Chapter 226: Synthesis Options
Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Synthesis Options
The contract was in triplicate. They each took a copy, and the third would be uploaded to the public credit network.
Seeing how formal the process was, Shen Lu felt even more at ease.
"Alright, the contract is signed. You two should get going. A truck will be there tomorrow to deliver the vegetables right on schedule."
Zhao Qian seemed very busy. He casually stuffed his copy of the contract into a drawer, picked up a few syringes, and walked out.
Shen Lu and Xue Can took their leave as well.
On the way back, Shen Lu couldn’t help but ask, "That Zhao Qian doesn’t seem like a businessman."
Xue Can hummed in agreement. "Mm, he’s not a legitimate food supplier."
"Then how does he have such large vegetable greenhouses and livestock pens?"
"You don’t know about the Zhao Family from the Upper City District?"
"The Zhao Family?" Shen Lu thought for a moment before she finally recalled. The Zhao Family was one of the top aristocratic families in the Imperial City. Its members held high-ranking government positions. They were the type to keep a low profile but were a force not to be underestimated.
"Zhao Qian is a descendant of the Zhao Family. He has no interest in politics and is particularly fond of researching agriculture and animal husbandry. He wasn’t willing to work at an institute, finding the atmosphere there too rigid, so he set up this place to conduct his own research."
Xue Can pulled Shen Lu back. "Careful, there’s a hole up ahead."
Lost in the conversation, Shen Lu only then noticed the hole in front of her. If it hadn’t been for Xue Can, she would have definitely taken a nasty spill.
"Thanks." Shen Lu skirted the dirt hole. "Please, continue."
"He doesn’t grow vegetables and raise chickens to sell them. Plus, given his status, no one dares to do business with him. So, the vegetables he grows basically just rot in the ground."
"That’s such a waste," Shen Lu lamented. The old saying, "While the rich feast on wine and meat, the poor freeze to death on the street," suddenly came to mind.
’Most residents of the Lower City District were eating throat-scratching Insect Cakes, while the wealthy aristocrats of the Upper City District could own vast tracts of farmland just for a hobby, letting all the vegetables they grew rot in the ground instead of selling them.’
Xue Can’s lips curved into a slight smile. He could guess what Shen Lu was lamenting.
’But the world was just this cruel. The upper class lived lives of extravagance, while the bottom tier struggled just to survive.’
"I’ve accepted a few commissions from him in the past, so we’re acquainted. I mentioned it to him, and he agreed."
Shen Lu was skeptical. "That’s it?" she asked doubtfully.
Xue Can paused. "Well... not exactly. I had to do something for him in return."
’Oh-ho.’
Shen Lu clicked her tongue internally. ’Looks like I owe him a big one.’
"So, can I come over for dinner every night from now on?" Xue Can asked.
Shen Lu nodded. "Of course."
By the time the two of them returned to the restaurant, it was almost 6 PM.
Shen Lu told Xue Can to rest in the booth area and hurried into the kitchen to make dinner.
Before she left that afternoon, she had told Cai Su what she planned to make for dinner. She’d asked her to start prepping the ingredients if she was running late, so all she would have to do was the cooking.
Shen Lu had originally planned to make a spicy blood curd stew, stir-fried corn with pine nuts, and stir-fried greens. But thinking about the favor she owed Xue Can, she decided to add steamed scallops with garlic and vermicelli as a token of her gratitude.
They were all quick dishes to prepare, and with Cai Su assisting, everything was ready in less than an hour.
Ye Fan and Lin Zhou stared blankly at Xue Can when he appeared at the dinner table. Worried that Cai Su and her son might feel uncomfortable, Shen Lu offered an explanation.
"Mr. Xue will be having dinner with us for a while."
With that, she carried two servings of dinner up to the second floor.
Today was Fu Cheng’s first day of physical therapy. He had pushed himself a little too hard and nearly split open the wound on his abdomen.
Fortunately, the doctor noticed in time and stopped him.
