Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

With one week left until the Lunar New Year, No. 95 Courtyard is quite lively. Why?

Because Jia's Sachima became popular, it's cheap and delicious, and it's quite impressive to have it as a snack during the Chinese New Year.

Of course, there's also the element of novelty.

Every day, people come to the Jia family to order Sachima (a type of Chinese pastry).

The Jia family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were experiencing both pain and joy!

The pain stemmed from the overwhelming number of orders. The two of them had personally turned down countless orders—and those were all money! Jia Zhangshi was so anxious she cried...

He cursed the damned Jia for leaving too early, saying that having another person in the family would have allowed them to earn more money...

I'm happy because I can earn a million or two after completing these pre-orders!

Remember, it's net profit!

The neighbors all noticed how well Jia's Sachima business was doing, and they would intentionally or unintentionally inquire with the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law about how much money they had made.

Tong Jie was very quick-witted and said that she earned a little more than Dong Xu's monthly salary, which was only a little over 30 yuan.

Such profits made the neighbors quite envious for a while.

30 can buy so many things; you wouldn't even spend that much money during the Chinese New Year.

The Jia family only received an extra month's salary, which was fine; it wasn't a large amount, and the neighbors could accept it.

Jia Zhangshi was also given a gag order by Tong Jie, for fear that she would reveal everything to her superiors.

The Jia family's income could be kept secret from others, but Yan Bugui and his wife could not be.

They were just bored, so every day they counted the people who came to the Jia family to order Sachima, and before they left, they would casually ask how many kilograms they had ordered.

Most people don't hide anything and tell the truth honestly, which allowed Yan Bugui to do some serious calculations.

After calculating, he felt heartbroken and extremely envious!

However, the Jia family has business and new income, so why shouldn't my Yan family?

No, that's impossible. The various potted plants planted in front of the Yan family's house are Yan Bugui's path to wealth.

While others may struggle to grow beautiful potted plants in winter, Yan Bugui does; he truly has a knack for it.

He's shipped out a lot of goods these past few days and made quite a bit of money.

Potted plants are loved by scholars and literati, and there is no fixed price. The price they sell for is always high, and Yan Bugui has made a lot of money!

Moreover, it is precisely because of the end of the year that prices rise and wages also rise!

Factory workers and other formal employers may not raise wages, but they do receive New Year's benefits.

Wages for low-level workers, such as porters and laborers hauling coal and firewood, have increased.

Every industry relies on making a big profit at the end of the year!

The first places to raise prices were bathhouses and barbershops, which doubled their prices immediately, and even doubled them every day!

This isn't a price increase rule that only existed in later generations; it has existed throughout history!

If you think it's unreasonable, fine, but turn left and get lost. Don't you dare delay my business!

More than 90% of ordinary people can accept this kind of price increase at the end of the year.

You're raising prices, huh? Well, I'll raise prices too. Everyone has to run a small business sometimes.

That's how it is at the end of the year: prices rise across the entire industry, directly boosting GDP!

The festive atmosphere of the Chinese New Year is here, and people are incredibly busy, including the children who are busy playing during their holiday.

Li Jiuzhou was neither particularly busy nor not busy, as he received numerous invitations from high-ranking officials and dignitaries to come and cook for them.

These high-ranking officials and nobles are not figures in today's political arena, but rather members of families that are remnants of the old regime.

It's the end of the year, and their family has a lot of activities planned, so they need a good chef to cook.

Li Jiuzhou was young and famous, and his mastery of imperial cuisine was unparalleled. Those who considered themselves nobles of the previous dynasty loved this kind of food.

Although the Qing Dynasty has fallen, there are still many descendants in the capital, and they are all incredibly wealthy!

Although they may seem no different from ordinary people to outsiders, their family gatherings are incredibly elaborate.

Once he put on the mandarin jacket, Li Jiuzhou was dazzled by the various etiquette rules and customs; he was truly skilled in them.

They were addressed as "this master," "that prince," or "royal prince," among other titles.

Not to mention the price; the minimum payment for cooking for Li Jiuzhou was a large yellow croaker.

In the end, they even ate and took things, determined not to stop until they had filled Li Jiuzhou's bicycle to the brim.

