When Uncle Lu saw him arrive, he quickly served him a bowl of porridge and two freshly made potato pancakes.

By the time Zhao Xing sat down at the table, the oil on the pancakes was still bubbling.

Zhao Xing had intended to say hello first, but the aroma was just too captivating. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he’d start drooling, so he decided to just eat.

One mouthful of porridge went down, warm, sweet, and smooth, flowing into his stomach.

The sweet fragrance of pumpkin and the aroma of millet blended together perfectly, instantly awakening his still-slumbering appetite.

He then picked up a potato pancake and took a bite—

The outer shell cracked with a crunch, savory and crispy, followed by a soft and tender interior.

There was the soft, starchy fragrance of potato, the aroma of green onions, and a hint of peppery spice…

This was too delicious!

It was just a potato pancake, yet it was this good!

As Zhao Xing ate, he couldn’t help but give Uncle Lu a thumbs-up.

Uncle Lu smiled kindly and brought him a small dish of pickles. They were homemade by the villagers and nothing particularly special, but they paired perfectly with the potato pancakes and porridge.

“Boss,” Uncle Lu said, “this wok of yours is truly amazing, and the kitchen knife too. Even ordinary ingredients, when placed in this wok, will have their flavor enhanced by at least thirty percent!”

Zhao Xing smiled and praised him for having a good eye.

After finishing a bowl of porridge and two potato pancakes, he felt a dual satisfaction in both his taste buds and his stomach.

The grandfather and grandson had arrived in a hurry yesterday, so they hadn’t had a chance to sign the contract.

Since there was nothing much to do this morning, Zhao Xing took out the contract.

This contract was also provided by the System. The System would only recognize the employment after the contract was signed.

Of course, the contract was signed with Uncle Lu; he was the official employee. Xiao Tong was just considered a family member.

Neither of them had any objections to the contract’s contents.

Once the contract was finalized, a white light flashed, and a pile of Uncle Lu’s personal documents and information appeared on the table.

The System was reliable in this regard.

By the time they had finished with this matter, it was getting late, and the guests began to wake up one by one.

An old regular, who was familiar with the place, followed the aroma over. “Boss Zhao, what’s that smelling so good? It doesn’t smell like mixed-grain porridge.”

Zhao Xing said proudly, “From now on, we don’t have to drink mixed-grain porridge every day. I’ve hired a master chef. This morning, we’re having pumpkin and millet porridge and potato pancakes.”

“Ooh!” The guest’s face lit up as he rushed back to the main hall to report the news to the others.

“The shop has a master chef now! The menu is going to be much more varied from now on!”

“Really? With Boss Zhao being so stingy, he’s willing to hire a master chef?”

“It’s about time he hired a chef! Boss Zhao’s cooking is delicious, but who can stand eating only those few dishes!”

“You know, I’m actually a little sad that we won’t be having mixed-grain porridge anymore. After drinking it for half a month, I’ve developed feelings for it…”

Zhao Xing’s face darkened. “Do you want me to cook a special pot of mixed-grain porridge just for you?”

That guest chuckled. “No, no, I wouldn’t want to trouble Boss Zhao. Millet porridge is just fine for me, hehehe…”

His face twitching, Zhao Xing brought out the millet porridge and potato pancakes.

The guests immediately formed a well-practiced queue.

A few of the guests who had just arrived last night were stunned.

Do you have to be this quick? they thought. Even university students during military training aren’t this disciplined.

As usual, it was one bowl of millet porridge and two potato pancakes per person, with refills available.

Unsurprisingly, the breakfast instantly captured everyone’s taste buds.

Besides Uncle Lu’s excellent cooking skills, the Delicious Iron Wok was also a bonus. This wok was an item that got stronger with the strength of its user; the better the chef’s skills, the more it enhanced the food.

Before, when Zhao Xing was cooking, it was all just random stews. No matter how amazing the wok was, it could only bring out the original flavor of the ingredients.

Now, with a proper chef, the wok’s effect was not to be underestimated.

An ordinary potato pancake was so delicious that the crowd nearly ascended to heaven.

