Eating Meat

"Still no news of Qiu Laojiu?"

Deep within the county government office, three courtyards were arranged in a triangular formation.

Under the shroud of night, they remained brightly lit.

In the courtyard on the left, which appeared somewhat unkempt, Yao Xiong and Sun Fei sat around a room, while a mountain-like middle-aged man sat at the head.

His frame was more than a full size larger than Yao Xiong's.

To the side, Fatty Sun, who usually appeared unrestrained and bohemian, sat bolt upright with his back straight, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Yao Xiong sat respectfully by his side and replied with a serious expression, "The old fox is slippery as an eel; every time we are about to close in, he vanishes without a trace."

"This subordinate is at fault."

As he spoke, Yao Xiong prepared to stand up to apologize, but the middle-aged man at the head of the table waved him back down.

This man was none other than Chief Clerk Sun of Baiyun County.

"I don't blame you."

Chief Clerk Sun waved his hand, and the doors swung wide. Kitchen staff filed in, taking dish after dish of delicacies from food boxes until the round table was nearly full.

"Qiu Laojiu has always been cunning. After dealing with him for so many years, do you think I don't know that?"

"Post the wanted posters tomorrow."

Chief Clerk Sun's fingers tapped the tabletop subconsciously.

Yao Xiong's expression shifted slightly. "If we do that, won't the matter become impossible to contain?"

Chief Clerk Sun's fingers paused, and he said indifferently, "He has killed thirteen people. Do you really think not posting posters would keep it contained?"

Yao Xiong's face flickered through several emotions before he finally nodded.

"Qiu Laojiu won't get away; let's put that matter aside for now."

"Eat."

Chief Clerk Sun pointed to the chopsticks in front of Yao Xiong and glanced at the dishes on the table, his eyes brightening. "We're in for a treat tonight."

Yao Xiong was stunned, his mind unable to pivot so quickly.

How did the conversation jump from hunting a murderer to eating dinner?

"Hey? This Three-Shreds Dish... it's something else."

Sun Fei's eyes also lit up, his gaze locked onto the table as he asked in confusion, "Big Brother, does the government office have such a master chef?"

"How many times have I told you? When in the government office, you must address me by my title."

"You brat."

Chief Clerk Sun scolded him with a laugh, not truly angry.

"Understood."

Sun Fei nodded, looked up at his older brother, and pursed his lips.

The meaning was clear.

"Pick up your chopsticks and eat your fill."

After Chief Clerk Sun signaled to the somewhat restrained Yao Xiong, he was the first to start eating.

Yao Xiong and Sun Fei followed suit.

He had personally requested the Three-Shreds Dish and had eaten it more than once, but tonight's version offered an experience he had never had before.

It was fresh, mellow, and harmonious—light yet not thin—with an aftertaste that was unprecedentedly rich.

With every bite, there was a fresh, herbal sweetness.

"Good!"

Before Chief Clerk Sun could speak, Sun Fei was already clapping in approval. "Crispy, tender, smooth, and succulent—delicious!"

"The interplay of crisp tenderness and soft resilience, the resonance of fresh clarity and savory saltiness."

"Truly rare."

Chief Clerk Sun did not act as exaggeratedly as Sun Fei, but his words were full of praise.

Yao Xiong also took a bite and felt that none of the food he had eaten in his thirty-plus years could compare to this.

He wanted to offer praise, but after struggling for a long while, he couldn't find the words and could only blurt out two syllables.

"Awesome!"

"Chief... Chief Clerk, does the government kitchen really have such a talented person?"

As Sun Fei asked the question, his hands didn't stop moving.

While the other dishes couldn't compare to the Three-Shreds Dish, they were still rare delicacies.

Setting aside the flavor, the knife work alone was something none of the Sun Family's cooks could match.

"Could it be that Old Yan's culinary skills have improved again? The flavor is right, but no, this knife work doesn't quite look like his."

Chief Clerk Sun shook his head. "Let's eat first. Later, send someone to the kitchen to fetch Old Yan."

As he spoke, a large piece of pork knuckle landed in Chief Clerk Sun's mouth; after a brief chew, he swallowed it whole.

He didn't even spit out the bone.

Yao Xiong caught sight of this and silently swallowed his saliva.

"I'll go."

Sun Fei was very curious about which master chef in the yamen's kitchen could possess such god-like knife skills.

