303: Chapter 303 Reaching the Pinnacle

Liaojie and Chef Sui turned around and saw the clear and obvious gap.

Chef Sui had taken almost all the chopsticks; in front of Liaojie, there were only three.

The gap was obvious at a glance!

Chef Sui let out a long sigh of relief and cupped his hands at Liaojie: "I concede, Master Liaojie."

Liaojie chuckled and said: "Chef Sui, your cooking is truly excellent. Could you let me have a taste?"

Chef Sui was stunned, then laughed: "That goes without saying!"

Liaojie didn't stand on ceremony and began to tuck in.

Lin Xiao saw Chef Sui's proud expression and smiled: "Chef Sui, you might as well taste what Liaojie made."

Chef Sui hesitated. Although he was a bit reluctant, he dared not disobey Lin Xiao's order.

He immediately picked up a piece of mutton and stuffed it into his mouth.

After tasting it, his expression changed immediately.

He followed up by tasting the other dishes, his expression growing more and more surprised.

"Did you find the problem?" Lin Xiao asked.

Chef Sui looked awkward, even sighing with some frustration: "The dishes Master Liaojie made have perfect heat control, the seasoning is very precise, and they are quite ingenious."

"I'm afraid the reason I won was mainly because the color and presentation were more refined. In terms of flavor alone, I cannot claim victory."

Seeing his candor, Lin Xiao held him in higher regard.

"Chef Sui, you don't need to belittle yourself. While Liaojie certainly has a talent for cooking, you are not bad either. Besides, you have been at the restaurant for many years and can manage the kitchen; that is something not everyone can do."

"Starting tomorrow, I want Liaojie to go to the kitchen of Baiyu Pavilion to learn from you. What do you think?"

Chef Sui had been excited after receiving some praise, but upon hearing that Liaojie would be coming to learn, he immediately waved his hands repeatedly.

"General, with Master Liaojie's natural talent, his culinary skills will surpass mine sooner or later. I have nothing left to teach him!"

Lin Xiao waved his hand and said: "I don't want you to teach him how to be a chef, but how to manage a kitchen."

"If this General wants to ensure all the people in the North can eat well and drink well, how can I rely on just a few chefs like you?"

"Su Wansha, how much is Chef Sui's current salary?"

Su Wansha replied instantly: "Chef Sui is the manager of the Baiyu Pavilion kitchen, and he earns twenty taels of silver a month."

Once this income was revealed, the servants nearby were filled with envy.

One must know that a seventh-rank official only earned at most ten taels of salary a month.

However, considering the status of Baiyu Pavilion in the catering industry of the North, and Chef Sui's indispensable contribution, it was understandable.

"What? The manager of the Baiyu Pavilion kitchen only gets this little?"

Lin Xiao frowned. Based on his understanding of Baiyu Pavilion's revenue, this salary really smacked of "exploiting the worker."

Even though Su Wansha was his own woman, she was still a "capitalist" after all!

"Starting next year, raise Chef Sui's annual salary to five hundred taels!"

Lin Xiao announced a price that made Su Wansha's heart ache.

But Su Wansha had no choice and had to smile and nod: "Yes, husband."

"Thank you, General!!"

Chef Sui knelt down and kowtowed immediately. With this income, he might not even make this much opening his own restaurant!

[Comprehension +1...]

Heh! Money really works!

Lin Xiao immediately added: "Chef Sui, giving you a raise means I need you to work!"

"From this day on, with the Baiyu Pavilion kitchen as the core foundation, I want to establish a 'Northern Catering' to specifically train good chefs!"

"As long as there are enough good chefs, we can open more stores! Those with money can go to Baiyu Pavilion, and those with less money can go to the canteens for the common people!"

Su Wansha became excited. So her husband intended to expand and strengthen the business, which was why he was paying more!

Indeed, if Chef Sui had to take on the work of teaching apprentices in the future, then five hundred taels was not excessive!

"Husband, are you planning to open the canteens from the Baishui Prefecture family village to all the prefectures in the North?"

"Correct. We don't seek to make a huge profit; we only want the people to eat with peace of mind! To eat happily!"

Lin Xiao said righteously: "To put it simply, our Zhenbei Army exists to serve the people!"

For the sake of my comprehension points, I must make the people grateful for their three meals a day!

