Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Because it was getting late, Secretary Nie did not continue his conversation with the Dharma Protector Elder.

Furthermore, I have already promised him that I will visit Baiyun Temple tomorrow, and the reward will be substantial.

On the way back, Li Jiuzhou didn't ask any more questions. Secretary Nie said that he would talk to him in his office tomorrow.

Li Jiuzhou could only suppress his doubts and go home to sleep.

It was almost 2 a.m. when I got home, and my wife and kids were already asleep.

After washing up, Li Jiuzhou went to his study to rest. He had just fallen asleep when a soft and fragrant body snuggled into his arms.

Bingbing heard the car stop and knew her husband was back, so she got out to check.

Li Jiuzhou hugged her tighter and said softly, "Were you woken up?"

Bingbing snuggled closer to him:

"I can't sleep well when you're not back."

"Hehe..." With the soft, fragrant, and warm jade in his arms, Li Jiuzhou felt a little restless.

Bingbing seemed to notice her husband's unusual behavior; her body also became somewhat hot, and she unconsciously began to wriggle, feigning modesty as she said:

"It's getting late, go to sleep..."

How could Li Jiuzhou let her go so easily? He grinned wickedly.

"You started the fire, it's too late to run now, come on, my darling..."

"Ah~ No~"

At 28, Li Jiuzhou is young and full of energy. If he doesn't take risks now, when will he?

The couple woke up in the morning full of energy, mainly because they didn't indulge in any sensual pleasures.

If you're greedy, you'll never be able to get up, and even if you do, you'll be listless.

Everything should be done in moderation.

If I had fallen asleep at 9 pm yesterday, I would have had more trouble.

Breakfast was made by my younger sister, Fengjiao; she cooked porridge, which was the main dish.

The side dishes are braised peanuts and dried mackerel, stir-fried with scallions, ginger, and garlic, which are very fragrant.

These two dishes are absolutely delicious with congee.

My second uncle's family of four came over for breakfast this morning.

My second aunt isn't very good at cooking. After all, when she lived with my parents, she never had to do anything herself because there were people to take care of her.

But now that we've moved to a new house, I feel a bit lost, but my aunt is very proactive in learning.

Her job is not easy; she works in the Education Bureau and is usually quite busy.

Honestly, in this weather, having breakfast in the yard is really comfortable and pleasant.

After breakfast, the whole family goes out, some to work, some to school.

Most of the leaders' cars were parked at the main gate, where the road was very wide.

The top three managers of the steel rolling mill all have dedicated drivers to take them to work.

The drivers for Secretary Nie and Factory Director Yang were indeed drivers, but they were also soldiers from the security department.

Li Huaide's driver was his secretary.

The secretaries of the two men in front of us were women, so we didn't let them drive.

Li Huaide did not have a female secretary.

Li Jiuzhou didn't have a driver either; he was just a deputy director-general.

Of course, he could have had it, but he didn't want it.

The secretary position of Li Jiuzhou has not been fully confirmed yet, but there are too many people in the factory who want to be his secretary.

For example, Liu Guangqi, he's so desperate to improve...

As long as you become Li Jiuzhou's secretary, you're guaranteed a promotion within a year or two, if not an immediate advancement!

Who wouldn't be envious!

Li Jiuzhou felt that he should wait until he made further progress before appointing a secretary; there was no need to rush.

Therefore, among the factory leaders, only Li Jiuzhou drove himself to work.

At nine o'clock, he went to Secretary Nie's office on his own initiative.

Secretary Nie also confided in him, telling him about what happened back then.

He was also told to keep it a secret, or he would get revenge...

Li Jiuzhou knew he was joking, but he also made some trivial requests:

"Old man, please teach me..."

Secretary Nie could naturally see the longing in Li Jiuzhou's eyes; he had felt the same way when he was learning from a master back then.

