Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The higher-ups were aware of the situation reported by Old Master Li, and since the father-in-law and son-in-law had made a contribution, they naturally made a secret note of it.

The old man's position soon changed. He left the Ministry of Industry and took up the post of the second-in-command of the Ministry of Metallurgy, serving as Vice Minister, Deputy Secretary of the Party Group, and at the administrative level 6.

He was at the same ministerial level as the Minister of Metallurgy, but his administrative rank was one level lower; the minister was at level 5.

The Ministry of Metallurgy was responsible for managing the national steel and non-ferrous metal industries.

He wielded immense power; as the second-in-command, he was practically all-powerful.

The reason he was appointed as a vice minister was to allow the old man room for further advancement. He is not old, only in his fifties, which is the time for him to strive.

In the Li family study, the father-in-law and son-in-law were drinking tea and chatting.

Li Huaide suddenly asked with a hint of uncertainty:

"Dad, what position would I have had if I hadn't gone through the administrative awarding process?"

The old man glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and then said:

"You were originally a regimental-level officer. If you were still in the army and hadn't done anything earth-shattering, becoming a senior colonel and brigade commander wouldn't be a problem, and it would be a normal promotion. Besides, you have merits to your name."

Li Huaide immediately became interested and excitedly asked, "What if I did something earth-shattering?"

"Hehe..." The old man smiled slightly upon hearing this.

"If you participated in the Korean War and miraculously survived, you would also be a senior colonel, but not a senior colonel brigade commander; you would be a senior colonel division commander!"

Li Huaide was somewhat dissatisfied: "Still a senior colonel? It should be at least a major general!"

The old man said irritably, "Then unless you kill MacArthur or capture him alive."

Li Huaide shrugged speechlessly.

"Never mind then."

"You are a lieutenant general; I feel it's a bit of a shame you're not in the military."

The old man looked nostalgic upon hearing this:

"Back in my day, I was a division commander at 30, I was so full of vigor and ambition..."

Li Huaide immediately continued the conversation:

"Yes, back then, even the dogs that passed by would stand at attention and salute you, Dad!"

"You son of a bitch..." The old man glared at Li Huaide with annoyance:

"Back when I met you, I was just a beggar. Now you've made something of yourself, not bad at all, hahaha!"

Li Huaide smiled and sighed at how fast time flies.

The old man said:

"Huai De, there's nothing wrong with leaving the army. If you're in a position, you should do your job and fulfill your responsibilities."

"The country has only been established for a short time and its foundation is still very shallow. Steel is too important for you to get involved in now, but you will understand later."

"You need to cooperate well with Xiao Nie in your current role at the steel rolling mill. Only by doing your current job well will you be qualified to stand higher and see further!"

Upon hearing this, Li Huaide nodded solemnly: "Father, I understand."

The old man smiled with satisfaction. He trusted Li Huaide completely; otherwise, he wouldn't have married his daughter to him.

Their generation didn't care about social status; they were all poor people. The old man had only studied for a few years; otherwise, he wouldn't have become the vice minister of the Ministry of Metallurgy.

When Li Huaide first joined the army, he was in the mess hall. He stood out from the crowd and was noticed by the old man. He was promoted after fighting bravely and making meritorious contributions.

There were no benefactors to help me; I fought my way out entirely on my own.

Back then, there were no benefactors to help you in war; you had to fight your way through your own lives. Just surviving was a great stroke of luck.

The same principle applies to the transition of the father-in-law and son-in-law from the military to the government. In the military, merit is earned by killing enemies, while in the government, promotion is based on political achievements.

Different paths lead to different destinations, and we must explore them gradually.

Li Huaide had just been promoted from a division chief to a deputy director-general, and the old man was afraid that Li Huaide would become arrogant like he had been back then, so it was necessary to give him a warning.

Because if you get carried away, you're more likely to make mistakes and leave yourself vulnerable to being exploited by the enemy—that's the experience of someone who's been there.

Thinking of this, the old man suppressed his smile, narrowed his eyes slightly, and immediately changed his demeanor, exuding the aura of a superior, which made Li Huaide slightly frightened, and he immediately sat up straight.

Because he knew that the old man's expression meant he had something to say. Why was he so menacing? Was he going to kill me?

