Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The group of five entered Fengzeyuan. With Li Jiuzhou and Shazhu leading the way, no one stopped them, and they went directly to a private room.

Li Jiuzhou instructed Sha Zhu:

"Zhu Zi, go and prepare a few dishes."

Sha Zhu nodded upon hearing this, and asked the old Taoist priest in a joking tone:

"Hey, old Taoist priest, are you a vegetarian?"

The old Taoist priest replied irritably:

"I'm a Taoist priest, not a Buddhist monk. I can even get a wife. Hurry up and bring me some hearty dishes and a pot of good wine!"

"You bastard..." Sha Zhu was about to retort when Li Jiuzhou glared at him, and then he went to prepare the food and drinks while cursing.

The old Taoist priest looked at Li Jiuzhou with a smile:

"Kid, you're pretty good. You're the head of this kitchen, and judging from your tone, you're quite important."

Before Li Jiuzhou could reply to the old Taoist, Xu Damao interrupted:

"My brother Jiuzhou is the head chef at Fengzeyuan Restaurant. He's famous throughout Beiping and was once invited to cook for state banquets."

"They were also frequent guests of the city's high-ranking officials and dignitaries."

"This is Li Jiuzhou, known in Qinhang as Mr. Fish!"

The old Taoist priest narrowed his eyes slightly after hearing this, carefully examined Li Jiuzhou, and then cupped his hands in greeting:

"So it was Mr. Yu in person. My apologies for not recognizing you in person."

Li Jiuzhou returned the greeting:

"I don't deserve such recognition; it's all industry-wide acclaim. These are mere titles that don't even come close to my name..."

During their conversation, Li Jiuzhou also learned about the old Taoist's background.

They were not Taoist priests from Beiping City, but from the City God Temple in Changping, which is the City God Temple inside Juyong Pass.

The old Taoist priest's surname is Wang, and he is 75 years old this year, which is considered a long life in this era.

The temple was not doing well, so he brought a group of disciples and followers to the city to beg for alms.

"Master Wang, is the incense offering really that bad?" Li Jiuzhou asked in confusion.

Upon hearing this, Old Wang was also speechless with embarrassment: "I just pointed my index finger towards the sky."

Others might not understand, but Li Jiuzhou understood instantly.

Did Li Jiuzhou not expect this to be happening now?

"So, what do you want to do in the city this time?"

Old Wang said in an annoyed tone:

"What the hell can I do? Go to the city and make some money, I guess."

"I've been in the city for half a month, and I haven't made any money. I almost starved to death."

"I ran into two naughty brats again today. They wouldn't pay for the fortune telling. Can you believe how unlucky I am?"

Li Jiuzhou smiled after hearing this.

Xu Damao and Liu Guangqi blushed and awkwardly smiled.

"Da Mao, Guang Qi, apologize to Master Wang," Li Jiuzhou said.

After hearing this, the two honestly apologized.

"Master Wang, I'm sorry."

"Alright, alright, it's nothing to worry about. Your kind brother in the courtyard treated me to a meal, and that'll be it."

"However, the old Taoist's advice to you is not false; whether you listen to it or not is up to you."

Li Jiuzhou became interested upon hearing this, and Sha Zhu also brought up the dishes at this moment.

Xu Damao and Liu Guangqi recited Wang Laodao's comments.

Sha Zhu laughed heartlessly after hearing this.

Li Jiuzhou was shocked when he heard this.

The prediction given by Master Wang and the future of the two were almost identical.

Li Jiuzhou felt that he had met a master today; this old Taoist priest was truly skilled.

"Mmm~ Not bad, as expected of Fengzeyuan, the taste is amazing." Old Wang praised as he ate.

Xu Damao and Liu Guangqi buried themselves in their food, determined not to miss the opportunity and to make the most of it.

Sha Zhu cooked four dishes and a soup, making the portions generous.

Boiled fish fillets, braised pork intestines, stir-fried double crispy vegetables, braised prawns, and a cuttlefish egg soup.

