Chapter Summaries

Lu Xiyao brought lamb soup and flatbread made by Lu Qin to kindergarten, and their aroma disrupted both the dining hall and the teachers’ office. After the teachers moved her to the office, Teacher Guo persuaded Lu Xiyao to share some, then devoured it with her rice.

• Lu Xiyao arrived at lunch, where her classmates crowded around to ask about the food in her lunchbox.
• Lu Xiyao opened her lunchbox, and the fragrance of Lu Qin’s lamb soup drew children away from their meals.
• Teacher Li and Teacher Chen moved Lu Xiyao and her lunchbox to the office, then sent the children back to their seats and aired out the dining hall.
• Lu Xiyao continued eating lamb soup, lamb, and Lao Mo flatbread in Teacher Li’s chair while the office filled with the soup’s aroma.
• Teacher Guo asked Lu Xiyao what she was eating, and Lu Xiyao offered her some lamb and soup.
• Teacher Guo poured the lamb and soup over her rice, ate it all, and licked her chopsticks.

Lu Qin picked Lu Xiyao up from kindergarten and later shared dinner with her, Shen Muyan, and Xiaomi before returning to his night stall in City Square. As Lu Qin and Xiaomi continued selling, night runners passed the stalls, resisting Fatty's BBQ owner's calls to stop for food and beer.

• The teachers and children enjoyed the lamb soup Lu Xiyao had brought for lunch, and Lu Qin arrived at kindergarten to take her home.
• Parents chatted with Lu Qin, who told them he would set up his snack stall on the west side of City Square that evening.
• Lu Xiyao reunited with Lu Qin and asked for Spicy Boiled Fish, Kung Pao Chicken, and ice cream on the way home.
• Shen Muyan joined Lu Qin and Lu Xiyao for dinner, where Lu Xiyao tried to distribute pan-fried buns while keeping most of them for herself.
• Lu Xiyao worked at the City Square stall until nine, then Shen Muyan took her home while Lu Qin and Xiaomi stayed to sell the remaining food.
• Fatty's BBQ owner called to night runners passing through City Square, but they kept running without stopping.

Lu Qin’s fragrant mutton soup and other dishes lured a group of night runners away from their exercise and into a feast at Lu’s Snack Stall. The first group called another team over, and the newcomers also abandoned their run for the food.

• A group of night runners resisted Wang Pangzi’s barbecue stall and continued toward Lu’s Snack Stall.
• Lu Qin cooked Twice Cooked Pork while Xiaomi served mutton soup, and the aromas made the runners stumble and fall.
• The runners joined the queue, ordered food, and were amazed by Lu Qin’s mutton soup and other dishes.
• The group leader messaged another night-running team to come to City Square.
• The second team arrived, smelled the food, and quickly joined the others in eating.

Lu Qin closed his lamb soup stall after winning over a crowd of night runners, then returned home to Shen Muyan and Xiaomi. Before bed, he used an Advanced Ten-Draw Lottery with his accumulated system points.

• Lu Qin sold his last serving of lamb soup, and the night runners bought steamed buns to wipe the twice-cooked-pork sauce from his pot.
• The night runners decided to quit running so they could return to Lu Qin’s stall for food the next evening.
• Lu Qin earned around twenty thousand a day from his lamb soup partnership with Ouri Hotel, though the sales did not give him system points.
• Shen Muyan waited at home while Xiaomi cleaned the food truck, and Lu Qin returned with bags of ingredients.
• Lu Qin and Shen Muyan became intimate on the sofa before Xiaomi came inside to report that the food truck was clean.
• Lu Qin went to bed with over ten thousand system points and used an Advanced Ten-Draw Lottery.

Lu Qin asked Shen Muyan to join their child’s kindergarten outing, but she had an important hotel banquet to prepare for. The chapter left him disappointed as he considered how much the child hoped for Shen Muyan’s presence.

• Lu Qin used lottery points to obtain max-level fishing, congee-making, and singing skills, along with a durable cutting board, then went to sleep.
• Teacher Li announced a Friday parent-child nature activity in the kindergarten group chat, and Lu Qin called Shen Muyan to ask whether she could attend.
• Shen Muyan reviewed Ouri Hotel’s banquet menu and worried that Hu Zhijun could not prepare several intricate Sichuan dishes to satisfy the distinguished guests.
• Shen Muyan told Lu Qin that she was busy with the Friday banquet and could not easily reschedule it.
• Lu Qin felt disappointed because he knew the child was happier when Shen Muyan was around and still longed for a mother’s love.

