The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 637 Extra Chapter: Xia Murui's Story (Part Two)
Zhao Cheng'an channeled his grief and anger into his appetite, chugging six large glasses of cola on the plane. He finally disembarked, carrying a bag of snacks and burping.

Zhang Guanghang stood expressionless at the arrival gate, holding a sign that read "Qin Huai, Zhao Cheng'an," looking every bit the professional airport greeter. Many passing tourists couldn't help but turn around to look at Zhang Guanghang, wondering which company he worked for—even their airport pick-up agents were so handsome.

"Zhang Guanghang, it's been a long time! I don't think I've seen you since I left Beiping last time. I heard from Master Xia that you're going to Japan for study and exchange after the New Year. When are you leaving? How long will you be gone? After you leave, will Fenyuan have anything else to help with? Does Master Xia have any plans to take on another apprentice?" Zhao Cheng'an greeted Zhang Guanghang warmly, acting like a complete stranger.

Zhang Guanghang remained unmoved, looked Zhao Cheng'an up and down, and asked, "When did you hear that I was going to Japan?"

Zhao Cheng'an: ...

"Of course, before midnight!"

Zhang Guanghang gave Zhao Cheng'an a look that said, "You swindler, you'd better tell the truth." His eyes swept between the snacks Zhao Cheng'an was carrying and the suitcase, and finally he chose to take the suitcase from Zhao Cheng'an.

"The car is in the parking lot, follow me." Zhang Guanghang strode forward with his long legs, and Zhao Chengan could only jog to keep up.

"Zhang Guanghang, I heard you're making confit duck on the Lantern Festival. What kind of duck is confit duck? Is it delicious? I saw it in a TV series before, a crime drama, where the last meal the deceased ate before his death was confit duck, but I've never known what kind of dish it is. Is it oily?"

"Are you hungry? Would you like some snacks? Qin Huai made these. Let me tell you, Qin Huai's snack-making skills have been phenomenal lately, at least ten times better than the yam cake he made for you last time. Let me see what's left..."

"Yam cake, rice cake, mung bean cake, hibiscus cake, eight-treasure cake... There are just two yam cakes left. Why don't you try the yam cake first and compare them?"

"No, I'm not hungry, I don't want any snacks right now," Zhang Guanghang refused.

Zhao Cheng'an could only turn around and give Qin Huai a wink, then complained in a low voice, "Why is Zhang Guanghang so stubborn? Do all handsome guys like to have such a stern face? He's watched too many idol dramas. How could Xia Murui have produced such a disciple?"

Qin Huai: ...

Brother, from Zhang Guanghang's perspective, you damned fraudster are all smiles and concern for his master every day, chatting with him late into the night without sleeping, and regularly swindling huge sums of cash, ranging from 20 to 80 yuan, every month. Now you're even taking advantage of the Chinese New Year to come directly to his door to swindle him. Who knows how much money you'll steal this time? The fact that he helped you carry your suitcase is already a huge favor to him.

What else do you want? Do you want Zhang Guanghang to transfer 5 yuan to you every month as pocket money?
Qin Huai remained silent and followed quietly.

Zhang Guanghang led the two to the parking lot where he had driven his Bentley. He drove them silently all the way to the entrance of Fenyuan, gesturing with his eyes that they should get out of the car and go in through the main gate first, while he would park the car at the side gate.

As Zhao Cheng'an happily got out of the car, Zhang Guanghang spoke up for the first time: "I hired a private investigator to look into you guys."

Qin Huai & Zhao Cheng'an: !!!
Zhang Guanghang looked at Zhao Chengan: "You are indeed a disciple of Master Zhou of Zhiweiju. Logically speaking, Master Zhou is highly respected and would never have a disciple who is a fraudster."

Zhang Guanghang then looked at Qin Huai: "You are indeed a self-taught pastry chef with exceptional talent. Mr. Xu Cheng has praised your pastries highly. Moreover, it seems that you recently inherited a huge fortune."

"Neither of you seems like a fraudster, but you're definitely not a distant relative of my master either."

“I don’t know what your purpose is, but my master has been really happy lately. I’ve never seen him so happy. Even if Mr. Li sold Taifeng Restaurant to him, I don’t think my master would be this happy.”

"If it's for money, I can give it to you, whether it's 200,000 or 12 million a month, I can give it to you. But I hope you won't lie to my master. If you want to be happy, then let him be happy. I don't know what you usually talk about with my master on WeChat, but Zhao Cheng'an, please don't chat with my master after midnight. He's old and not suitable for staying up late. Since last year, his health has been far worse than before."

“If possible, I hope you can persuade him to serve one less table per day, and instead serve two tables a day, one at noon and one in the evening, or only at noon. After the New Year, I will be going to Japan to study my craft and won’t be able to stay with my master. I hope you can spend more time chatting with him, as he doesn’t have many friends.”

"Please chat with him before midnight."

Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an were both taken aback.

Zhang Guanghang didn't give Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an time to react. He closed the car window and drove away from the entrance of Fenyuan.

As Qin Huai watched the car drive away, he couldn't help but sigh, "Wouldn't this be considered a case of not understanding but indulging, not respecting but giving money?"

