Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

On his first day at work, Li Jiuzhou wasn't very busy; Wang Shan mostly helped him out with tasks.

The kitchen was a sacred place in Li Jiuzhou's heart, and he had long been accustomed to the smoke and fire.

Although there aren't many range hoods these days, exhaust fans are still quite useful.

It's good enough if it exists, don't be picky.

And then there's Li Jiuzhou's cooking skills.

He felt that if he didn't hold back and went all out, he should be able to compete with his senior brother.

After all, he is the executive chef of a five-star hotel!

He can cook anything; he's tried dishes from restaurants all over the country.

But the seasonings of later generations are far better than those of today.

Li Jiuzhou had seen all those technologies and ruthless techniques, but he had never used them; he looked down on them.

He still has his bottom line; high-end hotels wouldn't treat their guests like that—it's not worth it.

Also, Li Jiuzhou is only 15 years old, his body has not yet fully developed, and his cooking skills still have a long way to go.

He dared not reveal himself, so he could only lie low and gradually reveal his culinary skills over time.

If someone learns faster than others, they can be considered to have a natural talent. There are 360 ​​professions, and every profession can produce an expert. No one will think there's anything wrong with that.

Li Jiuzhou spent the whole day in the kitchen, and good heavens, his mouth was watering uncontrollably.

Li Jiuzhou was helpless; this was a natural bodily reaction, and he had never had any good food growing up.

Seeing so many fragrant dishes suddenly appear before my eyes, I must have had good self-control not to grab them.

The other apprentices at Fengzeyuan couldn't stop laughing at Li Jiuzhou's appearance.

Because they were like that at the beginning too, who the hell isn't tempted!

Wang Shan saw it all, and couldn't help but smile.

However, as the senior disciple, he did something decent: in the evening, he kept a bite of every dish he prepared and gave it to Li Jiuzhou to try.

It's one thing to broaden his horizons, and it's another to let him know what the food tastes like.

A chef needs a good palate and a keen sense of taste, otherwise they can't cook anything decent...

These can all be cultivated.

Why are so many people picky eaters?

It's all caused by what we eat.

How can a chef cook if he doesn't eat?

Obviously not.

This chef has his own methods for training apprentices.

It's perfectly normal to leave a bite of a dish for your apprentice to taste, and no one says a word about it.

As long as you don't make the dish look completely unrecognizable, there shouldn't be a big problem.

The chefs all know what's going on.

Another point is that the meals served at Fengzeyuan were basically prepared by the apprentices.

Whether it tastes good or not is one thing, but you have to actually make it.

Simply practicing chopping vegetables and tossing woks isn't enough.

The idea that you can't cook before a certain time is nonsense.

I'm definitely not qualified to cook for the customers in the garden; I can't do something that would ruin the reputation.

Cooking for your own family is much simpler, as there's usually a chef to guide you.

Don't think that just because your chef teaches you how to cook and how to add seasonings, you're good to go.

It's still a long way off; everyone needs to practice. You can't improve your cooking skills without time to accumulate experience.

There are many factors that make learning to cook a long process.

First and foremost, the rules must be laid out.

It is divided into three stages, also known as the early, middle, and late three years.

Each phase lasts three years, totaling nine years in total (before, during, and after)!

For the first three years, the apprentice eats and lives with the master and basically does nothing. The master mainly tests the apprentice's character before deciding whether to keep or leave.

In the second three years, the master basically began to teach the apprentices the craft step by step, and they also received a living allowance.

The master not only teaches the craft step by step, but also teaches the principles of being a good person.

This stage is the most difficult and tiring.

The third apprentice, after three years, will have skills that are basically presentable and usable, but his wages will definitely be low because he is working for his master.

Nine years later, no matter how good your cooking skills are, you'll have to become a master chef.

Of course, there are also quite a few who want to continue working under their master.

That's how it is these days, master and apprentice, father and son.

Once you pass the character test, the master will truly treat you like his own son.

Of course, rules are rules, but people are flexible.

These days, it takes too many people nine years to learn a trade, and many masters simply can't bear to do that.

Most of the time, once the apprentices have completed their training, they are released to earn money to support their families. If you are so filial, you can come back to show your respect to your master anytime.

Li Jiuzhou's senior apprentice, Wang Shan, studied cooking for six years before becoming a chef and is now the second chef at Fengzeyuan. He is a promising young man!

There are many such examples; few master chefs would be willing to let their apprentices stay with them for nine years.

Dongze Garden closes down around 8:30 p.m.

The master led Li Jiuzhou home.

Li Jiuzhou was carrying a cloth bag containing two boxes of food, one meat and two vegetable dishes.

Of course it wasn't his; it was a perk for the chef, the master chef.

"How are you, apprentice? How are you feeling today? Are you getting used to it?" Li Tielong asked with his hands behind his back.

"Master, I'm quite used to it. My senior brother takes good care of me, and the others are also very polite," Li Jiuzhou replied truthfully.

"Well, you'll get used to it. Learning a craft isn't something that happens overnight. You have to be focused and attentive to what you're doing."

"Understood, Master."

"Um."

Li Tielong nodded slightly; he was very satisfied with his apprentice's performance.

Although he couldn't read faces, his apprentice was pleasing to the eye and handsome!

Although he is not very old, he is tall, almost 1.7 meters tall at the age of 15.

What puzzled Li Tielong was that his apprentice had fled to Beiping with his younger brother and sister, and should have been emaciated.

But the three siblings didn't look like refugees at all; they looked more like impoverished nobles.

There must be other stories behind this escape, something Li Tielong could guess with his bare hands.

They must be sure it's their apprentice who's quick-witted. Just look at their third daughter, Jiaojiao; her chubby little face shows she's never been hungry. The couple loves her no matter how they look at her.

As soon as I opened the door when I got home, the little girl rushed over to me.

"Pot, you're back! I missed you so much..."

Li Jiuzhou scooped her up and started shaking her, making the little girl giggle.

"Oh, doesn't Jiaojiao miss her godfather?" Li Tielong said sourly from the side.

Upon hearing this, Jiao Jiao quickly broke free from her older brother's embrace, ran to Li Tielong's side, hugged him tightly, and said sweetly:

"Godfather, Jiaojiao misses you too. She even saved some peach shortbread for you."

Li Tielong's heart melted instantly at Jiaojiao's words, and he picked her up, showering her with affection.

The master's wife ushered them into the house, and the second brother, Li Shanhe, began to serve tea and water. He was also a clever man and always had something to do.

At home, he does everything he can.

This saved the teacher's wife a lot of effort.

Although the addition of three siblings to the family increased their expenses, the couple felt at ease.

It used to be quiet and deserted. When Li Tielong went to work, his wife would be left alone at home to do some chores.

Now that Jiaojiao is there to keep her company, she smiles much more often.

It was autumn, and Li Jiuzhou took a shower and went to bed.

There's no extra nightlife these days.

In present-day Beiping, if you dare to go out at night, your relatives and friends will be inviting you to a banquet in a few days.

It's perfectly normal for someone to die at night; just go out and try it if you don't believe me.

After 9 p.m., very few people in the city dare to go out.

The doors were already bolted tightly; some households had multiple bolts on their main gate and room doors.

They defecate and urinate right inside the house; there's a chamber pot.

Li Jiuzhou and his second brother Shanhe shared a room, where they also kept a chamber pot for getting up at night.