Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The leaders specifically requested to visit the Publicity Department, and Minister Wang intentionally or unintentionally spoke with Lou Xiao'e.

Lou Xiao'e was a little nervous, but fortunately her answers were all quite standard.

Secretary Nie and Yang Ligong were secretly sweating bullets.

They were also afraid that Lou Xiao'e would say someone was bullying her, which would be a big problem.

They had received word that they didn't need to take special care of Lou Xiao'e, but they absolutely wouldn't allow anyone to bully her.

Li Jiuzhou was naturally there as well. He wasn't worried, as Xu Damao was in the propaganda department, and he had already instructed him to take care of Lou Xiao'e.

If he can't even handle this simple matter, then he wouldn't be Xu Damao.

After going around in circles, they arrived at the breeding farm, and the leaders seemed to really like it.

Li Jiuzhou can answer this; the leaders of the Ministry of Metallurgy have certainly eaten plenty of chickens, ducks, and pork from farms.

It was also Li Jiuzhou's suggestion that they send some to the Ministry of Metallurgy from time to time. When they sent it the first time, they made it clear that it was something from their own country and that the leaders could just ask for it if they wanted some.

What else can the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry say? You already said it's their own stuff, so they can eat it without any pressure.

Of course, the leaders aren't that greedy. They don't just ask for things from us, Li Jiuzhou. That's their magnanimity!

Unlike some of the factory leaders, who would eat a chicken one day and a duck the next.

Li Jiuzhou couldn't refuse, since they were offering him money.

If you don't pay me, I'll mess with you.

Fortunately, the factory achieved the goal of producing free chickens and duck eggs.

These nine leaders from the Ministry of Metallurgy all ate chicken and duck eggs from the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

Therefore, they naturally enjoyed inspecting the farm.

He looked at the chickens, then the ducks, and finally the pigs, his smile never stopping.

This is our own stuff, how could we not be overjoyed that it has developed like this?

Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill is like a favored son, while the other factories are like stepchildren.

Seeing the leaders' delight, Secretary Nie didn't mention taking a few with him when he went back.

Because the leaders won't want it; wouldn't it be better to keep it for laying eggs?

Given how difficult things are, chicken and duck eggs are the best source of nutrition.

Some families can't even afford eggs.

So every month, Li Jiuzhou would have someone send a few chickens and ducks to the Ministry of Metallurgy, ten at a time, once a month.

The farm now has over a thousand chickens and ducks, and their reproduction rate is terrifying.

There are so many chicken and duck eggs that we can't even finish them all.

Thanks to the steel rolling mill, the Ministry of Metallurgy achieved the freedom to produce chickens, ducks, and eggs.

The Ministry of Metallurgy had a small staff, only about a hundred people.

Therefore, everyone in the Ministry of Metallurgy had a particularly good impression of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

When it was noon, lunchtime, the leaders didn't rush to eat, but instead took a walk around the cafeteria.

They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the cafeteria was serving boiled fish and egg drop soup, but at the same time, they were also craving it.

They were afraid that they would be enjoying the good life while the workers were eating meager rations, so they wouldn't allow it.

Things are different now. The workers are eating boiled fish now. The kitchen helper scoops up a generous amount of it, with bright red oil.

There's also egg drop soup, milky white, nothing is more nutritious than that.

The staple foods were cornbread buns and mixed grain steamed buns.

The leaders could clearly hear the workers queuing around them swallowing hard; they were genuinely craving food and truly hungry.

The leaders had nothing more to say; they were now free to enjoy a lavish meal without any worries. Led by Li Jiuzhou, they entered the reception hall with beaming smiles.

The entourage dined in another private room, with Li Jiuzhou personally appointing Xu Damao and a logistics director to accompany them.

When Xu Damao heard Li Jiuzhou's arrangement, he almost kowtowed to Li Jiuzhou.

It's obvious that Li Jiuzhou is helping him expand his network of contacts.

Don't be fooled by the fact that they are all the leader's henchmen and secretaries; every single one of them is either at the same level as Xu Damao or higher.

