Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Jia Dongxu has been feeling very depressed these past few days. Every evening when he comes home from get off work, a group of kids surround him and greet him, calling him Uncle Bangchui.

Jia Dongxu couldn't argue with a group of children, and would occasionally pretend to be angry and chase after them, which only made the children more excited.

I would wait for him in the front yard every evening when I got off work.

The kids find Uncle Bangchui scary, but they can't help but want to tease him. What kind of psychology is this? Can any experts explain it?

Since Li Jiuzhou started working at the steel rolling mill, he has rarely taken on private jobs.

Those regular customers also know that Li Jiuzhou is now the canteen manager of the steel rolling mill, and his status is different, so it's difficult to get him to cook for them anymore.

There are still many people who feel regret, especially those old folks and descendants of the fallen dynasty who still have a good family background.

Of course, the absence of Li Jiuzhou doesn't stop them from living a carefree life.

He remained a regular at various restaurants in Beiping.

This only applies to a few wealthy families; those with poorer circumstances have long been working to support their families.

The term "remnants of the old regime" simply refers to those whose families had served as officials in the previous dynasty.

Ordinary members of the tribe also go to work, living on the precarious edge of subsistence.

It should be noted that there were more than 8 Manchus in Beiping at that time, so how could everyone be wealthy?

It's just a small minority; the rest are basically ordinary people.

There are quite a few in Nanluoguxiang as well.

There is a family surnamed Qi in the neighboring courtyard of No. 94, which is No. 95. The head of the family is named Qi Donglai.

When Li Jiuzhou chatted with him, the man never mentioned which banner he belonged to; when asked, he simply said he was an old Beijinger.

Because I didn't get any benefit from it, what good is it to be on which flag?

Will this new status result in a raise or more food allowance each month?

Do you know what Qi Donglai does? He's a butcher at a meat processing plant!

His father, himself, and his son all work at the meat processing plant. According to him, slaughtering pigs is a family tradition!

Before they knew it, 1956 had arrived. There was no holiday on New Year's Day, and the workers at the steel rolling mill were still working with great enthusiasm.

It was only a short time since we started work at 8 a.m. The stoves in the first canteen were burning brightly, and the men were basically wearing only one piece of clothing; their coats and cotton-padded jackets had long been taken off.

Wearing too many layers in the kitchen makes it inconvenient to work.

During the renovation, Li Jiuzhou put some effort into the insulation facilities.

Li Jiuzhou was busy in his office, working on the factory's menu for next week.

Meanwhile, Sha Zhu sat in the canteen supervising the work, drinking tea in a chair, looking quite content.

Just then, someone outside the cafeteria called out, looking for Chef He Yuzhu.

Sha Zhu went out and met Xiao Zhou, the secretary of factory director Yang Ligong. He greeted her with a somewhat nonchalant attitude:

"Oh, isn't this Secretary Zhou? Need something?"

A hint of displeasure flashed in Secretary Zhou's eyes, but he held back because his superior had given him instructions, and said with a smile:

"Master He, the factory manager wants to see you in his office. He needs to talk to you about something."

Sha Zhu's eyes darted around when he heard this. Although he didn't know what Yang Ligong was up to, he still had to give him face.

So he said, "Then lead the way."

Soon after, Secretary Zhou led Sha Zhu to Yang Ligong's office.

Upon seeing Sha Zhu, Yang Ligong immediately greeted him with a smile:

"Master He is here! Please have a seat. Xiao Zhou, pour some tea."

Sha Zhu took the tea that Secretary Zhou handed him, took a sip, and then said:

"Factory manager, did you need something from me?"

Yang Ligong nodded: "I'd like to invite Chef He out for lunch at the leader's house."

"Our leader is from Sichuan Province. He was treated to a meal at our factory last time, and he still misses your Sichuan cuisine."

"Today is New Year's Day. They have a few guests at noon, and we don't have any suitable cooking skills, so I was thinking of asking you to help out."

Sha Zhu felt a little smug after hearing what Director Yang said, after all, everyone wants to be a good match.

Shazhu is someone who likes to be praised.

I agreed almost without hesitation:

"Sure, when do we leave?"

After seeing that Sha Zhu agreed, Director Yang smiled and said, "Go back and get ready. We'll leave in 20 minutes. I'll be waiting for you at the gate."

"Okay!" Sha Zhu nodded, then went back to the cafeteria and told his senior brother Li Jiuzhou about it.

After hearing this, Li Jiuzhou looked at Sha Zhu with an expression that said, "You're an idiot."

Sha Zhu felt his scalp tingle from his senior brother's gaze and couldn't help but complain:

"Senior brother, why are you looking at me like that? It makes me look like an idiot."

Li Jiuzhou said irritably, "Do I need to tell you that you're stupid? Isn't 'Silly Pillar' just your nickname?"

Sha Zhu cursed and swore after hearing this: "It's all He Daqing's fault for giving me such a nickname. In my next life, I'll be his father and beat the shit out of him!"

Li Jiuzhou waved his hand with a smile and continued, "Our factory manager just praised you a few times and you're already running off to cook, doesn't he plan to give you any benefits at all?"

After hearing this, Sha Zhu hesitated for a moment and said, "I don't think so. He's the factory manager; he shouldn't be stingy."

Li Jiuzhou didn't say anything, just nodded and said, "Then go ahead, do you know the rules?"

Sha Zhu quickly spoke:

"Just focus on cooking, don't ask who the guests are!"

"Go ahead," Li Jiuzhou waved his hand.

"Alright!" After leaving the office, Sha Zhu retrieved his tools, including a kitchen knife and some unique recipes for Sichuan cuisine.

After preparing everything, he told the canteen staff to get to work properly, as he was going out for a while.

Soon, we saw Director Yang's car at the entrance of the steel rolling mill.

Sha Zhu simply opened the door and sat inside.

There were three people in the car: the driver, the secretary, and Director Yang.

The secretary sat in the passenger seat, while Director Yang and Sha Zhu sat in the back.

After driving for a while, Secretary Zhou suddenly turned around and asked with a smile:

"Master He, is this your first time riding in a car? How are you getting used to it?"

Yang Ligong frowned slightly upon hearing this. What's wrong with Xiao Zhou?

Asking such a question is making Sha Zhu look bad.

The driver, however, remained focused and continued driving steadily.

Sha Zhu looked at Secretary Zhou and saw the mockery in his eyes. Given the situation, Sha Zhu had no intention of indulging him.

I'm only willing to cook out of respect for the factory manager, not for you, a mere secretary.

Sha Zhu sneered, his words utterly merciless:

"Xiao Zhou, you must be a few years older than me, and you've only been a factory secretary for a little over six months, right?"

Secretary Zhou nodded upon hearing this, wondering why Sha Zhu would ask him this question: "That's right, I became a secretary to the boss right after graduating from university, and it's been more than half a year now."

After he finished speaking, a smug look appeared on his face, as if being a college student made him very proud.

"Did you ride in a car when you were in college?" Sha Zhu continued to ask.

Secretary Zhou shook his head: "No, not at all."

At this point, Sha Zhu's smile became even brighter: "I rode in a car when I was 17, and I've ridden in cars even more often since then."

"Is that so strange?"

"The car isn't yours, what are you barking about? A mere secretary like you is actually mocking people, and you call yourself a college student?"

"If I were you, I'd just go home, find a rope, and hang myself from the roof beam."

Secretary Zhou's face flushed red after hearing what Sha Zhu said.

Factory Director Yang suppressed his smile.

The driver floored the accelerator; he had no choice but to do so to distract himself, otherwise he might burst out laughing.