Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Li Jiuzhou, who had just returned from buying breakfast, overheard Jia Dongxu and Yan Bugui's conversation.

Yan Bugui was about to turn around and go back into the house with the scallions in his hand when he saw Li Jiuzhou again.

His eyes lit up again when he saw the fried dough sticks and braised pork in his hand.

"Hey, Kyushu, you're back from buying breakfast?"

"Where are these fried dough sticks from? Uncle Yan, would you like to try them and see if they're authentic?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jiuzhou feigned slight anger and said:

"Is Uncle Yan looking down on me?"

Yan Bugui quickly waved his hand and said with a forced smile:

"That's impossible..."

"So you'd like to have a cook taste it too?"

"This is like showing off your skills in front of Guan Yu (a legendary swordsman); you should just take a break."

Li Jiuzhou retorted to Yan Bugui and then slipped away.

Yan Bugui, his face ashen, was left standing there in a daze...

A few seconds later, Yan Bugui lightly slapped himself.

He then regretted it and said:

"Oh dear, what a blunder..."

"As a cultured person, I can't possibly argue with a lousy cook."

"It's just braised fried dough sticks, that's all we buy, damn it!"

At this time, although Yan Bugui was a little bit greedy for small gains, he was not stingy when it came to spending money.

The Yan family ate meat every few days, and none of their clothes had a single patch.

However, he likes to compare and has very high standards.

There wasn't a single household in this No. 95 compound that he respected.

There was no other reason than that he was a schoolteacher, while everyone else was either a factory worker or a cook.

How can this compare to Yan Bugui? He's a scholarly family!

Li Jiuzhou, in particular, was the one Yan Bugui disliked the most, because a cook, a servant, was being called "Mr. Fish!"

In Yan Bugui's view, this was simply an insult to civility!

Li Jiuzhou naturally noticed the slight mockery and disdain in Yan Bugui's gaze.

Li Jiuzhou thought it was okay. You look down on me, right? I earn more than you, eat better than you, and dress better than you!

"Damn it, I'll make you furious!" Teasing Yan Bugui was one of Li Jiuzhou's few sources of amusement.

I love seeing him hate himself but can't get rid of himself, it's so satisfying!

After buying groceries, Jia Dongxu went to Yi Zhonghai's house across the street.

When I arrived, the couple was still having breakfast.

When Jia Dongxu took a look, wow, the food wasn't bad at all.

A plate of Chinese sausage, peanuts, and pickled vegetables, with millet porridge as the main dish.

"Dongxu's here! Have you eaten yet? If not, have some with us," Yi Zhonghai's wife greeted him.

Jia Dongxu smiled and waved his hand:

"Auntie, I've already eaten. It's my day off today, so I just went to buy some groceries. Would you two do me the honor of coming over for lunch?"

"I also want to thank Uncle Yi for taking care of me at the factory during this time."

Yi Zhonghai's wife, Wang Lianxiu, looked at Yi Zhonghai, inquiring about his attitude.

Yi Zhonghai put down his chopsticks and smiled:

"Okay, Dongxu is so thoughtful. It just so happens that we have the day off today. My wife and I will go over there at noon."

After Yi Zhonghai agreed to exchange a few polite words with Jia Dongxu, he went home.

"Old Yi, what do you mean?"

Yi Zhonghai didn't even look up, continuing to eat.

"It's just a meal. Since Dongxu is so willing, let's go."

"Let's bring the whole bottle of wine, and also a box of peach shortbread. We can't be impolite."

"Okay, I'll go prepare it in a bit..."

Yi Zhonghai finally smiled; everything was under his control.

In the morning, my second brother Shanhe picked up my younger sister Jiaojiao on his bicycle.

As soon as the little girl arrived, she went to the middle courtyard to find her friend Yushui and Xu Xiaolian, Xu Damao's younger sister, in the backyard.

Sha Zhu didn't wake up until ten o'clock. He didn't eat breakfast, and after washing up, he went to his senior brother's house.

