Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

He Daqing was very happy to be praised by a group of neighbors, and the cigarettes were smoked in round after round.

We brought out all the sunflower seeds and peanuts in our house to entertain the neighbors who came to visit.

Bai Lian was very perceptive, serving tea and water with her two sons, behaving like a mistress of the house.

Only He Yushui sat on a small stool watching the Bai family mother and her two sons busy at work.

He Daqing had already told her that he wanted to find her a stepmother.

What right does she have? She's just a little kid; He Daqing can say whatever he wants.

She sat quietly by the door, waiting for her brother to come home.

Bai Lian is only 27 years old this year, and her eldest son, Hu Jun, is 6 years old, 5 months younger than Yu Shui.

The younger one is named Hu Lai, and he is 4 years old.

Rain felt a little happy because both of Aunt Bai's children wanted to call her "sister".

He Daqing couldn't stand flattery, and under the sweet talk of his neighbors, he agreed to invite them to his wedding.

Not long after, Li Jiuzhou and Sha Zhu got off work and headed straight to the Intermediate People's Court. They knew that He Daqing was bringing people into the court today.

"Dad, Aunt Bai."

"Uncle-Master, Aunt Bai."

The two went up to greet each other. The matter was already settled; they had already obtained their marriage certificate. A simple greeting was all that mattered.

Bai Lian was very enthusiastic and greeted them:

"Zhu Zi, Jiu Zhou, you're back."

"He Xiaojun, He Xiaolai, this is your eldest brother, He Yuzhu. Quickly call him 'elder brother'!"

The two little brats were very obedient and stepped forward to call out to He Yuzhu:

"Big brother!"

"Big brother!"

"Hehehe..." Sha Zhu chuckled, he was quite pleased to be called "Big Brother".

He took out the prepared red envelopes from his pocket and stuffed them into the two boys' hands.

"This is a gift from your elder brother to mark our meeting. Please take it."

"Thank you, big brother!" The two boys were overjoyed as they accepted the red envelopes.

Bai Lian introduced Li Jiuzhou to her son again, and told them to greet him.

Li Jiuzhou wasn't that generous; he definitely wouldn't give a red envelope, but a smiley face was no problem.

"Please have a seat, I'll go heat up the food, and you can have some drinks later."

After Bai Lian finished speaking, she went to the kitchen.

He Daqing looked at his son and nephew, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"Dad, what's wrong? Just say what's on your mind," Sha Zhu asked upon seeing this.

He Daqing sighed and said:

"I got too excited just now and promised my neighbors I'd throw a banquet."

"But what if I regret it now?"

"This..." Sha Zhu was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say.

He was already young, and his senior brother Jiuzhou had taught him how to do many things, so he really didn't know what to do now.

Seeing that his son had no idea what to do, He Daqing looked at his nephew.

"Jiuzhou, what do you suggest we do?"

Li Jiuzhou shrugged and said:

"Uncle-Master, do you value your reputation or your money?"

"I want them all..." He Daqing quickly said.

"That's settled then. We must have a feast. It's been a long time since your He family has had any happy occasions, so let's just have a feast."

"Inviting a few tables won't cost much in total."

Seeing his nephew say this, He Daqing didn't hesitate and waved his hand:

"Then let's set it up..."

He Daqing thought of a problem: who should cook the banquet? When he saw Li Jiuzhou in front of him, he had an idea.

"Hey Kyushu, how about you cook the banquet?"

Before Li Jiuzhou could speak, Shazhu spoke first.

He said disdainfully:

"Father, you really dare to say that! Do you even know what price my senior brother commands?"

"That's a renowned chef who's served at state banquets. These neighbors in the courtyard—not that I look down on them, but do they even deserve to eat my senior apprentice's cooking?"

"this..."

He Daqing then realized that his son was right.

Although the apprentice did not hold a graduation banquet, his culinary skills had long surpassed those of his master, Li Tielong.

The reason for not holding a graduation banquet was that Li Jiuzhou wanted to wait until he came of age before holding one.

