Courtyard Houses: Starting with the principle of hard work paying off

Chapter 104 The Jia Family Makes a Fool of Themselves
"The Jia family's banquet is a bit mysterious."

After Sha Zhu left, Yan Bugui couldn't help but feel depressed.

Originally, after Li Hongmei got engaged, Yan Bugui was thinking that the Li family would set up a few tables in the courtyard, and Li Hongbing would invite his master chef, who was the head chef at Fengzeyuan, to cook so that they could also benefit from the meal and taste the food at Fengzeyuan.

But Li Hongbing said he wouldn't hold the wedding ceremony; he would just give out wedding candy to everyone later.

Although he saved money on wedding gifts and even made some extra wedding candy, Yan Bugui still felt uneasy.

If he misses this opportunity, he'll probably never be able to eat at Fengzeyuan again in his life.

Although he could easily afford to eat at Fengzeyuan Restaurant now, the thought that a single meal might cost him ten days, half a month, or even a month's salary made Yan Bugui feel like his heart was bleeding.

Is he the kind of person who's willing to spend that money?

I came back from fishing today and heard that Jia Dongxu is getting married. The Jia family is preparing to hold a banquet in the courtyard and has invited Sha Zhu's master. Yan Bugui is looking forward to it again.

Sha Zhu's master, although not as famous as Li Hongbing's master Guo Youzhong, was still the head chef of Emei Restaurant. Although he specialized in different cuisines, his skills were definitely not inferior.

To eat dishes prepared by a master chef of this caliber, you would normally have to go to a fancy restaurant and spend a lot of money.

By contributing a small amount of money, this matter can be settled.

What is the difference between this and pie in the sky?
Not to mention Yan Bugui, everyone else in the courtyard was also eagerly anticipating it.

Yan Bugui was just looking forward to it, but it turns out that Sha Zhu didn't know about it at all. Isn't that absurd?
"Ask Sha Zhu's master to cook, but Sha Zhu doesn't even know? Is this a reliable idea?"

"Could it be that Jia Zhangshi is just bragging!"

"It's hard to say. Given Jia Zhangshi's style, she's not incapable of doing something so outrageous."

"That's really true. Jia Zhangshi handled this matter very poorly."

"Exactly, if you can't get people to come, don't make empty promises."

"Hey! I was just saying that, but now it seems I'm just getting my hopes up for nothing."

"..."

The residents of the front yard who had overheard the conversation between Sha Zhu and Yan Bugui appeared one after another and couldn't help but start discussing it.

They had already prepared the money for the Jia family's wedding gift and were just waiting for the banquet to start in a couple of days, not wanting to disappoint them.

Some people were originally planning to give the Jia family a large red envelope, but now that things are going on, they probably have to reconsider.

If it weren't for Sha Zhu's master cooking, the extra money they gave as a wedding gift would be a huge loss.

Without joining their conversation, Li Hongbing pushed his bicycle home.

He didn't give any gifts to the Jia family. Whether Jia Dongxu got married or how many tables were set up in the courtyard, or who was hired to cook, none of that had anything to do with his family.

When he got home, he found that his windows and doors were covered with red paper decorations and large "double happiness" characters, which Li Hongmei had obviously done herself. Feeling the festive atmosphere and Li Hongmei's joyful mood, Li Hongbing also smiled.

……

the other side.

Upon returning to the Central Court, Sha Zhu went straight to the Jia family and asked bluntly, "Mrs. Jia, I heard that Jia Dongxu is getting married in a few days and has invited my master to cook at the banquet. How come I didn't know about this?"

Sha Zhu still harbored resentment towards the Jia family, especially Jia Zhangshi.

Last time Qin Huairu came to the courtyard for a blind date with Jia Dongxu, he was asked by Yi Zhonghai to take leave to help the Jia family prepare a blind date banquet. He even took care of the chores of buying vegetables and meat. As a result, the Jia family didn't even let him eat a single bite.

Not only did they prevent him from taking food back home, but they also accused him of stealing in front of outsiders like Qin Huairu and Matchmaker Sun.

Although Yi Zhonghai later comforted him and Sha Zhu didn't hold it against Jia Zhangshi, the matter was still on his mind!
"Hey! Silly Zhu, come in quickly, I was just about to tell you about this!"

Upon seeing that the person was Sha Zhu, Jia Zhangshi immediately smiled, a completely different expression from when she had previously attacked Sha Zhu.

