Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The holiday passed quickly. In fact, Fengzeyuan had already opened for business on the third day of the Lunar New Year, but Li Jiuzhou had taken a few more days off.

He insisted on playing until the eighth day of the new year before going to work.

The year 1954 had officially arrived.

More than a month after the New Year, many big-character posters were put up on the streets of Beiping, advocating thrift and avoiding waste.

The military control commission gradually withdrew last year, and street offices were established one by one in Beiping.

In places like Nanluoguxiang, a subdistrict office was established to address the household registration and housing issues of the surrounding residents.

Every few days, members of the neighborhood committee would come into the courtyard to spread propaganda, shouting slogans very loudly.

Many people who were illiterate responded to the call and cooperated fully.

The courtyard house at No. 95 is a key focus of the subdistrict office.

Director Wang from the subdistrict office even came personally to promote the meeting.

The underlying message was that your No. 95 compound is too conspicuous, and you should keep a low profile from now on.

She made this claim based on evidence. After investigation and evidence collection, it was found that there are 23 households and more than 100 people in courtyard No. 95.

The average household income is no less than 50 yuan, and every family has large items to rely on.

Several households even managed to collect all three essential items (sewing machine, turntable, radio, and watch).

Every household built an earthen stove, and there were more than a dozen bicycles.

Li Jiuzhou's family even has three bicycles.

He rode one himself, his wife Bingbing rode one (a lady's bike), and his younger brother Shanhe rode one.

In recent years, several large banquets have been held.

Furthermore, there is a national banquet chef like Li Jiuzhou in charge, and Sha Zhu is also a chef at Fengzeyuan Restaurant.

There were also senior fitters like Yi Zhonghai from Lou's Steel Rolling Mill.

Compared to the residents of other courtyards nearby, the No. 95 courtyard house really stands out.

Director Wang couldn't help but pay attention, especially to the deaf old lady.

The person donated the entire courtyard to the state; the neighborhood committee needs to take special care of such a person.

Regardless of whose wife or concubine the deaf old lady was when she was young, her donation was genuine and cannot be faked.

Under reasonable and legal circumstances, the neighborhood office will normally meet the needs of deaf elderly women.

Director Wang would go to the backyard every few days, letting the neighbors in the yard see the energy of the deaf old lady.

Those who can be taken care of by the government are not to be trifled with.

After the neighborhood committee did this, many people in the compound started to live a more low-key life.

They started living a life of careful budgeting.

But that's just on the surface. I'm so used to living like this. You think you can just change it like that?

The women in the courtyard were clever; they stopped making a fuss when buying groceries, hiding the meat at the bottom of their cloth bags and putting the vegetables on top.

When they met neighbors on the way, they complained that they had no money to eat vegetables.

On the surface, it appears to be a routine of eating meat once every five days, but in reality, it must be meat once every two days.

If you eat one pound of meat per meal, then you'll only eat meat for 15 days a month.

15 jin of meat only costs around 5 yuan, which is nothing to the residents of the courtyard.

A pound of meat might not be enough to satisfy a large family's cravings, but it's satisfying and juicy, which is quite remarkable.

This is how the Jia family lived under Tong Jie's control.

Two days' worth of meat is more than enough for their family of three.

With more oil and fat, we can save a lot of grain.

Li Jiuzhou didn't care about any of that. His family ate meat every day. Don't forget that he got a whole pig before the Lunar New Year. They couldn't possibly finish it all.

So every day, whether I'm cooking noodles or stir-frying vegetables, there's meat in the food, and I can eat as much as I want.

The same goes for Sha Zhu's family. They eat meat in different ways every day. When they're in a good mood, he and his wife Qin Huairu eat a pound of pork every morning, and they have a great appetite.

Qin Huai felt like she was dreaming; life was so beautiful, as if she were swimming in the sea or floating in the air.

She could eat meat every day, something she never dared to dream of back in the countryside.

Returning to her parents' home during the first month of the lunar calendar always involved carrying large and small bags, but Qin Huairu, back in Changping, held her head high and walked with her head held high.

Who wouldn't envy them for marrying such good husbands?

Li Jiuzhou is currently worried about his wife Bingbing's job.

The textile factory is a bit far away, making it inconvenient to take the child to work.

Li Jiuzhou wanted to transfer her. He had this idea as soon as the subdistrict office was established, so he told his second uncle.

Upon hearing this, Li Huaide immediately said it was a small matter and he would take care of it.

Bingbing also thought it was a good idea, as it would be more convenient to live closer to home.

Through her second uncle's connections, Fan Bingbing's file was directly transferred to the Nanluoguxiang Subdistrict Office.

With only a junior high school education, he works as a document processor and earns 48 yuan a month.

Li Jiuzhou also treated Director Wang to a meal at Fengzeyuan Restaurant, where his second uncle was also present.

My son, Li Chuanbing, is brought to work with me. This is the norm nowadays; many female factory workers carry their babies to work, it's quite common.

Li Jiuzhou wanted to make a stroller so that his wife could take care of their son.

I went to the steel rolling mill and found Boss Lou.

Lou Bancheng burst into laughter after hearing this:

"Don't waste your time, I have one at home, my daughter used it when she was little. Come over to my house tomorrow, my day off, and I'll cook you a meal. You can also take the stroller home with you."

Li Jiuzhou was overjoyed upon hearing this:

"Thank you very much, Chairman Lou. You've saved me a lot of trouble."

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

The next day, Li Jiuzhou went to Lou Bancheng's house to cook, and while he was at it, he brought back the stroller and cleaned it.

The stroller is simple in design, but very convenient to use.

Lou Bancheng also gifted Li Jiuzhou a wooden stroller, which is for the child to use when he is older and can sit up.

It is said to be a classic baby stroller from the Qing Dynasty.

It's good to know wealthy people; they have so many things that ordinary people can't get their hands on that they don't even need them.

As soon as the stroller was brought back, Bingbing pushed her son Li Chuan around the yard, completely absorbed in the new gadget.

Tong Jie was very envious and wanted a car too, as carrying the child all day was too tiring.

Having no other choice, Jia Dongxu could only turn to his master, Yi Zhonghai, for help.

After hearing this, Yi Zhonghai immediately made the decision: just find a carpenter to make one; how much is wood worth anyway?

The problem is that the wheels are difficult to make; iron ones don't work well, so Yi Zhonghai needs to pay someone to make them.

He paid for it, considering it a gift for his grand-disciple.

The Jia and Li families weren't the only ones with children in the courtyard; the Liu family in the backyard and the Yan Bugui family in the front yard also had children.

The arrival of the stroller brought light to the lives of the women in the family.

Carrying a baby on your back while working is too tiring; having a stroller would make things much easier.

So, persuaded by their wives, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui each spent money to have a wooden baby carriage made.

A few days later, there were four baby strollers of different shapes in the yard.

The Liu brothers, Liu Guangqi and Liu Guangtian, and the Yan brothers, Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang, each pushed their younger brother around the yard.

They even had a race to see who could run the fastest.

As a result, the two groups collided, and Liu Guangfu and Yan Jiekuang, the two babies in the stroller, rolled around on the ground.

She lay on the ground wailing, but thankfully the baby was dressed warmly enough and wasn't hurt.

But once he got home, he was sure to be whipped and roasted.

Children need to be disciplined; only through pain will they remember their mistakes.

Of course, it has to be done in moderation; going too far will cause problems.