Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Sha Zhu also took on an apprentice, who was his brother-in-law, Qin Huaifeng.

He's hardworking and honest, so Sha Zhu is quite satisfied with him. But when he makes a mistake, he still needs to be beaten when necessary.

He used to be just my brother-in-law, but now he's both my brother-in-law and my master. Sha Zhu feels no guilt whatsoever when he beats him up.

Qin Huaifeng would sometimes complain to his sister Qin Huairu that his brother-in-law beat him very badly, but it was no use.

They're all in the cafeteria, how could Qin Huairu not know that her own man beat up her younger brother?

Sha Zhu had shared with her how tough it was when he was learning the trade; he would get a good beating from his father-in-law, He Daqing, almost every two days.

Qin Huairu felt sorry for him after hearing this, thinking that this was how it was when learning a craft, and that her younger brother was living too easy a life.

Back when you were an apprentice, you had to work for your master's family. Now you have food, drink, and money. You're so pretentious. Beating you up would be too lenient.

What could Qin Huaifeng do? He could only swallow his bitterness and avoid making any mistakes, because if he did, his brother-in-law would really beat him.

A punch from a fist the size of a sandbag really hurts. No wonder I beat up the whole family when I was hosting a banquet back then.

Although so much time has passed, the lingering effects are still felt.

Some people living near Zhengyangmen in the canteen would often bring up the story of Sha Zhu beating up his master's house back then when they were chatting idly.

It was a mixture of worship and fear.

On May 20th, the farm was bustling with activity because the pigs were officially ready for market.

According to statistics, an average farmer can raise a black pig to a maximum weight of 180 jin (90 catties) in 18 months, with most pigs weighing around 150-160 jin (75-80 catties).

The pigs at the steel rolling mill are carefully raised and fed a lot of concentrated feed; the 20 pigs that are ready for slaughter weigh around 200-240 jin (100-120 catties).

This made everyone in the factory incredibly happy; it was absolutely awesome!

The factory decided to slaughter 20 of them at once to try it out.

Moreover, at Li Jiuzhou's suggestion, they invited reporters over for a meal, the purpose of which was, of course, publicity.

Let the outside world know that our steel rolling mill is not only excellent at producing steel, but also has unparalleled pig farming technology.

The news report about 20 black pigs weighing over 200 jin each attracted a group of leaders to inspect the site.

Let's put aside steel production for a moment and look at how your factory's pigs are doing.

The leaders were very satisfied after inspecting it. Two hundred pigs were really not many; even if they were all slaughtered, the factory workers wouldn't be able to eat much of it.

However, this awareness of self-sufficiency is commendable.

The leaders were lavish in their praise, and their admiration for Li Jiuzhou, the initiator of the breeding farm, grew even stronger.

Because the higher-ups are aware that there are fewer pigs being slaughtered in the market.

They were very satisfied with Li Jiuzhou's long-term vision.

Li Jiuzhou also told the leaders that raising these pigs, chickens, and ducks was a precaution.

Although it's not much, it will definitely come in handy in critical moments.

The phrase "just in case" carries immense weight, and leaders should reflect upon it deeply, given their extensive experience and the countless things they've witnessed.

I really admire comrades like Li Jiuzhou who have such a far-sighted vision.

It can be said that Li Jiuzhou deserves a great deal of credit for the successful expansion of the steel rolling mill.

It was because of his excellent cooking skills that he attracted the leaders, and thus the expansion of the steel rolling mill became a natural progression.

Moreover, after visiting the five canteens of the steel rolling mill, I was even more satisfied.

All the rules and regulations were complete and flexible, making the steel mill canteen famously impressive throughout Beiping.

The upper echelons had heard of it, and even the top figures had heard of it.

Not to mention the ordinary people and workers, everyone who hears this will give a thumbs up!

After leaving, the leader patted Secretary Nie on the shoulder and smiled:

"Little Nie, what rank is Comrade Jiuzhou at now?"

Secretary Nie smiled and said:

"Boss, I was just promoted to section chief a while ago."

The leader frowned, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied: "Only a section chief? Such a slow promotion?"

Secretary Nie felt ashamed, thinking to himself, "Is this slow? You have to know that Li Jiuzhou is only 25 years old this year."

But at this age, being a full-fledged section chief seems like just so-so...

During the war, there were generals and commanders who were only 25 years old.

However, Secretary Nie did not voice his true feelings:

"Sir, Comrade Jiuzhou hasn't been in an administrative position for very long. If he's promoted too quickly, it will only give others something to criticize."

The leader shook his head: "Xiao Nie, I don't agree with what you said."

"When Brother Mao was in power, Comrade Jiuzhou made great contributions. Look at how well he has managed the canteen and the livestock breeding now."

"Next, I'm going to encourage other factories to learn from this and do the same."

"When the time comes, Comrade Jiuzhou will be in charge. So, you class members shouldn't be stingy; those who have made contributions should be promoted."

"When the sister factory comes to exchange ideas, Comrade Jiuzhou will still be a section-level cadre. What are you going to tell them?"

"He needs more responsibility!"

The leader was right. The canteen is crucial; the quality of the food directly impacts the workers' emotional stability and physical condition.

The supplies provided by factories throughout Beiping were all roughly the same, and the canteen food supply was standardized. So the question is, why was the canteen of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill so much better?

This is where individual ability truly shines.

Secretary Nie nodded in agreement to the leader's words: "No problem, leader. Comrade Jiuzhou should take on more responsibility. I will get it done."

The leader smiled and said, "Well, I have something to do, so don't bother seeing me off."

"Take care, leader, come visit often!" Secretary Nie waved goodbye with great reluctance.

Of all the factories in Beiping, only the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill was not afraid of leaders coming to inspect; on the contrary, it looked forward to their visits every day.

Because Li Jiuzhou will make a move. As soon as he does, after the leaders have eaten and drunk their fill, they will start complaining and asking for some benefits.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease. The leaders of the steel rolling mill even made a list, clearly stating what they wanted this time and what they wanted next time.

Anyway, we'll try our luck whether there are any good opportunities or not.

The leaders, having been fed and given bribes, often softened their stance and agreed to the steel mill's requests.

After this happened many times, the leader understood, but wouldn't say anything. Instead, he seemed to enjoy this dynamic, which created a subtle tacit understanding between superiors and subordinates.

Of course, there will be no favoritism; other factories will also complain, but the leaders will decide whether or not to give it to them.

However, the scales definitely tip more in favor of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

After all, the expansion and recruitment were approved by them, which is equivalent to their political achievement. They also hope that the steel mill can live up to their expectations and not disappoint them.

Clearly, five months later, the steel rolling mill had not disappointed them; on the contrary, it had exceeded their expectations, which delighted the leaders.

Therefore, those who deserve rewards should be rewarded, and those who deserve benefits should be given.

The allocation of resources and the priority use of equipment are also matters that leaders can decide with a single word.

If you do a good job, then it's yours; I won't be stingy at all.

If it's not done well, then we can give you one or two chances.

However, it's acceptable to do it once or twice, but not three times.

If three attempts are still unsatisfactory, then I'm sorry, the leaders have other methods.

Either replace the factory's leadership team, or reorganize the entire factory!