Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The Jia family members were good listeners. They had 11 days left, and 50 jin of cornmeal plus the 10 jin of grain they had left would be enough to survive.

Everyone knows cornmeal isn't tasty, but as Yi Zhonghai said, if the rice isn't good, at least add some meat...

So the Jia family did as instructed. The next day, they bought a chicken, weighing over five pounds, and it was very fat.

For an average family, a large, fat chicken weighing over five pounds can feed them five meals, with each meal consisting of one pound.

The Jia family was different; they emptied their pockets in one meal.

Of course, they gave Yi Zhonghai a portion as a token of their respect, and the rest went into their own stomachs.

Instead of a steady, long-term relationship, they chose to indulge in one-time pleasure, which is not allowed under normal circumstances, and that's not how life should be lived.

The neighbors aren't stupid; they understand which is more beneficial: making money every day or just one day.

The neighbors found the Jia family's way of eating quite distasteful; it was as if they had never eaten meat before, utterly pathetic.

I felt a little ashamed to live in the same courtyard as them...

Sure enough, the Jia family, who hadn't eaten meat for three days, immediately became listless. Serves them right.

There are no secrets in the courtyard; the neighbors also knew that the Jia family had almost run out of food.

Yi Zhonghai's life hacks also spread, and the neighbors' eyes lit up.

Because following Yi Zhonghai's method is indeed feasible.

Eating whole grains is fine, since they are a staple food.

The dishes should have some oil and water so that you can feel full and won't get hungry easily.

A chicken or duck only costs two or three yuan, which they can afford. They can eat it in several meals, and that way they'll have some oil.

You can fry chicken and duck to extract some oil. As long as you eat it gradually and digest it slowly, the nutrition can be guaranteed.

We can't just eat it all at once like the Jia family did. What will we do in a couple of days?

Children will cry and fuss when they crave something.

With so many children in the neighborhood now, if any family stews meat or renders lard, it's a cause for great joy and celebration.

A bunch of kids were circling around your stove, and they were quite well-behaved, not asking you for anything. I just wanted to smell it...

The adults felt sorry for the children when they saw them like this. When rendering lard, they would give each of them a piece of pork crackling to eat, just to satisfy their cravings.

Everyone wants to feed their children well, but given the current circumstances, life isn't easy for anyone.

One or two pounds of pork a month is simply not enough.

Even when the monthly quota is reached, no one will buy lean meat; they would rather have all lard, as that's where the real fat is.

Are you kidding me? Do you think they don't know that half-fat and half-lean meat tastes good?

They knew better than anyone else, but the circumstances simply didn't allow it.

The food at Li Jiuzhou's home was quite reliable.

Each person gets an egg a day to supplement protein, and the son and daughter also have milk powder to drink.

We have at least ten pounds of lard at home, and a good amount of cured meat, so we can improve our meals anytime.

They don't eat whole grains, and Li Jiuzhou really couldn't get used to it. He tried it for a few days, and it was really difficult for him to poop.

Actually, Li Jiuzhou's family could skip making breakfast and just buy it from outside; it would just be soy milk, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns.

But nowadays you need tickets. He can afford to eat there, and he won't be short of tickets, but he's likely to attract trouble.

With so many eyes watching, Li Jiuzhou could only eat once every three days, yet he was still the envy of his neighbors.

Steamed buns, soy milk, and fried dough sticks used to be the cheapest things, and the neighbors in the courtyard would enjoy them from time to time. But now it's different; you need food coupons and money, which is too much of a loss, and we can't afford them anymore.

Yi Zhonghai would buy it from time to time, not only for himself and his wife, but also for his grandchildren, Banggeng and Xiaodang.

As for the adults of the Jia family, they can go play somewhere else.

Jia Dongxu and Tong Jie didn't care much; as long as the child had something to eat, they adults were fine with whatever they ate.

Jia Zhangshi was different; she was greedy and wished she could be Yi Zhonghai's granddaughter...

Of course, there was another family in the courtyard who also lived a very messy life, and that was Xu Damao in the backyard.

The couple lived in two spacious rooms, and their household had all the essentials and necessities.

They almost never cook in the mornings, and they get up very late, so they usually eat out.

Every day, you can see Xu Damao going out to buy breakfast, still half asleep, and when he comes back, he makes the neighbors green with envy.

His life was one that his neighbors couldn't envy, nor dared to envy.

They're just a couple, so they can do whatever they want without going too far. But other people have families to support, so how could they dare to do that? They'd be ruined!

Oh, right, now there's another family living a miserable life, and that's the Nan Yi couple.

Both of them earned a decent salary. They would just grab a quick bite in the morning, eat lunch at the factory, and occasionally cook something nice for themselves when they got home in the evening. Nan Yi was a cook.

The situation is different with Sha Zhu's family. He does whatever he wants, and if he wants to eat meat today, then he must have meat to eat.

Every time I go out to buy breakfast, I buy too much. It's not enough for my own family, so I also invite my senior's family to eat with me. What a kind person...

The Lou family's life had long been on track, and Lou Bancheng had even added a small gate to the backyard when he built the house.

Only his family members can enter and exit through this door.

In the morning, Da Louzi's wife went out through the front door to buy groceries, and then someone else in the family would go out to buy soy milk, fried dough sticks, steamed buns, and other breakfast items.

His family has no shortage of receipts and other things, but they just can't eat openly.

Anyway, it wasn't just the Lou family who were secretly improving their meals; everyone in the courtyard was talented.

The aroma of stewed meat filled the entire courtyard in the middle of the night. Did anyone complain? Did anyone gossip?

They all tacitly kept quiet.

They wouldn't rip each other off even when washing vegetables in the pool in the courtyard late at night; they could even share a cigarette.

Sigh, I just won't say anything, I'll just keep it to myself in front of you.

He's hiding it for hell...

It's just that some things are more convenient to do at night.

Lou Bancheng had been observing for a long time, and finally couldn't resist going to the Central Courtyard in the middle of the night to join in the fun. He deliberately brought a fish to the Central Courtyard to kill, but damn it, he still had to queue up.

Yi Zhonghai was standing behind Lou Bancheng in line. When he realized that the person in front of him carrying fish was Lou Bancheng, he became a little annoyed and patted him on the shoulder:

"Hey Lao Louzi, don't you have a water tap in your side yard? What are you doing here in the middle yard causing trouble? You're just making a scene! Get out of here, you're stopping me from eating my fish..."

Seeing this, the neighbor standing behind Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but start cursing:

"Get the hell out of here! There's a water tap in the other courtyard, why are you coming over to join in the fun? If you don't leave, I'll beat you to death."

Lou Bancheng was startled. He had only wanted to come and integrate into the group, but he didn't expect to incur everyone's wrath. So he grabbed the fish and ran home as fast as he could.

The next day, he was still a little worried that his neighbors would hold a grudge, so he made a point of greeting them, but found that nothing had happened.

The neighbors were all very welcoming, and Yi Zhonghai was no exception, acting as if nothing had happened the night before.

It's just...it's just outrageous...