Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Yang Ligong was transferred away, but his son Wang Zhiguo and nephew Yang Guangming are still at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

However, one person was transferred with Yang Ligong, and that was his secretary, Yang Yulan.

Yang Ligong didn't necessarily want to take Yang Yulan away; rather, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself.

After all, once someone has cheated, they're more likely to do it again.

But Yang Ligong restrained himself, and Yang Yulan still managed to captivate him.

She knew her own limitations, and he knew her own strengths and weaknesses.

Once Yang Ligong was transferred, Yang Guangming and Wang Zhiguo no longer had so many lackeys around them.

The saying "when people leave, tea grows cold" is perfectly exemplified at this moment.

They were both a little confused.

My dad/my uncle isn't dead, he's just been transferred to a sister factory. How dare you?

Why shouldn't I dare?

Does your backing allow you to remotely control the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill?

Are you kidding me? Factory Director Li is afraid of Yang Ligong?

Yang Guangming and Xu Zhiguo, being good people, also really wanted to be transferred.

He spent all day lobbying Yang Ligong.

Yang Ligong absolutely refused; he was much happier working alone in the factory.

Is it necessary for my son and nephew to come along?

Besides, who knows if you're here to supervise me? Just stay put.

You two haven't reached the age for promotion yet, so take some time to reflect.

At the end of October, Li Jiuzhou was looking at reports in his office.

By the end of July, the production target had been met, and we have to thank Yang Ligong for that; he really knows how to manage production.

We've been operating under a free production model for three months now, and the output is quite impressive. Anyway, we're earning our own money and spending it ourselves, so the higher-ups won't say anything.

The Ministry of Metallurgical Industry issued targets, specifying how much production capacity each factory should achieve this year. These were rigid standards, similar to the practice of distributing grain to the provinces.

Once the grain tax is paid, what's left is for us to eat. As for whether it's enough, well...

That means some people will be full while others will be hungry.

Similarly, the factory can continue to allow overtime work, which may cause complaints from the workers, but these can be resolved.

There's plenty of money to be made, overtime pay is plentiful, and there are plenty of people willing to work.

As for being tired?

Go out and ask around; who isn't tired these days?

Even seven- or eight-year-old children in the city are starting fires to cook.

Children of this age in the countryside are already helping with farm work.

This is an era of universal striving; I really don't know how to spell the word "lazy."

If you're really lazy, you'll never get enough to eat, and you deserve to starve to death.

Of course, those from well-off families are another matter.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, not many families were well-off; being able to eat and drink their fill was considered very fortunate.

Li Jiuzhou is now the factory director, and he has a dedicated driver and secretary.

The driver was selected from the security department; he was not only a driver but also a security guard.

The secretary chose a clever young man named Wan Sheng, who was about the same age as my younger brother.

Okay, it was his high school classmate. To be honest, he got in through his younger brother's connections.

If it weren't for their good relationship and understanding of Wan Sheng's character, Shan He wouldn't have recommended his classmate to be his older brother's secretary.

The main reason is that this kid is clever and handles things very efficiently. Shanhe felt that he could help his older brother share the burden, so he recommended him.

Of course, Wan Sheng didn't graduate from Peking University, but Beiping Normal School was also very good.

Early that morning, Wan Sheng rode his bicycle to Li Jiuzhou's house to wait, and his driver, Xiao Zhang, also arrived.

Li Jiuzhou invited them into the courtyard to have some more food.

They're all young men, they can't get enough to eat, they simply can't get enough.

They don't eat it, but they've eaten it several times already, how can they be so shameless?

Li Jiuzhou didn't say much, just a token gesture would be fine, otherwise I would feel uncomfortable if you actually sat down and ate.

Because I didn't cook much.

He finished his meal quickly, got in the car, and left, leaving his wife and children to worry about.

As Li Jiuzhou passed by the Jiaodaokou Subdistrict Office, he witnessed a scene that he did not particularly want to see.

Because there were many vagrants leaning or squatting against the wall.

They were actually refugees fleeing famine, but now they are called "migrants".

Some came alone, while others brought their families.

Some homeless people even beg directly from passersby.

Li Jiuzhou felt terrible seeing this; he had gone through the same thing back then and could understand the heartache.

