"Boss, the lottery results are out. Both our company's entries won."

On his way to Building No. 6, Lin Xu received a call from Dou Wenjing. Her voice was tinged with excitement; she had originally held little hope, even thinking that acquiring the shell company was simply throwing money away. But unexpectedly, they had actually won. And not just one, but both lottery opportunities were successful—it was nothing short of a miracle. After her initial excitement subsided, Dou Wenjing asked, "Boss, what kind of car are we planning to get for the company?"

This question genuinely stumped Lin Xu. Thinking of the white X1 driven by his Shen Baobao, he said, "I'll go for a black BMW X5, high-spec. The other spot is yours, Wenjing. What kind of car do you want?"

Dou Wenjing didn't stand on ceremony and replied immediately, "A BMW 5 series will do for me. It's convenient and looks respectable."

"Alright, then one X5 and one BMW 5 series it is," Lin Xu agreed. "Plus the van Master rented for me to buy groceries, that should be enough for everyday use."

"Okay, I'll get right on it."

After hanging up, Building No. 6 was already in sight. Lin Xu was quite fond of this place, with its beautiful environment and abundant talent. However, starting next week, he'd be busy with Lin Ji's opening, so he would have fewer opportunities to come here.

Upon arriving at Building No. 6, he was about to enter the restaurant when Shu Yun suddenly came out to meet him. "Boss? What brings you here?"

Lin Xu replied, "I've come to give Chef Qiu a hand... Didn't you submit your resignation? Why haven't you left yet?"

"There's a banquet tonight at Building No. 6, so I have to stay for my last shift," Shu Yun explained. "Tomorrow, I won't be coming to work. Chef Qiu has already signed my resignation letter."

The next day, Shu Yun and Dou Wenjing were to begin recruiting staff for the new eatery. Cashiers, waiters, food runners, cleaning staff, dishwashers, kitchen assistants, and other positions all needed to be filled. Besides the two of them, Che Zai, who was always proficient with recruitment, would also come to the company to help out.

After exchanging greetings with Shu Yun, Lin Xu walked inside. Upon reaching the kitchen, just as he was about to ask where Qiu Zhenhua was, he ran into Ji Minghui, who was getting ready to roll out dough for the Crab Soup Dumplings.

Ji Minghui was startled. "Boss—" he began, but Lin Xu cut him off.

"Master Ji, what a coincidence running into you here."

Here in my old lair at Building No. 6, I've not only lured away the best front manager from Fishing Platform, but I've also nabbed a dough-rolling master, Lin Xu mused. If Qiu Zhenhua knew, he would definitely get beaten up by this group of chefs in the kitchen, who are more proficient with rolling pins than with knives.

Better to let them beat up Senior Brother instead.

After all, Senior Brother is a habitual offender, and beating him up would be more satisfying.

"Where is Chef Qiu?" Lin Xu asked.

"He's in the filling room, inspecting the fillings for the dumplings," Ji Minghui replied.

Lin Xu and Ji Minghui had a brief, surreptitious chat, like undercover agents making contact, then hastily parted ways, Lin Xu acting as if he didn't know the man well.

Following the steps they had discussed the previous night, Ji Minghui would submit his resignation the next day. Once approved, he would start preparing for Lin Ji's Food's pastry department, where he would be responsible for all the hand-rolled noodles and snacks.

Lin Xu went to the filling room, where Qiu Zhenhua was explaining the essentials of preparing fillings to the kitchen assistants.

"Chef Qiu, I'm here to report in!" Lin Xu announced.

Qiu Zhenhua had originally thought Lin Xu was just saying he would come, but he had actually shown up. Qiu Zhenhua chuckled and said to the masters in the filling room, "Weren't you just arguing with me that culinary specialists can't handle pastry work? Master Lin here is skilled in both culinary dishes and pastry. Even I find the Crab Soup Dumplings he makes delicious."

The masters greeted Lin Xu with smiles, a far cry from the hostile stares they had given him last time. The scene was much more harmonious.

It seems Senior Brother really isn't popular here, Lin Xu thought.

Lin Xu greeted everyone in turn. After Qiu Zhenhua finished his explanation, they went together toward the cooking area.

Tonight's banquet at Building No. 6 was hosted by the Overseas Chinese Bureau to welcome a group of repatriated overseas Chinese. Many of these guests were from Jiangsu and Zhejiang and hadn't tasted their home region's flavors for decades. So tonight, the leaders had personally requested Chef Qiu to make Braised Mian'anqiao Bridge eel to comfort the homesickness of these overseas compatriots.

"Jiangsu cuisine is all about eating in season," Qiu Zhenhua remarked to Lin Xu. "And it's the perfect season for eel now, so making Braised Mian'anqiao Bridge is very apt."

Although Lin Xu had volunteered to help, Qiu Zhenhua had no intention of letting him do the work of a mere kitchen assistant. The two of them reviewed the evening's menu and, after some discussion, decided to add two dishes that Lin Xu was particularly good at: White Jade Lotus Root Strips and Steamed Rice Flour Silver Strips.

Lately, Qiu Zhenhua felt the kitchen atmosphere was becoming increasingly restless, and no one was settling down to practice the basics. Therefore, he wanted Lin Xu to prepare two dishes that showcased exceptional knife skills, hoping to enlighten them. He wanted them to understand that even though Jiangsu cuisine chefs are known for their knife skills, it doesn't mean they are superior. The path of cooking is endless; one cannot afford to become complacent with a little success.

The eel for that evening had already been prepared. They were all quite large and very lively, wriggling and entangling with each other in the tank like a mass of snakes. Anyone with a phobia of such sights would surely be startled if they suddenly saw this.

"The banquet is tonight, so let's start with some other dishes first, and then we'll work on the Braised Mian'anqiao Bridge later," Qiu Zhenhua said.

"Yes, Chef Qiu!" Lin Xu agreed.

Jiangsu cuisine features many river delicacies and emphasizes seasonal foods.

Here, Lin Xu saw some large Taihu Lake green shrimp; perhaps they would later be made into White Robed Shrimp or Longjing Shrimp.

Seeing the freshly picked lotus, he wondered if they might later be deep-fried in warm oil to make lotus cake.

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