Was it really that Master Chef Yan?

"If I told you I was born with this talent, would you believe me?"

Under the cover of night, a dim oil lamp was lit in Master Chef Yan's private courtyard behind the kitchen.

After all the busy work, Chen Zhuo was so hungry his stomach was sticking to his spine, yet Yan Ming showed no intention of opening the food box.

"Born with it?"

Yan Ming was so amused by his answer that he let out a mocking laugh. "I don't have the word 'idiot' written on my forehead, do I? Who would believe such nonsense?"

"A temporary helper who possesses knife skills even I cannot match—what is your true purpose for infiltrating the kitchen?"

With a clink, a flash of steel streaked through the air.

A kitchen knife was embedded firmly in the stone table, the blade sunk three-tenths of an inch deep.

Yan Ming's expression turned stern. Under the flickering candlelight, his eyes, fixed on Chen Zhuo, seemed to burn with a raging fire.

Chen Zhuo did not panic; he merely sighed helplessly. "Is it really this hard just to get a bite of meat?"

As he spoke, Chen Zhuo seemed to recall something, and a faint trace of mockery appeared at the corners of his mouth. "I am the third child in my family. Ever since I was small, I've been the one handling the cooking. With day after day of practice, how could I not master this knife work?"

"Everything was clearly documented when I entered the yamen. If you don't believe me, you can go check."

He was not lying.

Ever since he could remember, his life had never been easy.

That home was nothing but an abyss.

If it weren't for the money his old man left him after passing away, even becoming a White-Uniform Runner at the yamen would have been a pipe dream.

"I will naturally check. If I find even one word of yours to be false..."

"Suit yourself."

Chen Zhuo looked indifferent.

"Eat."

Yan Ming gave him a long, deep look, his thick fingers tapping against the table with dull thuds.

After a moment of silence, he leaned over to lift the food box and finally set the meal on the table.

Scanning the tabletop, Chen Zhuo's lips trembled, and he nearly burst into tears.

So much meat...

The amount of meat he had eaten over these past few days didn't even add up to a single dish on this table.

"Starting tomorrow, you will no longer be a kitchen helper."

Yan Ming's voice rang out again, causing Chen Zhuo to frown.

He leaned over to pick up two pairs of chopsticks, handed one to Chen Zhuo, and shifted the topic. "You are to take the place of the Qiu sisters."

Chen Zhuo was slightly stunned. "The Qiu sisters are quitting?"

Yan Ming shook his head. "Something happened."

"What happened..."

"Eat first."

Chen Zhuo had just wanted to ask, but Yan Ming cut him off.

Gurgle...

His stomach let out a mournful cry. Chen Zhuo looked at Yan Ming, stopped standing on ceremony, and immediately began to wolf down his food.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the food on the table had been completely wiped out.

"Still need more meat."

Chen Zhuo gently rubbed his distended belly and suddenly found himself feeling a bit drowsy.

This was the first time in so many days that he felt sleepy after a meal.

His physical strength, drained from practicing martial arts during the day, had recovered quite a bit.

"Since you've taken over the work of the Qiu sisters, you are entitled to the corresponding benefits."

Yan Ming picked his teeth while speaking nonchalantly, "Thirty wen a month, and one meat dish every day. Never mind the taste, but it'll be enough to fill you up."

Thirty wen?

And a meat dish every day?

The surprise came so suddenly that Chen Zhuo felt it was almost unreal.

Although thirty wen wasn't much and fell far short of a regular yamen runner's monthly salary, for a White-Uniform Runner like him who had been working for free, it was an unexpected windfall.

Coupled with the daily meat dish.

With this, his martial arts progress would surely advance by leaps and bounds.

With less than a month left until the assessment for promotion to yamen runner, this unexpected gift was more than enough.

"What? You don't want it?"

Yan Ming glanced at Chen Zhuo.

Chen Zhuo stood up, cupped his hands respectfully, and thanked him, "Many thanks, Master Chef Yan."

Yan Ming waved his hand, "Work hard. The kitchen may lack other things, but a bite to eat is something you won't be short of."

Chen Zhuo nodded with a smile.

Just then, two White-Uniform Runners walked in, one after the other.

They spoke almost simultaneously.

"Master Chef Yan, the Chief Clerk requests your presence."

"Master Chef Yan, the Dianshi requests your presence."