Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

On his way to work, Sha Zhu was very excited as he drove, because he was determined to drive his wife and children to Changping to pay New Year's visits during the first month of the lunar calendar this year.

As for my senior brother's opinion, I must agree to it. I'll beg him to agree no matter what. Besides, I already talked to my wife Qin Huairu about it last night.

Qin Huairu must be thrilled. How could she refuse to return to her parents' home in such a grand manner?

She's vain too, okay? So what if the car isn't theirs?

If you can pick up the car, that's a real skill!

Li Jiuzhou sat in the car letting Sha Zhu honk the horn, and the initial enthusiasm in his heart had dissipated considerably after a night.

It was just a car, but it also represented Li Jiuzhou's status and position in the steel rolling mill, allowing him to wield great influence with ease.

After arriving at work today, the factory's loudspeaker read out the newspaper article, which described their factory as a benchmark and a star unit!

The leaders of other factories turned green after seeing the newspaper.

Damn it, you, Hongxing Steel Mill, have taken care of all the good people, and they've become the unfilial sons. Where can we find justice in this?

For example, the No. 1 Steel Rolling Mill was purged by the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry two months ago, at the end of last year, and its leadership team was completely replaced.

Their No. 1 Steel Rolling Mill also successfully completed the tasks assigned by the higher authorities this year, meeting the production capacity targets, and like the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, they still have surplus funds in hand.

The crucial point is, they actually spent that money!

Yes, I spent it all, and didn't keep a single penny...

They either bought new cars or renovated office buildings; their spending methods were basically the same as Yang Ligong's suggestions.

There was nothing wrong with this in itself; the leaders verbally and even within the rules allowed them to spend the extra money they earned this way.

But then, the incorruptible Red Star Steel Rolling Mill emerged and was regarded as a benchmark unit.

They were stuck in a bind, and only belatedly realized they wanted to express their gratitude to their superiors, but damn it, they were out of money!

He immediately felt a burning hatred for Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

"You think you're so high and mighty, and we're all idiots, okay? You son of a bitch!"

After all, the damage and output of the two sides are too high compared to each other, who can stand it?

But there's nothing we can do; what's done is done. All we can do this year is increase production capacity and strive to defeat Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill in one fell swoop, making ourselves even more outstanding.

In addition to praising Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry also promised to allocate welfare materials for the factory's workers this year.

But you have to pay for it yourself.

The factory has no objection to the leaders' willingness to pay for the noodles; they simply hand over the money.

Although they gave the extra money to their superiors, it doesn't mean their factory was really poor.

When it's time to spend money, it can still be taken out.

Although the benefits for Workers' Welfare Day were not increased this year, at least they were adequate.

After all, there are too many people, and the leaders feel a pang of heartache when they distribute welfare benefits, since they are all bought with real money.

The workers don't care about these things. It's only right that they get welfare during the New Year. In the past, when they were tenant farmers for landlords, they could at least get a meal of dumplings during the New Year.

Of course, families in need still care a lot about the factory's New Year benefits.

Without it, we might not even be able to eat meat during the Lunar New Year.

This is not a lie; it is a fact.

The factory couldn't offer them any help because at least they still had a job and the status of a worker.

Many people in the city are unemployed and can barely make ends meet by doing odd jobs.

Compared to them, the factory workers are lucky.

That morning, as soon as Li Jiuzhou and Shazhu got out of the car, they saw their apprentice You Fulai chatting with another apprentice.

The apprentice's name was Zhang Sheng. He was a hardworking and down-to-earth young man. Because his family was struggling financially, the neighborhood committee gave him an apprenticeship at a steel rolling mill.

The young man looked worried, but when he saw Li Jiuzhou and Shazhu arrive, he managed a weak smile and a hint of unease.

"Master, Uncle-Master!" You Fulai stood up to greet them.

"Director Li, Master He, hello!" Zhang Sheng greeted them politely.

Li Jiuzhou smiled and waved his hand:

"Okay, all is well. Xiao Shengzi, you go in first. I need to say a few words to my apprentice."

