Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

It was a day off, and Li Jiuzhou was practicing calligraphy in his study, a skill his father-in-law had taught him.

The saying "one's handwriting reflects one's character" and so on...

The implication was that he should continue his studies. Li Jiuzhou understood that he had missed out on compulsory education in his previous life, and although the original owner of this body had attended private schools, it wasn't for long.

Moreover, having already attained a relatively high official position, if one wishes to make greater progress in the future, one must put in diligent study.

After the founding of the country, many generals said they didn't care about studying, but they were secretly working hard to learn.

If you don't advance, you fall behind; it's a very simple principle.

What Li Jiuzhou needs to do is enrich his knowledge base and prepare for the future.

Moreover, he is not without a diploma; he attended a two-year cadre training program and also studied at the highest Party School.

Although I don't have a university degree, it's enough.

At present, there are many officials with the same academic qualifications as him.

A very small percentage of graduates from Tsinghua University, like Yang Ligong, go into politics.

Gradually, Li Jiuzhou also came to enjoy the feeling of learning, especially when he was alone in the study.

He personally arranged every corner, and he was very satisfied.

Even immortals have their own mountains, and bodhisattvas have their own temples. You must have your own place of practice; this is a good medicine!

Because it was a day off and the end of the year was approaching, the Jia family's small workshop started its money-making mode again.

I only earn about a month or two each year, and I don't make much, but I can still make seventy or eighty yuan.

They still have to do it even in such difficult times, just to earn some money.

Tong Jie did not offer sacrifices to each household this year, but he allowed all the children in the courtyard to go to his house to get a piece of sachima (a type of Chinese pastry).

Even if she doesn't have children at home, she'll still send them a dollar or two.

If you handle interpersonal relationships well, your neighbors won't be jealous; they'll even recommend your family for business.

The Zhang family is also secretly grinding soybeans to make tofu and selling it. Everyone wants to make some money, it's really not unreasonable.

Neighbors each have their own ways of doing things, and unless there's a life-or-death feud, no one would dare to report someone.

Once you start doing it, be prepared to be driven away by your neighbors.

There are many happy events at the end of the year, and the factory's chefs are doing a great job with their side jobs.

Every week, someone would go to Sha Zhu's office to deliver a few packs of cigarettes or a couple of bottles of wine.

This is their benefactor, their great benefactor who gave them a way to make a living.

Of course, Li Jiuzhou's share was included. They couldn't deliver it directly to the factory office, so they sent it to Sha Zhu's place because the canteen director's office was in the first canteen, which was very convenient and they weren't afraid of being discovered.

Another very important reason is that outsiders cannot enter the kitchen at all; it is strictly controlled.

Sha Zhu was a little apprehensive about becoming the head of the cafeteria. He was afraid of being poisoned, since his father, He Daqing, had been the cafeteria director back then.

He was fired because a spy poisoned him.

Do you think he was wronged?

That's somewhat true.

You're right to say he's not wronged, because you're the canteen manager, the person primarily responsible. If the workers are poisoned, who will take responsibility if not you?

Five days before the Chinese New Year, Li Jiuzhou promoted Sha Zhu to deputy director, making him the canteen director in name and in fact!

He also told Sha Zhu that if he didn't achieve anything significant in the future, being a division-level official would be his ceiling in this lifetime.

Sha Zhu wasn't discouraged at all. He was a deputy director, equivalent to a county magistrate. His family's ancestral graves had already been blown up, so what more could he want?

He doesn't have much ambition and is already very content.

As the factory director, Li Jiuzhou was still very busy at the end of the year.

Today he was looking at the workers' information booklet.

The information is basically from three generations, and the workers at Red Star come from all ethnic groups.

This is because it is the capital of Beiping, where Han Chinese are the majority, but there are also quite a few Manchus.

It's not uncommon for people to call each other "wild boar skin" when they're arguing.

That's normal; when you're arguing, swear words just slip out.

It's exhausting to have to use logic when you're cursing.

The simplest and most direct way is to hit you right in the heart; that's how you feel pain.

When I hit you, I also hit your face, otherwise it wouldn't be fun.

The security department at Red Star is quite violent. If someone gets into a fight, they'll drag them to the thugs and beat them up, making them suffer some physical pain.

Then the person who provoked them apologized and paid compensation.

There was a guy who lost a tooth in a fight; he was from the security department, but the person who provoked him had to pay him back.

It's unfair, but who the hell told you to cause trouble? You deserved it.

Therefore, the security department in the factory had a very strong authority, so much so that the workers were somewhat afraid of it.

They wield a lot of power; even the security department can handle your infidelity. They could drag you out of bed in the middle of the night and beat you up.

Those who strongly resist deserve to be punished, even if it means being hit with a single peanut.

For ordinary workers' family disputes, the police and the factory's security department work together to resolve them.

So now, when many workers have an accident, their first reaction is to shout:

"I'm going to find the security department!"

That shout could shock many people.

Li Jiuzhou was looking at the documents when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Boss, Director Lin Gang said he has something to report to you," Xiao Wan said respectfully as he walked in.

"Then let him in," Li Jiuzhou said calmly.

A moment later, Lin Gang walked in.

"Factory manager."

"Sit down." Li Jiuzhou smiled, pointed to a chair for him to sit down, and moved to the side to make tea.

Li Jiuzhou enjoys brewing his own tea, finding rare moments of leisure.

"What's up? Is something wrong with the security department?" Li Jiuzhou asked casually.

Lin Gang quickly explained:

"No, no, factory manager, I would like to apply for permission to go out. There is a herd of wild boars in Changping. Judging from the size, there are supposedly several hundred of them. They came from deep in the mountains. I would like to lead a team to hunt them."

Li Jiuzhou became interested upon hearing this. He wouldn't be interested in a dozen or so wild boars, but several hundred would be a real treasure.

If we can manage that, the factory can afford to have several meals of meat and vegetables.

But wild boars aren't so easy to hunt.

"Old Lin, I allow it in principle, but you all need to be careful. It's okay if you don't catch the wild boar, but people can't get hurt."

"Also, bring a mortar. These things are incredibly powerful. Let's blast them a few times." Li Jiuzhou laughed as he finished speaking.

Lin Gang, on the other hand, was deep in thought, considering whether it was appropriate to bring a mortar.

In the end, they decided to listen to Li Jiuzhou and bring two mortars.

Bomb first, then fight. That's how the Japanese fought back then, damn it!

That afternoon, Lin Gang gathered a team and secretly set off.

This kind of thing shouldn't be publicized too much; it would be embarrassing if you didn't catch a wild boar.

It's not too late to spread the news after we've won.

Now that guns are not banned nationwide, people with guns or fishing and hunting skills will take advantage of the winter to go into the mountains to hunt.

A person who can hunt wild boars is very skilled, but someone who can hunt pheasants or ducks is just average.

People who know how to set traps usually have plenty of meat at home.

Now it's a collective effort; even if you get hit, you have to hand it over.

But nobody's stupid. They can't just hide it, and they're not worried about the meat spoiling in winter.

It was hard-earned; only a fool would hand it over. By the time it's discovered, it'll already be in someone's stomach.