Chapter 10: Second Brother Lu Jianshen

The moment she took a bite of the food, she was instantly in love.

The braised pork ribs were tender and flavorful, melting in the mouth with perfect seasoning.

The braised small fish gleamed with a rich, appetizing color, and the meat was fresh and delicate.

The sweet and sour pineapple pork was tangy and delicious, with a standout taste.

The stir-fried garlic shoots with pork were savory and rich without being greasy.

The cold-dressed bitter chrysanthemum was tangy and refreshing, a perfect palate cleanser.

Even the spicy and sour shredded potatoes, dry-fried tea tree mushrooms, and pickled radish slices each had their own unique charm.

Before she knew it, she had eaten too much.

*Hic~*

It wasn’t her fault for overeating. The food here was just too, too, too, too, too delicious.

Even a plain-looking bowl of tomato and egg soup tasted extraordinary to her.

It was delicious—fresh, flavorful, and simply amazing.

She casually picked up a small bunch of Shine Muscat grapes and popped one into her mouth.

Whoa, this was unbelievably sweet and juicy!

Sure, Shine Muscat grapes were widely sold in the market.

But compared to these, the others were just… ordinary.

The ones in front of her gave off a faint, genuine rose fragrance.

And the taste—completely different from any grapes she’d had before.

“Xiao Lu, your chef is seriously talented,” Doctor Feng said, instinctively pressing on the Zhongwan acupoint to aid digestion, clearly impressed.

“You mean Master Zhao? I personally recruited him. He’s a top-tier chef,” Lu Qingqiang replied.

“The kids in the orphanage love his cooking too,” she added.

Of course, she loved it as well.

*Hic~*

Naturally, it wasn’t just Master Zhao’s skills that made the food so good. The ingredients were all top-quality and expensive.

The meat was the freshest and finest. The vegetables were all high-grade organic produce.

Even the fruits were the best of the best.

Take the Shine Muscat grapes, for example. You could find them in any fruit shop.

The regular ones went for 8 to 10 yuan per jin, and cheaper ones for 5 or 6.

But the ones she bought? Around 70 yuan per jin.

They didn’t just smell great—they tasted amazing too.

Besides grapes, the oranges and winter dates were also incredibly good.

Of course, the prices weren’t cheap either.

“Xiao Lu, when do you think would be a good time for me to start work?” Doctor Feng asked.

She had managed to dodge Lu Qingqiang’s grand vision pitch, but in the end, she couldn’t resist the food at the orphanage.

Doctor Feng had to admit—she’d been won over by a single meal.

e=(′o｀*))) Sigh!

“Doctor Feng, come on, whenever it’s convenient for you is a good time to start.”

As soon as she said that, Lu Qingqiang led Doctor Feng to her temporary office and pulled out a prepared contract.

The contract had been drafted with the help of the system, so there were no major issues.

Doctor Feng was a well-known pediatrician, the kind who had even appeared on TV.

She had been recruited by Ren’ai Hospital in Jiang City with a monthly salary of 40,000 yuan.

So Lu Qingqiang offered her 45,000 yuan a month—5,000 more than her previous job.

And the workload here was much lighter.

As for year-end bonuses and such, those would be negotiated later.

During her tenure, Doctor Feng could also take time to teach online classes or offer online consultations.

Any income from those would be hers to keep, as long as it didn’t interfere with her work at the orphanage.

Lu Qingqiang believed that with Doctor Feng’s character, she’d manage the balance just fine.

“Ding! Congratulations, Host. Task ‘Recruit a Pediatrician’ completed. Rewards: +1cm height, a basic women’s self-defense technique set, and one small-language skill (choose from German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, etc.).”

“Keep up the good work~”

“!!!” Lu Qingqiang.

Wahaha, she still loved these rewards.

The system really was unbeatable.

Now, with her height at 167cm, she’d be 168cm after the reward.

That 1cm might not seem like much, just a tiny increase.

But once it was actually added to her body, Lu Qingqiang felt different—better.

And that self-defense technique? She needed it badly.

The world was chaotic these days. Having a way to protect herself was absolutely essential.

As for the small-language skill, she hadn’t decided which one to pick yet.

Oh well, she’d mull it over later.

The system’s rewards didn’t expire, so she could redeem them whenever she made up her mind.

After seeing Doctor Feng off, Lu Qingqiang turned her attention back to recruiting teachers and agricultural experts.

Only by quickly filling these key positions could the orphanage’s operations move forward smoothly.

When it came to hiring teachers, she had to be extra cautious.

Children were the future of the country.

And to become that future, they needed education.

Which meant they needed teachers.

The children at the orphanage were all quite young, so she needed to find preschool or elementary school teachers.

Ideally, someone multi-talented, patient, skilled, and fully maxed out in teaching abilities.

Of course, she also had to consider Gu Cheng.

He was the oldest child at the orphanage, already seven years old.

A seven-year-old should be in second grade by now.

But for various reasons, he had never attended school.

For now, she’d let him stay in the kindergarten class for a week, then find a part-time teacher to tutor him.

Once he caught up, she’d figure out how to get him enrolled in a proper school.

Thinking of this made Lu Qingqiang reflect on the benefits of her real heiress identity.

The system was a powerful cheat.

But with her true identity as the Lu family’s daughter, she also had access to their network and resources.

Used wisely, they could bring her a lot of convenience.

And so far, the Lu family’s attitude toward her seemed pretty decent.

At the very least, Madam Lu had been perfectly normal.

As for the fake heiress, Lu Fangyuan, she had gone abroad for an event, so they hadn’t met yet.

Let’s see…

If she remembered correctly, aside from Lu Fangyuan, the Lu family had two sons, right?

Just as she was thinking about this, the roar of a motorcycle engine echoed from outside.

She stood up and went to open the door.

“Hey, you’re the one who was switched at birth, my real sister?”

Perched on a sleek motorcycle was a tall, long-legged young man, exuding effortless cool as he came to a stop, one foot on the ground.

He took off his uniquely styled helmet with both hands, then ran a hand through his hair with a casual flair (clearly showing off).

He lifted his eyes and stared at her openly, sizing her up without a hint of restraint.

Lu Qingqiang met his gaze without flinching.

She was studying him too.

The guy was undeniably handsome, the kind of roguish, devil-may-care type.

Clad in a black leather jacket and wearing combat boots, he had a well-proportioned figure and sharp features. A small, sparkling diamond stud adorned his left ear.

“Yeah.”

“So you’re… my second brother in name, Lu Jianshen?”

“Heh, sharp little thing, aren’t you?”

“Come on, Second Brother’s taking you out for a spin.” Lu Jianshen waved her over.

“Sure.” Lu Qingqiang smiled and nodded.

As she walked up to him and got a closer look, she realized just how ridiculously good-looking he was.

“Here, wear this.”

Lu Jianshen tossed her a matching, uniquely designed helmet.

As she caught it, he added, “Careful with that. This helmet cost me over 800,000 yuan. Don’t break it.”

“Oh, got it.” Lu Qingqiang nodded and put on the helmet.

Then, stretching out her long legs, she climbed onto the motorcycle.

(Second Brother’s vibe is modeled after Bosco Wong—just the vibe, okay~)

Translator’s Notes

– Bosco Wong: Bosco Wong is a Hong Kong actor known for his roles in TV dramas and films, often portraying charismatic and stylish characters.

– Zhongwan acupoint: Zhongwan (CV12) is an acupuncture point in traditional Chinese medicine, located midway between the navel and the xiphoid process on the midline of the abdomen, commonly stimulated to promote digestion and relieve stomach discomfort.