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Liuzi went to deliver a food box for Lin Fugui, and Lin Yuan asked him to take the things she bought along as well, trusting Lin Fugui’s character enough to believe he would not eat her stuff on the way.

Of course, she did not forget to have him relay a message; otherwise, her parents would surely worry.

Xia Zheng originally planned to take a few people to the elegant room to dine, but seeing that Lin Yuan had been reluctant to stay for the meal and now that she finally agreed, he feared that if he suggested changing places, this girl might find it troublesome, get stubborn, then leave again.

So, the group ended up dining in the hall.

This was convenient for the regular customers, who were almost all eyeing this side of the hall, thinking that anyone receiving personal attention from the Young Master of Fuman Building must be a very important person.

If it weren’t for Xia Zheng’s preference to keep others at a distance, their table would have likely become much livelier by now.

Indeed, Xia Zheng didn’t skimp this time and quickly served several dishes, each one as impressive as the next, including the roast chicken, Crystal pork knuckle, Four Joys Fortune Bag, roast tofu, and others like sauce beef, roast goose, Four Joys meatballs, braised spareribs, two kinds of fish—one steamed and one braised.

Not just Xiao Linshuang, even Lin Yuan herself was dazzled by the array of dishes.

Xia Zheng stood with his arms crossed, unable to hide his smug expression, his eyes roving back and forth over the sisters, envisioning the scene after they hungrily devoured the food, leaving the table a disheveled mess.

However, it seemed that the table full of dishes didn’t incite much enthusiasm from Lin Yuan and her sisters...

"Ahem, these dishes don’t suit your taste?" Xia Zheng asked, feeling somewhat disappointed and even anxious. After all, who wouldn’t praise and gush about the food after coming to his Fuman Building? Why then did the three sisters look so listless?

Lin Yuan was currently busy ruminating over what seasonings the dishes used and what procedures were needed, clearly her occupational hazard kicking in. Thus, she ate slowly and didn’t pay much attention to Xia Zheng’s question.

Lin Wei was naturally easy-going. Hearing Xia Zheng say this, she was somewhat shy and didn’t lift her head, just gently shook it and responded in a low, mosquito-like voice, "No, it’s delicious, very delicious."

You call this delicious yet you’ve hardly eaten anything!

Xia Zheng clearly didn’t believe her, turning to look at Xiao Linshuang, the first to be tempted by the delicacies.

Xiao Linshuang had just swallowed a mouthful of mapo tofu and muttered, "This tofu isn’t as tasty as what my eldest sister makes. "

All the diners who had been paying attention were shocked. Ever since the mapo tofu had been on sale, it had been very popular, even starting to rival the Four Joys Fortune Bag as another one of Fuman Building’s signature dishes.

But what did that little one just say? Not as tasty as her eldest sister’s cooking? Who on earth was her eldest sister, and could she possibly surpass Chef Wang of Fuman Building? Such arrogance!

Xia Zheng, however, didn’t think for a moment that she was being arrogant, for he had tasted Lin Yuan’s cooking and couldn’t stop reminiscing about the simple meat-stuffed buns for several days.

If his Chef Liu possessed such skills, Fuman Building would have long since spread across the entire Dayong dynasty, perhaps even conquering the neighboring countries.

Now he finally understood why Lin Yuan didn’t agree to his request to become the Fuman Building’s head chef. With her own silver, and relying on just a few simple dishes, she could easily defeat Fuman Building and conquer the whole country.

Reflecting on this, Xia Zheng’s admiration for the quietly dignified woman before him grew. If before his closeness was solely for her culinary skills, now he also had a growing sense of respect.

"Hey, do you still remember what you said that day when you tore up my IOU?" Seeing Lin Yuan with her head down, seemingly deep in thought, Xia Zheng poked her arm with his finger, squinting his eyes as he asked.