Chapter Nineteen: She Could Never Lose

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned, even the chefs who were busy at their stoves turned their heads, casting a curious glance at Lin Sangqian.

Was it this young girl who just spoke?

Bao Mingzhi was momentarily taken aback, then burst out laughing, “Ha ha ha… You little girl, what do you know? You cook? What could you possibly make?”

“It’s just scallion lamb, isn’t it?” Lin Sangqian replied impatiently. “What’s so hard about that? I suggest you hurry up and get me the ingredients and the cookware. If you make the guest wait any longer, you’ll be the one in trouble, won’t you?”

“You little brat, you—”

At this moment, Lin Wenyen hurried over, shielding Lin Sangqian behind him. Frowning, he said, “Manager, my sister is just a child and doesn’t understand the situation. If there’s a problem, take it out on me.”

“It was my mistake. This has nothing to do with my family!” Lin Yanbei quickly added.

Lin Beitao also came over, standing by Lin Sangqian’s side.

Lin Hongda could only press his hand to his forehead in resignation.

Of course, his three sons had no idea how well their little sister could cook.

“Brothers, trust me,” Lin Sangqian said quickly. “Let me do it, there won’t be any mistakes.”

With that, she turned to Bao Mingzhi and said, “Manager, if the guest is satisfied with my dish, then the plate of lamb my brother broke earlier will be written off.”

Bao Mingzhi sneered, but suddenly his eyes flashed with a wicked idea. “All right, I agree. But let me be clear—if the guest isn’t satisfied with your cooking, then all three of your brothers will work for me for free for the next two years!”

“What did you say?” Lin Wenyen’s veins bulged with anger.

This was outrageous!

Except for Lin Hongda, everyone thought Lin Sangqian would back down, but to their surprise, she agreed at once. “Deal.”

Bao Mingzhi’s eyes gleamed.

What could a slip of a girl possibly cook? Ha, soon he’d have three free laborers…

Though he often docked their wages as it was, he always had to find some excuse, which was troublesome. From now on, he could withhold their pay openly and without pretext!

“Then I’ll add a condition,” Lin Sangqian said. “If the guest is satisfied, not only will you write off what happened earlier, but you’ll pay my brothers all the wages you owe them!”

“Fine,” Bao Mingzhi replied carelessly.

After all, he was certain Lin Sangqian couldn’t possibly win.

“Good. Then get the ingredients ready for me,” Lin Sangqian instructed.

The three Lin brothers hesitated for a moment, then hurried to prepare everything she needed—after all, their next two years’ wages were at stake!

But could their little sister really make scallion lamb as well as the restaurant chefs? Did she even know how to cook?

Just then, Lin Beitao recalled the chicken and mushroom stew and the dumplings they’d eaten at home before. Could it be… those weren’t their mother’s doing, but…

Once everything was ready, Lin Sangqian began to cook.

In truth, scallion lamb isn’t a complicated dish; the challenge lies in controlling the heat. The lamb must be seared crisp on the outside while remaining tender inside—a slight misstep and the dish would be far less delicious.

But for Lin Sangqian, this was child’s play.

The lamb was already thinly sliced, and the scallions chopped. She added rice wine, salt, soy sauce, and beaten egg to the lamb, mixing them well to marinate the meat.

Then she heated oil in the wok, adding chili and minced garlic to release their fragrance before tossing in the lamb to stir-fry.

Her expert movements froze the smile on Bao Mingzhi’s lips.

He hadn’t expected this little girl to look so professional at the stove.

Could she really pull it off?

The customer who ordered the dish was a regular at their restaurant, a particularly gentle man who never got upset, even if the food wasn’t perfect.

That was why Bao Mingzhi had dared make the bet with Lin Sangqian in the first place. Now he could only hope she’d fail and produce a disappointing scallion lamb!

When the lamb changed color, Lin Sangqian added half the scallions, stir-fried, then poured in more soy sauce, rice wine, and a splash of water. She added the remaining scallions, gave it a final toss, and plated the dish.

Even in the kitchen, the aroma of her scallion lamb was especially tempting. Lin Hongda couldn’t help but swallow.

His daughter’s version of scallion lamb! How he longed to try it!

Even Bao Mingzhi found his gaze fixed on the lamb.

He had a feeling it must be delicious…

No, it’s just a little girl’s cooking. No matter how good it looks or smells, it can’t possibly taste that great!

The trickiest part is mastering the heat, and he refused to believe Lin Sangqian could succeed!

“Manager, it’s ready,” Lin Sangqian announced. “You can take it to the guest now.”

“Fine! But if the customer says one bad word about it, just you wait!” Bao Mingzhi threatened.

Lin Sangqian shrugged indifferently.

No one had ever said her cooking was anything but delicious.

There was no way she could lose this bet.

“I’ll serve the dish,” Lin Wenyen offered.

Lin Yanbei and Lin Beitao followed him out, Lin Hongda and Lin Sangqian hurrying after, with Bao Mingzhi close behind.

He wanted to hear the customer declare this dish a failure with his own ears!

Lin Wenyen placed the dish before the guest, murmured “Please enjoy,” and withdrew to join his family.

The guest was a man in his forties. He didn’t eat right away, but poured himself a cup of wine and took a sip.

Bao Mingzhi was at his wit’s end with impatience—his three free laborers were almost within reach! Couldn’t the customer hurry up and eat?

Lin Yanbei patted Lin Sangqian’s head, whispering, “Even if it’s not very good, it’s all right. Little sister, you’ve already done your best. Whatever happens next, your brothers will handle it.”

Warmth filled Lin Sangqian’s heart, but she just gave Lin Yanbei a mysterious smile.

Under their expectant gazes, the customer finally picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of lamb, blew on it, and put it in his mouth.

Bao Mingzhi’s heart leapt to his throat.

Say it’s bad, hurry!

The guest’s expression shifted slightly after the first bite, and he took a second piece.

This time, he didn’t swallow it down right away, but chewed slowly, savoring the taste.

Bao Mingzhi hurried over. When the guest saw him, he smiled and said, “Old Bao, this dish—”

“What about it?” Bao Mingzhi asked, nearly breathless with excitement.

The guest found his reaction odd, but paid it no mind. Instead, he asked, “Did you change chefs? The flavor of this dish is a bit different from before.”