Chapter 39: Chef Hao.
Chapter 39: Chef Hao.
Hao Ren was sitting in his car when the system sent out a notification, *Ding: Host, it has been detected that your wife has issued you a challenge to visit your in-laws and cook for them. Please see to it that you prove your mettle to her. Show her that you are not afraid or ashamed of anything when it comes to show your relationship with her.*
Hao Ren sighed and said, "How subtly you issue tasks, well fine. I accept it. What am I afraid of."
He said, "Xiao Mei, can you tell me how many family are there in the Han Family residence?"
The AI replied, "Boss, there are five people in the mansion. Old Master Han, his wife. Miss Han and her mother, also second lady Han is present there."
Hao Ren asked, "Han Yuntian, he is the son of the second master Han, right?"
Xiao Mei confirmed and Hao Ren asked, "How would you assess the character of Second Lady Han?"
The AI reported, "Boss, she is rather clean. She comes from a humble background and is very filial. She shares a good relation with First Lady Han, and is very loved by the family."
Hao Ren was surprised and said, "I wonder how her son turned out to be a killer."
Xiao Mei replied, "Boss, Han Yuntian is an illegitimate child of the Second Master Han, however, he coerced the Second Lady into accepting him. The real second heir of the Han Family is Han Lingxue, she is twenty years old and is currently studying in the Hawk Country. The Han Family struggle for power is limited to the First Master and the Second Master.
The former is capable while the latter is a bit narrow minded, he thinks that just because his brother is the elder, the family overlooks him. This idea passed on to his son, who grew up to be a philandering scum."
Hao Ren chuckled at the last remark and then after some pondering, he said, "I did not expect that the Second Master Han was such a narrow minded cliche. Anyhow, can you find out if the family members have a preferred food recipe?"
Xiao Mei replied to him and then the young man drove over to the traditional medicine market, then he also went to the vegetable and fish market to buy out a lot of fresh ingredients. He also got himself a set of knives and a apron.
He then drove to the Han Family residence.
...
While Hao Ren was preparing to catch his wife by surprise, Han Lingshi was pouring tea to her grand father. The two of them were sitting in the garden, under a pavilion. The humidifiers installed in the place kept the temperature cool and the faint fragrance of jasmine in the air made it a nice place to sit down and relax.
Old Master Han was very happy with his eldest grand daughter. She was the apple of his eye and she had raised the Empress International to a height that he could never have imagined.
He was a military man in his early life, although his achievements were nothing to take a note of but he was still a formidable man and after his retirement due to some injury on field, he came back and started his company from scratch.
He earned his keep and earned a name for himself. He looked at the girl before him and asked, "Lingshi, you can tell grandpa anything, you know that, right?"
Han Lingshi handed him a cup and nodded. The old master asked, "What's the matter?"
Han Lingshi took a deep breath and said, "Grandpa, a few days ago, an international mercenary group called Red Banner came after my head."
Old Master Han's hand shivered, he looked at his grand daughter with surprise and asked, "Do you need protection?"
Han Lingshi shook her head and said, "That has been dealt with, they are all down in hell, however, the person who placed this order is someone you know."
Old Master Han was calm when he heard this, after a few minutes, he placed his tea cup down on the table and said, "Yuntian."
Han Lingshi nodded and said, "He embezzled 70 million dollars from the company, and gave them to the Red Banner. Not only that, but he is also using my best friend Maria as his pawn. Not only did he put a dent in the company, he also harmed me."
The old man nodded, and asked, "What do you want from me?"
Han Lingshi looked at him and said, "I have an opinion. Showing mercy to someone who has been so cruel is foolishness. However, since the enemy is somewhat related to me, I thought it would be nice to seek your opinion on this."
Old Master Han looked at Han Lingshi and asked, "You intend to deal with him severely?"
Han Lingshi could sense the hesitation in his voice, no matter what, the guy they were talking about was his grandson. He did have some emotions for him. He sighed and said, "What if we send him to the hawk nation and handle business there?"
Han Lingshi looked at the blooming flowers and said, "Grandpa, once a beast gets taste of human blood, they cannot help it and hunt humans only. Do you think that if he could try something this big against me in the Han Nation, he would not do anything to Lingxue?
I had always held this in my heart, but while you consider him to be family, the reality is the opposite of your beliefs. Second Uncle has done a lot of sinful things, but because he is an elder of mine I have stayed quiet. I am reaching my limit grandpa, but if they try one more thing, I do not care how silly it is. I will go after them."
Old Master Han sighed and nodded, he was old now, and he did not wish to see too much of conflict among the younger generation but he could not control them to make peace forever. This situation today reminded him of how his second son made troubles for his first son back in the day. However, times have changed, and his grand daughter was not someone like his son.
