Chapter 157
"No problem, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Actually, it's nothing, Mister Zhongli. I just wanted to express my gratitude for the business you provided..."
While the two were chatting, Sarkaz noticed that there were guests at Shi Lei's house, so he turned around and went back inside to inform his boss, who was secretly practicing his knife skills and cooking.
Upon hearing the news, Mudrock quickly tidied herself up and walked out of the warehouse wearing a white Qipao.
A, who was looking around distractedly, immediately spotted Sarkaz with white hair and red eyes. He swallowed hard, thinking that the other person was incredibly beautiful.
This was the first time Mudrock had worn this Qipao, and it stunned Shi Lei. The Qipao was embroidered with black floral patterns along the edges, making her figure appear even more graceful.
Lee's pupils widened in surprise as he asked:
"Um, who is this beautiful Miss?"
"She's my subordinate, Mudrock. She recently moved here to be my neighbor. Mudrock, and this is Lee of the Koi-Style Detective Agency."
Mudrock, constantly observing her host's expression, felt quite shy. Upon learning the guest's name, she bowed and said:
"Hello, Mr. Lee."
"Miss Mudrock, you, you are good too."
Texas remained expressionless throughout, still sporting that aloof and unapproachable demeanor. She lowered her brow, suddenly wanting to buy some new clothes suitable for summer.
Before long, the conversation returned to the topic.
Exusiai picked up a mahjong tile, completely acting like she belonged with the group, and grinned:
"Instead of giving us gifts to express your gratitude, you should invite us to your house for dinner. The food Hong cooked last time was so delicious that I've been craving it ever since. Also, Hong said that your cooking skills are even better, Lee. When can we try your cooking? Don't keep us waiting!"
Hearing her praise the other person's superb cooking skills, Mudrock's eyes darted around, as if he was considering something.
"Sure, sure. But not today. The vegetables you buy at the market at this time of day won't be fresh."
Lee rarely cooks; at home...
The cooking was all left to Hong and Waai Fu. But why shouldn't he cook for Shi Lei himself, as a way of thanking him for introducing the business?
"How about tomorrow at noon? If you really don't have time, next Saturday or Sunday is fine too."
Shi Lei had been in Lungmen for over half a year and had enjoyed many delicious dishes. He was particularly looking forward to Lee's cooking. He turned to his two colleagues and asked:
"I should be able to make it by driving there at noon. I'm fine, what about you?"
Exusiai was the first to raise her hand, her attitude firm:
"Of course I'll go! I'm so craving this food."
Texas nodded in agreement.
After consulting with his two colleagues, Shi Lei, naturally not forgetting his family, looked up and asked:
Are you free tomorrow at noon?
"Me?" Mudrock was taken aback at first, then revealed a childlike happy smile, "Yes."
"Lee, you don't mind if I bring one more person, do you?"
"Haha, how could I mind? I'm overjoyed that Miss Mudrock has graced me with her presence."
"Okay, it's settled then. We'll drive over tomorrow at noon and freeload off you."
Seeing the harmonious atmosphere, Mudrock Yan smiled and asked the guests:
"Would you like to stay for dinner? I'll have my men buy some extra groceries."
Waai Fu shook his head and politely declined:
"No need, no need. We still have a case to handle this afternoon. We'll stay here for a while and then leave."
"Wow, business is booming."
Seeing that Lee and the others were busy with their work, Shi Lei was genuinely happy for them.
He had been to Koi-Style Detective Agency and knew that the four Lee lived in one cramped room. Ah-He-Hong even slept on the sofa, and they were struggling financially. Now, if they could earn more money, they could move to a bigger house as soon as possible—how wonderful!
The housing prices in Lungmen aren't as outrageous as in the world before I traveled there; ordinary people can still have hope if they work hard.
"I am truly grateful to Mister Zhongli for his introduction."
The four men, including Lee, didn't stay there for long. After receiving a phone call at 3:30, they took their leave.
"Excuse me, everyone. We have some things to take care of, so we'll be leaving now."
"Okay, then I'll see you off."
Seeing Shi Lei stand up, Mudrock volunteered:
"Sir, please sit down and continue playing mahjong. I'm about to go out, I can see them off."
In fact, she had ulterior motives.
221 My Heart Belongs to Someone Else (3K)
Shi Lei thought to himself that it was less than fifty meters from here to the alley entrance, so he agreed:
"Okay, then I'll trouble you."
Mudrock leaned forward and gestured for them to proceed.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please."
Lee left a gift, behaving quite politely. Like her, he made the same hand gesture:
"Please, you too."
The five of them walked out of the alley and soon arrived at the main street of Taiheng Road.
"Miss Mudrock, we have some matters to attend to, so we'll be leaving now. Please convey my apologies to Mister Zhongli. I promise to treat you well when you come to visit us tomorrow."
Watching them leave, Mudrock clenched his fists. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke up, trying to persuade them to stay:
"Please wait a moment!"
Lee stopped upon hearing the sound, turned around, and politely asked:
"Is there anything else?"
Mudrock stared down at his chest, somewhat nervous.
"Um, actually, I have a small request. Could you teach me how to cook?"
