Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Fengzeyuan Restaurant became popular again because of Li Jiuzhou's three dishes.

There are still no authentic Sichuan restaurants in Beiping.

Many restaurants also have one or two master chefs specializing in Sichuan cuisine.

Fengzeyuan now has three members: Li Tielong, Wang Shan, and Li Jiuzhou.

There have been a lot of people eating Sichuan cuisine lately, keeping the three of them, master and apprentice, extremely busy.

No, it can't be said that all three people are busy. He Yuzhu is also very busy. He has to prepare dishes for three chefs all by himself. It's amazing that he hasn't made any mistakes.

He's definitely born to be a chef!

With food to cook, Li Jiuzhou's culinary skills improved rapidly, and his strength also increased significantly.

Although he mainly cooks Sichuan cuisine, Li Jiuzhou has not neglected to learn authentic Shandong cuisine.

Li Jiuzhou does a very good job with Fengzeyuan's signature dish, braised sea cucumber with scallions.

The main reason was that his master, Li Tielong, was willing to let go; without his consent and supervision, Li Jiuzhou could not have done it.

Every dish in the kitchen is inspected by the head chef before it enters the dining hall. He tastes it and only serves it if he approves it.

This is the standard for passing the inspection.

Any work that doesn't meet the standards will be sent back for rework.

By December, although it hadn't snowed yet in Beiping, the weather was already quite cold.

During their day off, Li Jiuzhou took He Yuzhu to buy many daily necessities.

Cotton quilts, cotton clothes, cotton shoes, and cotton hats are essential.

Otherwise, they'd be waiting to freeze to death.

In present-day Beiping, as long as you have money, you will never lack supplies or meat.

At a pork stall in Nanluoguxiang, Li Jiuzhou bought 50 jin of pork, intending to make some cured pork for winter storage.

I happened to run into Mr. and Mrs. Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai and his wife also bought 30 jin (15 catties).

"Jiuzhou, making cured meat?" Yi Zhonghai asked with a smile.

"Yes, Uncle Yi, are you two also here?"

During the conversation, he offered Yi Zhonghai a cigarette.

"Sss...whoosh..." Yi Zhonghai took a satisfying drag of his cigarette.

"Winter is the perfect time to make cured meat; we can enjoy it slowly."

"I also bought ten pounds of mutton; it'll be even more fragrant if I add some radishes when I stew it."

"You are this one." Li Jiuzhou gave Yi Zhonghai a thumbs up.

During this period, Yi Zhonghai was very talkative and quite good at boasting.

She is also well-liked.

Li Jiuzhou didn't have a bad impression of him; after all, the man hadn't offended him.

After buying the meat, we still need to buy coal.

Because a kang (heated brick bed) was built at Li Jiuzhou's house, they also needed to buy firewood, so there was a lot to do.

In the entire courtyard, only Li Jiuzhou's room had a kang (heated brick bed).

Everyone else used coal stoves for heating.

It was convenient, but every winter, people in Beiping (Beijing) would die from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The coal stove shouldn't be burned too brightly at night, and the room should be well-ventilated.

Li Jiuzhou also bought a lot of grains, oils, rice, and noodles. He figured he'd have to eat them anyway, and buying them early would save him some money.

On New Year's Day, He Daqing was invited to someone's home to cook lunch, and he brought Li Jiuzhou and He Yuzhu along.

According to He Daqing, the host wanted to eat some Sichuan dishes, which is why Li Jiuzhou was brought along.

He Yuzhu was his son, whom he brought along to help out.

The three braved the wind and snow to reach the host's house, which was a detached villa. It was so large that you could call it an estate.

Just as the housekeeper led me into the house, an elegant lady came over to greet me quite familiarly.

"The Qing Dynasty has arrived!"

"Hehe, Second Miss, Happy New Year!" He Daqing said with a smile and cupped his hands in greeting.

They were already acquaintances; He Daqing's family had a long-standing relationship with this lady, having inherited the Tan family cuisine.

