Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The weather in Beiping in May is excellent, neither too cold nor too hot, with occasional gentle breezes.

But Li Jiuzhou knew that the hot summer was just around the corner, and the dogs would be so hot that they would stick out their tongues.

What a load of rubbish! A courtyard house that's warm in winter and cool in summer.

If you want to cool off, that's something that only happens in the middle of the night.

The men took cold showers several times a day, and when it was time for bed, the men in the middle courtyard would all be taking cold showers by the tap.

On this day off, Li Jiuzhou did not rest, but stayed at the factory construction site for half a day before returning.

As I parked my car and came out of the courtyard, I saw a group of people gathered together, seemingly watching something interesting.

Li Jiuzhou stepped forward and patted Sha Zhu on the shoulder:

"Zhu Zi, what happened?"

When Sha Zhu saw his senior brother return, he immediately told him what had just happened:

"Senior brother, you don't know, Yan Jiecheng and his younger brother somehow got some frogs, I estimate they weigh about seven or eight pounds."

Sha Zhu touched the corner of his mouth as he spoke, because he was craving something sweet.

"Senior brother, how about I bring it over and tidy it up so we can have a drink at noon?"

Li Jiuzhou's eyes lit up. He could tell that Sha Zhu was a little hungry, and he was just as hungry.

The conduct of officials is now strictly investigated, and excessive eating and drinking are not allowed. Otherwise, why would Li Jiuzhou and Sha Zhu have to suffer such a loss?

As a leading cadre, one cannot knowingly commit a wrong; the factory's hospitality has been reduced again and again.

It's either pork, chicken, duck, or fish; adding shrimp or crab would be too extravagant.

Frogs are a rare find, especially wild ones; we could get some and make a couple of dishes with them.

Without hesitation, Li Jiuzhou nodded in agreement.

Upon seeing this, Sha Zhu's face lit up with joy, and he squeezed into the crowd.

Yan Bugui was praising his son for being so promising, after all, he was a seven or eight jin frog, and so big.

If prepared properly and served, it's a true star dish!

This was when Sha Zhu called out to him:

"Uncle Yan, your family can't possibly finish all these frogs. Share some with me so I can have a drink with my senior brother at noon."

The other neighbors' eyes lit up when they heard this; they were all incredibly envious.

How to cook frogs?

There really aren't many people who know how to make it; even a skilled cook can't make a meal without rice.

Even if Yan Bugui gave it to them for free, they could only take it home and stir-fry it.

But it's different when Sha Zhu takes it back; he's a master chef, the kind with a title.

After hearing what Sha Zhu said, Yan Bugui's eyes darted around.

He also faces the problem of how to make a good dish of frog.

His wife can't cook either.

After thinking for a while, Yan Bugui spoke:

"I can give you half, how much will you give? But I have one condition."

Sha Zhu frowned slightly:

"Tell me your conditions first, and then I'll consider whether or not you want it."

Yan Bugui laughed and said:

"You have to finish the rest for me; I'd like to have a drink too."

Sha Zhu laughed:

"You really know how to find opportunities to take advantage of others. No problem doing it, I'll provide the materials, but I can't do it for free. We'll split the profits 50/50, and there won't be a single penny of money involved."

"My skills are worth the price, and I've even given you a discount."

Yan Bugui became anxious upon hearing this:

"This is a frog, it's huge and fat!"

Sha Zhu said indifferently:

"I don't care what kind of chicken you are, even a bastard's chicken is useless. This is the condition, take it or leave it."

Seeing Sha Zhu's expression, Yan Bugui figured he wouldn't budge, so he opted for a less desirable option:

"My son can't have worked for nothing; he has to get something in return."

After hearing this, Sha Zhu looked at Yan Jiecheng, who was quite disheveled, covered in mud, with a lot on his face.

Yan Jiecheng was also staring longingly at Shazhu.

He wants to eat the food that Sha Zhu makes, and he also wants the benefits?