Li Jiuzhou accepts anything offered; he'll take it if you give it to him. He'll just cook a dish; he doesn't know how to do anything else.

In the past two weeks, Li Jiuzhou and Sha Zhu have made a fortune.

On the 28th of the year, Lou Bancheng invited him to his home to cook, saying it was to entertain distinguished guests.

Li Jiuzhou originally wanted to rest, since the New Year was just two days away and he didn't want to work anymore.

Unable to resist Lou Bancheng's personal invitation to Fengzeyuan, Li Jiuzhou, a regular customer, decided to finish this one order and call it a day.

He has also taken leave from Fengzeyuan. He will take his annual leave after the Lou family's banquet is over, and Shazhu will do the same.

With renowned chefs like Master Li Tielong overseeing the business, Fengzeyuan's business will not be affected even without Li Jiuzhou.

Lou Bancheng's palate has been spoiled by Li Jiuzhou, and even some of his business partners and the leaders he fawns over have become picky eaters.

To maintain the relationship, Lou Bancheng would invite Li Jiuzhou to cook a meal at Lou's Steel Rolling Mill almost every week.

Lou Bancheng was willing to pay a hefty sum to hire Li Jiuzhou to cook, and the leaders who ate there all remarked, "The food at the steel rolling mill is quite good!"

During their conversations, the leader would intentionally or unintentionally bring up the eight major cuisines. He wouldn't say it explicitly, nor would he mention what he wanted to eat or who he wanted to cook it. But Lou Bancheng understood!

You just want to eat something nice, right? I, Lao Lou, will arrange it. You can just have a simple meal at the factory.

But who the hell eats delicacies like bear paws and shark fins in the factory?

Do your workers at Lou's Steel Rolling Mill eat so well?

Damn, they've gotten too cocky, haven't they?

Therefore, many leaders know that the meals at Lou Bancheng's steel mill canteen are quite delicious!

However, they all tacitly agreed not to say anything. If they really wanted some, they would just tell Xiao Lou that they were going to the factory to inspect the steel production.

When a leader arrives, Lou Bancheng naturally arranges a simple meal in addition to tea and refreshments.

Those leaders who have eaten there know that after we left Lou Bancheng's factory, we never talked about what we ate, we just said one thing:

"Hmm, the food at Xiao Lou's factory canteen is pretty good."

There's no way around it; the leaders are in a difficult position too. The country is in dire need of rebuilding, their salaries aren't high, and they don't dare to be so blatantly extravagant.

At the same time, it's because they're used to being frugal. If they let themselves eat and drink freely, what will become of them? Will they ever improve?

This young Lou was very good at interpersonal relationships. He invited the leaders to a casual meal under the guise of inspecting the steel rolling mill, and then...

As for bankrupting Xiao Lou?

Stop kidding, this is nothing.

Eating a little something good isn't corruption. As Xiao Lou himself said, the leaders fought for the country with blood and tears, and now that society is stable, it's perfectly reasonable for him, as a merchant, to do his part.

He doesn't give gifts or bribe leaders, so he's not breaking the law!

China is a society based on personal connections. Industry needs to progress, so the leaders lead the way, and Xiao Lou follows along. Treating people to meals is no big deal!

Therefore, Mr. Lou's image in the public eye has been quite good recently, it's really quite good.

Second Uncle Li Huaide received many invitations from Lou Bancheng, and he gradually started to gain weight.

Once you leave the military and interact with people, everyone has their own way of life.

At the Lou family banquet, the atmosphere was very good, with bottle after bottle of wine being served. Li Jiuzhou and Sha Zhu were not invited to offer a toast this time.

He's an old acquaintance; those leaders can tell from the smell that it's Li Jiuzhou's cooking.

Finally, Mrs. Lou stuffed a thick red envelope into Li Jiuzhou's pocket, but that wasn't the end of it.

Mrs. Lou couldn't even give away the pork, so she gave ten catties of beef, several boxes of various expensive desserts, and a bag of fruit.

This time, they returned with a full load of goods, and Li Jiuzhou and Shazhu were in a very good mood. It was another fruitful day!