Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Li Jiuzhou and his master walked one after the other. It was around eight or nine in the morning, and the streets were full of stalls and vendors.

They sell all sorts of things, so Li Jiuzhou wasn't surprised. His master and his wife had taken him and his siblings out before.

Most of the street vendors and pedestrians were wearing jackets.

As for Western suits and Zhongshan suits, those are not for ordinary people.

If you were to ask Li Jiuzhou, this modern soul, what he thinks of modern Beiping, the answer would be simple:

"An ancient aura!"

"We've arrived," the driver said, stopping in his tracks.

Upon hearing this, Li Jiuzhou looked at his master, only to see him nod slightly.

Li Jiuzhou looked up and saw the three traditional Chinese characters "Fengzeyuan" in front of him.

Upon seeing these three large characters, a familiar face immediately came to mind for Li Jiuzhou.

Luan Academy, Little Luanzi?

Are you kidding me? Aren't you Xiao Zhuang?

Shaking his head, Li Jiuzhou cut off his inner monologue.

Li Tielong smiled when he saw his apprentice in a daze. As a chef, being able to work at Fengzeyuan Restaurant must be a source of great pride.

Let alone Li Tielong, even among the apprentices of Fengzeyuan, which one of them doesn't act arrogantly when they go outside?

He is indeed an apprentice, but his future is limitless.

"How about that? Make me look good, right?"

Li Tielong asked with a smile.

Li Jiuzhou gave a thumbs-up and shouted, "Awesome!"

"Hahahaha..." Li Tielong laughed loudly upon hearing this.

Li Jiuzhou knew why his master asked that question; wasn't it just to show off?

Every chef in Shandong province knows the name Fengzeyuan.

When Li Jiuzhou's predecessor was learning the craft from his father, he had heard a lot of talk from the local unorthodox cooks.

They might call it a lousy restaurant, but deep down they long for it.

He's all about being stubborn. If someone asks him how good his cooking is, or who's better, his or Fengzeyuan's chef?

Why the hell do you even need to ask?

Fengzeyuan Restaurant in Beiping serves Shandong cuisine. Where does Shandong cuisine come from? It comes from chefs who couldn't make it here and went to Beiping to prepare it.

The father of the original body once jokingly told Li Jiuzhou that if he had the chance, he hoped that he would also go to Fengzeyuan to broaden his horizons.

Unexpectedly, my words came true, and it actually happened.

No matter what, Beiping was once the capital of our Great Qing Dynasty.

Fengzeyuan could have survived in this city if it didn't have some real skills; it would have become a relic of the past long ago.

Just then, a voice came, which sounded quite surprising.

"Oh, isn't this Master Li? You're back from visiting your family. Our Manager Luan has been talking about you several times these days."

The person speaking was a waiter at Fengzeyuan Restaurant.

Here's a brief explanation of what a waiter is.

"Tangguan" was a term used in olden times to refer to service staff in restaurants and taverns, especially in Beijing, Tianjin, and Northeast China.

Similar to a lobby manager, they are very familiar with the dishes in the restaurant.

Only those with quick wits can do this job well.

If you do a good job, not only will you be appreciated by distinguished guests, but your monthly salary may not be lower than that of a head chef.

They also get a cut, you think...

Li Tielong smiled upon seeing the waiter and greeted him with a fist and palm salute.

"Mr. Guo, it's been a long time, I'm back."

The waiter, Mr. Guo, returned the greeting with a fist and palm salute, and then chatted with Li Tielong for a while.

Li Tielong was in no hurry to introduce Li Jiuzhou to him.

There's no rush. We can give a unified introduction once we're inside Fengzeyuan.

Mr. Guo had naturally seen Li Jiuzhou long ago.

Li Tielong neither spoke nor asked, preferring to avoid trouble.

Fengzeyuan is always packed with distinguished guests, and he's too busy to keep up. He has no interest in a mere teenager, even if he's someone brought by Li Tielong.

Li Jiuzhou remained unperturbed, his face indifferent. He wouldn't speak unless his master gave the order.

The main focus is on being obedient!

Mr. Guo led the master and apprentice through the gate of Fengzeyuan, and as soon as they entered, he shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Distinguished guests have arrived!"

Li Tielong was overjoyed to hear this; he loved Mr. Guo's way of creating a lively atmosphere.

