Courtyard House: In times of famine, my hamster became a spirit.

back kitchen.

The broth in the pot was bubbling away, and each piece of tofu was tightly coated in the bright red broth, perfectly intact, trembling slightly in the boiling water, like soft jade.

As the last handful of vibrant green garlic sprouts was sprinkled into the pot, the red oil, white tofu, and green garlic sprouts created a striking visual contrast.

"Turn off the heat."

With a flick of his wrist, Zhou Jianguo gently pushed the large ladle, and the entire pot of Mapo Tofu slid into the already warm porcelain plate like flowing water.

Not a single drop of soup spilled over the edge of the plate.

"bite--"

Zhou Jianguo raised his hand and pressed the food delivery bell.

Li Huaide seemed to be electrified; his buttocks lifted half an inch off the chair, then he forcefully pressed back down.

His "radar eyes," honed in the officialdom, locked onto the carved wooden door that was being pushed open.

His throat was steaming, and his palms were covered in cold sweat.

If that good-for-nothing Ma Hua were to come in with a plate of blackened charcoal, Li Huaide swears he would smash the plate in his face and then make him kneel down before the big boss.

The door opened.

There were no hurried footsteps, nor the expected noise.

Zhou Jianguo held the mahogany tray in one hand, and his young face showed no trace of the fear one would expect when meeting an important person.

The aroma precedes the arrival of the person.

"Smack."

The tray landed steadily in the center of the round table.

【Ma Po Tofu】.

"Gurgle—"

Li Huaide's stomach rumbled unexpectedly.

His face flushed red, and he nervously glanced at the person in the main seat.

That glance made my heart, which had been hanging in my throat, feel halfway to a stop.

The leader's face, which had been as cold as ice, softened.

The old revolutionary, who had crawled out of a pile of corpses, leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on the plate of tofu.

The nostrils flared violently.

The Adam's apple moves up and down.

Although the movements were very light, in the eyes of a shrewd person like Li Huaide, that was enough.

It's not just hunger, it's that my cravings have been whetted!

Zhou Jianguo stepped back, his hands hanging naturally at his sides: "Sir, please use it."

There were no empty platitudes like "Thank you for your hard work, leader," and no endless boasting like Sha Zhu about being a "successor of the Tan family cuisine."

He stood there, waiting for the leader to taste his work.

The senior leader looked up and gave Zhou Jianguo a deep look.

Such composure, remaining calm even in the face of imminent collapse, is extremely rare among young people of this age.

"it is good."

The big boss uttered a single word, picked up his chopsticks, and headed straight for the Mapo Tofu.

"Sir! Wait a minute!"

Just as the chopsticks were about to touch the layer of red oil, the secretary next to him got anxious and even disregarded etiquette, reaching out to block them.

"Sir, this won't do!" The secretary's voice trembled with anxiety as she pointed to the plate of alarmingly red tofu. "The doctor repeatedly warned me that your stomach is showing signs of severe ulceration, and you absolutely cannot eat anything oily or spicy! This... this layer of red oil will definitely cause your stomach to perforate!"

Li Huaide's heart, which had just settled down, was once again gripped by anxiety and frustration.

He turned to look at Zhou Jianguo, his eyes filled with despair: "My God! I know you're a Sichuan cuisine expert, but can't you be a little more flexible? Even just making boiled cabbage in clear broth would be fine!"

The air froze again.

The high-ranking leader's chopsticks hung in mid-air, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

The few seconds of silence felt like centuries to Li Huaide.

"Screw the doctor's orders."

The top leader suddenly muttered a curse.

The swear words coming from his mouth didn't sound vulgar; instead, they exuded a bandit-like air.

He shoved his secretary's hand away, his voice booming, "Back when we were crossing the grasslands, I even chewed on half-cooked leather belts! How many comrades' lives could I have saved back then? Now that life's better, people's become so pampered? What a joke!"

The high-ranking leader pointed at the plate of tofu, his eyes burning with fervor: "Just smelling this makes my stomach rumble! Even if I have a stomachache, I'm going to eat my fill tonight! If I don't eat this, even if I'm writhing in pain all night, I won't be able to close my eyes in peace!"

"Chief..." the secretary tried to persuade him further.

"Step back!" the top leader shouted, unleashing his full authority.

Li Huaide huddled in his chair, trembling. He was already drafting a self-criticism in his mind, even figuring out how to clear his name.

The top leader no longer pays attention to anyone.

Pick up a piece of soft tofu about the size of a fingernail.

Red oil clings to the sides of the bowl, the minced meat is golden brown, and Sichuan peppercorns are sprinkled on top.

Entrance.

Li Huaide held his breath, staring at the leader's face, waiting for a painful contortion to appear on that face.

Zhou Jianguo remained calm in the corner, with a faint smile even appearing at the corner of his mouth.

The show is about to begin.

The moment the tofu touched his tongue, the big boss's eyelids twitched.

"boom!"

