian nodded secretly, thinking that the 16-year-old He Yuzhu should be young and energetic and wanted to get ahead. From this point of view, the 16-year-old He Yuzhu already looked like an adult and had magnanimity.

Wang Song, who was eating next to him, heard this and reached out with his chopsticks to grab some. After eating, he said in surprise: "It's so delicious."

Sitting across from him was Miao Qishan, who was good at Huaiyang cuisine. He also picked up a chopstick sideways and after eating, he praised: "Zhuzhu is a good stir-fry dish. He's almost ready to cook."

"Yeah, I'll try it too." Miao Qishan's apprentice Hu Daijun also said.

After taking a bite, I also praised it.

Even Zhang Zusheng couldn't sit still anymore. He stood up and came over to take a taste and look at He Yuzhu again.

Did this kid lie about his age? He doesn't look like a 16-year-old kid. He definitely looks like he's in his 20s.

Is this because he deliberately concealed his age? He has practiced his skills for many years before joining the kitchen at Tai Fung House?

How else to explain this veteran's fire kung fu? Although he has recognized Hong Henian as his master, in these short two months, Hong Henian only asked him to do some cooking and never started cooking at all.

Although this skill is not top-notch, the average chef cannot achieve this level after practicing for three to five years.

This doesn't look like something a 16-year-old could cook.

Fortunately, He Yuzhu studied Sichuan cuisine and is good at Beijing cuisine. No matter how high his skills are, he cannot threaten the chefs under him.

"Yes, you can be the second cook." Zhang Zusheng said and patted Ye Xiangqun's shoulder, and then said: "You have to work hard, or you will be kicked out by your junior brother."

Ye Xiangqun smiled and said: "Zhu Zhu's ability to practice his craft is his own. It is normal for him to be better than me. As long as I study hard, I will catch up one day."

Zhang Zusheng didn't say much, and other people also came to taste it. Some praised it, some shook their heads in silence, and some were irritated.

In the blink of an eye, a large plate of dishes was finished, and Hong Henian could only ask He Yuzhu to fry another one.

Xu Huizhen, who was working in the distance, raised her head and looked over here. She also heard some praises for He Yuzhu, and suddenly felt a little angry. He Yuzhu had stolen her position and was in the limelight. She had to clean vegetables here, all kinds of things. Meat, large intestines, offal, etc., I’ve had enough.

After the short period of excitement, after the meal, the chef started to get busy.

Platefuls of cold dishes were prepared by He Yuzhu, and new reminders were constantly appearing in the corners of his vision.

Although you can control it with your mind and turn off the reminder, it still feels comfortable to watch. This is the greatest reward for your work.

In the afternoon, the entire kitchen was idle. Hong Henian suddenly called He Yuzhu and said, "Come and follow me."

"What's the matter, Master?" He Yuzhu stood up and followed.

"Just come with me."

Hong Henian didn't say much, and I took He Yuzhu to the manager's office in front.

He knocked on the door, brought He Yuzhu in, and said to Shopkeeper Hu: "Shopkeeper, my apprentice's craftsmanship is no worse than Erzao. How about we try the dishes?"

"Isn't it just two months since I arrived? What dishes should I try?" Shopkeeper Hu asked.

Recruiting people in the kitchen usually only recruits two types of people:

The first type is an ordinary helper, even if you don't have the foundation of a chef. After joining, you will do handyman cleaning, and then practice knife skills, gradually getting closer to a chef.

The second type is a chef with cooking skills. After the shopkeeper personally tastes the dishes, he negotiates the salary with the chef. Both parties negotiate to see if they are willing to stay as a chef.

Only then did He Yuzhu realize that the master had brought him here because he wanted to help him get the treatment of a chef. After all, he was still a helper and only paid 5 yuan a month to work half a day.

My heart was filled with emotion. After all, I was technically an apprentice, and it had only been two months since I joined, which was not enough time for promotion.

Shopkeeper Hu was surprised: "Didn't He Yuzhu just come to work?"

"He just came to work, but his skills are very good."

Hong Henian then said emphatically: "It's better than several Erzao."

