Even the family’s traditional restaurant name has been abandoned—changing locations is hardly a big deal.
The manager quickly responded with an affirming “Yes, sir.”
“…My godfather also said he’d come support us when the time comes. Our Dou family is bound to become one of the most renowned establishments in the capital,” said Dou Qi with a laugh.
His laughter was interrupted by the inquiry of a shop assistant from outside the door.
“What is it?” Dou Qi asked irritably.
The assistant timidly stepped in and explained the situation.
“Maybe they suspect that the meat we’re using isn’t fresh…” the manager said in a low voice.
Dou Qi’s eyes widened.
“Have you been using meat that isn’t fresh recently?” he asked in a hushed tone.
“The demand has been too high, and supply couldn’t keep up. We’ve used it occasionally,” the manager admitted sheepishly. “But once it’s boiled, no one can tell…”
Dou Qi shot him a glare.
“Be careful. Don’t mess this up,” he said.
The manager hastily agreed, nodding repeatedly.
“So, should we still send the chef?” the assistant asked.
“Go. If she wants us to send someone, we’ll send someone. As for what’s said once they’re there—that’s up to us, isn’t it?” Dou Qi said carelessly, laughing.
The assistant suddenly understood.
“Yes, yes, Master, you’re brilliant,” he praised repeatedly.
Being flattered by a lowly assistant was hardly worth any pride.
“Get out of here, you idiot,” Dou Qi said with a laugh, scolding him playfully.
The scolded assistant quickly called the chef, who arrived at Cheng Jiao-niang’s place carrying meat and a knife.
The chef looked displeased and gave a perfunctory bow upon entering.
“Miss, this is all fresh rabbit meat, just butchered by me in the back,” he said, puffing his cheeks, while pushing an entire rabbit toward her. “See for yourself—it’s fresh.”
So that’s what this was about. Truly picky to an extreme.
Standing outside the door, Zhou Liu-lang had been watching and was just about to turn away.
Suddenly, the assistant inside exclaimed, drawing Zhou Liu-lang’s attention back. He couldn’t help but stop in his tracks, staring in surprise.
What is this lady up to now?
“Miss, this isn’t something to mess around with,” the chef exclaimed in alarm, staring at the young lady who had picked up the knife and the rabbit meat in front of him.
Cheng Jiao-niang glanced at him.
“Watch,” she said calmly. “I’ll do this only once.”
Watch? Watch what?
Other than her maid, the other three were puzzled.
With a swift motion, Cheng Jiao-niang brought the knife down.
Both the assistant and the chef gasped.
“Miss…” the assistant stammered, unsure of what to do and trying to dissuade her, but the chef suddenly fell silent.
Zhou Liu-lang, realizing something, frowned slightly and unconsciously stepped forward.
As Cheng Jiao-niang moved, thin slices of rabbit meat were neatly stacked on the plate, each piece varying in size and shape. The arrangement stood in sharp contrast to the pile of irregularly chopped chunks and slices on the plate beside it.
“Such… knife skills,” the chef murmured, seemingly both realizing something and yet unable to fully comprehend it. He looked up at Cheng Jiao-niang, his plump body starting to tremble slightly.
Could it be…
“What?” Dou Qi, holding a small wine pot, suddenly sat up in surprise and asked.
“Yes, exactly! The lady didn’t say a word, just picked up the knife and started slicing the rabbit meat,” the assistant said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dou Qi was puzzled but then laughed. “A lady who enjoys preparing her own food? Then why even bother coming to a restaurant?”
The manager stood to the side, deep in thought, and suddenly let out an exclamation.
“A lady?” he shouted.
The assistant jumped in fright.
“Yes,” he nodded repeatedly, then added, “She brought a maid with her, and they were traveling togeth—”
Before the assistant could finish, the manager clapped his hands and interrupted him.
“Ah! Could it be that lady has arrived!” he cried, then turned and ran outside.
He didn’t even bother to excuse himself to Dou Qi, leaving both the assistant and Dou Qi utterly surprised.
