Divorced and Determined: The CEO’s Ex-Wife Fights for Love

Chapter 49 Lu Qin’s Cooking Made the Kids Drool!

It turned out that when stir-frying twice-cooked pork, they should place the meat slices in a strainer and dip them in the previously cooked meat broth to separate the slices. No wonder Lu Qin didn’t pour out the broth after boiling the meat.

After frying the Doubanjiang (fermented bean paste) to release its aroma, Tianmianjiang (sweet bean sauce) and Douchi (fermented black beans) were also essential. No wonder the aroma was so rich!

The head chef noted down each of these details, realizing they were secret tips only a master would share – these were not things they could usually learn. Originally, the head chef thought his twice-cooked pork was already at about 80 to 90 points out of 100. But in comparison to Lu Qin’s, it now seemed like he hadn’t even passed!

Details determined success or failure. Making a dish taste great had never been a simple task. The three young cooks around the head chef were dumbfounded, their eyes filled with admiration. Lu Qin was about their age, yet his cooking skills were superb. Just this dish of twice-cooked pork had blown them away entirely, leaving nothing to compare.

In the kitchen, sounds of swallowing filled the air.

“Daddy~! It smells so good~! Can I have some~?”

Watching the twice-cooked pork being plated, with its tempting aroma and color, Lu Xiyao was practically drooling with anticipation.

“There are still two more dishes, they’ll be done soon. Just wait a little bit, Yao Yao.”

Lu Qin covered the dish of twice-cooked pork to prevent his little one from drooling into it.

“Alright then~! Daddy~! I’m so hungry~!”

She kept pleading with Lu Qin in her cute way – after all, it didn’t cost anything to act adorable.

“Okay, then Daddy will hurry up.”

“Can I use another pan?” Lu Qin turned and asked the head chef.

“Huh? Oh, sure.”

The head chef was already impressed by Lu Qin’s cooking skills and nodded quickly.

To speed things up and prevent his little treasure from staying hungry, Lu Qin worked on two dishes at once. In one pan, he stir-fried tomatoes and eggs. In the other, he prepared garlic-flavored chicken breast. Teacher Li and the head chef, along with two female teachers standing at the door, were all stunned.

Who knew cooking could be this impressive?

Lu Qin used his left and right hands for different tasks because the seasonings for tomatoes and eggs were different from those for garlic-flavored chicken breast. Almost simultaneously, Lu Qin added seasonings separately with each hand, in varying amounts. Was this the legendary ‘double-handed cooking technique’?

The scene was captivating, and even the little one couldn’t resist clapping her hands. The aroma of scrambled eggs and garlic wafted through the kitchen, causing everyone’s mouths to water uncontrollably again.

Although Lu Qin didn’t have a ‘full skill’ system boost for these two simple homestyle dishes, the principles and techniques were transferable. As a result, both dishes were near perfection.

In less than 20 minutes, three simple dishes were complete. Swallowing sounds filled the kitchen around 89,000 times.

“Teacher Li, have you had lunch? If you don’t mind, would you like to try my cooking?” Lu Qin offered.

There was plenty of food in the large serving dishes.

“I haven’t eaten yet… Are you sure that’s okay?” Although Teacher Li said this, she eagerly went to serve rice without further hesitation. She was practically drowning in her own saliva earlier, but she was too embarrassed to ask directly. Fortunately, Lu Qin extended the invitation, and she happily took the opportunity.

Lu Qin brought the three dishes on a tray and said, “Yao Yao, let’s go to the dining room.”

“Yay~!” Right now, Lu Xiyao’s little head was filled with only one thought: to eat. And to eat Lu Qin’s food.

The two female teachers who had been peeking from the kitchen door nodded and smiled at Lu Qin. Their gaze was unmistakable.

Lu Qin smiled back at them, saying, “I assume you two haven’t had lunch either? If you don’t mind…”

“Haha… we don’t mind at all!” The two teachers smiled so widely that they couldn’t close their mouths.

“We’ll help carry the food!”

The head chef and his three assistants looked on enviously, swallowing repeatedly. Normally, they wouldn’t go hungry in the kitchen, but now they felt a deep craving – they wanted to try Lu Qin’s twice-cooked pork. It was pure temptation.

In the dining room, Lu Qin and his daughter sat with the three teachers.

“Teacher Li, Teacher Gong, Teacher Tian, let’s dig in.”

“Thank you, Yao Yao’s Dad. We won’t stand during the ceremony!”

In the face of such delicious food, the three teachers didn’t hesitate and picked up their chopsticks immediately.

“Yao Yao, let’s start too.”

Even though there were only three dishes, the portions were generous, and they all paired perfectly with rice. The rich aroma wafted through the entire dining hall, making it impossible for the other kids to stay in their seats. They started gathering around Lu Qin’s table.

“Wow!” “Wow! Wow!”

“Wow! Wow! Wow!”

“Is that twice-cooked pork?”

“It looks delicious!”

“Lu Xiyao, is it tasty?”

“Yao Yao, your dad is amazing! His cooking smells so good!”

Lu Xiyao was gleefully munching away, alternating between bites of twice-cooked pork and rice, her cheeks puffed up like a little hamster.

“Of course, it’s super tasty! So delicious!” She replied, her mouth full.

Teacher Li, too, threw caution to the wind and devoured half a bowl of rice in one go.

“Yao Yao’s Dad, this twice-cooked pork is incredible! I’ve never had meat this good before!”

“Absolutely, it’s amazing!”

“My diet plan is ruined! But if I don’t eat this, I’ll regret it for life!”

Lu Qin chuckled softly and reminded his little one to slow down. Obediently, she started eating at a more measured pace.

The three teachers were so engrossed in their meal that they didn’t notice the other children had left their seats and were now crowded around their table. Out of the corner of her eye, Teacher Li noticed and was startled.

“Oh, Chen Haojie! Your drool is dripping onto your shirt!”

Putting down her chopsticks, Teacher Li grabbed a napkin to help wipe the little boy’s chin. It wasn’t an exaggeration, little Chen Haojie’s drool was practically a waterfall, and he wasn’t even aware of it as he stared fixedly at the plate of twice-cooked pork.

“Zhong Shuyi, you’re drooling too—hold it back!”

Teacher Li scrambled to keep up, noticing more and more kids around her beginning to drool. The aroma had even drawn the cleaning auntie and a security guard to the dining hall door, where they peeked inside curiously.

What kind of dishes were on the menu today? Why did it smell so good?

They were met with the sight of a group of kids drooling collectively.

“It’s Yao Yao’s dad’s cooking. I saw him go into the kitchen just now!”

“This young man’s cooking is so good that we could smell it all the way from the security post. Unbelievable!”

“Look! The kids are literally drooling!”

“Honestly, I’m even close to drooling here!”

Someone at the door took out their phone and started recording the scene of the kids drooling as a group.

Seeing the children almost in tears from craving his food, Lu Qin finally put down his chopsticks.

“Kids, bring over your trays, and I’ll give each of you a little portion.”

The children nearly jumped for joy.

“Really, Uncle?”

“That’s amazing! Thank you, Uncle! Your food smells so good!”

“Uncle, you’re the best!”

“Uncle, I’m Luo Xiaohong, Yao Yao’s good friend! Can I have an extra piece of meat?”

“Uncle, I’m Wu Qianwen, I’m Yao Yao’s good friend too!”

“Uncle, I’m Yao Yao’s boyfriend! Can I have two pieces?”

…