"Really?" Shopkeeper Hu asked in disbelief.

"Of course it's true. Everyone agrees on the dishes that will be fried at noon today." Hong Henian said.

Shopkeeper Hu hesitated a little. It was impossible for Hong Henian to lie about this kind of thing. After all, cooking was not something else and it could be verified directly.

Shopkeeper Hu was not in a hurry to take He Yuzhu to try the dishes because this matter was not important.

The key problem is that the back kitchen of Tai Feng Building is fully staffed. The 5 people, 5 big cooks and 10 second cooks, have already met the daily needs.

Even if He Yuzhu's ability is confirmed after tasting the dishes to be the second kitchen chef, he cannot promote him.

Doesn't this increase the cost?
Having an extra chef is currently redundant for the back cook.

He said with a grimace: "Master Hong, He Yuzhu came in as a helper. Even though he originally had the skills of a chef, we don't need a chef now and there is no place for him."

"Is it really impossible to arrange it?"

"Aren't you making things difficult for me? 10 chefs are enough for the restaurant to operate, and the boss is not willing to have one more chef."

"Then don't blame me if this is the case. I will recommend him to work as a chef in another restaurant."

After saying that, Hong Henian stood up and wanted to leave.

Shopkeeper Hu suddenly realized that He Yuzhu couldn't leave.

"No, Master Hong, please listen to me first and don't be anxious. If anything happens, we will discuss it later."

It wouldn't matter if He Yuzhu was let go by an ordinary chef.

In the past, some chefs didn't want to be second-in-command chefs and wanted a better career. They resigned from Tai Fung House and went to some inferior restaurants. It didn't matter if they became chefs.

This kind of chef has given away quite a few.But He Yuzhu is different.

He Yuzhu is currently in charge of the cold dishes and has received unanimous praise from everyone.

More cold dishes are sold every day than before, and this is all due to He Yuzhu, who has special seasoning skills.

If He Yuzhu is let go, won't the cold dishes that were so popular before be gone?

He glanced at He Yuzhu, then said with a wry smile: "Old Hong, you are the general of my army."

"Look at what you said, my apprentice is so good at his craftsmanship, what future can he gain by being an apprentice here with you?"

Hong Henian smiled and said: "Then I might as well send him to another restaurant to be a chef."

"Is his stir-fry really that good?"

"Can I still lie to you?"

Shopkeeper Hu was very embarrassed: "But I want to promote him, but the boss can't explain it to me."

"Isn't that your brother-in-law? Is there anything you can't explain?"

"Whether it's public or private, I can't tell you."

"Then I will contact other restaurants and restaurants tomorrow. The Eighth Hall and the Eighth Building will not work, but you can still be a chef in an ordinary restaurant."

Shandong cuisine has played a leading role in the capital since the Ming Dynasty. By the Qing Dynasty, there were a total of 8 high-end restaurants. Coincidentally, each of them had the character "Tang" in their name.

This is the Eight Great Halls in Beijing.

Below the Eighth Hall there is the Eighth Building, which is slightly lower grade than the Eighth Hall. Tai Fung Building is one of the Eighth Buildings.

Both of these are based on Shandong cuisine. For example, three of the five chefs at Tai Feng House are Shandong cuisine chefs, followed by a Sichuan cuisine chef and a Huaiyang cuisine chef.

Further down there are Badaju. These Juli restaurants no longer offer Shandong cuisine but have their own private dishes and signature dishes.

Below Badaju there is Badachun, they mainly serve Huaiyang cuisine.

Mainly because after the founding of the Republic of China, most of the revolutionary parties were from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. When they entered the capital, they also brought their hometown dishes.

Hong Henian said that He Yuzhu can now be a chef in other restaurants. This is already an affirmation of He Yuzhu's skills.

Shopkeeper Hu understood that if He Yuzhu did not have this skill, Hong Henian would not have the confidence to come to him, but the current difficulty was that he had no place to accommodate He Yuzhu.

This matter is really a headache. I asked: "Then what do you think we should do?"

