Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The old man couldn't help but continue to offer advice to Li Huaide:

"Yang Ligong entered politics earlier than you. He has made merits and mistakes. The steel rolling mill cannot remain without a director forever."

"But in terms of foundation, you can't compare to Li Huaide. After all, you have real combat achievements, you were transferred from a regimental level, and you have a solid foundation and a lot of weight."

"We fear no one."

"The steel rolling mill is a touchstone for you at this stage; it will take some time before you can leave."

"Hui De, don't let me down!"

Li Huaide immediately stood up and saluted:

"Please rest assured, sir, I will definitely work hard and strive for excellence."

"Hehe, sit down." The old man smiled with satisfaction when he saw him like this.

Those in higher positions all knew that Li Huaide was their son-in-law, and they also knew that Li Huaide was originally a retired regimental commander.

After being transferred to civilian work, he only went to the level of a department head, and now he's only a deputy director-general. Anyone with eyes can see that Old Li didn't lift a finger to promote his son-in-law.

Not to mention that Li Huaide made numerous contributions after leaving the military; if he had been promoted, he would have been a department-level cadre long ago.

The reason he wasn't promoted was because Old Li was holding him back, since those who came from the military had some shortcomings, namely, a lack of education.

Becoming a division-level or department-level cadre is generally not a problem, but the potential to climb higher is limited.

This was a weakness, so Old Man Li kept it under wraps so that Li Huaide could solidify his foundation and avoid it becoming an obstacle or fatal flaw when he made further progress in the future.

Of course, having his support is one thing if you want to stand higher, but it would be really great if you could climb up on your own.

So it can be said that the old man had put a lot of thought into Li Huaide.

As for whether the old man's political resources should be left to his son-in-law or his son and daughter, there's no need to elaborate.

It'll definitely go to the son-in-law. The son is still in high school; who knows what he'll do after that?

Li Huaide is now a deputy director-general level official. If he gets promoted in the future, how could he not help his brother-in-law and sister-in-law?

There weren't many twists and turns; in the old man's eyes, his son-in-law's family was quite good.

Li Jiuzhou was just a cook, but Li Huaide begged him to come and be the head chef at the steel mill. And what was the result?

He managed to get a permanent position through his own abilities, and now he's a deputy director level!

This made the old man look at him in a new light. Li Jiuzhou deserved credit for the steel mill's success, and his contribution was extremely significant and could not be ignored.

His superiors spoke highly of him.

There's a saying that every profession can produce an expert, and Li Jiuzhou is a perfect example.

He also made up for his cultural shortcomings, since his father-in-law is a high school Chinese teacher, so catching up on those was a simple matter.

The old man had already investigated everything thoroughly.

Then there's Shanhe, who ranks second. He's a top student from Peking University and has a bright future ahead of him.

Li Jiuzhou really didn't rely on the old man much.

After a long silence, the old man spoke again:

"There's something else I need to tell you today, it's a personal matter."

"Dad, please speak," Li Huaide said.

"That's right, my old comrade said the food in the army is pretty good, it's just that the taste is a bit lacking."

"That kid from Jiuzhou came up with 25 big pot dishes for the steel rolling mill, right? I mean, can we exchange ideas?"

"Of course, it's not mandatory; we must obtain Kyushu's consent."

After the old man finished speaking, he waited for Li Huaide's reply.

Li Huaide found it quite interesting; it wasn't difficult, and it could also help him build a closer relationship with the military region.

Besides, the old man and I were both from the military, so we were happy to improve their food standards.

After thinking it through, Li Huaide said:

"Dad, that's not a problem. The cooks in the army all have a certain foundation, it's just that their cooking skills are a bit rough."

"The 25 dishes from Kyushu can be taught to the troops, and the canteen also has a set of learning procedures."

"How about this, we can send a dozen or twenty cooks over to learn. I'll discuss this with Jiuzhou and the factory."

The old man nodded: "Then you should check with the factory about this later, and I'll have Lao Liu send someone over to learn."

Neither of them mentioned sending Li Jiuzhou to teach at the military base. The military has many secrets, and it's best for outsiders not to go.

The next morning, the leadership team held a meeting, where Secretary Nie announced the document that Yang Ligong had been reinstated to his original position.

Yang Ligong was very excited. Damn it, it's been over a year, I'm finally back!

Li Huaide then mentioned what the old man had told him the day before.

No one in the room spoke up after hearing this, but Secretary Nie agreed, as he was also a former soldier.

Is there anything wrong with that? They're only sending some people over to learn cooking skills. As long as Comrade Li Jiuzhou is willing to teach, that's fine. It's not their place to disagree.

Therefore, Secretary Nie made the decision directly and then asked Li Huaide to consult Li Jiuzhou.

When Li Jiuzhou found out, he nodded immediately. What was so difficult about that? He didn't need to teach him.

Just observe and learn diligently in the canteen; everyone who comes here has a solid foundation, and they are experts at cooking large-scale dishes in the army.

It wouldn't take long to learn all 25 dishes, so Li Jiuzhou held a meeting with the cafeteria chefs, demanding that they be taught as quickly as possible.

The canteen chefs were very proud. "Look," they said, "the comrades from the army are all coming to our canteen to learn 25 dishes. We're so awesome!"

The next day, a military truck brought twenty-five soldiers, along with a lot of pots and pans, as they were all from the cookhouse.

The canteen provided an exceptionally warm welcome; the bond between the military and the people was not just a saying, but a genuine expression of affection.

On the first day, Li Jiuzhou didn't let them learn anything. He told them to have a good meal first.

You'll only understand how good the 25 dishes taste after you've tried them.

A soldier from the cookhouse said excitedly:

"Squad leader, this boiled fish fillet is so fragrant and delicious! If I could learn how to make it, I'd be set on earth!"

The squad leader swallowed a mouthful of steamed bun and said:

"Don't talk, eat quickly, then get back to work. Brothers, we're here to learn a trade, so don't hide your good wine and cigarettes. It's time to bring them out."

"Remember, you have to be proactive. If anyone slacks off and doesn't learn, I'll make them walk pigs all day when we get back to the army."

"Yes!" The twenty-five men responded in hushed tones; this was definitely a good opportunity for them.

After they learn it, they will have to teach others; they came with a mission this time.

From the perspective of their cooking squad, as long as you learn 25 dishes, you'll be a good cook, whether you're in the army or after you've been discharged.

Li Jiuzhou arranged for the 25 cooks from the army to stay in the dormitory at the breeding farm.

Five people can fit in one room, which is more than enough.

They are expected to complete the learning task of 25 dishes within two months.

With tight deadlines and heavy workloads, there is still pressure.

Sha Zhu really enjoys interacting with them. The brothers in the cooking squad are nice-speaking and good-looking, so he really likes them.

He teaches us special skills whenever he has free time, because he's happy to do so.

The cook was so moved that he almost gave him his treasured military knife.

This knife is his trophy, something he can brag about for the rest of his life.

Back then, he used a kitchen knife to withstand the Japanese lieutenant's sword and chopped off the man's head.

That Japanese soldier died with his eyes open, never expecting that a kitchen knife could kill him.

His heroic deeds are just as awesome as those of the legendary Commander Li Huaide!

Don't let his position as the head cook fool you; he's just leading the team. In terms of rank, he's a major.

If I hadn't been so badly injured back then, I would have been on equal footing with Li Huaide!