“Uncle Yu, I have a nephew who is tall and handsome, owns two houses in the city, doesn’t smoke, gamble, or commit domestic violence. I’ll sign him up.”

Grandpa Yu: "With such good conditions, how come you're still single?"

Auntie: "Hehe, my nephew is getting a real divorce! I'm just reserving this spot for my boss!"

Grandpa Yu was so angry that he threw down his pen: "I think you're trying to ruin Princess Qiancai! You're going to set her up on a nice blind date and make her a mistress!"

"Those who aren't divorced shouldn't get involved!"

At this moment, some middle-aged women who hadn't heard clearly came over and asked, "Does Princess Qiancai require a divorce to register for her blind date? I have an older brother, who is..."

Grandpa Yu was so angry that he tore up the paper: "Aunt Li, your brother is probably already in his coffin! Look at our boss, he's only in his prime, don't you think it's shameful to say such things!"

"Grandpa, don't be angry, don't be angry!"

At this moment, a middle-aged woman in her forties came to register: "I would like to register my son."

Grandpa Yu picked up another piece of paper, frowned, and asked, "What are the conditions? What's their character like? What's their marital status?"

The middle-aged woman smiled smugly: "Excellent! My son is 185 cm tall and has been smart since he was little. He can score 140 points in math. We have a villa in Zicheng Yufu Zhuyuan, so we don't have to worry about money."

When Grandpa Yu heard that the conditions were indeed quite good, he still cautiously asked a few more questions: "What's your marital status? What's your age? Oh, and one more important thing, do you like girls?"

The middle-aged woman stammered a bit: "His marital status is definitely unmarried, and his age... hehe~ He's preparing for the college entrance exam this year. I just feel that he's getting too close to one of his friends, so I wanted to introduce him to a girlfriend. Don't underestimate him just because he's young; he has a bright future ahead of him!"

Grandpa Yu drew a big circle on the paper with a pen, tapped it a few times, and handed it to the middle-aged woman: "Here, take the big pancake you drew home and eat it yourself!"

The old man was exasperated; he realized that blind dates were so difficult!

He simply stopped registering and instead posted a message in the square dance group.

Sisters, interested unmarried young men, please tell them to come tomorrow from 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM. Princess Qiancai will be setting up her stall here the whole time.

"Ahhhhhh!" Qin Yi sneezed loudly while stir-frying bullfrogs; the chili peppers were too pungent.

—————————

Friday morning.

A light, damp rain suddenly began to fall from the sky.

Qin Yi cooked herself a pot of congee with preserved egg and lean pork for breakfast.

The preserved egg is chewy and the lean meat is tender and smooth; you can taste the fragrance of rice porridge with just one bite.

After finishing my meal, seeing that the rain showed no signs of stopping, I realized I wouldn't be able to complete my outdoor running workout today.

Qin Yi remembered that there was a community gym near the villa area. She changed into her running clothes, tied her hair into a neat ponytail, and walked downstairs with an umbrella.

"Beep," he swiped his access card.

The glass doors on the first floor of the gym opened automatically.

There are two floors here. The second floor is a free fitness equipment area provided by the community, and the first floor is a paid Western food area opened by the community.

It's not even noon yet, and the cafeteria on the first floor is still washing and preparing vegetables.

Qin Yi ran up to the second floor. Probably because of the rain, there were quite a few people working out.

The community also provides a free coach to ensure the safety of exercisers.

She put on her headphones, focused intently, and after running for 45 minutes, finally stopped and started walking slowly.

Two men were also walking briskly on the track nearby.

"Hey, did your mom ask you to go on a blind date today?"

"You mean Princess Qiancai, right? My mom kept talking about it when she came home last night, saying that the girl is fair-skinned, capable, and can cook 1,000 dishes. Her group chat is going crazy with discussion about her, and everyone is introducing the eligible young people around them."

"I don't know if they're looking for a daughter-in-law or a free cook. Is it really that appealing just because someone can cook?"

"Exactly, in the 21st century, if someone still has such an old-fashioned name as Princess Chika, the person in question must be quite unsophisticated as well."

"Hey! That girl next to you is pretty good-looking and cute. I wonder which building she lives in?"

Just then, Qin Yi took off her headphones, and the two men quickly shut up, sped up, and started running.

Qin Yi's face was flushed after exercising.

She wiped the sweat from her face and went downstairs to go home.

"What! Which hospital? I'm coming right away!"

After saying that, a man in a white chef's uniform took off his coat and said, "My wife was hit by a car! She's in the hospital now, and I have to get there right away!"

"Chef Jiang, now that you're gone, who's going to cook the steak and pasta for lunch?"

"Just fry it up however you like. Once the pasta is cooked, toss it in the pan a couple of times. Add the sauces from the table according to the dishes the customers ordered! I'm running out of time, I have to go!"

In the transparent glass kitchen, two trainee chefs in work clothes looked dejected, resignedly frying steak and cooking pasta, though they looked rather disheveled, with a steak constantly being turned over and over in the pan.

Qin Yi couldn't stand it anymore, so she went to the door and said to the junior cook, "If you flip the steak so often, it won't taste good."

"Fry one side first, then let it sit for two or three minutes without moving it. Frequent flipping will cause the beef to be heated unevenly, resulting in excessive moisture loss."

The elementary school cook was so anxious that tears were about to well up in his eyes.

A plate of steak costs about the same as my daily wage.

I messed up the whole day and got nothing for nothing.

Hearing someone offering guidance, she reacted as if she'd seen a savior and asked, "Sister, do you know how to do this? Can you help me pan-fry this steak?"

Qin Yi couldn't bear to see the food being wasted like this, so she sighed, "Sigh...you go away, let me do it."

If a person can see light in their eyes.

The elementary school student now sees Qin Yi as if she were Guanyin when Sun Wukong was in trouble, shining with a dazzling halo.

After tying her apron on, Qin Yi took the frying pan and tongs, turned the heat from low to medium, and waited patiently.

Once one side of the steak is slightly browned, flip it over and add various spices, such as rosemary, thyme, and garlic.

Then add a piece of flavorful butter.

Butter is extracted from cow's milk.

Its milky aroma can mask the meaty smell of steak, and it will also make the color brighter.

Qin Yi picked up a small spoon and kept pouring the melted butter from the pan over the steak, giving it a thorough cleaning.

The oil that seeps into the steak will also carry the flavors of herbs and garlic, making the overall dish even more flavorful.

Once cooked, remove the steak and place it on a Western-style plate.

The pan-fried steak is placed on a plate, still sizzling from being just taken out of the pan.

The enticing marbling is clearly visible, and it exudes a rich meaty aroma.

"Sister, you continue frying the next steak, I'll cut them up."

"Wait a minute." Qin Yi stopped the elementary school cook.

"How long have you been working here?" Qin Yi asked.

"I've only been working for three days. I usually do things like washing vegetables, washing dishes, and mixing salads. Today, Chef Jiang had something come up and told us to do whatever we wanted, but I don't know how to do any of that."

"Uh... then remember what I said."

"When the steak comes out of the pan, it needs to rest for a few minutes. This process is called 'resting the meat,' and it's a crucial step."

"Let the steak rest for three to five minutes, or five to seven minutes for a thicker steak. Don't cut it right after it comes out of the pan, otherwise the juices will be lost and the meat will become very dry."