Courtyard House: The Fisherman Never Goes Sick

Yang Wei glanced at his watch; as soon as the hour hand returned to its original position, he gathered his strength in his dantian and shouted loudly, "Time's up! Start cooking!"

Before the words were even finished, the staff who had been waiting at the door pushed the food carts in one after another, skillfully surging into the kitchen. Plates of cold dishes that had been prepared in advance were quickly passed through the hands of the kitchen helpers and steadily placed onto the food carts.

At exactly 12 o'clock, the state banquet officially began.

This isn't a private wedding celebration; every step is timed precisely, allowing no room for error. If anything goes even slightly off, the entire process will fall apart.

This state banquet had 351 tables, but the kitchen prepared enough for 370. The extra tables were to prevent accidental spills of food or soup. Preparation is key; all risks must be nipped in the bud.

With Yang Wei's command, the vast kitchen fell silent except for the sound of wheels turning. This was the rule for state banquets: only one person could give orders. If it were as noisy as a market, what kind of decorum would that be?

Under his direction, the kitchen operated like a sophisticated machine, running smoothly and efficiently. One exquisite dish after another was steadily delivered to the front of the restaurant by the staff.

The state banquet has officially begun!

The luncheon was from 12:00 to 2:00, and the dinner was from 5:00 to 7:00. Both banquets featured the same dishes, and the amount of work behind them was astronomical, not to mention the astonishing physical exertion.

It wasn't until 7 p.m., when the last dish was successfully served and the banquet came to a successful end, that Yang Wei finally relaxed after a long day of tension.

He looked around to make sure there were no mistakes, and a surge of indescribable excitement welled up inside him. He raised his arms and shouted, "Gentlemen, we have won!"

This roar was like opening a floodgate, and the entire kitchen erupted in thunderous cheers.

Amidst the jubilation, Sun Jiufu seemed to have lost his spine, collapsing to the ground with a thud. He was drenched in sweat, his face flushed an unnatural red.

Yang Wei, quick-witted and agile, immediately called Xu Guoqing: "Quickly, find someone to take Old Sun back to his room and call a doctor to come and take a look!"

After all that trouble, the doctor confirmed that it was just overwork and that he would be fine after a few days of rest, which put Yang Wei's mind at ease.

Just as he was looking for a place to rest and catch his breath, a crisp electronic voice suddenly rang in his mind.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, for hosting and successfully completing a high-standard, high-quality state banquet. You have received an extra reward!"

"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have gained a random professional skill upgrade of one level."

"Ding, starting the upgrade now..."

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for upgrading your Appraiser skills from Intermediate to Advanced."

[Host: Yang Wei]

Occupation 1: Chef

【技能：火候顶级（850\/100000）；刀工顶级（810\/100000）；调味顶级（820\/100000）】

【Career Two: Treasure Appraiser】

[Skill: Eye of Truth (Unique), sees through all disguises and reveals the only truth; Advanced Knowledge (0/10000); Intermediate Vision (523/1000)]

System space: 10 cubic meters

Skill Points: 15234

Holy crap!

Yang Wei nearly jumped out of his chair. This happiness came too suddenly! He had leveled up directly, and with the valuable Appraiser skill at that. This surprise instantly washed away most of his fatigue.

Ten minutes later, Yang Wei finally recovered and began to carefully consider his gains.

This state banquet experience not only upgraded his skills but also gave him a god-level kitchen knife, god-level fighting techniques, a large sum of cash, and skill points. More importantly, this kind of experience in a grand setting is something money can't buy. With this experience, he will be able to handle similar situations with ease in the future.

Although the troublesome incident involving Yang Yourong occurred in the middle, the merits outweighed the flaws, and the outcome was good.

After this incident, Yang Wei's name was forever linked with "state banquet chef." In that era, and even in later generations, anyone associated with the words "state banquet" was a figure of great prestige, a renowned person wherever they went.

