Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Secretary Zhou wanted to retort, but Director Yang stopped him with a look, so he could only glare at Sha Zhu resentfully.

The car continued driving, then swayed and stalled, coming to a stop.

Factory Director Yang frowned and asked the driver, "Xiao Wang, what's going on?"

The driver looked troubled and said, "Factory manager, I'll go down and take a look."

After checking the vehicle, the driver, Xiao Wang, came over and said, "Factory manager, the car has broken down and I'm afraid it won't move."

Upon hearing this, Director Yang closed his eyes. He wanted to get angry, but he held back.

Fortunately, it was still a ten-minute walk to the leader's place.

After the group got out of the car, Director Yang said to the driver and secretary, "You two stay here. Master He and I will go first. I will arrange for someone to come and meet us when we get to the leaders."

"Yes, sir." The two had no choice but to obey.

Factory Director Yang then said to Sha Zhu:

"Let's go, Master He, I need you to walk with me for a while."

Sha Zhu chuckled, "Factory Manager, it's already 9 o'clock. It takes at least ten minutes to drive there, and walking would take at least an hour. Is there enough time to cook?"

Factory Director Yang thought Sha Zhu's suggestion made sense: "How about we run there?"

"It's cold outside, so a run is a good way to warm up."

Sha Zhu looked at Factory Director Yang suspiciously, then his gaze shifted downwards, noticing his protruding belly, and he joked:

"Factory manager, I'm fine with it, but are you okay? You look like you're about seven months pregnant."

Sha Zhu didn't mean anything by it; he was just joking.

But Director Yang wouldn't have it. How could you say a man is incapable? He laughed and scolded, "You little comrade, you have a problem with your thinking. How can a leader be incapable?"

"Come on, let's have a race. You're the best if you can outrun me."

After saying that, he ran out first, and Sha Zhu followed.

After running for more than ten minutes in the cold winter, Director Yang was always in the lead.

"Wow, he can really run fast!" Sha Zhu muttered from behind.

Then he chased after him, giving Director Yang a provocative look.

Men have an extremely strong competitive spirit, and Yang Ligong was no exception.

The two then began to chase each other.

Sha Zhu was completely at ease. He stopped and even lit a cigarette, and continued chasing after them after smoking.

When he caught up with Factory Director Yang, Sha Zhu might have been a little out of it or frozen in place. As he passed Director Yang, he said two words to him:

"Useless!"

Factory Director Yang froze on the spot, watching Sha Zhu's figure disappear into the distance, disheveled in the cold wind.

Sha Zhu didn't even dare to turn his head, and raised his right hand to gently slap himself several times.

"I told you not to spit, I told you not to spit, why the hell can't you control your mouth?"

Sha Zhu was filled with regret; he was stunned as soon as he uttered the word "useless."

But he still didn't stop to apologize. Damn it, he said he'd already said it, so what else could he do? He could just let it go and get over it.

Soon the building came into view, and Sha Zhu stopped and waited.

Factory Director Yang, panting heavily, stopped beside Sha Zhu and looked at him with a gloomy expression.

After he calmed down, he asked, "What did you just say to me?"

Sha Zhu pretended not to understand: "I didn't say anything. Didn't I just tell you to do your best, Factory Manager?"

"Did I say something?"

Factory Director Yang stared at Sha Zhu and said, "I couldn't have misheard!"

Sha Zhu, at his wit's end, decided to go all out: "But I can't admit it!"

Upon hearing this, Director Yang pointed at Sha Zhu and was speechless.

In the end, Factory Director Yang still said in a bad mood:

"Fine, you've got guts, kid!"

"Remember not to say anything out of line once you're inside, or you'll be in big trouble."

Sha Zhu gave an awkward smile and didn't say anything.

Factory Director Yang approached the gatekeeper, showed his identification, and the two entered the leader's villa under the gatekeeper's guidance.

Sha Zhu was led directly into the kitchen and immediately started working without saying a word.

An aunt helped him wash and chop vegetables, which made his life much easier.

