Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

The authority of the top leader is not to be underestimated; within a few breaths, fine beads of sweat appeared on Yi Zhonghai's forehead.

Li Jiuzhou remained silent, and Yi Zhonghai dared not speak rashly either; their only option was to wait.

Yi Zhonghai did not feel that Li Jiuzhou was making things difficult for him or humiliating him; it was a test and examination of his subordinate by his superior.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Yi Zhonghai went to pay his respects to Li Jiuzhou. At that time, Li Jiuzhou encouraged him to work hard and said that being in his early fifties was the perfect age to strive and work hard.

When Yi Zhonghai heard this, he was overjoyed. The secretary's words had a hidden meaning, so there was no doubt that Yi Zhonghai had to work hard.

Moreover, all the leaders in the institute were promoted at the end of last year. Without Li Jiuzhou's approval, they wouldn't have gotten promoted at all.

So after his promotion, Yi Zhonghai labeled himself as one of Li Jiuzhou's men.

As for Yang Ligong, how much money did I, the son of a bitch, spend?

Those are all transactions.

On the other hand, Li Jiuzhou didn't ask him for a single penny and was even willing to promote him. What more could be said? He was willing to die for his lord.

Everyone has their own moral compass. Yi Zhonghai isn't stupid. If Li Jiuzhou wanted to get rid of him, he wouldn't have waited until now.

Yi Zhonghai thought of many things in an instant, but in reality, it only took a few seconds.

Li Jiuzhou lit another cigarette, changed his posture, crossed his legs, and lightly tapped the table with his right hand.

His behavior made Yi Zhonghai even more nervous.

Li Jiuzhou didn't look at him, continuing to smoke his cigarette with his mouth slightly open.

"Director Yi, is there really nothing you need to tell me about Jia Dongxu's matter?" After saying this, she looked at Yi Zhonghai with a faint smile.

"boom!!!"

Li Jiuzhou's words exploded in Yi Zhonghai's mind. His pupils contracted sharply, and he involuntarily took two steps back.

Li Jiuzhou's seemingly questioning words contained a great deal of meaning, leaving Yi Zhonghai both shocked and frightened.

"Tap...tap...tap..." Li Jiuzhou's fingers continued to tap lightly on the desk, waiting for Yi Zhonghai to give his explanation.

Yi Zhonghai guessed that Li Jiuzhou might know something, but would he dare to tell him everything?

He hesitated, but what if Li Jiuzhou found out he had deceived him if he didn't tell him?

But if he revealed everything, Li Jiuzhou would have a firm grip on his weaknesses.

If Party members and cadres lead the way in engaging in feudal superstition, what good will come of it if they are caught?

A lifetime of hard work could all come to naught in a single day.

In just two seconds, Yi Zhonghai understood: confess, confess everything, even his underwear.

So I gritted my teeth:

"Secretary, I confess, I confess everything."

Hearing this, Li Jiuzhou laughed and tossed him another cigarette.

"Sit down and let's start. I'll begin with you: Baiyun Temple, the old immortal..."

"Uh..." Yi Zhonghai's eyes widened, his gaze towards Li Jiuzhou filled with shock and disbelief.

Li Jiuzhou smiled and casually waved his hand:

"Don't make a fuss. I know more than you do, there's nothing strange about that. Once you're in my position, everything will be under your control. Uncle Yi, keep striving..."

Yi Zhonghai felt a sense of powerlessness, lit a cigarette, and slowly began to tell Li Jiuzhou what had happened.

He first recounted the Jia family's origins at Baiyun Temple, detailing everything in great detail.

Li Jiuzhou didn't interrupt him and listened carefully. What Yi Zhonghai said was exactly the same as what he had been told in the system.

Yi Zhonghai may have gotten a little carried away and unknowingly said some things he shouldn't have:

"Back then, one late night, Lao Jia and I were drinking outside. Lao Jia was completely drunk, and I had to help him into the house."

"After getting into bed, I was in a daze, and I had a brief affair with Jia Zhangshi..."

"Stop!" Li Jiuzhou waved his hand to interrupt, his expression somewhat strange. "Uncle Yi, Lao Jia is your brother. You even slept with your sister-in-law. Can't you even act like a human being?"

"You two really don't treat Lao Jia like a human being, right in front of him..."

Yi Zhonghai was a little embarrassed, his face turning slightly red:

"Jiuzhou, I didn't mean to. I drank too much, and then Jia Zhangshi came to help me up. I couldn't help myself, and she didn't refuse, so..."

"Stop, stop talking." Li Jiuzhou didn't want to listen anymore. Although the story was exciting, it was obviously off-topic, and that wasn't what they were talking about.

Yi Zhonghai was clearly not satisfied and couldn't help but whisper:

"Jiuzhou, it's rare for me to speak so freely. Now that I've said it, let me finish speaking my mind."

Seeing Yi Zhonghai's confident and assertive demeanor, Li Jiuzhou nodded as if possessed.

"Alright, go ahead." After saying that, he continued to brew tea and offer cigarettes, wanting to see what other stories Yi Zhonghai could come up with.

Yi Zhonghai took a deep drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled:

"Back then, society was too chaotic, and people were chaotic too. Jiuzhou, let me tell you, Zhuzi's father, who is also your uncle He Daqing, was no good either."

"He slept with Xu Fugui's wife. Damn it, I saw it with my own eyes, right in the kitchen of the factory canteen, in his office."

"I didn't tell anyone about this, except you."

Li Jiuzhou's expression was very strange:

"Is my martial uncle so hungry? He's not picky at all?"

"How could Da Mao's mother even dare to eat him?"