That night, no one rushed home. The next day, leaders came to offer their congratulations, especially to the head chef, who had given excellent command and made zero mistakes throughout the entire process—a truly remarkable achievement. He not only received a certificate but also a bonus.

There's no such thing as working for free. Even if you don't get paid, there's still a long line of people who want to squeeze in, but rules are rules.

Just like how Yang Wei wanted to pass the head chef's duties to Sun Jiufu, but the old man flatly refused, in this industry, some rules are ingrained. What can be adapted are the methods, what cannot be changed are the principles.

That night, all the chefs returned to their rooms, fell asleep immediately, and snored loudly.

I was utterly exhausted. It wasn't just physical exhaustion, but also the result of prolonged mental tension. The sheer fatigue from this mental and physical exhaustion could only be relieved through deep sleep.

Yang Yourong didn't show up again, nor did she bother Yang Wei. Otherwise, given Yang Wei's current temper, he would definitely have given her a thorough dressing-down.

I slept very soundly that night.

The huge weight that had been hanging over my heart finally lifted, and without the psychological burden, I slept exceptionally well until dawn.

The next morning, after washing up, Yang Wei went straight to Sun Jiufu's room.

Yesterday, that old man Sun really scared him. He was afraid that the old man would do something bad because of overwork. Although he wasn't directly responsible for the incident, he was, after all, the head chef of the state banquet, and he couldn't escape responsibility for anything that went wrong in the kitchen.

"Old Sun, how are you? Are you feeling any better?" Yang Wei pushed open the door and entered, looking at Sun Jiufu lying on the bed with a face full of concern.

"Much better, thank you for your trouble, Xiao Yang." Sun Jiufu thanked him, then sighed with emotion, "Ah, I guess I'm getting old, there's no denying it. This state banquet has been a complete success, and I have no regrets. For a chef, to be able to attend a state banquet twice in a lifetime is such an honor, I'm content!"

Yang Wei listened, and felt a deep sense of empathy. Having experienced this, he'd really think twice before asking someone to do it again. It wasn't just the exhaustion; the pressure was immense. When a person is in a state of high concentration for extended periods, they're no longer human; they become a high-speed machine, allowing no room for error.

"Mr. Sun, what are you saying? You seem to be in good health; you'll definitely live to be a hundred," Yang Wei said with a smile, trying to reassure him. "What would you like to eat today? I'll bring it back for you later."

Everyone grows old eventually; it's a natural law that no one can change. Faced with the old man's感慨 (sentiments/reflections), all Yang Wei could do was offer a few comforting words.

"Keep it simple, a steamed bun, a bowl of porridge, and an egg will do," Sun Jiufu said politely, as he didn't have a big appetite.

"Don't stand on ceremony with me, you're my elder. Besides, without your help, this state banquet wouldn't have ended so smoothly. In fact, I should thank you for teaching me so much."

Yang Wei exchanged a few polite words, then turned and headed straight to the restaurant. He packed up his breakfast, but didn't eat it there. Instead, he took it back to Sun Jiufu's room and had breakfast with the old man.

At nine o'clock, the commendation meeting began.

Sun Jiufu had rested overnight and was barely able to sit up. Yang Wei helped him into the conference room.

The room was already full of people, with only three empty seats left: one main seat and one side seat on each side.

Yang Wei, with his sharp eyes, immediately helped Sun Jiufu to a seat on the left. Sun Jiufu struggled, not wanting to sit, thinking it was reserved for leaders, but Yang Wei was too strong and forcibly pressed him into the chair. After settling the old man in, Yang Wei then walked to the right and sat down, nodding and greeting the familiar people around him.

A short while later, the door was pushed open.

Xu Guoqing stepped aside and respectfully led a man in his fifties in: "Commander, this way please."

The newcomer had a square face and wore a dark blue Zhongshan suit. He walked with a steady gait. Although he did not have the imposing manner of a soldier, he possessed a dignified and authoritative aura of a superior.

