Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

At noon, Li Jiuzhou prepared lunch and rode his bicycle to his father-in-law's house to inform the two elders.

The couple were both nervous and relieved when they found out.

It would be wonderful if the son-in-law could take his daughter to the hospital to prepare for childbirth.

The risk of giving birth at home is far too high.

The couple insisted on going with them; they were really worried about not keeping an eye on their daughter.

When they arrived at the hospital and saw that their daughter could eat and drink normally, they felt relieved and went home.

Everything was fine on the 14th, but on the 15th, Bingbing complained of a stomachache after lunch.

After the nurse checked on her, she realized she was about to give birth and took her to the delivery room.

Li Jiuzhou waited anxiously outside the delivery room.

He's currently too busy to inform his mother-in-law.

Fortunately, Sha Zhu took some time to visit with a basket of fruit, so Li Jiuzhou asked him to go and pick up his mother-in-law.

"Zhu Zi, go pick up my mother-in-law."

"Alright, I'm off." Sha Zhu knew that important business was at hand, so he turned and left.

Less than half an hour later, Sha Zhu and his mother-in-law arrived.

"How long have we been in Jiuzhou?" the mother-in-law asked anxiously.

Despite the cold weather, my mother-in-law was sweating, which suggests she was quite nervous.

Seeing this, Li Jiuzhou comforted her instead:

"Mom, it's been 40 minutes since she went in. Don't worry, Bingbing is in good health, everything will go smoothly."

"Yes, yes, everything will go smoothly, may the Bodhisattva bless you," Fan's mother quickly echoed.

Another half hour passed, and Li Jiuzhou himself couldn't sit still anymore, pacing back and forth outside the delivery room.

A short while later, Master Li Tielong arrived with his wife and younger sister Fengjiao.

My father-in-law and younger brother Shanhe also came after school.

My second uncle, Li Huaide, also came.

Everyone waited in a tense atmosphere.

No one knew what was going on inside. At this point, an hour and a half had passed since Bingbing entered the delivery room.

At that moment, the delivery room door opened, and a female doctor came out.

With a smile on her face, she looked at the waiting crowd and slowly said:

Congratulations, mother and baby are safe and sound!

Whoosh...

Everyone stood up in unison, their faces showing excited joy.

Hearing the female doctor say "Mother and child are safe" was like hearing heavenly music to Li Jiuzhou.

When he stood up, his legs were a little weak and he almost couldn't stand. It was Sha Zhu who helped him up.

"Fan Bingbing's husband will come in first. Other family members who wish to visit can go to another ward later."

Li Jiuzhou nodded to his father-in-law and the others and went inside first.

Upon entering the delivery room, the first thing I noticed was Bingbing's almost sickly beauty.

She's pressing her cheek against the face of a newborn baby, her smile radiant.

Upon seeing this, Li Jiuzhou felt a lump in his throat, and his eyes seemed to well up with tears.

When Bingbing saw her husband come in, she smiled at him. Li Jiuzhou thought she was truly great and beautiful at that moment.

Li Jiuzhou stepped forward and gently stroked her cheek:

"Honey, you've worked so hard."

Bingbing squinted her eyes in enjoyment, her lips slightly parted:

"Brother Zhou, I'm not tired. Come and see our baby."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiuzhou finally had time to look at his son.

"Why isn't he crying?" Li Jiuzhou was a little puzzled; this was different from what he had imagined.

Shouldn't newborn babies cry loudly?

Bingbing chuckled:

"He just cried, and I even breastfed him."

"Oh~"

Li Jiuzhou looked at his son carefully. He was wrinkled when he was born. It was the first time in his two lives that he had his own bloodline. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't excited.

He touched his son from head to toe, and even flicked the little bird several times.

The family of three cuddled for about ten minutes before the doctor arranged for them to be transferred to another ward.

This is when relatives and friends have the opportunity to visit.

The father-in-law held his grandson so tightly he couldn't bear to let go, his face beaming with joy.

Mr. Fan is not old; he is only in his forties. It is normal and very common for someone of that age to be a grandfather.

After looking at his grand-nephew, Li Huaide took out a red envelope and gave it to Bingbing, saying that she was a meritorious person in the Li family.

The couple did not refuse, and they dared not decline the gift from their elders.

Half an hour later, they went back one after another. They all had things to do, and that was enough for them after their visit.

Only the father-in-law and his wife and Li Jiuzhou remained in the ward.

Three days later, Bingbing was discharged from the hospital, and her second uncle personally drove to pick her up.

When he returned to the Taoist temple, a group of neighbors came to his home to offer their congratulations.

They gave us a lot of eggs and other things.

Da Hu was the most helpful, bringing over two old hens and running around helping Li Jiuzhou.

It's cold, so there's no need for him to go to the countryside every day. He can wait until the villagers have prepared everything before he goes, which will save him a lot of trouble.

Li Jiuzhou brought his mother-in-law to live with him. It wasn't that he couldn't take care of people, but he couldn't be very meticulous.

My younger sister, Fengjiao, comes to see my nephew every day; she both dislikes and loves him.

She disliked his smelly poop and his tendency to cry, but she also liked his cute appearance.

In just over twenty days, Li Jiuzhou and his wife had already mastered the basic skills of taking care of a breastfeeding baby, and his mother-in-law had also gone back to live with them.

She comes every day to help wash the baby's diapers and such.

