The two talked for almost half an hour, and Yin Chun wrote down everything, preparing to make arrangements when he got back.

Just as Yin Chun went out, Su Meng returned: "Manager, the Treasure Pavilion is all set up, just needs cleaning and tidying up. The Fragrance Pavilion is still a bit lacking, but I estimate it won't take more than ten days. I'm currently training new staff these days. When would you like to take a look? If there's anything unsuitable, I can make corrections as soon as possible."

Meng Zhao then asked, "How is Princess Danyang?"

Su Meng replied, "The doctors in the capital have all gone home. I went to ask, and I heard that those two nights were indeed dangerous. The doctors in the palace haven't gone back yet, so they probably haven't fully recovered. But the person is probably fine now, just recuperating."

Meng Zhao nodded and instructed, "Go to Mingxianglou and tell the workers to work harder in the next few days to get the place set up as soon as possible. They'll be needed when it comes time to settle wages. Pay more attention to the staff. Although I'll transfer a few people from Qingshi County to help, we'll still have to do the main work. Try to open Mingxianglou and Zhenbaoge at the same time. Once they open, we need to make a name for our beauty and skincare services."

After making the arrangements, Meng Zhao changed into some light clothes and went for a run in the yard. She hadn't been able to go out these past few days, so her exercise had decreased significantly, and she felt a bit sluggish. In order to enjoy the food with peace of mind, she decided to exercise more and burn some excess fat.

After running around the yard for about half an hour, she went to the kitchen. Aunt Li, who was in charge of the meals, was not surprised to see her. After all, she had gotten used to Meng Zhao coming to the kitchen from time to time to make some food that she had never seen before.

"Madam Meng, what would you like to eat today?"

Meng Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Since the two children are coming over today, get some chicken wings, remove the bones, and prepare some chicken breast. Marinate them according to the method I taught you last time. I'll make fried chicken cutlets later."

After saying that, she fetched some warm water, went to the bathroom to wipe off the sweat from her run, and changed into some comfortable clothes. When she returned to the kitchen, Aunt Li had just finished marinating the meat.

While the meat was marinating, Meng Zhao made some sauces. One was a spicy powder made by grinding dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, sesame seeds, cumin, roasted peanuts, and white sugar together. The other was a sweet and spicy sauce made by simmering wet chili peppers, minced garlic, sugar, honey, bean paste, vinegar, and sesame seeds in a pot.

It's a pity there are no tomatoes now, otherwise fried chicken cutlets with ketchup would be the perfect match.

Once the sauce was ready and the chicken was almost marinated, Meng Zhao asked Aunt Li to pour in the oil and start the fire. She then coated the marinated chicken cutlets with layers of egg wash and flour several times until the chicken was evenly covered, and then placed them in a wok with oil heated to 50% of its maximum temperature.

The pan immediately started sizzling. The heat for frying chicken cutlets shouldn't be too high, otherwise the outside will burn while the inside remains raw. Fry over low heat for three to five minutes, then remove and drain the oil.

At this moment, Shen Qingze and Shen Qingyu returned from the academy. Instead of going home, they ran to the Meng family's house. "Sister, sister, what delicious food are you making? I can smell it from the door."

Seeing that the two of them were covered in sweat from running, Meng Zhao quickly said, "Why are you running so fast? Do you think we'd leave you behind?"

Upon seeing what was in the pot, Shen Qingyu exclaimed in surprise, "It's fried chicken cutlet! Sister, we haven't had your chicken cutlet in so long!"

"I made this especially for you because I knew you guys loved it. You've been running all the way here and you're all sweaty. Go wash your hands and face before you come and eat."

The two obediently went outside to wash their hands and faces. When they came back, Aunt Li had already cut the fried chicken cutlets into pieces. One plate was sprinkled with freshly ground spicy powder, while the other plate was coated with a brownish-red sauce.

Shen Qingze couldn't wait to pick up a bamboo skewer, poke a piece, and put it in his mouth. However, the freshly cooked chicken cutlet was so hot that it made him jump up and down. The chicken cutlet in his mouth spun around, but he still couldn't bear to spit it out. He fanned his mouth with his hand several times before swallowing it.

The tender chicken paired with the crispy skin makes a satisfying crunch when you bite into it. Add to that the secret sauce, which is spicy with a hint of sweetness, and it's absolutely delicious.

Seeing his expression, Meng Zhao laughed and said, "The fried chicken cutlet is still hot, what's the rush? If your second brother sees this, he'll scold you again."

While chewing on a chicken cutlet, Shen Qingze mumbled, "I don't know what my second brother has been busy with lately. He's never home and has no time to take care of us."

Meng Zhao suddenly remembered that she hadn't seen him for several days. Could it be that he was angry because she had said his official rank was too low last time? That shouldn't be the case!

She shook her head, deciding not to think about it too much. After frying a few more pieces, she handed the long chopsticks to Aunt Li, asking her to continue frying, and then began to eat the freshly fried chicken cutlets herself.

People shouldn't nag. That evening, Meng Zhao was writing down the marketing strategy for the new business in his study when there was a knock on the door. Hearing Shen Qinghe's voice, Meng Zhao said, "Come in."

When Meng Zhao looked up from the papers on the table, she was immediately startled. Shen Qing's clothes were dusty and gray, a few strands of hair hung down in front of her forehead, her face was covered with black ash, and there were many stubbles on her chin.

"Huh~" Meng Zhao leaned back slightly, "You've come back from digging coal?"

The disgust on her face was so obvious that Shen Qinghe felt a lump in his throat, but he still said, "I went out to investigate a case."

Meng Zhao raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you in the Hanlin Academy? Do civil officials need to investigate cases?"

Shen Qing felt even more upset, her voice tinged with grievance, "I'm more ambitious, so naturally I have to do more."

Seeing his appearance, Meng Zhao suddenly found it somewhat amusing. She put down her pen, stood up, walked over to him, circled him once, and clicked her tongue twice: "I heard that during the imperial examination, the Emperor almost selected you as the third-ranked scholar. If you had looked like this back then, you probably would have been more certain to be the top scholar."

Hearing that she was saying she didn't look good, Shen Qinghe subconsciously raised her hand to wipe her face, but the more she wiped, the more messy it became, so she gave up and handed her a booklet.

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