Courtyard House: The Chef's Intelligence System

Time quickly came to the day off, and all the neighbors in the courtyard knew that Jia Dongxu was going on a blind date today.

Because they all taste familiar.

As usual, Jia Dongxu went to buy fresh ingredients early in the morning.

Although I've failed at blind dates every time, what if I do?

What if this works out? First impressions are very important, so Jia Dongxu dressed himself up carefully.

In Beijing, for example, in courtyard number 95, no one wears clothes with patches on them.

In short, Li Jiuzhou was nowhere to be seen; it's fair to say that you hardly ever see anyone wearing patched clothes in the capital.

First, the income must be sufficient to ensure that the whole family is well-fed and clothed.

Secondly, this is Beijing, so even if it's poor, it can't be that poor. It's not as miserable as described in other courtyard houses. That's impossible.

Qin Huairu left the Red Flag Commune early in the morning, first taking a horse-drawn carriage, then transferring to a gas-powered bus to go to the city.

The matchmaker, Qin, was her cousin, and she picked her up at the train station.

The two walked directly towards Nanluoguxiang.

"Auntie, what's that family you mentioned like?"

Qin Huairu still asked the question. A few days ago, the matchmaker Qin had just asked someone to pass on a message, asking Qin Huairu to come over on her day off to meet the matchmaker.

The specific details of Jia Dongxu's family situation are still unknown, which is why Qin Huairu asked this question.

"The family's living conditions are average, with two rooms, but it has just been renovated."

"It's just the mother and son who depend on each other for survival. The man you're looking for is called Jia Dongxu. He's 20 years old this year, one year older than you."

"He's not bad-looking. He's an apprentice at a steel rolling mill, earning 18 a month, but his mother is quite difficult to deal with."

"Their family isn't large, so I thought of you. Please take a look at the details first."

"If you're still not satisfied, let me find you another one."

"Okay, Auntie."

Qin Huai nodded, her heart unmoved.

How is their life in the countryside?

That's great! With plenty of land and plenty of food, we're not afraid of starving to death; we're afraid of not being able to cultivate all the land!

In their rural areas, as long as you are willing to work, you don't have to worry about not having food to eat.

After the autumn harvest, they ate some of the grain themselves and took the rest to the city to exchange for money or goods.

There's so much to have in the countryside—all sorts of crops and poultry. How could you possibly go hungry?

That's a complete joke!

Qin Huairu didn't want to live in the countryside because she had high standards.

Don't you know what you look like?

People from all around wore out her doorstep; doesn't that prove she's beautiful?

Also, farming is really tiring; her delicate little hands are covered in calluses.

Having witnessed the city's prosperity, she was determined to flock there.

Even her parents felt that their daughter should marry someone from the city.

This resulted in all marriage proposals from people in the surrounding villages being rejected.

It took the two almost an hour to reach the gate of No. 95 courtyard.

"Huai Ru, this is No. 95 Courtyard, the former residence of a wealthy family."

Qin Huairu looked up and examined it. It was indeed very nice and looked impressive.

Yan Bugui was not yet a goalkeeper at the time; he was repairing a stool in front of his house when he looked up and saw Qin the matchmaker and her companion.

I won't go into detail about the matchmaker Qin, as we've known each other for a long time. But I've never met Qin Huairu or Yan Bugui.

After taking a look, an idea immediately came to mind.

He had a vague feeling that Jia Dongxu's blind date would be successful.

The girl's clothes were not fancy, but rather quite simple.

However, her face was indeed exceptional. Although she wasn't as beautiful as Jia Zhangshi claimed, she was definitely not inferior.

Yan Bugui didn't speak, but he and Matchmaker Qin smiled and nodded at each other.

However, other women in the courtyard came up to greet her, and without exception, they all praised Qin Huairu for her good looks.

Sha Zhu, munching on sunflower seeds, strolled out of the central courtyard with a nonchalant air. When he saw Qin Huairu, he was dumbfounded.

They were completely unable to walk.

This included Xu Damao, Liu Guangqi, and other young men who came from the backyard to watch the excitement.

Li Jiuzhou also came out, glanced at it, and then curled his lip, thinking, "It's just so-so."

Her style is a bit rustic, but she'd definitely qualify as a village beauty...

