Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Time passed slowly and it was already the end of April. May 1st was the auspicious day for Sha Zhu's wedding.

Sha Zhu hasn't been working much these past few days, and he doesn't care about the money; he's been looking forward to this day for far too long.

Before the wedding, the house naturally needed to be tidied up; the main house in his courtyard was quite large.

In the past few days, people have been coming to repair doors, windows, and roof tiles.

Everything else, including the "three turns and one sound" (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument), was prepared long ago by Sha Zhu. The wedding would be a grand affair, and the sewing machine would be delivered to Qin Huairu's house and then returned as part of her dowry.

They're all just projects to save face. Sha Zhu is willing to do these things and give his father-in-law face; he even wants to give them more.

There's no other reason than that I have money but nowhere to spend it!

He really had nowhere to spend his money. He earned over a million a month, and sometimes even more when he worked with his senior. The most he ever earned in a month was 300 million.

Even his father, He Daqing, wasn't as rich as him.

Of course, He Daqing also took care of a lot of things for Sha Zhu's wedding, and he generously covered all the expenses.

Even though his son is successful, a father can't be stingy. This is his own son, and he might even have to support him in his old age someday.

Bai Lian had no complaints. Her eldest son had given her a lot of things over the years, and he had also given her two sons plenty of pocket money.

They're not short of money; it would be too much to argue about it.

Li Huaide knew that Sha Zhu was getting married and arranged a car for him to use. After all, he could at least call him Second Uncle, and he could handle such a small matter.

Li Jiuzhou was in charge of cooking at the wedding banquet. As his senior brother, he should have gone with him to the wedding, but Li Jiuzhou was too lazy to go to the countryside.

He Daqing and his son Shazhu readily agreed to simply accept the banquet.

They had complete confidence in letting Li Jiuzhou plan their wedding banquet; they didn't even ask him any questions. He planned everything, from how many dishes to what kind of dishes to prepare.

The courtyard was bustling with activity early on May 1st.

Li Jiuzhou requisitioned the kitchens of the He, Yi, and Jia families.

Jia Zhangshi was the first to sign up to help in the kitchen, even boasting that it was her forte.

Li Jiuzhou did not refuse. Although Jia Zhangshi was lazy, she worked very hard, especially on tasks that were beneficial to her.

Li Jiuzhou had just finished cooking a pot of meat when he noticed Jia Zhangshi looking around suspiciously, so he spoke up to warn her:

"Auntie, don't sneak some! It'll look bad if someone sees you..."

Jia Zhangshi blushed:

"Don't talk nonsense, I just want to try some salty food~"

"I'll save some for you later. This dish hasn't been seasoned yet; what's the point of boiling it? Listen to me, don't do it~"

Upon hearing this, Madam Jia's eyes lit up and she immediately broke into a bright smile:

"Jiuzhou, if you say that, then your aunt will listen and obediently assist you."

"But you must remember to leave some for me, you can put it in this bowl later."

After she finished speaking, she took out a large bowl from her pocket and placed it beside her.

Li Jiuzhou's lips twitched as he read it:

"Auntie, where did this large bowl come from?"

Jia Zhangshi boasted, "It's a family heirloom of the Jia family. Old Jia said it's been passed down for more than ten generations."

"Jiuzhou, why is there such a huge difference between people?"

"Zhu Yuanzhang started with a bowl and conquered the world!"

"My Jia family has nothing to begin with, just a bowl. We leave, but the bowl remains!"

Li Jiuzhou smiled and was happy to chat with her.

"Oh, it's an antique! You'd better take good care of it and not break it."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Li Jiuzhou stopped paying attention to Jia Zhangshi and continued with his own affairs.

Sha Zhu has already picked up the bride. He drove his car to pick her up in Changping, looking incredibly impressive!

Old Qin had a great reputation, and he would scatter peanuts and melons around like they were free.

At 11 o'clock sharp, the bride entered the courtyard on time, and firecrackers were set off one after another.

Next came the arrival of the guests, and He Daqing, Li Tielong, and other elders greeted them at the main entrance.

Li Huaide also helped entertain the guests. He was free today and arrived early with his wife.

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong were in charge of arranging for the guests to be seated, and then Jia Dongxu and Xu Damao, the young people, served tea and cigarettes, and everything proceeded in an orderly manner.

People are in high spirits when they have a happy occasion, and Sha Zhu and his bride Qin Huairu came out to greet the guests.

Sha Zhu was beaming with pride, a cigarette never stopped flowing from his mouth, and he even had a cigarette tucked behind his ear.

The He family didn't have many relatives; most of them were He Daqing's sworn brothers and drinking buddies.

Furthermore, there are colleagues and managers from Fengzeyuan.

Lou Bancheng and Bai Qiye were both invited by Sha Zhu.

Lou Bancheng had a past relationship with He Daqing, and he brought his family of three to the banquet to celebrate.

Master Bai was simply bored. Since Sha Zhu had sent him an invitation, he figured he might as well give the kid a chance to come and have a look.

At this time, many people stood at the door of the He family's house, handing out red envelopes and taking a look at the celebratory notice posted on the door and the menu for today's banquet.

They care a lot about the food, after all, Li Jiuzhou is in charge. In their eyes, an ordinary banquet can be turned into a state banquet in Li Jiuzhou's hands.

There's no way around it; his reputation is too great, and many people come to Sha Zhu's banquet just for this taste.

The menu that Li Jiuzhou designed is as follows:

Braised beef, pig's ears, pig's liver (a cold platter of three items)

Braised carp

meat ball with soy sauce

Braised pork

Four Happiness Meatballs

Ginger Duck

手撕鸡

Salt and pepper shrimp

Spicy stir-fried pork kidneys

Stir-fried beef with yellow peppers

Boiled meat

Grilled frog

Braised dog meat with angelica, codonopsis, red dates, and wolfberry (a hearty and highly nourishing dish)

Dragon and Phoenix Soup

Radish Stewed Lamb

Longan and red date soup (sweet soup)

There were 16 dishes in total, and every single one of them was very substantial.

He Daqing purchased plenty of ingredients, and each dish was served on a large plate, emphasizing large portions to ensure everyone was full.

As soon as the guests sat down at the table, they all praised the host for his generosity!

He Daqing couldn't stop smiling. Today was a big celebration for his family. Spending money was a small matter; he couldn't afford to lose face.

After a barrage of ten thousand firecrackers, Yi Zhonghai shouted:

"Let the feast begin!"

Upon hearing this, everyone picked up their chopsticks and began to eat, their faces beaming with satisfaction.

After Li Jiuzhou finished cooking, he naturally took his seat at the main table, drinking with Sha Zhu's father-in-law and his family.

"Come, Uncle, let me offer you this toast. Let's drink to our victory!"

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

The banquet was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation as Sha Zhu led Qin Huairu to toast each table.

Each table had a glass of baijiu (Chinese liquor) afterward; his alcohol tolerance was astonishing. He really did perform exceptionally well today. It's his wedding, so he had a bit of a mental boost!

Xu Damao and Jia Dongxu, along with other younger members, were also persuaded by Sha Zhu to go around toasting people.

We're all brothers; if you help me now, I'll help you in the future.

Xu Damao and the others saw that this made sense, so they took the wine and went to get it.

Before long, everyone's faces turned red. Now they weren't allowed to drink beer, only baijiu (Chinese liquor), and few could handle it.

Jia Dongxu had already vomited twice before coming back to drink. Young stomachs are just too dry. After vomiting, I continued to drink like there was no tomorrow. I'd rather lose than lose face!