Siheyuan: Tanjia Cuisine He Daqing, destroying Yi Zhonghai

He Yuzhu smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Daqing, I know you mean well, but I know it in my heart. During this period of time, I feel a little tired. Maybe it's because I haven't stopped for all these years. Now I suddenly feel like I want to take a break."

He Daqing felt a sour feeling in his heart. He suddenly realized that perhaps he had been too anxious these days and had caused a lot of pressure on He Yuzhu. Although He Yuzhu had never complained, the accumulated fatigue and pressure eventually showed up.

"Brother Zhuzi, if you feel tired, we can slow down and don't have to work so hard every day. I didn't expect my enthusiasm to bring you pressure. I'm really sorry." He Daqing said sincerely, his eyes full of guilt.

He Yuzhu looked at He Daqing, with a touch of emotion in his eyes: "Daqing, you don't have to blame yourself. I'm actually very happy to see that you are so motivated, but I can't keep up. I need some time to adjust myself. When I recover, we will continue."

He Daqing nodded, feeling relieved. At least, He Yuzhu had not given up completely, but needed some time to recover. He Daqing decided to give He Yuzhu more space starting tomorrow and no longer force him to keep busy with him. He knew that this was not only a respect for He Yuzhu, but also a maintenance of their friendship.

That night, He Daqing lay in bed, tossing and turning. He kept thinking about his recent performance and whether he really ignored He Yuzhu's feelings. The pursuit of culinary skills is important, but what is more important is the feelings and support of the people around him. He Daqing secretly made up his mind that in the future, he would take He Yuzhu's feelings into consideration when doing anything, and he would not let him feel pressured again.

From that day on, He Daqing began to slow down. He no longer pursued novel seasonings and complicated dishes, but returned to the basics, focusing on ordinary but time-tested home-cooked dishes. He also began to pay more attention to He Yuzhu's condition, making sure he would not feel exhausted due to pressure.

As time went by, He Yuzhu gradually recovered. He regained his previous enthusiasm. Although he was no longer as keen on trying new things as He Daqing, he still made every dish with his heart. He Daqing also understood that sometimes, maintaining a steady rhythm can bring a longer-term sense of happiness than blindly pursuing innovation.

As He Yuzhu gradually recovered, He Daqing should have relaxed, but a lingering sense of uneasiness quietly grew. He began to review the changes over this period of time, and felt that some things were not as simple as they seemed.

In the dead of night, He Daqing sat alone on a stone bench in the yard, looking up at the night sky. The moon was covered by a few dark clouds, revealing only a faint light, which was reflected on the tiles of the courtyard, looking particularly lonely. He felt inexplicably that this uneasiness was very similar to the hazy moonlight, always with a looming feeling.

"Brother Zhuzi said he was tired, but he used to work so hard, and I've never seen him so lazy. Is it really because of his age? But... he's only in his early 40s, how could he be exhausted so quickly?" He Daqing sighed softly, and he couldn't fully accept He Yuzhu's explanation. He knew that He Yuzhu was not the kind of person who would show weakness easily, and he would never easily reveal his fatigue to him.

The next morning, He Daqing got up on time as usual, ready to start a busy day. However, when he pushed open He Yuzhu's door, he found that the bed was empty. The room was quiet, with only a cup on the table, which still had some tea from last night. He Daqing's heart was immediately alarmed. He Yuzhu had always been an early riser. Even if he said he was tired a few days ago, he would not suddenly disappear.

"Where did Brother Zhuzi go?" He Daqing muttered to himself, feeling increasingly uneasy. He walked around the courtyard and asked several neighbors, but they all said they had not seen He Yuzhu go out that morning. He Daqing became more and more certain that He Yuzhu must be hiding something from him.

Back in the kitchen, He Daqing picked up a knife to cut vegetables, but found that his hands were shaking slightly. He forced himself to concentrate and cut the onions in his hand, but a question kept echoing in his mind: What is He Yuzhu hiding?

After noon, He Yuzhu finally came back. When He Daqing saw him, he felt relieved, but then new doubts arose. He Yuzhu had a tired smile on his face and was carrying a few bags in his hands. It looked like he had just come back from the market to buy some food.

"Daqing, I just went to the market and saw some fresh vegetables, so I bought some." He Yuzhu said lightly, as if it was just an ordinary purchase.

But He Daqing felt something was wrong. He knew every move and every word of He Yuzhu. Compared with the usual tone, this time, his tone was less calm and more deliberate. He Daqing suppressed his doubts and asked casually, "Brother Zhuzi, you went out so early this morning? Why didn't you ask me to go with you?"

He Yuzhu was slightly startled when he heard this, but soon regained his composure: "I saw that you have been tired recently, so I wanted to let you rest for a while, so I didn't call you."

He Daqing nodded, but he felt more and more that something was wrong. He intuitively felt that He Yuzhu was hiding something and didn't seem to want him to know where he went. The atmosphere between the two began to become a little subtle. Although He Daqing didn't ask any more questions, he had more and more questions in his heart.

In the following days, He Yuzhu's behavior made He Daqing even more confused. Although He Yuzhu worked in the kitchen with him as usual, he always seemed absent-minded when it came to some key details, such as the selection of seasonings or the testing of a new dish. Sometimes he would even suddenly stop what he was doing and stare blankly for a while.

"Brother Zhuzi, is there something wrong with you? You've been distracted a lot lately. I've never seen you like this before." He Daqing finally couldn't help it and decided to ask directly.

He Yuzhu was obviously a little flustered, lowering his head to avoid He Daqing's gaze: "Nothing, I just... maybe I'm a little tired recently, and my brain can't keep up."

This time He Daqing did not believe it easily. He stared at He Yuzhu's face, trying to find some clues from his expression, but He Yuzhu deliberately avoided his sight. He Daqing felt more and more heavy in his heart. He felt that this matter was not simple and might be more complicated than he imagined.

At night, He Daqing lay in bed, tossing and turning, and the strange behavior of He Yuzhu during the day kept appearing in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong, and he even began to suspect that He Yuzhu had encountered some trouble, but he was unwilling to tell him.