Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The matter of Yi Zhonghai's three scoundrels has come to an end.

They chose not to pursue the past, truly understanding the meaning of "an eye for an eye only leads to another".

Li Jiuzhou wouldn't care; they could do whatever they wanted.

The next day, Li Jiuzhou was reviewing documents in his office when Sha Zhu knocked on the door and came in.

He got straight to the point:

"Senior brother, there's something I need to tell you."

Li Jiuzhou put down his pen:

"Pour yourself some tea." Then he offered Sha Zhu a cigarette.

Sha Zhu poured tea for his senior brother first, then poured some for himself, and finally lit a Zhonghua cigarette and took a delicious sip.

"Senior brother, the Xizhimen Subdistrict Office recommended an old man to come and work in our cafeteria."

"What's so strange about this?" Li Jiuzhou didn't think it was a big deal, but he figured there was something fishy about Sha Zhu coming to him about this.

Shazhu was getting impatient:

"I didn't see it with my own eyes, but my two apprentices and your apprentice did."

"This morning I had that old man chopping vegetables, and wow, he chopped up a military order on the cutting board! He's really something!"

"However, I guess he's a far cry from my senior brother."

"Oh...Is that so?" Li Jiuzhou became interested.

Sha Zhu nodded:

"Yes, I've seen him cut vegetables; his knife skills are top-notch."

Li Jiuzhou grinned:

"Then... shall we meet this old Deng?"

"Let's go!" Sha Zhu stood up and led the way.

Upon arriving at the first canteen, the two immediately heard the sound of chopping vegetables as soon as they entered the kitchen, a sound that was very familiar to them.

The sound came from afar and approached.

"Ta-da..."

Sha Zhu exclaimed in surprise:

"Damn, it really is a general's order! Not bad, senior brother, Old Deng's got some skills!"

I saw a man dressed in a chef's uniform chopping vegetables; he looked to be about 58 years old.

His chopping movements were clearly very skilled, and he even had an expression of enjoyment on his face.

Li Jiuzhou smiled, took a step forward, and then winked at Sha Zhu.

Sha Zhu understood immediately, cleared his throat, and shouted:

"That old Deng... he's calling you. Come over here for a talk!"

Upon learning that the deputy director was looking for him, the man immediately put down his work and hurried toward the two men.

Li Jiuzhou turned and walked towards the back door.

"Do you know who I am?" Sha Zhu asked.

"I know, you are Deputy Director He, a top student of Chef Li Tielong of Fengzeyuan Restaurant, and the 'Brutal Chef' of Beiping!"

"We don't need to talk about the last one." Sha Zhu curled his lip.

"Let me introduce you. This is my senior colleague, the canteen manager of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill."

The man was greatly surprised upon hearing this and quickly clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"So it's Mr. Fish in person! My apologies for not recognizing you in person!"

Li Jiuzhou returned the greeting:

"What should I call you, comrade?"

"Uh... My surname is He and my given name is Ku!" The man blushed slightly, seemingly a little embarrassed.

"Why bother? Your name is quite poetic, and you're even from the same clan as me!" Sha Zhu looked at him with considerable surprise.

"We were practically family five hundred years ago," the man said with a smile.

Li Jiuzhou asked a question:

"Your resume shows you have experience as a cook, so why are you doing so poorly?"

When asked about the past, he found it difficult to speak, but he had to answer when asked by his superiors:

"Boss, it's quite a coincidence, I have the same experience as Master He."

"Me?" Sha Zhu pointed to himself, his face full of confusion.

Why reveal such a hint of desire when looking at Sha Zhu with a sense of kinship?

"Yes, back then I also helped my employer prepare banquets. After the job was done, my employer not only didn't pay me, but also insulted me."

"I definitely couldn't stand this, so I got into a fight with the boss's son."

"I was a bit unlucky. I lost the fight, my right hand was broken, and I can no longer make a living."

"You're not good at this either. How come you've never done it before?" Sha Zhu said with a hint of disdain. He believed that if you're going to fight, you can't afford to lose.

Why did he look so miserable upon hearing this?

"Master He, you're taking on 20-odd people by yourself, while I'm fighting 70-80 by myself. Losing an arm is the least of my worries; I'd be lucky to survive."

Li Jiuzhou and Sha Zhu looked at each other in disbelief.

Sha Zhu still has some sense of justice, so why is he complaining so bitterly?

"No, if you're going to fight, then fight. What's the big deal about seventy or eighty people ganging up on you? How can you bully people like this?"

Li Jiuzhou felt that there was more to this than just a conflict with the main family; there must be other things involved. So he said:

"Master He, please say something we want to hear."

Hearing this, He Ku bared his teeth.

"Back then, my employer was holding a funeral. After I got into a fight with my employer's son, I felt unsatisfied, so I went to the funeral hall and lifted the lid off my employer's father's coffin."

"But I still wasn't satisfied, so I shoved the coffin onto the ground again, and the landlord's father rolled out looking all fresh and clean..."

Li Jiuzhou and Sha Zhu were utterly horrified upon hearing this. They both covered their heads with their hands and scratched their scalps, because they were numb...

After being shocked, Sha Zhu took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and then patted He Ku on the shoulder:

"Old Deng, you're awesome, I'm not as good as you. I think the title of 'Cook of the Storm' is more suitable for you."

He Ku smiled sheepishly.

"Hehe, Master He, you flatter me. It's all because I was too young back then. I find it laughable now. How could someone cause such a big disaster?"

"And then what? What did you do to make a living?" Li Jiuzhou was more interested in how he fared afterward.

He took a deep drag of his cigarette.

"Later, I became disheartened. My hand was broken, and I had no other skills, so I could only make a living by begging."

Sha Zhu casually asked:

"Where are you going to beg for food?"

He glanced at Sha Zhu indifferently and uttered three words:

"In the human world!"

Sha Zhu: "…………"

"Hahahaha..." Li Jiuzhou couldn't help but laugh.

He realized that this old man named He Ku was quite interesting.

Judging him by later generations, he was a man of character!

However, Li Jiuzhou still had a question:

"Master He, didn't you say your hand was broken? How come you are now...?"

When asked this question, He Ku's expression clearly showed excitement:

"You mean your hand? It's strange, but ever since my hand was broken, I've had this aftereffect; it often shakes."

"But for some reason, it suddenly stopped two months ago, and it hasn't shaken since."

"I thought my life would just end like this, but the neighborhood committee couldn't stand it anymore and arranged for me to work in the factory."

"I happened to practice my old cooking skills for the past two months and found that I'm still completely capable of doing them, so I guess I have no choice but to become a chef."

Li Jiuzhou and Sha Zhu listened with amazement.

The world is vast and full of wonders; don't be surprised.

Li Jiuzhou's gaze toward He Ku suddenly sharpened:

"Alright, Master He, now that you're in the factory, do your job well. But I need to make this clear first: I won't allow you to vent your temper on me."

"Otherwise, go back to where you came from."

Why bother patting your chest and making repeated assurances?

"Director, don't worry, I definitely won't cause you any trouble. I'm not the same person I used to be!"

"Okay, get to work!"