Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The two finished their meal while chatting and laughing.

There will definitely be leftovers. Fan Bingbing didn't plan to pack them up, but Li Jiuzhou said he would handle it.

When it came time to pay the bill, Manager Luan refused to accept the money, saying that it was rare for Mr. Yu to treat his girlfriend to dinner, and they had to support him, which made Fan Bingbing blush.

On the way, Li Jiuzhou rode his bicycle to take her home.

Her home was near the Yonghe Temple, so Li Jiuzhou didn't ride his bike fast and didn't dare to do anything suspicious.

There's no such thing as emergency braking. You can't rush things. Take it slow.

Guided by Fan Bingbing, they arrived at a secluded courtyard.

This is a courtyard, and it looks quite large.

The two stood at the courtyard gate, and Fan Bingbing, clutching the hem of her clothes, spoke first:

"Thank you so much for today. I can't even imagine what would have happened if it weren't for you."

Li Jiuzhou smiled at her and waved his hand:

"You've said thank you so many times, and I've received it."

"Just remember to treat me to a meal next time."

Fan Bingbing blushed upon hearing this. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the manager of Fengzeyuan said that she was his girlfriend and refused to accept any money.

How could an 18-year-old girl possibly outmaneuver someone like that?

At their first meeting, Fan Bingbing was very grateful to Li Jiuzhou for saving her, but it was far from the point where she would repay him with her body.

After spending the afternoon with this person, I only found him to be quite witty and humorous, and since we were the same age, I felt a tiny bit of liking for him.

There really is only a tiny bit...

The main reason is that Li Jiuzhou is tall and strong, over 1.8 meters tall, and handsome.

He was dressed very cleanly, without any of the smell of cooking oil on him. The title "Mr. Fish" really suits him very well.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Li Jiuzhou said with considerable disappointment:

"Alright, then we'll meet again someday, though the journey is long..."

Upon hearing this, Fan Bingbing stomped her foot:

"Oh, no, that's not it. I'll come find you next time I have time. Is it No. 95, Nanluoguxiang?"

"Haha, right, you have a good memory. You should go back now, I'm getting restless..."

After saying that, Li Jiuzhou turned the car around and slowly disappeared into the sunset.

As Fan Bingbing watched Li Jiuzhou walk away, a sweet smile appeared on her face.

When Li Jiuzhou got home, he felt like he was floating on air, chatting away with Gou Qi in his mind.

He was so excited that he didn't care whether he had traveled to a movie or a parallel universe; he was just happy.

After washing up, they would lie on the kang (a heated brick bed) and hum some unknown songs.

The second brother was happy to see his elder brother return with such a cheerful expression. He didn't ask what good thing had happened and didn't bother his elder brother.

Around 8 p.m., Li Jiuzhou was half asleep when he felt a figure standing at the head of his bed, which terrified him.

"who!"

"It's me, Senior Brother..."

Sha Zhu stood in the darkness and spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of coldness.

Li Jiuzhou shuddered again, a thousand thoughts flashing through his mind:

"Holy crap, Pillar, are you dead? You can't just come here and mess with your senior brother like that, I've always treated you pretty well..."

"I'll burn you extra paper money tomorrow."

"Brother, what wishes haven't come true yet? Tell me, and I'll take care of them for you..."

Sha Zhu, standing in the darkness, was speechless. What was going on?

So he lit the kerosene lamp, walked up to Li Jiuzhou, and then grinned:

"Senior brother, do you think I'm a human or a ghost?"

Li Jiuzhou was taken aback, and upon seeing that everything had turned black, he flew into a rage.

"I'll teach you to pretend to be a ghost, to scare me..."

"Shazhu covered his mouth, afraid to shout out, worried that the neighbors would misunderstand, especially since it was late at night."

After a long while, Li Jiuzhou got tired of fighting and stopped to drink some water.

"Tell me, what are you doing in my room so late at night?"

Sha Zhu said aggrievedly:

"Senior, I just want to ask you what it's like to be in a relationship..."

