Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The fact that Xu Damao and Da Hu's wives are both pregnant is a joyous occasion for the courtyard as the New Year approaches.

Without the neighbors nagging, the couple went and bought peanuts and fruits to share with them, hoping to share in the joy.

Early on New Year's Eve, every household was busy preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner.

We used to be able to make fried meatballs and pancakes, but now all we can taste is the smell of rendered lard. We no longer have that luxury.

Even during the Lunar New Year, we don't dare to eat as much as we want.

He Daqing took his wife and several children back to the courtyard, just like every year, since this was his hometown after all.

He even brought some gifts to visit his former employer, Lou Bancheng.

"Boss, I never thought I'd be your neighbor one day," He Daqing said with a sigh, puffing on his cigarette.

Lou Bancheng smiled:

"Hey, Qing Dynasty, no need to be so sentimental. Look at my house, isn't it perfectly fine? I have everything I need."

"What's past is past, let's not dwell on it."

He Daqing nodded:

"Okay, I don't live here. If you need anything, just go find my son, Zhu Zi."

"This kid is straightforward, but he has a good heart. He'll definitely help if you need anything."

"Haha, I know Zhuzi's personality better than you do, even as his father. Don't worry, I'll let you know if anything happens."

Hearing this, He Daqing also smiled:

"Okay, I'll go back and get busy then. You guys rest first."

Lou Bancheng slipped a pack of cigarettes to He Daqing:

"Go do your thing, there will be plenty of opportunities to chat."

In the morning, Yan Bugui set up a table in the front yard to write couplets. Lou Bancheng also went to ask for a few pairs and left a pack of cigarettes.

Yan Bugui can earn a lot of money in a day, at least he doesn't need to prepare extra New Year's goods and cigarettes.

He would accept anything his neighbors gave him, and he wouldn't complain about how much or how little they gave him.

After becoming the head of teaching at a primary school, his perspective broadened considerably.

What's the point of being greedy for small gains? If you're going to be greedy, be greedy for big gains. That's what the old principal taught us.

Moreover, if you want to make progress, money alone is not enough; you also need a good reputation.

If you fail the political review, it's all for nothing. So every step Yan Bugui takes is calculated; he's desperate for advancement.

Li Jiuzhou's family had a lavish New Year's Eve dinner. He cooked the meal himself, with his younger brother Shanhe helping out.

Flying dragon soup, braised pork trotters, steamed grouper, sea cucumber in abalone sauce, braised mutton, salt-baked chicken, and stir-fried shredded potatoes.

The staple food is rice.

On the table were two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes and a bottle of Moutai.

This is Li Jiuzhou's family's New Year's Eve dinner.

The family consists of six people: Li Jiuzhou and his wife, their son and daughter, Shanhe and Fengjiao.

This was the most meager New Year's Eve dinner the Li family had ever had in many years.

In the past, there were always ten dishes, symbolizing perfection.

Li Jiuzhou was too lazy to deal with the current situation.

The Lou family has thirteen members, and they prepared quite a lot of dishes. Lou Bancheng's wife, surnamed Tan, also knows how to cook a few signature dishes.

It's not excessive to eat something good during the Lunar New Year.

The meal at Sha Zhu's house was also very lavish, with chicken, duck, and fish all prepared. In addition, both father and son were cooks, and the dishes they made were so delicious that the residents of the courtyard were completely mesmerized.

The Jia and Yi families celebrated the New Year together as usual; they were inseparable.

Their New Year's Eve dinner is also sumptuous, with plenty of meat.

Actually, the neighbors in the courtyard all have decent New Year's Eve dinners. They're not short of money, and they can afford to eat a little less well on ordinary days, but they can't afford to eat worse during the New Year. After all, it's not easy to have a decent meal openly and honestly, so why should they hide it?

After the New Year's Eve dinner and the firecrackers were finished, the young people in the courtyard couldn't sit still and were itching to play a few rounds.

So, with Lou Bancheng's permission, Xu Damao took the lead and started the sales in the front yard.

Currently, apart from the Lou family, the neighborhood committee has not arranged for anyone else to move into this courtyard, and there are a lot of empty houses.

Lou Bancheng naturally wanted to participate, even though the stakes were very small and he didn't care, he was still itching to join in.

Gambling and prostitution are men's favorites.

It's really no fun during the Chinese New Year if you don't gamble a couple of times.

The night passed peacefully; no one called the police, and everyone enjoyed themselves relatively well.

Jia Zhangshi didn't sleep all night; she lost over 60 yuan—that's over 60 yuan!

Moreover, when he came back, he was scolded by his son and daughter-in-law.