He walked to the head seat, but instead of sitting down immediately, he nodded slightly to everyone and said loudly, "This state banquet was very well organized, and the guests were very satisfied, especially the 'Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth,' which received high praise."

"The success of this year's state banquet is entirely due to everyone's skill. Here, I would like to say thank you all for your hard work!"

After he finished speaking, he actually bowed slightly and gave a salute.

Everyone quickly stood up and applauded in unison.

"I wonder which one of you is Head Chef Yang Wei?"

As the leader spoke, his gaze first fell on Sun Jiufu, who was seated to the left of the head of the table. After all, according to seniority, the head chef usually sat in that position.

However, Sun Jiufu pointed at Yang Wei across from him.

"This is Chef Yang Wei, the head chef for this state banquet!"

"Oh? Such a young lad!"

When the leader saw Yang Wei, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but his smile widened: "Truly, a hero emerges from among the young! Such a handsome young man, and his skills are beyond compare. Young man, you have a bright future ahead of you!"

"You flatter me, sir. We just did what a chef should do. Making good food and satisfying the guests is the result we most want to see," Yang Wei replied humbly.

"Well said! Making good food and satisfying customers. It seems like a simple requirement, but many people fail to do it."

The leader nodded approvingly. "Alright, I'm short on time, so I won't waste any more words. Xiao Xu, bring over the certificates; I'll present everyone with the State Banquet Chef certificates."

Then, the leader began calling out names one by one. Those whose names were called stood up and stepped forward to receive their certificates.

The last name read was Yang Wei.

After handing the certificate to Yang Wei, the leader shook his hand and whispered in his ear, "Old Xu wasn't lying to me; you really are capable. I'll talk to Old Xu later, and maybe you could cook me a few meals sometime, how about that?"

Yang Wei was startled, but then realized that this was because of Old Xu's influence. He immediately smiled and replied, "It is my honor to cook for the leader. It is always convenient for me, and I will follow your instructions."

"Alright! There will be some subsidies coming up, which Xiao Xu will distribute to everyone later. I'll be taking my leave now."

With this, the trip to the state banquet came to a complete end.

After having their last meal at the state guesthouse at noon, Yang Wei and the others walked out the door, preparing to go home.

Just as Yang Wei was about to push his bicycle, suddenly, that nauseating sound rang out again.

"Yang Wei, wait a minute!!"

Yang Wei has been at the state guesthouse for five days. These days, the National Day holiday is short, only three days in total, and it's long over now. Sha Zhu and the others have all gone back to work at the steel rolling mill, and Sha Zhu is probably filling in for them at the canteen.

Having been out of the public eye for so long, given the gossipy nature of the factory workers, who knows what they're saying about him behind his back. Plus, young men are full of energy; after so many days without Lou Xiao'e, and with that vixen lurking around, Yang Wei's pent-up lust was about to explode. He was just about to go home and get some time to work out when, unexpectedly, that annoying vixen reappeared.

Yang Wei's face darkened instantly. He pretended not to hear and tried to slip away as fast as he could.

Hearing Yang Yourong's shout, the people around stopped to watch the commotion. Who would have thought that such a beautiful woman would take the initiative to talk to him, and this guy would completely ignore her? Everyone stared wide-eyed, wondering what was going on.

"Yang Wei, if you don't stop, I'm going straight to your house, to find your wife, and I'll be waiting for you!"

These words immediately caused an uproar!

Shandong cuisine chef Wang Bin's eyes gleamed with gossip: "Are they hooking up??"

Cantonese chef Li Shizhong looked dejected: "Why? This is so unfair! It's one thing to be so young and have such great culinary skills, but to have such a lucky streak with women? Is there any justice in this world?!"

Everyone looked at Yang Wei with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

"Alpaca!!"