Lu Qin agreed to help Shen Muyan provide food for a Friday outing by using his Fresh-Locking Thermostatic Box to keep dishes fresh overnight. On Thursday night, he brought the box to Zijing Restaurant as its kitchen staff gathered to watch him cook.

• Lu Qin and Shen Muyan discussed her work conflict with the Friday outing, and Lu Qin offered to prepare the dishes Thursday night.
• Lu Qin told Shen Muyan that his Fresh-Locking Thermostatic Box could preserve the dishes, and she agreed to have him make Lotus Duck Squares and Boiled Cabbage.
• On Thursday night, Lu Qin brought the box to Zijing Restaurant and placed it in the back kitchen.
• Hu Zhijun prepared a notepad so he could learn by watching Lu Qin cook, while Xiong Tianmin and other kitchen staff gathered to observe.
• Shen Muyan arrived at the crowded kitchen and checked the time, expecting Lu Qin soon.

Lu Qin arrived at the Ouri Hotel to prepare four demanding dishes while Shen Muyan and the hotel chefs watched. After explaining a stock-making technique to two assistants, he completed Hibiscus Duck Squares and left the kitchen impressed by his skill.

• Manager Wang led Lu Qin into the kitchen, where Shen Muyan and several senior chefs had gathered to watch him cook.
• Lu Qin inspected the ingredients for Hibiscus Duck Squares, Boiled Cabbage, Chicken Tofu Pudding, and Stir-fried Pig Kidneys and approved their quality.
• Lu Qin explained how to make clear Mao Tang to two assistants who did not know the term, and the watching staff took note.
• Lu Qin prepared Hibiscus Duck Squares with Camphor Tea Smoked Duck, shrimp paste, and beaten egg whites while Hu Zhijun studied his techniques.
• Lu Qin fried and plated the finished Hibiscus Duck Squares, and Xiong Tianmin praised the refinement of his cooking.

Lu Qin prepared four elaborate dishes for Shen Muyan’s hotel event and sealed them in a special box, then returned home with her ahead of Yao Yao’s kindergarten nature trip. After Shen Muyan and Lu Qin kissed passionately, he hovered over her, debating whether to take their relationship further.

• Lu Qin cooked hibiscus duck cubes, Poached Cabbage in Supreme Broth, Chicken Tofu Pudding, and Stir-fried Pig Kidneys while the kitchen staff watched in admiration.
• Lu Qin sealed all four dishes in the Fresh-Locking Thermostatic Box and warned the staff not to open it before service the next day.
• Shen Muyan drove Lu Qin home, taking care to drive gently while he rested in the passenger seat.
• Lu Qin and Shen Muyan prepared for Yao Yao’s upcoming parent-child outing, then kissed passionately in the living room.
• Lu Qin braced himself above Shen Muyan and hesitated over whether to go further, with two boxes of condoms beside the bed.

Lu Qin and Shen Muyan held back from being intimate because Lu Xiyao was asleep next door, then prepared food and matching outfits for the kindergarten outing. Lu Qin arrived at Starlight Kindergarten and received special parking treatment because the principal was a fan of his cooking.

• Lu Qin and Shen Muyan refrained from getting intimate, and Lu Xiyao later woke during the night to use the bathroom after secretly eating and drinking several treats.
• Lu Qin got up early to prepare rice noodles, lamb soup, snacks, fruit, and mung bean paste for the outing and to share with the other families.
• Shen Muyan and Lu Xiyao dressed in matching outfits, while Xiaomi took the food truck to run the stall alone.
• Lu Qin dropped Shen Muyan and Lu Xiyao off at Starlight Kindergarten, then the security guard directed him to park in the principal's space.
• The parents learned that Lu Qin received the parking privilege because the principal admired his cooking, and Lu Qin gave the helpful security guard a box of ice crystal cake.

Lu Qin shared the homemade food he had brought on the kindergarten field-trip bus, winning the admiration of the parents and teachers. The parents on the other bus grew jealous after seeing a photo of his Bosi oil cakes in the group chat.

