"How can you mix meat and vegetables together? This doesn't taste authentic at all!" Shan Yunfang exclaimed loudly. She simply couldn't call this shredded and messy dish food.

"Fang'er, calm down. Is this what I taught you—to yell and shout in other people's restaurants?"

"But..." Shan Yunfang calmed down completely, sat up obediently, and looked aggrieved. Li Xiaoxiao found it a little funny. "Alright, you can't keep making a fuss. Pick up your chopsticks and take a bite."

Li Xiaoxiao picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of food, and placed it next to Qi Yu's mouth. "Come on, Your Highness, have a bite first." Qi Yu subconsciously opened his mouth and ate the small, green piece of food that looked like it was stuffed with chili peppers.

Qi Yu was initially unwilling to eat something that looked unclean, but surprisingly, it tasted quite good. Qi Yu chewed it carefully again, looking at Li Xiaoxiao with a delighted expression, "Not bad, right? Come on, Ying'er, have a piece too." Li Xiaoxiao gave Xuan Yuan Ying a bite, and Xuan Yuan Ying obediently opened his mouth and ate a piece of meat.

The piece of meat was too big. Xuan Yuan Ying's cheeks bulged as he chewed happily. Li Xiao Xiao was also about to pick up more food when Qi Yu placed the food in front of her. Li Xiao Xiao smiled, revealing shallow dimples, and ate it in one bite. The three of them were enjoying themselves. Shan Yun Fang sat dejectedly to the side, picked up her chopsticks, and took a bite out of resentment. She shouldn't have come here today, but if she hadn't, her master would have abandoned her.

As soon as Shan Yunfang put a piece in her mouth, she felt her taste buds burning. This was a taste she had never made before. How could a roadside stall make such delicious food?

Shan Yunfang, who had initially thought she had a good talent for cooking, was thoroughly proven wrong. The flavor was so perfect that it was impossible to find fault with it. Seeing how much Li Xiaoxiao liked it, the other guests also began to drool. Before long, the dishes were served.

Everyone picked up their chopsticks and started eating. Li Xiaoxiao and the others ate heartily and finished in no time. Li Xiaoxiao got up and took out an ounce of silver. "This is for the meal."

The waiter busied himself searching through his purse, only to find himself penniless, managing to pull out a few dozen copper coins. He was somewhat embarrassed. "Miss," he said, "I really don't have any loose change. Do you have any, madam?"

What's your name?

"I am Lu Minzhi, a commoner who is a farmer. My land was forcibly taken away, so I had to make a living by working in various restaurants. I painstakingly researched and developed this method. I also have other dishes. My clumsy skills are sorry for making you laugh, Your Highness." He didn't have to say these things, but he had heard that before meeting the princess, Gu Lan had great abilities but was suppressed and even crippled in both legs. Now he had become a well-known merchant in the Northern Wei Kingdom.

This was one of his few opportunities, and he had to seize it. In the past few days, he had emptied his savings, just to rent a place in this prime location for a month, to attract Shan Yunfang's attention, and then take the opportunity to have a chance to see Li Xiaoxiao.

But he was incredibly lucky; even the heavens seemed to be on his side. Li Xiaoxiao herself actually came here. He was just taking a chance. If it didn't work out, he would go to Suixin Pavilion as an assistant and start working his way up step by step.

"What else can you do?" This was a question that Li Xiaoxiao cared about. This person had a talent for cooking, and his cooking suited her taste very well.

"I have more than two hundred dishes, and I can prove it one by one." Lu Minzhi's eyes were firm as he showed off his skills. "Then how about you come back with me and make ten dishes with different flavors and different ingredients?"

"Yes." Lu Minzhi nodded.

"Alright, if you pass the test, I'll give you a restaurant, and you can keep 50% of the revenue." She just happened to be looking for some people to work in the catering industry.

Dan Yunfang listened attentively, her eyes instantly shifting from disdain to seriousness. This man knew more than two hundred dishes; no wonder he was highly regarded by his master. She had heard before that there was a simple stall here with unique cooking methods, but she hadn't paid much attention to it at first. Now she realized how big a crisis she was facing.

"Thank you, Princess." Lu Minzhi's eyes were full of light, as if he could see his own success.

Once Lu Minzhi received approval, he immediately packed up the tableware and hung it at the door, announcing that the business would be temporarily closed. Since he had already achieved his goal for the day, he no longer needed to continue setting up a stall, as he would be moving out of the area in a few days anyway.

"Princess, please wait a moment."

After finishing the last dish, Lu Minzhi packed up his belongings, putting the pots and pans into his storage bag. When Shan Yunfang saw this, she was very puzzled. "Tch, why are you carrying all this? Suixin Pavilion has all kinds of kitchen utensils." For some reason, she was very unhappy with the man in front of her. How could someone be more talented than her?

Shan Yunfang also saw some oddly shaped kitchen utensils, but she still looked down on them, wondering what use they were.

Li Xiaoxiao felt a headache coming on. Shan Yunfang was a straightforward and simple person. Once she made up her mind about something, she would stick to it stubbornly and there was no way to change it.

They still need to be properly tempered. Fortunately, Lu Minzhi is here, and both of them are quite talented. Shan Yunfang also needs to curb her temper and experience some setbacks.

"I apologize for hurting Miss Shan's eyes," Lu Minzhi said in a low voice, seemingly without any temper. Shan Yunfang was about to say something more, but in the end, she got the words stuck in her throat and said nothing.

Li Xiaoxiao turned around, took some tissues from her pocket to wipe her mouth, and then threw the tissues into the trash can.

"Fang'er, don't be too willful. If you continue to be so blind to your own limitations, you will become weak." Li Xiaoxiao said calmly, then walked over to Xuan Yuan Ying, picked Ying'er up in her arms, and Qi Yu followed closely by.

"Yes, Master." Shan Yunfang stood there, feeling wronged, unable to say a word. All the limelight of the day had been stolen by this young man, and she was resentful that she had angered her master. Now, the only way out was to work hard to create new recipes and make her master look at her with new eyes.

Thinking of this, Shan Yunfang left angrily and went straight back to Suixin Pavilion. Although Suixin Pavilion is constantly expanding, the menu in the store has always relied on the master. So far, she has only made two dishes that are her own specialties.

She has gradually become unworthy to stand beside her master, yet she still complains and blames others; it is truly shameful.

Shan Yunfang ran away.

Lu Minzhi watched Shan Yunfang leave and sighed softly. How could he have accidentally angered the head chef of Suixin Pavilion? He might have better days ahead. However, now that he has a hotel of his own, he will succeed one day. Sooner or later, he will no longer have to hide in the kitchen and watch everyone's faces, nor will he have to use his own creations to benefit others.