Yang Wei cursed inwardly. Since transmigrating to this world, this was the first time he had ever felt such disgust for someone. Even when Xu Damao from the courtyard house publicly accused him of dereliction of duty, he at most found the man annoying and a petty person. But with Yang Yourong, he truly loathed her to the extreme, even harboring hatred.

In his mind, this woman was a worthless slut who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.

Sun Jiufu wasn't present; he sent someone to pick him up after the certificate was issued and was currently resting in his room. If he were here, he would never have let the misunderstanding escalate and would definitely have stepped in to smooth things over. Unfortunately, no one was willing to step forward, and no one could see the intense, unyielding disgust in Yang Wei's eyes.

"What is it?"

If Yang Wei had some reservations before, his eyes were now frozen, devoid of any emotion, and frighteningly cold.

As the saying goes, "It's better to tear down ten temples than to break up one marriage." If Yang Yourong really went to the courtyard house to find Lou Xiao'e and said she was waiting for Yang Wei to come home, Lou Xiao'e, with her temperament, would probably have a breakdown. How could they live together after that? Divorce would be the least of their worries; it could ruin a person's life.

Yang Yourong's shout was practically a crazy test of his bottom line.

"What else could it be? Don't you know what's going on?" Yang Yourong, seemingly oblivious to Yang Wei's dark expression, continued her reckless behavior, uttering suggestive remarks. "What, now you want to deny everything and just leave?"

The six people who were about to leave stopped and listened quietly from a distance. Looking at Yang Yourong's mournful, almost pitiful expression, she looked exactly like a woman who had been used and then abandoned. These people wanted nothing more than to rush over and comfort her, but since this was the entrance to the state guesthouse, no one dared to be too forward; they could only offer their support with their eyes.

"Heh..." Yang Wei sneered, "Fine, since you're so eager to play, I'll play along."

"Yang Yourong, I know you have a powerful background, and I know where your family lives in Beijing. But not just anyone can be used as a pawn. Even a clay figure has some temper, let alone a living, breathing person like me."

"Now, I'm going to ask you a question, and you'd better think it through before you answer."

"Are you sure you can afford to play this game with me? Are you sure the people behind you will let you continue playing this game with me?"

Yang Wei looked down at him, his voice not loud, but it carried a chilling aura.

In that instant, looking at the young man before her, Yang Yourong felt as if she saw a reflection of her father in his anger. It was the oppressive atmosphere of an impending storm, the suffocating feeling of dark clouds looming over the city!

The words that were on the tip of her tongue, for some reason, wouldn't come out no matter how hard she mustered her courage. Facing those eyes, calm as a deep pool, she felt an almost tangible killing intent. It was as if if she answered even one wrong word, she would be torn apart in the next second.

She had only ever felt this kind of imposing aura from a few of her uncles and aunts—the oppressive force accumulated over years of battlefield combat. But how old was Yang Wei? Twenty! Where did he get this murderous aura from? In this day and age, who would dare to kill someone so casually?

At this moment, Yang Wei became mysterious and unpredictable, making Yang Yourong, the notorious female devil of Beijing, feel uneasy for the first time.

"tread……"

Yang Yourong couldn't take it anymore after staring at Yang Wei for less than a minute. Her legs went weak and she involuntarily took a step back.

With a crisp "thud," the heel hit the edge of the step, narrowly avoiding a backflip.

"Why...why are you being so fierce!"

Yang Yourong's eyes instantly reddened, and her voice trembled: "I just wanted to have a proper talk with you and apologize. I was rash a few days ago. I thought I'd treat you to a meal before you left to formally make amends."

The words had barely left her lips when tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls, turning her into a sobbing mess in the blink of an eye. It was unclear whether she was genuinely frightened by Yang Wei's ruthlessness or simply using this tactic as a weapon.

Yang Wei, who had been so imposing and whose killing intent was almost tangible, was completely broken down. His aura of keeping strangers at bay vanished instantly in the face of this tearful scene.

"She's such a damn tormentor!"

