Ma Le, with a group of junior disciples and the cookbook in hand, was determined not to leave.

The group of chefs he brought with him were all skilled, and some were particularly close disciples of the Shang family’s main figures.

As for Ma Le, he was the leader of the third generation of Zhenlong’s culinary heirs, with a strong family background.

He had been learning from his father since childhood, and even his junior disciples were all young but capable of bearing great responsibility, with experience surpassing even Master Tu’s proud disciples in some ways.

The Shang family had many disciples left behind by Old Master Shang, who worked together to build the family’s reputation.

Meanwhile, Mingde, based by the river, only had Master Tu as the head, making their teaching standards and efficiency slightly inferior.

This was an unexpected windfall.

However, Jin Yaotiao remained rational and did not let her emotions dictate her actions by immediately agreeing.

Ma Le and his group were from the Shang family, and coming to Mingde without any prior connection to the school seemed like a betrayal of their master, especially considering the tension that had already arisen between Master Tu and the students who left the Jin family to join the Cheng family.

The anger Master Tu expressed at the time had been immense, even going as far as to visit them in person to scold them.

His other disciples didn’t feel this was wrong, and even the ones who had left were too afraid to rebut him.

The teacher-student relationship was different from that of regular students.

If a disciple left for a rival group without the master’s approval, and did not achieve great success in the future, this would always be a stain on their reputation.

Although it didn’t seem like Jin Yaotiao’s father and his second apprentice were against Ma Le’s actions, Jin Yaotiao couldn’t be sure of their true feelings.

Furthermore, given the history between her family and the Shang family, she didn’t want to stir trouble for Mingde.

At the Jin family’s dinner time, Jin Yaotiao’s father silently exchanged glances with the younger generation who had come to visit.

Ma Le’s disciples, calling him uncle, seemed to be in high spirits, but Jin Yaotiao’s father couldn’t help but feel a little sympathetic, glancing toward the kitchen.

Xu Wan was also there, helping Jin Yaotiao prepare dinner and teaching her some easy-to-learn new dishes.

Small diced shiitake mushrooms were sautéed with minced meat, and rice noodles were soaked and boiled until tender before being rinsed in ice water and chopped into fine pieces.

While Jin Yaotiao worked on the dish, her mother helped guide Xu Wan on her knife skills. Although Jin Yaotiao’s mother was not the best cook compared to her husband and daughter, she was quite skilled at teaching Xu Wan.

Xu Wan had recently been coming to the Jin family more often to learn cooking.

After her divorce, she had wealth but little to occupy her time, so she worked at Mingde’s front desk to pass the hours and gradually began enjoying cooking.

Especially when she spent her days at Mingzhu Mountain, preparing meals while waiting for her son to finish his overtime.

As she chopped the noodles, she glanced between Jin Yaotiao and her mother.

On the table, a small pot was kept warm over a small stove, and Jin Yaotiao’s mother was holding a moist dough, almost melting, yet still the perfect consistency to shape as she gently worked it in her hands.

The dough was swirled in the hot pot and returned to her hands, leaving only a faint mark behind in the pot. After a few seconds, that mark began to form into a thin, delicate rice paper, which would later be used to wrap stir-fried fillings.

It was truly magical…

The more Xu Wan watched, the more she realized that the process of many ingredients coming together into their final form was far more fascinating than she had ever noticed.

Jin Yaotiao’s mother, noticing the scent of the beef being grilled over the charcoal stove, asked, “How long until we can eat?”

Jin Yaotiao replied, “The flavor’s there, but it won’t be dry that quickly. However, the meat that Dad brought is indeed very good, and grilled to this level, it’s already delicious.”

Xu Wan couldn’t wait any longer and eagerly tried the tender beef, amazed by its rich taste.

It was a combination of spices and the deep beef flavor that exploded in her mouth.

Meanwhile, Jin Yaotiao’s father had been busy sourcing ingredients from all over the country, experimenting with various meats.

One of the newest ingredients was highland yak beef from Qinghai, which was richer and more flavorful than anything used in Mingde’s restaurants.

Ma Le could already smell the delicious fragrance from outside the door, and once inside, his eyes were fixed on the stove, seemingly trying to figure out the secret to Jin Yaotiao’s cooking.

Jin Yaotiao, growing tired of his presence, finally asked, “When are you planning to leave?”

Ma Le, who had come with high expectations, realized he couldn’t even get a position, let alone success.

Every day, he pored over the cookbook he had studied countless times, feeling a deep sense of frustration.

His father had always treated him as the heir, making sure he learned every dish from an early age. But once he had mastered them, his father stopped letting him repeat the process.

