Chapter 47

Very quickly, the school’s hastily prepared banner was hung at the school gate, and two strings of 1,000-firecrackers were set off. A provincial top scorer—this was the first time since the school was founded, and even the first time for Zibo City. This was something people could brag about for a decade. Reporters from the local newspaper and TV station rushed to Qian Jianing’s home upon hearing the news. They were in such a hurry that Qian Jianing was still on her way home when they arrived at her doorstep.

Meanwhile, customers had already started lining up outside Qian Xiaomi’s shop. Neighbors who heard from the open doors and windows that the TV station was here all came out to see what the commotion was about.

A reporter from the Zibo City TV station looked around and asked an old man sitting under the shade of a tree, “Sir, do you know where Qian Jianing’s house is?”

“She hasn’t finished school yet. If you’re here to eat, get in line,” the old man replied matter-of-factly, clearly used to scenes like this and helpfully giving directions.

“To eat?” The reporter was puzzled. “We’re not here to eat—we’re here to interview Qian Jianing’s parents.”

“Interview her parents? Why? Their cooking’s not as good as hers,” the old man said grumpily.

Only then did the reporter realize, in their excitement, they’d forgotten to explain. He quickly raised his voice and shouted to the crowd, “Everyone, great news—our very own Qian Jianing is this year’s top scorer in the Shandong Province science track Gaokao!”

The reporter had expected cheers, but instead, silence fell over the crowd. Only the cicadas in the trees grew louder.

A few reporters scratched their heads, puzzled by the reaction.

At that moment, Li Wanzhen was inside preparing braised dishes for lunch when she vaguely heard someone outside mention “Qian Jianing” and “top scorer.” She immediately turned off the stove, wiped her hands, and rushed out into the courtyard, asking anxiously, “Did someone just say something about our Jianing?”

A reporter came over quickly, “Are you a family member of Qian Jianing?”

“Yes, I’m her mother,” Li Wanzhen replied. Seeing the camera equipment behind the reporters, she suddenly felt nervous and didn’t know where to put her hands and feet.

Once they knew they had the right person, the reporter quickly congratulated her. “Congratulations, Mrs. Qian! Jianing scored 705 on the Gaokao and is the top science scorer in the whole province!”

Li Wanzhen’s eyes widened in astonishment, and a joyous smile broke out on her face. “Is that true?”

“Of course!” The reporter pointed to his colleagues behind him with a smile. “We’re all here to interview Qian Jianing.”

“Then come in, come in!” Li Wanzhen hurriedly led them into the house. “Thank you for coming out in this heat. Let me get you something to drink.” She stepped into the adjacent shop and returned with a big glass jar of sour plum juice, pouring each reporter a cup. “Jianing made this herself—it’s delicious.”

It was the hottest time of the year, and the reporters were already drenched in sweat from their rush. They gratefully accepted the drinks, and after one sip, the cool, sweet-and-sour taste exploded on their tongues, awakening their senses. It was so good they couldn’t stop.

Gulp gulp gulp—each reporter downed their full glass of sour plum juice. Wiping their mouths, they felt refreshed, as if the summer heat had melted away.

“This is amazing!” said reporter Chang Hai with a smile. “I’ve never had such a good drink.”

Li Wanzhen smiled and refilled their cups. “Have more if you like. We prepare plenty every day.”

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the reporters got down to business. Chang Hai, a journalist from the Zibo Daily, planned to write a special feature on Qian Jianing. “Mrs. Qian, how were Jianing’s grades normally? How late did she study at night? Did she do a lot of practice exercises?”

Li Wanzhen was a very straightforward person, and in her excitement, she started spilling the whole truth without hesitation. “Jianing usually did very well. There were some ups and downs in her first year of high school, but she’s been top of her grade since the second year. As for studying late—she doesn’t. She usually works at the shop until after nine and then goes straight to bed. Practice exercises? I’ve never seen her doing any at home. She even finishes her homework at school.”

