The Empyrean Grand Hotel is a star-rated hotel with branches all over the country, and its head office in Capital City, this was just one of its branches. The lobby manager was named Xia Mi, who had been Xu Qingxue's middle school classmate.

Hotels are frequent hotspots for disputes and accidents, it's not uncommon to deal with the police, and someone like Xu Qingxue, the Chief of District Public Security, was naturally a person the hotel sought to ingratiate itself with.

Just yesterday, Xu Qingxue had been in contact with Xia Mi, who took this matter very seriously. Setting aside the quality of Wang Xiaoqiang's pheasant eggs, just the fact that Xu Qingxue recommended them meant that they must be purchased at a high price.

What infuriated her, however, was that the person responsible for the hotel's kitchen, the head chef - Chef Wang, was not accommodating. He stated that the hotel's procurement of ingredients was determined by their quality, and if the eggs were of high quality, he wouldn't mind buying them at a high price and establishing a long-term partnership.

Otherwise, he wouldn't consider taking these pheasant eggs.

In general, hotels seldom have a kitchen manager; this area is usually under the control of the head chef or chef. Although the position of chef is not senior, it's quite a formidable presence.

Not to mention a lobby manager, sometimes even the hotel owner didn't have much sway over them, as these chefs were often highly skilled and enjoyed a certain reputation in the catering industry, never fearing being fired. Instead, hotel owners feared them leaving for another job.

When Wang Xiaoqiang's vehicle arrived at the side door for deliveries to the kitchen, Xia Mi and Chef Wang were still engaged in an unending argument. Xia Mi's idea was that since the referrer was the Deputy Director of the District Public Security Bureau, his face must be given, and it would be best to accept the eggs without inspecting the quality.

Chef Wang, on the other hand, stood by his principles without compromise.

As Wang Xiaoqiang parked the car and got out with Xu Qingxue, Xia Mi had already come out to greet them, exchanging pleasantries with Xu Qingxue.

Xu Qingxue introduced Wang Xiaoqiang to her, and upon seeing Wang Xiaoqiang's rustic appearance, Xia Mi was slightly surprised, further confirming her suspicion that Xu Qingxue's claim that she and Wang Xiaoqiang were just friends was probably more of a business relationship.

She thought Wang Xiaoqiang must have given a generous gift, otherwise how could a Deputy Chief of District Public Security go out of his way for a mere farmer?

At that moment, Chef Wang came out, and Xia Mi introduced Xu Qingxue and Wang Xiaoqiang to him. Chef Wang looked quite arrogant, merely nodding in greeting to Xu Qingxue and giving Wang Xiaoqiang a glance without acknowledgement.

Chief Xu, you must also know that our hotel's ingredients normally come through formal channels, and had it not been for your referral, I wouldn't even spare a glance at Boss Wang's pheasant eggs. Of course, if the quality of the eggs doesn't meet our standards, I dare not accept them…" Chef Wang said rudely.

Xia Mi, listening to Chef Wang's words, had an embarrassed expression and looked at Xu Qingxue guiltily, fearing she might become angry.

Chef Wang's words left Xu Qingxue momentarily taken aback. However, seeing that he had a point, she did not get angry. She stealthily glanced at Wang Xiaoqiang, worried he might take offense.

Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang's calm demeanor, Xu Qingxue quietly sighed in relief and pointed to the boxes of pheasant eggs in the car, "I've personally tasted Boss Wang's pheasant eggs; they are genuine wild eggs from the mountains, pure and natural. Chef Wang, you might as well give them a try."

"Hmm, practice is the sole criterion for testing truth," Chef Wang pedantically quoted, "Manager Xia, please keep Chief Xu company here for a moment. Boss Wang, please come with me to the kitchen."

With that, Chef Wang gestured to Wang Xiaoqiang with a nod of his chin.

Seeing that Chef Wang was straightforward, Wang Xiaoqiang wasn't offended by his disregard. He nodded in response, went to the back of the car, opened the door, took out a box of pheasant eggs, and followed Chef Wang into the kitchen.

