In the kitchen, Jin Father curiously looked at the meat Jin Yaotiao had cured. “This isn’t ham. It’s only been cured for about a month. How can it be ready to eat, and why is it not even dried out? It’s just piled up like this.”

The large pig’s hind leg was wrapped in salt, stacked in layers in a container.

It looked very different from ordinary curing methods—no smoking or drying, but it exuded a strong alcohol aroma and appeared quite moist.

Jin Yaotiao had someone bring out one of the legs, wiped off the salt from the surface, revealing a plump, elastic texture.

She used a blowtorch to roast the skin, and the rich skin quickly shrank under the flames, releasing oils and a fragrance similar to ham.

She explained, “This is cured with alcohol and salt, so it won’t spoil. It also absorbs flavor quickly and doesn’t get as tough as ham.”

While traditionally dried ham is fragrant, it’s often quite tough and chewy.

Many people like the flavor but find it hard to eat, so ham is typically used as a seasoning in dishes or stewed, often served in moist preparations.

She liked soft foods, and once, experimenting on her own, she ended up creating a very unique dish.

The pig’s legs weren’t just randomly cured.

First, she selected a relatively fat one, then dried it for a few days.

The time and temperature had to be just right—not too much moisture, but not completely dried out either.

After that, she made cuts in the skin and soaked it in alcohol before coating it with a coarse salt mixture of various spices like pepper and star anise.

Even the wine used for soaking was carefully chosen: a high-proof distilled white liquor mixed with a suitable amount of rice wine, since rice wine spoils easily, adding a challenge to the storage environment and the curing time.

Fortunately, the deliciousness that resulted from all the complicated procedures didn’t disappoint.

After just over a month of marinating, the pork leg had absorbed the flavors perfectly. When sliced, the meat still had great elasticity.

After being sliced into thin pieces, it was laid on thick bamboo shoots, and there was no need to season it further—just steaming it over high heat was enough.

The aroma from the marinade was already quite strong, and as the steam spread everywhere, it reached the senses of Jin Fu, who had been recovering from surgery.

The rich scent almost made his mouth water.

As the thin slices of meat started to cook under the lid, the fatty parts turned almost transparent.

The steam carried the juices of the meat into the bamboo shoots below, visibly softening them.

At the moment the dish was ready, the aroma of the meat filled the air, and Jin Fu almost couldn’t stay in his wheelchair.

If it weren’t for his injuries, he probably could have rushed to the stove in two steps.

He took out a pair of chopsticks that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, and without waiting for the rice to arrive, he picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth.

The thin, marinated meat quivered slightly when picked up, and when chewed, the fatty parts were not greasy, while the lean parts were tender, not dry at all.

It had a distinct flavor from both the marinated and fresh ingredients, and the taste was as salty and delicious as that of a long-aged ham.

Jin Father was suddenly famished.

Holding the rice his wife had served him, he immediately wanted another piece, but before he could, a soft, white hand suddenly reached in, took the plate he was eyeing, and placed it out of his reach.

Jin Father: “??”

Jin Yaotiao placed the plate out of her father’s reach, then brought over another pot of soup, opened the lid, took off her gloves, and said coldly, “Dad, you’re still recovering, you can’t eat too much salt. Just one piece is enough. That plate is for Mom.”

Jin Father glanced into the pot.

The thick, milky white soup of crucian carp immediately filled the air with a fresh fragrance.

However, he knew that due to health concerns, there were likely not too many seasonings in the soup, and probably very little oil and salt.

He took the bowl of soup his daughter offered him and took a sip.

It was indeed delicious… but very light.

The flavor of the marinated meat lingered in his mind, and Jin Father held his bowl, thinking for a moment, his expression becoming serious as usual—

“…Give me another piece.”

Jin Yaotiao: “No.”

Jin Father put on a stern face, adopting the manner of a chairman: “…The bamboo shoots are fine, too.”

Jin Yaotiao: “No.”

Jin Father looked at his wife, who was eating with relish. She glanced at him, raised her hand to cover her bowl.

Jin Father: “…”

All this so-called warmth was fake.

---

Jin Father took the lead in expelling Jin Laosan, who eventually couldn’t hold on and, after selling his shares, was completely removed from Mingde.

In fact, the Jin family no longer had a place for him.

It wasn’t clear if it was out of spite or something else, but soon news spread that he had used the money from selling his shares to invest in the Cheng family.

Within a few days, several managers from Mingde also resigned, including a few chefs.

It was easy to guess why they were leaving.

Among those chefs were apprentices of Master Tu.

Because of this, Master Tu was furious for several days, calling each of them and scolding them.

He even went to one of the apprentices’ homes to settle the score, frightening the apprentice so much that they dared not go home and stayed in various hotels.

Jin Yao Tiao wasn’t surprised.

She knew that her third uncle had nurtured so many years of ambition; it was impossible for him not to develop loyal followers in the company.

Although their departure might cause short-term chaos, those who could easily be bought off were bound to become ticking time bombs if they stayed.

Fortunately, she had always been vigilant.

During this period of training chefs, most of what she taught them were basic techniques, like timing, which wasn’t too critical.