Two big brothers almost got into a fight over the last potato pancake. It was only after Uncle Lu quickly made another one with the remaining ingredients that they stopped.

Zhao Xing was about to step in and mediate when he found that the two big brothers were already sitting together again, arguing over whose potato pancake was more delicious… He was speechless at this group of foodies.

He then went to comfort Uncle Lu, telling him not to take it to heart.

He didn’t know that Uncle Lu’s heart was now filled with even more gratitude.

He was a chef. What was the happiest thing for a chef? Nothing more than making good food and winning the favor of the diners.

Before, at the Liu family’s restaurant, he could only work in the kitchen.

The manager of the Liu family restaurant disliked the smell of cooking fumes on him and never allowed him to go to the front.

He had never seen what the diners looked like when they ate his food.

But now, he could see the diners with their heads down, devouring the food, just by lifting his eyes. He could see their satisfied expressions after they finished eating.

Uncle Lu felt a surge of energy.

He couldn’t help but feel even more grateful to Zhao Xing.

If Zhao Xing hadn’t taken him in, he wouldn’t be living such a good life now. He would have either died at the bottom of the river or ended up in a dog’s belly.

Uncle Lu’s heart was overflowing with gratitude, and he didn’t know what to do.

Finally, with a burst of determination, he decided to clean the kitchen again!

For lunch, he would cook a few signature dishes to drum up some business for the boss!

Zhao Xing, however, was unaware of his thoughts. He was processing the information filtered by the little robot when a guest who had gone out to play ran in hastily. “Boss Zhao, I saw a car from the Supervision Bureau driving up. I don’t know if they’re looking for you.”

Zhao Xing was stunned. He quickly ran out and saw two cars driving up the mountain road.

One was indeed a Supervision Bureau car, and the other was a private car, leading the way in front.

The two cars stopped at the guesthouse entrance.

Several staff members in uniform got out of the Supervision Bureau car.

The leader showed his credentials. “Hello, we are law enforcement officers from the Supervision Bureau. We have received a public complaint and are here to conduct a food and sanitation inspection.”

Zhao Xing frowned slightly. He naturally welcomed an inspection from the Supervision Bureau, but he was very puzzled by the complaint.

Was it a guest who had stayed at the shop before who reported him? Or had he gotten in someone’s way?

Just as he was thinking, the door of the private car also opened.

A fat, greasy middle-aged man got out, holding a mobile phone in his hand. “Brothers, take a look! This is the recent internet-famous guesthouse in the city, the Immortal’s Rest Inn. The Supervision Bureau’s car is already at the door. Let’s see what this guesthouse is really like!”

He was actually live-streaming.

Zhao Xing’s eyes narrowed. This man looked somewhat familiar. Who was he?

The guest who had given him the heads-up let out an “Ah!” and said in a low voice, “Isn’t that the owner of the hotel in town?”

The other guests also recognized him. “Oh, right! When I was coming here, I passed through the town, and he even stopped my car, saying his hotel was much better than the guesthouse and that I should stay there! Good thing I didn’t believe his nonsense. Could his place be as comfortable as this guesthouse?”

“I was stopped too!”

“He even handed me a flyer! Did he get angry and report the guesthouse because he couldn’t compete for business?”

Zhao Xing had sharp ears. While listening to the guests’ discussion, he led the law enforcement officers into the shop.

The hotel owner followed behind, still holding his phone, the live stream clearly still running.

The law enforcement officers inspected the sanitation of the front of the guesthouse according to regulations.

The result, of course, was excellent.

Zhao Xing was a neat freak to begin with, and since the guesthouse opened, he basically cleaned it twice a day.

There wasn’t a single dirty corner in the main hall.

The leading law enforcement officer nodded slightly. He and his colleagues had inspected many shops.

He had originally thought that this small shop on the mountain, if not dirty and messy, wouldn’t be very clean. He hadn’t expected it to be even better than some shops in the city center.

But the hotel owner was very annoying.

