Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, neighbors visited each other to exchange New Year's greetings, and Yan Bugui also took his children to visit other neighbors.

He looked normal, because it was the first day of the Lunar New Year, and he needed to be in good spirits; what's past is past.

However, the way she looked at Xu Fugui was quite resentful.

Noticing Yan Bugui's gaze, Xu Fugui could only touch his nose and pretend not to know.

No one in the courtyard made fun of Yan Bugui about what happened last night; they all knew how to keep their distance.

However, he secretly gave Yan Bugui the nickname "drunkard".

In the Hongxing Courtyard, Yan Bugui was probably the person with the most nicknames.

Around 9 o'clock, Li Jiuzhou's apprentice, You Fulai, came to pay his respects for the New Year.

This is a direct disciple, so the New Year's gifts he brought are quite substantial, especially since it's his first year. If the gifts are too few, people might gossip.

You Fulai was sent here today by Li Jiuzhou, and they will go to his master Li Tielong's house to pay New Year's respects together.

After meeting up with Sha Zhu's family, they all went to Li Tielong's house.

In addition to giving gifts to his master, You Fulai also had to give gifts to Sha Zhu and his advisor.

The more you give, the more you receive in return.

The red envelopes Li Jiuzhou and others gave him were enough to buy gifts, and he could even make a profit.

You Fulai's family was poor, so Li Jiuzhou gave him a large red envelope. He couldn't bear to let his apprentice suffer.

Li Tielong was quite satisfied with You Fulai, his grand-disciple, and gave him a large red envelope upon their first meeting.

Anyway, his apprentices are as clever as monkeys, so he's not afraid of raising an ungrateful disciple.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, I went back to my parents' home, and on the third day, I visited my second uncle, Li Huaide, to pay my respects.

Time was too short, and the few days of vacation passed by just like that.

Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu did not go back to her parents' home. They went there before the Lunar New Year and brought back a lot of good things.

On the afternoon of the third day of the Lunar New Year, not long after Li Jiuzhou's family returned home, Sha Zhu brought a group of young people from the courtyard over for a visit.

Sha Zhu, Jia Dongxu, Xu Damao, the two brothers Da Hu and Er Hu, Liu Guangqi, Yan Jiecheng, Zhang Shihao, and others, plus the two brothers Li Jiuzhou, totaling about ten people.

The core members of No. 95 Courtyard are quite good; a dozen or so young men are enough to go out and fight.

At this point, Sha Zhu suggested:

"Senior, look, there are quite a few young people in our department. How about we set up a table and have some fun tonight?"

Sha Zhu's suggestion was agreed upon by all the younger generation, who all thought it was a good idea.

Li Jiuzhou stroked his chin and said:

"A get-together isn't out of the question, but we need to agree on whose house we'll go to and who will provide the food."

"Everyone has their difficulties, and no family can afford to host such a large meal, right?"

Li Jiuzhou's words made them think. They were indeed right; no one's money comes from thin air.

A party is fine, but deciding who to treat everyone becomes a problem.

At this moment, Li Jiuzhou said again, "Zhuzi, you took the lead, and your house is spacious, so why don't we just hold it at your house?"

"Let's have about ten of us chip in some ingredients and drinks. Nobody should try to take advantage of anyone else. If it works out, great; if not, we'll call it a day. What do you guys think?"

Xu Damao spoke first:

"Cheers! It's a rare gathering of the younger generation in the compound, so I'll bring a dried duck and a bottle of the finest Xifeng liquor!"

Jia Dongxu also said, "I'll take two jin of cured meat and a bottle of wine."

Next, everyone contributed ingredients and drinks. Since we already had enough stock at home for the Lunar New Year, we didn't need to buy any more.

Sha Zhu laughed and said, "Then it's settled. You guys take your stuff and come to my house, let's get started."

Soon after, a dozen or so people carried meat and wine to Sha Zhu's house, and under Li Jiuzhou's arrangement, they began to prepare the ingredients with clear division of labor.

