Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Li Jiuzhou found Sha Zhu's words unbelievable.

His intention was clear: he didn't want to live with his father anymore, and it felt like he wanted to separate from his family.

This guy even said he wanted to be like me, taking over the family business at a young age.

Now that he's saying this, it's as if I'm the one who led him astray.

He Daqing remained silent for a long time, and stared at Sha Zhu for a long time as well.

He smiled silently and patted his son's shoulder.

"You're doing well, kid. You have your own ideas now. Looks like you've grown up."

Sha Zhu then realized his mistake and thought he might have gone too far, so he quickly added:

"Dad, don't misunderstand. I didn't mean to send you away. I just feel that I'm all grown up now and can manage the household without any problems."

He Daqing waved his hand and said:

"I trust you and your master and senior brothers. What I'm worried about is your younger sister, Yushui. She's still young."

"I definitely won't take her with me when I go to Baoding; it's not appropriate."

"This will make life difficult for you and your siblings."

"That's true..." Sha Zhu murmured.

He Daqing felt much better after talking about what was on his mind.

There's no problem with the sons; they can support themselves. But what about the daughter?

He Daqing needs to think about this carefully.

Seeing that He Daqing was silent and that Sha Zhu had followed Li Jiuzhou to his room to sleep, let him think it over carefully.

Inside Li Jiuzhou's house in the front yard, Shazhu asked:

"Senior brother, do you think my father might really go to Baoding with the White Widow?"

"Judging from today's situation, there's a high chance they'll go," Li Jiuzhou said.

"So what should we do? I don't want anyone to interfere, but I don't want my dad to really leave either."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiuzhou thought about it carefully and said:

"Even if there were no White Widow now, there would be Liu Widow and Wang Widow."

"Even if we can stop it once, can we stop it many times?"

"It hasn't been easy for your father to raise you and your brother alone all these years. They are now pursuing their own happiness, and there's no reason to stop them."

Sha Zhu nodded:

"What you say is true, senior brother. Although my father has been a bit of a troublemaker all these years, he has never skimped on food and drink for my brother and me."

"Senior brother, you're smart, can you think of a solution?"

Li Jiuzhou did not refuse and nodded; he was genuinely considering it.

In the original storyline, He Daqing was old and useless, and was driven back by the two sons of the widow Bai.

This shows that Bai's family members are not to be trifled with; of course, this kind of thing is quite common.

You've already formed a gang, so you should be prepared to be disliked when you get old.

The best outcome would be to prevent He Daqing from going to Baoding with Widow Bai.

"Zhu Zi, have your martial uncle talk to Widow Bai and bring her two children to Beiping."

"Only under our watchful eyes can Uncle's happy life be guaranteed, and your sister Yushui won't be sad."

"It's fine to have my uncle help us out, no problem, but the two children need to change their surname to He, which will be your family's surname."

"Otherwise, why should we raise them just because they slept with their mother?"

"Damn it, are these coins made of gold nuggets? The price is so high."

"If my martial uncle gets old and gets bullied by those two brats in the future, won't you and I still be there for him?"

"Once your father and the White Widow get married, you'll be their big brother. You'd better discipline those two brats properly, and beat them if they misbehave."

"Let's see who dares to rebel against the Heavenly Gang!"

"Hehehe, this is great, this is great, I'm so excited just hearing about it."

Sha Zhu responded excitedly, his fists clenched, already imagining himself beating up the two sons of the White Widow.

After the initial excitement, Sha Zhu started thinking about the house.

"But senior brother, although our house is big, it's not quite used to having a few more people suddenly."

Li Jiuzhou said in a deep voice, "Then let's go to another courtyard and buy two more rooms."

"You're so old now, it's really uncomfortable for you to live with your biological father and stepmother anymore."

"Your dad isn't short of money, so let's buy it. Tomorrow, tell your dad what we just discussed."

"Forget about going to Baoding. Stay in Beiping!"