When he couldn’t find any faults with the sanitation, he started attacking from other angles, pointing his camera at the tables and chairs. “Yo, brothers, take a look at this! Look at these broken tables and rotten chairs. Did he pick them up from a garbage dump? If you don’t have money, don’t open a business! Hehehe, there’s even a three-legged chair…”

The moment he said this, before Zhao Xing could even react, the guests became unhappy.

Who did this guy think he was? They, the ones staying here, hadn’t said anything. Who was he to be chirping away?

A young girl couldn’t help but say loudly, “It’s none of your business that we like staying here! Oh, wait, it is your business. Even if you replace all the chairs and tables in your shop with new ones, you still won’t have any customers, will you? Are you about to go bankrupt? Hmph, I can teach you a solution. How about you try replacing the owner?”

The hotel owner’s face changed instantly. “What did you say, you bitch? I’ll make you famous today!” He was about to move his camera over.

Zhao Xing frowned, took a step forward, and blocked the girl. “You can film whatever you want in the shop, but if you film the guests’ faces, you’re infringing on their right to privacy, and we have the right to sue you.”

The hotel owner’s hand froze. Hearing his words, he really didn’t dare to film them.

The flesh on his face trembled. “Fine, I won’t film them. I’ll just film you. Let’s see if you can get out of this unscathed in front of the law enforcement team!”

The law enforcement officers’ faces all turned ugly when they heard his words.

They were conducting an inspection according to regulations, but he made it sound like they were here specifically to help him settle a score.

The leader’s expression, however, remained unchanged. He just nodded slightly at Zhao Xing. “Next, we will inspect the kitchen.”

Zhao Xing led them to the kitchen.

The guests all followed behind.

The young girl let out a sigh of relief and whispered, “Thank you, Boss Zhao. I really didn’t want to be on that pig-face’s live stream. Who knows what kind of people are in his stream… By the way, it should be lunchtime after the law enforcement team leaves, right? Are we having fish for lunch? I saw someone from the village deliver a big fish earlier!”

Another guest added, “Right, I saw it too! And a piece of meat. It didn’t look like pork…”

Zhao Xing was amused by them. They were truly a bunch of foodies. “The meat is mutton. I’ve already sent it to the kitchen. We’ll see how the chef cooks it! By the way, aren’t you all worried that the guesthouse won’t pass the inspection?”

The guests were stunned for a moment. “Huh? How is that possible? We’ve been staying here for more than a day. How could we not know what the guesthouse is like? If this can’t even pass the inspection, then we might have to consider if someone was bribed, right?”

The law enforcement officers in front were exasperated. Now they were even bringing up bribery. “Is this the kitchen? Is there anyone inside? We need to go in now.”

Zhao Xing nodded. “Yes, please, go ahead.”

The hotel owner snorted coldly, his camera aimed squarely at the kitchen. He said loudly, “Here we go, brothers! I advise anyone who is eating to put it down right now. You can’t even imagine how dirty a shabby old kitchen like this can be! There are probably rats and cockroaches nesting in there!”

It had to be said, his words were very descriptive. Others felt a little nauseous just listening to him.

However, when Zhao Xing lifted the door curtain, everyone was momentarily blinded, as if by a flash from the gleaming floor.

Looking again—

The pots, pans, bowls, and plates were clean and tidy, arranged in order from largest to smallest on the rack.

The floor was spotless, without a single vegetable leaf. The countertop had water stains but not a trace of grease…

There was even a large wok set up in the kitchen, which could be used to burn firewood, yet the ashes in the furnace had been completely cleaned out.

If it weren’t for the fact that everything had signs of use, everyone would have thought it was a newly built showroom. It was utterly spotless.

Uncle Lu followed Zhao Xing out.

The old man had never seen such a big scene and instantly felt like he had caused trouble. He said cautiously, “I’m sorry, Boss. I… should I not have cleaned it so many times? Are you looking for something? But… but I, I threw away all the garbage!”

Looking at the sparkling clean kitchen, then at the nearly-crying Uncle Lu, everyone fell silent.

They slowly turned to look at the hotel owner, who was still live-streaming.

The hotel owner: “…”