Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Xu Damao did not notice the tension and unease that followed his leader's actions.

Jokingly, as a projectionist, he has the most contact with leaders and deals with them quite a lot.

He was known as a very shrewd and sophisticated person, and Xu Damao knew exactly what to say.

He'll flatter anyone he can, and never intentionally offends anyone.

Seeing that Yang Ligong and Xu Damao were so engrossed in their satisfaction that they couldn't extricate themselves, they thought, "Old Deng came here to seek my attention."

Xu Damao was certain that Yang Ligong wouldn't come looking for him without a reason; if his superior wouldn't say anything, then he'd have to ask him himself.

"Factory manager, is there anything you need to tell me? If so, please let me know, and I will not hesitate to ask."

Yang Ligong glanced at Xu Damao, satisfied, very satisfied. He spoke with a smile:

"Da Mao, I'm going to my boss's house the day after tomorrow. I was thinking of asking you to show a couple of movies there, what do you think?"

Xu Damao was slightly taken aback, then said excitedly, "Don't worry, Factory Manager, I'm fine. I guarantee I'll get the job done!"

Yang Ligong nodded: "Hmm... Remember to keep it a secret."

"It's the factory manager!"

Yang Ligong then casually asked:

"Da Mao, Chef He Yuzhu from the first canteen is your neighbor. How much does he normally charge for freelance work?"

Xu Damao's eyes darted around, and he instantly connected many ideas, but he didn't ask, and honestly answered Yang Ligong's question:

"Please, idiot... He Yuzhu charges 68 yuan per banquet."

"As for private banquets with a few tables, it seems to be the same price, it won't be less than 68 yuan."

"Okay, I understand."

Yang Ligong got up and left, leaving Xu Damao in the small office, unable to contain his excitement.

Showing movies at a high-ranking leader's house—Xu Damao had never been before, and this was an opportunity for him.

If one can gain the favor of a high-ranking leader, it's not impossible to soar to great heights.

What made Xu Damao a little depressed was that Sha Zhu was supposed to go too, but Yang Ligong asked Sha Zhu what the fee for taking on private jobs meant.

Does Yang Ligong expect to be paid to cook for a high-ranking official at his home?

Xu Damao didn't continue thinking about it because he felt it was impossible.

People need to learn how to communicate and cultivate relationships and interpersonal connections; this is the foundation of one's life.

If you don't want to do it, then I suggest you find a secluded mountain to cultivate yourself properly, and that way you can avoid it.

But we are, after all, living in the mortal world.

Yang Ligong didn't mention anything about compensation, and Xu Damao wouldn't ask either.

Because he knew that his superiors wouldn't let him work for free.

Anyway, that's what Xu Damao thought, because he felt that when he became a leader in the future, he would give his subordinates some benefits when assigning them tasks. The amount wasn't the issue, but he was determined to give them something.

Xu Damao was wrong; he mistook his own ideas for a viable path, but Yang Ligong just wouldn't play by the rules.

After returning to his office, Yang Ligong took an envelope and put 88 yuan inside.

He originally intended to pay 68 yuan as Xu Damao had suggested, but after thinking about it, he put in an extra 20 yuan.

Consider the extra amount as interest from the past two years, and also as a way to appease Sha Zhu and prevent him from causing trouble while he's working.

He had his secretary, Xiao Wu, deliver it over. This secretary was quite capable; he had participated in the entire conversation between Yang Ligong, Sha Zhu, and Xu Damao.

He just didn't get close, but the secretary heard their conversation clearly.

This is Yang Ligong's second secretary at the factory; the previous one has already gone to the Northwest to dig sand.

Normally, Xiao Wu wouldn't care much about this amount of money, but recently he's been short on cash.

Because he gambled heavily, he lost all his savings and needed to make up for it. This was the opportunity he got.

In a deserted corner, Xiao Wu pulled out 30 yuan from the envelope, enough for him to gamble several times.

"Master He, this is what the factory manager asked me to give you. Please keep it safe."

Sha Zhu took the envelope, opened it, and counted the money. He didn't know how much money Yang Ligong was going to give him, and seeing that there was only 58 yuan, he didn't say anything.

He offered Xiao Wu a cigarette to send him on his way.

On their day off, Xu Damao and Shazhu waited at the factory gate on their bicycles.

Xu Damao had a lot of equipment needed for showing movies strapped to the back seat of his car.

Bored, the two started chatting:

"Hey Sha Zhu, you cooked at the boss's house last time, tell me what it was like there?"

Sha Zhu smiled and didn't boast to Xu Damao about how great the leader's family was. Over the years, he and his senior brother had cooked for high-ranking officials and nobles countless times, so they were no longer surprised.

He can only offer Xu Damao advice now, lest he carelessly offend someone important.

"Da Mao, he's really nothing special, but the big boss's house is very strict, and his bodyguards always carry loaded guns."

"In short, don't make a fuss when you see it. Just keep your mouth shut and do your job well."

Xu Damao stammered after hearing this, "This...this is so exaggerated?"

Silly Zhu said:

"It's not that exaggerated. In short, you must keep your mouth shut. If you can avoid talking, then don't. Whether you listen or not is up to you."

"Of course I'll listen, anyway you won't hurt me." Xu Damao still knew his limits.

Sha Zhu had seen a lot of the world, so Xu Damao admitted that he naturally believed him.

Not long after, Yang Ligong's car pulled up, and Yang Ligong smiled at the two men inside:

"I'll tell Xiao Wu to drive slower, and you two follow behind."

After saying that, the car drove away.

"Alright, let's go~" Silly Zhu didn't say anything, and rode off after them.

Xu Damao muttered curses from behind:

"So what if the factory manager thinks he's so great? Fine, he won't give me a ride, but couldn't he at least help me load up my equipment?"

"Grass!"

The two security guards standing guard at the factory gate heard everything clearly, and a pleased smile appeared on their faces.

When someone criticizes their boss, sorry, they won't report it; they might even find it a bit unsatisfying to hear it.

A soldier said:

"Da Mao, I support you. Chasing after him and yelling at him is really unfair. Yang Ligong is being ungrateful."

Xu Damao grinned; he was just grumbling. He walked over and offered cigarettes to the soldiers on duty.

"Guys, higher-ranking officials can crush you. What can we subordinates do besides grumble in private?"

"Alright, Damao, hurry up and chase after them, they'll be gone in no time."

"Alright, guys, I'm off now."

Xu Damao hopped on his bicycle and started riding. The weight wasn't a problem for him, as he often went to the countryside.

They caught up with Sha Zhu in no time, and the two chatted as they followed Yang Ligong's bike.

It took about half an hour to reach the destination. It was Xu Damao's first time there. When he arrived at the checkpoint, he was searched and even flicked a few times.

It was very strict, which made Xu Damao's relaxed mood tense up immediately.

After arriving at the high-ranking leader's house and greeting all the leaders, we obediently started showing the movie.

Showing a movie at this time requires good speaking skills, as you need to introduce the movie's content and story; in short, you have a heavy mental burden.

Xu Damao did a great job in this regard; after the introduction, the leader was the first to applaud.

Then the movie started, and Xu Damao began to work seriously.