Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The next day at lunchtime, a black sedan stopped in front of Fengzeyuan.

Mr. Guo, with his sharp eyes, quickly stepped forward to open the door and protect the doorkeeper.

Then, Master Bai, dressed in a black coat, got out of the car.

The passersby watching this scene were filled with envy.

"Seventh Master, you've arrived. Please come in. Our manager has been waiting for you for a long time."

Master Bai waved his hand slightly and smiled:

"Hehe, let's see how Mr. Yu treats my seventh son, Bai, today!"

Upon arriving at the front hall, Manager Luan personally escorted Master Bai to a private room upstairs.

Li Tielong was also a guest today, and tea had already been prepared. Upon seeing him arrive, he quickly stood up to greet him.

"Seventh Master, you've arrived. Please have a seat and try the tea our master has prepared for you."

"Oh, Chef Li's here too. Why are you serving me tea? What, is this some kind of trap?"

Master Bai is quite witty; what he says may sound sarcastic, but he's actually just joking.

That's just his personality; anyone who knows him well knows that.

Li Tielong wasn't surprised; he was used to it. Who was the Seventh Master of the Bai family? He was a big shot in Beiping.

He may seem like a difficult person to please, but he's actually very easy to talk to and won't deliberately make things difficult for anyone.

"Seventh Master, look at what you're saying, this is hardly a trap."

"You're a regular customer of our Fengzeyuan restaurant, what's a meal for you?"

"And you've taken such good care of my apprentice, I won't let him off the hook until he asks you for a favor."

"It's all thanks to you that I was able to whip up these dishes; of course, I'd like to invite you to come and try them."

Upon hearing this, Master Bai laughed heartily:

"Haha, I love hearing that. Little Luanzi, you don't need to wait around. Master Li can keep me company."

"Go to the kitchen and urge them. Tell them that I, Seventh Master, am hungry, and ask Mr. Yu to hurry up."

"Okay, okay, I'm going right now..."

Manager Luan strode to the kitchen and told Li Jiuzhou that he could start cooking.

Li Jiuzhou nodded and said to He Yuzhu beside him:

"Pillar, get to work!"

"Just you wait and see!"

The apprentices worked together seamlessly, and soon, one dish after another was served.

"Master Li Jiuzhou wishes Seventh Master all the best with his signature dish, Crab Stuffed Orange!"

The shout was so loud that all the diners in the hall could hear it.

Whispers began to circulate among the crowd; it was the Seventh Master of the Bai family dining at No. 1 in the Heavenly Palace.

"Master Li wishes you, Seventh Master, abundant wealth and prosperity—the finest of all, rock sugar bird's nest!"

Each dish was served with a loud shout.

Master Bai, beaming with smiles, kept saying in the private room, "You guys really know how to pull this off..."

Showing off knows no gender, nor does it discriminate between young and old!

Fengzeyuan has really figured things out this time.

Even after the dishes were served, Master Bai didn't touch his chopsticks, saying he wanted to wait until all the dishes were served before starting.

Many diners were surprised when the order for the last dish was called out.

"Number One Dish: Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth. Chef Li wishes Master Qi good health and a long and happy life..."

"Whoa~"

Even the usually composed Master Bai, who had seen many grand occasions, was quite taken aback by the dishes on the table in front of him.

After a long pause, he sighed:

"Alright, today I'll be the emperor for once, Seventh Master."

"Manager Luan, Master Tielong, shall we go for a spin?"

"Haha, Seventh Master, please go first."

Both of them gestured for Seventh Master to start eating first.

No longer refusing, Master Bai picked up the soup ladle and scooped a spoonful of the broth from the boiled cabbage.

After taking a sip, I squinted my eyes and savored it...

"Good, good, good, as expected of Mr. Fish, you did a really good job..."

Master Bai said "good" three times in a row. He had never eaten this dish before and was very curious about it.

It certainly didn't disappoint him after he took a bite.

The three of them started toasting each other; with such good food, they naturally had to drink some wine.

During this time, Li Jiuzhou brought He Yuzhu in, offered a toast, and thanked Seventh Master for his care.

There were so many dishes that we couldn't possibly finish them all; there were twelve dishes in total.

Master Bai was always helped downstairs by the butler.

The butler packed up several dishes to take back with him. If the master couldn't finish them, he would eat them; he didn't mind at all.

The commotion at Fengzeyuan today naturally did not escape the notice of diners and major restaurants in Beiping.

Li Jiuzhou quickly became the hottest topic of conversation in Beiping City.

It was no secret that Master Bai had given Li Jiuzhou the recipe; everyone was incredibly envious.

The imperial chef's recipes are a fatal temptation for cooks.

This is truly a family heirloom; no wonder Li Jiuzhou made such a fuss.

They would do the same!

Fengzeyuan added two more dishes to its menu: Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth.

At this time, Fengzeyuan mainly served Shandong cuisine with Sichuan cuisine as a secondary option.

Even roast duck restaurants like Fengzeyuan have them; they're all profitable businesses, so what can't they do?

Other restaurants follow the same approach, focusing on one main cuisine while offering other cuisines as supplementary options.

It doesn't mean they only serve one type of cuisine.

Li Jiuzhou became somewhat famous in Beiping City for his three fish dishes.

But his fame soared after the banquet he prepared for Master Bai!

Manager Luan also played a role in this.

Li Jiuzhou officially became the head chef at Fengzeyuan, and his name was well-known in Qinxingli, Beiping!

Many peers came to find out what was going on, and as soon as they entered, they started shouting:

"Well, let's have Mr. Fish make a dish, I'd like boiled cabbage in clear broth!"

It's normal to have doubts if you haven't tried it, but after trying it, all doubts disappear, leaving only deep respect.

There's no written recipe for Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth, but there is a written description of what it tastes like.

After tasting it, they felt it was even better than what they were wearing.

There aren't that many tricks in cooking. If you're better than me, then you're awesome.

He Yuzhu benefited from this, because he was strong and, with Li Jiuzhou's usual training, he was able to cook some simple Sichuan dishes.

When Li Jiuzhou is unavailable, he usually fills in for him.

He was overjoyed. Cooking was tiring, but making money made him very happy.

Manager Luan pays him 20 silver dollars a month, how could he not be happy?

He's only 15 years old...

Several months passed in the blink of an eye. One day, several men in military uniforms entered Fengzeyuan and specifically asked for Li Jiuzhou.

He was taken to a secret location, where all he had to do was cook a few dishes.

Li Jiuzhou was a little flustered at first, but he calmed down a lot after hearing that it was just cooking.

After preparing a meal, they took him home and paid him.

It wasn't as much as what Seventh Master gave, but it wasn't a small amount either.

As for who he was cooking for, Li Jiuzhou didn't know. In any case, it wasn't someone he should see. He should just focus on doing his own thing.

At the end of August, Li Jiuzhou was taken away again to a place where more than 50 chefs had gathered.

His own master, Li Tielong, was also taken away.

Each person was assigned a dish: Li Tielong made Kung Pao Chicken, and Li Jiuzhou made Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth.

Li Jiuzhou guessed it was time to prepare for October 1st, the founding banquet of the nation. Being fortunate enough to participate would be considered a stroke of good luck.

On October 1st, more than 50 chefs put on their brand-new chef uniforms and worked with great enthusiasm.

A joyful expression unconsciously appeared on his face.

Being able to host this banquet is something they can brag about for a lifetime...