Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

The night was deep and the evening breeze was cool.

A black Hongqi Xingyao S600L Guard armored limousine smoothly drove out of the Lao Mo Restaurant area. The wheels rolled over the asphalt road with almost no sound of bumps. The driver, Xiao Zhao, was skilled and steady, driving at a slow and steady speed throughout, ensuring the quiet and comfortable ride inside the car as he steadily headed towards the courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang.

In the back seat, Wang Huanbo leaned back slightly against the soft leather seat, a faint, warm feeling of intoxication in his eyes.

At the welcome banquet just now, what impressed people most was not the table full of exquisite Russian dishes, but the astonishing drinking capacity of the group of Soviet experts. These technical experts who came from afar were all well-versed in the art of drinking, especially favoring strong liquor. The premium vodka specially supplied by the Old Moscow Restaurant for this occasion became the star of the entire banquet.

This batch of vodka is no ordinary commodity; it is a top-quality product specially airlifted from the Soviet Union. It is pure, strong, and has a rich taste. Even in the Soviet Union, it is a rare and sought-after high-end commodity.

In the Soviet Union at that time, the supply of goods remained tight, and all kinds of daily necessities were rationed and distributed in a very strict tiered system. Even these experts who had high professional titles and enjoyed special treatment in China could hardly drink fine vodka without restraint back home. They could only drink a little to satisfy their cravings on weekdays and had no opportunity to drink excessively.

At the exclusive welcome banquet hosted by the Huaxia Red Star Factory, the unlimited supply of top-grade vodka allowed the Soviet experts to completely let loose. Ignoring the harshness of the strong liquor, they raised their glasses and drank freely, frequently clinking them together. The pungent vodka was gulped down like water, and the atmosphere was extremely lively with toasts and laughter.

Vasily, the KGB agent who was embedded in the team of experts, also blended in completely without revealing any flaws.

He was meticulous and shrewd, and knew that this welcome banquet was purely a friendly reception, without any tests or risks. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future to infiltrate, gather intelligence, and advance the secret missions assigned by his superiors. Rarely did he encounter such a carefree occasion with plenty of wine, so he simply let go of all his tension and joined everyone in drinking heartily and indulging in a drunken revelry.

However, his years of experience as a secret agent had ingrained himself in his bones. Even when drunk and indulging in alcohol, Vasily still maintained an extreme level of vigilance. His eyes were always filled with a sense of caution, and he never completely relaxed. Beneath his seemingly drunken appearance, he always maintained an observation and prediction of everything around him.

Throughout the banquet, guests and hosts chatted and toasted each other frequently. As the chief engineer of the core technology department of the Red Star Factory, Wang Huanbo was the focus of the Soviet experts' exchanges and toasts, and naturally he drank quite a lot of premium vodka.

An ordinary person would have been completely drunk and unconscious after drinking such a large amount of strong liquor. However, Wang Huanbo has a special constitution. The super soldier serum he had been tempered with in his early years had already enhanced his physical functions in all aspects, and his body also contained pure light energy, making his physique, metabolism, and resistance to alcohol far superior to ordinary people.

With a mere thought, he could mobilize the light energy within his body to instantly eliminate all the alcohol. But tonight, he didn't deliberately exert his power; he simply wanted to relax, go with the flow, and let the alcohol spread through his body. Even so, the large amount of strong liquor he consumed still gave him a perfectly pleasant buzz, a warm feeling spreading through his body, washing away the fatigue of the past few days of work.

Before long, the bulletproof vehicle came to a smooth stop in front of the courtyard house at No. 95.

Wang Huanbo pushed open the door and got out of the car. He walked calmly and steadily, without the slightest stagger from being drunk, and slowly walked into the familiar west courtyard.

Lou Xiao'e was already waiting in the courtyard. Hearing footsteps, she quickly came to greet him. She naturally took the overcoat that Wang Huanbo had taken off. Her fingertips touched the faint smell of alcohol on the fabric. She didn't ask any questions, but gently told him to walk slowly and get some rest.

Just as Wang Huanbo was about to sit down for tea and a short rest, hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate. He Yuzhu rushed over, his face showing a mixture of anxiety and unease.