The old man slowly spoke: "Huai De, being a department-level cadre is just the beginning. You are not allowed to get arrogant, and I will not allow you to get arrogant either."

"If you make a mistake, it will implicate me, and it will also implicate that kid Jiuzhou."

"I don't want to say too many hurtful things to you, but you need to be careful, otherwise no one can protect you."

Upon hearing this, Li Huaide immediately stood up and saluted.

"Please rest assured, sir, I will always keep myself vigilant!"

The old man then smiled, stood up, and returned the salute.

"It's getting late, go back to sleep."

"Father, you should rest early too. I'll go back to my room first." After Li Huaide finished speaking, he left the study and felt his back was wet after closing the door.

The old man hadn't shown any murderous intent for several years, but damn it, memories flooded back like a tidal wave. I used to be beaten by the old man quite a bit.

Li Huaide felt a chill run down his spine when he thought about it. He knew that the old man was giving him a warning, but it was also for his own good.

At the same time, I silently remembered in my heart, "I must not let myself get carried away, I absolutely must not let myself get carried away."

Has Li Huaide become arrogant lately?

He must have been feeling a bit cocky for a while; when you get promoted, you're bound to feel a bit cocky.

Even if he doesn't show it in public, he'll still be secretly pleased with himself.

He even called a few close comrades to inform them of his promotion.

As the old man just said, one of his comrades who participated in the Korean War was promoted from senior colonel brigade commander to senior colonel division commander.

They were just one step away from carrying ears of wheat on their shoulders.

But this step is incredibly difficult to take. If you don't earn merit during wartime, you can only wait for an opportunity, and that wait might last a lifetime.

Countless regimental and brigade commanders fought in numerous battles after the founding of the People's Republic of China; they were all iron-willed heroes, and many of them later transitioned to government positions.

It's 1956 now, and many military officers who transferred to political positions have long since adapted and are doing very well.

Li Huaide's promotion was considered fast; many of his comrades were still stuck in their positions.

Li Huaide didn't know how far he could go in the future, but he had ambition, and it had always been there.

It has been growing slowly since I got married to my wife.

He didn't know how far the old man would push him; he couldn't ask or bring it up. He had to rely on his own abilities.

Even if the old man tries to cultivate me, I'm just a rotten garlic clove, what good is that?

Li Huaide knew his own limitations, and now that he had the old man as a backer, he needed to be even more cautious.

The stronger the foundation, the greater the benefits in the future.

After returning to the room, Li Huaide saw that his son was asleep and his wife was reading. He and his wife had a private conversation before turning off the lights and going to sleep.

In my dream, Li Huaide was sitting in a car, waving and shouting "Hello, comrades!" He was so full of heroic spirit!

His wife was confused. What's wrong? She's unhappy with me and slapped me twice in the middle of the night?

As soon as Li Huaide opened his eyes in the morning, he saw his wife staring at him with wide eyes.

There were still several finger marks on her left cheek. Li Huaide immediately stood up and asked nervously:

"Honey, what happened? What's wrong with your face...?"

Li Mengshu gave a soft snort:

"Hmph, look what you've done! You must have been dreaming last night, didn't you?"

Li Huaide was immediately embarrassed. He had a dream last night in which he became number one, commanding the country and writing inspiring words. He laughed as he thought about it.

During breakfast, the whole family saw the finger marks on Li Mengshu's face.

Everyone assumed Li Huaide had committed domestic violence, and their gazes towards him immediately changed.

Li Mengshu explained with a smile:

"Father, Mother, younger brother, younger sister, please don't misunderstand. Huaide had a dream last night and talked in his sleep. He said he was number one, and that the whole country would listen to him when the guns and cannons went off."

"What do you mean 'fight'? Fight your way to New York and sink Sakurajima!"

"At the end, they even said something like, 'Hello comrades, you've worked hard.'"

"It hit me when it was waving and saluting."

After Li Mengshu finished speaking, the whole family looked at Li Huaide with strange eyes.

The old man even extended his right hand and gave Li Huaide a thumbs up:

"Huai De, you're better than your father. I wouldn't even dare to dream like this. You'll definitely be more successful than me in the future!"

Li Huaide was so embarrassed that his toes were practically clicking 6!