Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Li Jiuzhou and Secretary Nie entered the thousand-year-old Taoist temple, warmly received by a group of Taoist priests.

After all the supplies they brought were moved into the Taoist temple, the gate was closed.

Secretary Nie led Li Jiuzhou to bow and offer incense at each of the halls they visited.

Li Jiuzhou was also very sincere, after all, he had seen different things, and his state of mind was very peaceful and respectful.

The sect leader smiled as he saw how sincere the two were.

The same applies to the Dharma Protector Elder and the other elderly Taoist priests.

Those who respect the patriarchs like it.

Li Jiuzhou brought money with him today and put 1,000 yuan into the donation box.

Secretary Nie didn't say anything; he brought even more—two thousand.

Is three thousand yuan a lot for Baiyun Temple?

It looks like a lot, but it's not. Look at how big it is—60 acres!

Of course, half of it is idle wasteland; even 20 or so Taoist priests couldn't cultivate that much land.

Three thousand yuan is enough to eat and drink for a very long time.

Finally, we ate a vegetarian meal and then chatted in the sect leader's private courtyard.

Secretary Nie chatted with them, while Li Jiuzhou stood by, listening to their heroic deeds of how they used to fight monsters with lightning.

The sect leader also mentioned how difficult their situation is now, because their lineage is on the verge of extinction.

How can the tradition be passed down if there is only a group of elderly people and no fresh blood?

But they can't open their doors wide now; times have changed, and the situation doesn't allow them to do so.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they're barely clinging to life.

Secretary Nie was also somewhat saddened by this, after all, he was also a Taoist, and one with a proper lineage.

Why were Buddhist and Taoist temples allowed to open their gates wide in the past? Because the imperial court permitted it.

The Taoists were trusted by some officials, who then supported them.

Now that no one is supporting them, they'd rather stay away than risk being labeled as feudal and superstitious.

It's not that they don't believe it; they believe it very much. But they can't bear the weight of such a label being placed on them; they have to risk their future, even their entire family's, prospects.

Tell me, would you dare?

If it weren't for the higher-ups assigning Secretary Nie to handle this matter entirely, he might not have dared to bring Li Jiuzhou into the Baiyun Temple.

They are not insignificant officials; one is a deputy director-general, and the other a deputy minister—they are already high-ranking cadres.

Every word and action must be mindful of its impact.

If the gates of Baiyun Temple hadn't been closed, Secretary Nie might not have dared to worship the patriarch.

Actually, the above policy is not like that.

As far as Li Jiuzhou knew:

Timeline of the "Eliminating Feudal Superstition" policy: Early years after the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Core principle: Eliminate feudal superstition and distinguish between normal religious beliefs and feudal superstition.

National laws protect normal religious beliefs (Taoism, Buddhism, and other legal religions are considered beliefs, not superstitions); what is targeted are folk witchcraft and superstitious activities such as witchcraft, fortune telling, shamanism, face reading, exorcism, and healing.

During this period, legitimate Taoist temples and monasteries can exist normally, and Taoist priests and monks can practice their faith; however, witchcraft activities involving deception and swindling money are banned.

Baiyun Temple is a protected and legal religious site, belonging to normal religion, and is not within the scope of the crackdown on "feudal superstition".

The movement's slogans became widespread: anti-feudal superstition propaganda was launched on a large scale, and newspapers, radio, and schools frequently carried out propaganda.

Folk practices such as fortune telling, feng shui consultation, shamanistic rituals, and burning paper money for exorcism are strictly restricted; all kinds of illicit shrines and earthen temples have been banned in rural areas.

However, legitimate religious sites are still preserved: Baiyun Temple has Taoist priests living there and the Taoist Association offices there; it simply reduces external religious activities and does not hold large-scale temple fairs.

The practice of visiting graves and offering simple sacrifices to ancestors is still common among ordinary people and is considered a folk custom; it will not be forcibly prohibited.

The spread of misinformation led to a situation where everyone felt insecure.

Around 2 PM, Li Jiuzhou drove back to the factory.

The matter at the No. 1 Steel Rolling Mill branch was resolved perfectly, and no one knew what had happened.

