Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

After dinner, Li Jiuzhou was summoned to the study by Fan's father, and he spoke casually.

"Take a look around, I'll go boil some water."

Li Jiuzhou entered the Fan family's study for the first time.

As expected of a scholarly family, the rows of bookshelves left Li Jiuzhou speechless.

There was also a row of antiques and calligraphy and paintings. When Li Jiuzhou approached, the system dog in his mind would help him determine whether they were real or fake.

Without exception, they are all true.

And those old-fashioned furniture.

Remembering what my second uncle had investigated about the Fan family's background, this is what you call down on their luck?

When the new century arrives, any random item from it will be worth millions.

But there's a prerequisite: everything must be dealt with cleanly before the ten years of turmoil arrive, otherwise there's probably nothing left.

A moment later, Fan's father came in, carrying a small stove with bright red burning charcoal inside.

"sit!"

Li Jiuzhou laughed after sitting down. "Scholars are just indulging in refined pursuits. Old Fan has even started this whole 'gathering around a stove to brew tea' thing."

The whole process was smooth and effortless.

"Have some tea..."

"Thank you, Uncle."

As Li Jiuzhou drank his tea, his dead memories resurfaced. He recalled the scene of brewing tea around a stove on the mountaintop when he was trying to woo girls, which he found quite amusing.

Father Fan sipped his tea, expressing his heartfelt gratitude. He put down his teacup and slowly said:

"What are your plans for the future? Are you going to be a chef for the rest of your life?"

Li Jiuzhou frowned. What did that mean? Did Old Deng look down on the cook?

Father Fan seemed to know what Li Jiuzhou was thinking and continued:

"Don't get me wrong, kid. I'm not looking down on cooks. Based on your achievements in the industry, no amount of praise is too much."

"A chef who has made a name for himself before the age of 20 is a rare find throughout history."

"That's what makes you stand out."

"So I'm thinking, you're still young, you can still learn a lot, 18 is not too late..."

Li Jiuzhou really couldn't figure out what Fan's father was up to, so he asked:

"So you mean I should learn something, or need to master something?"

Mr. Fan laughed, immediately adopting the teacher's demeanor, shaking his head and saying:

"Of all professions, only studying is noble!"

"As you mentioned in our previous conversation, you attended a private school and know a little bit, but that's not enough."

"I have many more books here. Take some home and read them each time. If you don't understand something, just come and ask me."

"Okay, whatever you say..." Li Jiuzhou agreed without hesitation.

The fact that Mr. Fan had a private talk with him, and that they discussed the same things, shows that he has completely accepted Li Jiuzhou as his future son-in-law.

I just wanted him to read more books to improve himself.

In his previous life, Li Jiuzhou had received nine years of compulsory education, but only graduated from junior high school.

Although I was interested in becoming a chef at that time, I regretted it somewhat after I actually became one.

Back then, as an executive chef, I was often invited out for a drink because of the delicious food I made.

I've also met people with high social status and glamorous lives.

At the time, Li Jiuzhou felt that he was already a five-star executive chef before he turned 30, and that he could squeeze into the circle and have some fun.

Unexpectedly, people only showed their enthusiasm when they needed him most, which was when he cooked.

Because in their eyes, what kind of executive chef is he? Isn't he just a cook?

Gradually, Li Jiuzhou also came to terms with it.

But things are different now. He wants to be a chef, and he also wants status and position.

It's just studying; in this era, he has plenty of time to study.

After thinking for a moment, Li Jiuzhou said to Fan's father:

"Uncle, give me a few history books. Mainly the kind about political intrigue."

Upon hearing this, Fan's father narrowed his eyes, then smiled. He didn't ask any further questions and found a few books for Li Jiuzhou.

The snow stopped in the afternoon, and Fan Bingbing watched Li Jiuzhou's figure disappear into the street before turning around and going back into the house.

Not long after Li Jiuzhou returned to the courtyard, Sha Zhu came running over, all excited.

His face lit up with a smile when he saw Li Jiuzhou, which made his already mature face look even more mature.

"Senior brother, bring Shanhe over for dinner tonight. My dad and Aunt Bai are coming too."

Li Jiuzhou thought to himself, "Why is your dad so happy to be back? You were always so unhappy when he came back before." So he asked, "..."

"What's up, something good happening at your house?"

To everyone's surprise, Sha Zhu slapped his thigh and gave Li Jiuzhou a thumbs up upon hearing this:

"Senior brother, you are this one, do you know? My Aunt Bai is pregnant, and my father came here specifically to tell my brother and me."

Li Jiuzhou laughed upon hearing this.

"Oh my, that's wonderful news! Uncle-Master is still going strong!"

"No problem, I'll bring a bottle of good wine over to congratulate him in a bit."

"By the way, who else is coming over for dinner tonight?"

"You weren't here all day, so I was the last to notify you. My dad called Uncle Liu, Uncle Xu, and Uncle Yi from the backyard," Sha Zhu replied casually.

After hearing this, Li Jiuzhou pointed to the door across the street:

"Didn't your dad tell you to call him Teacher Yan? Aren't you afraid of offending him?"

Sha Zhu waved his hand dismissively, his expression quite disdainful.

"That skinny monkey has no right to eat at my house."

"Senior brother, let me tell you, don't be fooled by Yan Bugui's smiling face. I can tell that the old guy is arrogant."

"My dad doesn't like him, and neither do I. He's just an ordinary neighbor. What if we don't invite him? Do you think he'll just bring himself to our house for dinner?"

Li Jiuzhou touched his nose and said two words:

"Hard to say..."

His answer left Sha Zhu somewhat puzzled. After chatting for a few more minutes, the dog went home.

Sha Zhu still has things to do, so He Daqing has asked him to cook today.

Li Jiuzhou's understanding of Yan Bugui came half from his personal interactions with him and the other half from television dramas and novels about courtyard houses.

It's said that if someone in the courtyard invites someone to a meal and Yan Bugui isn't invited, he'll bring watered-down wine to their door on his own initiative.

Li Jiuzhou felt that Yan Bugui wouldn't do that given his current behavior; he would find out the details that evening.

In the He family compound, He Daqing stood at the kitchen door, a cigarette dangling from his lips, watching his eldest son toss the wok.

The cigarette butt is too hot to handle, so I take three deep drags!

Looking at his son's retreating figure and hearing the aroma emanating from the pot, He Daqing smiled.

This foolish son has really made something of himself, even more so than him. He's already working in the kitchen at such a young age. He truly deserves to be He Daqing's son.

When he came back today, the neighbors showered him with compliments, praising him for having such a wonderful son.

This greatly satisfied He Daqing's vanity.

And look, my wife is pregnant again! Double happiness!

He Daqing felt like he was getting carried away.

Bai Lian walked over at this moment and said with a smile:

"Honey, look at the pillar, it's really impressive."

"How about Xiaojun learns to cook too, and his brother mentors him?"

He Daqing did not immediately agree:

"It's too early to talk about this now. I had Zhu Zi learn to cook before because that kid didn't study."

"Now that everything is peaceful and there's a good atmosphere for reading, let's start by reading some books."

"If you really can't get into it, you can always learn again."

After listening carefully, Bai Lian also felt that it made sense:

"Honey, I'll do whatever you say."