Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Dong Tianbao's car sped out of the steel rolling mill; he was in a hurry and needed to get back to prepare things and people.

These are all for the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill. We must give them what they want first, otherwise Dong Tianbao won't be able to take away a single grain of rice.

Although he felt aggrieved, there was nothing he could do. If he had the chance in the future, he would definitely make things difficult for Yang Ligong. This feud was now truly settled.

At the Ministry of Metallurgy, Wang Lao also learned about Yang Ligong's actions. Although he somewhat disagreed with them, he did not stop him.

Yang Ligong still harbors resentment from the last incident, and it wouldn't hurt for him to vent.

Dong Tianbao and Wang Lao were not taken seriously, and even though he had powerful backers, they were not afraid at all.

But it is Dong Tianbao who will deliver a fatal blow to their entire family in the future!

In the afternoon, everything the factory needed was delivered by the textile factory.

Li Jiuzhou had already prepared the grain in advance, and then handed it over, weighed it, loaded it onto the truck, and left.

This process needs to be rigorous because the two sides don't trust each other, so it's better to avoid trouble.

Minister Wang and Elder Li were very satisfied with the result; Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill was very sensible!

After that incident, everything returned to normal.

However, grain was still difficult to buy, and the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill could not even buy enough grain each month.

The ration for ordinary people was reduced three times in two months, causing widespread panic.

Li Jiuzhou made a decision: they couldn't eat white flour buns every day anymore; if they continued like this, their stock might not even be enough.

Stored grain is one thing, but it can only be taken out and eaten when facing a life-or-death crisis.

Besides, other factories have switched to whole grain steamed buns as their staple food, so their factory can no longer stand out, and the conditions no longer allow it.

So the canteen still had steamed buns, but everyone had to eat them with mixed grain cornbread.

The workers didn't complain. That's how things were; other factories didn't even have steamed buns. Fortunately, the dishes were still very appetizing.

There are vegetables and soup. Even the worst soup from their factory is egg drop soup, so the nutritional value is still guaranteed.

As a chef, Li Jiuzhou knows how to combine ingredients.

So, despite feeding the workers coarse grains, no one actually became haggard or thin because of it.

The workers also have their own sense of right and wrong, knowing that the canteen has done a very good job.

Their own meals at home were even worse than those at the factory, so there was nothing to complain about or feel aggrieved about.

They've gotten used to hard times.

When the country is in trouble, they must also respond to the call.

Similarly, the hospitality at the factory became very special.

Of course, this doesn't mean the leaders are inspecting less often; in fact, they're visiting even more frequently because of the grain issue.

But they dared not eat it. When would they dare to eat it? They had to be careful.

They were afraid the steel mill would misunderstand, so they would repeatedly remind the workers to eat the same things they ate.

So the hospitality stopped.

This time it's really quiet; nobody dares to eat there. During this special period, nobody dares to swagger around.

If the leaders are like this, what can the workers say? They immediately feel reassured.

However, Li Jiuzhou did not remove the canteen where the leaders ate; he would just occasionally put it out for show.

Eating with the workers would cause too many problems.

Because there really were people who knelt down in front of a large group of workers, begging their leaders for help with their families.

This leader was Yang Ligong, who ate with the workers for several days in a row.

Damn it, with so many people watching, should I help or not?

They're in such a terrible situation, they deserve help, and Yang Ligong should personally step forward to help them.

If we don't help, we're doomed; the whole factory will know.

So, after this incident, he never dared to go to the cafeteria to join in the fun again.

It wasn't that he didn't want to deal with it, but it was too uncomfortable to be watched by everyone while he was doing things.

So I obediently went back to the small canteen to eat.

The leaders' meals were different; they ate steamed buns and rice. As leaders, they should have received this preferential treatment. Their vegetables were basically the same as those of the workers.

If there were no preferential treatment, and Secretary Nie is elderly and has a weak stomach, would you really expect him to eat cornbread?

He doesn't eat much and doesn't have high demands; a little rice porridge with side dishes is enough for each meal.

This small request is enough to move many people to tears. Li Jiuzhou must do it for him!

Leaders at the deputy division level and above eat in the small canteen, and section-level cadres follow suit.

These slight preferential treatments can also reduce unnecessary troubles for leaders and cadres when they are working.

At least that's how it is in the factory. What they do at home is none of the factory's business. They can do whatever they want.

The neighbors in the courtyard did the same. Yi Zhonghai even started eating coarse grains. As a leading cadre, he had to set an example, as mentioned in a factory meeting.

He has to do that on the surface, but secretly eating meat at night is another matter entirely.

This is truly painful for the residents of Building 95 who are used to a comfortable life.

It's not that they don't have money, but they feel too stifled to spend money on food like this, and they can't bear to do it.

Not to mention them, even Li Jiuzhou himself couldn't bear to part with it; a price difference of twenty or thirty yuan was simply unbearable.

It should only be done as a last resort.

Like the Jia family's sorghum, it howls every day, it's too hard for it. It's used to eating refined grains, and now it can't get used to the new food, and there's no meat to eat.

At first, Jia Dongxu felt sorry for Bang Geng's wailing, but after several days of wailing, he couldn't bear it any longer. There was no need to endure it any longer!

A few whacks and even the most unruly kids will behave.

Jia Zhangshi was also unable to stand it, complaining that she couldn't get used to the food.

But she became obedient when she saw her grandson being brutally beaten by her son, because her son's gaze was too fierce.

Jia Zhangshi was afraid that her son would beat her too if he got angry.

Li Jiuzhou's family was much more peaceful. They had a lot of cured meat at home, and they could just cut off a little bit whenever they wanted to eat it.

If I'm worried about the strong flavor, I specifically steam or boil it, but I never stir-fry it.

Besides, he has plenty of meat in his space, which he can eat anytime.

Li Jiuzhou is currently facing a choice that is making him quite conflicted.

That is, he obtained the application for cadre housing.

Unfortunately, the housing he was given was not particularly good.

For various reasons, his housing was the worst possible.

Secretary Nie also read it, and he was also in a dilemma, because the information clearly stated that Li Jiuzhou owned enough housing for his family, as well as a piece of land.

I can provide you with good housing, but you have to vacate your existing housing, even if the land deed is in Li Jiuzhou's name.

Of course, the higher-ups don't want your housing, Li Jiuzhou; they just want to rent it out. Yes, rent it out...

When Li Jiuzhou saw the document, he was shocked. If it was rented out, would it still be his in the future?

Li Jiuzhou has an entire west wing room in the courtyard house, as well as two second rooms and two rear rooms.

Once these rooms are rented out, they won't just be rented to one household; these rooms will be rented to at least five households.

It's easy to rent out, but what about when you want to take it back?

There will be endless disputes later. Even if he says he is a deputy director, it will still be troublesome. If the tenants refuse to vacate the premises, they will say that Li Jiuzhou is abusing his power, which will be a real problem.

After much deliberation, Li Jiuzhou decided to give up the cadre housing; the cost was too high, and he couldn't afford it.

He's doing quite well for now, it's just that there are a few more neighbors, but it's not a big deal.