Chapter 37 - Lu's Foodie Group

Chapter 37  Lu’s Foodie GroupShen Muyan and Lu Qin had divorced, and as Shen’s close friend, Fang Ya normally wouldn’t have any interaction with Lu Qin. But there was still the connection with the little one—she was Lu Xiyao’s godmother. All that care she had shown the kid had now come in handy.

Earlier, while taking her goddaughter out to play, Fang Ya subtly found out that it was indeed Lu Qin who made the amazing crystal cakes. And not only that, he was selling them at a street food stand!

Such a delicious treat, wasted on a street stall. It deserved to be sold at high-end restaurants, where it could easily fetch 288 yuan per serving.

“Lu Qin, I never imagined you had such skills. That crystal cake is unreal!”

Fang Ya gave him a thumbs up.

Before Lu Qin could respond, the little girl chimed in.

“My daddy is amazing! Everything he makes is super delicious!”

Lu Qin smiled, gently patting Xiyao’s head.

Fang Ya said, “Where do you usually set up your stall? I want to come and buy some—I’m craving more crystal cake!”

“I don’t have a fixed spot. If you want, I can make some and bring it to you since we’re friends.”

Fang Ya quickly waved her hands, saying, “No, no, I couldn’t possibly impose like that. Just tell me where you’ll be, and I’ll come support your stall.”

“Then join our group chat on QQ. It’s mostly for regular customers. I will post the location before I set up.”

“QQ group?”

Fang Ya found this amusing. A food stand with a customer group? But on second thought, given how delicious the crystal cake was, having repeat customers was a certainty—200% guaranteed, no exaggeration.

Fang Ya joined the QQ group, which was named ‘Lu’s Foodie Group’.

She chuckled when she saw it and noticed the group had over 150 members.

The group was set to restrict chatting among members because customers were constantly praising Lu Qin’s culinary skills, almost worshipping him. If it continued, they’d soon start a ‘Cult of Lu’.

Zhou Weiwei had suggested that Lu Qin enable the group chat only when the stall was set up and mute it otherwise. Lu Qin agreed with this suggestion.

Shen Muyan had been in a meeting since 3:30 PM and definitely didn’t have time to come down. After saying goodbye to Fang Ya, Lu Qin and his little girl left. The three-wheeled food cart disappeared down the road.

For the first time, Fang Ya realized that even someone riding a tricycle could look handsome. It really depends on who was riding it.

…

In a Chinese-style villa, Chen Dahai sat eating the delicious crystal cake while reviewing some files.

He already had Lu Qin’s recent situation investigated. Currently living in the southern part of the city in the old neighborhood, Apartment 1702A, a rental. The monthly rent was 3,000 yuan.

He was now working as a street vendor selling stir-fried noodles. He operated his stall during three time slots—morning, noon, and night. Business was booming, but exact earnings were unknown.

His morning stall was usually set up near Sunshine Elementary School, and his late-night stand was located at University Town’s night market street. He often took his daughter along when he worked the night shift.

…

“Hmm… the kid’s certainly hardworking,” Chen Dahai murmured.

“But he’s putting his efforts in the wrong place. Running a food stall isn’t a long-term plan.”

“Business is booming? No matter how busy it gets, can it really be better than a full-time job?”

Chen Dahai glanced through Lu Qin’s education records. He was a top graduate from Tsinghua University and Peking University and had previously worked at Wanwu Technology. His resume was impressive.

So why didn’t he find a proper job and instead chose to run a food stall?

Chen Dahai couldn’t understand. Looking at Lu Qin’s handsome ID photo, he pondered how to help Shen Hongda with this favor. After all, when you accept someone’s kindness, you’ve got to return the favor in style. For now, he decided to get closer to Lu Qin and play it by ear.

Soon, he received a call inquiring about the crystal cake. The caller mentioned that in Jiangcheng, there were crystal cakes, osmanthus cakes, and mung bean cakes, but no one was selling crystal cakes. Even private chefs known for hidden delicacies had no knowledge of it.

This left Chen Dahai disappointed. He didn’t believe Shen Hongda’s claim that the cake was made by a renowned pastry chef abroad. Chen was convinced this crystal cake was a local Chinese snack, no doubt about it.

The thought of having to ask stingy Shen Hongda for more of the crystal cake in the future was something Chen Dahai definitely didn’t want to do.

…

“Daddy, did you miss your little cutie over the past couple of days?”

“Take a guess.”

“I guess you missed me a lot! Daddy, am I right?”

“Yes, you’re right.”

“What’s my reward for guessing right?”

“What do you want for a reward?”

“Can I have an ice cream? Green Mood flavor.”

Lu Qin pointed at the rearview mirror.

“Look at yourself, there’s still chocolate in your mouth.”

“Aunt Fang Ya took you out to play and bought you ice cream, didn’t she?”

Lu Xiyao leaned forward to check the mirror and immediately covered her mouth with both hands.

Oops, busted!

“Hehehe!” She gave her dad a cute little smile.

“Since you ate so many ice creams while I was away, you won’t be having any next week.”

“Waah! Daddy! Nooo, what will I do without ice cream?!”

“You’ll manage.”

Lu Xiyao sulked for a brief moment, then sighed softly.

“Can I at least have Daddy’s stir-fried noodles, mung bean smoothie, and crystal cake then?”

Since ice cream was off the table, she could at least have Lu Qin’s food. That should satisfy her cravings.

“Sure,” Lu Qin nodded.

They got home.

“Daddy, I’m tired. Can I rest a bit?”

“Yes, go rest on the couch, but take off your shoes first.”

“Okay! Daddy, will you rest with me?”

The two snuggled on the couch. Little Xiyao wrapped her arms around Lu Qin’s, resting her head on his shoulder as they watched TV together. The show was a Chinese cartoon called Haier Brothers.

“When it’s thundering, it’s going to rain, uh-huh! — What’s that?”

“When it rains, you need an umbrella, uh-huh! — Yeah, I know that too!”

The little one sang along with the theme song, clearly familiar with it and not missing a note.

Lu Qin smiled softly, a warm feeling filling his heart. Watching her grow up peacefully, day by day, was one of life’s true blessings. Before long, little Xiyao fell asleep, resting against him.

Lu Qin gently laid her down, covered her with a blanket, and turned off the TV. He then headed into the kitchen to start preparing the ingredients for his night market stall.

…

Meanwhile, Fang Ya was sneaking some food in the hotel kitchen.

“This pea cake is pretty good, but chef, can you make a crystal cake?”

“Crystal cake? No, I can’t.” Searᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The pastry chef with over ten years of experience shook his head.

“Miss Fang, are you sure you don’t mean shui jing gao (water crystal cake)?”

“No, they’re similar but not the same.”

Fang Ya took one more bite of the pea cake before stopping. After tasting Lu Qin’s crystal cake, other pastries seemed to lack flavor.

The chef noticed the expression on Fang Ya’s face and grew curious. If she wasn’t satisfied with his signature pea cake, just how delicious was this crystal cake? He had never heard of it in all his years.

After Fang Ya left, Chef Xiong took out his phone and called his mentor.

“Crystal cake? Yeah, I’ve heard of it.”

“It’s a local specialty from the Northeast. It’s not widely known. I’ve heard it’s a type of rice cake made from sticky rice. The process is quite complex, and to make it taste authentic and delicious, you need a high level of skill.”