Chapter 23 The Third Master's Plan Failed

He Yuzhu went out early in the morning. Before daybreak, he ran to the vegetable market and bought everything needed for the banquet.

Because a lot of things need to be prepared in advance, and Director Wang's family didn't plan to have much of a banquet.

There are four tables in total, each with eight dishes and two soups.

He Yuzhu was working alone, so he was a little nervous, but it wasn't a big problem.

By the time he found a cart and brought his things to Director Wang's house, Director Wang's son Qian Yuhao had already brought a lot of things.

"Brother Zhuzi, thank you for your hard work."

When Qian Yuhao saw He Yuzhu coming over with something, he quickly took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

"Yuhao, you are really good, you even smoked Huazi."

He Yuzhu joked. He and Qian Yuhao had known each other since childhood and had a good relationship. The two stood at the door and smoked a cigarette.

Qian Yuhao stuffed the bag of Huazi he had just opened into He Yuzhu's pocket and said, "Brother Zhuzi, I'm sorry to bother you today."

"You are talking nonsense. If you don't come to me when you have something to do, I will be unhappy."

He Yuzhu didn't waste any time. He held two knives in his hands and started chopping the stuffing. The preparation work for the four-happiness meatballs had to be done in advance.

There are quite a few ingredients that need to be soaked in the eight dishes and two soups.

Fortunately, Director Wang borrowed a lot of basins from the street canteen in advance, so there were enough.

He Yuzhu walked quickly, his hands dancing like snow and butterflies, making Qian Yuhao dazzled.

Each portion of food was processed clearly and placed on the chopping board next to it.

After everything that needed to be cut was done, He Yuzhu began to collect water for washing.

Qian Yuhao wanted to help but was pushed aside by He Yuzhu.

Qian Yuhao was still a little unhappy, but when he saw the 100-liter bucket full of water was casually picked up by He Yuzhu and put aside.

Only then did he exclaim that Brother Zhuzi was an awesome guy.

He Yuzhu just laughed and said this was just the beginning.

He could easily catch tigers weighing five or six hundred kilograms and bears weighing seven or eight hundred kilograms.

This bucket of water is so heavy, it’s no big deal.

It took He Yuzhu less than two hours to prepare everything for the banquet with four tables.

"Zhu Zi, how early did you come? You cleaned up so quickly?"

Wang Hongxiu got out of a car holding her grandson. She saw He Yuzhu and his son standing at the door smoking. Then she looked at the various ingredients that had been prepared in the yard and couldn't help but feel a little more emotional.

It's not even ten o'clock yet.

He Yuzhu works alone and is surprisingly efficient.

He Yuzhu laughed and said, "Aunt, the main thing is that there is not much work."

"Mom, Brother Zhuzi and I will smoke for a while, you take Leizi inside first."

Qian Yuhao couldn't bear to see his son suffer the cold outside, so he chased Wang Hongxiu into the house.

Not long after, Qian Yuhao's wife came over by car with her head covered.

It was just past ten o'clock at this time, and Qian's relatives and friends arrived one after another.

Qian Yuhao was going to entertain these people, so He Yuzhu went to fry four-happiness meatballs.

This is the only dish that takes time.

He Yuzhu had already prepared the other dishes, and they could be served as long as they were cooked once.

After eleven o'clock, Qian Yuhao's father-in-law and his family came from the hotel with their relatives.

The two families of relatives were sitting at four tables, which was a bit crowded.

Qian Yuhao's wife and her mother stayed in the bedroom and did not come out.

After finally arranging the seats, Qian Yuhao and his two brothers came over and told He Yuzhu that the dishes could be served.

He Yuzhu turned up the fire and served delicious dishes one after another.

Wang Hongxiu watched as the table was filled with banquet in a short while, and her face was filled with joy.

"This Zhu is indeed a chef who can prepare state banquets. These dishes are colorful, fragrant and delicious. Ordinary hotel chefs don't have this skill."

Wang Hongxiu was satisfied, and Qian Yuhao's father-in-law and his family could not find any fault with it.

After the banquet, Qian Yuhao was tactful enough not to stuff money into He Yuzhu's pocket. Instead, he packed a roast duck, a roast chicken, a box of wine, and a pack of cigarettes for He Yuzhu to take back.