The hospital also provided shower facilities after therapy, so Fu Cheng, who was drenched in sweat from the exercises, was able to take a refreshing shower. When he got home, all he had to do was wait for dinner.
After an afternoon of training, he was ravenous. His stomach rumbled loudly just as Shen Lu came in with his food.
"Hungry?" Shen Lu asked.
Fu Cheng was a little embarrassed. "Yes."
"It’s normal to be hungry. Your training regimen looks pretty intense." Shen Lu set up the bedside table and placed the tray on it.
Fu Cheng couldn’t wait to dig in, finishing most of his meal in just a few moments.
Shen Lu also sat down to eat her own dinner, occasionally glancing up at the television.
After they finished eating, Shen Lu cleared the trays and said to Fu Cheng, "How about I bring you some cookies tomorrow? You can have them as a snack if you get hungry."
She still had some of the cookies she baked last time. They were all made with ingredients from the system’s store. For Fu Cheng, eating them would not only tide him over but also be beneficial for his Spiritual Sea.
Naturally, Fu Cheng wasn’t going to refuse Shen Lu’s kind offer, so he nodded in agreement.
When Shen Lu went downstairs, she found Xiao Lang hovering around Xue Can, eagerly showing off the results of his recent training.
Ye Fan had taught him a set of military boxing, and the little boy’s form was quite good. He went through the motions very seriously, one move at a time.
Xue Can was leaning against a post by the back door, smoking a cigarette. It was hard to tell if he was even watching.
Cai Su was in the kitchen washing dishes, with a clear view of the backyard from the window. "I don’t know why Xiao Lang likes Mr. Xue so much," she said to Shen Lu. "He just flocks to him the moment he shows up."
Unlike her son, Cai Su could barely manage a stiff greeting when she saw Xue Can, let alone approach him.
"Maybe they just have a connection?" Shen Lu replied. ’How would I know what a child is thinking?’
Cai Su finished cleaning the kitchen and called her son, who had just finished his military boxing routine, back to their room. It was also time for Xue Can to leave.
"Xiao Lang’s second awakening should happen in the next day or two," Xue Can reminded Shen Lu. "You should all keep a close eye on him. If anything seems off, get him to a hospital immediately."
"Okay, I’ll keep an eye out."
"I’ll be going then. I’ll come by again tomorrow evening."
"Alright. We usually have dinner around six, so feel free to come around then."
After seeing Xue Can off, Shen Lu locked up the restaurant downstairs. After washing up, she lay in bed and used the Lottery Ticket she had gotten for the day.
[Congratulations, Host, you have drawn prize #113 from the blind box: one (1) One-Touch Vegetable Slicer.]
[One-Touch Vegetable Slicer: Capable of slicing up to three kilograms of ingredients at once. Simplifies the preliminary prep process. An essential tool for any restaurant or food stall.]
’The prize was decent enough. It was usable, but being able to slice only three kilograms at a time felt a bit limiting. And since it was a Level 1 kitchen tool, its functions were few. It could only do simple dicing and couldn’t handle more technical knife work like julienning or fine slicing.’
Just as Shen Lu was lamenting how underwhelming the vegetable slicer was, the system’s voice sounded.
[Friendly reminder: The One-Touch Vegetable Slicer can be combined with the One-Touch Washer to synthesize a new machine! If the Host is interested, you can check the kitchenware upgrade panel for details.]
Shen Lu: "Synthesize? That’s a thing?"
Shen Lu hurriedly opened the kitchenware upgrade panel. Sure enough, a new "Synthesize" option had appeared on the panel for the One-Touch Washer.
Shen Lu: "Is the synthesis recipe fixed, or can I combine any items I want?"
[The free-synthesis function is not yet available. After all, every piece of kitchenware has a different purpose. The system will automatically identify compatible items and provide synthesis options. You can’t expect a robot vacuum to stir-fry vegetables while it’s cleaning the floor, can you?]