After the banquet concluded successfully and the experts were properly settled, Deputy Factory Director Li Huaide, with thorough consideration, assigned Sha Zhu a new task to ensure that the 38 Soviet experts could eat and live comfortably during their stay at the factory, thus stabilizing their morale and guaranteeing subsequent technical cooperation.

Li Huaide instructed Shazhu to rely on his top-notch culinary skills to improve and develop Western and Russian cuisine to suit the tastes of Soviet experts, enrich the dishes in the factory's expert canteen, cater to the dietary habits of foreign experts, and ensure that the food service is perfect.

Sha Zhu has been deeply involved in Chinese culinary arts since childhood, spending his life studying Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, various home-style dishes and banquet dishes. He is proficient in the cooking time, seasoning and techniques of major Chinese cuisines, but he has never been exposed to Western or Russian cuisine. He doesn't understand the intricacies of Western cuisine preparation at all, and he is even less aware of foreigners' taste preferences.

When he was at his wit's end, the first person he thought of was his childhood friend and good brother, Wang Huanbo.

Everyone in the factory knows that Wang Huanbo lived in the United States for many years in his early years. He is knowledgeable, experienced, and proficient in various Western food cultures and dishes. If you want to make food that suits the tastes of Soviet experts, it is definitely the safest way to learn from Wang Huanbo.

"Huanbo, I'm really in trouble!" Shazhu said earnestly, getting straight to the point. "Factory Director Li specifically instructed me to cook Western dishes to entertain the Soviet experts, but I've only ever cooked Chinese food, and I have absolutely no idea how to cook Western food. You're experienced and knowledgeable, so please give me some advice!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Huanbo immediately understood, without any hesitation or unnecessary words. There was no need for formalities between brothers. Since the other party had come to him for help, and it was also a matter of official business for the factory to ensure the experts' reception, he would naturally do his best to assist.

"Wait for me for two minutes."

Wang Huanbo slightly raised his hand, turned around, and walked straight into his study. Relying on the massive database of the Red Queen intelligent system, he instantly retrieved and integrated the complete set of data, covering the complete production steps, ingredient ratios, and temperature control of mainstream Western dishes and classic Russian cuisine. At the same time, he accurately compiled the complete set of construction drawings and construction methods for the large Western-style oven used in the cafeteria, as well as the professional baking techniques for various Western breads and staple foods.

In a short while, the Red Queen had organized and printed all the materials into a booklet, and a thick stack of paper documents was neatly placed on the desk.

Wang Huanbo picked up the documents, turned around and walked out of the study, handing them directly to Sha Zhu.

"Take all the contents here and read them at your leisure," Wang Huanbo gently instructed. "Russian cuisine emphasizes the aroma of milk and meat, with a slightly sour taste. It's less oily, light, and rich, filling, which is different from Chinese cuisine, which emphasizes smoky flavors and strong seasonings. If you follow the steps and adjust them according to your own culinary skills, you can easily adapt them to the tastes of the Soviet experts. The methods for setting up the oven and baking bread are also clearly explained, so you can implement them immediately when you get back."

Sha Zhu held the thick stack of printed materials as if he had found a treasure. The worry on his face vanished instantly, and he was filled with gratitude.

He thanked Wang Huanbo repeatedly, feeling completely at ease. With this complete and professional set of materials, coupled with his years of culinary skills, preparing Western-style meals and completing the tasks assigned by the factory would be no problem at all.

"Thank you so much, Huanbo! With this information, I feel completely confident!"

After saying that, Sha Zhu didn't linger any longer. He put the documents away, quickly said goodbye, and hurriedly returned to his home in the Intermediate People's Court.

At that moment, He Daqing was resting at home. Having just returned to Beijing, he possessed profound culinary skills, rich experience, and was also adept at interpersonal relationships and adaptability. Sha Zhu immediately pulled his father along to look through the materials. The father and son studied side by side. One was proficient in top-notch Chinese culinary skills, while the other was experienced and meticulous. They complemented each other perfectly, working through the night to research how to implement Western dishes in the cafeteria, figuring out how to improve the flavors, build ovens, and mass-produce Western meals suitable for the expert team.

With the combined efforts of the He family father and son, and the provision of exclusive food supplies for Soviet experts at the Red Star Factory, they had gained considerable confidence.