• Lu Qin served Shen Muyan and Lu Xiyao homemade snacks and fruit while the other passengers eyed the food enviously.
• Lu Qin had Lu Xiyao hand out Bosi oil cakes to the children, parents, and teachers on their bus.
• The passengers praised the cakes and learned that Lu Qin was a street-stall owner, not a ranked chef.
• A parent posted a photo of a bitten Bosi oil cake in the parent group chat, prompting parents on the other bus to ask for cakes and request a bus switch.

Lu Qin shared his remaining Thousand-Layer Oil Cake with the parents on Bus Two, who then tried to switch buses to stay near his family. At Binhu Wetland Park, the teachers explained that the outing required families to fish or dig vegetables for lunch, and they pointed to Lu Xiyao as an unusually capable child.

• Parents on Bus Two stopped at a riverside park and asked Lu Qin for snacks, so he had Lu Xiyao share the remaining Thousand-Layer Oil Cake with them.
• Several parents tried to move to Bus One, but the driver of Bus Two ordered them back to their seats.
• On the ride, Shen Muyan and Lu Xiyao linked arms with Lu Qin as the other passengers watched enviously.
• At Binhu Wetland Park, the teachers led the families to Maple Leaf Villa and explained that they had to catch fish or dig sweet potatoes for lunch instead of buying food.
• A teacher singled out Lu Xiyao as an example of a capable Little Boss Lady, prompting parents who had seen her help at Lu Qin's stall to look at her in surprise.

Lu Qin and the other families prepared for a fishing outing, but the villa owner supplied only crude bamboo rods and simple bait. Though Shen Muyan doubted Lu Qin’s fishing ability, he quietly prepared the equipment with expert skill, and the families set off to try their luck.

• The children cheered when they heard they could fish, dig sweet potatoes, and pick wild vegetables, while the fishing dads boasted that they would catch fish for their families.
• Shen Muyan and Lu Xiyao said they had never seen Lu Qin fish, prompting another dad to offer to share his catch with Yao Yao.
• The villa owner brought out thin bamboo rods, leaving the confident fishing enthusiasts unsettled by the primitive equipment.
• Lu Qin selected the strongest rods and carefully repaired the lines, hooks, and floats, surprising Shen Muyan with his skill.
• The parents found only dough and thick earthworms for bait, so an older dad mixed rapeseed oil into the dough and others followed his example.
• The families who finished preparing first headed to the fishpond.

Lu Qin prepared fishing bait and groundbait before taking Shen Muyan and Yao Yao to a secluded spot, while the other families struggled to fish amid the children's chaos. He adjusted the mother and daughter's tackle and began teaching them how to cast.

• Lu Qin gathered ingredients from the villa owner and kneaded dough bait while Shen Muyan watched and Yao Yao shaped a small lump into pretend animals.
• Lu Qin made secret-formula groundbait and chose a secluded stretch of shoreline with natural food sources for fish.
• The other parents struggled with tangled lines, noisy children, and poor catches as the villa owner watched, confident the event's guests would not catch many fish.
• Lu Qin adjusted Shen Muyan and Yao Yao's floats and sinkers, then began teaching them basic casting techniques.

Lu Qin taught Shen Muyan and Lu Xiyao to fish, and his special bait helped the mother and daughter quickly catch fish. Lu Qin drew a crowd after landing a large carp, while the self-proclaimed veteran anglers nearby remained empty-handed.

• Lu Qin showed Shen Muyan how to cast and patiently taught Lu Xiyao to use her little fishing rod.
• Lu Qin set out powerful mosquito repellent and baited fishing spots for himself and Lu Xiyao.
• Lu Xiyao caught a small silver minnow, then Shen Muyan and Lu Qin each caught fish of their own.
• Lu Qin reeled in a large carp, drawing attention and praise from the other parents.
• The veteran anglers nearby made excuses for catching nothing while watching Lu Qin succeed.

Lu Qin and his family caught fish rapidly at the resort, astonishing the other parents and Teacher Li. After their buckets filled, Shen Muyan went to fetch a keepnet, and the villa owner saw Lu Qin land a large grass carp with a bamboo rod.

• Lu Qin caught another bream, while his wife caught a crucian carp and the little one caught a yellow catfish.
• The other parents watched in disbelief as Lu Qin continued catching fish one after another.
• Lu Qin filled all three buckets with fish, and Shen Muyan and Lu Xiyao admired him.
• Lu Qin sent Shen Muyan to ask the villa owner for a keepnet.
• The villa owner saw Lu Qin land a grass carp weighing around three pounds with a bamboo rod.