"Boss, I'm back."

Liu Zheng pushed open the door to the break room and said loudly.

"So you're back, why so loud? What, do I need to carry you in on eight sedan chairs?"

Niu Ma said sarcastically.

"No need, just give me a red carpet."

He said with a grin.

"You wish! I'll give you a landmine instead."

Niu Ma rolled her eyes.

"Hehe."

Liu Zheng sat down on his little stool and started fiddling with his game console.

In fact, although he could still work, he really just wanted to take a small break.

"So, your vacation is over, Mr. Senior?"

Niu Ma asked when she saw him.

"Almost, probably about an hour left."

Liu Zheng glanced at his phone and said.

"Then I'd advise you to go and report to the boss first."

Niu Ma advised.

"Okay, then big boss, please call the boss for me."

He obliged.

"Why are you so obedient? It's no fun."

Niu Ma, disappointed, took out her phone.

She thought Liu Zheng should be in a rebellious phase by now.

"Listening to advice fills your belly. Besides, I might not listen to others, but I always follow your words without question."

Liu Zheng laughed.

"Really? Then you should go and..."

Niu Ma stopped abruptly.

"That was close."

She almost revealed her betting stakes.

She glared at Liu Zheng, then dialed Si Xue's number.

"Sorry to bother your rest, boss. Liu Zheng is back and wants to see you to report in."

She said cautiously.

"Yes, okay, I'll tell him."

Niu Ma nodded repeatedly, then hung up the phone.

"The boss wants you to go to the kitchen and get her some midnight snack."

She said to Liu Zheng.

"What midnight snack?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"How do I know? I've never brought anything to the boss."

Niu Ma glared.

"Alright, I'll go ask Napoleon then."

He shrugged and left the break room.

In the kitchen, White Feather Chicken was pacing its territory.

"What are you doing here?"

It asked bluntly when it saw Liu Zheng enter.

"The boss asked me to bring her a midnight snack."

Liu Zheng replied honestly.

"Hmm? What does the boss want to eat?"

White Feather Chicken asked.

"I don't know, the boss didn't say."

He said innocently.

"Then how should I know what to make?"

White Feather Chicken's tone turned irritable.

"Just go with the usual."

"The boss has never ordered a midnight snack before."

White Feather Chicken stared into his eyes.

"Huh?"

Liu Zheng was suddenly flustered.

What he thought would be an easy task turned out to be a hot potato.

If the midnight snack wasn't to Si Xue's liking, they wouldn't die, but a good scolding was inevitable.

"You decide what to make, if you can't, I'll send you over as the midnight snack."

White Feather Chicken said coldly.

Though their relationship was decent, it certainly wouldn't take the blame.

"Even if the boss has ordered midnight snacks, the main meals are usually prepared by you, aren't they, Chef Boss?"

Liu Zheng tried to struggle a bit.

White Feather Chicken glanced at him but said nothing.

These were all top-grade ingredients, pretending to be scraps?

In such matters, either get involved or else just saying one more word would mean sharing the blame.

Seeing his intentions were seen through, Liu Zheng could only start thinking hard.

"What would the boss like to eat?"

He recalled his meetings with Si Xue.

During the time with Ghost Hand, Si Xue's table had had snacks and ice cream on it, but she didn't eat any, letting him eat instead.

If you really think about it, the only things she ate were her own roasted sweet potatoes and corn Liu Zheng roasted for her.

"Should I bring a few more sweet potatoes and corn to roast?"

This choice seemed safe but lacked creativity, probably still earning a beating.

"Got it!"

Liu Zheng's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Help me prepare a bucket of beef bone broth, a bucket of pork bone broth, a bucket of chicken, all poured into a pressure cooker."

"Then prepare white cardamom, tsao-ko, clove, triplat, amomum, cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, gardenia, licorice, Vietnamese coriander, black cardamom, su sug, Chuanxiong, lotus leaf, bay leaf, star anise, thousand-mile fragrance, vanilla, fennel, all ground into powder and thrown into the pressure cooker for half an hour."

"Finally, add salt, MSG, chicken essence, fresh flavor enhancer, concentrated fresh fragrance powder, rib flavor enhancer, flavoring essence, chicken bone extract, white pepper powder, cooking wine, rock sugar..."

He paused here.

"Do we have poppy shells?"

After some thought, he decided to ask.

After all, with Si Xue's constitution, poppy shells shouldn't pose a problem.

"Yes."

White Feather Chicken nodded.

"Then add a handful of poppy shells."

Liu Zheng said decisively.

"It sounds like you're making hotpot."

"Not hotpot, it's mala tang. They're similar but have some differences in flavor and form."

He shook his head.

What he was planning wasn't the "Yang Guofu" or "Zhang Liang" mala tang but a special kind from his hometown.

Ingredients would be skewered and then always cooking in the pot, you take what you want to eat.

Spicy and flavorful, extremely satisfying.

Liu Zheng used to hate organ meats as a child, but he always ate a lot of pig heart and pig lung in mala tang.

"You only mentioned the types, what about quantities?"

White Feather Chicken asked.

"As for quantities, you can decide. Anyway, I'll take the blame in the end."

He said decisively.

White Feather Chicken glanced at him and skipped past this topic.

"And the ingredients?"

It asked again.

"Dried tofu, orchid bean curd, sea cabbage, konjac tofu, potato chunks, thousand sheets, wood ear mushrooms, tofu sticks, radish strips, pig lung, pig heart, chicken feet, meatballs, lotus roots, duck blood..."