However, Secretary Nie still wrote a summary report, written from the bottom of his heart.

The report stated that they should exist, but they need to be managed effectively, which is a very high level of expertise.

Knowing the power of Baiyun Temple, Secretary Nie said he wanted to control it, keeping inside information known only to his own people.

Strength is fundamental, but it is also the original sin. Having this strength makes you an uncontrollable factor for those above you.

If a cultivator goes mad, the destruction they cause would be absolutely terrifying.

Moreover, Secretary Nie had to write it this way: while protecting Baiyun Temple, they also had to put a tight rein on them.

After seeing Secretary Nie's report, the head of the Ministry of Metallurgy immediately forwarded it to higher authorities.

They can't handle this kind of thing; it has to be handled by higher-ups.

Soon after, the headmaster of Baiyun Temple and several core disciples were summoned to a secret base for tea.

He drank and remained silent; there was something even more terrifying inside.

He obediently accepted the arrangements, and the sect leader stated his position in one sentence:

"We'll go wherever you point; if we hesitate for even a second, it's our fault."

Seeing that they were very obedient, the higher-ups stopped saying anything more, only occasionally giving them a warning. However, they still needed to handle some ordinary little matters.

The only benefit was that they were given a food ration, just like ordinary people.

First slap them, then give them a treat. It's an old trick, but it always works.

The residential compound for employees of the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill is finished, but the issue of the children's schooling needs to be resolved.

The factory originally wanted to build another primary school for its employees, but there was already a Red Star Primary School.

After discussion, it was decided not to build the new building, but to expand it and strengthen the teaching staff.

The factory can contribute money, and the neighborhood committee should also contribute.

Because Hongxing Primary School is also located in Nanluoguxiang.

The subdistrict office has no money, so it can only report upwards layer by layer, eventually reaching the Dongcheng District Government.

The subdistrict office changed its name this year. With the nationwide movement towards collectivization, it was renamed Jiaodaokou People's Commune, but its essence is still that of a subdistrict office; it's just a name change.

The Jiaodaokou People's Commune was subordinate to the Dongcheng District People's Committee (Dongcheng District Government!).

The district government is a department-level unit, and both the secretary and the district head are department-level officials.

The subordinate unit was Jiaodaokou People's Commune, a division-level unit. With the restructuring, our Director Wang became a division-level unit, and she got promoted again.

Of course, Bingbing also made progress, becoming a deputy director and then a deputy division chief!

Let me reiterate, her advancement was entirely due to her own abilities and has absolutely nothing to do with her husband, who holds a deputy director-level position!

This is a case of reaping the benefits of reform; it's like a windfall.

The Dongcheng District government was under the jurisdiction of Beiping City.

District governments are all at the provincial level, while Beiping is a municipality directly under the central government, which is at the provincial or ministerial level.

Both the Party Secretary and the Mayor are provincial or ministerial level officials.

The Hongxing Children's Primary School is to be expanded, and the district government supports it. At this moment, education is paramount, and we cannot let the children suffer. We have reported this to higher authorities and are asking for funding.

The municipal government also approved some funds, and the rest had to be paid by Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

What does the expansion represent? It represents opportunity, which is beneficial to all teachers and students of Hongxing Primary School.

However, the structure of Hongxing Primary School will remain unchanged, and the principal will still be equivalent to a deputy subject-level official, not an administrative rank.

The school does not have an administrative staff; the only difference is that the salary and benefits are comparable to those of administrative staff.

Of course, if you want to advance further, once you get into the district education bureau, you'll have an administrative rank.

Generally, it's best for school principals to get jobs in the education bureau.

Li Huaide's wife, who is also Li Jiuzhou's second aunt, is the director of the Dongcheng District Education Bureau, a full-fledged department-level official!

Both of her children attend Hongxing Primary School.

Education at this time is pretty much the same; it's not necessarily much better, and that's only for more core social circles.

With the expansion of Hongxing Primary School, Yan Bugui naturally started jumping around again.

After the primary school is expanded, four more directors and three vice principals will be added. If Yan Bugui doesn't make a move, then he really has no chance.