Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The deaf old woman turned to Li Jiuzhou and asked with a smile:

"Sun rascal, which courtyard house have you taken a fancy to? Tell me, and I'll make you an offer."

Li Jiuzhou didn't mind being called "grandson." In Beiping, old men and women usually called young people that way, so he didn't care.

Li Jiuzhou quickly replied:

"Madam, I want the west wing of the front yard, along with the adjacent side room and two rear rooms."

"There will be enough room for my younger siblings when they come to stay."

Li Tielong and the others were not surprised; this had been agreed upon beforehand.

There were only four rooms. Housing wasn't a problem then, and wealthy people lived in separate courtyards.

The deaf old woman narrowed her eyes and looked at Li Tielong, since his word was law.

After noticing the deaf old woman's gaze, Li Tielong said:

"Madam, let's do as this boy says. Name your price, and I'll pay."

"Hehe..." The deaf old woman laughed again.

"As expected of the head chef of Fengzeyuan Restaurant, he speaks so frankly."

"We're all old acquaintances, so I won't ask for a high price, madam. How about 260 silver dollars for the four rooms?"

"Madam, I don't want legal tender, I only accept silver dollars and yellow croakers."

"Okay!" Li Tielong agreed immediately; the price wasn't expensive.

Having made preparations in advance, Li Tielong took out 6 small yellow croakers and 60 silver dollars and handed them to the deaf old lady.

"Madam, is this alright?"

The deaf old woman took the small yellow croaker and put it aside, laughing:

"I trust you, Tielong, to get things done. No need to order."

It was during the Liberation War, and a small yellow croaker could be exchanged for 33 silver dollars.

Three small yellow croakers can be exchanged for one hundred silver dollars.

So Li Tielong took out 6 small yellow croakers.

After taking the paper and writing the contract, the four rooms in the front yard would belong to Li Jiuzhou.

As for the land deed, of course there isn't one. Even if there were, it would be the land deed for the entire courtyard house, which couldn't be divided.

However, a sales contract is sufficient.

After the matter was settled, the group went to look at the house again to see what they needed to buy.

Li Jiuzhou also had a plan; he would find a house repairman to come and take a look another day.

After finishing their business, the four returned to Dongze Garden.

In the afternoon, the foreman contacted a house renovation worker surnamed Hu, a middle-aged man.

The next day, the master and apprentice went to Nanluoguxiang again.

"Master Hu, please add an extra window to both of the back rooms, otherwise it's too dark."

"Build me an earthen stove in this corner room, and make a double-pot stove."

One person cooks the dishes, and the other boils the water.

"Then come out from the next shower area."

"Build me a kang (heated brick bed) in each of the remaining three rooms; it's not safe to use a coal stove."

"You can cover all the tables, chairs, benches, cabinets, and stuff. Just ordinary wood will do."

"Also, open a door in the side room so it's convenient to go to the small courtyard."

"Let's install a gate over in the small courtyard too."

"Also, the roof tiles, doors, and windows should be inspected and replaced as needed."

"How much will it cost?"

Li Jiuzhou went straight to reveal his renovation plan.

"Boss, please wait a moment, let me calculate." Master Hu walked into the courtyard, picked up a tree branch, and started calculating.

A few minutes later he got up and walked up to the master and his apprentice, saying:

"Master, the project isn't big. The main thing is the time it takes to build the stove and the kang (heated brick bed). Everything else is fine."

"61 coins doesn't include food."

"If you're including meals, 60 will be enough."

Li Tielong waved his hand and said:

"Old Hu, just make 61. I don't have time to cook for you, so you can make them yourself."

"How long will the construction take?"

"Five days will be enough, and it will be completed in six days at the latest," Lao Hu replied.

Li Tielong nodded:

"Then it's settled. I'll pay you 10 silver dollars upfront, and I'll settle the bill when the job is done."

"Okay, I'll bring the equipment over in a bit." Old Hu, who had received the deposit, was clearly even happier.

