Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Xu Damao and Da Hu had never been to such an extravagant dinner party before.

Because of their low social status, they could get their hands on the ingredients, but they didn't know how to cook them.

The awkward thing is that this is the current period.

A few years ago they couldn't afford it because they didn't have the money. Now they can afford it, but they are constrained by their social status.

They are both now section-level cadres in the factory, and they still have occasional dinner parties, but the most they go to is Donglaishun, where the hot pot is relatively cheap.

They've been to high-end restaurants like Fengzeyuan, but they didn't dare order too much food, though money was definitely not an issue.

Many officials take their families out to eat on their days off.

Even well-off working-class families would occasionally go out for a meal.

Although conditions were tough during this special period, they were in the capital region, so they were better off than people elsewhere.

Moreover, it's now common for leading cadres to dine out; without them, restaurants would all go out of business.

The authorities won't care about these things. As long as you don't go too far, eating and drinking a little bit is really no problem.

Not long after, Secretary Nie arrived with his wife and grandson, and Bingbing and the other women warmly welcomed them.

Secretary Nie walked into the kitchen with his hands behind his back, a smile spreading across his face as he saw several young men busy at work.

"Oh, Secretary, you've arrived! Please have a seat here." Xu Damao, with his sharp eyes, immediately and warmly invited Secretary Nie to sit down.

He wasn't too surprised, because Zhou Ge had just said that the main purpose of dinner that night was to invite Secretary Nie to dinner, and they could just keep him company.

Xu Damao was so excited at the time. Being able to sit at the same table with such an important figure as Secretary Nie, what more could he ask for?

He has to perform a whole set of moves, one big and three small, two fives and ten!

This is his specialty.

"Hello, Secretary." Da Hu greeted him honestly, unlike Xu Damao who had such enthusiasm.

Li Jiuzhou calmly served the side dishes, not even glancing at the old man.

Sha Zhu glanced at it, then smiled and continued tossing the food in the wok.

Secretary Nie looked at the prepared dishes with a broad smile and warmly responded to Xu Damao and Da Hu:

"Hey, hey, okay, okay, don't be shy. We're neighbors in this compound. Come on, have a smoke and relax..."

After saying that, he took out the cigarette he had just opened and handed one to someone.

Li Jiuzhou and Sha Zhu were assigned tasks by Secretary Nie himself because they already had work to do.

After taking a satisfying drag of his cigarette, Sha Zhu chatted with him:

"Secretary, you're in for a treat today. My senior brother specially went to Fengzeyuan to get these ingredients."

"Look, abalone, lobster, king crab, wow, I haven't eaten this in years."

"We brothers have benefited from your influence, so we must offer you a few drinks tonight."

Xu Damao stared at Sha Zhu in astonishment. "These words came from your mouth, Sha Zhu?"

Damn, how can it sound so good?

You weren't born with a sharp tongue, you're such a clever little devil, you silly Zhu.

Sure enough, after hearing Sha Zhu's words, Secretary Nie couldn't help but laugh, and smoke billowed from his nostrils.

"Oh, that's great! I just brought over two bottles of good wine. It's rare for this old man to drink with you young guys."

"Don't be shy tonight!"

"Don't worry, I definitely won't feel restricted," Sha Zhu replied cheerfully.

He continued cooking, and Secretary Nie didn't want to leave the kitchen, so he just watched the everyday life unfold.

Sha Zhu is indeed Sha Zhu; the dishes he cooks are incredibly delicious.

The children were so hungry they were jumping around and drooling.

Even the women outside couldn't help but secretly swallow their saliva after smelling the aroma.

Not to mention the few people in the kitchen, who were dumbfounded, their eyes shining brightly.

The weather in May was neither too cold nor too hot, so Li Jiuzhou specially placed tables and chairs in the yard.

Two square tables, two portions of each dish.

The men sit at one table drinking, while the women bring their children to eat.

Too many people can lead to chaos and disarray.

