Granny Xu’s restaurant was near the Library, just around the central square of the city. It was a two-story affair that had been used as an inn years ago. The upper floor had around ten rooms, with wooden walls and well-cared-for tiles, save for the dust that had accumulated during the last two weeks. It had all the essentials Lei wanted: tables, chairs, essence holders, and carpets to make you feel at home.

He remembered scrubbing these floors after a day’s work. It reminded Lei of his first job back on Earth. He had been a dishwasher before, and a prep boy who was praised for his quick cutting skills. It wasn’t until he had peeled thousands of tomatoes and potatoes that the Head Chef decided he could start learning real dishes.

It was a phase. You had to understand where your ingredients came from. You had to appreciate the team effort going on in a Michelin-starred kitchen. Even though there had been a strict hierarchy among the cooks, everybody scrubbed the floors after the restaurant closed.

But Lei wasn’t sure if he could turn this place into a Michelin-starred restaurant. That was a peculiar thought. He wondered if there was a grand organization giving stars to restaurants on the Eastern Continent—a guidebook for spiritual food, perhaps.

Anyway, he checked the stoves and the utensils. The cookware was of high quality. The kitchen had good airflow, separated clearly from the main hall, which was dotted with about a dozen long tables. Soft cushions lined the eastern wall, with floor tables placed before them.

Even though the restaurant hadn’t been in business for nearly two weeks, Lei could still smell the faint scent of essence in the air. This had been a place for families. Children would tow their parents to eat one of Ironlady’s dishes. Old people would come flocking around in the afternoon, clicking their tongues and speaking of tales about their youth.

It was warm and cozy here.

And now, Lei would have to turn this place into a cultivator’s den. He had dozens of recipes in his mind for the menu. He had even come up with names worthy of the spiritual side of the world: Flying Meatballs, Essence Curry, Rice Over The Clouds. It was just that he wasn’t sure if cultivators would be willing to pay hundreds of coppers at a family restaurant.

Unfortunately, he lacked the capital to dress the place like one of those fancy restaurants. He barely had enough money to buy ingredients. So this would have to make do. And wasn’t there a saying? As long as you had the product, all that mattered was letting people know.

“This won’t be easy,” came Fatty Lou’s voice from the main hall.

Lei closed the kitchen door behind him and made his way into the hall. His brother-in-arms stood with a thoughtful frown on his face, staring down at the tables.

“We don’t do easy, now, do we, Brother Lou?” Lei smiled. “I can cook a juicy steak that will kick their brains out. I can roast a nasty pork that will press them flat on the ground, yearning for a second bite. I can cook a chicken so sweet, so tender that it’ll make them question if they’re worthy of the food. I can do all that, but first, I need people to come here.”

Fatty Lou arched an eyebrow, impressed. “Well, I don’t doubt your dishes, but the cultivators in Jiangzhen are a different bunch. Unlike Lanzhou, they have a small and close circle here. My old man says they’re like a pack of hyenas waiting for the word of their master.”

“You mean the Governor,” Lei said.

Fatty Lou nodded. “Yeah. We must think of a way to get his attention. As far as I know, he’s the only Qi Condensation Stage expert in the city, and he’s been stuck at that stage for years now. He must be desperate if he’s risking working with those rotten bastards.”

“We don’t know for sure, though,” Lei said, doubtful. “You’ve told me the guy just stays in his office all day, barely going out. And his lackeys are just busy collecting rent around town.”

“Why else would he try to keep that Auditor away from the city?” Fatty Lou said. “It doesn’t make any sense. He should’ve been begging the man for help from the Empire, but instead, he prepared a damned parade to see him off. This whole thing stinks.”

“There’s no doubt about that. But let’s focus on the business for now,” Lei said, propping his chin with one hand. “I’ve sent Sister Zhu and Little Yao to the forest to get some spiritual ingredients. That’ll give us enough to work with. The start is important, Brother Lou. We have to make a show of it.”

“A show?” Fatty Lou nodded. “You’re right. If we’re aiming for the cultivators, we can’t let them mingle with the townsfolk. They won’t like it. We have to pamper them like spoiled brats.”

