Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Of course, besides Yan Bugui causing trouble, the Liu family in the courtyard has also been unsettled lately.

Because Liu Guangqi, the eldest son of the Liu family, has not returned since leaving the hospital on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

The neighbors in the courtyard naturally noticed, and rumors would occasionally circulate, making Liu Haizhong's wife, Wang Guilian, very uncomfortable.

Liu Haizhong, on the other hand, didn't care. He had secretly gone to his son's school to check on him. As long as the person was alive, there was nothing wrong with him; he hadn't died.

If he doesn't come back and kowtow to apologize, then this stalemate will continue. Liu Haizhong wants to see just how tough his son is.

As for Liu Guangqi, he has been having a tough time for the past six months without his father's support.

The school's stipend was enough for him to live on, but definitely not enough for his social life.

He was seething with anger and refused to back down, but luckily he pulled through.

He was very happy as graduation approached, but fear followed.

His teacher hinted that he would be assigned to a steel plant in Tianjin.

How could this be allowed? Liu Guangqi still had his eyes on his father's connections.

If he goes to Tianjin, he'll basically lose everything, and he probably won't get any of the family's things either.

He desperately tried to build connections, hoping to find a factory in Beijing, even if it wasn't the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill, any factory would do; he wasn't picky.

Liu Guangqi tried everything he could but couldn't change the school's mind. Now the only way out is to go home, kowtow to his parents, and admit his mistake.

Liu Guangqi kept trying to comfort himself, thinking that it was nothing to kowtow and admit his mistakes to his own parents, who were his own parents after all!

I acted on my thought immediately, packed my things and went straight home, spending the little money I had left to buy a roast duck on the way.

On this day off, the neighbors were quite surprised to see Liu Guangqi.

"Oh, Guangqi, you're finally back! Your parents were so worried about you." The speaker was Aunt Yi.

Liu Guangqi revealed a slight smile:

"Hehe, I've been quite busy at school, Aunt Yi. Are you in good health?"

"My son, you're finally back! Come home with me and rest. Husband, our son's back, hurry up and cook a couple of dishes."

Wang Guilian had long since lost her anger. No matter how much of a scoundrel her son was, he was still her son, and she missed him terribly after not seeing him for more than half a year!

Liu Haizhong was playing chess with Yi Zhonghai when he heard his wife's order and snorted coldly.

Yi Zhonghai smiled upon seeing this:

"Old Liu, father and son don't hold grudges overnight. Go on, you lose this round, but you owe me a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes."

Liu Haizhong smiled helplessly after hearing this and uttered a single word:

"OK."

Liu Haizhong was in a good mood because his son had returned. He had graduated from vocational school and was now back with a job as a future cadre, which made his father, the Liu family, proud.

If his son doesn't come back, Liu Haizhong will definitely be furious. He can't accept that his son didn't even tell him about arranging work.

Back home, Liu Haizhong started teasing Liu Guangqi:

"I thought you were tough as nails, but you still came back."

Upon hearing this, Wang Guilian quickly tried to smooth things over:

"Oh dear, husband, what nonsense are you talking about? Guangqi is back. Father and son don't hold grudges overnight."

Liu Guangqi blushed slightly, but he was mentally prepared. He immediately bent his knees and knelt down, kowtowing three times with a loud thud.

"Dad, Mom, it was my fault. I shouldn't have acted impulsively. I was wrong. You can punish me however you want."

Wang Guilian felt sorry for him and wanted to help him up, but after being glared at by Liu Haizhong, she didn't dare to move.

Liu Haizhong stared at Liu Haizhong for a good ten seconds before finally speaking:

"Get up, let bygones be bygones. Go make some tea, let's have a chat, father and son."

"Honey, go cook."

Wang Guilian smiled after hearing this:

"Okay, okay, I'll go cook now. Guangqi even brought back a roast duck. You two can have a nice drink at noon."

"You two, please don't make a fuss while you drink your tea!"

Liu Haizhong waved his hand impatiently:

"Hurry up, stop rambling on."

