Built beside a lake with redwood beams and green tiles, the restaurant carried a rich ancient charm. People came and went endlessly, making the place lively and bustling.
Some hurried along anxiously, some were cheerful, while others looked troubled. But whenever they came out, every single one wore the satisfied expression of someone who had eaten and drunk well. Even those in a bad mood couldn’t help but smile a little.
The smell of food drifted through the air.
In a corner on the first floor of the restaurant, a richly dressed man with slanted eyes sat fanning himself hard with a paper fan despite the chilly weather. Several burly men stood beside him, radiating arrogance.
The nearby diners subconsciously moved farther away, afraid of provoking this troublemaker.
“Bring this young master the most expensive dish in your restaurant! And hurry up!”
The man spoke to the server who came to greet him, the disdain in his eyes practically overflowing.
The waiter wiped the sweat from his forehead and repeatedly answered nervously.
In the kitchen, there was one head chef and three assistant cooks. Though there weren’t many people, the dishes written down at the entrance already filled three pages. Even so, everyone remained calm and worked in perfect order.
One dish after another was carried out to the tables. Though the food wasn’t especially delicate in appearance, its rich aroma won over diner after diner.
“Um… Chef Mo, there’s a customer outside asking for the most expensive dish. About that…”
The waiter looked troubled.
None of the dishes in the restaurant could really be considered expensive. Even ordinary commoners could afford to eat here. The restaurant had established itself in town through fair prices and delicious food.
As for expensive dishes…
Mo Li didn’t stop moving.
His knife moved skillfully as he chopped vegetables and stir-fried them in one smooth flow. At the same time, he controlled three woks simultaneously with perfect timing and seasoning. In less than a moment, three dishes were finished.
“The most expensive?” His dark eyes stared at the waiter. One calloused hand slapped the cutting board, sending a carrot flying into the air before he caught it in the next second.
The waiter forced himself to nod. “That’s the young master of Yunkelai. We can’t afford to offend him. Um… Chef Mo, how about making up a new dish just to deal with him?”
Mo Li curled his lips into a cold smile.
Pulling out a sharp little carving knife, he began carving the carrot. His speed was dazzling.
The others held their breath and widened their eyes.
The shock in their hearts couldn’t possibly be described with just a few words.
A person with such knife skills was either an imperial chef or someone from a legendary family of master chefs. Some people could practice their whole lives and still never reach this level.
In only a short moment, a vivid red carp appeared before everyone’s eyes.
The carrot peel was arranged into rippling waves. Hot oil mixed with salt and soy sauce was poured over it.
Finished.
Mo Li carried the plate and walked straight toward the corner after lifting the curtain hanging at the kitchen entrance.
The rich young master still sat there with one leg crossed over the other, looking around casually. Suddenly hearing movement, he lazily glanced over.
In front of him sat only a plate with a red carp on it.
“What’s the meaning of this? The most expensive dish in this restaurant is just carp? Are you playing with me?!”
The man roared angrily and was about to flip the table, but Mo Li pressed it down with one hand.
“Eat.”
Though the word was short, it made the man shiver involuntarily.
Seeing all the surrounding diners openly and secretly watching the show, he could only stiffen his neck and shout back, “Fine, I’ll eat it! But if this dish doesn’t deserve the words ‘most expensive,’ then this young master will smash your Meiweizhai apart today!”
Mo Li’s expression remained cold and indifferent.
The man picked up his chopsticks and tried to grab a piece of “fish meat,” only to find it strangely difficult to pick up. He had to use a bit more force before finally pulling a piece free.
He thought to himself that such tough fish meat definitely couldn’t taste good.
But after putting it into his mouth and chewing a few times, the man’s face turned ugly.
His sharp gaze shot toward Mo Li, only to be frightened back by Mo Li’s eyes.
“You actually used carrot to pretend to be fish and still called it the most expensive dish? A scam restaurant like this deserves to be torn down!”
The man’s shout lacked confidence, but now the surrounding diners finally realized the dish was made from carrot. Everyone’s eyes widened like copper bells.
Mo Li calmly asked, “Doesn’t knife work capable of turning fake into real deserve the title of ‘most expensive’?”
The man’s face shifted between green and white.
The taste really was much better than ordinary carrots, and the carving work was so exquisite that even large luxury restaurants couldn’t compare…
“You… just you wait!”
The man slammed his chopsticks onto the table and prepared to leave after throwing out his threat.
Mo Li grabbed his collar with one hand and yanked him back.
“Fifty taels.”
The man exploded. “One plate costs fifty taels?!”
“You were the one who asked for the most expensive dish. Don’t tell me a young master like you can’t even afford a fifty-tael dish?”
The contempt hidden in that last sentence made the man grind his teeth furiously.
More hateful still was the fact that Mo Li was tall and powerfully built. The muscles on his body made the man not dare act rashly.
The man violently shook off Mo Li’s hand, pulled out a one-hundred-tael banknote from his sleeve, and slammed it onto the table.
“Let’s go!”
“Yes!”
After the group left, the waiter tremblingly picked up the banknote.
One hundred taels…
That was two entire days of income for their restaurant.
The surrounding diners had enjoyed a wonderful show and immediately began praising Mo Li’s cooking skills enthusiastically.
Mo Li himself didn’t feel much about it. He simply returned to the kitchen and continued cooking while earning his monthly salary of ten taels.
Mm… where exactly was Meiweizhai?
Luo Wangshu carried a basket while bringing the two children along. Along the way, they had bought plenty of snacks.
The strawberries in the basket had been sprinkled with some water from the space to keep them fresh temporarily. But if they kept wandering around the streets, even the space water probably wouldn’t save those fully ripened strawberries.
The moment he went out, he forgot the way.
