Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Secretary Nie quickly found out who wanted to see him.

"So it was this little brat..." A picture quickly formed in Secretary Nie's mind.

In the video, a young man with a pointed face and monkey-like features is shouting righteously that he wants to save people.

Secretary Nie smiled slightly. He didn't judge people by their appearance. Although appearances reflect character, Xu Damao was not bad in his eyes.

Although they may have some ulterior motives, their starting point was not wrong.

Even that kid Li Jiuzhou relayed his message, so it must be quite commendable. Meeting him wouldn't hurt.

Soon, Xu Damao arrived at Secretary Nie's office, led by his secretary.

Upon seeing the person, Xu Damao suppressed his excitement and stood ramrod straight:

"Hello, Secretary, I'm Xu Damao from the Publicity Department!"

"Haha, it's you, lad. Don't be so reserved, have a seat." Secretary Nie smiled, then instructed his secretary:

"Xiao Liu, go brew a pot of tea."

"Okay, Secretary." Although Liu Juan was a little confused, she did as instructed.

The Party Secretary treated Xu Damao very well; it seems we need to reconsider our treatment of him.

Xu Damao had no idea that Liu Juan wanted to see Secretary Nie, because he was stopped by other people in the General Office before he could even get through to her.

Liu Juan quickly brewed the tea and then left.

After his secretary left, Xu Damao took out two packs of cigarettes and two bottles of wine from his briefcase.

Then he sincerely said:

"Secretary, I haven't had a chance to properly thank you for your promotion. Please accept this small token of my appreciation."

Seeing Xu Damao's sincerity, and the fact that he only offered cigarettes and alcohol, Secretary Nie's gaze towards Xu Damao softened considerably.

"Hehe, Da Mao, you're quite good. You're a smart person and ambitious, which I admire."

"I'll accept the gift; it's a token of your appreciation."

"But you're right, I did promote you."

"I know everything you've done since you took office as deputy head of the publicity department."

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao stood up excitedly:

"Book... Secretary..."

Secretary Nie waved his hand:

"Haha, don't get excited, sit down and talk, have a smoke and calm down..."

Xu Damao immediately lit a cigarette for Secretary Nie, and then lit one for himself, trembling.

Secretary Nie hadn't finished speaking:

"Many things will happen at the grassroots level, but those are all for your training, and I won't interfere."

"If you're capable, you can come up here on your own."

"This recruitment of projectionist apprentices was done very well. The country is in dire need of rebuilding, and some people are just being narrow-minded by clinging to their skills."

"Da Mao, I'm very satisfied that you can break the old rules of society. Keep up the good work, and if you do well, it won't be difficult to get promoted."

Xu Damao was extremely excited to receive Secretary Nie's affirmation:

"Yes, Secretary. I will definitely do my job well and live up to your expectations."

Secretary Nie nodded in satisfaction, opened a drawer, took out a small bag of tea, and pushed it towards Xu Damao:

"It's only right to reciprocate. Take it back and have a taste. If you encounter any trouble in the future, you can come and report it to me."

"I enjoy interacting with young people like you."

"Secretary, I..." Xu Damao looked at the small bag of tea on the table, overwhelmed with emotion, almost crying. What had he done to deserve this?

Secretary Nie smiled and waved his hand:

"Hahaha... Go ahead, work hard, spread the word, and achieve great results!"

Xu Damao stood up and bowed solemnly to Secretary Nie:

"Serve the people!"

Secretary Nie smiled and waved his hand again:

"Good job, don't embarrass yourself, go on!"

Xu Damao walked out of Secretary Nie's office with his head held high and chest puffed out, feeling exceptionally refreshed.

Secretary Nie didn't promise any benefits, only giving him a bag of tea and a few words of encouragement.

Most importantly, Secretary Nie's words, "You can come to me if you have anything to report," subtly implied that he wanted to take care of him.

But Xu Damao knew very well that he should not go unless absolutely necessary.

Xu Damao is already quite satisfied that it can be used at the most critical and necessary time.

Secretary Nie's idea was to serve the public wholeheartedly; if Xu Damao was truly a talented individual, then promoting him wouldn't be out of the question.

If someone is truly hopeless, they'll remain in that deputy section chief position until the end.

According to Secretary Nie's observation, Xu Damao is quite quick-witted; we'll see what he does in the future.

Secretary Nie certainly knows how to read faces and tell fortunes, but he generally doesn't use them. He's already a vice-minister, and usually no one can get him to use these methods.

However, that little rascal Yang Ligong almost ruined his fortune, so he secretly performed a divination for him.

He'd somehow figured something out; this kid was going to have a really bad time in the future. It's unspeakable, unspeakable...

Secretary Nie's seemingly joking promise to the Li family uncle and nephew was not a lie; he really could live another 50 years.

He claimed he calculated it himself, but that's not true; who would calculate their own fortune?

That was calculated for him by a fellow Daoist.

That fellow cultivator was just like him; with the country shattered, he couldn't focus on cultivating immortality and had no choice but to join the army to save the world.

As a result, the two met in the same unit, and their shared aura was exceptionally attractive.

So the two of them started talking to each other in secret.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait! This humble Daoist is not talented, but I am proficient in all eight great divine incantations!"

Secretary Nie was quite disdainful after hearing this. Knowing that competitors are often rivals, he naturally couldn't back down.

"That's nothing! I, a humble Taoist priest, can command the troops of the Six Caves!"

Upon hearing this, that fellow Daoist was so angry his nose twisted out of shape:

"What the hell are you bragging about, controlling the troops of the Six Caves? I, Daoist Master, will blast you to ashes with a single Purple Heaven Divine Thunder."

The two couldn't find common ground in their conversation, so they rolled up their sleeves and got to work.

After a flurry of wild punches, both of them ended up with bruises and swelling on their faces.

However, they later forged a deep friendship during the war, as they shared common interests.

However, that fellow Daoist was unlucky. He was shot six times in a battle and endured it for half a month before ascending to immortality.

It's not that the fellow Daoist's magic wasn't profound enough; it's just that life and death are inherently unpredictable.

No one can guarantee they'll survive such a battle unscathed, not even the Taoist priest.

On the night before he left, Secretary Nie took care of him. In his final moments, the Daoist friend went all out and cast a divination for him.

The fortune teller said he could live to be over a hundred years old. Secretary Nie saw him make the calculation himself and believed it without a doubt.

Finally, the fellow Daoist left behind a final message:

"Old Nie, you're really alive, you bastard! I'm not having it..."

Upon the passing of his close friend, Secretary Nie buried him with a mixture of deep sorrow and secret joy.

Actually, there's one more thing you haven't said: "Since you, Old Nie, are so resilient, I want to be reborn into your family in my next life."

Those below still have face, as they are both martyrs and members of the Taoist community.

Making some requests is also acceptable.

He was completely dumbfounded when Secretary Nie's first son was born.

The six black moles on my son's chest and stomach looked so familiar.

As his son grew older, Secretary Nie finally understood.

What a terrible thing!