Liu Guangqi quickly went to make tea, lighting cigarettes and pouring tea.

Liu Haizhong seemed to be enjoying himself; he liked this kind of thing. He took a sip of tea, puffed on a cigarette, and casually asked Liu Guangqi:

"Tell me, tell me, where did the school assign you?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Guangqi lowered his head, his voice somewhat soft:

"Tianjin Steel Rolling Mill..."

Liu Haizhong stopped smoking and looked at his son with a bit of disbelief:

"You're being assigned to Tianjin. Your grades aren't bad, so why were you assigned to such a far place?"

Liu Guangqi said with some resentment:

"Good grades don't guarantee a good job assignment, so it doesn't matter."

Liu Haizhong understood, and looked at him with a half-smile:

"So what do you mean, are you going or not?"

At this point, Liu Guangqi could only resort to shamelessness:

"Dad, please stop teasing me. If I had a solution, I wouldn't be asking you for help."

"I've tried to be self-reliant for the past six months. I can survive without your help, but this job arrangement is too unfair. I have no choice but to stay. I don't want to go to Tianjin."

"I'm your son, you have to help me sort this out no matter what."

"If I go to Tianjin, when will I be able to come back?"

Liu Haizhong couldn't get angry at his son's somewhat shameless statement.

If Liu Guangqi makes even the slightest mistake, he might get into serious trouble. This is no joke; Liu Haizhong is all prepared.

He was angry. "Why didn't you say you needed a relationship earlier? Don't you think I have any hair in my bangs?"

Fortunately, the list is not yet finalized, so there is still room for maneuver.

Liu Haizhong's only satisfaction is that his son has not taken a single penny from the family and has been living on his own for the past six months.

This shows that he has made progress and has the ability to survive independently, which is what Liu Haizhong wanted to see.

Liu Haizhong's finger lightly tapped the desktop:

"Then come work at our factory, would you like to?"

Liu Guangqi was overjoyed upon hearing this, nodding his head vigorously.

"Dad, I'm willing to go to Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill!"

"Then it's settled."

At noon, Liu Guangtian, who had gone out to work to earn money, returned home. He was quite happy to see his older brother, Guangfu, return and gave him some soda to buy for the whole family to celebrate.

Liu Guangqi's feelings were complicated as he watched his younger brother's performance.

"Guangtian, not bad, you've learned to make money now."

Liu Guangtian said smugly:

"Brother, there's nothing much going on at home, so I'm just earning some pocket money. After school starts, I won't have to ask Mom and Dad for things like paper and pens, which will ease the burden on the family."

Liu Haizhong was very pleased to hear his second son's words from inside the house. Look at him, so sensible even in junior high school. What a filial child.

Liu Guangqi disagreed, believing that his younger brother was faking it to please their parents.

Liu Guangtian didn't say much to his older brother, went inside to find Liu Haizhong, and spoke in a very casual manner:

"Dad, I'm not going to work tomorrow. School starts in two weeks, and I plan to have some fun."

"This is 36 yuan, which I earned by carrying bricks. I'm giving 30 yuan to you and my mother to show my respect. You've worked so hard all these years."

"Don't save it for me. It's not much money. It's enough to buy you two a couple of new clothes."

"How about I keep the remaining 6 dollars in my pocket?"

Liu Haizhong was deeply moved as he looked at the 30 yuan in his hand; it was the first time he had ever received money from his son.

He almost cried because of how sweet her words were.

To be honest, Liu Haizhong didn't want it; he felt it was too much of a burden. But he couldn't bear to refuse his son's filial piety.

Liu Haizhong couldn't help but pat Liu Guangtian's head, his face showing a kind expression:

"Dad doesn't need your money, but since you're so kind, we'll accept it. Eat and drink as you please for the next two weeks."

"Alright!" Liu Guangtian was as happy as a child to receive his father's approval!

Liu Guangqi was somewhat dazed as he watched the scene of fatherly love and filial piety, as if his father had always been this gentle with him.

Little did they know that things had changed beyond recognition.