Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

After brandishing the knife for about ten seconds, Li Jiuzhou picked up the shredded potatoes and started cutting them.

The rhythm started shortly afterward.

"Da da da, da da da da..."

Every note is so similar, neither too long nor too short.

An expert can tell the difference with just one move.

Upon hearing this sound, Manager Luan and the group of chefs' eyes lit up instantly, revealing expressions of enjoyment.

The sound of chopping vegetables is so soothing to listen to.

You should know that they are all chefs.

There are many tricks to chopping vegetables; you can roughly tell if someone can chop well just by listening to the sound they make.

Li Tielong smiled; his apprentice hadn't let him down.

Looking at the potato shreds that Li Jiuzhou had cut, they were neat and tidy, not exactly identical but without any flaws.

There's absolutely no need to practice this knife skill anymore.

This saved Li Tielong a lot of trouble, and he's now somewhat grateful to his apprentice's father.

With such a solid foundation, if she weren't so young, she could have started learning to cook right away.

In short, Li Tielong was very satisfied!

After cutting the potatoes into shreds, Li Jiuzhou felt unsatisfied, and just then there was a plate of peeled garlic next to him.

He poured it directly onto the cutting board, and with his left hand, he pulled out another cleaver from the knife rack.

He then took a cleaver in each hand, made a few knife flourishes, and began to cut.

"Da da da, da da da, da da da..."

Now Li Jiuzhou is demonstrating the Horseshoe Knife Technique.

The knife made a crisp sound like a horseshoe when it struck the cutting board.

Li Jiuzhou got more and more carried away with chopping, eventually chopping out a song right off the cutting board.

The group of people were completely dumbfounded, but they felt that the rhythm was fucking awesome.

Manager Luan's eyes widened as he listened, and he exclaimed in surprise:

"Holy crap, a general's order!"

Li Jiuzhou's lips curled up slightly. As expected of Manager Luan, she's seen the world and is indeed different.

Li Jiuzhou thought to himself, "This is nothing."

He hasn't even shown his full potential yet; he can still recite "The Road to Heaven is Wide and Broad" from Journey to the West.

He can also perform "House of Flying Daggers"!

Of course, he only does this when he's bored at work.

The inspiration comes from the bathing culture of Northeast China.

That year, Li Jiuzhou went on a business trip to Northeast China and by chance, he got a back massage at a bathhouse.

I remember giving the elderly bathhouse attendant a 200 yuan tip.

The old master's words completely baffled Li Jiuzhou.

He said:

"Thanks, bro! You're awesome, bro! You've got the spirit of a true bro!"

"I'm going to show off my talent to my buddies!"

Thus, a back-rubbing version of the General's Order was performed on Li Jiuzhou's back.

That scrubbing session elevated Li Jiuzhou's very soul, giving him a blissful feeling that ran from his toes all the way to the top of his head!

After Li Jiuzhou put down the knife, all the garlic was chopped.

"Clap clap clap..." Manager Luan led the applause, repeatedly saying:

"A talent, a real talent..."

Everyone echoed this sentiment, praising Li Tielong repeatedly, saying that he had taken on a good apprentice.

Li Jiuzhou certainly made him proud. Although he used some fancy tricks, his swordsmanship was still excellent.

Even he himself is like this.

At this moment, Manager Luan spoke up:

"Jiuzhou, your swordsmanship is unparalleled. Even apprentices at our Fengzeyuan receive a salary."

"Your job is to chop vegetables in the kitchen and assist your master chef. You'll get 12 yuan a month!"

Li Jiuzhou nodded repeatedly:

"Thank you, Manager Luan!"

Manager Luan walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"Work hard and make your master proud."

"yes!"

After the excitement subsided, everyone dispersed, and Li Tielong came over with a young man.

"Jiuzhou, this is your eldest brother Wang Shan, who is now in charge of the kitchen."

Li Jiuzhou quickly greeted them:

"Greetings, senior brother."

"Daoshan, please take good care of Kyushu. He's had a tough time."

Wang Shan smiled憨厚ly: "Master, don't worry. You only have two disciples. I will definitely take good care of my junior brother."

