I've been possessed by a culinary genius, and I've turned Shaxian snacks into a rip-off!

It was almost 11 p.m. and no more customers came to the store.

Li Zhibai picked up his phone again and scrolled through the videos of the restaurant review blogger.

Great, the latest video is gone again.

Post and delete, delete and post again, like playing whack-a-mole, it gets wiped out as soon as it shows its face.

"This guy is so pitiful!"

"Who's targeting him? Why are they sticking to him and exploiting him?! It's outrageous!"

"Don't let me find out who these whistleblowers are. If I do find out, they better not fall into my hands, or I'll make them question the meaning of life!"

Around midnight, the wind chimes at the shop entrance suddenly rang.

Li Zhibai looked up and saw someone who surprised him: Grandpa Huo.

The old man arrived much later than usual today. He usually arrives promptly around 6 p.m., but today he didn't arrive until almost midnight.

Grandpa Huo was still wearing his Zhongshan suit, and he strolled in slowly with his hands behind his back, finding a seat for himself.

"Grandpa, you're here! I thought you weren't coming today." Li Zhibai poured a glass of tap water and handed it over.

"How could I not come?" Huo Wang said with a smile. "After eating your braised pork, I can't sleep at night if I don't eat it for a day. I couldn't stand it anymore, and I thought your shop should still be open, so I came over."

"How about a braised pork belly and a chicken soup today?"

"Okay, you can arrange it."

Li Zhibai went into the kitchen and started working.

The braised pork was readily available, kept warm in the high-tech constant-temperature pot in the system kitchen, and the flavor wouldn't diminish. As usual, he served the old man 10 pieces of meat, and then made him a bowl of chicken soup.

If we're talking about who among all the customers in this shop is someone Li Zhibai both loves and hates, yet can't do anything about, it has to be Uncle Huo.

He really wanted to give the old man a full luxury meal, serve him braised pork in the biggest blue and white porcelain bowl, and rip him off.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do that.

The old man is over seventy years old and doesn't have a big appetite to begin with, so giving him more food would be a waste.

Also, you can't eat too much pork. What if the old man has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or high blood sugar? He might just die from eating too much pork, and that would be the end of him.

So he could only restrain his restless heart and give this walking golden legend less food.

It's just that feeling of having money but not being able to take advantage of it is so unpleasant.

"You've cooked this meat so beautifully, the color is perfect, it looks so appetizing." Looking at the beautiful braised pork in front of him, Grandpa Huo couldn't help but say, "If I could eat more, I'd love to eat to my heart's content every day."

"Grandpa, just eat well, don't eat too much. Your health is the most important thing," Li Zhibai could only say against his will.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

Could he develop a vegetarian version of braised pork?

For example, if the vegetarian meat made with winter melon as the base can be made to taste similar to braised pork, then the old man can eat more of it, right?

Anyway, you can eat as much winter melon as you want without worrying about overeating. At most, you'll just have to go to the toilet a couple of times. Besides, winter melon is good for the elderly.

Winter melon has the effect of clearing heat and promoting diuresis. Maybe after the old man eats it, he will find that he urinates more. He might even be able to eat a whole bowl of it in one sitting.

Then the unit price will go up.

The more Li Zhibai thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and he couldn't wait to go into the kitchen and start experimenting.

He wasn't sure if he could achieve the same god-level quality with the vegetarian version. The system was very strict in judging god-level dishes; you couldn't just casually change the recipe and expect to reach that level.

Okay, I'll just jot down my thoughts for now and slowly research how to improve the vegetarian version of braised pork when I have time.

Grandpa Huo picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of braised pork, put it in his mouth, closed his eyes and chewed slowly, then showed the same enjoyment he had when he first ate this dish.

Soft and tender, it melts in your mouth, with a rich sauce and a hint of rose fragrance in the aftertaste.

"Delicious! So delicious!"

Grandpa Huo ate very slowly. Unlike the young people like Yu Shen who wolfed down their food, he seemed to be savoring it.

Looking at his eating habits, Li Zhibai thought of a word.

Savor life.

Yes, that's what it means to savor life.

Having eaten my whole life, experiencing all the flavors of life—sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy—to still be able to taste the flavor I miss most in my memories when I'm old—that's probably one of the happiest things in life.

About half an hour later, after Grandpa Huo finished his meal, Li Zhibai went over and took the dishes and chopsticks into the kitchen.

Grandpa Huo did not get up and leave as usual. He took out a notebook and a fountain pen from the cloth bag he brought with him, put on his reading glasses, and began to write.