The wine is Xifeng Liquor, an aged fine wine with Fengxiang flavor. This box of wine is worth at least more than 30 yuan.

This is much more economical than paying money.

Not to mention a pack of cigarettes, which is worth at least ten yuan, plus the roast duck and chicken, the total value is almost fifty yuan.

He Yuzhu did not refuse. He tied the things to the car and left.

When they returned to the courtyard, the third uncle was still at the door. When he saw the roast duck and roast chicken hanging on He Yuzhu's car and the Xifeng liquor tied at the back, he started drooling with greed.

Most of the meat that the third uncle's family eats on a daily basis is the small fish he catches in his spare time.

Small fish don’t have much meat and have big bones.

Sometimes, parents of students would send gifts, but that only happened a few times a year.

Now, smelling the aroma of roast duck and roast chicken, the third uncle smiled particularly flatteringly: "Zhu Zi, you went out to prepare a feast for someone today, right?"

"Yes, Uncle San, are you going fishing?"

He Yuzhu looked at the fishing rod in the third uncle's hand and replied casually.

Because he was afraid of being plotted against by the Third Uncle's family, after He Yuzhu became the head of the family, he only maintained a nodding acquaintance with the Third Uncle's family and did not have any other contact with them.

However, when Yan Jiecheng got married, he asked himself to prepare the banquet.

"Zhu Zi, this wine of yours wasn't sent by the master, was it?"

The third uncle was the best at calculating. He could guess the value of a box of wine just by looking at the carton packaging.

"Wow, this is ten-year-old Xifeng. If you want to buy this box, it will cost less than fifty yuan, but it's hard to find."

"Really? I really didn't pay attention."

He Yuzhu drove the car over the threshold and was about to leave when he was stopped by the third uncle: "Zhuzi, we haven't been together for a long time. Tonight I'll serve the fish and you'll serve the wine. How about a couple of drinks at your place?"

"Uncle, it's not possible today. I have something else to do today. Let's get together someday when we are free."

He Yuzhu politely declined the uncle's idea of ​​taking advantage of him, and when he returned home, Lou Xiao'e was still chatting with the aunt.

I don’t know what this woman talks about all day long, and what there is to talk about.

"The pillar is back."

When the aunt saw He Yuzhu coming back, her eyes lit up. Wow, he brought back quite a lot of things from this trip.

A rough calculation shows that these things are worth an average person's monthly salary.

He Yuzhu doesn't care much about these things, such as cigarettes.

When He Yuzhu smokes, he never swallows the smoke into his throat.

As for drinking, He Yuzhu only drinks a few glasses when he is with friends.

Most of the time, He Yuzhu prefers to ride his bicycle around the city to add some inventory to his small space.

He Yuzhu took the things home, and seeing that Lou Xiao'e was still chatting with the old lady, he simply lay down on the bed and went to catch up on his sleep.

He Yuzhu got up at around five o'clock and has been busy until now, so he is a little sleepy.

When I woke up, the children were all out of school.

The third uncle is calling at the door.

"Uncle San, do you have anything to do with Zhuzi?"

Lou Xiao'e stopped the third uncle and did not let him go into the house to call He Yuzhu.

"Zhu Zi and I agreed to get together. Look, the fish are here."

The third uncle smiled and gestured to Lou Xiaoe with two long silver carps in his hand.

Lou Xiao'e didn't know what was going on, so she turned around and went into the house to wake up He Yuzhu, only to see He Yuzhu getting dressed.

"Zhu Zi, you're awake."

"Just woke up."

He Yuzhu put on his clothes and walked out of the house. He was almost amused when he saw the two silver carps weighing less than a pound in the third uncle's hands.

Such a silver carp, no one wants it even at two cents in the market.

The third uncle was holding these two small fish and wanted to drink his own bottle of aged Xifeng liquor which cost at least five or six yuan. How shameless he was.

"Zhu Zi, look, Uncle San brought you all the fish, hurry up and prepare it, and we'll have a drink together."

As the third uncle was about to go into the house, he was stopped by He Yuzhu in a bad mood.

"Uncle, didn't I tell you that I don't have time to drink with you today?"