"Okay." Zhang Sheng obediently went into the kitchen.

"What's wrong? Xiao Shengzi looks so worried," Li Jiuzhou asked his disciple.

You Fulai said directly:

"Master, he has family troubles. His mother and father are both sick, and the young man, who is not even 20 years old, is so worried that his hair has turned white."

Li Jiuzhou raised an eyebrow and said meaningfully:

"You thought highly of him, so why didn't you lend a hand?"

Sha Zhu also looked at You Fulai with great curiosity.

You Fulai smiled wryly:

"Master, Uncle-Master, how could I not help him out? I already lent him 150 yuan. Now Xiao Shengzi is too ashamed to ask me for money."

"He's a man too, he has his pride too!"

Li Jiuzhou and Shazhu exchanged a glance. You Fulai's words, though rough, were reasonable.

People from Beiping really care about their reputation; it was already very generous of You Fulai to lend them 150 yuan.

Even if Zhang Sheng continued to ask, You Fulai would lend him the money, but his pride prevented everything.

Zhang Sheng was truly too ashamed to ask for help. You Fulai had already helped him enough; what would he become if he asked for more?

At this moment, Li Jiuzhou looked at Sha Zhu:

"Little Shengzi is not bad, why don't you lend a hand, Zhuzi?"

Sha Zhu scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Senior brother, how can I help him? Should I just hand him the money? That's not proper." He then turned to his junior brother and asked:

"Fu Lai, how much money does Xiao Shengzi need?"

You Fulai said somewhat embarrassedly:

He said the shortfall was about four hundred dollars.

"What?" Li Jiuzhou and Shazhu were shocked to hear this.

"A shortfall of four hundred dollars? Did he go gambling?" Sha Zhu was extremely puzzled.

You Fulai quickly waved his hand:

"No, it snowed heavily a few days ago, and a corner of Xiaoshengzi's house collapsed. Unfortunately, it broke the legs of his parents, who were sick and recuperating at home."

"This makes things even worse for families that were already struggling financially!"

"Damn, this is terrible!" Sha Zhu muttered.

Li Jiuzhou nodded in agreement; this was just too tragic.

You Fulai shrugged:

"So, Xiao Shengzi needs to repair the house and pay for his parents' medical treatment. The 400 yuan shortfall is a conservative estimate."

"Without this money, I don't think his parents would have survived the winter."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiuzhou and Sha Zhu both fell silent. Both of them were kind-hearted people, and it was inevitable that they would feel sympathy when they encountered such a situation.

They are more than qualified to help Xiaoshengzi, but how to help is the question.

"Master, why don't I just lend the money to Xiaoshengzi? I've saved some money over the past two years," You Fulai said.

Li Jiuzhou shook his head:

"That's not a good idea. If we do that, we'll owe you a huge favor, and Xiao Shengzi will have to pay for it with his life."

You Fulai laughed as soon as he heard this:

"Hehe, isn't this great!"

Li Jiuzhou slapped him on the head:

"You think you're so great just because you have money? Tell Xiao Shengzi to buy some things after work and go to your uncle's house. When you see him, bow down and pay your respects. Once the master calls, all your problems at home will be solved!"

"That's a great idea!" You Fulai exclaimed happily.

Sha Zhu smiled helplessly:

"Senior brother, I'll listen to you. I've been observing Xiao Shengzi for a long time, so let's take him in."

"It's not easy being a master like me, always getting these damn miserable apprentices, fuck them!"

Li Jiuzhou smiled upon hearing this, patted Sha Zhu on the back, and comforted him:

"Don't say that. Wasn't my life as miserable as Xiao Shengzi's back then?"

"I was fleeing famine with my younger siblings when I luckily met my master. I saved his life, and I'll live off him for the rest of my life because of that!"

"Does the master have any objections?"

"To repay my kindness, he begged me to become his apprentice, and treated me to the best food and drink every day."

Silly Zhu scoffed speechlessly, cursing inwardly:

"Who the hell would dare compare themselves to a spineless coward like you!"