Jia Dongxu told her not to play, but she insisted on going anyway, stubbornly saying, "I didn't spend your money."

Well, having said all that, Jia Dongxu had no choice but to go along with his mother's wishes.

In the end, Jia Dongxu had good luck and earned more than 30 yuan.

When she got home, Jia Zhangshi asked her son to find her some extra money.

Jia Dongxu was happy to win money and gave his mother a dollar, but Jia Zhangshi threw it away, saying he was treating her like a beggar.

This made Jia Dongxu furious. "If you don't want it, then I'm not giving it to you either."

When they got home, he and his wife, Tong Jie, gave her a good scolding, and then put the two children on Jia Zhangshi's kang (heated brick bed).

I'm so happy today, and since it's the Lunar New Year, I absolutely have to do some light farming on a few acres of land!!!

In the end, it was Jia Zhangshi herself who suffered.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Li Jiuzhou and his family went out to visit relatives and friends. He had a car, so it was convenient for him to go anywhere.

In the afternoon, Jia Dongxu found Sha Zhu and gave him a Daqianmen cigarette.

"Zhu Zi, why don't you take your wife and kids back to Changping tomorrow? If you're going, take us with you!"

Sha Zhu glanced at him, knowing what Jia Dongxu was up to:

"I'm riding my bicycle back to Changping, how can I give you a ride?"

Jia Dongxu was a little skeptical:

"Riding a bike? Don't be ridiculous, why don't you drive a car?"

Sha Zhu said irritably:

"That's my senior's private car. You think you can just drive it like that? I'm asking you, would you even be able to go back to Changping without a car?"

Jia Dongxu spread his hands:

"Why would I even bother going back? It's freezing cold, wouldn't that be torture?"

"So you know it's cold, huh? You're just trying to take advantage of me." Sha Zhu's mouth was sharp, not even on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Jia Dongxu wasn't angry. Didn't he know what kind of person Sha Zhu was?

"How am I taking advantage of you? It's just a favor for you to give me a ride on your way back, why are you making such a fuss?"

"I said, you really aren't going back? Aren't you afraid of being gossiped about?"

"Things are tough in the countryside now, and my wife is wondering if we should send some things back."

Seeing Jia Dongxu say this, Sha Zhu also started to think. He originally didn't plan to go back, as it would be too troublesome to bring his family along.

"I know it's difficult. Your family doesn't even have enough food for itself, how can you take care of your father-in-law?"

Jia Dongxu shook his head:

"There are year-end bonuses, right? I can borrow some more from my mentor so I can present it to my father-in-law's family."

"I mainly wanted to see how they were doing, otherwise my wife would keep worrying about them."

Sha Zhu took Jia Dongxu's words to heart. His wife, Qin Huairu, also missed her family, which was understandable, given the difficult circumstances they were facing.

"I'll think about it some more. I need to ask my senior brother. If he doesn't need the car tomorrow, we'll go back to Changping."

"Let's see how they're doing."

Jia Dongxu nodded:

"Okay, I'll wait for your message. I won't bring my child; there might not be enough room."

Sha Zhu didn't say anything, and went to find his senior brother.

Li Jiuzhou doesn't need the car tomorrow, but since Sha Zhu wants to go back to Changping, he can use the car.

My family can walk to my father-in-law's house; it's only a ten-minute walk.

Tong Jie was overjoyed to learn that Sha Zhu was driving back to Changping the next day. She took the money and coupons in her pocket and exchanged them for grain with her neighbor.

She also wanted to go back to see her parents. She had indeed moved to the city, but things weren't so good back home. They weren't starving, but they weren't getting enough to eat either.

She could only offer a small token of filial piety.

Jia Zhangshi saw Tong Jie's actions and felt nothing but heartache.

Jia Dongxu couldn't stand it anymore:

"Mom, please tone it down. It's just money and food. It's not like our family is going to starve. My wife only comes home once or twice a year."

"A shrewd person like her wouldn't desperately try to support her own family. After all these years, don't you understand your daughter-in-law?"

Madam Jia sighed:

"Son, Mom didn't say anything. I'm just worried about you. Oh well, it's not like I'm in charge of the household anyway. Just make sure you two don't let my grandchildren go hungry."

Jia Dongxu laughed after hearing this:

"So you mean you can go hungry?"

Jia Zhangshi immediately lost her temper and slammed her hand on the table:

"How can this be allowed!"

"I don't care what you two want to do, just don't let me go hungry..."

"Okay, okay..." Jia Dongxu didn't want to argue with his mother anymore; she was just doing whatever she wanted.