Since she needed his help, Jia Zhangshi was extremely polite to Sha Zhu and said, "Our Dongxu is getting married the day after tomorrow, and we plan to set up a few tables in the courtyard. We would like to invite your master to come and help with the cooking. Please tell your master about this."

"Jia Zhangshi, where do you get the nerve?"

Upon hearing Jia Zhangshi's words, Sha Zhu's face darkened even more.

Say something...

Jia Zhangshi said it so easily, but it's not that easy.

Jia Dongxu is getting married the day after tomorrow, and the banquet is also on that day. He only has two days to talk to his master about it. It's not that Sha Zhu can't ask his master to come and cook, but it's not something that can be done just by saying a word; it depends on the kitchen's arrangements.

If it weren't a day when my master was off duty, asking him to come and cook for the Jia family would require me to ask for leave or switch shifts with other chefs in the kitchen, all of which would involve favors.

Moreover, it's not certain that you can get this leave. After all, who will be off in the kitchen is arranged in advance. If the head chef is temporarily short-staffed, the kitchen will be overwhelmed and won't be able to serve the customers in time, which will directly affect the restaurant's normal operation and business.

Is this something that can be resolved with just a few words?

Just like Li Hongbing, who arranged for Master Hu from Fengzeyuan to take charge of cooking on behalf of the Zhao family, it was all arranged several days in advance.

After that, we still need to discuss the dishes for the banquet that day, as well as what ingredients and seasonings to prepare. We must do all this work in advance.

In such a short time, isn't it making things difficult for Sha Zhu?
The Emei Restaurant where he works only opened two years ago.

Although it can't compare to Fengzeyuan, where Li Hongbing works, and the main cuisine is different, the master chefs there are probably just as good.

Getting them to do freelance cooking isn't as easy as just having a little money.

Moreover, the matter from last time is still fresh in people's minds, and now they want him to do them a favor. Sha Zhu is unwilling to do such a thing.

"Shazhu, we're all from the same compound. I'm asking you for a favor, and you won't even do it. What do you mean by that?"

Upon seeing Sha Zhu's attitude, Jia Zhangshi, who had been polite, immediately changed her expression.

"It's pointless. I'm not helping you with this. Go find someone else!"

Already unwilling, Jia Zhangshi acted as if he owed them something, which made Sha Zhu even more annoyed. He retorted angrily on the spot, "Helping your Jia family will only lead to bad consequences!"

"Hey! Silly Zhu, how can you talk like that?"

When Jia Zhangshi saw that Sha Zhu was even resorting to "personal attacks" and "slandering" her family's reputation, she immediately became furious.

"How can I say that? I'll tell the truth!"

"You haven't forgotten the favor I did for your family last time, have you?"

"I kindly cooked for your family, and you turn around and accuse me of being a thief? Is this how you do things?"

"Silly Zhu, this is all in the past, why are you still holding a grudge?"

"Hold a grudge?"

"I hold grudges, what can you do about it?"

I'll remember this for the rest of my life!

"..."

Originally, out of respect for Yi Zhonghai, Sha Zhu had no intention of bringing up the matter again. However, the Jia family made the decision on their own without consulting him beforehand and even publicized it everywhere. This was extremely distasteful.

The Jia family is making things difficult for him, putting Sha Zhu in a difficult position.

Moreover, before he even agreed, Jia Zhangshi went ahead and spread the word, telling everyone in the courtyard. What was she trying to do?
Not to mention the attitude and demeanor of Jia Zhangshi when I went to her door to find out what was going on.

At this time.

The commotion caused by Sha Zhu and Jia Zhangshi's argument attracted the residents of the central courtyard to come out.

Upon hearing that the idea of ​​inviting Master Sha Zhu to cook at the banquet was completely unfounded, everyone immediately erupted in uproar.

"So, this Jia Zhangshi was just fooling us when she asked Master Shazhu to be the head chef?"

"Ugh! What a mess this is, it made me happy for nothing."

"Jia Zhangshi handled this matter very poorly. At least she should have talked to Sha Zhu first, settled things, and then informed us, right?"

"that is!"

"They really thought they were going to eat the cooking of a master Sichuan chef! Turns out, Jia Zhangshi is just playing a trick on them!"

"It's boring..."

"..."

(End of this chapter)