At noon the next day, Qin Feng was sitting in his shop playing on his phone when a group of people walked in. He stood up and asked, “Hello, here for lunch?”

“Of course, we’re here to eat. I heard from my colleague that your Kung Pao Chicken is amazing, so we came to try it out,” a young man said arrogantly as he sat down and propped one leg up on a chair.

“Your colleague? That should be Qiao Lu and her friends, right?” Qin Feng thought about it—only Qiao Lu and her group had come the day before.

Su Yang nodded and then rested his legs on another chair, saying, “Hurry it up. I’m on a tight schedule.”

Qin Feng pushed his legs off the chair and said sternly, “The others can eat here, but not you. Get out.”

“What? Are you kicking me out? Isn’t this a restaurant? Aren’t you supposed to serve food to people?” Su Yang jumped up in shock, his face filled with disbelief.

“This is a restaurant, but I don’t feel like serving you.” Qin Feng pointed toward the door. Eating his food required more than just having money—it also required being someone he didn’t mind serving.

“Hmph, not even willing to make money. What an idiot. I bet your food is all hype. I’d like to see just how good it actually is,” Su Yang scoffed, stepping outside with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Ignoring him, Qin Feng walked into the kitchen to prepare the food for the rest of the group.

Not long after, he brought out several plates of Kung Pao Chicken and placed them on the table.

The group immediately began devouring the food, and soon, praises filled the air.

“This is so good! The peanuts are so crunchy!”
“Totally worth the 100 yuan. Slow down, guys, leave me some!”
“Not happening—I can’t get enough myself!”

Watching from outside, Su Yang saw how much they were enjoying the food and started feeling itchy with curiosity. Is it really that good? He quickly messaged one of his colleagues, asking them to pack up a portion for him.

But soon after, one of the customers approached Qin Feng and asked, “Boss, can I get one to-go?”

“Sorry, we don’t do takeout,” Qin Feng replied with a smile. To him, having his world-class cuisine treated like fast food was nothing short of an insult—to himself and to the art of fine dining.

Hearing this, Su Yang instantly regretted his earlier rudeness. It would be nearly impossible to get a seat here in the future.

In the following days, the business at One Spoonful steadily picked up. While it wasn’t exactly booming, the place definitely had life now.

Meanwhile, at Yonghe Restaurant, the owner Zhao Yonghe stood at the entrance, watching as more and more people headed into the alleyway toward Qin Feng’s shop. He quickly called over one of his staff. “Is the food at that new place really that good?”

“I wouldn’t know, but everyone coming out can’t stop raving about the Kung Pao Chicken,” the staff reported honestly.

“Go get me a portion to-go. I want to taste it.”

“Boss, they don’t do takeout, and they only operate for an hour a day.”

“I see.”

That evening, Zhao Yonghe donned a baseball cap and joined the queue outside One Spoonful. Luckily, the line wasn’t too long, and it was soon his turn. Qin Feng served him the usual: a plate of Kung Pao Chicken and a bowl of rice.

As a seasoned chef, Zhao Yonghe’s first impression of the dish was its vibrant colors and strong sense of layering. Both its appearance and aroma were incredibly enticing.

He took a bite, and his eyes widened in shock. The dish’s flavors were equally complex, with the spiciness and sweetness perfectly complementing each other. The heat didn’t overwhelm the palate; instead, it followed a precise sequence, a hallmark of a top-tier chef. But could the young man in this tiny shop, barely in his twenties, really be on the level of a Kitchen King?

Determined to crack the secret, Zhao Yonghe ate slowly and carefully, analyzing every detail of the dish.

Qin Feng noticed the man eating so deliberately and thought, This guy must be a chef or a food critic. He walked over and said, “You seem to really know your stuff, judging by how carefully you’re eating.”

“Just a bit. Not bad. I have something to attend to—goodbye,” Zhao Yonghe replied curtly before hurrying off.

Qin Feng scratched his head in confusion. What’s the rush? I was just trying to chat.

Back at his restaurant, Zhao Yonghe immediately gathered his chefs and said, “Drop whatever you’re doing. We’re going to perfect Kung Pao Chicken. Ingredients: diced chicken and peanuts, with a balance of spice and sweetness. Let’s start experimenting!”

He joined his chefs at the stove, determined to replicate the dish. While Kung Pao Chicken wasn’t technically difficult, he believed they could master it in a few days.

Meanwhile, Qin Feng sat in his shop counting the day’s earnings. A total of 1,500 yuan—after deducting costs, he still made a profit of 1,100. Not bad. Although it was a far cry from the tens of thousands he used to make per dish, he felt confident about the future.

After closing up, he headed to the kindergarten to pick up Nan Nan. Earlier, he had called the teacher to ask her to look after the child for a bit.

When he arrived, he saw Nan Nan reading a book with a young and beautiful teacher. The atmosphere was warm and harmonious.

“Daddy!”

The moment Nan Nan saw Qin Feng, she ran into his arms.

“Such a good girl. Let’s go home!” Qin Feng scooped her up and walked over to the teacher. “Ms. Xu, thank you for taking care of her. Sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s nothing. But if you’re going to be this busy, maybe arrange something ahead of time. This isn’t a long-term solution,” Xu Ru replied with a soft smile as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it sorted. I’ll make sure to pick her up on time from now on,” Qin Feng promised. The past few days had been hectic, but he finally had things under control.

“Goodbye, Teacher!” Nan Nan waved sweetly at Xu Ru.

Back at home, Qin Feng whipped up a plate of Kung Pao Chicken for Nan Nan. Watching her eat with such enthusiasm, he asked, “Sweetheart, when you were with Mommy, was that Wang Qiang guy there too?”

“Uncle Wang took us to the amusement park and bought me lots of fun things!” Nan Nan mumbled through a mouthful of food.

“Eat slower—no one’s taking it from you. Did Uncle Wang stay at Mommy’s house?”

Nan Nan shook her head and replied, “No. It seems like Mommy doesn’t like Uncle Wang.”

Hearing this, Qin Feng felt a wave of relief and asked, “Why do you think Mommy doesn’t like him?”

“Because Uncle Wang gave her gifts, and she didn’t take them.”

“Good girl. Eat slowly,” Qin Feng said with a smile, gently patting her head.