Chen Yuancheng silently followed. Xiao Yunying broke off half of the dough, took a bite herself, and handed the other half to him: "Want to try some? It's soft, sweet, and delicious."

Chen Yuancheng stared at the steamed cake, hesitating whether to have someone bring him water to wash his hands before eating.

Xiao Yunying couldn't help but laugh and held the cake to his lips: "Don't think about it. If you don't mind, just eat it like this."

She used to wonder why people would enjoy teasing their friends so much when she was watching short videos, but now she understands.

That's really interesting.

Chen Yuancheng tried his best to open his mouth naturally and accept the cake. Everyone around was surprised and busied themselves with their own affairs, not daring to look in their direction.

This girl is incredibly bold; she fed her employer in broad daylight, right in front of so many people.

The problem is that the owner actually opened his mouth and accepted it in front of everyone!

Xiao Yunying treated Chen Yuancheng somewhat like a younger brother and didn't think about it in a romantic way. In addition, she found Chen Yuancheng's expression earlier quite amusing and didn't realize that her behavior was a bit too intimate and frivolous in this world.

"Is it tasty?"

"tasty."

"If you like it, I'll write down the recipe for you in a bit."

Xiao Yunying thought for a moment, realizing that there were quite a few things to pay attention to when making a cake, and that what she wrote down might not be comprehensive: "How about I teach your pastry chef directly this afternoon? Some issues aren't clear enough when I write them down."

Chen Yuancheng wanted to keep her a little longer: "Okay."

A waiter came to the entrance of the main kitchen and reported: "Master, Mr. Wang says he wants to meet the head chef who cooks the dishes."

After finishing her cake, Xiao Yunying joked, "Why did you see me? Are you going to give me a tip?"

"Do you want to go see them? If not, I'll find an excuse to send them away."

Xiao Yunying took off her apron: "Yes, I want to see what this great philanthropist, Master Wang, looks like. And who knows, he might really give me some silver."

“I will go with you.”

The two went to a private room on the third floor. Xiao Yunying bowed and stood behind Chen Yuancheng, listening to their polite exchanges while quietly observing the two middle-aged men, trying to guess which one was Master Wang.

The person sitting on the right is tall and strong with a slightly darker complexion, while the person on the left has a slightly lighter complexion and is slightly thinner than the person on the right.

The saying goes, "One region's water and soil nurtures its people." Based on the physical differences between people from the North and South, she guessed that the person on the left was Master Wang.

"Is this the cook?"

When Xiao Yunying heard someone mention her, she curtsied and said generously, "Yes, these are all dishes I made."

The middle-aged man on the right said, "I thought it was a burly man who cooked this, but I didn't expect it to be a beautiful cook. Young lady, where did you learn your cooking skills? The dishes you make are truly delicious."

The middle-aged man on the left said, "Yes, I have traveled all over the country and eaten food from many places. Most of the dishes today are ones I have never eaten anywhere else, and none of the ones I have eaten before are as delicious as what you made, young lady."

Take this Four Happiness Meatballs, for example. I've had it many times, and it's so much better than what you get at other restaurants.

Chen Yuancheng introduced them to her: "This gentleman on the right is Master Wang, and this gentleman on the left is Master Sun from the South."

Oh, she guessed right.

Xiao Yunying replied, "You flatter me, sir. I don't have a master. I just like to experiment with food and come up with my own recipes."

As for the Four Happiness Meatballs tasting different from those in other restaurants, it's probably because I added diced water chestnuts to enhance the texture and made some slight modifications to the seasoning of the meat filling, which makes them taste much better than ordinary Four Happiness Meatballs.

She couldn't talk about the seasonings, so she had to skip over them and focus on the water chestnuts.

Master Wang said, "The young lady is self-taught, which is truly remarkable. Nephew Chen, you have excellent taste in finding such a clever cook."

Having tasted this young lady's cooking, I fear the food in the manor will lose its flavor. It seems I'll have to patronize your business more often from now on.”

Xiao Yunying smiled and said, "I'm afraid Master Wang won't be able to eat my cooking anymore. I'm not a chef at Huiweilou; I'm just filling in for him temporarily today."

"Not the cook from Huiweilou?"

"Yes, but I will teach the recipes to the chef here. The chef's dishes are no worse than mine. Mr. Wang, please come and eat. I'm sure you'll be satisfied."

This kind of thing needs to be made clear, so that people won't say that Huiweilou is a big restaurant that bullies its customers.

If all else fails, she'll bring over seasonings like chicken bouillon, soy sauce, and oyster sauce, and say she made them herself.

If she wasn't willing to share the seasoning recipe, Chen Yuancheng probably wouldn't have asked.

"Why did that young lady come to Huiweilou to cook today?"

Chen Yuancheng moved closer to her without making a sound, pressed his arm against hers, and squeezed her arm.

Xiao Yunying's mind went blank, and she didn't know how to answer: "Because..."

She couldn't very well say that the chef had been poisoned and taken away after tasting the chicken stew with poisonous mushrooms that he made for them, and that she was pulled in at the last minute to save the day.

You're so stupid! Hurry up and come up with a reason!

Chen Yuancheng said, "Master Wang, you may not know this, but Yunying has used her recipes to become a shareholder in Huiweilou. She is now the second owner of Huiweilou. Knowing that Master Wang has booked a banquet for distinguished guests from the south, she attaches great importance to this matter and has personally cooked the dishes to show her respect."

Um?

Xiao Yunying looked up at Chen Yuancheng with a mixture of confusion and shock.

When did she agree to invest in Huiweilou? It's not right to lie.

This is no small matter; it's not a lie she told to justify giving herself something. There are clues to it.

If the truth comes out later, it will leave a bad impression on Master Wang.

Chen Yuancheng squeezed her arm again.

Xiao Yunying's mind was a little confused. He had already said what he wanted to say, and she couldn't contradict him; she could only go along with what he was saying.

“Yuancheng is right. Usually, the chef cooks for the guests, and I am not responsible for cooking. Today, I only cooked because I knew that Master Wang was going to entertain distinguished guests.”

One is named Yun Ying, and the other is named Yuan Cheng?

Hearing how they addressed each other, Master Wang understood: "Nephew Chen is a blessed man. With this young lady joining us, Huiweilou's business will surely flourish."

Mr. Sun and I are very satisfied with today's dishes. Consider this a congratulatory gift; the young lady must accept it.

After saying that, he gestured to the servant behind him and handed him a silver note.

Master Sun also had his servant hand over a silver note: "The young lady's cooking is very delicious. I will definitely come to eat here whenever I pass through Donglin City in the future."

Xiao Yunying was completely confused: "What congratulatory gift?"

Shouldn't it be a reward?

"Since you're not a head chef, this can't be considered a reward. Consider it a congratulatory gift for becoming the owner of Huiweilou. Just accept it and don't overthink it."