Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Since Mr. Li Jiuzhou's identity as a fish was revealed, the neighbors of No. 95 Courtyard have been immersed in joy and excitement.

He Daqing's wedding was nothing compared to the feast prepared by Mr. Fish, that was the real surprise!

Sha Zhu has been helping his father buy items needed for the wedding banquet these past two days.

The country had just been established at this stage, and although the economy was not good, the lives of ordinary people were still the same as before.

If you have money, you can live a better life; if you don't have money, you should be more frugal.

One advantage was that prices were quite cheap after the founding of the People's Republic of China; a pound of pork cost only 5,000 yuan...

He Daqing bought fifty jin directly, spending 250,000 yuan.

The total cost of all the purchases was 160 million.

This included peanuts, melons, and fruits, as well as a new outfit for the bride and groom.

All four children were dressed in new clothes, as if it were Chinese New Year.

Early Sunday morning, Li Jiuzhou and other neighbors set up a stove in the middle courtyard, next to the Jia family's house.

Madam Jia was very dissatisfied with He Daqing's new wife and often complained to Jia Dongxu at home.

This old bastard is shameless. He just lost his husband not long ago, and he's already going to remarry.

Are you trying to insult me?

I wouldn't object to you, He Daqing, finding someone who cares for you, after all, your wife has been dead for so many years.

Raising children alone is not easy.

Can't you see me, the widow, standing right in front of you?

Where is that same concern you had for me back then, He Daqing?

Where did it go?

Before Lao Jia died, I could still stick to my principles, but now that Lao Jia is gone, isn't he?

You lost your wife and I lost my husband, aren't we a match made in heaven?

Why go to all that trouble to bring back a vixen, and she even has two kids to take care of her...?

These are Jia Zhangshi's true feelings; she feels somewhat resentful!

To put it bluntly, it's jealousy. How could she be happy when that scheming widow was about to start living a good life?

Of course, despite her dissatisfaction, Jia Zhangshi didn't dare to cause any trouble. So, early in the morning, she was chatting and laughing with other women while washing and preparing vegetables.

This is the first happy event since the establishment of Courtyard No. 95, so we can't mess it up, or the people in the neighboring courtyards will laugh at us.

Li Jiuzhou arranged for everyone to do their work in an orderly manner.

Yi Zhonghai's heart was burning with passion because his scheme had succeeded.

He Daqing got married and bought a house elsewhere; he couldn't wait for He Daqing to get out of there.

Today, he and Liu Haizhong are the organizers, in charge of all the details of the wedding banquet.

As a teacher, Yan Bugui naturally handled the paperwork. (This refers to the role of a gift money registrar.)

Also, write a few couplets and paste them on the entrance of the courtyard and the door of the He family.

All the staff who are in charge of the wedding should be given a red envelope as a token of appreciation for their hard work; any amount is acceptable.

Yan Bugui was working with great enthusiasm; he loved doing things that were beneficial to him.

Although the ingredients for the wedding banquet were not the most premium, they were very fresh.

He Daqing somehow got hold of a snake, so Li Jiuzhou simply stewed the chicken and snake together to make a dragon and phoenix soup, which had a good meaning!

When the Dragon and Phoenix Soup is simmering, the aroma fills the air as the steam boils in the pot.

Just kidding, it has a secret recipe, of course it smells good!

He Daqing smiled as soon as he smelled it; the smell was absolutely amazing.

He had never seen anyone who could reach the level of a junior apprentice when hosting a banquet.

A group of children in the yard were drooling as they gathered around the stew pot.

Seeing this, Sha Zhu stepped forward and said:

"Go away, go away, don't stand around here, you'll get burned."

"Jun'er, take them somewhere else to play!"

He Jun immediately stopped drooling after hearing his older brother instruct him to do the work.

"Yes, big brother, I'll take them to play in the front yard right away."

Just kidding, his older brother has high hopes for him, so he'll definitely have to listen to him.

Li Jiuzhou laughed upon seeing this:

"Hey, Zhu Zi, you're a pretty good older brother. Your younger brother is quite obedient."

Hearing his senior brother tease him about being silly, Zhu scratched his head sheepishly.

"His surname is He, not Hu. If his surname were Hu, you'd see if I didn't beat him up, Senior Brother."

Sha Zhu still held onto prejudices. To him, the fact that the two sons of the White Widow had changed their surnames meant they were members of the He family, his own brothers.

It's fine to treat them well; as the eldest brother, I should set a good example.

Li Jiuzhou understood what Sha Zhu meant, and he didn't want to say anything more.

