Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The very next day, Li Jiuzhou went directly to his second uncle and told him about the matter concerning the second son of the Zhou family.

Li Huaide couldn't even muster a shred of anger towards such low-level thugs and petty hooligans.

Even though the second son of the Zhou family caused trouble for his nephew.

With his power, although it wasn't high in the capital, killing a local thug was like using a cannon to kill a mosquito.

It may be a small matter, but it must be done.

Such thugs and ruffians can cause trouble for ordinary people like my nephew, so they need to be dealt with.

Li Huaide acted quickly, handling the matter with a single phone call.

That afternoon, Zhou's second son was taken away by the military control committee. He wouldn't be executed, but it was a certainty that he would shed tears behind bars.

The military control commission didn't just arrest people randomly. The second son of the Zhou family had long been under their observation; they just hadn't taken action before.

Now that someone has relayed the message, let's just arrest him.

The arrest of Zhou's second son terrified the entire Zhou family, and they never dared to be arrogant and domineering again.

The way the people in courtyards 96 and 95 looked at Li Jiuzhou changed; they really didn't dare to offend him.

They really do have connections when it comes to officials!

However, the neighbors in No. 95 courtyard were somewhat relieved that the person with this ability was their neighbor.

They had met and known Li Huaide and the others, chatted with them, and even dined together; they were acquaintances to some extent.

Does that mean I can ask Li Jiuzhou for help if I need anything in the future?

Many neighbors share this view; being close to the source gives you an advantage—it's a perfectly normal thought.

We should take advantage of the connections, just in case.

No one can guarantee that they won't offend someone or get into trouble in the future.

Sha Zhu was overjoyed when he learned that Li Huaide had taken action against Zhou's second son.

This second uncle was determined, and even Jesus couldn't stop him.

Everyone calls me Sha Zhu, but don't think I'm really stupid. When I get my hair on, I'm smarter than a monkey!

Sha Zhu, spitting as he spoke, recounted Li Huaide's glorious past in the courtyard.

This guy may be a bit reckless, but he's quite good at bragging.

They exaggerated Li Huaide's battlefield exploits to the point of portraying him as Zhao Zilong of Changshan, who charged in and out of battle seven times, leaving the neighbors in the courtyard completely bewildered.

Upon hearing this, Li Jiuzhou simply smiled and remained silent, thinking it was no big deal.

My second uncle, Li Huaide, came from the battlefield. He had countless military achievements, both big and small, and had been wounded and bled. He was a hero!

As for Sha Zhu, his fate had already been rewritten because of Li Jiuzhou's existence.

It's so much better than the original story; they never experienced any hardship.

His culinary skills improved steadily, and in time he would become a well-known figure in the industry.

As the year draws to a close, every household is preparing for the New Year.

In places like No. 95 Courtyard, meat is readily available and prepared.

The rest is to buy some peanuts and melons to entertain guests who come to pay New Year's visits during the first month of the lunar calendar.

Also, buy some cloth to make new clothes for the whole family.

After all, it's Chinese New Year. Normally, it's okay to be frugal and wear less nice clothes, but during Chinese New Year, you should at least wear decent clothes.

Even if you don't have new clothes to wear, you still need to be clean and presentable.

This is not a difficult thing for the residents of No. 95 Courtyard.

They might be reluctant to buy ready-made new clothes because they are too expensive.

But it would be too much to ask them to do it themselves!

As long as there is fabric, women can start making clothes for their families.

During the day, somewhere in the courtyard, the women gathered together to bask in the sun, their hands busy as well.

She knits gloves, scarves, and socks; she's incredibly skilled with her hands!

In the capital, fabric was not a scarce commodity; anyone with money could buy it.

Merchants in the capital are not fools; they had already stocked up on goods before the end of the year and were not worried about not being able to sell them.

Moreover, being located in the capital, how could it possibly not sell?

Li Jiuzhou had long been familiar with the situation of various industries in the capital. To put it bluntly, he could get involved in business whenever he wanted.

Moreover, it's a sure-fire way to make money, as easy as picking up money.

Li Jiuzhou wouldn't dare say he could make a fortune from a big business, but he could easily make a fortune by buying a storefront and starting a small business.

He has capital and projects, so he's not afraid of not making money.

But this kind of business won't last long, because it will eventually fail, so it's better to play it safe. He's making quite a bit of money now.

Once the market opens up, he will have his chance to prove himself.

Moreover, the era of ration coupons is not many years away, and it will be then that people will truly feel constrained in their daily lives.

You need ration coupons to buy anything, and each household has a ration of food based on their work quota.

Rice, flour, and cooking oil were all rationed, so you really had to be very careful with your money.

Eat as much as you want today, but you might be starving by the end of the month.

Money without a ticket is useless; everything is determined by the ticket.

They couldn't buy or sell them privately; they could only barter.

If you dare to trade privately, you'll be fine if you don't get caught. But if you do get caught, you'll at least be fined and spend a few days in jail, or worse, your family will have to pay for your own peanuts!

In Beijing, ordinary people mainly ate wheat-based foods, and the grains they bought were mostly wheat flour, or white flour.

There are many ways to prepare it, so you can eat it however you like.

It's not that they don't want to eat white rice, but it's more expensive, costing more than three times the price of wheat flour, which is something ordinary families really can't afford.

Li Jiuzhou likes to eat rice. He got used to it in his previous life, and now that he has the means and money, his family mainly eats rice.

People today are not like those of later generations, who can be full with just a bowl or two of rice.

For factory workers like Yi Zhonghai, if they ate as much as they wanted, they wouldn't be full without at least three bowls of rice.

The reason is not that they can eat a lot, but that their bodies lack oil and water, so they must eat more grains to feel full.

Women can eat a lot, not to mention those with sons and daughters at home, who consume quite a lot of food every day.

Otherwise, why would so many families struggle with food shortages during difficult times? It's because they really couldn't get enough to eat!

These past few days, every household in the courtyard has been cooking, frying various foods, and they smell delicious.

No matter which family starts frying something, there's always a group of children gathered around their door.

Children's minds are simple: it's okay if you don't give me any, but you can't chase me away. I just want to smell the aroma!

If you give it to me, that would be even better. Thank you to your ancestors for eight generations!

The Jia family had the most children around them every day because they made Sachima, which was so fragrant and tempting.

Tong Jie is a person who knows how to get along with others and understands social etiquette. When there are always some leftovers from the chesaqima (a type of Chinese pastry), she will take them out and give them to the children to eat.

Although the amount was small, the children didn't mind at all, not to mention their parents, who were all grateful to Tong Jie.

The parents understood that this was a kind gesture, and they should be content. The Jia family naturally wanted to sell those whole Sachima (a type of Chinese pastry), and no one wanted to take advantage of the situation.

Tong Jie's actions prompted families with children to buy even more Sachima (a type of Chinese pastry).

Jia Zhangshi didn't say a word of objection; she was almost sick of eating Sachima.

She makes Sachima every day, eating as she makes it, which makes her very happy. Now, Jia Zhangshi is even getting a sore throat from eating so much Sachima.

Sore throat, hoarse voice, swallowing anything feels like swallowing a knife.

But she's greedy; it's in her nature, and she can't change it...