Chapter 104 Lamb Noodles

"Sister-in-law He,"

This is an old habit I developed back in my hometown.

"You've gone to your husband's family."

Do you think people would be happy with you doing this?

Chen Shuxiang then asked.

"Do city people even care about this?"

Wang Qiuping, on the contrary, asked a question in return.

"Look at this yard,"

Which woman smokes?

Chen Shuxiang replied casually.

"I can't change this habit anytime soon."

What should we do?

Wang Qiuping looked troubled.

"I just mentioned it casually."

Chen Shuxiang said with a smile.

Since then,

Wang Qiuping then stopped smoking her pipe openly in the courtyard.

But in the room she lived in,

Yet, that familiar smell of dry tobacco still wafts out from time to time.

On New Year's Eve,

Because Zhao Yonghe was not at home.

He Yuzhu specially brought Wang Qiuping a bowl of hot dumplings.

Chen Shuxiang couldn't help but mutter to herself:

"He left his cousin alone at home."

What's going on?

Wang Qiuping simply smiled gently.

She didn't know exactly where Lao Zhao had gone.

But I could probably guess in my heart.

He must have another mission to complete.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year,

Old Zhao is finally back.

They also brought back a lot of exquisite snacks for Wang Qiuping.

Chen Shuxiang saw this scene,

His expression gradually softened.

Otherwise, she really was prepared to give Lao Zhao a good scolding.

Now that we've led them into this courtyard,

We can't just abandon them and ignore them.

After the New Year,

For some reason,

Wang Qiuping actually took the initiative to approach Chen Shuxiang.

I want to learn to read from her.

Chen Shuxiang saw that she genuinely wanted to learn.

They are also exceptionally dedicated to teaching.

After all, she had taught He Yuzhu and Xu Damao before.

I've gained some experience.

Wang Qiuping lived in the courtyard house for nearly two months.

Later, he was picked up and taken away by Lao Zhao.

Her relationship with the He family.

We've grown increasingly close.

If it weren't for the mission I had...

She was really reluctant to leave this courtyard.

When leaving,

She didn't say goodbye to anyone.

Only one letter was left behind.

The letter said,

If there is an opportunity in the future,

I will definitely come back to visit Chen Shuxiang and the others.

The letter also specifically mentioned one sentence,

She said she missed the mutton noodles with minced meat sauce that Zhu Zi made.

After she left

The courtyard house has returned to its former tranquility.

It was as if this person had never been here before.

By the middle of the year,

Zhao Yecui gave birth to the child.

She is a little girl.

Xu Wangcai originally named his child "Xu Zhaodi".

Upon hearing this name, Xu Damao

He jumped up on the spot.

If another younger brother comes along...

His position at home is now completely insecure.

Besides, the name doesn't sound very pleasant either.

Later, it was changed to "Xu Huiqing".

Xu Damao then stopped making a fuss and objecting.

Two years later,

1947 years 7 months,

He Yuzhu graduated from junior high school smoothly.

He did very well in his exams when he was in junior high school.

But if you want to skip a grade and advance to a higher level,

You have to spend money to pull strings and make favors.

He Daqing from the secret room in his house,

They found many rare items to give as gifts and bribes.

He no longer needs Xu Wangcai's help.

Because he was very diligent in preparing banquets when he went out to cook.

I've also made a few acquaintances with whom I can talk.

He Yuzhu achieved quite good results in his graduation exams.

I successfully obtained my junior high school graduation certificate.

At this time, Xu Damao

She's only about to start third grade.

After He Yuzhu entered junior high school,

The two could only meet during holidays.

After all, they weren't attending the same school anymore.

Every time we meet,

He Yuzhu wanted to inquire about his studies.

This annoyed Xu Damao quite a bit.

At this moment, He Yuzhu,

He has grown to 1.75 meters tall.

When you are out and about,

If you say he is only twelve years old,

I doubt anyone would believe that.

His system panel

Some changes have also occurred quietly:

[Host: He Yuzhu]

Age: 12

Physical fitness: 14.5

(Due to the use of enhancement drugs, his level far exceeds that of his peers.)

Equivalent to the level of a healthy adult male.

The drug does not affect the host's normal development (maximum value 30).

Skill: Bajiquan (Max Level)

Six-in-One Spear (Max Level)

Pistol Shooting (Intermediate)

Artillery (Advanced)

Culinary skills (advanced)

Monkey Tongbei Fist (Advanced)

Cherry Blossom Language (Beginner)

English (Intermediate)

Korean (Intermediate)

Lock picking (advanced)

Sniper (Advanced)

Car driving (advanced)

Motorcycle driving (advanced)

Small vessel piloting (advanced)

Aircraft piloting (proficient)

Tracking and anti-tracking (advanced)

Motor vehicle repair (basic)

Photography (Advanced)

System space: 4,000 cubic meters

(It is constant and unchanging; space is unbroken and matter is immortal, but it cannot contain living beings.)

Two thousand square meters of ecological space,

One mu of fishpond

Items: Several

[Check-in progress: Changed to monthly check-in.]

Task: [Not refreshed]

He has basically wiped out the remaining spies and traitors in Beijing.

Even the members of the Lixingshe Society were disturbed by him.