Yi Zhonghai's lips curled slightly:

"Jiuzhou, you see Da Mao's mother as an old woman now, but I was talking about when she was young."

"He Daqing lost his wife and went around rooting around like a boar. You wouldn't be wrong to say he was starving."

Li Jiuzhou looked puzzled and asked him hesitantly:

"What did my Aunt Yi look like when she was young?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai smiled smugly:

"My wife was naturally very beautiful when she was young, and many people had their eyes on her back then."

"Has my martial uncle ever had his eye on it?" Li Jiuzhou asked in a low voice.

Yi Zhonghai's face darkened again after hearing this:

"That bastard certainly had his eye on it, but I kept a close eye on him, yes, that's it!"

Li Jiuzhou's lips twitched slightly:

"Uncle Yi, be more confident!"

"My wife would never betray me!" Yi Zhonghai said through gritted teeth, his defenses crumbling.

"Okay, okay, I believe you, I believe you!" Li Jiuzhou said with a smile.

Yi Zhonghai was indeed somewhat insecure because he had previously witnessed He Daqing harassing his wife.

As for whether there was anything else, he really hadn't discovered it, and he believed his wife wouldn't betray him.

"By the way, Jia Zhangshi was also taken advantage of by that bastard He Daqing," Yi Zhonghai suddenly added.

Li Jiuzhou waved his hand:

"Alright, alright, Uncle Yi, if you keep talking like that, my ears will get dirty. This matter is over, and I won't tell anyone."

"Let's talk about our son Jia Dongxu's problem again. The factory definitely won't make up for his wages."

"You're promoting feudal superstition and exploiting the organization. How can you, a party member and cadre, do such a thing?"

"Fortune telling? What a load of rubbish!"

As the factory's Party Secretary, Li Jiuzhou had to take the lead in resisting this behavior, and his words had to be righteous and awe-inspiring.

Yi Zhonghai lowered his head again, because Li Jiuzhou was right. As a party member and cadre, his collaboration with the Jia family in doing such a thing violated organizational discipline and should be dealt with seriously.

Yi Zhonghai didn't dare to say a word of rebuttal; any explanation would be seen as a cover-up, and any cover-up would be the truth.

Instead of arguing for a long time, it would be better to let Li Jiuzhou handle it directly; that would be much more straightforward.

"Speak!" Seeing that Yi Zhonghai remained silent, Li Jiuzhou's authoritative voice rang out in the office.

Yi Zhonghai slowly raised his head, looked at Li Jiuzhou, and a sorrowful expression appeared on his face:

"Jiuzhou, I don't want to do this either, but that old... Taoist priest's predictions were too accurate. Neither I nor the Jia family dare to gamble!"

"This is the only option left."

As a member of the time-traveling army, Li Jiuzhou knew that Jia Dongxu would be hung on the wall in the original drama.

People are still around because their time hasn't come yet.

But even Li Jiuzhou couldn't figure out this mysterious thing.

His arrival directly changed the course of the plot, and he had no idea what would happen in the end.

Whether Jia Dongxu lives or dies has little to do with Li Jiuzhou.

But having lived in the compound for so long, Jia Dongxu is also a living, breathing person.

Li Jiuzhou had no intention of playing the saint, nor would he deliberately try to change Jia Dongxu's fate.

But now that someone is subtly changing Jia Dongxu's fate, Li Jiuzhou might as well sit back and watch to see how things turn out.

"Jiuzhou, I don't want Dongxu to die. I've sacrificed too much, as you've seen over the years."

"I truly raised Dongxu like my own son. What would I do if he were gone...?"

After saying this, tears silently streamed down Yi Zhonghai's face.

Seeing this, Li Jiuzhou sighed softly.

Li Jiuzhou, who had no descendants, could empathize with Yi Zhonghai.

Because over the years, Yi Zhonghai and his wife have indeed been heartbroken because they have no children.

Every time a neighbor in the courtyard had a new baby, the couple would secretly wipe away tears inside the house.

The whole hospital knows about this, and it can't be kept secret.

The people in the compound sympathized with Yi Zhonghai and his wife, and also felt sorry for them.

Yi Zhonghai is so capable, yet he had no children in his old age, but now he seems to be enjoying great success.

What if you get old and can't work anymore and need someone to take care of you?

At that point, there would be absolutely no one to turn to for help.

This is not an exaggeration; it is the truth. They have seen it with their own eyes, including Li Jiuzhou himself, who saw Old Wang next door die in his house for half a month without anyone knowing.

Old Wang's body was already dried out by then; it's terrifying to even think about.

Even worse, there are countless cases of relatives and neighbors profiting from the loss of their children's property.

Yi Zhonghai had seen too much, so he went to great lengths to support Cai Lao.

Jia Dongxu is his apprentice, and now he's his godson. If Jia Dongxu were to die, Yi Zhonghai would lose half his life.

Seeing Yi Zhonghai's dejected expression, Li Jiuzhou personally lit a cigarette for him.

"Uncle Yi, since you've put it this way, and considering Dongxu's leg is already broken, let's leave it at that."

"But the factory's injury and illness subsidies have stopped, and you're not short of that money. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Yi Zhonghai paused in his smoking motion, a wry smile appearing on his face.

"I understand, thank you Jiuzhou."

"Alright, that's enough. Go get busy." The dog was already on its leash, so Li Jiuzhou didn't need to discipline it further.

"Okay, you're busy." Yi Zhonghai got up and left the office.

Yi Zhonghai paused for a while at the door before finally getting up to leave. He needed to process what Li Jiuzhou had told him earlier.