Li Jiuzhou was not calm at all.

Qin Huairu, after all, is the female lead of the entire drama. If it weren't for Fan Bingbing, he would have taken the role no matter what.

No other reason than that it smells amazing!

After hearing the commotion, the Jia family mother and son also came out.

Needless to say, Jia Dongxu has seen his fair share of girls in his life.

Let alone Li Jiuzhou's girlfriend, he has secretly envied her countless times.

Envy is useless; he knows his own limitations.

But today, he really liked Qin Huairu, with his handsome appearance and curvaceous figure.

Although her clothes were a bit unfashionable, it did not diminish Qin Huairu's beauty at all.

Madam Jia was also sizing up Qin Huairu at this moment, and she could tell at a glance that this girl was really good.

She could tell from his demeanor and efficiency that Gu Jia was definitely a master.

Jia Zhangshi happily stepped forward and took Qin the matchmaker's hand:

"Young lady, I've been waiting for you for a long time. This must be Huairu. Oh my, you're so beautiful! Come in and have some tea. I've prepared some peanuts and fruits."

The group entered the two houses, chatting and laughing.

As the master and mistress, Yi Zhonghai and his wife naturally went to the Jia family to help with the arrangements and make a good impression.

After they entered the house, the neighbors began a lively discussion.

The topic of discussion was Qin Huairu.

Although they are from the countryside, the city people didn't look down on them.

Farming is a way of making a living, and working in the city is also a way of making a living; there's not much of a sense of superiority.

Especially now, less than a year after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the countryside is vast and rich in resources, with plenty of good things.

They are very well-informed; it's a fact that there's more food than they can eat in the countryside, and everyone has a few relatives in the countryside.

Our relatives in the countryside haven't come back, but we've brought them plenty of things from the city. What's there to complain about?

Li Jiuzhou was marinating beef in the kitchen, preparing to make some braised beef, when Sha Zhu came in.

He came in without saying a word, took a stool, sat down, and started helping to marinate the beef.

Seeing this, Li Jiuzhou smiled knowingly; he had guessed something.

"What's wrong? You look so lost. Have you taken a fancy to Jia Dongxu's blind date?"

Sha Zhu didn't hide anything from his senior brother, putting down the beef in his hand and saying directly:

"Senior brother, you're amazing! I fell in love with that girl at first sight, just one glance."

"Do you understand what love at first sight is?"

"How should I put it, I feel really suffocated inside..."

Li Jiuzhou scoffed at this, saying, "What the hell is this 'love at first sight' nonsense? It's all just lust at first sight."

Li Jiuzhou could understand Sha Zhu. He was 17 years old, fully developed, and it was normal for him to have feelings for the opposite sex, especially beautiful ones.

Moreover, she was the upright, youthful, and beautiful Thirteenth Aunt; which young man wouldn't be confused by her?

Go ask Xu Damao; if he were old enough right now, he would definitely snatch the job away.

If Sha Zhu had gotten married before the founding of the People's Republic of China, there wouldn't have been a problem. The problem is that now there's a law that says men can only register for marriage at 20 and women at 18!

The military control commission often comes to spread propaganda, and all the neighbors in the compound know about it.

"You want to steal it?" Li Jiuzhou suddenly asked.

Sha Zhu was stunned upon hearing this, his heart pounding, and his lips trembled as he said:

"May I?"

Li Jiuzhou smiled:

"A beautiful and graceful lady is the object of every gentleman's affections. If you have the ability, you can certainly have her."

"I can't help you with this; it's up to you to figure out how to do it."

"It's not easy to intercept them without offending the Jia family. Zhu Zi, you need to think this through."

Sha Zhu scratched his head upon hearing this:

"No, no, senior brother, you have to give me an idea!"

After hearing this, Li Jiuzhou stroked his chin and said shortly after:

"Go find your Aunt Bai, I think she might have a solution!"

"We're all grown men, it's not appropriate for us to associate with matchmaker Qin. Your Aunt Bai is the most suitable!"

Sha Zhu's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he took off running. Time was of the essence; the sooner the better, or things might change.

Seeing this, Li Jiuzhou smiled. He hadn't done anything; it had nothing to do with him, and he wasn't trying to steal anything.