Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

After receiving guidance from Li Jiuzhou and Shazhu, Xu Damao immediately went to do it and resubmitted an application.

Then they went to their section chief and pushed the hot potato away.

Xu Damao was a little reluctant, after all, if he did it himself, many leaders would be indebted to him.

But his shoulders were too small to support the weight, so he could only push it outwards.

The head of the publicity department smiled and didn't say much, understanding what Xu Damao meant.

After all, he couldn't hold on any longer, so he could only keep pushing the responsibility upwards. The leaders just needed to remember the good things about his propaganda department.

That day, I and Xu Damao were promoted, so there was no need to stop them.

After finishing his business, Xu Damao left early. As the powerful deputy head of the publicity department, it was not a problem for him to be late or leave early occasionally.

Xu Damao went to Fengzeyuan and specifically asked Chef Li Tielong to cook some hearty dishes to go with his drinks that evening.

After finishing his cooking, Li Tielong followed the usual procedure and came out of the kitchen to greet the customers and say thank you.

He could tell at a glance that Xu Damao was something special. He was wearing a neat Zhongshan suit, with a pen in his breast pocket, and his hair was combed slicked back. He was definitely a cadre.

However, Li Tielong felt that the young cadre in front of him looked somewhat familiar, but he didn't think much of it and just assumed he was a customer.

So he clasped his hands in thanks to Xu Damao:

"Esteemed guest, I am Li Tielong. Thank you for visiting Fengzeyuan!"

Xu Damao's brow twitched, and he quickly returned the greeting:

"Master Li, you can't do that. I live in courtyard number 95. I'm neighbors with Brother Jiuzhou and Zhuzi."

"My backyard neighbor is Xu Damao, you can just call me Damao!"

Upon hearing this, Li Tielong's eyes lit up, and he chuckled:

"Oh my, I was wondering why you looked so familiar. It's Da Mao! Old Xu from the backyard is your dad, right? I'm getting old, my eyesight is failing me, please don't mind."

Xu Damao smiled and waved his hand:

"No, no, you're still young. We have some important guests at home today, and we'd like to pack up a few dishes. I don't trust anyone else to do it, so I can only ask you to help."

Xu Damao was very good at talking, and he lit a cigarette for Li Tielong, and the two chatted.

After taking a few puffs of his cigarette, Li Tielong asked curiously:

"Da Mao, if I may ask, but you're dressed very formally. Have you become a cadre?"

Xu Damao's smile deepened:

"Oh, Uncle, experience really pays off! You have such a keen eye! I did a small favor and got promoted ahead of schedule, becoming a deputy section chief!"

Li Tielong praised:

"Wow, what a success! You've really become successful!"

"Hahaha, no, no..." Xu Damao laughed shyly.

Li Tielong was busy afterward, so Xu Damao took the box of vegetables and went back home, as he needed to return it tomorrow.

As soon as Xu Damao entered the courtyard, Yan Bugui's eyes lit up. He quickly came over to help him lift the cart over the threshold.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Da Mao, the dishes from Fengzeyuan are served in four-tiered serving boxes, with at least twelve dishes."

"Smelling this aroma, the person who bought it must be an old antique from Fengzeyuan, worth at least a hundred yuan. Are you trying to ruin your life?"

Xu Damao's eyes darted around:

"Uncle Yan, money is worthless, I'll earn more when I run out."

"Besides, I only make about a hundred yuan a month, so it's perfectly fine for me to spend money occasionally."

Yan Bugui was heartbroken upon hearing this:

"Do you even speak like a human being?"

"You'll have guests over tonight, right? Would Uncle Yan like to help entertain them?"

"My position as the head of teaching at an elementary school is still something I can be proud of."

Xu Damao stroked his chin, pretending to think:

"It's not necessarily something I'd be willing to present."

Yan Bugui was stunned when he heard this:

"I'm not presentable enough? What kind of guests did you invite?"

Xu Damao didn't hide anything and directly stated the level of the guests he was inviting:

"One is a section chief, and the other is a division chief who is about to be promoted to deputy director-general!"

Yan Bugui was very surprised after hearing this:

"Holy crap, that's really not presentable."

"Don't even mention me, Lao Yi and Lao Liu aren't qualified."

"Da Mao, you're amazing, making friends with such a capable leader."

Xu Damao said modestly:

"Hey, it's all thanks to the leaders' help. Uncle Yan, I won't say any more. I need to go home and prepare."

Yan Bugui waved his hand:

"Okay, go ahead and get busy!"

After Xu Damao left, Yan Bugui planned to stay in the front yard. He wanted to see which two leaders from the steel rolling mill Xu Damao had invited.

He had ulterior motives. Even if he just helped the leader get there, wouldn't Xu Damao invite him in for a chat when they arrived at his house?

Then, going with the flow and having a few drinks, it's perfect!

Time passed slowly, and the sky gradually darkened. Most of the people who were working outside had returned home.

Of course, the neighbors in the courtyard already knew that Xu Damao had guests at his home today, and that the guests were leaders.

After all, many neighbors had seen Xu Damao carrying the food box he had brought back from Fengzeyuan.

Hearing that a meal costs over a hundred yuan, the neighbors were astonished and secretly cursed the spendthrift, saying he was really burning money.

Jia Zhangshi cursed the most harshly:

"That bastard Xu Damao, look at the state of his life since Lao Xu is gone. The couple rarely cook, they always eat out."

"They even got to eat at Fengzeyuan today, and didn't even invite their old lady over for a meal. They have no conscience."

Jia Dongxu and Tong Jie were already used to it, but they were still very envious of Xu Damao's spending habits.

Fengzeyuan is a place their family can afford, but they'd be worried about the cost of one meal for months, so they can't afford to eat even a little bit!

They still fondly remember the days from a few years ago, the happy times when Li Jiuzhou and Sha Zhu hosted a grand banquet.

Just thinking about it made my mouth water; I was craving it...

At the Yi family residence, Yi Zhonghai would occasionally glance towards the Intermediate People's Court, trying to discern which leader was visiting Xu Damao's home.

If they knew each other, he could come out and say hello, and then conveniently go to Xu Damao's house for a drink.

Liu Haizhong shared the same thought, looking expectantly towards the door, waiting for the leader's arrival.

In the front yard, Li Jiuzhou helped his wife Bingbing and held his son's hand with his left hand as they walked towards the back yard.

Damao is so generous, he prepared more than a dozen dishes. How could he and Shazhu possibly eat so much? The whole family will definitely pitch in.

As soon as he stepped outside, someone greeted him; it was Yan Bugui, who had been waiting so long he was starving.

"Jiuzhou, I didn't see you light a fire today. Are you having dinner at Zhuzi's?"

Li Jiuzhou greeted him politely:

"It's Uncle Yan. We're not going to Zhu Zi's house for dinner today, we're going to Da Mao's house."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bu's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out:

"Is the division-level leader that Da Mao mentioned you?"

Li Jiuzhou smiled:

"Well... if nothing unexpected happens, then it's me."

"Is the one at the section chief level Zhu Zi?" Yan Bugui was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Yes, that's right!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui thought to himself, "Good heavens, I've really gotten myself into a dead end!"

The highest-ranking official in their compound is none other than Li Jiuzhou.

I wasted my time waiting here like an idiot.

Li Jiuzhou didn't waste any words with him:

"You rest, we'll go ahead."

"Mmm..." Yan Bugui responded woodenly.

The same scene continued to play out in the Yi family and the Liu family.

When they learned that Xu Damao had invited Li Jiuzhou and Shazhu, they slapped their thighs, saying how come they hadn't thought of that, they were really wasting their brains.