Luo Wangshu seriously began doubting his own intelligence.
He wanted to ask someone for directions, but the townspeople avoided him like he was some kind of plague.
Even though Mo Fang had repeatedly reminded him to cover the mark on his forehead, why were people still guarding against him?
After wandering around in circles, Luo Wangshu suddenly caught the familiar smell of food.
Following the aroma all the way there, he nearly burst into tears of joy after seeing the three words “Meiweizhai.”
“Auntie, are you sure Uncle is inside?” Li Miaomiao tilted her head while looking at Luo Wangshu, clearly doubting his judgment.
Sure, he was impressive when bargaining over prices, but when it came to directions, they truly didn’t dare trust him too easily.
Luo Wangshu coughed awkwardly and lowered his voice.
“This time I guarantee he’s inside. I recognized the smell of the food immediately.”
Mo Guang nodded in agreement and told Li Miaomiao, “Mom-Dad is right. Dad’s cooking smells exactly like this.”
Li Miaomiao sniffed carefully and scratched her head. Mm… maybe they should just go in and look.
The three entered the restaurant carrying their things, dressed like complete country bumpkins and following the scent inside.
“Oh! Welcome, honored guests. Please come in.”
The waiter was startled at first when he saw Luo Wangshu, but he quickly smiled politely.
Luo Wangshu raised an eyebrow.
Mm, the service attitude here was pretty good.
He had already prepared himself to receive dirty looks, but the staff here were surprisingly professional.
“Um, we’re not here to eat. We’re looking for someone.”
Since the waiter treated him politely, Luo Wangshu naturally responded kindly as well. Combined with his pale and handsome face, he gave people the illusion of a refined scholar.
The waiter subconsciously frowned but still tried to maintain his smile.
“May I ask who you’re looking for?”
Before Luo Wangshu could answer, Li Miaomiao brightly said, “We’re looking for Uncle Ali!”
Mo Guang added, “We’re looking for Dad.”
Luo Wangshu awkwardly smiled. “We’re looking for Mo Li. Can you let us in?”
The waiter examined the three of them for a while.
“Please wait a moment.”
After speaking, he hurried inside.
In the kitchen, Mo Li glanced strangely at the waiter after hearing someone was looking for him.
“What kind of people?”
“Thin and tall, very handsome, with two children. A jade-born person…”
The moment the waiter said “jade-born person,” Mo Li immediately put down the kitchen knife and strode out.
The assistant cooks took over the work behind him. After all, they had once been head chefs themselves, so there was no need to worry about the cooking.
“Wife.”
Luo Wangshu looked up and saw the man walking out covered in sweat. A cloth apron was tied around his waist, and he smelled strongly of cooking smoke and oil.
“Wife, why did you come over today?” Mo Li asked with a faint smile, though traces of exhaustion hidden deep in his eyes were difficult to notice.
For some reason, seeing him smile made Luo Wangshu’s heart ache like it had been stabbed.
He forcefully suppressed the emotion and handed over the basket on his back.
“Here. They ripened today, so I brought some for you to taste.”
“Strawberries?” Mo Li asked uncertainly.
He had never heard the name before, though Luo Wangshu had mentioned it often recently.
“Yep. They’re really delicious.”
As Luo Wangshu spoke, he pulled Mo Li closer to the doorway so they wouldn’t block customers entering and leaving.
Mo Li gave him face and picked one up to eat.
Sweet, slightly sour, and with an incredibly tempting fragrance.
“Wife, you eat one too.”
As he spoke, he held a strawberry to Luo Wangshu’s lips.
After eating it, Luo Wangshu said, “I already ate plenty. These are for you. If you get tired of eating them, give some to the shopkeeper. If he thinks they’re good, I can sell him some.”
Winter was coming soon anyway, and there were tons of strawberries inside his space. Selling them would be a good option.
“Mm.”
After pausing briefly, Mo Li nodded without asking how such a tiny patch of land could possibly grow so many strawberries.
Li Miaomiao puffed out her cheeks unhappily after seeing the two chatting so affectionately while completely ignoring them. If Mo Guang hadn’t been holding her back, she would’ve interrupted already.
Mo Guang thought it was good for Mom-Dad and Dad to chat together. After all, they barely got to see each other during the day.
Luo Wangshu held back for a long time before finally failing to resist.
He pulled out a handkerchief from his sleeve and gently wiped the oil and sweat from Mo Li’s face.
“If it’s too tiring, then come back home. At worst we can just build a more ordinary house. We can still live fine like that. You don’t need to work this hard.”
But Mo Li only smiled brightly, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.
“I’m not tired. Wife is so capable, so I have to work hard too.”
Luo Wangshu’s lips moved slightly, but in the end he said nothing.
If he constantly used Mo Li’s money, he himself would feel uncomfortable too, let alone in a relationship where his position was technically the “wife.”
“Well… if one day you can’t keep doing this anymore, I’ll pay to open a shop for you. Don’t force yourself.”
Mo Li merely smiled.
The two acted lovey-dovey for a while. Since they had already come here, it would be impossible to leave without eating. After the restaurant became less crowded, they found a corner table and sat down.
Mo Li personally stir-fried several dishes and brought them over.
The shopkeeper refused to charge them any money, leaving Luo Wangshu with no choice but to have Mo Li give him seven or eight strawberries instead.
Originally, he had only planned to give one or two…
At first, the shopkeeper didn’t care much. But after seeing how fresh and juicy the strawberries looked, he couldn’t resist tasting one.
Then another.
And another…
After finishing all seven or eight strawberries, the shopkeeper looked at them with an expression like he wanted to say something but was holding himself back.
Only after the family finished eating did he step forward and ask Mo Li:
“Where did these fruits come from?”