"Alright, I'll listen to your senior brother!"

After they finished talking, they slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, the two went to find He Daqing. They were off today, but they wanted to get things done as soon as possible so they could have peace of mind.

He Daqing listened to his son's long rambling in a daze.

But the more I listened, the brighter my eyes became; this could be done.

He Daqing is rich and has a job; he's a perfectly eligible older man. Why would he abandon his children and go to Baoding with the widow Bai?

Wouldn't it be better to stay in Beiping? It's just a matter of buying a house and raising a couple more kids, a piece of cake.

He Daqing still had one last concern.

"Um, what if Bai Lian doesn't agree and wants to fight me to the death?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jiuzhou sneered:

"Uncle-Master, even if she wants to accuse you of rape, it's fine. Where's the evidence?"

"Just talk, all you do is rely on your mouth?"

"To catch a thief red-handed, you must catch him in the act; to catch an adulterer in the act, you must catch them in the act!"

"Why wouldn't I be afraid? A white widow can't be a prostitute and still try to maintain a virtuous image."

"Uncle-Master, you need to understand something: it's her who needs to rely on you, not the other way around."

"It's just a matter of a few ounces of meat, no big deal. There are plenty of 'female bodhisattvas' in the Eight Great Hutongs. If you like, you can change them every day!"

"Hehehe..."

Sha Zhu burst out laughing upon hearing this; he simply couldn't hold it in any longer.

He Daqing looked at Sha Zhu with a dark face:

"Isn't it hilarious? Are you asking for a beating?"

"No, no, no, Dad, don't be angry. I was just thinking of something funny, not laughing at you, hehehehe..."

"Then let's go. We need to find Bai Lian now."

The three of them first settled the rainwater, and then pushed the cart to Bailian's cousin's house.

At Bai Gui's house, everyone was stunned. Why did He Daqing bring people here? He's shameless. Does he want to fight?

"Great...Great Qing, what do you mean by this?" the white widow asked nervously.

From the moment he entered, Li Jiuzhou was sizing up the widow. She was indeed quite something; no wonder He Daqing was unwilling to part with her.

He Daqing didn't waste any words and directly said what Li Jiuzhou had taught her beforehand.

Her cousin Bai Gui's eyes lit up when he heard this; it was a great idea.

It's just that the location for forming alliances has been changed from Baoding to Beiping; it's the same thing in a different guise, perfectly acceptable.

The white widow thought it was feasible, but she was a little reluctant to change the two children's surnames.

She only wanted He Daqing to join her scheme, but she never expected her son to change his ways as well.

"It's fine to bring two children to live in Beiping, but they can't change their surname."

"If you're not going to change, then let's not talk anymore. Martial Uncle, let's go..."

Li Jiuzhou spoke up.

Without saying a word, He Daqing turned and was about to follow.

"Hey, wait a minute, Qing Dynasty, don't go yet, let's talk this out." Bai Gui quickly stepped forward to stop the three of them.

The white widow was also stunned, not expecting He Daqing to refuse so readily, without even a moment's hesitation.

Bai Gui said:

"Girl, it's just changing the child's surname, what's the big deal? I, as the third uncle, made the decision, it's done!"

"Can..."

"Which Aunt Bai, right? We've already made our point very clear."

"My uncle will prepare two more rooms for you to live in after you get married."

"But you must remember, the house was bought with the money of the He family, so why should it be given to someone who doesn't have the surname He to live in?"

"My senior apprentice is the director of the steel rolling mill. He earns a fortune every month. How could he possibly skimp on food and drink for you and your son?"

"From now on, I'll settle down in Beiping and give my uncle a son or daughter. That's what a proper life should be like."

"It's impossible for me to send my uncle to Baoding to work as a slave."

"That's all I have to say. Think it over carefully."

Everyone listened to what Li Jiuzhou said.

He Daqing held his head high with immense pride; indeed, he had earned a fortune...