After the leaders sat down, Qin Huairu and several women served them tea.

They've been inspecting all morning and haven't even had tea yet.

Minister Wang smiled at Li Jiuzhou and said:

"Kyushu, you specially invited us to come and inspect, so don't go too far. A simple home-cooked meal will suffice."

Li Jiuzhou nodded solemnly:

"Minister, I know that the factory's purchasing department has purchased some free-range chickens and ducks from Northeast China, as well as some river fish, shrimp, and turtles."

"Don't worry, I'm a chef by trade. Just leave the cooking to me, and I definitely won't make any mistakes."

Minister Wang smiled upon hearing this, and lightly tapped Li Jiuzhou with his finger, then smiled at his colleagues:

"Listen to this, that's what you call professional!"

Several people began to chime in:

"Yes, yes, that's what you call professional!"

In fact, we knew exactly what was going on; it couldn't possibly be just a casual conversation.

If you, Li Jiuzhou, really do end up serving up a meal like this, don't blame us for flipping the table.

What are we doing here all this way?

I'll just leave you eating my home-cooked meals.

But whether the words are good or bad, they still need to be said in advance.

Sure enough, they all smiled as the dishes were served one by one.

Li Jiuzhou described Buddha Jumps Over the Wall as "a country-style stew," how incredibly apt that is...

Braised sea cucumber with scallions is sometimes mistaken for stir-fried pork with scallions.

There are also various other dish names, all of which are as ordinary as can be.

This scene was also taking place in another private room, where Xu Damao was vividly describing each dish.

The people at the table had sharp eyes, and they occasionally echoed what Xu Damao said.

The Moutai was always served in loose baskets, and everyone drank it without making a sound.

Those who know, know; I won't spell it out. We're brothers in our hearts, so let's just start eating.

The leaders said nothing, but slowly started eating.

One of the leaders, who was fond of wine, was about to down a glass to satisfy his craving when Li Jiuzhou stopped him:

"Distinguished leaders, let's set aside the alcohol for now. Let's have a few sips of this Buddha Jumps Over the Water... um... farmhouse stew to warm our stomachs first."

"Our leaders are usually very busy with work, so they should also consider their health. Today's dishes are all mild and nourishing, just simple home-cooked meals. Please enjoy your meal."

Upon hearing Li Jiuzhou's words, the leader put down his wine glass.

They understood what Li Jiuzhou meant: today's dishes were all mild and nourishing, and they should drink less alcohol, otherwise the effects would be diminished.

So her gaze softened even more when she looked at Li Jiuzhou.

Subordinates who can consider the leader's health, regardless of whether they are good or bad, deserve to be promoted. Promote them first and we'll see!

The dishes were definitely very plentiful, including grouse and venison from Northeast China.

Although Li Jiuzhou had beautified the names of all the dishes, the leaders were not unsophisticated and could recognize them at a glance.

I'm very satisfied.

They were very restrained when drinking afterwards, only taking small sips and never drinking it all in one go.

Otherwise, it would be a waste of what you just ate.

Sha Zhu, along with his apprentice, his wife Qin Huairu, and several other helpers, were also enjoying a hearty meal in the kitchen, their mouths greasy with oil.

Shazhu was almost in tears because he hadn't eaten anything good in so long.

For Sha Zhu, the lack of good ingredients for so long is an extreme cruelty.

The lunch lasted an hour and a half, and the leaders felt warm all over.

Several people who hadn't drunk alcohol felt warm all over and were immediately very happy. They even asked Li Jiuzhou if he still had any of these things, and if so, if so, to get him some.

Secretary Nie, who was right next to him, took over the conversation, saying that he would make the arrangements, since they were all old and frail and deserved to eat something good to nourish themselves.

It's nothing more than some wild delicacies from the mountains; the factory can just pay for it.

Li Jiuzhou naturally thought it was a good idea too.

At the beginning of winter, Li Jiuzhou had Da Hu get a lot of good stuff, and then asked his second uncle to send it to the old man to help him recover.