Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The next morning, the courtyard was filled with the aroma of cooking. The women got up early to make breakfast for the men who were about to go to work and the children who were going to school.

Li Jiuzhou's family rarely cooks in the mornings; they usually go out to buy things like soy milk, fried dough sticks, or steamed buns.

This was already a luxury for people of that era.

Sha Zhu's conditions are also very good. When Qin Huairu first started working at the factory, he mentioned that she could eat out for breakfast.

However, Qin Huairu was used to being frugal and still preferred to make her own breakfast.

Tong Jie still makes breakfast at the Jia family's house. The division of labor is very clear: if she makes breakfast, then the rest of the housework will be left to Jia Zhangshi.

Tong Jie doesn't care what time Jia Zhangshi gets up; all you have to do is take care of the chores at home.

The reason I get up early is because I go to bed early, especially in winter, I'm in bed before nine o'clock.

I can get 9 hours of sleep by waking up at 6 a.m., which is more than enough.

Many elderly people, like Yi Zhonghai, wake up around 5 a.m., making sure they get a good night's sleep before getting up.

Few people can actually sleep until eight, nine, or ten o'clock. What kind of conditions allow people to sleep so late?

Li Jiuzhou woke up very early this morning. His daughter had wet the bed, so he had to get up to change her diaper and then wash her clean.

Being a parent isn't easy.

Li Jiuzhou wanted to go and buy some pork to make soup for breakfast.

Just as I stepped out with my bag, I saw Sha Zhu, Jia Dongxu, and Xu Damao had also arrived.

Li Jiuzhou was amused:

"Hey guys, what's up? Heading to buy groceries?"

Jia Dongxu yawned, his eyes dark-rimmed.

"Yeah, we should cut some flesh as soon as possible."

Li Jiuzhou smiled:

"Dongxu, you must have paid your dues last night. I feel much more at ease now. Couples should communicate well; even if they quarrel in bed, they should make up before they get out of bed."

Xu Damao loves to join in the fun:

"That's right, Dongxu. Don't beat your wife so easily in the future. It's so pathetic."

"Imagine a mosquito landing on your penis and sucking your blood; that's when you realize that violence can't solve all problems."

Upon hearing this, the group immediately realized that Xu Damao's words were insightful and made perfect sense.

Jia Dongxu seemed lost in thought, but he still wanted to cause trouble for Xu Damao:

"Da Mao, you were dishonest yesterday. How could you just say such things? Jiuzhou already told us not to talk nonsense."

"If this gets out of hand, there will be more rumors going around in the courtyard."

Xu Damao patted his chest:

"Don't worry about that. We're husband and wife, and Meizi and I won't say anything."

"If you don't believe me, ask Sha Zhu and Zhou Ge. Did they tell their wives last night that you almost got cheated on?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu looked at Sha Zhu and Li Jiuzhou.

Sha Zhu glared at Xu Damao, then gave a slightly embarrassed laugh:

"Well, Da Mao said that husband and wife are one, so if I know it, it's the same as my wife knowing it too. Don't worry, we'll keep our mouths shut."

Jia Dongxu then looked at Li Jiuzhou.

Li Jiuzhou scratched his head awkwardly:

"Well, Da Mao is right..."

Jia Dongxu was on the verge of tears; these brothers were just too damn unreliable.

"You guys are really good brothers, damn it..."

Xu Damao stepped forward and put his arm around Jia Dongxu's shoulder:

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'll treat you to the money you spent on the meat this morning, consider it compensation."

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu felt much better and turned his gaze to the other two.

Sha Zhu raised an eyebrow:

"What does this have to do with me? I'm not inviting you."

Li Jiuzhou looked into the distance:

"I won't invite you either..."

Jia Dongxu muttered to himself:

"If you don't want to invite me, then you don't have to. Da Mao, I was planning to cut a pork hock this morning, about ten or twenty pounds, what do you think..."