Sure enough, upon hearing him say this, his comprehension points increased by a few more...

Su Wansha felt ashamed. Her own man's ideological realm was considering the common people of the world, while she was always calculating gains and losses in money...

Su Wansha made up her mind to correct her mistakes and keep up with Lin Xiao's pace!

"Husband, rest assured. I will definitely strictly demand that the people below create restaurants where the common people can afford to eat and eat well!"

Lin Xiao nodded: "That's right. But you must also pay attention to resting yourself; don't overwork."

Feeling the man's concern, Su Wansha smiled sweetly: "Husband, rest assured. Now that Princess Ningxiang is here, I have someone to help me with many things."

Xie Juner pouted coquettishly: "Sister Su Wansha, why are you calling me Princess Ningxiang? We are all sisters in the family. If there is anything you need, just tell me."

"Then this sister won't be polite!"

Su Wansha joked, and the women laughed delicately.

On the other side, the monk Liaojie had no objections about going to the kitchen; as long as he could eat his fill, it was fine!

Night fell.

The Generals Mansion quieted down.

The maid Xiaodie had come from the Linyuan Marquis Mansion in advance to clean up a courtyard.

Xie Juner personally bathed and changed Lin Xiao. Although her movements were a bit shy, this just added to the fun.

"It's a pity that the bathhouse hasn't been built here yet, otherwise we could have bathed together."

"A bathhouse? I have heard the sisters mention it. Does the Generals Mansion in Baishui City have one?"

"Yes, we will set off for Baishui City in two days and spend the New Year there."

Lin Xiao said, holding the woman's slender waist, and was just about to get to the point, but Xie Juner interrupted with a soft call:

"General, I have composed a piece of music for you and never had the chance to play it for you... Could you..."

Xie Juner's face was rosy, her beautiful eyes full of anticipation.

Lin Xiao saw the ancient zither that had been set up early in the distance and was slightly stunned.

[Sandalwood Phoenix Tail Zither: A legendary ancient zither, said to have come from the hands of an expert in the martial arts world a thousand years ago. Grade: mystic grade]

Damn! As expected of the Linyuan Marquis Mansion, the zither given to the woman is actually a mystic grade item?

Lin Xiao had grown up to this age, and it was the first time a girl had written a song for him, and a great beauty at that. Although it was a bit too scholarly for his style, he still had to appreciate the beauty's gesture.

"Then I am very much looking forward to it. I am all ears."

Xie Juner was overjoyed; she had been looking forward to this day for a long time.

Soon, the girl sat upright and took a deep breath.

Xie Juner was wearing a cyan water-sleeved silk dress, her jet-black hair like a waterfall neatly combed on both sides, her skin whiter than snow.

Her slender fingers brushed across the strings, and suddenly her temperament became outstanding.

Before long, a melodious tune echoed in the backyard of the Generals Mansion.

Although Lin Xiao did not understand music, as he listened, he seemed to see golden spears and iron horses, and heard the sound of iron hooves...

Gradually, he understood that what Xie Juner was playing was exactly himself in her heart.

She poured all her feelings for Lin Xiao into the music.

Lin Xiao was surprised; with his Land Immortal realm, he could actually be deeply attracted by this music?

He couldn't help but look carefully at the girl's attributes again...

[Xie Juner, 21 years old, daughter of the Marquis of Linyuan, Princess Ningxiang, Aptitude: mystic grade]

[Realm: Music (Peak Perfection)]

[Cultivation Technique: Xiangshui Sword Technique (15 years of cultivation), Grade: mystic grade]

[Traits: Money Rolling In (Special), Understanding Music (Special), Noble Lady]

Lin Xiao's eyes narrowed. He thought only martial arts had realms; he didn't expect music to have them too?

The Eye of God's division of realms: Initial Glimpse, Small Success, Mastery, Proficient, Peak Perfection, Reaching the Transformation Realm.

When reaching the "Transformation Realm," the "Grandmaster" trait would appear.

At Xie Juner's level, one step further might be "Music Grandmaster"!

Lin Xiao had been feeling troubled, not knowing what martial arts to let Xie Juner practice, since her foundation was too poor.

Now it seems, his perspective was really too small!

Music... I wonder if there is any suitable for cultivation.

It just so happened that today's refresh hadn't been used, so Lin Xiao took advantage of the time listening to music to refresh the mall!