After looking at the dishes, Sha Zhu didn't want to come up with any fancy ideas. Since the leader was from Sichuan Province, he decided to just serve all Sichuan cuisine.

They got right to work, and during the process, the leader's wife came in to take a look and asked some questions.

She didn't think Sha Zhu was bad at cooking just because he was young. Her husband had told her that even though he was young, his cooking was exceptional.

She knew her husband had good taste, and it was rare for her to have such a high opinion of Sha Zhu, so naturally she wouldn't look down on him.

Unlike in the original story, Sha Zhu didn't confront the leader's wife with a barrage of insults; his tone was neither humble nor arrogant.

I'll answer your questions without overstepping the bounds; I'll just follow the rules.

Having hosted so many banquets with my senior, I'm quite adept at handling these kinds of situations.

Soon, a table full of Sichuan dishes was served.

The leader invited subordinates today, and when he spoke, he acted as if he were in charge of everything, with an air of authority that he held firmly in place.

During this time, Sha Zhu was invited out for a drink. It was the same scene: Sha Zhu remained silent and pretended to be mute, which the leader appreciated.

Before leaving, they gave Sha Zhu some things.

Secretary Zhou was very unhappy that the leader had given Sha Zhu something.

The car broke down, and he and the driver waited for ages before anyone came. Not only did they not get a bite to eat, but they also suffered a lot.

Factory Director Yang didn't say anything. The leader giving Sha Zhu was his way of showing his appreciation, but he wouldn't give Sha Zhu anything in return.

You are my subordinate, shouldn't I ask you to do something?

After returning to the steel rolling mill, Sha Zhu got out of the car and said to Director Yang:

"Factory manager, shall I leave?"

Factory Director Yang said, "Go ahead and leave, I'm not stopping you."

Sha Zhu rubbed his fingers together and asked, "Have you forgotten something?"

Factory Director Yang's face darkened immediately upon seeing this. He hadn't expected Sha Zhu to actually dare to ask him for favors, so he said coldly:

"Comrade Xiao He, you're on official business today, don't always think about personal gain. You need to get rid of this bad habit in the future."

Sha Zhu wasn't necessarily after any benefits, but he was really annoyed by Director Yang's entitled attitude.

Secretary Zhou laughed, laughing at Sha Zhu for not knowing what was good for him. The factory director appreciated him and asked him to cook for the big boss, and yet he actually asked for benefits.

This person is absolutely insane!

So he spoke to Sha Zhu in a lecturing tone:

"Master He, the factory manager is right. When we're on official business, we shouldn't keep bringing up those old, outdated rules."

"Didn't the factory pay you? You must earn a lot a month, how dare you ask for favors?"

Sha Zhu didn't say that, nor was he angry. He had seen through it all, and he sneered:

"Okay, it's no big deal. Just don't call me for business trips in the future."

Then he said to Yang Ligong:

"Factory manager, I'm just a cook. To be honest, you're far inferior to the other leaders in the factory."

"With such a stingy attitude, I don't know how he became the factory manager."

"You bastard, how dare you speak to the factory manager like that? Believe me or not, you'll be fired!" Secretary Zhou said angrily.

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu didn't care at all: "Tch, you think I care?"

"As soon as I step out of the steel mill, I don't know how many people will be fighting to hire me."

"You even dared to fire me? If you're so capable, then fire me. I'm waiting."

After saying that, he turned and left without paying any attention to Yang Ligong's ugly expression.

Sha Zhu really didn't care about working at the steel mill; if it annoyed him, he'd just do it.

What's the big deal about a verbal dispute? Could Yang Ligong possibly use this to punish him?

Stop joking. The steel rolling mill doesn't belong to Yang Ligong alone. There's a Party Secretary and other deputy directors above him.

Sha Zhu went back to the kitchen and found his senior apprentice, Li Jiuzhou, and explained the whole story.

Li Jiuzhou waved his hand: "Just focus on your work. He's just a factory manager, what's there to be afraid of?"

Sha Zhu smiled and went to work in the kitchen.

Only then did Li Jiuzhou come to his senses, muttering to himself in his office:

"Am I getting so arrogant now that I dare to say something like that?"