Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Yi Zhonghai lay on his kang (a heated brick bed), with cigarette butts scattered all over the ground beside him, at least seventy or eighty of them.

He lost all his energy and spirit; the sudden death of Old Wang was a huge blow to him.

He hadn't drunk a drop of water all day, but Yi Zhonghai heard everything that was going on at the door. He was still very pleased that his apprentice had come to visit him.

They even ordered roast duck to be delivered to our door, which shows they were very thoughtful and went to great lengths.

Ordinary people wouldn't be willing to buy roast duck to eat. Even though Yi Zhonghai is rich, he still wouldn't be willing to eat it, let alone Dongxu buying two at once.

It's certain that it will cost 10 yuan, including the cost of the drinks.

Ten yuan is two-thirds of Jia Dongxu's family's monthly expenses.

Yi Zhonghai felt that it was somewhat ridiculous for him to be lying there like a dead man when his apprentice was so filial.

So he got up quickly and invited Jia Dongxu into the house.

When Jia Dongxu entered the house and saw the mess on the floor, he frowned and then placed the roast duck and wine on the table.

Then, without saying a word, he rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a broom from the doorway, and started cleaning.

Seeing this, Aunt Yi quickly stopped her:

"Oh dear, Dongxu, put it down quickly, I can do it."

Jia Dongxu laughed:

"Master's wife, you and my master should rest first. I'll take care of this little thing."

"If you really can't stay still, tidy up the table. I need to have a couple of drinks with my master later."

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai and his wife both smiled.

Yi Zhonghai laughed and said, "My dear wife, we'll listen to our apprentice today."

"Hey, I'll clear the table right away so you two can have a good drink."

Thanks to Jia Dongxu's actions, the couple's energy and spirits were restored.

In no time, the house became bright and airy. Jia Dongxu was no gigolo, and he did the housework efficiently.

The master and apprentice soon sat down facing each other, and Aunt Yi went to the Jia family's house for dinner.

Jia Dongxu did not pour wine for Yi Zhonghai.

Instead, she rolled up the sliced ​​roast duck meat, dipped it in sauce, and handed it to Yi Zhonghai.

"Master, you haven't eaten all day. Have something to eat first, and we'll drink later."

Yi Zhonghai was extremely satisfied, and accepted the roast duck handed to him by his apprentice, saying "Good."

I was in a daze all day and didn't feel hungry at all, but now that I've come to my senses, I'm starving.

After eating several pieces of rolled-up roast duck, the master and apprentice finally started drinking.

Jia Dongxu raised his glass:

"Master, I greet you with a toast and wish you good health and all the best!"

With a smile on his face, Yi Zhonghai raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

At the dinner table, Jia Dongxu inevitably had to speak his mind again, because he knew that his master loved to hear it.

"Master, I know you're in a bad mood today, and I know why."

"It was indeed pitiful that Old Wang next door passed away, but that was him, not you."

"With my apprentice here, what are you afraid of?"

"Or is it that you, Master, don't trust me, don't believe that your disciple will take care of you in your old age and see you off in your final days?"

Yi Zhonghai fell silent, his heart filled with mixed emotions as he looked at his apprentice.

It's understandable that she would feel resentful about not having offspring.

He completely trusted his apprentice, Jia Dongxu.

Having spent so many years together, he had seen all of Jia Dongxu's behavior.

Making the new bride kowtow to him and his wife during the wedding is already a way of showing his attitude.

Their son even calls his parents grandpa and grandma.

Yi Zhonghai should be content.

Today, I'm just feeling sentimental, but it's all because of my husband and I.

Instead, his apprentice had to come and comfort him, which cost a lot of money. Thinking about this, Yi Zhonghai felt it shouldn't be done, so he said:

"Dongxu, your master naturally believes in you. He's just upset to see Old Wang like this today."

"Don't worry, Master won't do it again."

Seeing his master say this, Jia Dongxu smiled:

"That's right, Master! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you're like my father!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai's eyebrows twitched: "What do you mean by that?"

Jia Dongxu laughed and said, "Is that even a question? Where in the world can you find a master as good as you?"

"I've never heard of this in Beiping. Buying a sewing machine for an apprentice, arranging a wedding for an apprentice, and buying a bicycle for an apprentice."

"Shazhu and Jiuzhou's master, Chef Li Tielong, are rich enough, but I've never seen him buy anything for his apprentices."

"Even if my father were still alive, I wouldn't be this open and honest. In my heart, you are my father, and the title is secondary."

"I would say the same thing even if my father were still alive!"

Yi Zhonghai smiled upon hearing this, a genuine smile:

"This is all what I, as your master, should do. I won't say any more, Dongxu. Your master understands your feelings. Let's drink."

"Okay!"

Inside the house, the master and apprentice chatted and laughed, and the gloom of the day was swept away.

Despite being bombarded with questions from both her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law at the Jia family home, Aunt Yi smiled and happily ate roast duck while holding a hamburger.

Two ducks are enough to eat. Jia Dongxu always buys the larger ones, which cost 5 yuan each and weigh 2.5 jin after roasting.

One is enough for both families, let alone two.

The duck meat is sliced ​​and eaten, and the duck bones are fried until crispy.

If you don't want to eat them directly, you can boil the duck bones into soup. The original soup will help digest the food, so nothing will be wasted.

A few rolls of duck meat from Banggeng will fill you up instantly; it's such a small snack.

The three adults could eat their fill of the leftover duck.

No matter how much Jia Dongxu and Yi Zhonghai could eat, they couldn't finish a whole duck.

In the end, Yi Zhonghai let Jia Dongxu take the rest home.

Yi Zhonghai will remember the money his apprentice spent today and will have plenty of opportunities to make it up to him.

If the Jia family is in dire straits, he will immediately take out money for Jia Dongxu without hesitation after finishing his drink.

But his apprentice's family is not lacking anything now, so he didn't make up for it. It's not a big deal if he doesn't make up for it now.

After this incident, Yi Zhonghai's worries disappeared, and he completely started treating Jia Dongxu like his own son, treating him even better.

The next day at work, Yi Zhonghai regained his air of a senior technician, and the neighbors just smiled and didn't say much.

The news that Jia Dongxu, this filial apprentice, bought two roast ducks yesterday has already spread throughout the entire courtyard.

Many of the neighborhood kids smelled the roast duck and were so hungry they almost lay down on the ground and cried out, "I want to eat roast duck!"

Of course, kids these days wouldn't dare. If they dared to lie down, they'd be in for a beating.

What the hell are you talking about, eating duck under such conditions?

People these days don't spoil their kids. If something happens, they'll really beat them, and they won't stop until the neighbors come to stop them.

He was so angry that he even beat up the neighbors who came to stop him!

Don't think it's not true; it's a real story. That's exactly what happened when Lao Jia beat up Jia Dongxu.

Yi Zhonghai tried to stop him but got hit twice. He then vowed that next time even if Jia Dongxu beats him to death, he wouldn't stop him again.

But the result was the opposite; Jia Dongxu would run to Yi Zhonghai's house as soon as he got beaten up, he had gotten used to it.

This meant that Yi Zhonghai had to stop it even if he didn't want to. "Old Jia, you're not going to pay for the damages you've done, are you? What else can I do but stop you?"

It's nothing more than getting a couple of whacks!