Xu Damao's face darkened upon hearing this; they thought he was a sucker.

"You're dead, you son of a bitch! You think you can have a whole pig instead?"

Jia Dongxu cursed and swore:

"Hey, didn't you say you'd treat me to some meat? Why do you care how much I cut? You're so stingy."

In the end, Jia Dongxu still managed to buy a pound of pork, making a small profit.

When they got home, Tong Jie asked why so many had been cut, and Jia Dongxu explained what had happened.

What else could Tong Jie say? Free pork is free, so why not take it?

Eat half a pound in the morning and the rest in the evening. The meat won't spoil even if left out for a long time in winter.

Winter brings a lot of work: hauling coal, firewood, and winter-stored cabbages.

It can be said that expenses are higher in winter than in summer.

However, the amount of coal used in their No. 95 courtyard has decreased.

Because their wood-burning stoves and kang (heated brick beds) are all fueled by firewood, with only a little coal added occasionally.

The hot water is boiled in the morning, and each household has several thermos flasks, enough for the whole family.

For those going to work, just bring a thermos with some tea leaves inside.

For those with limited resources who don't have insulated cups, enamel mugs are fine; the factory provides free hot water.

Supplies need to be prepared in advance for the end of the year, and Li Jiuzhou makes many phone calls every day to arrange supplies.

Some supplies cannot be directly obtained from the capital because they are unavailable, so they have to be sourced from other regions.

Of course, nothing comes for free; it costs money.

Fortunately, they have excellent interpersonal relationships in their factory.

Sometimes the meat processing plant would proactively call Li Jiuzhou to say, "The meat has arrived, come and pick it up!"

Li Jiuzhou naturally sent the factory's transport team to pick up the meat immediately. The handover was mostly done with receipts, and no money was ever seen.

The rules stipulate that all accounts must be settled by the end of the month, and the factory's finance department will handle that at that time.

Li Jiuzhou couldn't see any money at all.

Unplanned supplies were also easy to handle. He had Da Hu make a list, print it out, and distribute it to the leaders of various departments.

Fill in what you need yourself, and we'll exchange the goods for money on the spot.

Because every winter, Big Tiger manages to acquire valuable items that ordinary people can't afford.

The leaders, on the other hand, really like it. They probably don't use it for their own enjoyment, but rather give it away as a gift to other leaders.

If you don't run errands and deliveries, how can you expect to improve?

Even if your boss doesn't accept it, you still need to have the intention. Your boss doesn't care what you give him; he only cares about your actions.

The things that Da Hu brought in all required the leaders to pay for themselves; the factory wouldn't foot the bill for them.

However, when Da Hu went to get it, he followed the proper procedures and purchased it in the name of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill!

Anyway, there's nothing wrong with the books. You say I misappropriated it? Fine, I'll make up for it again. What, are you messing with me?

All factories do this kind of thing. After all, it's too difficult for individuals to get things; they have to live in fear. Using the factory's name is the best option.

Sometimes, if the factory buys too much meat, it can't be distributed. If the leaders need it, they can buy it themselves with their own money, which is reasonable and compliant.

This saves me from having to go to the market again.

Most leaders do this: when they run out of food at home, they go to the factory to get some; when they want to eat meat, they go to the factory to get some.

The factory also has a cold storage facility that can store meat, which is incredibly convenient.

We saved a lot on receipts.

Therefore, leaders in this era, whether in high or low positions, possess far too much power and resources.

To give a very common example, an ordinary worker's son is getting married and needs to hold a wedding banquet.

He had a hard time even getting ten catties of pork; he had to go around exchanging meat coupons, grain coupons, and so on, which was very troublesome.

You should also save it in advance, and not spend it recklessly for at least six months.

As for the leaders, take Xu Damao as an example. As long as he speaks, he can get the resources to hold ten of the most ordinary wedding banquets!

And you don't even have to pay a single receipt; that's one of the perks of being a leader.