After Mr. Guo's loud shout, everyone in Fengzeyuan, whether they had anything to do or not, poked their heads out to take a look.

They all smiled after seeing who this "distinguished guest" was.

"Hey, isn't this my chef? You're finally back."

The speaker's voice was filled with delight; the person who came was none other than Luan Xuetang, the manager of Fengzeyuan!

Li Jiuzhou stared intently, and what he saw startled him.

It really is Xiao Zhuang'er?

It's just that this Xiao Zhuang is a bit older.

Holy crap, what kind of world have I ended up in?

Before Li Jiuzhou could figure it out, his master greeted the group of people warmly.

He took out cigarettes and offered them to everyone, then pointed at Li Jiuzhou who was standing to the side.

"Apprentice, come here and greet the shopkeeper and the group of seniors," Li Tielong called to Li Jiuzhou.

Li Jiuzhou slowly stepped forward, clasped his hands, and bowed slightly in greeting.

"This humble one, Li Jiuzhou, greets you. I have met Manager Luan and all the seniors."

Manager Luan looked Li Jiuzhou up and down and then nodded slightly:

"Hehehe... Not bad, not bad. Jiuzhou, right? From now on, work hard at Fengzeyuan. Following Chef Li will definitely be a good choice."

The other chefs also gave Li Jiuzhou friendly smiles.

Li Tielong has just explained the whole story.

They wholeheartedly approve of such a good young man.

It doesn't matter if the cook is a little slow-witted; good character is the most important thing.

The chefs who work at Fengzeyuan all have a lineage of skills, and you can't just randomly find apprentices.

Character is of utmost importance; these days, taking on apprentices is like raising a son.

Which chef at Fengzeyuan doesn't have one or two apprentices at home?

If you take in an ungrateful wretch, you'll be furious when you're old.

Li Jiuzhou's actions were unanimously approved by everyone at Fengzeyuan.

Don't they realize what era we live in? People are dying every day.

Who has nothing better to do than meddle in other people's business?

Moreover, Li Jiuzhou was just a young boy with two children to take care of.

To dare to brave the heavy rain to rescue people under such circumstances is truly commendable!

They always thought that Li Jiuzhou was a kind-hearted and easy-going kid!

At the same time, I admire Li Tielong for his gratitude and loyalty.

They're impeccable in their work; everyone who hears their story will give them a thumbs up.

And so Li Jiuzhou settled down at Fengzeyuan.

He got his first job, but he hasn't decided what it will be like yet.

Shopkeeper Luan wanted Li Jiuzhou to demonstrate his skills, considering that Li Jiuzhou had learned them from the original owner's father.

Let's see what Li Jiuzhou is good at, so we can assign him tasks.

After the group arrived at the kitchen of Fengzeyuan Restaurant, Manager Luan spoke.

"Jiuzhou, your master said he used to work for your father for a while. Tell me what you're good at."

Li Jiuzhou nodded and said:

"Boss, I don't know how to cook, but I can do the washing and chopping of vegetables. My dad used to have me do those chores for him."

Manager Luan nodded, pointed to the potatoes in the basket on the ground, and said:

"Come on, show us!"

Before Li Jiuzhou could reply, Li Tielong said seriously:

"Apprentice, show the shopkeeper and all the masters what you've got."

"Yes!" Li Jiuzhou said, then went over and took out a few potatoes, washed them, and peeled them.

After picking out a kitchen knife and testing its weight, I had a better idea of ​​what to expect.

Li Jiuzhou's lips curled up slightly, wondering if he should try something fancy.

No sooner said than done, he flicked his wrist and the cleaver began to spin rapidly in his right hand.

"Whoa~"

Manager Luan and the other chefs were a little surprised.

Li Tielong was the only one with a black line on his face. "Damn it, I asked you to show off your knife skills, and you're still trying to pull off fancy tricks?"

Manager Luan and the group of chefs didn't take it seriously. After exchanging glances, they all noticed that everyone had a smile on their face. Who hasn't been young before?

When I was young, I used to be able to swing a kitchen knife around like crazy...

But this kid's hands are really steady; the kitchen knife seems to come alive in his hands.

That's right, this is Li Jiuzhou's specialty. As the head chef of New Century, wielding a kitchen knife was his forte!

Another group of apprentices watched Li Jiuzhou wield his sword with wide eyes, thinking how incredibly cool he was!