Zhao Yonghe had been secretly rescued by him several times, so there had been no new system task notifications recently.

As the number of soldiers in the city increased, food prices also continued to rise.

The secret room in Old He's house was almost never empty.

Apart from setting aside emergency funds, the family basically converted the rest of their money into food for stockpiling.

The old lady's secret room in the backyard was also expanded.

The Xu family secretly dug a cellar, which Xu Wangcai did privately.

He noticed that wealthy families outside all had cellars. Although his own family wasn't rich, they still needed a safe place to store their grain.

There was no need to continue studying, and He Daqing began to worry again: what could he possibly do while idling at home all day?

Jia Dongxu, who lives in the front yard, graduated from elementary school this year and has already become an apprentice in the factory. It was Jia Laonian who spent money to ask Xu Wangcai to help him get this job.

Only the two of them knew the exact amount spent. In any case, Xu Wangcai later told He Daqing privately that he would never help Jia Laonian again—that man was too stingy.

He Daqing only replied with one sentence: "How much money do you think his family has?"

Xu Wangcai immediately fell silent.

When Jia Dongxu got a job, Jia Zhangshi was so happy that she would boast to everyone she met that her family now had two people earning money.

Those who know her well gossiped behind her back: "Aren't they supposed to be two people making money? All that money they earned went into your bottomless pit."

Jia Zhangshi wanted to set up two tables to celebrate, but Jia Laonian rejected the idea outright—where would they get the money? Jia Dongxu only earned one and a half silver dollars a month as an apprentice, just enough for him to eat. He was a young boy, at the age where he could eat a lot.

His father wanted to find him a good master, but for some reason, Yi Zhonghai used some means that no master was willing to take him on, leaving only Yi Zhonghai as the master to choose from.

Jia Laonian was unwilling for his son to become Yi Zhonghai's apprentice, so Jia Dongxu was still doing odd jobs at the factory.

Another thing is that the technicians who lived in the front yard have all moved away, including Old Zhao.

One day, when He Daqing came back from work, he mentioned that Lao Zhao was no longer working at the factory and no one knew where he had gone.

Only He Yuzhu knew that Lao Zhao's identity had probably been exposed and he had fled Beijing.

Later, He Daqing took He Yuzhu to the steel rolling mill.

But within a few months, his son had mastered all his skills, except for the Tan family cuisine, which he couldn't practice due to a lack of ingredients.

The following year, He Daqing asked his son what trade he wanted to learn next. In fact, Xu Wangcai had also come to the He family to ask if He Yuzhu would be willing to learn how to project movies from him—Xu Wangcai was now a projectionist, and after all, he was a middle school graduate and could be considered an educated person.

He Daqing, however, thought differently: He hadn't mastered the cooking skills yet, so how could he give up halfway? Besides, wouldn't Xu Damao have to learn how to be a projectionist when he grew up? That kid was also his apprentice, and he didn't want the two brothers to fight over a job.

Actually, He Yuzhu himself didn't want to go to work so early. How old was he? Hadn't he had enough of working in his past life? Going to work at twelve years old was simply a joke.

The rule for learning to cook is three years of odd jobs followed by two years of full service. He Yuzhu didn't want to do odd jobs. He was willing to learn the craft and show respect to his master, and he didn't lack money, but he just didn't want to waste his time.

So he told his father about his idea. He Daqing scratched his head as soon as he heard it: This request is just ridiculous! It's better to just say to people, "I don't want to work, I just want to learn a skill."

There was another reason that put He Daqing in a difficult position: would those restaurants dare to take in his son? He was quite well-known in Beijing; even if not all restaurants knew that he had cooked for Xiao Ri Zi back then, the big restaurants certainly did.

When he left Fengzeyuan, other restaurants invited him, but as soon as he explained the reason, those owners immediately kept their distance.

That's why he simply went to work in the steel rolling mill. As for working as a hostess—there are always people who don't mind, and some ordinary people simply don't understand these intricacies.

After much thought, He Daqing came up with an idea. He said directly to He Yuzhu, "You probably can't find such a good place in Beijing. Why don't you go to Tianjin?"

"Go to Tianjin? There are places in Tianjin?"

"I have a senior apprentice at Huifanglou. Whether you can learn the true skills of halal cuisine depends on your own fate," He Daqing said, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"Halal food?" He Yuzhu thought about it and thought it was a good idea. It would be a good opportunity to go to Tianjin to take a look.

After discussing it, the father and son told Chen Shuxiang about their plans, but Chen Shuxiang was extremely reluctant to let her son go on a long trip.

Two-year-old He Yushui clung tightly to He Yuzhu's leg, tears streaming down her face: "Brother, Yushui won't let you go."

"You little glutton, are you afraid that if I leave, no one will make you delicious food?" He Yuzhu squatted down, picked up He Yushui with one hand, pinched her chubby little face, and patted her round little belly.

"Hmph, I'm not playing with you anymore, brother." He Yushui blushed and turned her head away.

"Fine, then don't come begging to me again."

"Then...then I'll go find Brother Da Mao to play." He Yushui bit her finger, tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying.

"Hahahaha, then go find him." He Yuzhu was amused.

"Then put me down." He Yushui pushed He Yuzhu with her small hands.