The kitchens of star-rated hotels are spacious and clean, with a group of chefs busy in an orderly fashion in their work clothes. Upon entering the kitchen, Chef Wang took the box of pheasant eggs from Wang Xiaoqiang's hands, placed it on a table, opened it, and held up an egg to inspect it. "Hmm, not bad; these are indeed pheasant eggs, specialty products from Huagui County..."

As a professional, Chef Wang could tell at a glance that Wang Xiaoqiang's pheasant eggs were authentic.

Chef Wang then took out two more eggs and examined them carefully in his palm. At that moment, two other chefs gathered around, observing the pheasant eggs with Chef Wang.

Eh, they look like pheasant eggs, but also somewhat different. These pheasant eggs' shells seem shinier, and the appearance is better than those from Huagui County!" Chef Wang exclaimed in surprise.

Chef Wang was absolutely right: Wang Xiaoqiang's wild pheasant eggs were not only incubated with Spiritual Energy but also nurtured by water enriched with it, leading to a clear increase in yield and a qualitative leap in the eggs' quality, which naturally couldn't be compared with ordinary pheasant eggs.

This change was evident from the shell alone—its color was brighter, the size of the egg was slightly larger than that of regular pheasant eggs, and the shell's smoothness was incomparable, as glossy as jade, with a layer of luster that seemed to flow beneath the surface.

Not only an industry old-timer like Chef Wang, who had been in the catering business for decades, but even the two ordinary cooks beside him could see the extraordinary nature of the pheasant eggs before them. They chimed in one after another:

"Indeed, these pheasant eggs have a nice appearance!"

"The real question is, how do they taste?"

Speaking of taste, Chef Wang too was full of anticipation. He handed over the three eggs he had taken out to one of the young chefs, who was about thirty years old, and instructed him to prepare the eggs in three different ways—boiled, fried, and stewed—to sample their flavor.

The young chef followed the instructions, while Chef Wang's attention turned to Wang Xiaoqiang. By nature, Chef Wang focused on the product rather than the person when sourcing ingredients. Now that Wang Xiaoqiang's pheasant eggs had received preliminary approval, Wang Xiaoqiang himself naturally gained Chef Wang's recognition.

At that moment, Chef Wang not only started to take an interest in Xiaoqiang but also politely initiated a conversation with him, inquiring about Xiaoqiang's background and his chicken farm.

Seeing how young Xiaoqiang was, Chef Wang had assumed he was just helping his family with deliveries, so he was surprised to learn that Xiaoqiang had started his own chicken farm. He hadn't expected Xiaoqiang to start his own business before he even reached the age of twenty, while his own son, who was about Xiaoqiang's age, was still in high school.

At this, Chef Wang couldn't help but look at Xiaoqiang with newfound respect.

During their conversation, Xiaoqiang also learned that this master chef's name was Wang Dakui. He came from a farming background and had made a name for himself in the Provincial Capital with his superb culinary skills, now thriving in the catering industry with substantial renown.

Both hailing from farming backgrounds and sharing the same surname, the two drew closer to each other almost without realizing it.

In five minutes, the three differently cooked pheasant eggs were brought over.

Wang Dakui first tasted the boiled pheasant egg. Barely a bite in, his face was suffused with bliss. A chef's expertise was not just in his hands but also in his palate. Dakui had been a chef for over twenty years—what flavor couldn't he discern?

Moreover, as a head chef, his taste had become particularly discerning; ordinary dishes simply couldn't please him, so one could imagine the flavor of a dish that made him reveal such an enraptured expression upon tasting.

The young chef who brought over the eggs was astonished to see Chef Wang's enraptured expression, for since he had known Wang Dakui, he seldom saw him react to tasting a dish with such bliss. He then turned his gaze towards Xiaoqiang, gave him a nod, and showed approval with his expression.

After tasting all three eggs, Wang Dakui praised them in a loud voice that drew the attention of everyone working in the kitchen.

Seemingly oblivious to the astonished gazes directed at him, Wang Dakui did not mind his appearance as he burst into hearty laughter. He reached out his hand—large as a fan—and heartily patted Xiaoqiang on the shoulder, "Not bad, young man, your pheasant eggs are exceptional... Ah... my hand..."

When Wakui's hand landed on Xiaoqiang's shoulder, it recoiled as if electrocuted, and he cried out in pain, clutching his hand.

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