Chang Hai was momentarily stunned. That couldn’t be right. A provincial Gaokao top scorer should be studying until midnight and waking up at five to hit the books. What do you mean she doesn’t study at home?

“She doesn’t even read at home?”

“What kind of shop does she run?”

Two reporters blurted out their questions at the same time. Li Wanzhen pointed next door. “That shop next door—it’s Jianing’s. And she does read at home when she has time, but she reads traditional Chinese medicine books.”

The reporters were even more confused, staring at Li Wanzhen, at a loss for what to ask next.

Just then, Qian Jianing returned home on her bicycle. As she rolled into the street, neighbors immediately shouted greetings at her from all directions.

“Jianing, the reporters are here—they say you’re the top scorer in the province!”

“Xiaomi, don’t throw away your textbooks and practice books—let our Dazhuang use them!”

“Give us one too! Maybe our Xiaohu will get lucky and be the next top scorer.”

“Yeah right. Get your Xiaohu out of last place first!”

…

Qian Jianing replied half-heartedly, pushed her bike to her doorstep, and saw the customers in line outside her shop looking like they were about to laugh and cry at the same time. When they heard that Boss Qian had gotten the top score in the province, they were as thrilled as if their own child had done it, and wanted to set off fireworks to celebrate. But realizing she would be leaving for college in another city, they felt like they’d just lost a piece of their heart. Who would cook for them now?

Qian Jianing entered her home and briefly met the waiting reporters. But she had no time to answer their questions, and honestly, she had nothing useful to share—she worked hard in class, but at home, she was all about making money. Nothing others could really learn from.

Apologizing to the reporters, she went to her room, dropped off her backpack, changed into her chef’s uniform, and hurried back to the shop next door. The reporters stared as the provincial top scorer transformed into a chef in under a minute, all of them completely dumbfounded—how were they supposed to write this story?

When Qian Jianing opened the shop, the customers looked at her with pitiful expressions. “Xiaomi, why didn’t you tell us you were leaving Zibo?”

She looked innocent. “You all knew I was a senior in high school.”

The customers were even more upset. “But we didn’t know you were a good student! Who would’ve thought someone running a shop would get first place? What about this shop once you leave for college? What are we going to eat?”

Qian Jianing smiled. “My mom will run the shop. The prices will be about the same as any normal restaurant. If it’s not to your taste, you can try the Zibo Restaurant—I’ve trained their head chef, Fatty Zhang. And if you really want to eat my food, there’s a way…”

Immediately, all eyes turned to her. “What way?”

“Come to Qian Xiaomi’s Private Kitchen in the Imperial Capital. I’ll be waiting for you there!”
—

In August, Qian Jianing set off for the Imperial Capital with her acceptance letter, leaving behind her family and heartbroken customers. The shop was now run by Li Wanzhen. Before leaving, Qian Jianing and the Treasure Bowl agreed to disable most functions of the Immortal Realm kitchen system, leaving only the temperature control. Qian Jianing had wanted to buy a real air conditioner, but the Treasure Bowl thought that was a waste of money. Its illusion-based one was just fine. After some discussion, the illusory air conditioner stayed, and the Treasure Bowl even transformed a stone into a realistic-looking remote control to fool Li Wanzhen.

When Jianing was running the shop, customers helped themselves because the food was so good. But once Li Wanzhen took over, that was no longer viable. Before leaving, Jianing had two menus printed by an ad company, hired a clever seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl as a waitress, and found a woman in her fifties to wash dishes. Just like before, all her mom had to do was cook.

As the train slowly pulled into the Imperial Capital, Qian Jianing dragged her suitcase into her courtyard home. It had been completed at the end of last year, and she had personally inspected it and paid the balance. As Li Menglong had promised, the final construction and decoration matched the blueprint exactly—actually, it looked even better.

The gate of the siheyuan stood wide open, and through the screen wall, faint voices could be heard. She quickly realized it must be the people from Mingzhen Decoration Company doing plant maintenance.