"This is Mr. Lou's wife." He Daqing gestured for Li Jiuzhou to greet He Yuzhu.

"Happy New Year, Mrs. Lou," the two said in unison.

"Alright, alright, Happy New Year to you all too. It's so kind of you to come to our house and cook during such a busy time. Come on in and have a cup of hot tea."

At this moment, the protagonist, Lou Bancheng, also came over and exchanged a few pleasantries, explaining the dishes to be prepared for lunch.

Several of the Tan family dishes, including shark fin soup, had been soaked and prepared long ago.

He Daqing can start doing it right away.

The kitchen was quite large, and Xu Damao's mother, Wang Guilian, came over to wash the vegetables and help out.

She was a servant in the Lou family, similar to a nanny.

Moreover, since we're all in the same compound, we can chat while working and not get bored.

Li Jiuzhou made a boiled fish dish and two other Sichuan dishes, which was very easy.

After finishing my work in the kitchen and having dinner, I prepared to go home.

Li Jiuzhou neither paid attention to nor inquired about the Lou family's affairs. Before he came, his master had instructed him not to speak if he could keep quiet, and to simply follow his uncle's instructions.

He Yuzhu was very honest; although his eyes were darting around, he didn't ask any questions.

Before leaving, He Daqing was called out for a drink.

He also went to Lou Bancheng's study and chatted for nearly 20 minutes.

The conversation took the following form:

Lou Bancheng:

"Great Qing, have you figured out what I told you last time?"

"The matter of coming to my place as the canteen manager after the New Year."

He Daqing:

"Sir, I've thought about it. I'll explain it to the manager when I get back, and I'll report to the factory after the New Year."

Lou Bancheng smiled:

"Don't worry, it will definitely be easier for you at my place than at Fengzeyuan, and I won't let you earn less than you would at Fengzeyuan."

"Thank you for taking care of me, sir."

The two men were unaware of the conversation between He Daqing and Lou Bancheng.

Back at Fengzeyuan, He Daqing gave Li Jiuzhou ten silver dollars, saying it was payment for cooking lunch that day.

"Isn't that a bit much, Uncle-Master?" Li Jiuzhou asked in surprise, looking at the amount of silver dollars in his hand.

He Daqing laughed:

"Hehe, you underestimated them."

"What is Mr. Lou's nickname? He is known as Lou the Half-City."

"With countless businesses in Beiping (Beijing), what's ten silver dollars?"

"Just take it without worry."

"Alright, thank you, Uncle-Master."

He Yuzhu, watching from the side, was extremely anxious and hurriedly said:

"Dad, what about my share?"

He Daqing's eyes widened upon hearing this:

"What do you expect from an apprentice like you? Have I not fed you or clothed you? Are you trying to rebel?"

"Father, you can't do this. I am your son, but not your apprentice. I don't have any money to work today, so please give me something."

"I've given you plenty of money these past few months since I got my salary, how can you bear to see your son suffer in poverty?"

He Daqing sighed:

"Oh...what a tragedy..."

"It's only two silver dollars, don't waste it..."

What my son just said is indeed true. Every time he gets paid, he not only buys himself cigarettes and alcohol, but also adds a lot of things to the house.

The house and the surrounding area were kept clean and tidy.

It gave He Daqing the feeling that his son had grown up.

Based on this performance, He Daqing couldn't utter a single bad word about his son.

So every month when he received his salary, he would hand over half of his son's salary, and He Daqing wouldn't take care of the rest.

After a few months, seeing that his son hadn't done anything reckless, he was quite relieved.

So it's not unreasonable to occasionally reward him with a few coins.

Of course, He Daqing also knew that his son's changes were all thanks to his nephew.

He wasn't very educated, but he knew the saying "one is influenced by one's company."

My silly son has been getting better and better ever since he started hanging out with his junior apprentice. That's a good thing.

It's better than following Jiajia's Dongxu, right? That guy is supposedly carrying sacks now, that's such a hassle.

Even if things were really bad, He Daqing wouldn't let his son carry sacks; it's not like he couldn't afford to support him.