Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

After the army entered the city, military control was implemented to facilitate immediate management.

Whether it's people's livelihood or various industries, everything is under the management of the military.

Soldiers in military uniforms could be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys of Beiping.

The reopening of Fengzeyuan Restaurant may be due to the fact that people have been cooped up at home for the past few months, leading to a surge in pent-up consumer spending.

Business was booming, and everyone at Fengzeyuan was incredibly busy.

Li Jiuzhou is no longer just cooking Sichuan cuisine; he's also starting to learn Shandong cuisine.

With a supervisor overseeing the process, if something doesn't meet the standards, they'll have an extra meal at lunchtime.

This situation is only allowed to occur three times a month.

If a chef makes three mistakes, the restaurant will pay for them; if they make more than three mistakes, they will have to pay for the ingredients themselves.

This is the rule in most of the kitchens of restaurants in Beiping.

Errors are allowed, but they cannot be outrageous.

If Li Jiuzhou wanted to have an extra meal, he would either put too little salt in the dish or not cook it long enough.

Li Tielong was left speechless, but he had done the same thing when he was young.

It's just a craving, no big deal.

Once, when Manager Luan encountered Li Jiuzhou's dishes being returned, he even went to try them.

One taste and you'll know what's going on; it's just missing a little flavor, but it can't be given to customers.

It's still a good dish if you just stir-fry it again and add some salt.

Manager Luan was well aware of the tricks involved, but he just smiled and remained silent.

Back when he was a chef, he did this kind of thing all the time; it was just an unspoken rule in the kitchen, nothing serious.

After Beiping returned to normal order, those old-fashioned people and their descendants began to go out and enjoy themselves.

They were initially hesitant, worried that someone might cause trouble, but nothing happened, so naturally they decided to go out for a stroll.

A large group of birds with cages often come to Fengzeyuan to eat.

He acts like a big shot when he talks, but when he actually spends money, he's a complete scoundrel. He's incredibly generous.

This group of people values ​​face the most; as long as they've given enough face, they're not stingy with tips at all.

They have incredibly discerning palates, and when they come to Fengzeyuan Restaurant, the head chef has to be in charge of the cooking.

Only a few people, such as Li Tielong, could catch their eye.

Of course, Li Jiuzhou was fortunate enough to catch their eye as well.

Who is Li Jiuzhou? I don't know where that name came from, "Mr. Fish!"

After all, Fengzeyuan's three fish dishes were a hit in Beiping, and Li Jiuzhou, as the founder, naturally rose to fame.

That's why he got the nickname "Mr. Fish".

When Li Jiuzhou found out, he felt like he wanted to die.

You are Mr. Fish, your whole family are Mr. Fish.

His master, Li Tielong, was quite happy, patting Li Jiuzhou on the shoulder and laughing:

"Alright, as a chef, earning a title is such a great honor, even your master doesn't have that."

"Look at the envious looks on their faces, don't you think it's great?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jiuzhou first looked at his senior brother, only to see him looking at him with a resentful expression.

Li Jiuzhou shivered.

The other chefs and apprentices all looked at him with envy.

"Is it really that fragrant and delicious?" Li Jiuzhou asked.

"That's spot on!" the crowd responded loudly.

"Hehehe..."

Li Jiuzhou was delighted. "Mr. Fish it is," he said, accepting the title.

Li Jiuzhou, whose fame has skyrocketed, also got his first private job. The Seventh Master of the Bai family specifically asked him to come and cook a banquet.

The time is set for noon the day after tomorrow.

Although Li Jiuzhou was only the second cook at Fengzeyuan, his culinary skills were already quite good.

In the words of his master Li Tielong, apart from being younger, his cooking skills are no less than his own.

Manager Luan and the head chef of Fengzeyuan also gave Li Jiuzhou high praise.

There's still room for improvement in my culinary skills.

The day after tomorrow morning, Li Jiuzhou took Zhuzi to the Bai residence to cook.

He didn't need to bring any tools, only a secret recipe, which he had carefully prepared.

Adding a little to dishes makes them incredibly fragrant and flavorful.

The Bai family truly lives up to its reputation as a wealthy household; their courtyard house is comparable to a royal palace, and you could easily get lost without a guide.

Following the butler to the back kitchen, they saw Master Bai sitting in the courtyard waiting.

He grinned as he saw the group approaching.

"Mr. Fish is here, hahaha..."

Li Jiuzhou's lips twitched; this old man just loved to joke.

He Yuzhu suppressed his laughter, afraid of being impolite, so he didn't laugh out loud.

"Seventh Master, you're joking. I'm just a cook, I don't deserve to be called a teacher."

Master Bai waved his hand, seemingly very satisfied with Li Jiuzhou's answer.

"In every profession, there are top performers. If you, Li Jiuzhou, didn't have some skills, would anyone dare to call you Mr. Yu?"

"I think it's great. It's good that he's so young and not arrogant or impatient."

"Thank you for the compliment, Seventh Master. I wonder if there will be many people today? What dishes are you serving?" Li Jiuzhou asked about the lunch break.

"There are three tables in total. The ingredients are ready in the kitchen. As for how to cook them, you're the expert, so I won't go into details."

Li Jiuzhou nodded upon hearing this:

"Alright, Seventh Master, you can rest now. Dinner will be served promptly at 12 o'clock. My junior brother and I will go and get busy."

"Go ahead, go ahead..."

I went into the kitchen and checked the ingredients; there was no shortage of chicken, duck, fish, or meat.

The seafood included shrimp, oysters, crabs, and abalone. To Li Jiuzhou's surprise, there were also yellow croaker and grouper, and they were all alive.

