In the Three Kingdoms period, the opening scene features the killing of Huang Gai, shocking Zhou Yu!

I also took a look at Aya:

"Is this Aya, the girl who saved you? Hmm, she's quite pretty, but too thin."

As the greatest benefactor of the Ma family, how can he be so thin? Have the kitchen cut two pounds of the best lamb later to help him recover.

Aya blushed and bowed slightly.

Ma Chao was a little unhappy.

"Father? You...you're not surprised? I'm not dead! I'm really not dead! I'm your own son!"

Why aren't you reacting at all?

Ma Teng rolled his eyes and took a sip of tea:

"I already knew that."

"When the Prime Minister came back from that Ice Crystal Pavilion last time, he came to me specifically to tell me about your matter."

"They said you jumped off a cliff but didn't die, and were saved by Aya. Now you're 'studying' under Zhao Yu."

"They say you jumped off a cliff but didn't die, and were saved by Aya. You're currently undergoing 're-education' and reformation at Zhao Yu's place. They say it's just for postgraduate entrance exams, and they'll make you the 'Logistics Minister' in the future."

"It's been so long, I've already prepared myself mentally. I've even arranged which courtyard you'll live in in the future, so I'm not surprised."

Ma Chao was petrified.

My whole body felt like it was about to split open from the middle.

Cao Cao, you old bastard!

You, a prime minister with thick eyebrows and big eyes, are actually a big mouth!

Did you tell my dad a long time ago?

Why didn't you tell me?

It made me feel anxious and guilty the whole way, and I felt like an unfilial son!

"Then...then that mourning hall downstairs..."

The scene below shocked him quite a bit.

Why would someone frame a living person and then perform a seventy-plus-day memorial service?

Maximizing profits, right?

Is this something a biological father would do?

Ma Teng coughed, his face unusually flushed slightly, a hint of embarrassment in his expression.

"Ahem, well..."

"That's called a marketing tactic! It's about cultivating individualism! I even wrote to Zhao Yu to ask him for advice."

He said that the stories of tragic heroes are most likely to move diners and increase customer loyalty.

"Look, ever since we hung up your picture and told your story, business has been booming, making a fortune every day!"

"Many young women and married women came here specifically because of your 'funeral portrait'!"

Ma Teng had an expression that said, "That's exactly right."

"Son, you are now the 'brand ambassador' for our store."

"Although you are not dead, that does not prevent you from contributing to the revival of the family."

"It wasn't easy for your Uncle Han and me to establish ourselves in Xuchang and Yecheng. You need to learn to be flexible."

Ma Chao felt even more suffocated.

So, my "death" is more valuable than my life?

I was building roads and developing the industrial park with Ding Yi, while you were using my "death" as a pretext to make money?

The heartwarming scene of the father and son reuniting did not last long.

Because—it's lunchtime, and the downstairs area is too busy.

"Boss! Table number three is rushing their food! Why isn't the lamb cut yet?"

"The guests at table eight are about to throw a tantrum!"

From downstairs came the innkeeper's anxious shouts and the clinking of bowls from the diners.

Upon hearing this, Ma Teng immediately stood up and slapped his thigh anxiously.

"Oh dear, this used to be the shop your Uncle Han cut, but now this is a branch, and my son and I each run one shop."

"The butcher in the kitchen is on leave today because his wife is having a baby, so he can't keep up with the meat cutting!"

As Ma Teng spoke, he turned his head.

Then they saw Ma Chao looking completely bewildered.

Ma Teng's eyes lit up immediately.

What kind of look was that?

Just like the way Zhao Yu looked at Ma Chao grinding grain.

That's when they saw "free labor"

I saw the greed and satisfaction of the "super engine".

"Meng Qi."

Ma Teng rubbed his hands together.

"I remember you still remember your family's swordsmanship, don't you?"

"Now that you're back, don't just sit around doing nothing."

"As you can see, this business of yours is not easy. I work from dawn till dusk. This is the foundation of our Ma family's existence in Yecheng, and it will be my retirement fund in the future."

……

Ten minutes later.

Shenwei Lao Houchu.

Ma Chao, the mighty general who once dominated Xiliang and forced Cao Cao to cut off his beard and abandon his robe.

He took off the gray cloth gown that concealed his identity.

He tied on a greasy apron with the words "Shenwei Lao" printed on it.

A chef's hat was forcibly put on his head to prevent his hair from falling into the food.

He was holding a kitchen knife (it was too light, and it wasn't made of Bingjingting special steel, bad review).

A large piece of freshly taken-out mutton was placed in front of me.

"Slice it thin! As thin as a cicada's wing!"

"You have to be able to see the lights on the other side through the slices of meat to be considered合格 (qualified)!"

Ma Chao assumed a horse stance, looking at the mutton in front of him.

"Watch closely!"

"The first move of the Ma Family Swordplay—Snowflakes Covering the Top!"

"Swish swish swish swish swish!"

Only a fleeting shadow remained in the air.

Slices of lamb, each one evenly thick, landed on the plate.

Its efficiency is comparable to that of ten butchers.

"Yes! That's the hand speed! That knife skill! No wonder you're Ma Teng's son!"

"This sword technique, meant for killing, is truly put to good use when used for cutting meat."

Who could have predicted that after twenty years of honing his assassination skills...

In the end, it actually fulfilled the desire of the people of Yecheng to have a hot pot of mutton.

As for Aya, she is in the West Cool Hall on the second floor.

Guarding a pot of red oil,

They ate with great relish.

Listening to the faint sound of chopping vegetables coming from downstairs, she thought to herself:

Is this the old father that Mengqi has always felt guilty about and kept saying "I'm sorry" to?

This chubby, accountant-loving old man is the kind of person who bosses his son around.

He's much more lovable than the ruthless warlord of Xiliang that the villagers described.

……

I don't know how much time has passed.

The kitchen was piled high with chopped meat.

"father."

It was so fast that the blade got hot.

As Ma Chao cut the meat, he asked through gritted teeth, his stomach even growling in agreement:

"How much longer do I have to cut? I haven't eaten yet."

"Besides, Zhengli is still waiting for me at the construction site to go back and move bricks. I took leave to come here, and I'll have my work points deducted if I'm late."

Ma Teng was sitting on a small stool next to him, counting money without even looking up.

He wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth.

"What's the rush? Let's finish cutting up these sheep first."

"Young people won't die from doing more work."

"As for food... I'll use the leftover scraps to make you a bowl of noodles."

When it came to noodles, Ma Teng's eyes lit up again:

"By the way, if the evening service gets busy again, what if the noodle-making waiter in the lobby gets tired..."

"You go and push it up!"

"Let's go to the lobby and have a noodle dance!"

"With your superb marksmanship, your noodle-dancing skills would be amazing, definitely attracting another wave of female customers!"

Ma Chao: "..."

I almost dropped the knife in my hand.

Dancing noodles?

Do you want me, the Divine Might Heavenly General, to dance with a noodle in front of everyone, just like that waiter?

A scholar can be killed but not humiliated!

He really wanted to throw his apron on the ground and yell, "I quit!"

But looking at the gray hairs growing at his father's temples...

"Zhao Yu, I hate you."

Ma Chao cursed silently in his heart.

"They turned a perfectly good generation of warlords into heartless capitalists."