Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Liu Haizhong didn't go to work at the factory for three days in a row, and the neighbors in the courtyard started chatting about him.

It's not just idle gossip, it's about each other underestimating whether Liu Haizhong can pull himself together.

The neighbors really don't need to worry about this. On the morning of the fourth day, Liu Haizhong went to work and seemed to be in good spirits.

Liu Haizhong couldn't afford to collapse; what would happen to his family if he did? So, after a few days of feeling down, Liu Haizhong finally came to a realization.

Anyway, the matter has been resolved properly, and Dad won't have to go back after he passes away.

Their family can finally live their lives behind closed doors.

Also, the factory is closed today; it's time to announce the Outstanding Worker Award and the Progress Award.

Liu Haizhong felt he should be able to make the roster, so he definitely wanted to go.

Li Jiuzhou won an Outstanding Cadre Award, and the factory rewarded him with a thermos and an enamel bar.

Don't think they're shabby; in the 50s, thermos flasks and enamel mugs were considered luxury items.

A thermos can store boiling water, which is very useful in winter.

Some households don't even have a thermos. In winter, they boil hot water directly in the stove, which is quite fast, but it's not as convenient as a thermos.

Enameled mugs are basically used to hold water, but many people will add some tea leaves to them to make tea.

In normal households, a ladle is usually used for drinking water or drawing water from a water tank. Ladles also need to be bought, and they are relatively rare, mainly because they are hard to find.

Traditional water-carrying ladles are most commonly made of gourds, but they can also be made of wood, metal, plastic, and other materials.

1. Gourd ladle (the most classic and traditional)

Method: Dry mature gourds in the sun, hollow out the seeds and pulp, and cut them in half.

Features: Lightweight, natural, does not burn your hands, cheap and readily available, most commonly used in rural areas.

The canteen at the steel rolling mill uses ladles to fetch water. These aren't available in the city; they're all from the countryside, where they're plentiful.

The factory didn't have any work today, just a meeting. We were all gathered in the square in this freezing weather, listening to the leaders ramble on for almost an hour.

The canteen served braised pork at noon, one serving per person, no money or tickets required, the factory paid for it.

It's kind of a compensation, since there were no New Year's benefits this year, and they simply stopped distributing grain altogether.

In short, the steel mill workers received no benefits at all during the Spring Festival this year; all they got were empty promises from the leaders, which were simply too much to bear.

People in this era are simple and easy to please.

The workers were all smiles today because lunch was free.

What's wrong with getting a free meal, especially braised pork?

This dish is not only nutritious and oily, but also incredibly delicious; they never get tired of it.

Homemade braised pork can't compare to that made at the steel mill; it's hard to get it tender and flavorful.

But the ones from the factory are different; they not only look good but also taste delicious, and you'll want to eat them again and again.

This dish has strict standards in the cafeteria and is quite difficult to make.

It's not difficult to make enough for several people; as long as you simmer or stew it for a long time, the meat will become tender and soft.

However, making a large pot is difficult.

Moreover, the braised pork cooked in a large pot is incredibly juicy and flavorful.

Soaked in the sauce of braised pork, it's enough to make you want to eat a whole meal.

To make the braised pork cook faster and more flavorful, Li Jiuzhou designed the pork cubes to be smaller than those usually eaten at home.

It looks better when my colleagues serve food to the workers.

I'm small, but when you take a spoonful, it looks like there are a lot of pieces of meat.

Li Jiuzhou was already being very conscientious; he didn't cut the meat into small cubes as he would for braised pork rice.

Of course, if you did it that way, it wouldn't be braised pork anymore.

In fact, many of the workers in the factory had never even eaten real braised pork before they joined the factory.

Because at home, we usually just stir-fry it briefly to extract some oil, then add some side dishes and soy sauce and simmer it for a while.

This is the kind of braised pork that ordinary people know, and even many chefs who prepare large banquets do it this way, without knowing how to make it properly.

When Li Jiuzhou was recruiting, many chefs who had been preparing large banquets for over a decade couldn't cook an authentic braised pork dish.

Li Jiuzhou was puzzled at the time. A chef with more than ten years of experience couldn't even make braised pork. His skills were too limited.

At the time, many people were still unconvinced, saying, "I've been eating braised pork for over ten years, and this is how it's made!"

As a result, Li Jiuzhou asked the master chef of the first canteen to make a braised pork dish, which immediately won over a group of people.

Is this braised pork? Then what were those hard, unpalatable things I used to eat?

The newly hired cooks were completely devoted to working for Li Jiuzhou.

Learn how to cook the dishes cooked in the steel rolling mill, and you'll be able to get a table for less than 3 yuan.

Li Jiuzhou naturally wouldn't object to his subordinates taking on private jobs, as long as it didn't affect the cafeteria's operations.

Li Jiuzhou didn't set any rules for them; instead, they banded together on their own.

The chefs in the cafeteria privately set a price: a base salary of five yuan for each appearance, and then additional pay based on the number of tables served.

The price for one table is 3 yuan, and you also need to prepare a pack of cigarettes and two jin of meat.

In short, they ate and took things, all because the host had to provide for them.

The cooks in the five canteens do quite a few side jobs, considering that the steel rolling mill now has more than 15,000 employees.

When there's a wedding or funeral in the family, you need to hire a chef. Isn't it most convenient to hire the chef from your own factory?

Moreover, they know the inside and out, not to mention their skills; everyone who hears about them has to give them a thumbs up.

They couldn't afford to hire top chefs like Li Jiuzhou and Master He; the factory's regular cooks were sufficient.

Sha Zhu would basically book all the banquets at the homes of factory leaders or relatives.

They couldn't persuade Li Jiuzhou and his group to come. He was already a deputy section chief; how could they ask him to come? How could they even begin to ask him to come?

Besides, we can't afford to hire them!

Everyone knows Li Jiuzhou's appearance fee back then; if you don't have a hundred yuan, don't even open your mouth, you're insulting people!

Even if they had the money, they wouldn't be willing to spend it, let alone now that hiring Li Jiuzhou to cook is something that can't be measured in money.

Li Jiuzhou only cooks under special circumstances, such as when a ministerial-level or higher leader comes to the factory.

Among the department-level leaders, only Li Huaide dared to speak up; there was no other way, as he was Li Jiuzhou's uncle. (A deputy department-level leader is also considered a department-level leader.)

When Secretary Nie, the factory's top leader, was entertaining guests, he never let Li Jiuzhou do the work; it was mostly Sha Zhu who did it.

Also, "small kitchen" doesn't refer to the special meals for leaders, but rather to hospitality, hence the abbreviation "small kitchen".

The factory leaders all ate in the first canteen, which was a separate small hall with a dedicated person in charge of serving the food.

Although they didn't eat with the workers, they ate the same food and received no special treatment.

Not eating together is also to reduce unnecessary trouble.

Before we separated, people would often tattle on each other to the boss while eating. Goodness, they didn't even try to hide it from people anymore.

Since the leader has encountered this situation, should he/she deal with it?

There's not even a moment to rest while eating.

But what if someone reports this person for having connections?

Then I'll be in a real bind.

So we decided to separate; you eat yours, I'll eat mine, to avoid awkwardness if we met.

We can't stay separate. When a leader of Li Huaide's level goes to the cafeteria, there are hundreds of people greeting him. How can he even eat?

Leaders at Li Huaide's level and above all liked to eat in their own offices, having their secretaries fetch their meals, then taking a nap afterward—it was quite a pleasant experience.