Being promoted to Canteen Director was tremendously significant. Not only did his salary increase substantially, but he had also become the top man in the canteen, with his own domain to rule from now on!
The reason the three uncles of the Siheyuan could throw their weight around was not merely that they were old; more importantly, it was because of their economic standing and status.
The First Uncle was a grade 8 fitter with a monthly salary of 99, while the Second Uncle was a grade 7 smith with a monthly salary of 78. That was the key reason they had the confidence to speak.
There was still plenty of time ahead! He would see who was truly the unquestioned authority in the Siheyuan!
When he had cooked for the leaders earlier, quite a bit of seasoned oil and fish slices had been left over. After all, that large grass carp had weighed over ten pounds, and making one basin of boiled fish had not required all of it.
He Yuzhu placed the fish slices in hot oil on the windowsill and let them cool completely. Once they had partially solidified, he found two lunchboxes in the kitchen and packed them up.
When quitting time arrived, he strolled straight toward the Siheyuan.
As he walked ahead, he heard a seductive voice calling out from behind him.
“Silly Zhu, wait for me.”
He Yuzhu turned around and saw Qin Huairu chasing after him, her face filled with excitement.
It was obvious at a glance that this beautiful widow was not happy to see him. She was thinking about what was inside the two lunchboxes in his hands.
“Didn’t you say you were taking leave? What happened? Are you feeling better?” Qin Huairu asked, putting on a concerned expression.
“My leave wasn’t approved. The factory was hosting Ministry-Level Leaders at noon, and Factory Director Yang specifically named me to cook. I couldn’t get away,” He Yuzhu replied indifferently.
A happy smile appeared on Qin Huairu’s face!
Today, she had really struck it lucky. Ministry-Level Leaders had come, so there was certainly no shortage of hospitality expenses. Silly Zhu would surely follow his usual practice and set aside a portion for her in advance.
Looking at the two weighty lunchboxes, there would certainly be plenty of delicious food inside. She could even smell the rich aroma of oil and calories!
However, He Yuzhu merely kept his head down and walked forward without saying a word. It was truly rather strange.
He had refused to take her lunchbox that morning, had not taken leave despite saying he would, and now he was not giving her the lunchboxes either. Qin Huairu was practically itching with impatience!
The two of them walked all the way into the Siheyuan. Qin Huairu could not hold back any longer and finally spoke shamelessly.
“Silly Zhu... Things are really difficult at home. The children are still young, and without enough food to chew, they can’t grow properly...”
Those words would have been bad enough left unsaid, but the moment she spoke them, a wave of fury surged through He Yuzhu’s heart!
Qin Huairu’s entire family had relied on him to survive those most difficult years. And how had they repaid him? By ruining his marriage prospects! They had treated him like a fool!
Especially Bang Geng, the boy among the three children. Before he had even started elementary school, he had been stealing things throughout the courtyard, wiping out all the food in He Yuzhu’s room countless times.
As the old saying went, steal a needle when young, steal gold when grown.
On the surface, Qin Huairu criticized her child, but in reality, she enjoyed the benefits of his stealing and did nothing to discipline him.
That alone was enough to reveal what kind of morals and character this family possessed!
He Yuzhu deliberately said, “It’s rare for a senior department leader to visit. What I brought back today is seasoned oil and fish slices, all of it good stuff. Take a look.”
After saying that, he took the two lunchboxes out of the net bag and opened them. The seasoned oil fish slices, almost solidified by the low temperature, appeared before their eyes.
The distinctive spicy fragrance of boiled fish rushed toward them, making one’s mouth water. A greedy expression appeared on Qin Huairu’s face.
“But I really can’t give you these two lunchboxes.”
He Yuzhu suddenly changed his tone and said, “It’s rare to have such good things today, so we must observe proper seniority. These two lunchboxes must go to the Deaf Old Madam first.”
“Look how cold it is. The Deaf Old Madam is elderly, and her body can’t withstand the cold. She needs to eat some oil and calories and chili to make it through.”
Qin Huairu had never imagined that Silly Zhu, who usually obeyed her every word, would say such a thing today!
“Silly Zhu... The Deaf Old Madam can’t eat this much oil and calories either, can she? Wouldn’t it be better for each family to have one lunchbox...”
Hearing her coquettish, wheedling voice, He Yuzhu hardened his expression, and his voice became stern!
“Qin Huairu! How old is the Deaf Old Madam? I serve her like my own mother! What? If you want to show filial respect to my mother, you still expect her to take her place behind your Jia family?”
“You actually have the nerve to fight an old woman with snow-white hair for food!”
Those few sentences were righteous and forceful. Qin Huairu was left speechless, and her usual silver tongue had completely vanished.
“How much care did the Deaf Old Madam give my sister and me when we were children? A person must know propriety, morality, integrity, and shame—especially the need to repay kindness!”
His words carried a hidden meaning, and Qin Huairu could not help feeling a burst of panic upon hearing them.
She had never expected Silly Zhu to really change. In the past, he had not cared no matter how much advantage she took of him, but today he had become clever.
He Yuzhu ignored her and walked straight into the Deaf Old Madam’s room. Before long, an aroma of oil and calories, extremely rare in those days, began to fill the air.
The entire Siheyuan had three courtyards, yet all of them caught the intensely spicy aroma of oil and calories.
It was precisely the time when every household was preparing dinner. Everyone who smelled that aroma could not help salivating.
“Whose cooking smells so good? How much oil must they have used? Just smelling it has made the children unable to eat.”
“Whose else could it be? In our courtyard, only Silly Zhu can eat oil and meat nowadays. In these times, anyone who can become a cook wouldn’t trade it even for becoming a county magistrate...”
Everyone else’s household was struggling, but Qin Huairu’s family was even more miserable. The adults drank thin gruel and ate a little dried sweet potato, while the children were lucky to get half a mixed-grain cornmeal bun.
That vicious mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi, was practically beside herself with rage when she smelled the aroma!
After all the children had finished eating and gone inside, she finally voiced the words filled with hatred.
“Aren’t you usually so capable? How come Silly Zhu didn’t bring the lunchboxes to our home this time? You spend all day shamelessly clinging to men, disgracing the Jia family’s reputation!”
Qin Huairu lowered her head aggrievedly, unable to say a word.
After returning home, He Yuzhu checked the system funds. The negative emotion currency gained from harshly berating Qin Huairu had surged, unexpectedly reaching 3,578!
This time, not only was Qin Huairu’s family overflowing with negative emotions, but nearly everyone in the entire Siheyuan, except the Deaf Old Madam, had gained more or less negative emotion currency.
Clearly, the aroma of the boiled fish’s oil and calories that evening had brought considerable anxiety and gloom to the entire Siheyuan.
With so much currency, He Yuzhu entered the system’s 【Generate】 option.
The prices of the items inside were absurdly high, and the restrictions on weight and volume were extremely harsh. Exchanging for even one gram of an item required several thousand!
Yet the types of items that could be generated and the precision of customization had nearly reached the realm where anything one imagined could be created.
After careful consideration, He Yuzhu spent a full 3,000 System Currency. An old-fashioned photograph gradually appeared on the table.
It was a black-and-white composite photograph generated according to his thoughts. In it, Xu Damao was stark naked, embracing a young woman while engaging in hooliganism.
The photograph’s aging process was flawless. From the photographic paper to the distinctive patterned edges, it was exactly identical to the style of the 1960s.
“Xu Damao... Just wait until you’re calling me Grandfather!”