Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Yan Bugui ordered several kinds of food, and after packing them up, he didn't forget to reach back and grab a handful.

Li Jiuzhou didn't say anything, just gave him some to eat, looking pitiful.

The Yan family has indeed been going through a rough time lately, as the lady of the house is pregnant.

For some reason, Yang Ruihua had a severe reaction during her pregnancy with her third child and was quite weak, which meant that Yan Bugui was in charge of all the household affairs.

Then things get really complicated. Yan Bugui is just a schoolteacher, completely powerless. Even if he wanted to do it, he wouldn't be able to, and his life would be a mess.

Li Jiuzhou was just taking pity on Yan Bugui because he was in such a sorry state lately; it was a small matter.

Yan Bugui didn't lie to himself; he did indeed bring over two medium-sized potted plants.

Adding some green plants to the house in winter is a good idea.

The morning of New Year's Eve was destined to be anything but quiet, as sporadic firecrackers were already exploding throughout Beiping.

Even the Nanluoguxiang area heard a lot of noise.

So today, regardless of whether it's the elderly or children, no one is destined to sleep in.

Why do we set off firecrackers on the morning of New Year's Eve?

Li Jiuzhou knew a little about it; native Beijingers didn't have this custom.

However, Beiping is the heart of the country and the capital, with people from all over the country. In some places, there is a custom of setting off firecrackers on the morning of New Year's Eve.

Their custom is called welcoming spring!

Setting off another string of paper offerings at noon is called "receiving blessings," and together they form the phrase "Welcoming Spring and Receiving Blessings!"

In some places, on the morning of New Year's Eve, people go to the graves to pray to their ancestors, kill a chicken, and pour its blood on the graves to tell them it's New Year's Day!

In short, all sorts of customs and traditions were present, making the entire city of Beiping incredibly lively.

After washing up in the morning, Li Jiuzhou was about to go to the Central Court to get some water when he saw Sha Zhu, dressed in thick clothes, pushing a cart to the front yard.

The car was loaded with quite a few things, clearly intended as gifts. Li Jiuzhou sized him up for a moment and asked:

"Going to Changping?"

"Yeah, I'm going to pick up Qin Huairu to come to my house for the New Year, and I'll also give my father-in-law some New Year's gifts!" Sha Zhu replied with a smile.

Just then, Jia Dongxu returned from the restroom and overheard their conversation. He smiled and went over to them.

"Zhu Zi, going to your father-in-law's? Your hairstyle looks great, and you even used hair oil; it smells really nice!"

Sha Zhu laughed upon hearing this: "That's right, men use brand-name products!"

"Oh? What brand of hair oil do you like, Zhu Zi?" Jia Dongxu asked with great interest.

"Standcon!"

"Oh, me too!"

Jia Dongxu felt he had found a kindred spirit, and his words were filled with delight!

Li Jiuzhou wanted to laugh. Stamcon had even shown up... That's unbelievable...

As for Jia Dongxu, he had long since put aside his affair with Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu.

His family is living a wonderful life right now, and he doesn't have time to think about anything else.

He, Jia, believes he is second to none and is ambitious!

A true man's ambition should be like the Yangtze River flowing into the sea; a mere woman is not worth Jia Dongxu's concern.

A true man is one who can bend and stretch!

So what if someone wants to cheat on you, Jia Dongxu?

Jia Dongxu: "I can't stand this much! I'll kill your whole family! I swear I'll capture you alive, eat your flesh, and sleep on your skin!"

However, given the freezing weather, Li Jiuzhou felt he still needed to give Sha Zhu a few words of advice:

"Zhu Zi, be careful on the road. Slow down, it'll be fine. Pick up the person and come back early."

"Then come to my house."

Sha Zhu was a little confused, but he still obediently followed Li Jiuzhou into the house.

Li Jiuzhou told Sha Zhu to close the door, then went into the room and took out the Mauser pistol he had picked up from next to Blackie's corpse years ago.