He watched Han Lingshi grow up. She would never look at the things that belong to the others but when it came to the things that were hers, she would not mind having a showdown. Just when he was about to say, a maid came over.
Han Lingshi nodded to her, indicating that she can come close, and the maid said, "Young Miss, a Chef Hao has come over at the gates of the mansion, he said that you have called him over to cook for everyone."
This sentence shocked, Han Lingshi, and she asked, "What did you say?"
At this moment, her mobile phone rang, and she looked at Hao Ren's number. She hastily picked up the call, and the other party said, "Miss Han, thank god you picked up the call. The guards at your mansion are very strict. Had you not answered the call, they would have beaten me up."
Han Lingshi asked, "Are you really here?"
She was trying her best to control her emotions, at the same time her heart was almost coming out of her mouth. Hao Ren replied softly, "I am contract bound, Miss Han, I will come to whatever place you call me to."
Han Lingshi took a deep breath and said, "Fine, I will tell the guards now. I hope you do not disappoint me."
Hao Ren chuckled and the call was disconnected. Han Lingshi turned to the maid and said, "Call him in and show him to the kitchen. Also tell everyone to come over for lunch. Help him with everything he might need."
The maid nodded and left quickly, while Old Master Han asked, "Lingshi, what is going on?"
Han Lingshi was flustered for a second and then said, "Grandpa, I have been eating lunch made by a talented new chef. He specializes in traditional dishes, so I asked him to come over and cook for you all too."
Old Master Han frowned and said, "The chef at home will not like it."
Han Lingshi shrugged and said, "Let them deal with it on their own."
...
Hao Ren parked the car in the parking area for visitors and took out an ice box, and then a cardboard box. He piled them up on one another, before he took out a small bag from the side. He looked around and found that as a big family Han family was definitely worth its name. It took him five minutes to drive in at the speed of ten kilometers per hour.
The entire mansion was covered with high tech security methods and also had patrolling guards.
He stretched his back for a moment before he turned around and was about to pick up the boxes when he saw Han Lingshi walking up to him with a maid. Hao Ren smiled and greeted her, "Good noon, Miss Han, hope you are doing good."
Han Lingshi narrowed her eyes at him. She mouthed, 'You wait, rascal.'
Before she said, "Hello Chef Hao, I am fine. How are you?"
She did not give him a time to reply, when she turned to the maid and said, "Chef Hao, you will be helped by Aunt Emma. She is the head maid of the estate."
Hao Ren bowed to greet the maid and said, "Sorry to trouble you, Lady Emma."
Emma was a professional Butler. She was a native of the Stag nation and her mannerism was completely on an other level.
She greeted Hao Ren and asked, "Shall I call someone to help you?"
Hao Ren shoo his head and replied, "No need, I can handle it."
He picked up the two boxes and said, "Just show me the kitchen."
Emma gestured to him, and Hao Ren walked over quickly with her. However, he did not forget to look at Han Lingshi and wink at her quickly before he walked away. Han Lingshi quickly looked around and then turned to glare at Hao Ren who blew a kiss at her.
Han Lingshi blushed a little as she clenched her fist, wishing to beat him up.
...
Emma led Hao Ren to the kitchen and asked, "Chef Hao, Young Miss told me that you are proficient in traditional cuisine. I wonder who is your tutor."
Hao Ren smiled and said, "I learned it by myself, Ma'am. It is a passion of mine to cook."
Emma was surprised and looked at Hao Ren, she said, "You can just call me, Emma."
Hao Ren nodded, and thought for a second before he said, "Is it alright if I call you Aunt Emma? I am after all significantly younger than you. My mother would actually beat me for not being respectful."
Emma smiled faintly and nodded. She saw that Hao Ren was a very bright person, and unlike the other people he did not look at the decoration and act like a country bumpkin. He was calm and composed.
She led him to the kitchen and said, "You can work here, I will talk to the house chef to help you."
Hao Ren shook his head and said, "No need, I can handle things on my own. I would just need someone to tell me where the spices and the vessels are."
Emma nodded and volunteered to help him. Hao Ren put down the ice box and quickly took out his knives. He asked her for the chopping board and the woks and pans, before he began cooking.
...
The House Chef stood before Old Master Han who told him that a new chef will be cooking for the day which upset the guy and he said, "I am going to see who this guy is, and how dare he take over my kitchen."
Chefs were proud creatures, and their kitchens were their holy lands. How could they allow someone else to use their holy land?
The man walked away in big strides and the people had a bad feeling about it. However, a few minutes later, the expected clamor did not erupt. Old Master Han was surprised and also curious. He walked over to check the situation and was shocked to see Hao Ren moving around and prepping the ingredients quickly.
The chef took a deep breath and asked, "Old Master, who is this lad?"
Old Man Han shook his head and said, "Now I look forward to the dishes he is making."