Zhao Cheng'an muttered to himself, "Do I look like a fraudster? You've clearly scammed far more; you even gave Luo Jun billions in inheritance!"

Qin Huai: ...?
The two exchanged a glance and finally exclaimed in unison, "Xia Murui has truly taken on a good disciple."

Zhao Cheng'an sighed, "When I die, I will leave my inheritance to Zhang Guanghang."

Qin Huai: ...Let's not even talk about what's the point of inheriting your green legacy. Mayfly, put your hand on your heart and tell me, do you think you can outlive Zhang Guanghang?
Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an entered Fenyuan and walked confidently toward the dining hall. The dining hall was empty, with only one table remaining; the other tables had been put away, indicating that Fenyuan had indeed not been open for business for some time.

Xia Murui wasn't in the dining room; she must be in the kitchen. The two of them made their way to the kitchen, and sure enough, the kitchen door was open, and the aroma of food wafted out. Judging from the sounds, Xia Murui was probably frying something.

Upon smelling the aroma of food, Zhao Cheng'an instantly felt full and stopped burping. He happily ran inside, saying, "Xia Sheng, what delicious food are you making? It's not mealtime yet."

Qin Huai quickly followed, meeting Xia Murui's gaze the moment he entered the kitchen. Xia Murui was still the same as always; she looked fierce when expressionless, but now she wore a faint smile. Qin Huai knew that this was probably the most amiable smile Xia Murui could usually show.

Qin Huai smiled at Xia Murui.

"I figured you'd arrive around this time, so I'm frying the apples right on time. I'll have Xiao Hang drop you off and then go to the backyard to check the rooms I've prepared for you two. He won't be here for a while, so you and Qin Huai should eat the apples while we have the chance."

After saying that, Xia Murui quickly scooped the perfectly fried, crispy apples out of the pot, drained the oil, plated them, and handed the plate to Zhao Cheng'an.

Zhao Cheng'an naturally took it, picked up his chopsticks, blew on a piece of crispy apple a dozen times, and then stuffed it into his mouth, eating it with a satisfied expression.

Qin Huai had seen this scene countless times at Taifeng Restaurant. It was basically like this when Xia Murui or Chef Chen gave Zhao Cheng'an special treatment. If Qin Huai was nearby, they would also slip him some food as hush money.

Zhao Cheng'an handed the plate to Qin Huai, indicating that Qin Huai should also eat.

Qin Huai picked up a piece of crispy apple with his chopsticks, without blowing on it, just letting it cool slightly, and greeted Xia Murui with a smile:
"Happy New Year, Xia Sheng."

Back in Beiping, Zhao Cheng'an created a group chat for the three of them. Qin Huai didn't understand why Xia Murui changed her name to Xia Sheng and Zhao Cheng'an changed his name to Chen Sheng. The group chat remained silent; Zhao Cheng'an only contacted Xia Murui privately.

After Qin Huai woke up, he realized that these were actually hints given to him by the two of them.

These three names were the basis for their initial meeting.

"Eat quickly. I originally planned to make crispy apples for you two on the Lantern Festival. But then I realized I couldn't make them for Xiaohang. To be precise, I can't let Xiaohang know that this dish is crispy apples. You two should finish it quickly before Xiaohang comes over." "Why can't Zhang Guanghang know? Is he allergic to apples?" Zhao Cheng'an asked.

"This involves something from a long time ago, I'll tell you about it later when I have time."

Since Xia Murui had said so, Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an naturally had to speed up their eating of the crispy apples and devour them.

After finishing a plate of crispy apples, Zhao Cheng'an exclaimed, "Sure enough, crispy apples are what we eat during the New Year. Back when we worked at Taifenglou, Chef Jiang would fry a lot of crispy apples for us to eat as snacks every year during the New Year."

“Yes.” Qin Huai nodded. “When Qin’s mother was still alive, the Jiang family’s New Year’s Eve dinner was very lavish, and there was always crispy apples as an appetizer. After Qin’s mother passed away, the Jiang family’s New Year’s Eve dinner became very simple. Apart from the golden cabbage that was always served every year, the rest of the dishes depended on how busy Chef Jiang was.”

"What exactly does Golden Jade Cabbage taste like?" Zhao Cheng'an asked longingly. "I've never tasted Golden Jade Cabbage in my entire life. Qin Huai, why didn't I think of just taking my bowl and chopsticks and running straight to Master Jiang's house on New Year's Eve, grabbing a bite of Golden Jade Cabbage and running away?"

Qin Huai: ...

Qin Huai felt that Zhao Cheng'an's IQ dropped rapidly after meeting Xia Murui, and Chen Sheng immediately took over. Normally, Zhao Cheng'an would pretend to be a decent person, but in front of his senior brother, he didn't pretend at all and just wanted to act like a fool.

Maybe mayflies just like to play the fool.

"I've also prepared a small side dish to tide you over. You probably ate something on the plane and aren't too hungry now, so have some side dishes first, and then we'll have the main meal tonight." Xia Murui was very tolerant of the simpleton. She walked to another stove and lifted the lid of the casserole that was simmering on it, revealing abalone and chicken stew inside.

