The Owner of the Vegetarian Bistro

Su Li's answer truly stunned Grand Secretary Gu. He looked her up and down in disbelief: "This astonishingly ingenious question... you actually came up with it?"

Su Li touched her nose, thinking to herself that she was just borrowing knowledge from her past life, but she couldn't say it outright, so she tacitly accepted it.

Grand Secretary Gu and Mr. Zhuge fell silent together. After a long moment, he said, "Alas, I didn't expect a young lady of such tender age to have such a high talent in mathematics. To be honest with you, Miss Su, I pondered over this question for a long time and only solved the classic 'chicken and rabbit in the same cage' problem. As for the wine jar problem, it was only after seeing your answer that I suddenly understood. Truly remarkable, it's fate that we actually used your own question to test you."

"It really is fate," Su Li sighed deeply, thinking to herself that if she hadn't just happened to encounter these two questions, she might not have been able to answer the kind of problems set by a great scholar like Mr. Zhuge.

This meeting over the questions truly brought them closer together instantly.

Su Li smiled and stood up, tilting her head as she said to Mr. Zhuge, "Mr. Zhuge, does this mean your chef here has the chance to show off her cooking skills?"

Mr. Zhuge quickly replied, "Of course! Miss Su's cooking must be exquisite and leave a lingering fragrance on the palate!"

Grand Secretary Gu was also surprised: "So Miss Su is the chef coming to cook today. I didn't expect someone so skilled in mathematics to also be a great cook."

Su Li grinned and stood up, saying, "Please wait a moment, all three of you. I'll go to the kitchen and cook some dishes for you to try my specialty!"

Mr. Zhuge valued Su Li greatly and specially called for the little guide boy, instructing, "Take Miss Su to the kitchen. If she has any orders, just follow them."

The little boy showed a look of surprise. Such treatment for a chef was rare, then he led Su Li to the kitchen.

Su Li looked around and saw no trace of meat aroma in the kitchen, so she asked, "Does your master prefer vegetarian dishes?"

The little boy shook his head: "Not that he likes vegetarian food, but he's old now. The doctor said he can't eat meat and should only eat vegetables. But the master is still greedy for meat, craving it terribly but can't have it. It's really a dilemma."

Su Li thought to herself that this was easy to handle—her specialty vegetarian dishes were all about making vegetables taste like meat!

This was perfect timing. She had planned to make vegetarian dishes anyway, since scholars often preferred vegetarian food. By making vegetarian dishes taste like meat, she could satisfy both the vegetarian scholars and those with a craving for meat.

Su Li busily worked in the kitchen, preparing a table full of vegetarian dishes that were rich in color, aroma, and flavor.

When the vegetarian dishes were served, the two elderly men were overjoyed.

Mr. Zhuge rubbed his round belly, satisfied, and said, "Ah, I've been craving meat for a long time, but the doctors forbid me from eating it. Today, my appetite is truly satisfied. Using vegetables to mimic meat flavors is truly ingenious!"

Grand Secretary Gu also ate with satisfaction and said, "I've heard that across from Wutong Academy there is a refined vegetarian restaurant famous for its dishes. I wonder if it's the skill of that restaurant or Miss Su's cooking that is better."

Su Li smiled faintly and said, "My cooking skills are naturally just as good as that vegetarian restaurant's."

"Oh? Hahaha! I've heard from the teachers and students at the academy that the vegetarian restaurant is very popular. The owner is the head chef, skilled in cooking and business. Most of the land in Shilipo belongs to the owner of that vegetarian restaurant," said Grand Secretary Gu.

Su Li smiled and said, "To be honest with you, Lord Gu, I am the owner of that vegetarian restaurant."