In the quiet and tranquil town of Qingshui, Hongfu Restaurant stood tall at the very center of prosperity. It was the largest and most luxurious establishment in the entire town, impossible for anyone to ignore.
Rumors about the owner of Hongfu Restaurant had spread far and wide. People said he was ruthless and cunning, a man who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. His methods were feared by many, and most townsfolk avoided provoking him at all costs.
Unfortunately, Mu Yuqing had only just arrived in town and knew nothing about these stories. Even if she did, she likely would not have cared. With her calm mind and sharp instincts, she had complete confidence in herself. If she ever truly found herself cornered, she could simply bring her family into her Space. Once inside, no one in the world would ever find them.
Following closely behind Fang Zhou, Mu Yuqing strolled through the lively streets with relaxed steps. Before long, they arrived at the grand entrance of Hongfu Restaurant.
The moment she stepped inside, she noticed the dining hall was mostly empty. The busy lunch hour had already passed, leaving the atmosphere peaceful and quiet.
Fang Zhou led her upstairs with practiced familiarity, clearly someone who knew the place inside and out. Along the way, several servers secretly glanced at Mu Yuqing with curiosity and admiration, but she paid them no mind and simply followed behind him.
Soon, they stopped outside an elegantly furnished private room.
Fang Zhou gently pushed the door open and respectfully gestured for her to enter.
“Young lady, please wait here for a moment,” Fang Zhou said politely. “I’ll inform our master of your arrival right away.”
After bowing slightly once more, he quickly left.
Mu Yuqing sat down without hesitation and reached for the pastries arranged neatly on the table. She had been busy all morning and was genuinely hungry.
The moment she took a bite, her eyes lit up.
The pastry was delicate and soft, melting instantly in her mouth. It carried a light sweetness along with a refreshing fragrance that lingered pleasantly on her tongue.
After finishing one piece, she immediately reached for another. With both cheeks puffed up from eating, she looked remarkably like a little squirrel storing food for winter.
This amusing sight was exactly what Lu Jincheng saw the moment he arrived outside the room.
A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.
He had assumed this young woman would be nervous or cautious after hearing his reputation, but instead she was sitting there comfortably eating pastries as though she owned the place.
Unable to hold back his amusement, he gave a light cough before stepping into the room.
Hearing the sound, Mu Yuqing raised her head.
The man before her had handsome features and sharp eyes filled with intelligence and calculation. Still, she showed no sign of panic. Calmly swallowing the food in her mouth, she looked directly at him.
“You certainly make yourself at home, Miss,” Lu Jincheng said with a faint smile.
Mu Yuqing replied casually, “Your pastries taste excellent. I only ate a few pieces, surely Boss Lu isn’t that stingy?”
Lu Jincheng laughed outright.
“Of course not. If you enjoy them, the entire plate is yours.”
He sat across from her while carefully studying her appearance, recalling everything Fang Zhou had told him earlier.
Mu Yuqing dusted the pastry crumbs from her hands before looking him straight in the eye.
“Have you considered my proposal? Are you interested in working together?”
Lu Jincheng raised a brow slightly.
“You’re quite young, Miss, yet your tone is unexpectedly bold.”
Mu Yuqing smiled confidently.
“Whether I truly have the ability or not can be determined with a single test.”
“Very well,” Lu Jincheng said. “Then let me see exactly what makes you so confident.”
For some reason, this fearless young woman had successfully piqued his curiosity.
Mu Yuqing spoke calmly and steadily.
“Besides crawfish and braised dishes, I can make many other kinds of food. With my culinary skills, any restaurant would gladly treat me as an honored guest.”
After a brief pause, she continued, “More importantly, the dishes I make are unique. No other restaurant will be able to imitate them.”
She crossed her arms with complete confidence.
Interest flickered across Lu Jincheng’s eyes.
“Talking alone proves nothing. Why don’t you show me your skills right now?”
“Fine,” Mu Yuqing agreed immediately. “But you’ll need to provide the ingredients.”
Not long after Lu Jincheng gave the order, all the necessary ingredients were delivered to the kitchen.
Mu Yuqing tied on an apron and immediately began preparing the dishes. Every movement of her hands flowed smoothly and naturally, like water drifting along a stream.
After briefly speaking with the head chef, she learned that the people of this region preferred rich and heavy flavors. Because of that, she decided to make two chicken dishes, a spicy and flavorful Mala Chicken, along with a light and refreshing White-Cut Chicken.
The kitchen had already prepared slaughtered chickens, but White-Cut Chicken required the chicken’s body to remain completely intact without cutting open the belly. So she asked them to prepare a fresh chicken separately.
While waiting, she started working on the Mala Chicken.
She chopped the chicken into small bite-sized pieces before seasoning them with salt, soy sauce, pepper, and egg yolk. Since there was no starch available in the kitchen, she substituted it with a small amount of flour instead.
After mixing everything evenly, she added a little vegetable oil to keep the chicken pieces from sticking together and left them to marinate for fifteen minutes.
“Young lady, the feathers have been removed. What should we do next?” the kitchen assistant asked while carrying over the freshly cleaned chicken.
Mu Yuqing took the chicken and held it firmly.
With a sharp knife in hand, she carefully made a small cut near the neck where the crop was located. Then she moved the blade to the vent area and made another precise incision.
Her hands moved skillfully as she explained in a calm voice,
“First, carefully separate the crop and the esophagus. You need to be gentle during this step. After that, reach through the opening at the back and slowly remove the internal organs one by one.”
Lu Jincheng stood nearby, silently watching every movement.
The more he observed, the more astonished he became.
He had operated restaurants for many years, yet he had never seen anyone process a chicken this way before.
Unable to suppress his curiosity, he finally asked, “Why not simply cut the belly open? Wouldn’t that be much easier?”
Mu Yuqing did not seem annoyed by the interruption at all.
Instead, she patiently explained, “This method preserves the chicken’s tenderness and juices. If the belly is sliced open, too much moisture escapes during cooking, causing the meat to become dry and rough. The texture suffers greatly. Although this method is more troublesome, it ensures the final dish tastes far better.”
Once the chicken was fully cleaned, the water in the pot began boiling.
Holding the chicken by the head, Mu Yuqing dipped it into the boiling water before immediately transferring it into a basin of ice water she had prepared beforehand.
She repeated the process three times before finally placing the chicken into the pot completely.
After bringing the water back to a boil over high heat, she reduced the flame and allowed it to simmer gently for fifteen minutes.
By then, the chicken for the Mala dish had finished marinating.
She instructed the assistant to clean and dry a wok before pouring in a generous amount of oil.
Once the oil reached the proper temperature, she carefully added the chicken pieces and fried them until golden and crispy.
The key to authentic Mala Chicken was achieving a combination of dry fragrance, numbing spice, fiery heat, and crisp texture. Because of this, both the chicken and the dried chilies needed to be deep-fried separately before stir-frying them together with the seasonings.
Before long, both the White-Cut Chicken and the Mala Chicken were served on the table.
The rich aroma instantly filled the room.
Lu Jincheng looked genuinely impressed.
He raised his thumb toward her.
“You truly are skilled, Miss Mu.”
Mu Yuqing smiled faintly.
“And our partnership?”
“It’s settled,” Lu Jincheng replied decisively. “But we can discuss the agreement after we finish eating first.”
As he spoke, he could no longer resist reaching for his chopsticks.