Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Of course, the benefits of Yi Zhonghai's successful promotion to level seven fitter immediately became apparent.

Walking along Nanluoguxiang, the residents looked at Yi Zhonghai with even more admiration and respect.

Even Director Wang from the neighborhood office came to the compound to congratulate Yi Zhonghai, which indirectly enhanced Yi Zhonghai's status in the compound.

Liu Haizhong was very envious and vowed to hone his skills to become a level seven fitter.

Of course, Da Hu led his younger brother Er Hu to Liu Haizhong's house to formally become his apprentices; this time, he was truly accepting them as disciples.

They all lived in the backyard and knew each other well, so Liu Haizhong had no reason to refuse, especially since Erhu was quite talented in metalworking.

Liu Haizhong felt that he was better than Jia Dongxu, which gave his wounded heart a little comfort.

In December, Beijing entered the cold winter again, and at this time of year, a great deal of supplies were transported from all over the country.

After all, it's the capital, the heart of the country, so there can't be a shortage of supplies, at least not now.

Da Hu would come to see Li Jiuzhou almost every two days because the winter supplies were so good.

Li Huaide instructed that if Erhu managed to smuggle any good stuff, he should keep it for the factory first, and then share the profits with the other factories.

The first canteen built a small warehouse specifically for storing supplies, as well as a cold storage room, all of which were added during the factory's expansion.

From now on, all the supplies needed for the small kitchen will be sourced from the small warehouse.

"Brother, do you want a mink coat? It's made of top-quality sable fur." ​​Da Huxing's excitement was undisguised.

"They have all of these. How much do they cost?" Li Jiuzhou was pleasantly surprised.

Mink fur, who doesn't like it? Anyone who doesn't like it has never seen or worn it.

To put it simply, it's great in every way except for the price; the feel of mink fur against your skin is just so comfortable.

Li Jiuzhou was absolutely not going to let go of the opportunity now that he had encountered it.

"7500..." Da Hu slowly uttered the price of the mink coat.

"Holy crap!" Li Jiuzhou and Shazhu exclaimed in unison.

Sha Zhu couldn't help but start complaining, because the price was a bit beyond his comprehension:

"Big Tiger, why don't you just rob someone? 7500 yuan, who the hell can afford that?!"

Da Hu explained, "Brother Zhu, it's a sable coat, it's practically pure gold!"

"Even a top-quality sable pelt costs 120."

"It takes 35 sable pelts to make one long coat for men."

"The price is really not expensive; this kind of thing is priceless and hard to find."

Sha Zhu stopped talking altogether; he needed to continue his idle chatter, as he was quite taken aback by the price offered by Da Hu.

Li Jiuzhou naturally knew how precious sable fur was; he could still buy it now, but he wouldn't have the chance again.

He decided to buy it because this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and a mink coat could easily be passed down for three generations.

Some people can pass down a tattered cotton-padded coat for generations.

"Tiger, is it legitimately obtained?" Li Jiuzhou thought for a moment and decided to ask about the origin of the mink fur.

Big Tiger grinned: "You can't fix it properly. These are things that impoverished people from the Northeast sell, packaged together in sets of seven or eight."

"Damn it, you're still asking for 7500? You're ripping off your own people, Da Hu." Sha Zhu couldn't hold back anymore.

Da Hu smiled and patiently explained:

"Hehe, brothers, don't be impatient. What I just said was the market price. Although the official price is not for sale, there is a purchase price for mink fur."

"The sable coat I just mentioned is in perfect condition. It's an item from the Qing Dynasty, and it was used by at least a first-rank official."

It hasn't been worn by anyone, but the minimum price is 5000.

"Damn, it's from a dead person, it's so disgusting..." Sha Zhu curled his lip in disdain.

Li Jiuzhou didn't care; it was like antiques, many of which were things from the dead.

Besides, during wartime, there were plenty of people who would take clothes from the dead and wear them; what could possibly happen?

Besides, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, no spirits or demons were allowed to exist. All sorts of monsters and demons had to step aside, and Li Jiuzhou wasn't afraid of these things.

"Big Tiger, I'll take the top-quality one. I'll go get the money tomorrow." Li Jiuzhou decided to make the purchase.

Big Tiger nodded:

"Okay, I'll bring it to your house tonight, but don't use it right away. Let it air out in the sun for the next couple of days."

Sha Zhu panicked upon hearing this: "No, senior brother, you're really buying it?"

Li Jiuzhou nodded: "Buy it, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Should I get one too?" Sha Zhu tentatively suggested.

Li Jiuzhou rolled his eyes at him and said disdainfully, "You think you can compare to me?"

"You should keep the little money you have."

Sha Zhu smiled obsequiously. It was just a habit of his; having been with his senior brother for so long, he liked to do whatever his brother did.

However, if his senior brother really asked him to buy it, he wouldn't hesitate. At most, he would get a good beating from his wife, Qin Huairu, when he got home.

He'll probably also say something like, "You look like a mink to me!"

That very evening, Da Hu delivered the mink coat.

After seeing it, Li Jiuzhou couldn't put it down. Touching it felt incredibly smooth and comfortable.

The person who ordered this coat must have been quite tall. Li Jiuzhou tried it on and it fit perfectly, reaching just to his calves.

There's absolutely no problem using a blanket.

"5000 yuan?" Bingbing asked.

"Yeah, this thing is worth the price," Li Jiuzhou said with a smile.

Bingbing didn't say anything. She had a lot of money at home, so much that she was even a little scared. It was good to spend some of it.

The next day, Li Jiuzhou took the money and gave it to Da Hu, while the mink pelt sunbathed in his yard for two days.

Since buying the mink coat, Li Jiuzhou has never worn it; he has always used it as a blanket.

Wearing it out would be too outrageous; Li Jiuzhou didn't have the guts.

He especially loves his son, Tie Niu. He always wraps himself up tightly to sleep, his little face is rosy and he's very cute.

Mink fur was out of the question, too flashy, so Li Jiuzhou opted for a roundabout approach, having Erhu get some other animal furs instead.

If I can't wear mink, then I'll wear wolf fur and raise my fur, that should be fine, right?

So Da Hu and Zheng Luo brought back a lot more coats made of other furs, as well as hats and so on.

Li Jiuzhou and Shazhu each bought a wool coat, which was very warm to wear.

The farm was quite lively that day because several pigs were ready to be released from their cages.

It wasn't supposed to be that fast; the speed is due to the good care taken by the farmers.

It weighed over 140 kilograms, close to the maximum weight limit, so the factory leaders decided to slaughter one to try it out.

Slaughtering a pig is a piece of cake for the canteen cooks; they can do it cleanly and efficiently with a single cut.

You Fulai's mother was wiping away tears. These were the pigs she had raised, and only she knew the hardships she had endured over the past year.

However, Li Jiuzhou promised to reward each of the first batch of people who went to the factory to raise pigs with two catties of the best pork belly, so that their hard work throughout the year would not be in vain.

The reward was so good that no one was reluctant to part with it; everyone was looking forward to the distribution of the meat later.

Besides, isn't the whole point of raising pigs to be slaughtered in the end? It would be strange if you couldn't bear to do it!