When the project was completed, Li Menglong knew Qian Jianing would be away from the Imperial Capital for at least half a year. He had suggested that she leave a set of keys with the company, and they would send gardeners and cleaners weekly to maintain the plants, air out the rooms, and clean the house. She only needed to cover the labor costs.

Having already spent so much money, Qian Jianing didn’t mind the labor fees. So, she signed an entrustment agreement with Li Menglong. The workers were probably here now for maintenance.

Qian Jianing carried her large suitcase inside. Two workers in the courtyard were trimming the grapevines. Hearing someone arrive, they turned around quickly. When they saw it was Qian Jianing, their faces relaxed. “Miss Qian, you’re back in the Imperial Capital.”

“Yes, college starts in a month, so I came early to get settled.” Qian Jianing greeted them and dragged her suitcase to push open the small door to the main residence. The small door had also been renovated—gone was the old rusty iron door, replaced by a wooden one with a historic feel, matching the overall style of the courtyard.

As she pushed open the wooden door, Qian Jianing paused. The vegetable garden in the yard was full of lush, thriving crops. Two women with headscarves were weeding and watering among the plants. This was an unexpected delight for Qian Jianing—she hadn’t known garden maintenance included actual farming.

Dragging her suitcase along the cobblestone path, Qian Jianing entered the house. A cleaner was wiping the cabinets in the living room. Seeing her, the cleaner smiled warmly, “Welcome back, Miss Qian. There are slippers in the shoe cabinet. All the rooms have been cleaned. The bedding was sun-dried, and the sheets and covers are freshly washed and placed in the closet.”

Qian Jianing thanked her, changed into slippers, picked up her suitcase, and headed to the master bedroom. The door was open, and hot sunlight streamed through the open balcony window, filling the room. To make the house more comfortable, Li Menglong had expanded it during the renovation, adding open balconies to the bedroom and living room to make them feel more spacious.

When the workers finished their tasks, they came to say goodbye. The supervisor handed Qian Jianing the labeled keys with great courtesy. “Now that you’re back, Miss Qian, we’ll return the keys as per protocol. In the future, our gardening staff will come once a month for plant maintenance, but the other services outlined in the contract will conclude. If you still need cleaning or farming services, you can discuss it with our group’s property management company.”

Qian Jianing thanked them and couldn’t help but praise, “Your company really offers comprehensive services.”

The supervisor smiled proudly. “Yes, our General Manager Li is truly exceptional.”

After seeing them off, Qian Jianing opened the main room’s doors. The furniture in the hall was already arranged, and the kitchen on one side looked spacious and bright. Qian Jianing knocked on the table. “Bowl, help me bring out my kitchenware.”

With a wave of its hand, Treasure Bowl made a full set of kitchen tools appear on the counter. Qian Jianing began putting things away. “Bowl, I want to exchange for an Immortal Realm kitchen system. It would be even better if the system could cover the back rooms too—then I wouldn’t have to clean and could just focus on making money.”

Treasure Bowl stroked its round chin, looking thoughtfully serious. “What you said does make sense.”

Qian Jianing was momentarily stunned—huh? Treasure Bowl was actually being this agreeable?

Treasure Bowl waved its hand and brought up the exchange page. The first item listed was the upgraded Immortal Realm Kitchen Equipment—priced at seven thousand virtual coins.

Qian Jianing’s smile froze. “I remember this used to be five thousand, didn’t it?”

Treasure Bowl responded matter-of-factly, “Because the area’s bigger now, so of course the price went up.”

Qian Jianing ground her back teeth. She knew it—when it came to doing business, she could never outmatch Treasure Bowl.

But…

Her eyes shifted, and her smile turned brilliantly cunning. “Bowl, since we’ve opened a new front, shouldn’t we have a lottery to celebrate, like always?”

Treasure Bowl blinked, then its little face scrunched up as it clutched its pocket in agony. “You villain! You’re trying to swindle Baby’s stuff again!”