Courtyard House: The Entire Clan's Extraordinary Marriage to Triplets, a Celestial Beauty

"Brother, brother, I have something to ask you..."

"Come on, Brother Li, let me toast you again. Let's have a good drink together, let's not talk about anything else, just eat and drink!" Li Dabiao quickly picked up his glass, interrupting again, not giving Li Huaide a chance to speak.

Afterwards, Bai Fengjiu served a Fujian dish, lychee pork, and an Anhui dish, stir-fried bamboo shoots. Each dish was bright in color and fragrant, and they were all classic dishes from the eight major cuisines, and they were made extremely authentically.

After the last dish was served, Bai Fengjiu wiped her hands and said with a smile to the two of them, "Da Biao, Director Li, please enjoy your meal. I'm going to the backyard to take care of my parents-in-law and grandparents. I won't disturb your conversation any longer." With that, she turned and walked quickly towards the backyard, her figure disappearing at the doorway in no time.

Looking at the dishes on the table, and recalling Bai Fengjiu's manner of serving them, Li Huaide felt a surge of envy for Li Dabiao. He thought to himself, "Good heavens, my adopted little brother is amazing! Does this wife know how to cook all eight major cuisines?" In just a short while, signature dishes from Sichuan, Hunan, Shandong, Zhejiang, and Fujian were served, each one authentic and flavorful. While not comparable to a chef from a top restaurant, it was still quite impressive. Recently, that simpleton He Yuzhu hadn't been at the factory, and the canteen couldn't even cook a decent meal. Even when the leaders came, they had to make do with whatever they could find. He was really worried about this.

Li Huaide became more and more excited as he thought about it. His sister-in-law's skills were truly excellent. Although she couldn't compare to the top chefs in Beijing who specialized in their own cuisine, she had the advantage of knowing a wide range of dishes. She was proficient in almost all eight major cuisines. Such an all-around chef was hard to find even with a lantern.

He pondered to himself, judging by her skill, she was probably at least a level four or five chef. Thinking this, he couldn't help but feel a pang of helplessness: their steel mill simply couldn't afford good chefs. Top chefs were either poached by big restaurants or their salary demands were too high for the factory to afford. With his sister-in-law's skills, she was probably working in a big restaurant!

Unable to contain his eagerness any longer, Li Huaide put down his chopsticks and tentatively asked, "Brother, where did your wife learn her cooking skills? These dishes are truly excellent. Is she the daughter of a head chef at some prestigious restaurant?"

Li Dabiao shook his head and said with a smile, "Brother, you've misunderstood. My wife is just an ordinary country girl. However, her adoptive mother used to be a head chef at a restaurant with superb skills, so her cooking skills were all taught by her adoptive mother. She has been learning from her since she was a child and has practiced for many years."

Upon hearing this, Li Huaide's eyes widened instantly, and he leaned forward slightly, asking anxiously, "Brother, do you mean your wife doesn't have a job yet?"

Li Dabiao nodded casually and said with a smile, "Yes, but I don't plan for her to work. It's enough for her to stay home, cook, take care of her in-laws, and manage household chores. Women don't need to work so hard. Once she's pregnant in half a year and gives me a big, healthy daughter, I'll be perfectly content."

Upon hearing this, Li Huaide cursed inwardly: This woman is utterly wasting her talent! Such excellent cooking skills, and she's just staying at home, revolving around the stove, being a wife and mother? Isn't that a waste of talent?

He suppressed his inner complaints, forced a smile, and patiently persuaded, "Brother, look at your wife's skills. Isn't it a waste for her to stay at home all day? Besides, if your wife had a job, wouldn't the family have an extra source of income? Earning more money would make your lives more comfortable. Why not?"

Seeing Li Huaide's excited and impatient expression, Li Dabiao was secretly delighted. The fish had taken the bait! He deliberately feigned a troubled look, sighed, and said, "Brother, you don't know this, but my wife is a filial and family-oriented woman. She just wants to stay at home and peacefully take care of her husband and children. I've mentioned finding her a job before, but she insisted that if she had a job, she wouldn't have time to take care of the family, especially as a cook. She wouldn't get off work until dark every day, and she would have to work overtime on the restaurant's holidays. How could a family-oriented woman like her agree to that? So I haven't brought it up again."

Upon hearing this, Li Huaide's eyes lit up instantly, and he quickly said, "Hey, brother, look at you! Who says a cook can only work in a restaurant? Our steel mill is in dire need of cooks! I think your wife's skills are more than enough, and she'll be much better than the factory's current cooks!"

Li Dabiao quickly waved his hands, feigning resistance, and said, "Hey, hey, no, no, Brother Li, don't tease me! My wife is so delicate and tender; she can manage cooking a few simple dishes at home, but asking her to cook large batches of food at the factory would exhaust her! Most importantly, what if she develops a huge arm from all that wok-tossing? Wouldn't I be the one suffering then? Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Hearing this, Li Huaide was clearly agitated. He leaned forward and quickly explained, "Hey, brother, you're wrong! Who says the factory can only cook communal dishes? Our steel rolling mill is short of a private chef, someone who cooks special meals for the factory leaders and VIPs. Besides cooking for the private meals, she doesn't have to do anything else. She cooks when there are private meals available, and does whatever she wants when there aren't. She leaves work promptly at 6 pm every day, which will definitely not interfere with her taking care of her family."

Li Dabiao still pretended to hesitate and shook his head: "That won't work either! Isn't the private kitchen usually in the afternoon or evening? What if after we finish cooking, the customer adds another dish, and we can't get off work until seven or eight o'clock? My wife definitely won't be happy about that. What she values ​​most is being able to come home on time."

"Hey bro, listen to me!"

Li Huaide was so anxious he almost stood up. He said earnestly, "I'm not sure about other factories, but at our steel rolling mill, we absolutely don't have overtime! We say we'll leave at 6 pm, and we leave promptly at 6 pm. Even if a leader adds extra food, I'll have someone arrange it separately. I absolutely won't let my sister-in-law be delayed by a single minute. Da Biao, I genuinely want your family to live a more comfortable life. Besides, there's really no one in charge of the special meals at the factory lately. If higher-ups come, I won't know how to explain it. Just consider it helping me out, okay?"

He paused, then threw out a major bargaining chip: "Look, I certainly can't take advantage of you, brother. You've helped me so much lately, getting so much meat and solving a huge problem for the factory. The third purchasing group is currently without a leader, so I'll get you a promotion as soon as I get back. It'll only be a section-level position, but at least it'll solve your cadre status issue, and you'll have more face in the factory. Besides, Old Liu, the deputy head of the purchasing department, is retiring at the end of the year. I'll definitely make sure you get promoted then!"

Regarding Bai Fengjiu's treatment, Li Huaide added, "As for your wife's treatment, I've also arranged that for you. I'll get her hired as an 8th-level chef, with a salary much higher than the average cook in the factory. Then I'll find a way to arrange for your sister-in-law to take a culinary exam. If she passes and gets a 6th-level chef certificate, I'll directly raise her salary and improve her benefits. How about that?"

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