He Daqing knew that those who invited his junior apprentice to cook out were all people of high status, and the gifts they received would certainly be substantial.

He is indeed a chef, but in terms of social status, he is just an ordinary person.

In terms of consumption, there is no difference between them and ordinary people.

At this moment, Li Jiuzhou laughed and said:

"Zhu Zi, why are you saying all this nonsense? It's my uncle's wedding, and as his nephew, I should at least lend a hand."

"I'll cook the meal, it's settled then."

"Don't talk about money, it hurts feelings!"

The He family father and son were deeply moved upon hearing this.

"Jiuzhou, your martial uncle thanks you."

Next, they discussed the dishes. All three of them were chefs, and they spoke eloquently and enthusiastically.

But the other three radish heads were different; they listened with their mouths watering.

One word: "greedy"

Two words: fucking "I'm so hungry..."

Even the youngest, He Lai, wearing open-crotch pants, was practically drooling...

The banquet is scheduled for the weekend, which is also a rest day, so there are three days left.

He Daqing had a lot to do, from buying groceries to hosting guests, all of which he had to handle personally.

The following day at Fengzeyuan.

"Zhu Zi, your dad's something else! He threw a lavish wedding banquet for his second marriage, and he even hired Mr. Yu from our family as the head chef! Awesome!"

Manager Luan joked that he was one of the people invited.

Both out of courtesy and reason, He Daqing had to invite him; even if he didn't come, he couldn't lose face.

He notified all the chefs at Fengzeyuan Restaurant, and asked them to come and eat at the banquet if they were free.

Silly Pillar laughed:

"Hehe, that's because my senior brother gave me face. Otherwise, my dad wouldn't even have the chance to invite my senior brother to host a banquet!"

"Hahahaha..." The kitchen erupted in laughter.

In the past few days, the neighbors have been intentionally or unintentionally asking He Daqing about the scale of the banquet and who the head chef is.

He Daqing didn't hide anything; there were eight tables of food, and the head chef was Li Jiuzhou!

Eight tables are enough; if each family in the courtyard has one person, that's two tables.

But the fact that the head chef was Li Jiuzhou surprised them, and even disappointed them a little.

Are apprentices from Fengzeyuan Garden preparing the banquet dishes?

Can you do it well?

They also thought that He Daqing would invite his fellow apprentices to host the banquet.

Seeing their disappointed expressions, He Daqing smiled and said:

"What, are you being treated unfairly by having Kyushu prepare the banquet?"

"Don't underestimate me. Do you know what kind of status my nephew holds at Fengzeyuan?"

"We don't know." Everyone shook their heads in unison.

"Hehe, the head chef, the head chef of Fengzeyuan, is even better at cooking than me!"

Do you know about the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China?

"My nephew is one of the chefs who cooks the dishes."

"He's the youngest!"

"Go out and ask around about Mr. Fish at Fengzeyuan, and you'll find out."

"If it weren't for Jiuzhou giving me face, do you think you'd be able to eat his cooking? Heh..."

While everyone was still in shock, they looked at each other in disbelief.

Yan Bugui had heard of Mr. Yu from Fengzeyuan, but had never met him.

Upon hearing He Daqing's words, he couldn't sit still any longer and went out to inquire.

After finding out the truth, Yan Bugui exclaimed repeatedly, "Genius!"

Now I admire Li Jiuzhou even more; he really kept it hidden.

No one in the entire courtyard knew about it except for the He family father and son.

When Yan Bugui returned to the courtyard and shared the information he had gathered, everyone was shocked.

After a while, a wonderful surprise awaited them: the chefs who prepared state banquets would finally get to eat there!

After getting off work, Li Jiuzhou was surrounded by his neighbors, who all congratulated him.

Li Jiuzhou laughed:

"Everyone, everyone, don't congratulate me yet. My uncle is getting married the day after tomorrow. Please prepare your wedding gifts."

"Don't worry, you won't lose out. I guarantee you'll eat your fill..."

"good..."