Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Yan Bugui's cousin left, taking his 50 yuan back to his hometown.

It wasn't that he felt bad about the 50 yuan, but rather that he was deeply moved when his cousin helped him out.

But he also felt resentful, because he felt he was being looked down upon.

He's not short of money at all; he has over ten million in savings and a few small gold bars. Even though his family has fallen on hard times, Yan Bugui is still living a pretty good life.

With so much wealth, to be honest, he didn't know how to spend it...

With a mind full of thoughts, Yan Bugui walked around the courtyard with his hands behind his back, looking at the cured meat hanging under the eaves of each household and wanting to compare them.

Looking at the entire compound, without a doubt, the resident with the most cured meat hanging on his hands is Yi Zhonghai!

Next came Liu Haizhong, then Xu Fugui, and the deaf old lady.

The Jia family was considered to be above average. Sha Zhu's family consisted of only him and his sister He Yushui. They didn't have many meat dishes, but they didn't lack meat.

Li Jiuzhou also hung quite a few. He originally wanted to hang them in his own yard, but seeing that every household was hanging so many succulents, he decided to join in the fun.

You have no idea how excited the residents of Building 95 are to come home.

Upon entering the front yard, the rows of cured pork were incredibly eye-catching. Whether you eat it or not, just looking at it makes you happy!

After walking around for a while, Yan Bugui had an idea. He was going to do something big, otherwise the neighbors in the courtyard would really think he couldn't make a living.

There is cured meat in the yard, and many people are thinking of saving it for the New Year, which is to be expected.

Cured pork is for eating during the Chinese New Year. Once it's cured, it can be hung under the eaves for a week before you can eat it.

Originally, the neighbors planned to start making meat freely after the New Year, but at first, everyone was reluctant to eat it.

However, someone broke this balance, and that person was Jia Zhangshi!

When Jia Zhangshi saw that the cured meat was ready, she suggested that she have a whole piece to try.

Jia Dongxu and Tong Jie naturally agreed; once the cured meat was ready, they should try it, as was the proper thing to do.

During the women's gathering that day, Jia Zhangshi casually mentioned it.

The other women all agreed, saying that since they were going to eat meat, they should all eat together and no one should be left out.

So the news spread like wildfire, and soon the whole courtyard knew that the cured meat was ready and it was time to try it.

Once you start eating, you just can't stop...

Because someone will always break the balance, and that person is still Jia Zhangshi!

Because she said this in front of her son and daughter-in-law at breakfast the next morning:

"The cured pork from yesterday was good, and we still have some scallions at home, so I cooked it tonight."

Jia Dongxu and Tong Jie thought about it for a moment and agreed that it made sense. After all, stir-fried scallions with cured pork was a perfect match, and they were really looking forward to the dinner!

So that evening, the aroma of stir-fried pork with scallions was so strong that the neighbors who smelled it couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

Since your Jia family is eating meat, then we, as neighbors, can't be left behind. Let's make a whole...

On the morning of the third day, Jia Zhangshi had a new method. Looking at her son with heartache, she said:

"Dongxu, you've lost weight lately. Tonight I'll stir-fry half of that cured pork leg and stew the other half for you to help you recover."

"This weather is so cold! I'll get you some wine while I'm at it, so you can warm up tonight and the three of us can have a drink."

Jia Dongxu thought about it for a moment and felt it made sense; he realized he should take some supplements, so he said:

"Mom, you can make the decision."

Tong Jie buried herself in her rice; what could she possibly complain about if she could eat meat?

Her mother-in-law's reasoning left her speechless: she was pregnant and needed to take supplements, and she genuinely craved them.

The meat was practically being fed to her; she'd be a fool to refuse.

Besides, with so much meat hanging under the eaves, what's the big deal about eating a few?

That evening, the neighbors were surprised to see that Jia Zhangshi was cooking meat again, and even using large pieces. However, they did not slow down their cooking at all.

The spatulas in the women's hands were practically smoking from the force of their swings.

Jia Zhangshi said this afternoon that she wanted to give her son, who was at work, a good boost of nutrition. Don't they know how to do that?

Who does he think he is!

The old men in the courtyard who had just finished work were surprised. They were eating meat again today, and it was a huge piece of meat at that. Were they getting too big for their britches? Did they not want to live a normal life anymore?

After asking why, I was filled with gratitude. My wife was so considerate of me. It was just a few pieces of meat, nothing to worry about. I ate it!

On the morning of the fourth day, Tong Jie would occasionally glance at her mother-in-law with expectant eyes while eating her meal.

As expected, Madam Jia Zhang spoke up:

"Dongxu, and daughter-in-law, we bought a lot of meat. I was thinking that your master and his wife have been good to our family, but we've been too busy to properly thank them."

"We've been quite free these past few days, so Mom was thinking of inviting the two of you over for a meal tonight. You two can also have a drink to warm yourselves up."

Upon hearing this, Tong Jie lowered her head tightly, but couldn't suppress the upward curve of her lips. She's here, she really is here again.

Tong Jie knew very well that her man would not refuse.

Sure enough, Jia Dongxu's eyes lit up after hearing this:

"Mom, you're right. It's time to show some respect to Master and his wife. I'll talk to Master about it when I get to work. Please tell my wife as well."

Jia Zhangshi smiled:

"Okay, Mom, you can rest assured you'll get things done!"

That same day, Jia Zhangshi brought up the matter again at a women's gathering and even invited Yi Zhonghai's wife in public.

The neighbors praised Jia Dongxu, calling him a filial apprentice.

But the other women were in a dilemma: if you, Jia Zhangshi, have an excuse to eat meat, what about us?

If I eat meat without a reason, my husband will probably scold me for being a spendthrift when he gets home.

But they quickly came up with a solution: today I'll treat you, tomorrow you'll treat me, and we'll reciprocate so that no one loses out.

So they hit it off immediately and started cooking meat again that evening.

The old men in the courtyard didn't think much of it, simply believing it was a way for neighbors to get along amicably.

On the morning of the fifth day, at the Jia family home, it wasn't just Tong Jie who was secretly glancing at Jia Zhangshi; even Jia Dongxu himself was looking forward to it.

These past few days have really spoiled his palate. He's actually a little unaccustomed to not having meat for dinner after get off work.

After Jia Zhangshi finished eating and put down her chopsticks, she said in a slightly hesitant voice:

"Time flies! I've gotten another year older in the blink of an eye. Ah, time waits for no one..."

Jia Zhangshi's sudden melancholy left Jia Dongxu somewhat bewildered, thinking:

"Mom, shouldn't you have said we'd be having meat tonight?"

Tong Jie, being quick-witted, immediately understood the meaning behind her mother-in-law's words and asked:

"Mom, is today your birthday?"

Madam Jia was overjoyed. What was the point of celebrating a birthday? She only knew the year she was born, but not the exact day.

But even if I don't know, I can make one up right now. As long as I can eat meat, I don't care when I'm born!

Jia Zhangshi did not answer Tong Jie's question directly, but instead grinned.

Jia Dongxu finally realized what was happening and said with some delight:

"Then we should celebrate properly today, Mom. It wasn't easy raising me." He then said to Tong Jie:

"Honey, you'll have to work a little harder today. You can cook dinner tonight, and make plenty of meat to celebrate for Mom!"

Tong Jie smiled brightly and nodded in agreement:

"No problem, leave it to me!"