What lady had arrived?
By the time the manager arrived, Cheng Jiao-niang had already started preparing the sauce.
The room remained silent, the only sound being the bubbling of the soup in the charcoal stove.
Cheng Jiao-niang methodically scooped out varying amounts of oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil, mixing them together. She paused, her gaze sweeping across the ingredients in front of her.
“We’re missing… sesame seeds,” she said.
The chef, who had been staring intently at her every move without blinking, snapped out of his daze as if struck by lightning.
“Sesame seeds! Sesame seeds!” he exclaimed in a trembling voice. “Go get the sesame seeds!”
Only then did they realize the assistant had already left the room. Stunned for a moment, they heard a shout from the doorway.
“Hurry up and get them!” the shopkeeper barked, kicking the assistant.
The assistant scrambled away, rolling and crawling as he went.
The manager, trembling as he adjusted his clothes, entered the room and knelt down, bowing his head.
“Greetings, Miss,” he said in a quivering voice.
Dou Qi had also arrived and, seeing this, looked a bit confused.
They know each other?
“Master, this is… the very ‘Passing Immortal’ I told you about,” the manager turned and introduced her.
The name “Passing Immortal” was coined by Dou Qi himself. According to the manager, the person who had tasted this particular dish was a passerby. However, calling someone just “passerby” sounded too plain, so with a flash of inspiration, he had come up with this grand yet somewhat kitschy title.
Dou Qi already knew that the passerby was a lady, but he hadn’t expected to meet her in person so soon.
What could she want? Money?
Dou Qi’s expression briefly turned strange, but he quickly masked it, knelt down as well, and offered a respectful greeting.
“So, it is the Immortal Lady,” he said with a wide smile, his tone full of excitement. “We have searched far and wide but failed to find you. Thank you for gracing us with your presence again.”
Cheng Jiao-niang paid no attention to the words of the two men. At that moment, the assistant returned with the sesame seeds, which the maid reached out to take.
Cheng Jiao-niang pinched a small amount and sprinkled it into the bowl.
The chef was now completely dazed, his body trembling even more, his eyes darting about in confusion, as if utterly lost.
“Watch carefully,” Cheng Jiao-niang said firmly.
The decisive tone snapped the chef into focus.
“I will only do this once,” Cheng Jiao-niang repeated.
At that moment, the chef finally understood completely. With a gasp, he abandoned all decorum and kowtowed on the spot.
“Thank you, Miss, thank you for your guidance,” he said repeatedly.
The manager was briefly stunned but then broke into a wide grin of delight.
Dou Qi also understood, his eyes flashing with surprise before quickly relaxing into comprehension. Turning slightly, he gestured to one of his attendants, who leaned in as Dou Qi whispered a few words. The attendant nodded and promptly left the room.
While their thoughts shifted and swirled, Cheng Jiao-niang continued to ignore them. She set down the prepared sauce and picked up a pair of chopsticks.
Her maid had already taken the initiative to cut a handful of greens and scatter them into the boiling pot. After a few bubbling rolls, the maid picked up a slice of rabbit meat and placed it in the pot.
Cheng Jiao-niang did the same. Under the rising steam and the watchful eyes of the others, the mistress and maid began to eat slowly and deliberately, savoring every bite.
Cheng Jiao-niang was particular about her food, but once she started eating, she wasted nothing.
As the sun set in the west and the last piece of meat and vegetables was finished, the mistress and maid finally set down their bowls and chopsticks. Only then did they notice the three men still standing in the room, staring at them intently without blinking.
“Oh, I forgot to mention,” Cheng Jiao-niang said as something occurred to her, “you don’t need to watch while I eat.”
What a joke—why didn’t she say so earlier…
The manager let out a breath of relief, and Dou Qi also exhaled deeply, both rubbing their sore eyes.
The chef, however, was once again overcome with emotion and began kowtowing in gratitude.