Yang Wei cursed inwardly, wondering which unlucky guy would be able to handle this woman in the future. The pressure from his god-level fighting skills hadn't scared her off at all; instead, it had been neutralized by those few tears. This woman was cunning and ruthless; if she lived in a later era, she would definitely be a powerful and influential woman.

"I'll give you three seconds to stop crying. Otherwise, we'll never speak to each other again!" Yang Wei said coldly, his face dark.

"Okay, I won't cry anymore!"

Before she finished speaking, Yang Yourong wiped her sleeve, her face clearing up instantly with a bright smile. This change of expression was faster than flipping through a book, leaving Yang Wei completely stunned. Well, today he'd truly witnessed the ultimate level of shamelessness.

The six people watching were completely baffled. What were these two up to? First they were tense and ready to fight, then they were crying and sobbing, and now they were all smiles. It was utterly incomprehensible.

"Gentlemen, please take care. I won't see you off. Master Yang and I have some private matters to discuss. See you later!"

Yang Yourong smiled radiantly, waved to everyone with a flourish, then turned and led Yang Wei back to the state guesthouse.

Watching the two figures disappear, the group exchanged glances and shook their heads helplessly. Some lamented missing the chance to befriend them, while others marveled at Yang Wei's good fortune with women. They smacked their lips, finding the conversation uninteresting, and then rode off on their bicycles.

In those days, being a chef was a highly coveted job, especially being the head chef of a large restaurant. Their salary and benefits far exceeded those of Yi Zhonghai, the eighth-grade fitter in the courtyard house. Buying a bicycle was nothing to them.

Upon entering the state guesthouse room and closing the door, Yang Wei immediately felt a sense of oppression. He genuinely didn't want to share a room with this woman; it was too mentally taxing.

"Speak plainly, what exactly do you want?" Yang Wei plopped down in a chair, getting straight to the point. "Let me be clear from the start, I'm just a cook. I don't have any extraordinary talents, nor do I have the ability to turn the tide. I'll definitely help if I can, but on one condition—don't bother me again. We're not on the same wavelength, and I don't want anything to do with you!"

"No problem! As long as you help me resolve this, I promise I will never bother you again." Yang Yourong agreed readily and decisively.

Yang Wei, however, was on high alert. This woman, who had caused trouble time and again, was definitely not someone to be trifled with. Her quick agreement now suggested she was up to something malicious.

"Okay, then tell me, what kind of help do you need?" Yang Wei asked tentatively, already determined that if he didn't keep a close eye on this kind of person, he might get sold out and still be happily counting the money for them.

"It's really nothing much." Yang Yourong's lips curled into a sly smile. "I just want you to prepare a report on how our country can transition from a planned economy to a market economy, a feasibility study for me. It's that simple."

Upon hearing this, Yang Wei nearly jumped out of his chair, immediately cursing, "Go to hell! This is what you call simple? 'Just' simple? You're kidding me!"

Yang Wei's face instantly fell: "You overestimate me. I can't do this. I have no opinion on economic transformation, so I can't help with this. Goodbye! And don't come back again. I hope you keep your word."

After saying that, Yang Wei got up to leave.

Yang Yourong panicked when she saw this and instinctively reached out to stop her.

One wanted to leave, the other blocked his way.

With a "bang," the two collided head-on.

Due to inertia and rebound force, Yang Wei was knocked back a step, while Yang Yourong's face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple.

For the past 28 years, apart from her elders, no man has ever touched her body.

Yang Wei, who was originally furious, froze. Looking at Yang Yourong, whose face was flushed, he didn't know whether to leave or stay. He was so embarrassed that he could dig his toes out of a three-bedroom apartment.

"Big sister, I beg you, please let me go." Yang Wei sighed helplessly, his tone softening. "I'm really just a cook, I didn't even finish elementary school. You want me to write a report on this kind of national policy? This is like forcing a duck onto a shelf, it's putting me in a difficult position!"