Just by looking at it, Li Jiuzhou knew it was wild.

"Senior brother, you have seafood!"

He Yuzhu was quite surprised.

"Of course, the Bai family can get their hands on anything."

He Yuzhu nodded upon hearing this. The Bai family is a wealthy and powerful family; they can get any kind of ingredients they want. It was just that he had a narrow mind.

Composing themselves, the two began preparing the ingredients.

Prepare the chicken first; it's best used for making soup.

Upon seeing the ducks, Li Jiuzhou had a new idea and asked the Bai family's kitchen helper to bring a lot of old ginger.

He wants to make a Fujian dish.

Dish name: Ginger Duck!

Thinking of this dish made Li Jiuzhou feel hungry and he wanted to eat rice.

Ginger duck with rice is a perfect match!

Shrimp is easy to cook, just boil it to enjoy its freshness.

As for the hairy crabs, Li Jiuzhou originally wanted to use the Shanghai-style cooking method, but after much consideration, he decided that steaming them with vermicelli would be more appropriate.

Shanghai-style cuisine tends to be quite sweet, which Seventh Master's family might not be used to.

Oysters are even simpler; another Fujian dish is oyster omelet.

They definitely haven't eaten it before.

Wild yellow croaker is naturally steamed.

Abalone is used to make a dipping sauce.

Li Jiuzhou made a fish porridge for the grouper.

In total, there were 12 dishes.

Chicken and abalone stew (one serving)

Cold Beef Salad

葱烧海参

Ginger Duck

Oyster Omelet

白灼虾

Steamed Yellow Croaker

Abalone in dipping sauce

Steamed hairy crab

Boiled live fish

Stir-fried pork intestines

Seafood Congee

After the twelve dishes were finished, He Yuzhu, who was standing to the side, was speechless.

"Senior brother, forgive my poor eyesight, but I only know how to cook braised sea cucumber with scallions, boiled live fish, boiled shrimp, and steamed fish."

"What are the cooking methods for the other dishes?"

"Hehe, don't worry about how I made it yet. You can taste it later and see how it is."

Li Jiuzhou did not give a clear answer, but instead told He Yuzhu to taste it first.

He kept a portion of each dish, so the two brothers could eat their fill later.

When the dishes were served, the waiters were all swallowing hard, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

After all the dishes were served, the Bai family began their meal. Even the seasoned Seventh Master was quite surprised to see the unfamiliar dishes.

He gestured for the whole family to sit down, then waved his hand and said, "Rice!"

Master Bai picked up his chopsticks, intending to reach for the braised sea cucumber with scallions, a dish he was most familiar with.

But just as he was about to drop his chopsticks, he changed his mind and started picking at the duck meat next to him.

After tasting it, my eyes lit up. It was great! The bones were tender but the meat didn't fall apart, and the ginger was spicy but not overpowering.

"It smells amazing, fucking amazing!"

The Bai family, young and old, ate with gusto, their mouths glistening with oil.

Seventh Master tasted several more dishes he had never seen before and couldn't help but admire them in his heart, "As expected of Mr. Fish."

"Eat to your heart's content!" Seventh Master said boldly.

"Please invite Mr. Yu and his junior brother over; I want to toast them both."

Immediately, someone brought out the two senior brothers.

"Hehehe, Mr. Yu, you have excellent cooking skills. Please introduce these dishes to me. I have traveled all over the country and I have never eaten these dishes before."

Li Jiuzhou cupped his hands in greeting, and then began to vividly describe each dish.

"Great!" the crowd cheered.

"Come on, pour wine for the two masters, let's toast them together."

The two brothers naturally accepted the owner's offer and downed a full glass of baijiu.

"Bravo!!!" The audience erupted in cheers!

Master Bai got up, took out a gold pocket watch from his pocket, and handed it to Li Jiuzhou.

"Mr. Yu, I am very satisfied with today's meal."

Please accept this small token of my appreciation!

Li Jiuzhou glanced at it and took it:

"Thank you, Seventh Master."

After finishing their work, the two brothers went back to the kitchen. They needed to eat too; after working all morning, their stomachs were rumbling.

He Yuzhu ate ravenously, giving Li Jiuzhou a thumbs-up after every dish he tasted.

As they were leaving the Bai residence, the steward came over and gave them their payment for the work.

The reward is the reward, and the payment is the payment; they are separate matters.

Thirty silver dollars—that's a very generous amount.

After expressing his gratitude, Li Jiuzhou took He Yuzhu back to Fengzeyuan.

"Take it."

He Yuzhu was so frightened that he waved his hands repeatedly.

"Senior brother, this is too much, I don't want it."

"Is 10 silver dollars a lot?"

"You deserve it."

"No, no, senior brother, just give me some money for my trouble. Ten yuan is too much. I'll feel guilty if I accept it."

He Yuzhu still refused desperately.

Although his senior brother earned a lot from this side job, he wasn't jealous at all; he only felt deep respect for him.

The old man from Baijia ate so deliciously back then, all thanks to his senior brother's culinary skills.

I was just helping out, and besides, didn't he get anything in return?

Of course he has. He has learned something; his senior brother even teaches him how to cook.

Controlling the heat, handling the ingredients, and finally taking it out of the pot—these are all invaluable experiences of a master chef.

He didn't lose out, he really didn't lose out. Mom, 10 yuan is way too much. If his dad finds out, he'll definitely get a beating.

Li Jiuzhou had no choice but to give him five silver dollars in the end.

The biggest gain today wasn't the 30 silver dollars, but the pocket watch that Master Qi gave me.

That's real gold, real gold, even the chain is gold.

The chain alone weighs 50 grams; this is a huge profit.