Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The neighbors in the courtyard naturally knew about the national conferment of ranks.

The whole of Beiping was talking about this, and it was a very hot topic.

Li Jiuzhou and Sha Zhu went to the state banquet, and they also found out after the conferment of their ranks.

People came to ask all sorts of questions, but Li Jiuzhou was too lazy to respond and let Sha Zhu do the talking.

After the state banquet, it was no secret anymore; everyone could talk about it.

Sha Zhu's status has suddenly risen to another level; after all, he was once a chef at state banquets.

The neighbors didn't know he was a kitchen helper; they just thought he was one of the head chefs.

This suited Sha Zhu perfectly; if you want to show off, then showing off there is no problem.

A new round of policies officially came into effect after the National Day holiday.

That is, to purchase grain, one must have a grain ration book and grain coupons.

Moreover, the purchases are made in fixed quantities according to the type of work.

Prior to this, the country had gradually completed the policy of joint public-private ownership.

Workers now have a secure job.

The quotas for cooks like Li Jiuzhou and fitters in steel rolling mills are both very high.

The highest weight is 55 jin (27.5 catties), which is a special level of physical strength that chefs cannot reach.

Li Jiuzhou only set a standard of 45 jin, while Sha Zhu weighed 38 jin.

Senior fitters like Yi Zhonghai weigh 38 jin (approximately 14 catties).

Ordinary people, like Jia Zhangshi who are unemployed, only have a monthly ration of 24 jin.

Currently, only grain rations are in place, and meat also has certain standards.

Ordinary citizens are limited in quantity but not in number of purchases, with each purchase not exceeding three jin (1.5 kg), while supplies last.

In other words, you can only buy three pounds of meat at a time, but you can buy it repeatedly.

At that time, meat was still available in Beiping. If pork was unavailable, there was mutton, chicken, duck, and even dog meat, etc.

After this policy was implemented, everyone in the No. 95 compound fell silent, unsure of what to say.

Is there a problem?

The problem is certainly significant, but policy is policy, and the consequences of non-cooperation are severe.

Anyway, life is manageable, at least it's comfortable.

You can still do business, but there are too many restrictions. By the time you understand the policies, you'll have already closed down.

Doing business is fine, but you can't hire people. Hiring people is considered exploitation, and your social class is another matter.

The only options are car repair shops, street vendors, small restaurants, etc., and they must be self-employed and affiliated with the local street office.

Even if you have a separate courtyard, the neighborhood committee will arrange for someone to live there.

Of course, it's not about forcing them, but about discussing it.

If your connections aren't strong enough, it's hard to say who will own the house in the future.

It wasn't that Li Jiuzhou lacked the means to buy a courtyard house, but rather that he didn't want to make a purchase at this time.

The Zhang family no longer dared to continue their tofu business, as doing so would be considered speculation and profiteering.

Lou's Steel Rolling Mill was transformed into the renowned "Red Star Steel Rolling Mill!"

The No. 95 courtyard was subsequently renamed "Red Star Courtyard".

Fengzeyuan had long been a joint public-private enterprise, and Li Jiuzhou had successfully become a worker.

Wages were bound to be reduced, and after this rectification, the business of major restaurants in Beiping plummeted.

The wealthy and powerful families no longer dared to come out to eat.

Vegetables are cheaper now, five times cheaper than before.

Fengzeyuan implemented a collective salary reduction from top to bottom.

Li Jiuzhou's salary dropped to 98 yuan, but with all the subsidies added up, he could still earn more than 100 yuan a month.

All of them are the same chefs.

Sha Zhu costs 68 yuan, and with welfare subsidies added up to over 70 yuan.

Only high-income earners like Li Jiuzhou had their salaries reduced; the salaries of middle and lower-level employees remained largely unchanged, and some even received significant increases.

After this public-private partnership, Boss Lou no longer invited Li Jiuzhou to cook at the steel rolling mill.

He's basically out of the picture, only holding a nominal board position.

However, Li Jiuzhou's visits to the steel mill to cook did not decrease despite Boss Lou's decline.

Because Li Jiuzhou's second uncle, Li Huaide, made a grand entrance.

He is currently the director of the logistics department and concurrently the head of the security department (plant-level security department) at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

The Security Department has a subordinate Security Section, so it can be said that Li Huaide now wields considerable power.

Li Huaide is only 34 years old and a division-level cadre. One more step and he will be a deputy director-level cadre. Not to mention he has a father-in-law who is a big shot in the Ministry of Industry. His future is truly bright!

Li Huaide was a very shrewd and diplomatic person, so he naturally had to treat the leaders and other factory managers who came to inspect the area well.

This is how his eldest nephew, Li Jiuzhou, demonstrated his abilities.

He's not an outsider, he's my own nephew, and the leaders have no objections whatsoever.

Although the dishes Li Huaide arranged were inferior to those of Lou Bancheng, Li Jiuzhou's culinary skills were undeniable.

Ordinary dishes can be transformed into delicious meals, something other chefs can't match.

Besides, we can't afford to eat too much at this time; it would be good enough if we could just satisfy our cravings.

These past few times when Li Jiuzhou came to the steel mill to cook, he didn't need Sha Zhu's help anymore, because they were all ordinary dishes that didn't need to be prepared in advance. Li Jiuzhou could handle it all by himself, and besides, there were helpers in the steel mill's kitchen.

That day, Li Jiuzhou finished cooking at the steel rolling mill and had just finished eating when Li Huaide came over.

He must have drunk quite a bit, because his face and ears were very red.

"Jiuzhou, why don't you come and help me? The kitchen will be very difficult without you. I need someone I can trust."

Li Jiuzhou stroked his chin, thinking as he spoke:

"Coming to help you is no problem, but how do we determine my level?"

Li Huaide laughed immediately after hearing this:

"You're a chef who's been in state banquets; every foodie in Beiping knows you."

"The wage rate should be set at the highest level."

Because chefs still don't have a grading or certification system.

Chefs' salaries are determined based on their position, age, skills, and the level of the organization.

The unit price offered by Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill is simply insufficient to pay Li Jiuzhou his current salary.

However, since his second uncle had asked, Li Jiuzhou naturally agreed, as he might be able to have an easier time at the steel rolling mill.

After clarifying the situation, Li Jiuzhou said:

"Uncle, let me ask Zhu Zi if he's coming. If he's willing, could you bring us both here?"

Li Huaide clapped his hands excitedly: "Okay, let's do it this way. I can rest assured with you two brothers in the kitchen."

After returning home, Li Jiuzhou asked Sha Zhu if he would like to work at the steel mill with him.

Sha Zhu smiled and affirmed:

"Wherever you go, I'll go. Besides, in Uncle's territory, would he mistreat us brothers?"

Li Jiuzhou punched Sha Zhu:

"You're smart, kid. We'll talk to the shopkeeper about it tomorrow."

The next day, Li Jiuzhou and his fellow apprentices told Manager Luan and the manager about the matter.

They weren't surprised at all, after all, they knew Li Huaide and the others. Li Jiuzhou was constantly being asked to cook, he was practically living there.

Fengzeyuan isn't busy right now, so feel free to go if you want.

Master Li Tielong, Uncle He Daqing, and Senior Brother Wang Shan continued to work at Fengzeyuan. They didn't want to leave, or at least they didn't have that idea for the time being.

Li Jiuzhou and Shazhu went to scout out the route first. If the route was good, they could follow it.