Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

At the hospital, the person who had been robbed was the first to wake up, and looked at the person lying in the next bed with a complex expression and a hint of gratitude.

"Comrade, you're finally awake! Talk to me, what happened...?"

This man was the eldest son of the Wu family, a famous seafood vendor in Beiping back then.

However, he's fallen on hard times now. Yesterday, he tried to exchange some things for food, but someone targeted him and he lost everything.

Xu Damao, the man who came to intervene, was also beaten half to death.

The eldest son of the Wu family told the truth: he only knew that Xu Damao's surname was Xu, but he had forgotten his given name.

He didn't know exactly where Xu Damao lived, only that he was a neighbor in the same courtyard as the violent chef He Yuzhu.

The comrades sent out remembered Chef He Yuzhu, which made it easy to investigate. They could easily find out that he lived in the No. 95 courtyard of Nanluoguxiang.

Today was a day off, and as soon as the police officers entered the hospital, they asked Sha Zhu to verify Xu Damao's identity.

"Comrade He Yuzhu, isn't there someone named Xu Damao in your institute?"

Silly Pillar responded:

"Yes, they live in our backyard. They didn't come back last night. Did something happen?"

The police officer explained:

"Last night, Comrade Xu Damao encountered a gang robbing people on the street on his way home from get off work. He stepped in to help, but was beaten half... um... caught off guard."

He is currently hospitalized with serious injuries and has not yet regained consciousness.

"Where are Xu Damao's family members? Please come with me."

Even without Sha Zhu's introduction, Su Mei, who was at the scene, burst into tears after hearing the police officer's account.

Bingbing and other women stepped forward to comfort her.

Li Jiuzhou instructed Sha Zhu:

"Zhu Zi, we're going to the hospital with the police. Drive the car to the entrance."

"I'll go right away."

Yi Zhonghai and several other liaison officers also wanted to go, so they went to get their bicycles.

They're all neighbors in the same compound. Since Xu Damao is injured, it's only right and proper that I go to see him.

Bingbing was also going. As the deputy director of the Nanluoguxiang Subdistrict Office, Xu Damao was a resident under her jurisdiction, and she was going to verify the situation.

Sha Zhu was driving, and Li Jiuzhou, Bingbing, Qin Huairu, and Su Mei were all in the car.

They were very fast and didn't need to wait for the police officers; they were riding sidecar motorcycles, which were even faster.

When they arrived at the ward, they saw Xu Damao, whose face was bruised and swollen, as well as the eldest son of the Wu family.

"Isn't this Brother Wu? What's up?" Li Jiuzhou recognized the eldest son of the Wu family and greeted him.

The eldest son of the Wu family recounted what had happened.

Everyone sighed upon hearing this, realizing that the once powerful Wu family had fallen into such a state.

Su Mei felt uneasy after hearing what the eldest son of the Wu family had to say.

If Wu's second son hadn't died back then, she might have become Wu's daughter-in-law, and her life now might not be so easy.

Li Jiuzhou didn't care much. Although the Wu family had fallen on hard times, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; they still had a strong foundation.

Even in poverty, they still have things to exchange for food, it's just not as glamorous as before.

A short while later, Yi Zhonghai and the others arrived, and after learning about the situation, they were all deeply saddened.

Only Jia Dongxu's eyes were strange, a mixture of resentment and admiration, the true feelings of which only he knew.

Li Jiuzhou also took the time to use the hospital's phone to inform Secretary Nie, Factory Director Yang, and his second uncle Li Huaide about Xu Damao's situation.

They said they understood and would send someone to offer their condolences.

There are witnesses who can attest that Xu Damao was injured while acting bravely, so he will definitely receive commendation and may even become a model of bravery in the factory!

Xu Damao regained consciousness around noon. He had suffered a concussion and two of his front teeth had been knocked out.

When I woke up, I saw a group of people and managed a weak smile.

Seeing that Xu Damao had regained consciousness, Su Mei started crying again:

"Da Mao, you're finally awake. I would have been devastated if anything had happened to you."

Xu Damao, pale-faced, endured the pain in his body as he comforted Su Mei:

"Hehe, Meizi, I'm fine. It's just a superficial injury. Don't worry, it'll be fine in a few days."

Sha Zhu gave Xu Damao a rather complicated look, and said quietly:

"Da Mao, is it really necessary to push yourself so hard? Isn't it better to just live a good life?"

"If they had been a little more aggressive, the banquet might have already started in the courtyard."

This was a question that many people in the courtyard wanted to ask Sha Zhu, but they weren't as direct as Sha Zhu.

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao glanced at Sha Zhu and revealed a triumphant smile:

"Idiot Zhu, I freaking... I freaking wanted to improve so badly, and now it seems... it seems like I've succeeded... hahaha... cough cough cough..."

Sha Zhu muttered curses after hearing this:

"Fuck, you're a complete idiot!"

Yi Zhonghai and the others looked at Xu Damao with complicated emotions, thinking to themselves:

"Xu Damao seized the opportunity again, damn it!"

But they couldn't help but admire Xu Damao. There were six of them, and he just charged in like that. Wasn't he afraid of dying?

But it's no use saying all this now. He's alive and well, with only minor concussions and superficial injuries.

The credit for acts of bravery is undeniable; it's a solid political asset, and advancement is inevitable, unstoppable!

On their way back to the hospital, Yi Zhonghai and his apprentice Jia Dongxu did not ride their bicycles, but instead chose to push them for a while.

After hesitating for a long time, Jia Dongxu finally asked the question that was on his mind:

"Master, Da Mao is probably going to improve again this time, right?"

Upon hearing his apprentice's question, Yi Zhonghai stopped and sighed softly:

"Dongxu, he risked his life for this. Whether we're jealous or envious, we have to admit that Xu Damao is a real man and tough as nails!"

"With that kind of drive, it would be a miracle if he didn't improve."

Then Yi Zhonghai looked at Jia Dongxu and slowly asked:

"Dongxu, if you had encountered something like this last night, would you have dared to act?"

Jia Dongxu shook his head without hesitation:

"Master, I dare not gamble with my life. I have young children and elderly parents to support. If I were to die, what would happen to my mother, my wife, my children, and you and my wife?"

"It's really not worth risking your life for progress."

"Hahahaha..." Yi Zhonghai laughed heartily upon hearing his apprentice's words, feeling gratified. His apprentice's ability to say such things meant that he had truly matured.

Few people would dare to gamble like that, especially those with families to support. Yi Zhonghai highly approves of his apprentice on this point; he himself couldn't afford to gamble like that.

"Dongxu, I'm glad you said that to your master. You're right. You're different from Xu Damao. He's obsessed with making progress."

"My apprentice and I also want to improve, but we'd better not do it this way. If we lose control, neither of us can bear the consequences."

"Master is not old yet, and you are still young. Let's not worry about temporary gains or losses; there will be many more opportunities in the future."

Jia Dongxu smiled and nodded:

"Master, don't worry, I won't do anything reckless. Let's just live our lives properly. If we can make progress, great; if not, working a normal job is fine too."

Yi Zhonghai was very happy and waved his hand:

"Yes, that's right. Let's go buy some pig's head meat and have a drink with Master at noon."