No one was hiring, and Bai Lin was nearly starved to death. At that time, Xishan Manor was looking for a chef. Bai Lin arrived and was kept because his cooking skills were indeed impressive.

By then, Bai Lin had cleaned everything up and was eating alone. Seeing Ling Zhenfei walk in, he quickly stood up.

"Boss, what brings you here?"

"Nothing much, I just came to see. I thought I might cook something for myself."

As Ling Zhenfei finished speaking, Bai Lin's expression changed. He had already prepared the meal, yet the boss wanted to cook something for himself—this must mean he wasn't satisfied with today's dishes.

"Boss, was there something wrong with the dishes I cooked today? Let me explain. Today's menu was given to me by Brother Er Meng, and I followed it exactly..."

"Don't worry, it's not that the food you cooked wasn't to my taste. I just suddenly felt like cooking something myself, so I came to the kitchen. You don't need to bother; I'll make whatever I want."

"Oh, okay." Although Bai Lin said this, he stood nearby the whole time, finding his boss very strange. A big boss cooking by himself—such a hobby was unexpected.

Ling Zhenfei wasn't thinking too much. He looked around for any leftovers. The vegetables, though not very pretty, were from the manor's own supply and were perfectly fine for cooking.

Spotting some cabbage, Ling Zhenfei didn't hesitate to grab it and the knife. The chopping was swift, the oil was sizzling in the pan, and in no time, a dish of stir-fried cabbage appeared, sending a delicious aroma through the air. Ling Zhenfei couldn't help but take a deep breath; the cabbage was incredibly fragrant, unlike any he had eaten before.

Although it was simply stir-fried cabbage, the dish was unlike the usual cabbage in shape, color, and taste.

"Boss, how did you cook this cabbage? It has such a unique flavor; can I try some?"

Bai Lin, who had been watching from the side, now came closer. He had been observing Ling Zhenfei cutting and cooking with skilled hands, even superior to a real chef. Moreover, the cabbage turned out to be so appealing in flavor and aroma that he couldn't resist wanting to taste it.

"Try it. I don't know if it's good since it's my first time making it."

Ling Zhenfei's comment almost made Bai Lin want to spit blood. His first attempt and it turned out this good? Who was he kidding?

After taking a small bite, Bai Lin's expression turned strange. Having trained as a chef for not a short time and capable of cooking dishes from the regions of Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong, Huai, and Yang moderately well, he had never tasted cabbage like this—it was incredibly memorable.

"Boss, are you the God of Cookery? Even a simple cabbage dish turns out to be so delicious."

"I'm not any God of Cookery; just an ordinary person. I didn't come to the kitchen to show off my cooking skills. I'm writing up a list of spices and seasonings I need for something important tomorrow. You have to gather them by any means necessary today; don't delay it."

Ling Zhenfei grabbed a pen and paper, and casually jotted down all the ingredients he needed on the sheet.

"Boss, why are the seasonings and spices you want so special? We might not even find these things in town," Bai Lin was surprised after looking at the list of ingredients. Even some professional chefs wouldn't use this many condiments. It was truly an eye-opener.

"If you can't buy them in town, then go to the city to buy them. My motorcycle is outside, you can ride mine."

"I got it, I'll definitely complete the task."

Bai Lin took Ling Zhenfei's orders as a top priority, ran out before even finishing his meal, likely riding the motorcycle to the city now.

It wasn't that Ling Zhenfei intentionally made it hard for Bai Lin. The seasonings listed in "Five Organs and Six Delicacies" were indeed numerous. The taste preferences of people back then must have been different from today's, but Ling Zhenfei still very much wanted to respect the original flavors. That was the only way to get closer to the taste mentioned in the original text, to make it even more delicious.

He continued to cook several dishes, all according to methods described in the secret manuscript. They were supposed to be very delicious to start with, and the addition of the special vegetables from Xishan Manor made the flavors even more extraordinary, unforgettable to anyone who tried them.

After preparing several dishes, Ling Zhenfei finally stopped his actions. It was enough, these dishes would not disappoint the guests, definitely stunning them.

By then, everyone at Xishan Manor had already started getting busy, cleaning the manor thoroughly even though it was already clean. This time they cleaned every nook and cranny, leaving no room for guests to find any faults, trying their best in all other aspects as well.

They stayed busy until evening. Ling Zhenfei was finally satisfied with Xishan Manor, a quiet night passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was the next morning. The next day, Xishan Manor was already bustling early in the morning, trucks for carrying vegetables roared one after another on the mountainous dirt roads, delivering the vegetables of Xishan Manor from the mountain village to the city.

Chu He made a phone call, telling Ling Zhenfei that they had already arrived at the entrance of the village and asked him to come to the gate to greet them. But the village was small, and before Ling Zhenfei reached the village entrance, he saw several cars driving in.

The vehicles turned out to be three RVs, which grandly stopped at the gate of the manor. The car door opened, and Chu He was the first to get down from the first vehicle.

Ling Zhenfei and Chu He shared a warm hug. During the hug, Chu He whispered in Ling Zhenfei's ear, "Don't be nervous, they're all my friends, just treat them as friends."

"Okay, I got it." Ling Zhenfei certainly knew how to keep things balanced and not overdo it.

Two more people came down from the other RVs, a man and a woman. The man was about forty years old, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, looking quite scholarly yet possessing an experienced calm in his gaze.

The woman appeared to be in her thirties but was well-maintained, someone who didn't know might think she was a woman in her twenties. She was also very pretty.

Ling Zhenfei was somewhat stunned when he saw the woman. Who would have thought such a young and beautiful woman was also in venture capitalism? It was a bit different from what he had imagined.

Chu He quickly made the introductions, the man was named Zhang Kang, a major shareholder of a company, and the woman was named Li Ru, without going into more detail.

Upon arriving at the manor, the visitors were very excited, obviously it had been a long while since they last visited the countryside. Chu He was also a very good guide, single-handedly providing very thoughtful hospitality to Zhang Kang and Li Ru. Anyone unaware would think Xishan Manor was Chu He's place.

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