Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Some people ask, is Sha Zhu the only cook in all of Beiping who can cook?

Why do we have to invite him?

There are fine restaurants in the city, why not invite them there?

The answer is that they tried to invite them, but they were unavailable.

Don't assume they're idle during times of food shortage; you're wrong, they're busier than ever.

Because you don't need meat coupons or grain coupons to eat at well-known restaurants.

These restaurants are positioned to recoup their investment, targeting high-ranking officials, overseas Chinese, and highly educated individuals.

Ordinary people can also consume it, but only a very small number of them do.

Just because there's a food shortage doesn't mean all the restaurants should close. That would be ridiculous. The situation shouldn't be this dire.

High-ranking officials and similar groups can also dine at restaurants.

The country advocates thrift, but it doesn't say you can't host dinners.

Everyone has a former boss, everyone has relatives and friends. If you keep saying no to this and no to that, what's the point of doing anything?

It wasn't as restrictive as I had imagined.

Li Jiuzhou also has one or two social engagements every month, which are all meals at various restaurants in the city. There's nothing wrong with that, I didn't embezzle anything.

However, the current cadre group does not indulge in eating and drinking as freely as before.

Of course, it exists now, but we just haven't encountered it yet.

Senior officials should still be mindful of their influence.

As far as Li Jiuzhou knew, cadres below the division level often enjoyed the food the most, and they were frequently seen in various restaurants.

This was told to him by Xu Damao, because he was one of them.

Xu Damao has an incredibly rich social life. Ever since he trained and trained a group of projectionists, he has had many more social engagements.

He eats and drinks every now and then, living a very carefree life.

Xu Damao was doing this for work; he appeared cheerful on the surface, but he was suffering inside.

Because his wife wasn't pregnant yet, Da Hu was suffering just as much as him.

They've been recuperating for over half a year now, and during that time they've paid their share of grain taxes, but there's still no sign of anything happening.

After the factory distributed employee benefits, it announced a holiday. Xu Damao waited until most of the factory workers had left before coming out of his office.

As soon as I stepped out of the factory gate, I saw Da Hu pushing his cart out as well.

"Big Tiger!" Xu Damao greeted him.

Da Hu approached as soon as he saw Xu Damao pushing the cart.

The back seat of their car was packed full, a New Year's treat for them. Neither of them cared to ask the other what it was, since they had plenty of such things at home.

Xu Damao offered him a cigarette, and the two lit it and slowly smoked it.

"Tiger, is your wife pregnant?" Xu Damao suddenly asked.

Big Tiger glanced at him:

"That's exactly what I was going to ask you: Is your wife pregnant yet?"

Seeing the somewhat disappointed look in Da Hu's eyes, Xu Damao also sighed:

"We've been tilling the land for almost half a year, and there's still no sign of growth. Should we go see the old doctor again?"

"The old doctor also said that the earlier it is discovered, the better. If it is delayed, we can't bear the consequences."

"Your family might be a little better off, and you still have Erhu. My family only has one son, it's really frustrating."

Xu Damao's words made Da Hu's eyes even more confused. It was really cruel for a man to have no offspring.

There's a clear example in their compound: Yi Zhonghai and his wife.

Yi Zhonghai was incredibly powerful, an eighth-level fitter and workshop director, yet he had no descendants, and all his future assets went to the Jia family.

Who would feel comfortable in that situation?

They are both leaders in the factory now, one is the head of the publicity department and the other is the head of the purchasing department, and they both wield real power.

They felt glamorous at the factory, but returning to the courtyard always left them with a bitter taste, especially when they saw the group of children there. They felt both fond of them and helpless.

I love seeing the kids in the yard running around and playing, but it's frustrating that none of them are their children.

It's alright now, they're still young, and there's no gossip going around in the courtyard yet. But it will be different in a few years; then people will really talk about them behind their backs until they're dead.

Da Hu made the following suggestion:

"Let's go see a doctor now. We can leave our things at the security office and come back for them later, okay?"

"That's settled then." Xu Damao nodded solemnly.

He left two packs of cigarettes with the security guards and asked them to watch his things, then they rode their bikes to the hospital together.

The old doctor was just about to leave work, but after seeing the two of them, he temporarily worked overtime.

After taking their pulses, he smiled and said:

"You're recovering well. Looks like you two have been listening to me."

"However, it's still best to reduce smoking and drinking."

"Go back and try harder. Your two wives are probably already pregnant by now, on their way to getting pregnant."

"Really?" they both exclaimed in unison, their faces beaming with delight.

The old doctor smiled and said:

"Of course it's true! After six months of recuperation, haven't you two noticed you're even more vigorous?"

"Before, it was short and weak, so you made up for it with frequency. Now? Isn't it very strong?"

"Bang!" The two of them knelt down at the same time and hugged the old doctor's legs!

"Miracle doctor, thank you so much! Please prescribe some more medicine to help me recover..."

The old doctor, having been through it all, naturally understood what they were thinking, and gently waved his hand:

"Every medicine has some side effects. Now that you're better, there's no need to take any more medicine. Go back home and just listen to me and reduce your smoking and drinking."

The two nodded frequently, behaving very obediently.

On the way back, neither of them joked about the other's past shortness and weakness. They were brothers who had been hurt together, so there was no need to reopen old wounds.

The old doctor said that their wives were either on the way to getting pregnant or were already pregnant, which made them extremely happy.

That night, they each went back to their wives and had a passionate encounter.

The next morning, the 29th of the lunar year, Su Mei was retching uncontrollably while eating breakfast.

Upon seeing this, Xu Damao immediately realized something and was overjoyed.

After Su Mei recovered, they immediately helped her to Li Jiuzhou's house.

Coincidentally, Da Hu also came over with his wife.

Li Jiuzhou noticed them and seemed a little confused.

What are you doing?

"Brother, can I borrow your car? My wife might be pregnant," Xu Damao and Da Hu said in unison.

"Hmm, your wife has two too?"

The two stared at each other, wide-eyed.

Li Jiuzhou shook his head and chuckled:

"Can you drive?"

The two shook their heads in unison; they really didn't know how.

"I'll have Sha Zhu give us a ride." After saying that, Xu Damao hurriedly ran to the Intermediate Court and pulled Sha Zhu over.

"Alright, I'll go with you." Sha Zhu knew that these two were a bit obsessed with the child, so he decided to play the good guy for once.

Sha Zhu was often complained about by the deaf old lady. She said that Xu Damao and his wife were like pigs and dogs, causing trouble day and night, making it impossible for her to sleep.

Sha Zhu felt that the deaf old woman was also cursing him, because he had done his share of mischief.

The people in the courtyard also heard the news and immediately began to discuss it.

Upon hearing the news, Yi Zhonghai's smile dimmed slightly as he held the stick, but he quickly recovered.

It wasn't that he was cursing Xu Damao and Da Hu; he genuinely hoped that the two of them would also be childless!

This way, someone can help share the burden; he's been carrying the load alone for so many years and he's getting tired.

Around noon, Sha Zhu brought them back, and Xu Damao and Da Hu's smiles never stopped.

His wife is pregnant, she really is pregnant.

The first person to step forward and offer her blessings was the deaf elderly woman, who held Su Mei's hand and couldn't stop congratulating her.

"Great, that's awesome! You two have finally gotten someone killed. Now this old woman can finally get a good night's sleep."

"Hahahaha!" The neighbors in the courtyard were amused by the deaf old lady's words.

Xu Damao and his wife blushed deeply.