Let's take another look at the dishes.

Steamed lobster with garlic and vermicelli.

Typhoon Shelter King Crab

Abalone with Scallion Oil

葱烧海参

油焖大虾

Braised turtle

Stir-fried pheasant meat.

Ginger duck.

Steamed grouper.

Boiled beef.

Cuttlefish egg soup.

The last dish was stir-fried bok choy.

A total of twelve dishes were served, filling the table to the brim.

Li Jiuzhou was never a stingy person; he always prepared more ingredients than he was needed.

Each dish is very large; there might be more than enough for this small group.

But whatever, let's do it!

Secretary Nie smacked his lips as he looked at the table full of dishes:

"Jiuzhou, huh? That's a bit too high-class. Wouldn't you call this extravagant?"

Secretary Nie's voice wasn't loud, but everyone present heard it, stopped what they were doing, and their expressions shifted between anger and uncertainty.

Only Li Jiuzhou remained calm, and he chuckled softly:

"It's alright, old man. You don't think you can escape this just because you don't eat, do you?"

"It's too late. The food's been served, and everyone's already seated. Even if your ass isn't shit, it's still shit."

"It would be even better if you really didn't want to eat, then we'll eat more."

Secretary Nie burst into laughter upon hearing this. He was simply used to his way of speaking with Li Jiuzhou and occasionally made a small joke; he hadn't expected it to frighten the others.

"Hahaha, you little rascal, you're quick-witted. I can't argue with you, can I?"

"Don't be nervous, it's just a joke. Open your mouths and show off, or I'll have to say something if anyone wastes that old man's time."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The women and children had already started eating; let's eat it while it's hot!

Secretary Nie also started eating. He would definitely drink the wine, but he would eat the dishes first.

Don't fucking drink your fill before you even eat the food, that would be a waste of such a sumptuous meal.

After a few bites of fish, Secretary Nie was extremely satisfied and looked at Xu Damao:

"Da Mao, open the bottle, let's have a good drink together."

"Alright, that's what I've been waiting for." Xu Damao deftly opened one of the two bottles of fine wine that Secretary Nie had brought.

Top-grade Shanxi Xinghuacun Lao Bai Fen (65% alcohol), specially supplied!!!

To be honest, Xu Damao was reluctant to open the bottle. He was hardly qualified to drink such wine; he was just lucky to be here today.

The wine glass was a baijiu (Chinese liquor) glass, which Li Jiuzhou had at home, and he specially made it for it.

Drinking the top-grade special edition, which is 65 degrees, I wouldn't dare use even two ounces. One sip and a normal person would be completely bewildered.

These small white wine glasses are perfect.

It can hold one qian, which is five milliliters. Taking a sip of wine and a bite of food is very satisfying.

Secretary Nie raised his glass with a smile:

"Come on, let's have a drink together!"

"Cheers, thank you for your hospitality, and I wish you good health."

"Damn, this is awesome! Let's eat!"

After finishing their drinks, Xu Damao, Shazhu, and Dahu all picked up the same dish: abalone.

The three of them picked up a piece of abalone and skillfully sucked on it, making a slurping sound...

Li Jiuzhou and Secretary Nie were stunned.

"What's wrong?" Sha Zhu couldn't help but ask when he saw Secretary Nie and his senior brother looking at the three of them.

"Hey, eat more..." Secretary Nie personally served each of the three of them an abalone.

"Thank you, Secretary."

"Would you like to have one too?" Secretary Nie looked at Li Jiuzhou with a half-smile.

"Hmm~ I think I'll eat fish instead. Didn't you say you wanted to eat fish today? I'll get you a piece." With that, Li Jiuzhou put a piece of abalone on Secretary Nie's plate.

Secretary Nie rolled his eyes at Li Jiuzhou:

"Is this the fish I'm talking about?"

Li Jiuzhou, with fish meat still in his mouth, mumbled a reply:

"So what? Abalone is a fish too..."

"Grass……"