Ma Le used to think he had mastered the art, but after hearing that Jin Yaotiao would inherit the family legacy, he had to face reality.

It was no longer about carrying on the family tradition; it was about pursuing greater culinary artistry, something he saw in Jin Yaotiao’s work.

Seeing her skills, he was sure she could teach him what he had not yet mastered.

Leaving was no longer an option. He was determined to stay.

He rolled up his sleeves, full of determination: “I’ll help you wash the vegetables!”

And with a wave of his hand, his disciples lined up, ready to help with everything from peeling garlic to cleaning the floor, all as if they were laborers working for free.

---

Despite Ma Le’s insistence, Jin Yaotiao quickly put her plans into motion, working with her father and Master Tu to finalize the project.

Soon, Master Tu was transferred to a new department within Mingde, where he began working on the necessary licenses for teaching.

By the time of the Winter Solstice, Mingde’s new seasonal half-finished products were already being sold, receiving positive feedback from all sides. After the success of Huaxia Delicacies and the returns on investments, the company was busier than ever.

As the New Year approached, Jin Yaotiao, along with the whole company, found themselves occupied with new projects, including the second major initiative that focused on mass production without sacrificing quality.

At the same time, the Shenzhen Food Association completed their membership process, and the vice president who had recommended them to join reached out to invite Mingde to attend the association’s annual gathering.

Mingde still doesn’t know many people in the Shenzhen market, so this event is quite important to him. Jin Fu and Jin Yaotiao both temporarily set aside their work and went to the Shenzhen branch to prepare.

On the way, they made several confirmation calls with the Human Resources department at headquarters. Jin Yaotiao rolled down the car window, letting the cold wind blow and sighed, “The company’s staff is becoming increasingly insufficient. The two newly established project teams are completely overwhelmed. Dad, I’m thinking about transferring some of the pressure to the branch. What do you think?”

If it had been earlier, Jin Father wouldn’t have imagined that Mingde would ever be short-handed, but now, hearing his daughter’s concern felt like a sweet burden. “It’s up to you.”

Jin’s mother handed out pieces of beef jerky to both of them. “Relax, don’t talk about work everywhere.”

The beef jerky was made by Jin Yaotiao herself.

It’s easy to store and can last for a long time once thoroughly dried. Jin Yaotiao tore off a piece and took a bite, savoring the strong, fresh taste of meat and the soy sauce flavor that seemed to have seeped into every fiber.

The more she chewed, the more delicious it became, and it helped her relax. Jin Yaotiao then remembered, “Aunt Xu hasn’t come to teach me cooking for several days now.”

She hadn’t had time to check in with her recently.

Jin’s mother packed up her beef jerky. Jin Father had already negotiated a partnership with the yak supplier.

The progress had been quick, and a continuous supply of yak meat was being transported from distant pastures.

Since there was enough meat and her mother loved it, Jin Yaotiao had made a lot of it for her, and her mother made sure to bring it wherever she went.

The trial launch of braised yak meat had caused another wave of excitement among customers in Linjiang before the Spring Festival, even briefly becoming a hot topic.

Many people specifically went to line up just to taste the new dish that was said to concentrate ten times the essence of beef.

Mingde’s position in Linjiang was now unquestionably supreme.

After the airing of Chinese Delicacies, the title “Linjiang’s Glory” seemed to have gained traction. If Linjiang’s people were to vote for the most favored local company, Mingde would definitely be on the list, likely at the top.

Jin’s mother responded, “I heard Qi Ming is holding a meeting in Shenzhen. Aunt Xu followed him back to work at the Shenzhen branch.”

Jin Yaotiao paused for a moment and chuckled, clearly seeing that Xu Wan was really putting in the effort.

She took out her phone and opened her Moments. Unsurprisingly, she received a notification that Shen Qiming had liked one of her posts.

“……”

Does this person have an online addiction now?

---

At the Shenzhen branch, Jin Yaotiao thought about the work she had discussed with her father before. After arriving at the company, she went straight to the HR department to discuss the expansion of the Shenzhen branch.

Because some of the work from the Linjiang headquarters had to be transferred to the branch, recruitment of talent was imperative.

Shenzhen had one advantage over Linjiang—it was a first-tier city, and the talent pool here was much larger than that of a smaller city like Linjiang.

Therefore, Jin Yaotiao planned to handle some of the more complicated projects here.

These were tasks her father wasn’t good at, but she could handle them. However, since her energy was limited, the company would need to recruit a capable manager to take over.

Finding such a person through regular recruitment was like searching for a needle in a haystack, so Jin Yaotiao had HR contact a famous headhunter in Shenzhen to help look for suitable candidates.