For example, the braised steak—the core seasoning and marinade were all prepared by her hand, and even Master Tu didn’t know the specific ingredients and ratios.

To ensure secrecy, she even ground some of the spices into powder, making it nearly impossible for anyone to replicate the exact flavor unless they had exceptional insight.

Master Tu specially visited Jin Fu to apologize, saying he hadn’t taught his apprentices well and caused trouble for Mingde. He hoped there wouldn’t be any internal unrest.

Jin Fu said, “It’s not your fault. You can’t expect every apprentice to be obedient.”

Master Tu, looking downcast like a ripe but forgotten taro in the mud, sighed: “Those ungrateful little rascals… I didn’t guard against them, taught them everything I knew, and now they’ve turned to the Cheng family…”

Jin Fu comforted him: “It’s fine. Anyway, your skills weren’t that good.”

Master Tu: “…”

Master Tu, strangely saddened by the comfort, sniffled and looked away: “Forget about my useless apprentices. With so many managers resigning together, there will definitely be turmoil within the company… Be careful, people are on edge. Don’t cause any trouble.”

Jin Fu seemed unconcerned: “It’s fine. They don’t have time to worry about this.”

After several senior leaders resigned, it was impossible for the employees not to notice, and they would definitely care.

Master Tu didn’t know where Jin Fu’s confidence came from. He thought Jin Fu was comforting himself and sighed, nodding: “Okay. What about Yao Tiao?”

Jin Fu stroked his chin: “She took the cafeteria staff to the R&D department. She’s probably busy.”

Master Tu: “…The company cafeteria?”

“Yes.” Jin Fu nodded. “She said the staff have been working hard on the new project, so she decided to overhaul the cafeteria as well.”

Master Tu stared at Jin Fu, whose face still looked weary, yet something seemed off.

No wonder…

This guy could say the company employees didn’t have time to care about the executives’ resignations…

---

Mingde’s employees who had secretly gone to the R&D department came back to their respective departments and eagerly spread the news:

“Woohoo! It’s true! Chef Wang from the cafeteria has been promoted to the R&D department, and now he’s presenting dishes to Her Highness!!”

“And not just Chef Wang! All the chefs from the cafeteria are in the R&D department!!”

“I heard the dishes made by Her Highness are so delicious! Too bad I couldn’t attend the Fragrance Banquet. The new dishes at Mingde are already sold out. I couldn’t even try them. Is it really that good?”

“How dare you question Her Highness’s standards! Cui Zui, go smash her fruit!”

“I guarantee you, based on my last visit to the Hidden Banquet project, the dishes I had were superb. You heard it right.”

“Woohoo, Her Highness is so beautiful and kind-hearted! I didn’t expect that despite being so busy, she still thought about improving our meals. I’ve been working overtime to help the Hidden Banquet team launch plans, and I felt tired, but now I don’t feel tired at all.”

“Wait a second. I heard the deputy director of the marketing department resigned…”

“Who cares about the deputy director? What do you think we’re having for lunch today? Honestly, I’ve always felt the cafeteria’s food didn’t meet the standard for a restaurant company. I hope Her Highness can work some magic to improve things. Also, if she takes me as her concubine, that’d be even better.”

“…I think you’ve had too much to drink. Here, eat some peanuts to sober up.”

---

Jin Yao Tiao worked efficiently. She hadn’t planned on making the cafeteria dishes very delicate, but since the chefs she was training had free time after class, she had them practice in the cafeteria and improve some of the existing dishes.

The new menu for the Mingde cafeteria was quickly decided and sent to the company’s official group.

Eager employees rushed to the cafeteria after finishing their morning work. They were fast, but they immediately noticed that the employees from the Hidden Banquet and Mingde Grand Courtyard projects were even faster. Even some mid-level managers, who usually didn’t eat in the cafeteria, were in the line with regular employees.

Some employees from other departments were puzzled at first, but as soon as the elevator doors opened and the delicious smell from the cafeteria hit them, they understood why the leaders of these two projects were so eager.

---

Online, news about several senior managers from Mingde jumping ship to the Cheng family quickly spread.

Mingde had been in the public eye recently, with topics ranging from the company’s anniversary celebration to its stock battles, and the recent hot topic of “Mingde’s chairman’s only daughter is actually an alpha.” As soon as people saw the familiar name of Mingde, many rushed to find out more.

Mingde had trouble again, and this time it was several senior managers leaving. This company seemed to be in a crisis.

Many were curious and searched for Mingde to see what the company was going through, wondering if it was in chaos.

But instead of finding news about the executives leaving, they were met with a slew of recent updates like:

—”Hahaha, the braised beef brisket from Mingde today [image]. As long as this dish is on the menu, I’m never leaving Mingde.”

—”Our cafeteria’s salted chicken [image] tastes better than what I’ve had in restaurants with an average cost of 300 per person, unbelievable.”

—”Check out our cafeteria’s chopped chili fish tails [image]. Yes, I’m showing off!”

—”The HR manager took the last tiger skin egg. I hate you! You deducted my performance score, but stealing my egg is unforgivable.”

Netizens: “??????”

Did no one care about the senior executives leaving the company?

But by now, they had forgotten why they were initially curious and were discussing the food photos posted by Mingde employees instead.