Watching his master conjure heavenly thunder, his heart was filled with excitement. He wished he could learn the earth-shattering magic right now and then fight his way from the South Heavenly Gate all the way to Penglai East Road!

Faced with Li Jiuzhou's request, Secretary Nie shook his head:

"This isn't something you can just teach anyone. You're already 28; you've missed the best time to learn the Way."

"You're not a virgin, what are you trying to learn? You'd blow yourself up trying to make a lightning bolt."

"Then why were you able to rub it out?" Li Jiuzhou asked in return.

Secretary Nie rolled her eyes at him:

"Why can't I make a grenade?"

"I started learning Taoism from my master right after I was born, and I didn't lose my virginity until I was 30. I'm a righteous and awe-inspiring being with thunder magic!"

"But you're not bad at all."

"I can teach you some feng shui knowledge and basic face reading, but I can't teach you anything more than that; you don't have the right affinity for it."

Li Jiuzhou wasn't too disappointed. Some things really do require a certain fate or destiny; you can't just learn them whenever you want.

Li Jiuzhou asked cautiously:

"You can also tell fortunes and read faces? What do you think of my future?"

Secretary Nie smiled slightly:

"Don't worry, everything's fine!!!" After saying that, he didn't say anything more.

Li Jiuzhou didn't delve into it further, as knowing too much wasn't always a good thing.

"Then what should we prepare when we go to Baiyun Temple later? That Taoist priest is an old friend of yours. If we don't give him enough, you'll lose face."

Secretary Nie thought for a moment and said:

"The Party Secretary of the First Steel Rolling Mill will be here soon. I've asked him to bring a truckload of grain."

"Then just give them more receipts or something, so they can improve their meals."

"As for the rest, we'll make a decision when we get to the temple."

Li Jiuzhou nodded:

"Do those Taoist priests smoke? Should our logistics department send some cigarettes over?"

"No good ones, but we still have a lot of economy cigarettes. We can easily spare a hundred or so cartons."

"There are also quite a few high-quality teas and jasmine teas."

What do you think?

Secretary Nie pondered upon hearing this:

"Alright, I'll have a few more packs of good cigarettes."

Around 11 o'clock, the two set off in Secretary Nie's car, followed by a truck loaded with rice, flour and cooking oil in the back.

Secretary Nie's arrival was a great honor, and Baiyun Temple opened its main gate to welcome him, clearly indicating that he was a distinguished guest.

The headmaster of Baiyun Temple has already learned of Secretary Nie's identity from the Dharma Protector Elder.

He kept it absolutely secret. He's not stupid; he's not counting on Secretary Nie to make a living.

The government is not trying to crack down on people like them; rather, the policy dictates that it must.

Atheism must be firmly established, otherwise everyone will believe in Buddhism and Taoism, and who the hell will believe in the government?

But the country also needs these kinds of people to deal with some thorny issues.

Take this incident for example. Otherwise, why would Baiyun Temple be able to enjoy some policy subsidies? It's because you are useful and can get things done!

Although the subsidies are negligible, the country is currently preoccupied with numerous other matters and has not focused its attention on this aspect.

We can only take it one step at a time.

Li Jiuzhou looked at the information about Baiyun Temple in the car.

Baiyun Temple covers an area of ​​60,000 square meters—it's truly enormous!

This large Taoist temple has only about 20 people, all of whom are Taoist priests over 30 years old. There are no young people, and they do not accept disciples.

Taoist priests do not receive a salary and rely on growing and selling vegetables and a small amount of government relief grain to make a living, making them completely self-sufficient; while the administrative staff of the Taoist Association receive a monthly salary and are allocated grain coupons.

They almost never receive worshippers or hold prayer ceremonies, their religious function is weakened, and productive labor is their main daily occupation.

The entire vast Baiyun Temple is only managed by a dozen or so core staff members, making the 10,000-acre courtyard appear very empty and desolate.

According to the information provided, the Taoist priests at Baiyun Temple do indeed live a rather austere life.