When she left the HR office, she happened to glance at the TV mounted on the wall in the reception area. The news on the finance channel was somewhat heavy.

It reported that due to international reasons, the domestic economy had been declining, and some industries that were thriving just a few years ago were now in decline. Recently, a company in Shenzhen’s high-tech park had declared bankruptcy.

This company had only been established recently and had been thriving just last year, but it suddenly went under.

Fortunately, the young CEO of the company took responsibility and sold off all his assets to repay the customers’ losses.

Although it should have been a chaotic bankruptcy, it ended with people sympathizing with the young CEO. It was said that this was his first venture, but unfortunately, he encountered unforeseen circumstances.

The host even praised the responsible young entrepreneur.

Jin Yaotiao glanced at the young CEO’s face in the top right corner of the screen. He was in his early thirties, with a handsome and fair face, but not strikingly unique. Yet, his sharp determination left a strong impression.

Jin Yaotiao felt that this face looked somewhat familiar and couldn’t stop thinking about the name that the host had mentioned, which sounded very familiar.

After a moment, she remembered.

This was the name of a future famous food magnate, though his company was based abroad. By the time she returned to China, his snacks had already reached markets in Africa.

A wealthy foreign businessman who was also a compatriot, Jin Yaotiao had a vague memory of him. However, her recollection of him was very different from what she was seeing now.

Along with his successful business, his incomplete body and violent temper were equally famous. Because he was paralyzed from the waist down, he had to use a wheelchair to get around. The foreign media had even given him a special nickname—”Billionaire in a wheelchair.”

Jin Yaotiao furrowed her brows, unable to understand why he had ended up like this.

……

At the Shenzhen Restaurant Association, the former president, Lu Hezheng, who was over seventy, had gained international fame and held great authority in the industry.

After returning from overseas, he had lived in Shenzhen.

Over the years, many food experts and chefs from around the world had visited him, which made the Shenzhen Restaurant Association stand out among national associations.

The events he organized every year were the biggest events in the Shenzhen food industry, and the entire food scene in Shenzhen could be said to have been woven together by him.

Even large businesses like the Shang family wouldn’t dare take him lightly.

Not only did Shang Rong come, but even the elderly Mrs. Xia(Old Lady Xia) arrived.

Though she was getting on in age, she still smiled as she greeted the old president Lv: “President Lv, it’s been a year, and you look as energetic as ever.”

She carried the identity of the widow of the late Mr. Shang, who was said to have been a chef for generations.

Despite not particularly liking the Xia family’s scheming ways, Lu still softened a little and asked, “You don’t look well. Are you sick?”

Mrs. Xia’s lips trembled slightly.

Lately, she had been sick a lot, mostly due to anger over the family’s refusal to return the recipe and their suspected involvement with Mingde against her family.

She shook her head, “Ah, it’s a long story.”

It was only here in the restaurant association that she found a bit of peace.

After all, no matter how hard the second son tried to help Mingde, they could never get Mingde into the association—their qualifications weren’t enough.

Mrs. Xia comforted herself by holding her nephew Xia Ren’s hand. At least her nephew was capable. As the vice president of the association, he could easily sever Mingde’s connections in Shenzhen.

She smiled and asked, “Xia Ren, where’s the vice president? He’s been such a big help to you—why don’t you go find him and catch up?”

Xia Ren looked at his friend, who was pretending not to see him in the distance: “……”

Mrs. Xia raised her hand to call the vice president’s name, but the vice president acted as if he couldn’t hear, not moving at all.

Before she could figure out what was going on, her peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a familiar face. Her eyes widened: “Jin Wensheng?!”

Her heart tightened, and she noticed Shang Rong also raised his head.

Then, as if burned by hot water, he took a step back.

Sensing his movement, she instinctively turned to look, but all she could see was his back, which disappeared two seconds later.

Before she could figure out what was happening, a more shocking scene unfolded.

Her nephew’s good friend, who had just eaten at their restaurant not long ago, the vice president who had remained unmoving when she greeted him, suddenly came alive.

He laughed heartily and walked toward Jin Yaotiao and Jin Fu, as if they were brothers:

“Brother Jin! Welcome! And this must be my niece, Yaotiao?”

Jin Father: “……”

Who are you?

He didn’t recognize this vice president.

Jin Yaotiao: “……”

Who is your niece?

She didn’t recognize this vice president either.

In the distance, Mrs. Xia, her face turning pale, watched as her nephew Xia Ren, with tears in his eyes, looked at the vice president with the same expression one might give a betrayer.