These few dishes alone would cost at least 15 yuan at Fengzeyuan Restaurant.

"Old Taoist, what skills do you have? Tell me, Master Zhu." Silly Zhu decided to tease him out of boredom.

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest sipped his wine, then slowly said:

"I, an old Taoist priest, possess profound and mysterious skills. I know everything from astronomy to geography, and I can exorcise ghosts, catch evil spirits, and practice the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams."

"Pah, have some shame! Don't brag when you're old." Sha Zhu was very annoyed.

Old Master Wang looked at Sha Zhu with a smile:

"How about I, Taoist priest, give you a reading?"

"Haha, alright, if you've calculated it correctly, Grandpa Zhu definitely won't skimp on your gold pendant."

Li Jiuzhou and the others immediately became interested and wanted to see how Old Taoist Wang would tell Sha Zhu's fortune.

Old Master Wang asked Sha Zhu to come closer, and within seconds he had his answer. He even asked Sha Zhu for his birth date and time.

He then closed his eyes and began to pinch his fingers, creating an air of mystery.

About two minutes later, Old Wang spoke:

"You lost your mother at a young age, and you still have your father and a younger sister at home."

When he said this, Shazhu was stunned, because the old Taoist had predicted it accurately, incredibly accurately.

Ignoring their surprise, Old Master Wang continued:

"Strange, according to your birth chart, you should be having a terrible time with your sister right now. How come you're up now? Holy crap, you even got married? Did you hit the jackpot? Damn, God is so unfair!"

Li Jiuzhou almost burst out laughing when he heard the old Taoist's words. Damn, his prediction was really accurate!

Xu Damao and Liu Guangqi burst into tears of laughter, clutching their stomachs.

Old Wang's words were hilarious.

Sha Zhu's face turned pale and then red, as if he was about to hit someone.

Old Master Wang said again:

"It seems you've met a benefactor!"

He looked at Li Jiuzhou as he said this.

Sha Zhu wasn't angry after hearing this; instead, he laughed.

"You do have some skill. That's right, my senior brother is my benefactor!"

At this moment, the corners of Old Wang's mouth curled up:

"When you were twelve, you peeked at that brat's mother taking a bath, hehehe..."

this...

Li Jiuzhou was stunned, because the person Wang Laodao was pointing at was none other than Xu Damao!

Xu Damao, his face contorted with shame and indignation, slammed his fist on the table, stood up, pointed at Sha Zhu, and shouted:

"You idiot Zhu, you're an animal!"

Sha Zhu's face flushed red. He offered no explanation; silence was the best explanation.

After a while, he recovered and bowed to Old Master Wang.

"Master Dao, I give up. Forget about those embarrassing stories, let's talk about my future!"

After speaking to him, she walked over to Xu Damao, put her arm around his shoulder, and said with a grin:

"Da Mao, Da Mao, don't be angry. I was young and ignorant back then. Please don't blame me. I'll offer you a drink as an apology."

What could Xu Damao do but fly into a rage?

Unable to beat Sha Zhu in a fight, he could only clink glasses with him and down his drink in one gulp.

Seeing that Xu Damao had drunk alcohol, Sha Zhu returned to his seat.

"Master Dao, please continue. I'm completely convinced."

Old Wang stroked his beard and continued:

"You've got no future in this life; you're destined to be a cook your whole life!"

"Continue to shine in Qinhang."

"However, the future will be one of wealth and abundance, with many descendants!"

"good!"

Sha Zhu clapped his hands on his own.

He's content. What's wrong with being a chef for life?

The old Taoist priest said that he would be rich and have many descendants in the future, so what more could he want?

He doesn't have many ambitions; he's now rich, has a wife, and is very content with his life.

Xu Damao and Liu Guangqi were secretly mocking him, but at the same time, they were overjoyed. He was destined to be a cook all his life, and this silly Zhu could actually be happy? He's such a coward.