Hong Henian had already made plans and knew that it was impossible to become a chef. After all, he couldn't squeeze one of them away for no reason. What's more, Yuzhu studied Sichuan cuisine, and the one who should be squeezed out was Ye Xiangqun. apprentice.

Of course it's impossible to do this.

Said: "Lao Hu, isn't this simple? Since Zhang Yong can be a knife master, why can't He Yuzhu be a cold dish master?"

"This"

Lao Hu suddenly realized that, yes, in the back kitchen, in addition to the ten cooking masters, there was also a white table master and a knife master.

Because Tai Feng Restaurant doesn't pay much attention to cold dishes, there has never been a dedicated cold dish chef.

What is He Yuzhu's greatest help to Tai Feng Lou? It's not that he has good cooking skills, but that the cold dishes he makes are delicious and have been well received by customers.

Others don't know, but as a person who deals with customers every day, how could Shopkeeper Hu not know?

People often praise him in front of him, saying that the recent cold dishes are much more delicious than before, especially the cold dishes have become more popular recently, and some people come here to pack them.

"That's a good idea."

Shopkeeper Hu also figured out that He Yuzhu was responsible for the cold dishes during this period, and his family skills were brought into play. After this period of testing, it was confirmed that he could attract customers, so Hong Henian couldn't stand it anymore. After all, now They also paid him apprentice wages.

This is to force myself to give him a salary increase.

Shopkeeper Hu quickly made up his mind and said: "I will discuss it with the boss later and promote He Yuzhu to be the cold dish chef."

"That's pretty much it, then I'll go back."

"Walk slowly without sending."

On the way back, He Yuzhu said, "Thank you, Master."

"This is all as it should be. You are good at making cold dishes, and you have been trying them out for so long. I still don't want to give you a salary increase, so why do you still work for him?"

With He Yuzhu's skills in cold dishes and stir-fries, he can survive in any other restaurant, so why do he still need to be paid as an apprentice?
After being prompted by Hong Henian, shopkeeper Hu thought up a plan of argument and called his brother-in-law.

He emphatically introduced the importance of He Yuzhu to the restaurant. In fact, what he said was basically the actual situation. After all, it was He Yuzhu who took care of both the cold dishes and the braised pork.

Although He Yuzhu is young, his skills are indeed very good. Shopkeeper Hu is also pragmatic and only emphasizes He Yuzhu's addition to the restaurant.

"Okay, the salary is the same as Master Bai's salary."

Shopkeeper Hu said: "Is it too low?"

Shopkeeper Hu originally wanted to give him the same salary as Erzao, but he didn't expect that the boss would give him the same salary as Master Bai An and the others.

"It's not low anymore. It's hard to do business now. It's just a cold dish, not that important."

"Okay, I'll go talk to him."

The current world is indeed not good, with prices soaring and currency depreciating. Although the restaurant business is booming, the profits are indeed not high.

He Yuzhu was watching his master and Miao Qishan playing chess when he saw Wang Song waving to him, walked over and asked, "What's the matter?"

"The shopkeeper is calling you."

Wang Song said: "Go quickly, it looks like you are very anxious."

He Yuzhu came to the manager's room and knocked on the door. Shopkeeper Hu's voice came from inside: "Please come in."

When He Yuzhu came in, he called Shopkeeper Hu first, and then he was pulled to sit down.

Shopkeeper Hu did not get into the topic immediately. Instead, he chatted about home affairs and asked He Yuzhu about his childhood studies.

Anyway, He Daqing has run away, so He Yuzhu can say whatever he wants, but talk more about the time he spent studying art when he was a child.

This can also explain that you have a strong foundation.

Shopkeeper Hu said: "After communicating with the boss, he has agreed to pay 30 yuan a month."

He Yuzhu frowned a little. The master had just explained that he should strive to get Erzao's salary.

Ye Xiangqun's salary is more than 40 yuan a month, and Hong Henian's own salary is in the early 50s.

He Yuzhu said: "Isn't this a bit low?"

"This is not low. After all, you are not cooking at the stove, right?"

(End of this chapter)