Seeing this, Sha Zhu smiled and took out the remaining half pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket, tossing it to Yan Jiecheng:

"Here you go, take it and smoke it. I'll give you an extra 50 cents for your trouble!"

Yan Jiecheng happily accepted the cigarette, casually pulled one out, and then took out a match from his father's pocket and lit it for himself, completely oblivious to everyone else.

The whole routine was executed flawlessly, with remarkable skill!

With so many elder brothers present, he had no intention of hitting them at all.

He was thinking to himself:

"I earned this through my own hard work, why should you guys take it?"

That's true; he definitely earned it.

Yan Bugui's lips twitched as he watched. His son had grown up and was proficient in smoking and drinking; he didn't need to be taught.

He steals your cigarettes from time to time, and you can't stop him.

The reason my son dared to do this was because there were many people around.

He was certain that I wouldn't reprimand him in front of a crowd.

Sha Zhu already knew that Yan Jiecheng smoked because he had asked him for some before.

Yan Bugui said helplessly:

"Okay then, just send over half of what you've prepared, Pillar."

"Should we send someone to keep an eye on things?" Sha Zhu joked.

Yan Bugui waved his hand impatiently:

"Can't I trust you enough? Hurry up and get it done."

Yan Bugui would have to keep a close eye on anyone else, but Sha Zhu was an exception. He wouldn't be greedy for a bite of food from him, nor would he be.

Sha Zhu smiled, picked up the bucket, and walked towards Li Jiuzhou.

"Senior brother, what do you suggest we do?"

Li Jiuzhou stroked his chin thoughtfully:

"Prepare some side dishes. Coat the frog legs with flour, fry them first, then grill them over charcoal. They're perfect with drinks."

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu's mouth was practically watering. He liked this way of eating. Senior brother is indeed senior brother; who the hell can eat better than you!

Sha Zhu immediately went to work, and Yan Jiecheng happily followed him to kill frogs.

His younger brother, Yan Jiefang, darted around with his eyes darting around; he still had one in his pocket, alive, but not a frog…

Sha Zhu was very quick and efficient; he cleaned up the frog in just a few minutes.

Li Jiuzhou watched from the side with his son Tie Niu and Sha Zhu's son Shi Tou.

As soon as the cold oil was added to the pan, a wonderful aroma wafted out.

The child came running over excitedly to smell the aroma, drooling.

Not to mention the children, even the adults standing far away were drooling, it smelled so good.

You have to admit the chef is good; the food is just delicious.

When they saw Sha Zhu bring out a bowl of fried frog legs with lard, everyone's mouths twitched, and they cursed him inwardly as a spendthrift.

That's outrageous!

Only Yan Bugui didn't care; in fact, he was quite pleased with himself.

Make it yourself? At best, you can only taste the meat flavor.

If you let Sha Zhu do it, it's no different from eating Fengzeyuan (a famous Chinese restaurant chain).

Besides, I didn't exert any effort at all, so I'm already exhausted from winning.

As for the son's contribution, what does that count for? It's no different from playing around.

Don't forget that your son got half a pack of cigarettes and 50 cents, so he also made a profit.

Finally, at mealtime, those drooling brats were dragged home by their parents, one by one, by their ears and yelling.

Even the pheasant was no exception; Yi Zhonghai dragged it home by the ear for dinner.

Yi Zhonghai has a very effective way of educating people. He can spoil you and pamper you, but he will never allow you to disobey him!

The Jia family and Yi Zhonghai called out to Bang Geng several times, but he ignored them completely.

Finally, Yi Zhonghai made his move, dragging the wailing Bang Geng back into the house.

He wouldn't allow any of the bastards to disobey him and beg for food at someone else's doorstep. That would be shameful. What can't Yi Zhonghai afford? Why would he need to do that?

If you speak to Grandpa politely, surely he'll buy it for you.

After Sha Zhu finished cooking, he divided the food in half and thoughtfully gave Yan Bugui a charcoal grill pan to take back.

This is a chef's professional ethics: if you're going to do something, you should do it perfectly, otherwise you're ruining your own reputation.