First, it's scalding hot; the fiery heat directly awakens the taste buds.

Next comes the numbness, the unique electric current sensation of Sichuan peppercorns sweeping across the oral mucosa.

Finally, there's the spiciness—not a dry, overpowering spiciness, but a rich, lingering, and aromatic spiciness that comes from being deep-fried in hot oil at high temperatures!

"hiss--"

The top leader gasped.

Li Huaide's heart skipped a beat: Oh no, it's too spicy!

However, the next second, a miracle happened.

The expected burning pain in my stomach did not occur.

On the contrary, when the scalding hot tofu slid down his esophagus and into his stomach, the big boss felt a... warm current.

It was a gentle warmth that was hard to describe.

It's like someone slipping a hot water bottle filled with hot water into your arms in the dead of winter.

The effects of the [Primary Spirit Spring Water] are like a game-changer.

It not only brings out the original flavor of the ingredients, but also acts like a gentle protective film, wrapping those pungent seasonings and transforming them into nutrients to nourish the stomach when they come into contact with the stomach wall.

All those long-standing hidden pains melted away after just one bite!

The leader's previously tense shoulders visibly relaxed.

He closed his eyes, and there was not a trace of pain on his face.

That was clearly a kind of intoxicating, almost tipsy state.

"Um……"

A satisfied nasal sound resonated from the old man's chest.

The secretary was dumbfounded.

Having followed the leader for over a decade, I usually feel pain for half a day after eating just a little bit of chili, but today... is this a medical miracle?

"Commander, are you... alright?" Li Huaide asked tremblingly.

"Good! Good! Good!"

The big boss opened his eyes and slapped his thigh hard, making the plate jump.

"That feels great! That's fucking great!"

At that moment, the leader seemed to have become twenty years younger, and all his reserve had vanished.

The chopsticks fell like raindrops, and he didn't even bother to wipe the fine sweat from his forehead.

"This is what eating should be like! This is food for humans! The nutritional meals the doctors used to give me were for rabbits! This tofu is amazing; it makes me feel refreshed and every pore opens up!"

The high-ranking leader swallowed hard while mumbling his praises indistinctly.

In less than five minutes, half of the generously portioned Mapo Tofu was gone.

The leader let out a long sigh, reluctantly put down his chopsticks, and sat quietly without taking a napkin. His eyes were somewhat vacant, as if he could see the distant years of war through the tofu and meat.

"call……"

The senior leader slowly turned his head, his gaze passing through Li Huaide, past the secretary, and finally landing on the quiet young man in the corner.

"Young comrade."

His voice deepened: "I know what He Yuzhu's cooking was like. He has the technique, but he's too impulsive. It's all form, no soul."

At this point, the senior leader's eyes flashed like knives, piercing Zhou Jianguo's gaze.

"But you are different."

"This tofu and this meat remind me of the victory celebration banquet when we entered the city in 1949. Back then, everyone was covered in wounds and exhausted to the point of wanting to die, but as long as we could take a bite of this hot food, we felt that there was hope for the future and that our blood had not been shed in vain."

The high-ranking leader pointed to the mostly empty plate and said, enunciating each word clearly:

"This is sweetness brewed from hardship. What you've made isn't just a dish, it's the taste of victory!"

The taste of victory!

What kind of evaluation is this? This has risen to the level of faith!

With that statement, as long as the top leader is still in power, Zhou Jianguo will be an untouchable force in Beijing's chef circles!

Li Huaide felt his legs go weak, overwhelmed by a wild joy of escaping death.

Li Huaide knew in his heart: This round, they've won too much!

Not only did he keep his official position, but he also performed a great service! The way he looked at Zhou Jianguo was no longer that of a cook, but that of a living god of wealth who had to be worshipped!

The high-ranking leader picked up a napkin, elegantly wiped his mouth, but showed no intention of getting up to leave.

Instead, he turned around with great interest, facing Zhou Jianguo.

"Tap, tap, tap."

Rough fingers tapped lightly on the table, the rhythm conveying a sense of pressure.

The senior leader's gaze swept over Zhou Jianguo from head to toe, from his meticulously clean cuffs to his steady, unshaking hands, finally settling on his overly calm eyes.

Explore, appreciate, and... doubt.

"Cooking is a skill that requires experience. To make this kind of taste, you need to have a broad perspective and have seen a lot in life."

The top leader narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of amusement in his voice:

"Young man, if I'm not mistaken, the way you cut the meat just now didn't seem like a chef's wrist strength, but rather... the skillful touch of a fitter?"

"Moreover, when facing me and this situation, your composure is a little too much."

The high-ranking leader leaned forward, exuding an aura of authority that came with long-standing power.

"What's your name? You don't seem like an ordinary kitchen helper, do you?"

The air inside the private room seemed to freeze.

Li Huaide's ecstatic expression froze, and cold sweat broke out again.

Zhou Jianguo raised his head slightly, meeting the leader's eyes that seemed to see right through people.

He was about to speak.