What he had seen before was just the remnants of a pot’s leftovers. Though he had tried to guess the process, seeing it in action today revealed how far off his assumptions had been. The method was far more intricate—how to slice the meat, when to add the vegetables, and even something as simple as adding sesame to the sauce could determine the success or failure of a dish.
“Thank you, Lady, for your guidance. Thank you for your guidance,” he repeated over and over. “I understand now, I truly understand.”
“If you’ve understood, then get out and practice. Don’t let the Lady’s good intentions go to waste,” Dou Qi barked.
The chef hastily kowtowed again and scrambled out in a flurry.
The manager led the staff in clearing the dishes and even brought tea himself.
As the others withdrew, they moved to close the door, but noticing Zhou Liu-lang still standing by the entrance, a staff member hesitated.
Zhou Liu-lang stepped inside but did not take the main seat; instead, he sat beside Cheng Jiao-niang.
Dou Qi and the manager exchanged a subtle glance, then waved their hands. The door was pulled shut.
“Miss, this is our proprietor,” the shopkeeper introduced.
Dou Qi bowed.
“I am Dou Qi. A pleasure to meet you, Miss,” he said courteously.
Cheng Jiao-niang glanced at him, returned a half-bow, but remained silent.
“Miss, your ingenuity is remarkable, introducing such a unique way of dining. Our humble establishment is truly honored,” Dou Qi said with a smile, pushing forward a small box that his attendant had just brought in.
“A modest token of appreciation. I hope you won’t find it unworthy,” he added.
Cheng Jiao-niang glanced at it briefly, then handed her teacup to her maid. The maid took it and replaced it with plain water. Throughout this exchange, neither the mistress nor the maid spoke a word.
“And another thing—my Immortal’s Abode is now yours to visit as you please. Treat it as your own shop; there’s no need to stand on ceremony,” Dou Qi continued warmly, turning to the manager. “Make a note of this and inform the staff. They need to keep their eyes sharp, and the same goes for the new shop.”
Cheng Jiao-niang lifted her head and looked at him.
“A new shop?” she asked.
Dou Qi’s gaze flickered slightly.
“Indeed. Mister Liu, the Secretariat Editor from the Imperial Archives, has mentioned many times that my shop’s location outside the city is too inconvenient for a proper meal. As it happens, I came across a suitable restaurant in the capital being sold, so I acquired it. Soon, our Immortal’s Abode will be moving into the city,” he said with a smile. “Since you are from the capital, this will make things much more convenient.”
As he spoke, his gaze casually swept toward Zhou Liu-lang, carrying a faint air of smugness. Moments earlier, his attendant had whispered to him that this young man and the lady had arrived in a carriage bearing the insignia of the Zhou family, whose patriarch was a minor military officer, a Guide General in the capital.
A low-ranking officer was hardly worth mentioning in the capital, especially in front of a prestigious Secretariat Editor. In Dou Qi’s eyes, such a figure was beneath notice.
“No need. The joy of this dish lies in doing it yourself,” Cheng Jiao-niang said as she straightened up in her seat.
Was she about to leave?
The conversation hadn’t even started yet!
Dou Qi and the manager were momentarily stunned, and sure enough, they saw the maid helping Cheng Jiao-niang to her feet.
“Miss!” Dou Qi hurriedly stood up as well, pointing to the box on the floor. “Is it too little?”
As he spoke, he chuckled and waved his hand.
“Someone, bring—” he began to call out.
“No need,” Cheng Jiao-niang interrupted him. “This dish wasn’t something I created—it’s something I learned. How could I accept money for it?”
Dou Qi froze for a moment.
“This isn’t about money—it’s about sincerity. Please, accept this as a token of our gratitude,” he said with a wide, earnest smile. “Moreover, you’ve just personally taught us how to prepare it.”
“If you’re talking about earlier, that wasn’t for money either,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
Both Dou Qi and the manager paused in surprise.
“Then why?” the shopkeeper blurted out.
Cheng Jiao-niang’s gaze shifted to the cleared table and empty dishes, and she shook her head.
“What you made was so bad that it was unbearable,” she said.