Li Zhibai came out of the kitchen and saw that the old man hadn't left after finishing his meal but was sitting there writing something. He was a little curious, so he walked up behind him and asked, "Grandpa, what are you doing?"

"Write a will," said Grandpa Huo. "The children will all be back tomorrow, and I want to take this opportunity to settle my affairs after I'm gone."

Li Zhibai nodded and stood behind him, looking at what he had written.

Two shops at No. 99 and No. 131 Jiangdong South Road...

No. 99 Jiangdong South Road, isn't that the street-facing shop not far from the Michelin restaurant across the street?

The old house in Qing'an Lane was inherited by the eldest son. The total bank deposit balance was 5238 million yuan, of which 2000 million yuan was inherited by the eldest daughter, 2000 million yuan by the second son, and the remaining 1000 million yuan, along with the proceeds from matured investment products, was all designated as an education fund…

5238 million!

When Li Zhibai saw this number, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

More than 5000 million! My goodness!

How much money would that cost?!

Two shops, plus an old house that will be worth at least tens of millions in future demolition compensation, and more than 50 million in cash deposits... This guy's net worth is definitely over 100 million.

Li Zhibai used to think he was pretty awesome for having nearly a million in savings, but it turns out that even a single hair from the old man's head was worth more than all of his wealth.

"Hey sir, why can't you have a better appetite so I can fleece you properly?!"

Li Zhibai became increasingly envious, as if there was a mountain of gold in front of him, but he couldn't even get a single hair out of it.

The draft of Mr. Huo's will divided his property into two parts.

One portion is left to his children; some inherit the property, and some inherit the cash savings, without any discrimination.

The other portion will be donated entirely, including the two shops in Financial Street, which will be sold for cash and used as a scholarship fund called the Ah Mei Scholarship Fund.

Amei is the name of Mr. Huo's wife, the pretty girl with two long braids in the old photo.

Grandpa Huo seemed to guess what Li Zhibai wanted to ask, and before he could ask, he took the initiative to explain:

"My wife used to be a teacher. Before she passed away, what she cared about most was the children in the school, especially those children from poor families who couldn't afford to go to school."

In our time, we were poor. Many children had to drop out of school before finishing elementary school to work. Amei felt terrible seeing this. Back then, our conditions weren't good either, and we couldn't help much. Later, as conditions gradually improved, she passed away.

"Now that I'm getting old and nearing the end of my life, I know I can't take the money with me to the grave. So I want to help some children from disadvantaged families while I'm still alive."

Li Zhibai nodded without offering any comment.

He asked himself honestly if he had as much money as his uncle, could he donate half of it?

The answer is probably no.

If he had tens of millions, he would most likely use it to buy houses and cars, living a life of luxury and satisfying his own desires first.

As for whether he will do more good deeds in the future, he may have to wait until he has had his fill of pleasure before considering it.

At least for now, he doesn't have the mindset of an old man.

"Hey boss, don't just stand there, come over and take a look at these terms and conditions and see if there are any problems."

"Sir, I don't know anything about the law, it's not appropriate for you to let me see it, is it?"

"It's okay, just check if it flows smoothly and if there are any mistakes."

Li Zhibai had no choice but to move a chair aside and sit down, reading the will line by line. The will was written in great detail, with each clause clearly stated and without any typos.

He became more and more envious the more he looked at it.

How wonderful it would be if all this money were his!

After he finished reading, Grandpa Huo suddenly changed the subject and said something that almost made him die on the spot.

"Young man, have you taken a liking to either of my two shops?"

Li Zhibai's hand trembled violently, his eyes widening: "Grandpa...Grandpa, what did you say? You wouldn't...!"

"You can choose one of these two shops first," Grandpa Huo said again.

Upon hearing his words, Li Zhibai's mind suddenly went blank, his breathing became heavier, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned backward.

What the hell!

Is the old man really going to give him a shop?

What a big surprise!

If this shop were given to him, wouldn't he never have to work hard for the rest of his life?

No, no, Li Zhibai, calm down.

The old man is no relative to you, so why would he give you a shop worth tens of millions? You're not his grandson.

But... it doesn't seem like it's impossible to have a godfather, huh?

Just as he was so excited that he was about to recognize his relatives on the spot.

Grandpa Huo suddenly smiled and splashed a basin of cold water on him.

"What I mean is, if you're interested, you can choose a shop and buy it first, and I can save on the agent's fee."

Li Zhibai: "........"

He knew it.

Pie doesn't fall from the sky; it only falls knives.

I was so happy for nothing! I almost thought I was about to reach the pinnacle of my life!