The two little brats are still young, they have plenty of time to learn about Sha Zhu's iron fist, what's the rush?

Li Jiuzhou continued working, and all the fish He Daqing bought were grilled live fish over charcoal. It was a big dish, and it looked good when it was served.

There are rules about what to eat at a banquet. After Li Jiuzhou listed the menu, Yan Bugui rewrote it on red paper and pasted it next to the He family's door.

Many neighbors in the courtyard came to He's house to look at the menu, their mouths watering as they looked.

They've never eaten anything like this before; they've never even heard of it.

I'm even more excited for the lunch banquet now.

The menu listed twelve dishes.

as follows:

Cold Century Egg Salad (Cold Dish)

Boiled pork slices (Sichuan cuisine)

Kung Pao Chicken (Sichuan cuisine)

Charcoal-grilled live fish (Sichuan cuisine)

Shredded pork with garlic sauce (Sichuan cuisine)

Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes (Sichuan Cuisine)

Stir-fried pork kidneys (Shandong cuisine)

Nine-Turned Intestines (Shandong Cuisine)

Fried spring rolls (Shandong cuisine)

韭菜炒鸡蛋

Snow fungus and pear soup

Dragon and Phoenix Soup

Time flew by amidst the hustle and bustle, and the neighbors stood in the courtyard, reluctant to leave.

The smell of this aroma makes me feel like I'm about to ascend to heaven. Why are we leaving?

Yi Zhonghai went inside, glanced at the clock, and, thinking it was about time, shouted loudly:

"The auspicious time has arrived. Groom, hurry up and take your men to fetch the bride."

"Stop crowding around in the middle courtyard, go to the front yard and wait there. Help greet the guests, and don't forget to serve tea and cigarettes."

"Don't let our guests think that our No. 95 Courtyard is impolite, let's get moving."

Following Yi Zhonghai's instructions, everyone sprang into action and received their tasks.

He Daqing rode Li Jiuzhou's bicycle to pick up the bride, accompanied by Sha Zhu and several of his colleagues.

Three bicycles with six people, they paired up to form even numbers, and returned in even numbers as well.

About 40 minutes later, He Daqing returned with the bride.

Firecrackers exploded at the entrance of No. 95 courtyard, and people from nearby courtyards came out to watch and join in the fun.

Upon seeing He Daqing, they all clasped their hands in greeting and offered auspicious words.

Those accompanying them naturally couldn't be impolite, so they simply handed over a handful of peanuts and melon seeds.

As He Daqing led the bride across the brazier, Yi Zhonghai shouted a work chant:

"May the bride's arrival at the hospital bring great fortune!"

"Bang bang..."

Another round of firecrackers went off.

The round didn't end until the bride entered the He family's house.

Next, we waited for the guests to arrive.

The first to arrive were He Daqing's friends, a group of seven or eight people.

They were welcomed into the courtyard and treated with great hospitality.

Next came the manager of Fengzeyuan and several chefs.

They also squeezed in the trip, as they had to attend the banquet and conduct business, and couldn't neglect either.

He Daqing led his new bride forward quickly:

"Shopkeeper, senior brother, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend my wedding. I am truly ashamed."

"Haha, we'll definitely come to support your Qing Dynasty wedding."

Manager Luan smiled.

Many neighbors, upon hearing that the manager of Fengzeyuan had arrived, came to see this important figure.

Luan Xuetang also generously clasped his hands in greeting to all directions.

They went to the accounting table and gave their share of the money.

Yan Bugui was dumbfounded. So many?

Both Luan Xuetang and Li Tielong gave a gift of one million yuan.

The other four chefs each received 60.

Yan Bugui was so envious he wanted to cry.

But I still dutifully wrote it down.

Even Lou Bancheng brought his wife and daughter, making the wedding even more lively.

This is a real big shot! Everyone knows Lou Bancheng!

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong were both beaming with joy, and quickly invited them to sit down and have some tea.

Lou Bancheng also gave a gift of one million.

At this moment, Bai Lian no longer harbored any resentment towards He Daqing.

She went to see the gift money and was shocked, surprised, and also frightened.

Look, look, how awesome is the man I found?

Go back to Baoding?

If anyone calls me back to Baoding, I'll kill their whole family!

With He Daqing's connections in Beiping, how could he not live a good life?

It's hard to say what will happen if we go to Baoding...

Furthermore, what He Daqing's nephew Li Jiuzhou said makes a lot of sense: they must have several children for He Daqing.

Born!

He fucking gave birth to her!