Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Li Huaide brewed tea, and the three of them had a very pleasant chat upon meeting again.

"Old Yang, how's Dong Tianbao doing? Are you sure you understand the game?"

Seeing Li Huaide mention Dong Tianbao, Yang Ligong revealed a smug smile:

"That good-for-nothing has been sitting on the sidelines since he took office. I'm letting him familiarize himself with the factory first, and I won't assign him any work for now."

Dong Tianbao's being sidelined at the First Steel Rolling Mill was known to the entire leadership of the major factories in Beiping.

"Old Yang, let me tell you, Dong Tianbao comes from a military background. He's assertive and decisive. Won't ignoring him like this affect things? Should we avoid him for now?"

"Should I avoid his sharp edge first?" Yang Ligong asked rhetorically.

"Yes." Li Huaide nodded. He said this for Yang Ligong's own good, after all, they were colleagues.

Dong Tianbao is not someone to be trifled with, and he's known for his underhanded tactics.

Yang Ligong and his nephew Li Huaide actually liked him more; he was straightforward and, although a bit stingy, he wasn't a bad person.

Yang Ligong snorted coldly:

"Hmph, don't even think about it. You two just watch how I deal with Dong Tianbao. I didn't even invite him to my son's wedding."

Li Jiuzhou frowned upon hearing this:

"Old factory director, this isn't right. He's the second-in-command who works with you. If word gets out, it'll have a really bad impact. You should at least ask him to come."

Li Huaide echoed:

"Old Yang, I think you shouldn't act rashly. You can skip inviting the others in the factory, but you should still invite Dong Tianbao, even if it's just for... well, you know." Li Huaide pointed to the sky.

Both Li Jiuzhou and Yang Ligong understood what it meant.

Upon hearing this, Yang Ligong was stunned for a moment:

"Then...would you please?"

"Yes, please." The uncle and nephew said in unison.

Yang Ligong nodded helplessly:

"Then please, damn it..."

The uncle and nephew exchanged a smile. Only Secretary Nie and Dong Tianbao could push the honest Yang Ligong to this extent.

After chatting for a while, Yang Ligong took his leave.

Li Jiuzhou went to find Sha Zhu and gave him the invitation.

"For me? Director Yang... oh no, Secretary Yang invited me to a banquet?"

Sha Zhu was very surprised when he received the invitation. He really didn't have much of a relationship with Yang Ligong, so he didn't expect him to invite him.

But I felt a little smug inside. Look at how well we've got things going! The Party Secretary's son even invited us to his wedding banquet. We're so proud!

At FarEasTone, Xu Damao also received an invitation personally delivered by Wang Zhiguo.

"Da Mao, I'm getting married on New Year's Day, you absolutely have to come!"

Xu Damao accepted the invitation with a look of delight; he wasn't surprised that Wang Zhiguo was inviting him to his wedding.

Because there weren't many young cadres in the factory, the group of them would often get together for a meal. Their friendship wasn't particularly deep, but they got along quite well.

Xu Damao said:

"Zhiguo, congratulations! Don't worry, I know how to get there. By the way, has our factory manager been invited?"

Wang Zhiguo handed him a cigarette.

"My dad went to deliver invitations to the factory director and the party secretary today, but I don't know if he'll actually go."

Xu Damao smiled slightly after hearing this and struck a match:

"If the factory manager goes, I'll hitch a ride with him. It's so cold to ride a bike in this weather."

"Okay, then you can arrange it yourself."

New Year's Day arrived quickly, and the weather was really nice; it didn't snow, and the sun was out.

In the morning, Li Jiuzhou sent his wife and children to his father-in-law's house, and also brought a lot of meat and grain with him.

It's not appropriate to bring my wife and kids to a banquet. If it weren't for special circumstances, I could go, but not now.

When I got home to the family compound, Sha Zhu and Xu Damao were already waiting at the gate, chatting and smoking with Lou Bancheng.

"Brother, you can go to the back and rest. I'll drive." Xu Damao opened the car door for Li Jiuzhou with a very solicitous expression.

Sha Zhu simply dragged Xu Damao away:

"Get out of here, you're driving a terrible car, you'll drive into a ditch in a minute."

Xu Damao grumbled and cursed as he opened the back door for Li Jiuzhou, then got into the passenger seat himself.

"Uncle Lou, you're leaving now." Li Jiuzhou greeted Lou Bancheng.

Lou Bancheng waved with a smile:

"Go ahead, Zhu Zi, drive carefully. It's not easy to get a meal here. Go to Director Yang's place and eat your fill."

"Just you wait and see!" Silly Zhu replied and started the car.

