Courtyard House: Purchasing Agents' Comeback from the Great Famine

A secluded alley in Mao'er Hutong.

Wang Feng hid in this secluded alley, his spiritual sense firmly locked onto the burly man with a full beard. When he heard the man call his underlings and say he wanted to send more men to search for Chairman Chen's whereabouts, he nodded in satisfaction, took out his bicycle, and rode towards No. 95 Nanluoguxiang.

He didn't know if Lou San and his group had investigated these black market bosses or money-for-service gangs beforehand, but he wouldn't easily trust anyone.

After all, these people took the money, and if they didn't help you find the person, you wouldn't know unless you investigated. Fortunately, this black market boss in Mao'er Hutong was a man of action, otherwise he definitely wouldn't have let this person go.

Back at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, Wang Feng stored his bicycle in his spatial storage and leaped into the courtyard.

Back in the house, I put the night clothes and black hood into my storage space. I checked the time; it was only 2:30 a.m.

He went to the kitchen, took out a chicken, a fish, and some bamboo shoots from his storage space, and then headed towards the room.

After eating Qin Jingru's braised three whites last time, he would sometimes pass by the pigeon market and buy some winter bamboo shoots when he saw them for sale, about ten pounds.

Winter bamboo shoots are not a rare commodity; many farmers can find them in the mountains.

He quietly pushed open the door and saw that Qin Jingru and Lu Banxia were both fast asleep. He carefully lifted the blanket, lay down on the bed, and fell into a deep sleep while hugging Qin Jingru's teddy bear.

Qin Jingru opened her eyes, a slight smile appearing on her lips, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart. Seeing that Wang Feng had already fallen asleep, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep as well.

......

Early the next morning.

Qin Jingru didn't get up until after 7 a.m., and by the time she finished making breakfast, it was already 8 a.m.

Wang Feng and Lu Banxia both got up at 7:45. Qin Jingru was almost finished making breakfast when she woke them up.

It has to be said that marrying a wife like Qin Jingru is really comfortable. As long as you make sure Qin Jingru is well-fed, you basically have no worries at home.

Of course, if you're not capable enough to support someone like Qin Jingru, then there's nothing more to say.

The dinner table.

The three of them ate their shredded pork noodles with gusto. Qin Jingru smiled and asked, "Brother Wang Feng, did you buy the chicken, fish, and bamboo shoots in the kitchen at the black market last night?"

Wang Feng nodded and asked, "Jingru, one chicken, one fish, and over two pounds of winter bamboo shoots—that's enough to make two servings of 'Stewed Three Whites,' right?"

"Okay, that's enough. You can only use chicken breast for the 'Three Whites in Sauce' dish, and one chicken can only make two servings. There's still plenty of fish and bamboo shoots left over," Qin Jingru replied with a smile.

"That's good then, Jingru. Later, ask Aunt Wu to help kill the chicken and fish. By the way, if anyone asks you later, just say that He Daqing is going to have a cooking competition with you at noon today. One person from each household in the courtyard can come and taste it. This is also a benefit we give to the courtyard." Wang Feng said with a smile.

Qin Jingru glanced at Wang Feng in surprise, then, as if she had thought of something, she grinned mischievously and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, Brother Wang Feng."

"Brother Feng, are you trying to embarrass He Daqing in public?" Lu Banxia asked in surprise.

Wang Feng nodded with a smile: "That old bastard He Daqing is obviously not convinced by Jingru and wants to avenge Shazhu. Since he wants to compete with Jingru in cooking, he should let the whole courtyard know."

"Hehe, Brother Feng, you're so naughty. When He Daqing loses, let's see how he'll have the nerve to say he comes from a family of chefs." Lu Banxia said with a smile.

Qin Jingru didn't take He Daqing seriously at all. She was determined not to lose. After happily finishing her shredded pork noodles, she picked up a chicken and a fish and went to find Aunt Wu in the front yard.

Soon, thanks to Qin Jingru's intentional or unintentional promotion, everyone in the courtyard knew that He Daqing was going to have a cooking competition with Qin Jingru, and that one person from each household could go and taste their dishes, which made everyone in the courtyard very happy.

The two chefs had a cooking competition, and the chefs were even given free samples. This was a great opportunity! They had long wanted to try Qin Jingru's cooking, but they had never had the chance.

At this moment, in the pool in the middle courtyard, Aunt Wu was plucking chicken feathers, and a crowd of people surrounded her.

The older women and young wives in the courtyard kept swallowing their saliva when they saw a rooster weighing over four pounds and a grass carp weighing over five pounds, thinking that they could enjoy them for free at noon.

Jingru just said that each household can receive two pieces of chicken, two pieces of fish, and two pieces of winter bamboo shoots.

To their disappointment, these dishes could not be taken home; only one person per household could taste them, and children were not allowed to taste them.

......

Intermediate Court, He Family.

After He Daqing and He Yushui finished breakfast, he went out for a stroll to digest his food. He then heard that the news of his cooking competition with Qin Jingru was spreading like wildfire in the courtyard. Qin Jingru even invited everyone in the courtyard to taste their dishes, which almost made him faint.

I should have told Wang Feng beforehand not to tell the neighbors in the courtyard. I didn't expect that everyone in the courtyard would know about it before the competition even started.

If he really lost to Qin Jingru, where would he put his old face?

Thinking of this, his zombie-like face twitched involuntarily, and he walked back to the He family home with heavy steps and a furious expression.

He just couldn't understand why Wang Feng would do this. Did he really have that much confidence in Qin Jingru? Did he really think Qin Jingru was guaranteed to win?

If Qin Jingru loses, and he makes a big fuss about it, it won't do them any good.

He is self-aware enough to know that if he were to cook other dishes, he would have at least a 90% chance of losing. But if he were to cook his specialty, "Zao Liu San Bai" (a dish of three white and pork belly), he would have a 30% chance of winning.

If, as Minister Ma said, Qin Jingru's culinary skills are no less than those of her senior apprentice Wu Jing, then his chances of winning are probably close to zero.

Although his senior brother wasn't the best at making "Zao Liu San Bai" (a dish of three white dishes), he had been a chef for state banquets more than a decade ago. Even if he used his weakness against his strength, he had no confidence whatsoever.

"Why."

He sighed, hoping that Minister Ma had exaggerated Qin Jingru's cooking skills, otherwise he would have no way to save face today.

"Dad, didn't you just say you were going for a walk to digest your food? Why are you back so soon?"

He Yushui, who was doing her homework in the house, saw He Daqing go out and then come back, and asked him in confusion.

He Daqing sighed and told He Yushui about his competition with Qin Jingru today to make "Zao Liu San Bai" (a dish of three white dishes), and how the matter had already become the talk of the town in the courtyard.

Hearing this, He Yushui chuckled and said, "Dad, why are you so silly? I've already told you that Sister-in-law Jingru's cooking is much better than yours, why didn't you believe me? Now look what's happened, you're definitely going to lose face today."

"Rain, is Qin Jingru's cooking really that delicious?" He Daqing asked again, uncertainly.

"Mmm, Sister Jingru's cooking is the best I've ever eaten."

He Yushui nodded her head, her tone very firm.

Seeing the rain's unwavering resolve, He Daqing felt a chill run through him, and two words instantly flashed through his mind:

"It's over."