His son's name is Li Chuan, which was given to him by his father-in-law. He was determined to take it from him and would kill anyone who dared to challenge him!

His nickname is Tie Niu. Li Jiuzhou has already taken him down, and he's not going to back down from that. He'll take down anyone who tries to take him away.

It's best to choose a nickname early on, otherwise it would be embarrassing if your child grew up to have a nickname like He Yuzhu's, which is called "Silly Pillar" by his father.

Moreover, a humble name is easier to raise. Look at the Jia family, Banggeng, which means club, which is both humble and stubborn.

Li Jiuzhou thought that his Tie Niu was not bad either, and that the tough guy was no problem.

His stalk is made of wood, my ox is made of iron. Come on, let's bump into each other and see who's tougher.

The neighbors in the courtyard are all talking about Li Jiuzhou's baby's one-month celebration, and they're really looking forward to it.

The arrival of a new member is a major event, especially given Li Jiuzhou's family's circumstances. It would be inexcusable not to hold a banquet for them.

According to old customs, the birth of a child should be celebrated in a grand ceremony.

According to Li Jiuzhou's plan, it should definitely be a grand affair. He should take advantage of the current opportunity to hold it while it's still possible, because in a few years he would have to keep a low profile.

These days, I have to greet the neighbors every day. Goodness, they're practically baring their teeth in frustration.

Madam Jia even went so far as to order food, specifically going to Fengzeyuan to inquire about the menu.

Asking Li Jiuzhou if he had this dish or how that dish tasted, I'm really impressed by this sixth brother.

Jia Zhangshi's actions made the whole courtyard even more eager for Li Jiuzhou to return, and even the residents of nearby courtyards were intentionally or unintentionally trying to get closer to him when they saw him.

The obsequious look on his face was so obvious, it was almost as if he was saying:

"Jiuzhou, please invite me! I'll give a gift, I won't just eat at your feast for free!"

While speechless, Li Jiuzhou also felt a little proud.

It could be said that the neighbors in the courtyard were trying to elevate Li Jiuzhou.

This wasn't a calculated move; it was simply what everyone wanted.

Li Jiuzhou wouldn't care about these things; on the contrary, he was willing to accept it. It was a happy occasion in the family, so he wanted to be joyful and bring good luck.

The father-in-law had someone check the date for his son's one-month celebration.

They say that day was sunny and auspicious for holding a banquet and getting a haircut.

Li Jiuzhou had originally planned to hold a large event at Fengzeyuan.

But my father-in-law had already hired someone to do the calculations, and since the sun was shining brightly that day, we decided to hold the ceremony at home.

The head chef is Wang Shan, the senior apprentice, and Sha Zhu is his assistant.

On the afternoon of the first day, sheds were set up in the front yard and the middle yard, and many stoves were borrowed for heating.

The full moon celebration was naturally held on a day off. Li Jiuzhou got up very early that day, before dawn.

The pigs arrived, two in total, and were slaughtered on the spot in the yard.

Still in the middle courtyard, the old women boiled water, and the old men pressed pig legs.

At this moment, Sha Zhu, with a cigarette in his mouth, pressed down on the pig's head with his left hand and held a sharp knife in his right hand, was about to stab the pig's carotid artery when he found that his left hand had been held down.

Turning his head to look, he became furious and scolded:

"Da Mao, are you pressing down on the pig or me, you idiot?"

"Hahahaha..." The neighbors burst into laughter.

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao opened his eyes and found that his hand was pressing on Sha Zhu, which made him feel a little embarrassed.

He gave an embarrassed laugh: "Sorry, sorry, I was nervous."

Xu Damao came to help voluntarily because he felt that since he was going to work in the factory, he should act like a man, so he joined the pig slaughtering team.

With so many people coming to help in the morning, Li Jiuzhou wasn't stingy and had Sha Zhu prepare a big pot of braised pork, treating the whole courtyard to it. The aroma filled the entire courtyard.

The elderly and children lined up at Sha Zhu's door with bowls in hand, and after they finished their braised dishes, they ate them directly on the table that had been set out.

Overwhelmed with excitement, Madam Jia lit another incense stick under the astonished gazes of Jia Dongxu and Tong Jie, murmuring:

"Old Jia, forget about the savory stuff. Let me take you to eat braised pork offal. I'm telling you, He Daqing's son makes absolutely amazing braised pork offal. We have to hurry, or we'll only have soup left."

After speaking, she glanced at her son and daughter-in-law, ignoring their strange looks, and with a quick reach, kicked Old Jia's memorial tablet into Jia Zhangshi's arms. Then, she patted her bottom, grabbed a bowl, and went out.

"This...this..." Tong Jie held the stick in her arms, unable to finish her sentence in surprise.

Jia Dongxu took a deep breath, said nothing, took two steps, picked up a cigarette and matches from the table, lit them, and exhaled smoke in one smooth motion!

Seeing this, Tong Jie also looked helpless. Who were these people? However, she still gave Jia Dongxu some advice:

"Dongxu, keep an eye on Mom. Don't let Daddy fall out, or something terrible will happen!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu frowned, but still spoke:

"Don't worry, honey, I'll be careful."

Jia Dongxu also knew the seriousness of the matter; if his father's memorial tablet fell out, the situation would be truly dire.

If the Nine Provinces find out, they'll definitely make a scene. They're having a happy occasion, and you're bringing along a memorial tablet for the dead? What are you trying to do?

Are you jealous that my family is doing well?