Seeing that the Third Master was about to force his way into the house, He Yuzhu simply said with a gloomy face:
"Uncle, if it were a normal time and everyone was free, it would be fine for me to drink with you, but I told you this afternoon that I had something to do tonight, and you still came to drink with me. Isn't this a nuisance?"

"Zhuzi, look at what you said, is Third Uncle that kind of person?" Third Uncle is a calculating person, but he also wants to save face. When his lie was exposed by He Yuzhu, his old face suddenly turned red, and he was so embarrassed that he seemed to be grabbing the ground.

"Uncle, please go back. I have something else to do tonight, so I won't keep you here."

The people in Sijiucheng have their own way of speaking. Even when they are about to fall out, they still use the word "you" when speaking.

The third uncle smiled awkwardly and shook the silver carp in his hand: "Then you keep these two fish and add a dish for the children tonight."

"Thank you, Uncle Third. We rarely eat fish at home," He Yuzhu's words almost choked Uncle Third to death.

"Okay then, see you later, man."

The third uncle then left with a somewhat dejected and lonely back.

"Zhu Zi, why do you speak to the Third Master like that?"

Lou Xiao'e had been staying in the house and had not come out. When she heard He Yuzhu's stiff tone, she immediately realized that the man was speaking angrily.

He Yuzhu is not like this on weekdays.

"Nothing, I just don't like being calculated."

He Yuzhu was afraid of being plotted against, so he even ignored Qin Huairu, the beautiful widow who lived next door.

How could I possibly suffer in silence just because of a few words from the Third Uncle?

The third uncle didn't understand all this. He thought that he could rely on his status as the manager and take advantage of his seniority to get a drink and a bite of roast duck and chicken.

Little did he know that the Third Uncle's calculations had annoyed He Yuzhu to the core.

After casually answering Lou Xiao'e's question, He Yuzhu started cooking.

It was getting late and the four sons were about to finish school.

After dinner, He Yuzhu really went out on his bike.

The third aunt, who had been standing at the gate of the courtyard, hurried into the house and told her husband the news.

"He Yuzhu must be busy so late at night..."

The third uncle laughed bitterly, slapped his thigh, and said self-deprecatingly: "I am being presumptuous."

"Stop talking and stop being angry. Eat quickly. You haven't eaten anything tonight."

The three aunts are very nice to the three uncles.

The third uncle waved his hands and sighed, "You are talking about He Yuzhu. We watched him grow up. He was very smart when he was young. No other child in our courtyard could compare to him..."

The third aunt listened to the third uncle's nagging and knew that the old man was trying to relieve his depression.

Ever since the third uncle's job was replaced by the second uncle, the three children in the family have been making a lot of noise.

Yan Jiecheng started working early, so he and his wife occupied the room next door.

The second son, Yan Jiefang, doesn't have a good job and has difficulty finding a wife.

The third uncle handed over his job to the second uncle. Although the second uncle took over the third uncle's job, he was not filial to the third uncle.

There was a big earthquake last year.

The second and third brothers ran back to the courtyard and dismantled the earthquake-proof shed that the third uncle had already built.

Because of this incident, the third uncle lost face in the courtyard.

Now there are three uncles in charge of the courtyard, and each one is more miserable than the other.

An old man has no children and has been looking for someone to take care of him in his old age, but he has never found one.

The second uncle's three children were all fed up with his "stick education". The eldest one never came back since he moved out.

The third brother, Liu Guangfu, is similar. When there is no benefit to be gained, he won't even come back to take a look.

Only Liu Guangtian, who had lived in the same house and had not moved out, had continued to live with the second uncle.

However, Liu Guangtian and the second uncle make a fuss every day and don't seem to be living a normal life.

The third uncle is accompanied by his eldest brother Yan Jiecheng and his wife.

But according to the Yan family motto, everything must be calculated.

Yan Jiecheng was angry that the third uncle let the second uncle take over his job, so he separated from the third uncle.

Although the third uncle and Yan Jiecheng live in adjacent houses, they do not interfere with each other.

No one should try to take advantage of anyone else.

The only wish of the old couple now is that their daughter Yan Jie Di can be more filial.

However, judging by Yan Jiedi's personality, I'm afraid the third uncle's wish will not be fulfilled.

The three uncles in charge of the courtyard are so pitiful.

(End of this chapter)