If it weren't for the desperate need to survive, who would willingly leave their homeland?

Fortunately, the government took care of things; once we arrived in Beiping, we were provided with food, shelters, and repatriation stations.

You won't starve wherever you go, but you'll be sent back to your place of origin.

It is not allowed to stay and work or register your household registration privately. It is very difficult to stay unless you have a formal employer to accept you.

Li Jiuzhou didn't rush to send Xiao Zhang to the factory, but instead had him take a walk around the train station and the city wall.

Inside the car, Li Jiuzhou lit a cigarette, and neither Xiao Zhang nor Xiao Wan disturbed him.

Because they sensed that their leader was in a bad mood, they knew they should keep quiet when necessary.

Back at the factory, Li Jiuzhou took out the employee handbook to see where there were still vacant positions.

He wanted to help those people, since those who dared to become vagrants were usually young and middle-aged.

Otherwise, I don't know if I would have survived the journey.

To be honest, the factory doesn't lack these young and strong men.

Li Jiuzhou really wanted to help those who brought their families along.

These are the people who need the most help.

They all came here as a family to escape the disaster, but when they went back, they were still in the same sorry state.

Unable to help too many, Li Jiuzhou chose to assist the ten most destitute and miserable families.

Then I asked Xiao Wan to take care of it.

Xiao Wan was completely bewildered after hearing the leader's instructions. Was this the most difficult and miserable situation?

Okay, whatever the boss says goes.

Xiao Wan brought the person to the factory in one morning, and the formalities were completed.

They'll be sent directly to the pig farm to raise pigs. There are two rows of unoccupied houses there, each 25 square meters. No matter how many people are in your family, it's healthier to squeeze in. As long as they're alive, that's fine.

A starving boy saw someone pushing a cart of pig feed over, the basin still steaming, and his eyes immediately lit up with greed.

With lightning speed, he grabbed the broken bowl in his hand and scooped up a large bowlful, not caring about anything else, he just drank it all down!

His parents didn't even have time to stop him.

"Hey hey hey... Oh my god!" Xiao Wan reached out to stop them, but they had already started drinking. In the end, he covered his face, not knowing what to do.

By the time Xiao Wan walked over, the boy had already finished his bowl and drunk everything, licking his lips contentedly while staring intently at the steaming pig feed.

Xiao Wan stepped forward and gently kicked the boy with his foot. He didn't punish him, but instead laughed and scolded him:

"Why are you so greedy? Didn't I say we'd eat at the cafeteria once we were settled? Why are you fighting with pigs for food?"

The boy grinned:

"Uncle, I'm starving. Let me have a couple of sips to tide me over."

"It smells really good..."

His words made everyone present laugh, not in a mocking way, but with a touch of sadness.

The adults' eyes were also greenish, all from hunger, but they managed to restrain themselves.

Xiao Wan shook his head helplessly:

"Then hurry up and come with me to settle in. Once you're settled, we'll eat at the cafeteria."

By the time everything was arranged and we finished eating with the group, it was almost 2 PM.

At 3 o'clock, Xiao Wan went to report to Li Jiuzhou and told him about the little rascal who ate pig feed.

Li Jiuzhou smiled bitterly; it was all because of the famine.

Let Xiao Wan continue to follow up. After things are settled, the elderly in the family will do the housework, and the young ones will be sent to school.

Once things have completely settled down, the assistance will end there; that's all Li Jiuzhou can do.

This is within the scope of his power and ability.

Li Huaide smiled but didn't react much after learning about his nephew's actions.

He could guess what was going on; it was a sign of his nephew's kindness, and he wouldn't interfere.

Moreover, he was very sensible and helped ten families, including those with their entire households.

Those who know what they're doing can naturally see the trickery involved.

The Ministry of Metallurgy found out immediately.

Li Jiuzhou suddenly summoned dozens of people to the factory. They were all migrant workers, and they were the ten most miserable and hard-working families.

The leaders who knew the route Li Jiuzhou took could understand.

"This brat, he's lived up to all my hard work in training him!" Old Li chuckled and scolded in his office.

"Not forgetting your roots, very good!" These were Minister Wang's exact words.

At the highest point, the leader gazed at the starry sky and said:

"The future is bright, but the road is tortuous!!!"