Seeing that the other person didn't respond, she continued to explain:
"To be honest, I've been secretly improving my cooking skills lately, wanting to surprise everyone. I don't need to be an expert in everything, just a few presentable dishes will do. But among the people I know, none of them are that skilled in cooking. I just heard from Exusiai that you're very good at it, so I wanted to ask you for some guidance."
Lee nodded and grinned:
"Miss Mudrock, you flatter me. You haven't even tasted my cooking yet. Isn't it too early to learn how to cook now?"
Mudrock shook his head, not thinking it was a problem:
"If she says it's delicious, it can't be too bad. And I believe you won't let me down."
"Miss Mudrock, may I consider this request a commission?"
Lee isn't a teacher at a culinary training institution; if he wanted to go into the restaurant business, he would have made a fortune long ago. Currently, he runs the Koi-Style Detective Agency, a place that handles all sorts of troublesome cases and specializes in resolving client cases.
Although he had never taught his patron to cook before, it can be understood as a challenging commission.
Mudrock seemed to understand and agreed:
"Of course, I can pay a certain amount of tuition, but I don't know what your fees are?"
When she resigned from the Lin family, she had 900,000 yuan in her account. She spent 720,000 yuan on the house and agent fees, and some more on a soft bed, leaving her with only a little over 100,000 yuan in savings.
Vegetable prices in the city aren't expensive; this amount of money can sustain them for a long time. If learning to cook requires exorbitant tuition fees, Mudrock probably wouldn't be able to afford it.
Out of respect for Shi Lei, Lee wouldn't ask for an exorbitant price, so he would definitely offer a friendly price:
"Miss Mudrock, since you only want to learn a few substantial dishes, I'll teach you for 500 yuan per dish, how about that? Consider it earning some pocket money. This 500 yuan includes three steps: 'how to choose ingredients,' 'how to prepare ingredients,' and 'how to cook.'"
This offer is very affordable.
I'll teach you all the relevant details, and the price is within an acceptable range. As for which dishes to learn, there's no rush. We'll observe what the owner likes to eat tomorrow at noon, and then we'll learn those.
She smiled happily and extended her fair and smooth right hand with a generous gesture:
"Okay, deal."
Lee shook hands with her, reaching a verbal agreement.
"Miss Mudrock, I need to remind you that we've been quite busy lately and probably won't have time to teach. Could we perhaps postpone the cooking lesson a little longer?"
"Okay, you can leave your phone number. You don't need to leave your address, since you'll be going over tomorrow anyway. I'll practice my basic skills recently, and I'll come over to learn how to cook when you have time later."
"Thank you for your understanding. We'll be going now."
"Well, I won't see you off. Take care."
As Mudrock turned back into the alley, Alu, who had just come of age, grinned mischievously and teased:
"Uncle Li, this Miss is quite pretty. Aren't you single? Why don't you consider her?"
Lee was speechless, and his face immediately fell:
"There's an old saying in Yan: 'A woman adorns herself for the one she loves.' The way she looks, it's obvious she has someone she likes. You, you must never say things like that again. If Zhongli finds out, it could easily cause a misunderstanding."
"Okay, okay, Uncle Li, I understand."
June 15th, 0:05 pm
At noon, the Messenger clocked out on time to go home.
Croissant, upon learning they were going to the Koi-Style Detective Agency for a free meal, insisted on going too. However, since everyone was going, there wasn't enough room in one car, so they had to split up.
Texas's car was full, so Texas Croissant the pickup truck with Mudrock on board.
Several tens of minutes later, two cars arrived one after the other downstairs at the Koi-Style Detective Agency.
As soon as everyone got off the bus, they smelled the enticing aroma wafting through the air, making Exusiai's mouth water.
The Koi-Style Detective Agency was located on the second floor, and the door was unlocked and wide open. Just as the six people entered the room, the last dish was finished cooking and brought out.
"Come, come, sit down."
Lee knew Shi Lei's dietary restrictions, so he didn't cook any seafood or fish dishes today.
Even so, the sight of all the delicious food on the table was enough to whet one's appetite.
"This is delicious."
"Wow, this is delicious too!"
Everyone finally got to taste Lee's cooking and praised it highly. The knife skills and the technique were far superior to anything cooked in a large wok in a restaurant kitchen.
Seeing her master enjoying the meal, Mudrock also enjoyed it. The entire table of food was devoured, leaving no room for even taking some back for the Sarkaz to try.
June 15, 1:14 pm
Everyone thanked Lee for his hospitality, and after finishing their meal, they bid farewell to the four of them and prepared to drive back.
Texas parked the car downstairs at the company and went back to the office area with Shi Lei, Exusiai, and Lisa.
Croissant drove a bit further, delivering Mudrock to Taiheng Road before turning back.
Across the street, Surtr felt the scorching sun, looked up at the Penguin Logistics logo lightbox on the top floor of the skyscraper, and knew he had come to the right place.
When she looked away, she noticed that several Feline nearby were looking at her warily.
A red-haired Sarkaz carrying a greatsword walking through the city would easily be seen as a dangerous individual by the citizens.
Surtr saw several Feline making phone calls, seemingly alerting the Lungmen Guard Department. Knowing she couldn't stay any longer, she decided to tactically retreat.
June 15th, 6:38 pm