"Hmm." Li Tielong nodded in satisfaction.

"I'm going to have tea with the manager. You can discuss with Kyushu the things that need attention in the garden."

"Yes, Master."

After Li Tielong left, Li Jiuzhou clasped his hands in a salute to Wang Shan:

"Senior brother, thank you for taking care of me."

Wang Shan was pleased to see his junior brother being so polite and said:

"Junior brother, don't be so formal in the future. We, as fellow disciples, will help each other from now on."

"Um."

Wang Shan then explained the rules of Fengzeyuan and its kitchen to Li Jiuzhou, telling him to remember them well.

Li Jiuzhou took the notes very seriously, as he didn't want to cause trouble for his master and senior brother.

You still need to know the rules.

Wang Shan took Li Jiuzhou to the accounting office to collect their work benefits.

Two pairs of arm sleeves, two aprons, and two chef's hats.

They come in pairs, making them easy to replace.

This is the only kind of work protection equipment available in the kitchen.

Li Jiuzhou doesn't need to worry about knives and such; the garden will provide them.

Only after a disciple has completed their apprenticeship will the master prepare a set of tools for them to eat.

After everything was settled, Li Jiuzhou asked Wang Shan:

"Senior, is earning 12 yuan a month a lot or a little?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shan looked puzzled and asked in return:

"Junior brother, you don't know?"

After saying that, Wang Shan immediately showed a look of sudden realization and said again:

"That's right. Junior brother, you've just arrived in Beiping, so you might not know much about it. Let me explain it to you."

Li Jiuzhou immediately took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to Wang Shan, then lit it for him with a match.

He doesn't smoke himself because he's too young and it might affect his development.

Wang Shan squinted and took a deep, satisfying breath. He adored this junior brother...

Then he slowly began to speak:

"Junior brother, let me tell you, in Beijing, an ordinary worker earns about 5 silver dollars a month."

"The salary for railway workers isn't bad either; they can earn 8 to 12 silver dollars a month."

"Skilled workers in factories can earn 12 to 18 dollars."

"The patrolman is supposed to make 10 silver dollars a month, but it's definitely more than that. Those who know, know."

Li Jiuzhou thought to himself, "That's right, 10 silver dollars isn't enough for a patrolman, there's also the under-the-table income."

Wang Shan continued:

"There should be about 10 to 12 teachers in a school, depending on their teaching ability."

"But the vast majority of ordinary people in Beiping earned around 5 silver dollars a month."

"Those who do manual labor also earn quite a bit, like carrying heavy loads or pulling carts."

"Don't let their undignified jobs fool you, they earn quite a bit. Sometimes they make seven or eight cents, sometimes a dozen or more."

"There are plenty of unemployed people in Beiping, but they still have jobs and can make a living without starving."

"Snakes have their ways, rats have their ways, and the salaries at Fengzeyuan are pretty good."

"The lowest-paid apprentices in our garden earn at least six silver dollars, which their masters collect first."

"Junior brother, your salary is high. Didn't you see the envious looks on those apprentices' faces?"

"But that's only because you're capable, junior brother. If their swordsmanship were even half as good as yours, they wouldn't be shortchanged on their wages."

"Our manager is very generous. If you're capable, you can take more. He would never wrong his subordinates."

Li Jiuzhou nodded, smiled, and asked Wang Shan:

"And you, senior brother, how much are you taking?"

"Hehe..." Wang Shan laughed and waved his hand.

"Well, not many, only five, six, seven, or eighty..."

"Damn it..." Li Jiuzhou moved his lips towards Wang Shan, but no sound came out.

Wang Shan asked in confusion:

"Junior brother, are you insulting me?"

Li Jiuzhou spread his hands:

"No, senior brother, do you have any proof?"

Wang Shan chuckled upon hearing this.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Junior brother, just focus on learning your craft. Once you've mastered it, money will come easily to you."

"Our master makes about a hundred a month."

Li Jiuzhou took a deep breath and said:

"I will work hard, senior brother, and strive to graduate as soon as possible and make a lot of money."

"Hehe, that's more like it..." Wang Shan laughed.