Siheyuan (courtyard house): My father, Li Yunlong!

The aroma of the meat made her secretly swallow.

This new neighbor seems different from anyone else in the neighborhood.

In the front yard, there lived the third uncle, Yan Bugui.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was even more bizarre. A plate of dark, pickled vegetables and a pot of thin porridge so watery you could see your reflection in it were the whole family's dinner.

Several children stared longingly toward the backyard, and Yan Jiecheng asked in a low voice.

"Dad, what's that smell? It smells so good!"

The three women poked the child's forehead in an annoyed tone.

"What's so fragrant about it! It smells like a spendthrift's food! Who's a decent person who eats meat like this? They'll be crying sooner or later!"

Yan Bugui, unusually, did not echo his wife's sarcastic remarks.

He carried his bowl, picked up a piece of pickled vegetable with his chopsticks, and slowly strolled to his front door, finding a small stool to sit down.

He first looked towards Yi Zhonghai's house in the middle courtyard, then listened carefully to the sounds from the backyard. Then, taking a big bite of the cornbread in his hand, he mumbled indistinctly to himself, enjoying the strong aroma of meat.

"Hmm, you know what, the smell of this pickled vegetable... it actually does have a bit of a meaty flavor!"

His face wore a complex expression that was both contemptuous and irresistibly enjoyable.

Meanwhile, Li Zhenhua, at the center of the storm, was calmly guarding his small kitchen.

A brand new, thick-bottomed iron wok bought from the mall was bubbling away, steaming hot. Inside, chunks of braised pork, a deep reddish-brown, trembled and glistened, radiating an enticing sheen.

His cooking skills are indeed average, but he can't resist the power of "high-tech" cooking.

A packet of "secret braised pork seasoning" bought from Pinduoduo allowed him, a novice, to create a master-level flavor.

He didn't care what kind of ripples the fragrance would cause; in fact, it was exactly the effect he wanted.

This aroma was both a treat for his stomach and a test, a way for him to see just how many monsters and demons were lurking in this courtyard.

Just then.

Sha Zhu, who had just finished get off work at the canteen, carried his lunchbox and staggered back to the courtyard house.

As soon as I entered the courtyard.

Sha Zhu was so tempted by the rich aroma of meat that he sniffed as he walked toward the central courtyard, muttering to himself.

The flavor is perfect, the cooking time is just right, and the ingredients are exactly what they're used to. When did such a master stewer come to our courtyard? He's almost as good as He Yuzhu.

He had just reached his front door and hadn't even had a chance to go inside when Yi Zhonghai called him back.

"Pillar, you're back just in time."

Yi Zhonghai stood at his own door, his face serious.

"A new resident has moved into the backyard. He's our factory's newly appointed head of security, Mr. Li. According to the rules of the compound, when a new neighbor moves in, we have to hold a general meeting to welcome them, let them get to know each other, and explain the rules of the compound. Go and inform them to invite Mr. Li to the meeting in the middle courtyard."

Sha Zhu was a straightforward person and didn't think much of it. He figured that holding large meetings was a common occurrence, so he just nodded in agreement.

"Alright, sir, I'll go right now."

He turned and ran to the backyard, arriving at Li Zhenhua's three rooms. He saw that the door was ajar, and light and a richer aroma of meat wafted out from inside.

Sha Zhu didn't stand on ceremony and pushed the door open to come in, shouting as he went.

"Hey, is this the new Section Chief Li? This is He Yuzhu from the Intermediate People's Court. An old man in the court asked me to inform you that there's a court-wide meeting at the Intermediate People's Court. Welcome!"

Before he could finish speaking, his gaze was immediately drawn to the bowl of freshly served, glistening with oil and steaming hot braised pork on the kitchen stove.

As a cook, he instinctively leaned closer to take a look and smacked his lips.

"Hey buddy, not bad! This stew looks great! Smells delicious too! You've got some skills!"

But his professional habits made him unable to resist finding fault, pointing at the piece of meat and saying...

"However, the sauce reduction isn't quite right yet; the fat from the pork belly hasn't been fully rendered, so it might be a bit greasy. Also, the caramel coloring is a little overdone, with a slightly bitter aftertaste. If you ask me, next time you..."

Li Zhenhua had just ladled the meat into a bowl, ready to enjoy his dinner, when he was interrupted by Sha Zhu's impetuous intrusion and his scathing critique.

If it were an ordinary person, they would probably have been furious by now, but Li Zhenhua merely glanced at Sha Zhu indifferently, his eyes calm and unwavering, neither angry nor responding to his words.

He seemed not to hear Sha Zhu's comments, nor did he care about the offense of Sha Zhu pushing the door open. He calmly picked up his chopsticks, picked up the large bowl full of braised pork, turned around and walked out, speaking in a flat tone to Sha Zhu who was standing there in a daze.

"A meeting, huh? Let's go, don't keep these three gentlemen waiting."

After saying that, he actually walked along, picked up a large, trembling piece of braised pork with his chopsticks, and ate it with relish!

Even Sha Zhu was dumbfounded!

In his more than twenty years of life, he had never seen anyone who acted so unpredictably!

A hospital-wide assembly!

Three elderly gentlemen are in charge!

Who doesn't sit upright and behave properly?

This guy, well, he went there with his rice bowl in hand?

It's a damn oily braised pork rice bowl!

He followed Li Zhenhua out of the house in a daze, watching the figure in front of him eat as he walked, the aroma of meat wafting freely in the air. Sha Zhu subconsciously swallowed.

When the neighbors, some sitting and some standing in the courtyard, saw Li Zhenhua appear under the moon gate carrying a full bowl of braised pork, eating as he walked, the entire courtyard fell silent for a moment, followed by suppressed whispers and the sound of swallowing saliva.

That scene was so impactful!

In the resource-scarce 1960s, on the eve of a "serious" hospital-wide meeting, a man, with only a bowl of meat, ate it as if no one else was around. It was as if a bombshell had been dropped on the hearts of all the hungry neighbors!

The three old men naturally saw this scene as well.

Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses, his small eyes gleaming, as if he were plotting something.

Liu Haizhong, with his protruding belly and jiggling fat on his face, was extremely dissatisfied with Li Zhenhua's "disorganized and undisciplined" behavior, feeling that it seriously challenged the authority of the "leader" in his mind.

Yi Zhonghai sat in the center of the octagonal table, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

Li Zhenhua's behavior shows that he doesn't take this conference or the three old men seriously at all!

This isn't a meeting, is it?

They're clearly here to cause trouble!

Meanwhile, on a bamboo chair specially placed next to Yi Zhonghai, Jia Zhangshi put on an even more energetic performance.

She clutched her stomach with one hand and pointed at Li Zhenhua with the other, her groans suddenly rising in pitch.

"This is outrageous! He beat someone up and can get away with it so easily! He's hogging all the food! He's deliberately trying to drive me crazy! Old Yi, you have to stand up for me!"

Li Zhenhua seemed oblivious to all of this. He slowly walked to the center of the open space in the courtyard, found a stone stool against the wall, sat down comfortably, and continued to enjoy his braised pork.

The fragrant chewing sounds were exceptionally clear in the quiet courtyard.

Liu Haizhong suppressed his anger, coughed twice, cleared his throat, stood up and began to speak.