Sha Zhu took the lead in cooking without hesitation, while Li Jiuzhou helped him prepare the ingredients.

The neighbors in the courtyard were incredibly envious when they found out.

However, they also support gatherings of the younger generation.

There were even older women and aunties helping out, making it look like a banquet was being prepared.

At this time, the three liaison officers gathered at Yi Zhonghai's home for tea.

"Old Yi, how about we old folks get together?" Yan Bugui said.

Although Yi Zhonghai had a serious personality, he also loved to join in the fun, and he agreed with Yan Bugui's suggestion.

The younger generation all gathered, and the older generation could also gather, so they started doing it again.

That evening, at Sha Zhu's house, both square tables were filled with people.

There were more than a dozen bottles of baijiu (Chinese liquor) in the middle of the table.

Sha Zhu cooked another table full of delicious dishes.

With good wine and food, the atmosphere instantly became lively.

They're all young people, and once they get drunk, they'll say anything, even crude jokes.

Qin Huairu had already run to Li Jiuzhou's house, and her foul language was utterly unbearable!

By the end of the gathering, very few people were able to walk home; their families had to come and help them.

Li Jiuzhou was also quite drunk, and his head was still foggy when he woke up the next day.

When I woke up, my wife had already taken our son to work. My younger brother was still there; school hadn't started yet.

I had a quick breakfast and went to work.

It's okay if Li Jiuzhou arrives a little later; after all, he's a leader, and no one can control him in the cafeteria.

Li Jiuzhou strolled leisurely to the back kitchen of the canteen, and You Fulai, seeing his master arrive, hurriedly went to make tea.

With nothing much going on in the cafeteria, Li Jiuzhou took Sha Zhu to see the construction site for the pigsty.

It's almost finished. Now we're installing doors and windows in the pigsty. We've hired a carpenter to make them.

Why hire a carpenter to make the doors and windows instead of having the steel mill make an iron fence themselves?

Because it was arranged by Li Jiuzhou, he knew that during the Great Leap Forward, all iron products were being used to make steel, and that the iron fence would be removed sooner or later, so it was better to just install a wooden door.

The carpenter and his apprentice were busy at work when Sha Zhu stepped forward and offered them cigarettes.

The carpenter smiled and waved his hand, "Thanks, but we carpenters generally don't smoke."

Master's words piqued Sha Zhu's interest: "Why?"

The carpenter explained very patiently:

"We carpenters deal with wood and sawdust all day long. Smoking can easily lead to trouble. If we're not careful and a fire breaks out, it will be a big problem."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiuzhou praised:

"That's what you call professional!"

"Zhu Zi, you should learn from this!"

Sha Zhu laughed and said, "What do you mean by learning? I'm a cook, I deal with fire all day long, and if the heat isn't right, I can't cook well."

The carpenter and his apprentice smiled but didn't say anything.

Li Jiuzhou glared at him fiercely, while Sha Zhu scratched his head and chuckled.

Sometimes, that's just how Sha Zhu is; he swears constantly and doesn't know how to watch his mouth.

Back in the kitchen, the apprentice came over and told Li Jiuzhou that Deputy Factory Director Li was looking for him.

Li Jiuzhou went to Li Huaide's office.

Seeing Li Jiuzhou enter, Li Huaide laughed and said, "Going to check on the pigsty? How much longer until it's finished?"

"Once the doors and windows are finished and the water and electricity are connected, it should be completed within about five days," Li Jiuzhou replied.

Li Huaide nodded:

"Okay, there's nothing much I need you for. The pigsty is finished, but we need to hire people to feed the pigs, chickens, and ducks."

"We're planning to raise 60 piglets and 80 chickens and ducks, and assign 5 caretakers. How about we give you two spots? Do you need to do us a favor?"

Li Jiuzhou stroked his chin and thought for a few seconds before accepting the benefit offered by his second uncle:

"Then I'll take it, thanks, Uncle."

Li Huaide waved his hand: "Why are you talking about this with your family? You need to make arrangements in the next couple of days and have someone come to report in advance."

"Okay, I understand."