Xu Damao sat in the passenger seat, watching Sha Zhu drive with envy in his eyes.

Sha Zhu glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and instructed:

"Da Mao, I won't drink any more wine for a while, you drink more."

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao turned around, glanced at Li Jiuzhou, nodded, and solemnly said:

"Of course!"

Li Jiuzhou smiled slightly, knowing that Sha Zhu was thinking about safety.

Actually, there's no such thing as drunk driving now. As long as you don't drink too much, you can still drive or ride a bicycle.

Sha Zhu drove slowly but very steadily, and arrived at his destination in half an hour. After a routine check, he was allowed to pass.

Upon getting off the car, Li Jiuzhou brought two jars of wine as a congratulatory gift.

At their level, red envelopes don't really matter; it's just a formality. Anything is fine as long as it's not too expensive.

Xu Damao and Shazhu each prepared a red envelope containing 99 yuan, symbolizing longevity.

Li Jiuzhou was the same.

At the main gate, Yang Ligong, accompanied by his youngest son and daughter, was already greeting guests.

"Congratulations, old factory director!" Li Jiuzhou walked ahead carrying two jars of wine.

"Congratulations, old factory director!" Xu Damao and Shazhu also clasped their hands in congratulations to Yang Li.

"Oh my, Jiuzhou is here, and so are Brother Zhu and Da Mao! Come on in, please!" Yang Ligong's face was all smiles when he saw Li Jiuzhou holding two jars of wine.

"Old factory director, don't you think I've been generous enough?" Li Jiuzhou said with a smile.

Yang Ligong gave him a thumbs up:

"That's so kind of you, so incredibly kind! We definitely have to drink a lot today!!!"

"Of course, don't bother us, go ahead and do your work." Li Jiuzhou knew Yang Ligong was busy, so he didn't let him take care of them.

Relatives of the Wang family would serve tea, water, and cigarettes; this process was essential and the most basic way to treat guests.

Even if you're poor, your wedding can be low-class, but it can't be lacking in manners.

The chef who prepared the banquet for the Wang family was Li Jiuzhou's senior apprentice, Wang Shan, the head chef of Fengzeyuan Restaurant and a future pillar of the family.

Li Jiuzhou went over to say hello, but his senior brother was too busy to chat with him.

The Wang family's banquet was not lavish; it was just ordinary home-cooked food, but chicken, duck, fish, and meat were indispensable, along with some seafood.

It's good that there aren't any famous dishes on the table; it's neither exaggerated nor ostentatious.

Old Wang has already reduced the number of banquet tables to the bare minimum; six tables is the minimum he can manage.

He had no son, and although Yang Ligong was a son-in-law who had married into the family, he had been treated like a son for many years.

The eldest grandson's marriage is a major event; he has to hold it, otherwise he'll be letting down his ancestors!

The messenger said that the bride had entered the courtyard and was ready to be welcomed.

Li Jiuzhou and the others naturally wanted to join in the fun, standing on both sides of the gate, smiling and welcoming the newlyweds.

At this moment, Sha Zhu suddenly pointed at a middle-aged woman and said:

"Who is this old woman? She's dressed even more festively than the future mother-in-law!"

Li Jiuzhou looked in the direction Sha Zhu was pointing and saw a slightly plump middle-aged woman holding Dong Tianbao's arm; they were clearly husband and wife.

But the strange thing is, why the hell are you dressed so festively?

Anyone who didn't know better would think your son was getting married.

Li Jiuzhou suddenly remembered the old woman who had tried to steal his wife's wedding in his previous life, and blurted out:

"Is this old woman from Grandma's side here to steal the joyous occasion?"

Upon hearing this, both Sha Zhu and Xu Damao showed expressions of shock.

They understand this too; they're seasoned veterans.

"What should we do then? The bride and groom will be walking through the gate soon." Sha Zhu's sense of justice immediately surged.

Xu Damao said:

"Shazhu, let's go over there and stand next to her. If she makes any move, grab her."

Sha Zhu glanced at his senior brother, and seeing that he didn't object, he quietly squeezed past Xu Damao.

"May the bride's arrival bring great fortune!" Secretary Nie shouted, and everyone raised their hands to applaud.

Wang Zhiguo, beaming with happiness, carried his bride through the gate.

Just then, Dong Tianbao's wife took a step forward and was about to reach the middle when Sha Zhu grabbed her hair and pulled her back.

The woman glared angrily at the person who was stopping her.

Sha Zhu chuckled and whispered:

"Screw you! You failed to steal the joyous occasion, go home and wait to die!"