When Sha Zhu saw his senior brother come out with a gun, and the muzzle was pointed directly at him, his body trembled and he almost peed a few drops!

He stammered, "Senior...Senior brother, what are you doing?"

Li Jiuzhou rolled his eyes at him:

"With your naivety, going to the countryside on New Year's Eve, what if a few people wander out from some hidden corner?"

"What do we do? I'm definitely going to kill them!" Stupid Zhu blurted out!

Li Jiuzhou waved his hand impatiently:

"Stop showing off. It's almost the end of the year, and those who are short on cash are all out working."

"There have been many more patrols in the city recently; you've heard about the numerous robberies and burglaries that have occurred."

"The gun is for your self-defense. You are not allowed to use it unless absolutely necessary, nor are you allowed to show it off."

"Even if I get caught, I won't admit that I gave you the gun!"

"Understand?"

Sha Zhu was deeply moved after hearing this. He knew, of course, that his senior brother meant well, and he nodded solemnly.

"Don't worry, senior brother, I won't betray you."

"Get out of here now, and come back as soon as possible!"

Alright~

The two brothers don't need to waste words; they've developed a tacit understanding over the years.

Li Jiuzhou and Sha Zhu had chatted about finding the gun back then, and Sha Zhu gradually calmed down from his initial surprise.

It's really unsafe to travel at the end of the year. Who knows what kind of monsters or demons you might encounter along the way? Having a gun gives you peace of mind.

The government generally doesn't conduct searches, and possessing firearms is not a crime; at least there are currently no laws or regulations that state that owning a gun is a crime.

Besides, wouldn't those wealthy businessmen in Beijing own guns?

Do those old-fashioned people and their descendants not have guns at home?

No one would believe it if I told them, and the government knows about it, but it's harmless. As long as it doesn't hurt anyone, you can keep it.

The store also sells hunting rifles; in a few years, they'll even have the Type 5 and Type 6 rifles. If used properly, it won't cause any problems.

Li Jiuzhou was also thinking about Shazhu's safety.

It's the end of the year, and many people are driven mad by poverty, while even more are devising disgusting ideas.

Harmfulness is not allowed, and defensiveness is indispensable.

It's even less safe now in the 50s.

Even in the 21st century, there are still many cases of theft and robbery at the end of the year. At that time, it is safe and no one is usually killed. People are only after money.

Being robbed or having your business stolen isn't a big deal; at most, you'll lose money to avoid further trouble.

But things are different now; the heroes who come out to work are now inclined to kill to silence witnesses.

Because most people who are robbed will resist!

Resistance means the danger level is rising!

As for why they resisted?

I'm fucking poor. If you rob my family, what will our elderly parents and children eat?

Of course we must resist and fight to the death!

Therefore, it is very unsafe!

If it were Li Jiuzhou himself, he wouldn't dare go to the countryside at this time; the danger level is too high!

When Li Jiuzhou first transmigrated, he even saw the blond-haired thief on Douyin.

Stealing from an unattended convenience store for a few packs of cigarettes, he ruined his future. What an idiot! Can't he afford to live a life like that?

After lunch, He Daqing returned with his second wife, Bai Lian, and their two adopted sons.

He knew that his eldest son, Shazhu, had gone to the countryside, so he came over to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.

The father and son had prepared all the ingredients, so they could just get started.

Around 3 p.m., Sha Zhu brought Qin Huairu back to the courtyard safely.

Sha Zhu immediately returned the gun to Li Jiuzhou.

"How's the road? Is it safe?"

Sha Zhu took a sip of water and said with lingering fear:

"Nothing's wrong, it's quite safe. There are soldiers lying in wait, and they've caught quite a few good guys."

"I also heard many soldiers looking at a group of heroes and saying that this was their third-class merit!"

Li Jiuzhou grinned upon hearing this. That's right, it's a third-class merit award...