After agreeing on the terms, the master and apprentice returned to Fengzeyuan to work.

One advantage of working at Fengzeyuan is that you won't go hungry.

Even if you're a glutton, I can still feed you until you're stuffed.

Otherwise, why are all the chefs so big and burly? It's all because they eat well.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and the house was finished. Old Hu's craftsmanship was impeccable; it was done very well.

Li Tielong generously paid the balance and even gave him a pack of good cigarettes as a gift.

During the renovation, Li Jiuzhou brought his younger siblings over and also met other residents in the courtyard.

Like the Yi Zhonghai couple from the Intermediate People's Court, they are young, not even 40 years old, and look full of energy, but they don't have children.

Li Jiuzhou had met Jia Jia before, but what surprised him was that Old Jia was still there. How was he still alive?

Li Jiuzhou guessed it would be soon.

Next up is Xu Fugui's family in the backyard.

In his teens, Xu Damao was incredibly fair-skinned. His face was a bit long, but not unattractive; in fact, he was quite handsome.

In the backyard lived Liu Haizhong and his family, a couple with two boys; their third child wasn't pregnant yet.

There are a few other scattered households, which can be ignored.

With a new home and a stove built, it's natural to want to cook, so you'll need to hire someone to keep the house warm.

Otherwise, the stove with two pots would have been built for nothing.

Ten days later, Li Jiuzhou went to get some fish and meat, prepared ten dishes, and invited a table of people.

There was a master and his wife, his senior apprentice Wang Shan, He Daqing and his family of three, and a deaf old lady in the backyard.

Including myself and my four siblings, there are a total of 10 people.

As for the other people in the courtyard, Li Jiuzhou didn't invite them, and he wasn't familiar with them, so why invite them?

You all have to give me a gift or something when I move to a new house.

I'd better not bother others.

Inside the west wing of the front courtyard, a lively scene unfolded as Li Tielong and He Daqing, the two brothers from the same school, drank and chatted.

He Daqing tasted every dish and was amazed.

"Tsk tsk tsk... I say, senior brother, these dishes that Kyushu made are ready to be served! Impressive skill!"

Li Tielong smacked his lips, picked up a piece of braised fish with his chopsticks, and after tasting it, commented:

"The taste is okay, but the cooking time is a bit off; there's room for improvement."

"Yes, Master. I will continue to work hard," Li Jiuzhou replied modestly.

He was holding back, afraid of performing too well.

And so, the group of people ate until their mouths were greasy.

He Yushui, that silly girl, had her little mouth stuffed full, making her look incredibly cute.

Let's not even talk about He Yuzhu, he's just a cool, dry bacon.

The deaf old woman always had a smile on her face.

Today is indeed a rare day; she hasn't had a proper meal at someone else's house in a long time.

Compared to the bustling front yard, the middle yard is much quieter.

The Jia family of three was also eating rice, a large bowl of noodles with green vegetables and shredded meat on top.

The family of three were sweating profusely from the effort.

The aroma from the front yard naturally wafted into the middle yard, and they were tempted too, so they decided to have a good meal.

The Yi family, who live across from the Jia family, are also cooking.

The Yi Zhonghai couple ate much better: braised pork, stir-fried bean sprouts, peanuts, a small pot of wine, and white rice.

The couple didn't care whether it was lively or not, they were oblivious to everything else, and they just stayed home and ate their meals!

In the west wing of the backyard, the Liu family had a pot of wine, a small dish of peanuts, scrambled eggs, scrambled cured meat, and scrambled cabbage on the dining table, along with white rice.

With his bangs flailing, he sipped his wine with an air of nonchalance, looking quite dashing.

Across the street, the Xu family served a large bowl of stir-fried chicken, a serving of pork rib soup, a serving of stir-fried cabbage, and steamed white flour buns as their staple food.

The long-time residents weren't angry that Li Jiuzhou hadn't invited them to dinner.

Whether you invite me or not is none of my business. My family eats just fine.

Food tastes even better when it's closed up!