Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Li Jiuzhou didn't have much interaction with Chen Yanshi, because after this meeting, they wouldn't have any further contact.

He wouldn't try to curry favor with Sha Ruijin, the future regional governor.

By the time he becomes powerful, he might not even be alive anymore, so why bother thinking about these things?

Besides, his second uncle is now a department-level cadre, and judging from the current situation, Li Huaide has a bright future ahead of him. The deputy ministerial level is not his final destination at all.

Li Jiuzhou isn't stupid; with such a powerful figure right in front of him, there's no need for him to cling to someone else.

Since becoming an official, Li Jiuzhou naturally harbored ambitions and wanted to stand at the forefront, directing the affairs of the country.

But that's not practical; in this era, the most reckless people die the most tragically.

Li Jiuzhou felt it was best to remain calm; standing at the forefront of the tide at this time was too dangerous.

Especially in the next ten years or so, the reshuffling of power will be too crazy and too terrifying. If you are not careful, you will be crushed to pieces. If you are better off, you will be sent to a cowshed. As long as you can endure it, there will be a chance for redress in the future.

Li Jiuzhou wasn't worried about this because his second uncle was very reliable, and his father-in-law was also very reliable. As long as they remained reliable until the end, there wouldn't be any problems.

The time was tough, though. By the time he could finally unleash his full potential, Li Jiuzhou was already middle-aged.

But it's alright, it's all about accumulating experience before making a breakthrough. Many people only take off in middle age, and their forties are the perfect time to work hard.

Lunch lasted until almost three o'clock. Before leaving, Li Jiuzhou stuffed a large stack of receipts into Chen Yanshi's hand, telling him that he could live a better life back in his hometown.

Chen Yanshi could not refuse and could only hold Li Huaide's hand and thank him repeatedly.

For Li Jiuzhou, this was just a minor incident; after returning to his office, he slept until the end of the workday.

I got home a little late today. Normally, Li Jiuzhou would go home a little earlier to cook for his wife and children.

My younger sister, Jiaojiao, has been raised at her master's house for so many years and is used to it. She only comes back to stay for two days on weekends.

Shanhe is in college and rarely comes home, so it's just the three of them eating together at home.

There were three people, one of whom was a child. Li Jiuzhou basically served two dishes and a soup.

One meat dish, one vegetable dish, plus a soup—a balanced meal.

They usually drink porridge in the morning because neither Li Jiuzhou nor his wife Bingbing has to do heavy work, so porridge is enough for them.

My son, Tie Niu, is still young and doesn't eat much.

Kids these days are easy to raise. Tie Niu doesn't pick and choose his meals except for the occasional nagging about wanting snacks. He eats whatever Li Jiuzhou makes, which is quite well-behaved.

Unlike the Jia family's hamsters in the middle court, who are very picky and complain if they don't get to eat meat for two days.

Jia Dongxu beat him quite a bit because his Jia family really didn't save any money; compared to other families, they were already eating very well.

Even so, his son still keeps yelling all day long. It's no wonder Jia Dongxu beats him up. When I was a kid, I didn't even have food like this. How dare you complain that white flour steamed buns don't taste good?

Who gave you the audacity to speak like that?

So when Jia Dongxu hit the stick, Jia Zhangshi and Tong Jie felt sorry for him but did not stop him.

It's okay if they feel sorry for the child and can't bear to hit him, because there's still Dongxu. One person in the family can handle it, so there's no need for the two women to step in.

Bang Geng was also well-known in the neighborhood because he was spoiled; the neighbors weren't surprised at all when they heard him crying.

What kind of kid keeps yelling for meat? I'd beat him to death!

Even Yi Zhonghai had nothing to say. It's true that he dotes on Bang Geng, but there's a limit. When Bang Geng has been beaten up enough by his apprentice, he will naturally step in and act as a good grandfather.

She was also quite skilled at wielding the mischievous stick. Just today, Li Jiuzhou had just returned home when he heard the deaf old woman pointing her cane at Jia Zhangshi and cursing.

Because the pheasant smashed her window with a stone.

Not only at the deaf old lady's house, but also at Xu Damao's house, the windows were smashed to pieces, but the couple were both at work and no one was home.

The leader was Bang Geng, and Liu Guangfu, Yan Jiefang, and Jie Kuang also participated.

When the man returned in the evening, a group of children started wailing and howling, all because their father had beaten them.

Tie Niu was taken to the neighborhood office by his mother and didn't participate; otherwise, Li Jiuzhou would have definitely taken off his belt and whipped his son.

In the end, the men paid someone to fix the windows to settle the matter.

At the Jia family home, Tong Jie tenderly applied medicine to the stalk of the stick, muttering softly:

"Son, your dad hit you too hard. Look how badly he beat you. It breaks my heart. Don't do it again, you hear me?"

Banggeng lay on his mother's lap, tears still streaming down his face, and sobbed softly, feeling wronged:

"Mom, you always play the good guy. Today I heard it with my own ears. My dad had already stopped, but you told him to hit him harder."

"You said back then, 'Jia Dongxu, if you don't teach this brat a lesson today, don't ever come back to my bed.'"

"Mom, did you say that?"

"Pfft..."

Jia Dongxu and his mother couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Tong Jie's face showed embarrassment, even a hint of shame and anger. She reached out and lightly patted the wound on Bang Geng's buttocks.

"You little brat, you still dare to talk back? I was doing it for your own good!"

"Who told you to be so naughty? Now you even dare to smash people's windows. What's wrong with giving you a beating? Behave yourself."

Bang Geng's face showed dissatisfaction after hearing this. He half-lyed down, turned his head to look at his father, and asked a question that made Jia Dongxu angry again:

"Dad, are you even a man? How could you let an old woman control you? How could I have such a spineless father like you?"

"Holy crap!" Jia Dongxu was stunned. He asked himself, "Am I being looked down upon by my son? Where is justice? I should have shot him against the wall! That unfilial son!"

Seeing her husband about to erupt in anger, Tong Jie swiftly pushed the stick onto her mother-in-law's kang (heated brick bed), then said to Jia Dongxu:

"Dongxu, you can go easy on me this time..."

Banggeng panicked and scurried to the corner, looking at his grandmother with pleading eyes.

Madam Jia quickly turned her head away as if she hadn't seen anything, and got up to rub her aching back.

"Um, I'm going to boil some water and take a bath..."

After leaving the house, Jia Zhangshi went straight to Yi Zhonghai's house. She thought that once her son had beaten him up enough, it would be time for Old Yi to take action.

Jia Dongxu pulled a feather duster from the window and strode forward menacingly.

"You little brat, keep talking! Go on, continue!"

Banggeng quickly put his hands together and begged for mercy:

"Dad, I was wrong, I was wrong. You're not a man, no... you are a man, Dad, please don't hit me, my dear father..."

Jia Dongxu glared at him: "Now you know how to call me 'Good Dad'?"

"I'm telling you too late, you old bastard, I'll beat you to death."

Banggeng's eyes were bloodshot with rage as he frantically waved his little hands.

"Jia Dongxu, don't come any closer!"

Jia Dongxu was even angrier when he heard this. How dare they call me by my full name? It seems I didn't beat them enough.

Without hesitation, the feather duster lashed out:

"I'll teach you to spout nonsense! I'll teach you to talk a load of rubbish! You've squandered all the good karma of your ancestors! I'll fucking kill you!"