Today is their day off, so they often prepare something delicious to eat at this time.

Yesterday, my senior brother asked Fengzeyuan to buy a lot of things.

Li Jiuzhou was wiping his front door when he saw Sha Zhu coming over and smiled.

"Zhu Zi's here! There are steamed buns in the inner room, have some to tide you over. After you finish eating, kill that bass in the tank and steam it!"

"Let's make braised pig's trotters with chestnuts, and some Yangzhou fried rice."

"I've already started simmering the old duck soup."

"It's settled then, you're in charge of cooking today. Let me see if you've improved lately!"

Sha Zhu was overjoyed upon hearing this, and patted his chest vigorously, saying heartily:

"Just you wait and see, senior brother. I wouldn't dare say my cooking is the best, but when it comes to cleaning fish, I'd say I'm number one in the entire Fengzeyuan restaurant chain!"

Upon hearing this, Li Jiuzhou said irritably:

"Damn it, stop your nonsense and get back to work!"

"Okay, okay, please go ahead, I'll be right there..."

Sha Zhu wouldn't dare to act recklessly or make a scene with his senior brother; he wouldn't hold back when beating him up.

Li Jiuzhou is 17 years old now and has grown to 1.8 meters tall. Beating him is as easy as playing around.

Li Jiuzhou has a large frame and eats well, so he's all muscle and people shorter than him are a little intimidated when they stand in front of him.

Simply put, he has a strong physique and is very intimidating!

After Sha Zhu finished preparing the fish, he busied himself in the kitchen, while Li Jiuzhou gave him instructions from the side.

Just then, someone slowly walked into the kitchen, and Sha Zhu chuckled upon seeing him:

"Grandma, you have a really sharp nose. You haven't missed a single day of it every weekend."

These words were quite harsh to the deaf old woman.

His smiling face suddenly fell.

Even if you like this silly Zhu a lot, you can't be happy right now.

Seeing the deaf old woman's dark face, Li Jiuzhou laughed uncontrollably.

"Ha ha ha ha..."

The deaf old woman was speechless; her silly grandson still had such a sharp tongue.

"You idiot, if you can't speak, then don't speak. Nobody's going to think you're mute..."

"Alright, Zhuzi, hurry up and cook, don't let your grandma go hungry..." Li Jiuzhou said with a smile.

With a smile, Sha Zhu fawned over the deaf old woman and helped her up.

"Grandma, I was just joking with you. I'm in charge of cooking today, please do me the honor..."

The deaf old woman took two steps back and said irritably:

"No way, I'm not your grandma! Having a grandson like you would shorten my lifespan by ten years!"

"Ha ha ha ha..."

It was rare to hear an old lady swear, and Li Jiuzhou was genuinely overjoyed.

The deaf old woman was just putting on an act; she was easily coaxed by Sha Zhu in no time.

He's become my good grandson again, that's awesome!

Sha Zhu was in charge of cooking, his second brother Shan He was tending the fire, and Li Jiuzhou was giving instructions from the side.

The deaf old woman watched from the sidelines, and she really enjoyed the atmosphere.

Before long, the aroma began to waft through the air, and the neighbors in the yard could tell at a glance that someone was cooking in the front yard.

Only the aroma of food being cooked in the front yard is so tempting.

In the west wing of the central courtyard, Madam Jia, wearing an apron, was busily cooking under the eaves of her own house.

At this time, almost every household had their kitchen at the entrance, simply set up under a shed to serve as a kitchen.

Madam Jia also smelled the aroma wafting from the front yard and couldn't help but swallow hard.

After glancing around and making sure no one was paying attention to her, she reached out her left hand and swiftly grabbed a piece of half-cooked fatty meat from the pot, then threw it into her mouth.

The movements were executed in one smooth motion!

Jia Zhangshi was so hot from the heat that she jumped up and down, chewed a few times, and swallowed it whole.

Afterwards, he even smacked his lips in satisfaction.

Seeing this made Jia Dongxu, who was in the inner room, feel a sudden toothache...