The abalone weren't large, they were all small abalone, and the cuts were very beautiful. Both the abalone and the chicken were dyed a uniform dark brown color, which showed that they had been simmering for a while. The chicken had soaked up the sauce and must have been very tender.

Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an didn't stand on ceremony and immediately pulled up small stools to sit down and start eating the side dish.

Xia Murui also moved a small stool and sat down, watching the two eat.

Qin Huai knew that Xia Murui had not heard his wonderful stories from his past lives, nor did he know what his obsessions were. Even if he had heard Zhao Cheng'an recount them, given Zhao Cheng'an's character, he would definitely have embellished them or cut corners.

He really needs to say it again.

Qin Huai quickly gave a concise summary, while Xia Murui listened quietly. Zhang Guanghang hadn't returned by the time Qin Huai finished, so he took the opportunity to ask the questions he wanted to ask.

"Xia Sheng, last year I told you that I met Wei Guo and his descendants in Z City, and asked you to contact Mr. Li so that Taifeng Restaurant could be handed over to Wei Guo. You said you weren't ready yet. Was it really because you weren't ready, or were you afraid of interfering with my tribulation, so you didn't dare to go?" Qin Huai asked.

Xia Murui's reasoning convinced Qin Huai. As Xia Murui said, Taifenglou was once the premier restaurant in Beiping, and Xia Murui's obsession with Taifenglou stemmed from his attachment to the past. For many years, he had been trying to buy Taifenglou back from the descendants of the Li family, specifically Li Mingyi's son, but he had always been refused. The Li family descendants insisted on following Jiang Huiqin's will and leaving Taifenglou to the Jiang family for inheritance.

Now that Qin Huai has found Jiang Weiguo, theoretically he has found the successor of Taifenglou, and Taifenglou can reopen.

However, reopening a restaurant is no small matter.

Managing the team is relatively easy; the chef is the most difficult problem to solve.

Xia Murui was very eager to buy back Taifeng a few years ago, but he has become less anxious in recent years because he is well aware that he is getting old. He can't even keep Fenyuan running normally every day, and can only serve 3 to 4 tables a day, let alone run a restaurant.

He could no longer be the head chef.

Jiang Weiguo's cooking skills are considered quite good among ordinary chefs, but his son's cooking skills are mediocre, and there is no successor.

The most important thing for a restaurant is to preserve its heritage.

Given Jiang Weiguo's age, even if Taifeng Restaurant reopens, he won't be able to run it for many more years. What will happen to Taifeng Restaurant when Jiang Weiguo and Xia Murui are no longer able to work there? Will it close down? Or will it be handed over to other chefs, or perhaps Zhang Guanghang will take over the management?
The descendants of the Li family insist on leaving Taifenglou to the descendants of the Jiang family. So, is Taifenglou, which Zhang Guanghang is to take charge of, still the Taifenglou of the Jiang family?

Restaurants that lack fresh blood are destined to decay.

Qin Huai initially thought that Xia Murui didn't want Taifenglou to open and close so hastily, which was why she hesitated to go to Jiang Weiguo. But now...

Qin Huai felt that Xia Murui was simply afraid of affecting his tribulation.

Upon hearing Qin Huai's question, Xia Murui hesitated for the first time: "I...don't know."

“Initially, I was afraid of delaying your tribulation, so I discussed it with Chen Sheng and made up that reason to postpone it.”

"Now that you're awake, I really don't know what to do."

"I'm finding it hard to keep going."

"Seventh Young Master is not young either. Even if he can be the head chef, he won't be able to do it for many years. Besides, he hasn't been learning from Chef Jiang for many years."

“I can let Xiaohang go to Taifeng Restaurant to help them, but the premise is that Taifeng Restaurant must be a promising restaurant. I don’t want to trap Xiaohang in a place he doesn’t want to stay because of me.”

"I really want to see Seventh Young Master, but I'm afraid things might..."

For the first time ever, Xia Murui began to hesitate and consider the consequences.

While eating abalone, Zhao Cheng'an mumbled, "What's there to worry about? If Jiang Weiguo and his family can't keep Taifenglou afloat, and Zhang Guanghang can't either, then let Qin Huai help. With his current dim sum skills and output, he can definitely make Taifenglou the number one dim sum restaurant in the country and crush our Zhiweiju."

Qin Huai: ...

If Boss Su heard you say that, he'd beat you to a pulp first.

Qin Huai ignored Zhao Cheng'an and said, "Xia Sheng, sometimes you really need to learn from Zhao Cheng'an's carefree nature. You're already this old, and we're not even human anymore, so what's there to be afraid of? If you have concerns and don't dare to go see him directly, we know where Jiang Weiguo is right now, so just go see him secretly."

"Let's set a time after the New Year, and the three of us will meet secretly. If Zhao Cheng'an can't get leave, then you and I will go secretly and bring An Youyou along. You can take a sneaky look from afar first, and then decide whether or not to acknowledge each other."

"It would be such a pity if we didn't even get to see him."

(End of this chapter)