"You fucking...won't you ask tomorrow? Get out, get the hell out..."

Sha Zhu, covered in pain, had no choice but to return to his room. He just wanted to ask his senior brother what it was like to be in a relationship, and why he was getting so angry...

He Yuzhu was also a handsome man. In the No. 95 compound, besides his senior brother, who else could compare to him in appearance?

Li Jiuzhou lay down and continued sleeping, cursing. The matter of Sha Zhu was just a minor incident. That kid always makes mistakes occasionally; he's not mature enough yet.

The next day, as Sha Zhu rode his bike to work, he was still incessantly asking about dating.

Li Jiuzhou grew impatient and scolded:

"Zhu Zi, you're only 16. Don't focus on women. Learn to cook well first. Then you'll have all kinds of girls."

Sha Zhu remained silent upon hearing this.

Did you hear what I said? Do you really want me to hit you?

Sha Zhu shrank back and quickly said:

"I understand, senior brother. I'll listen to you and learn to cook well first."

"Um..."

Upon arriving at Fengzeyuan, another group of people naturally asked him all sorts of questions, which Li Jiuzhou brushed off.

But he honestly confessed to his master.

"Can you really handle such a beautiful girl?" Li Tielong couldn't help but worry.

He was indeed a little worried that his apprentice wouldn't be able to handle it.

The girl from yesterday was clearly not from an ordinary family, judging from her attire and her face; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was a femme fatale.

Li Jiuzhou knew that his master wasn't trying to discourage him; he was speaking from the heart and doing it for his own good.

Li Jiuzhou nodded and said:

"Master, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Although your apprentice is a famous chef, I'm not much different from him."

"Don't forget that our second uncle is also an official. If my second uncle's status isn't enough, surely my status as his father-in-law isn't enough?"

"My Li family also has powerful backers."

Li Tielong pointed at his apprentice's head, shook his head and chuckled, then walked away with his hands behind his back.

Li Jiuzhou really had nothing to worry about.

Beautiful girls are sought after by many men; this has been a common occurrence in China for thousands of years.

It's simply a matter of each man using his own methods; whoever uses the most skillful methods wins.

Li Jiuzhou was just going through the motions; if he had a woman he liked, he would pursue her, and whether he succeeded or not depended on the outcome.

Fan Huisheng was Fan Bingbing's father. He was a down-on-his-luck old Beijing resident and a schoolteacher.

This morning, as soon as I stepped out the door, a neighbor told me that his daughter was brought home by a young man on a bicycle yesterday, and it seems they've started dating.

You should know that his daughter is the apple of his eye, and he has spoiled her rotten since she was a child.

Compared to her sons, it seemed like they were adopted.

When he first heard that his daughter had a boyfriend, he felt a pang of pain all over his body.

This made Lao Fan feel uncomfortable at work all day.

After school and get off work, Lao Fan hurriedly returned home and sat in the living room with a gloomy face, not saying a word.

He wouldn't answer when his wife asked him, making the atmosphere at home very strange.

When Fan Bingbing got home from get off work, she noticed that her parents and younger brother looked strange, so she asked:

"Mom and Dad, what happened?"

Fan Huisheng stared intently at his daughter and said:

"Who was that young man yesterday? Bingbing, tell us all about him."

Upon hearing this, Fan Bingbing initially showed a nervous expression, but quickly smiled and recounted the events of the previous day.

After hearing his daughter's story, Fan Huisheng's anger dissipated, leaving only lingering fear.

So he said:

"Daughter, why didn't you tell the family about such a big thing yesterday? You can't do that again."

Fan Bingbing stuck out her tongue:

"Okay, I won't do it again next time."

"Take some time to bring the young man to your home and treat him well. I, Fan Huisheng, must thank him properly for such a great favor!"

"Um... okay, I'll go see him when I have some free time..."

P.S.: Dear readers, writing a book is not easy. If you like it, please give it a five-star rating and encourage me to update more, which will give me more motivation!

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