“That’s why we can’t just open the restaurant to the public,” Lei said. “We should send invitations for the opening. I don’t mean word-of-mouth—we need fancy cards to let them know this is no ordinary business. Let them taste the dishes first. Once we’ve got them on the hook, then we can start pulling.”

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“Invitations…” Fatty Lou turned toward the door. “I don’t think we can get the Governor here, but the first Spiritual Restaurant in Jiangzhen will surely get the cultivators’ attention. Have you thought about the dishes, though? Don’t go overboard, or it’ll be risky.”

Lei smiled proudly. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to cook them the good stuff. We’re going with just barely adequate, but I need some servers. Can’t let the kids deal with those fools. It’s too dangerous.”

“Mm,” Fatty Lou said. “I’ll send word for Brother He. He’s been asking questions about you lately, and he knows you’re a Spirit Chef, so better to keep him close.”

“Good, you do that,” Lei said with a nod before turning to the kitchen. “I think I’ll get the kids to clean the place.”

……

How do you make people care?

That was a good question. Lei knew how it felt to be an outsider—that emptiness of not being part of anything. He also had first-hand experience of being a cog in a grand machine. So how do you make people care?

You make them feel involved. That’s the first part.

Lei let the kids clean the floors. He hadn’t intended to use them as cheap labor. Sure, he could’ve done the cleaning himself, but he wanted the kids to break their first sweat doing the job. He wanted them to scrub the nicks and wipe the tables. He wanted them to get familiar with the place, to breathe in that wooden scent mixed with clouds of dust.

After all that cleaning, they would get angry whenever an uncaring customer stepped in with muddy shoes. Their hearts would clench when drinks spilled and plates broke. Unknowingly, they would become a force against the outsiders—a team that worked hard to keep the restaurant functioning.

This, in turn, would teach them to clean their own mess. Or, to not make a mess in the first place. Be careful. Respect the space. Be mindful of your coworkers. These things might seem basic at first glance, but the foundation was important for a business.

He let Little Yunru and Little Chuanli move the tables to the side. Little Yunru, with his towering height and strong arms, looked like a fine young man. Little Chuanli seemed like a little boy beside him. The good thing was that Little Yunru never used their differences in a way that would make Little Chuanli self-conscious.

Little Jiao, on the other hand, was too eager to start cooking. Lei guessed he was partly to blame for that expectation. His mother always said that you could never keep a clean kitchen for more than a couple of hours. A restaurant, though, was a whole different beast. It was just like one of those crazy episodes you’d watch on TV, but with less yelling and screaming, of course.

So it was important for her to learn the underlying work that made a business successful. At least Little Ning was there with her, and she seemed to soak up everything Lei said like a sponge. The girl was growing eager, which gave Lei a sense of pride.

There was so much to love about cooking.

“Gather round,” he said when the group finished cleaning the main hall. Lei would have to replace one of the tables, but the others were in good condition. His little team lined up before him, their faces tired after a good day’s work. He couldn’t help but smile at them as he spoke. “From now on, we’ll do this every day.”

“Every day?” Little Chuanli was the first to speak, frowning. “But Big Brother Lei, we don’t have any customers yet. We haven’t even cooked a single dish!”

“Brother Chuanli is right,” said Little Jiao, shaking her head. “I thought we’d be cooking more now that we have a restaurant. I don’t know why you think this hall needs cleaning, Big Brother Lei.”

Lei nodded slowly, having expected these reactions. They were too young, and had been pampered for the last month, to get their hands dirty. He respected their eagerness, but he couldn’t neglect the basics. To him, this was their first real lesson in the field of culinary arts. Nothing was simple in this world.

Lei raised his chin, keeping a straight face as he turned toward Little Yunru and Little Ning. “And you two? Do you think the same?”

Little Yunru answered firmly, “I’m ready to do whatever it takes, Big Brother Lei. I don’t mind the cleaning. I can do it.”

“Fine by me,” Little Ning said with a shrug. “Better than staying inside the house all day.”

“What?” Little Chuanli’s eyes widened before he cracked a smile. “Then you can do it. We’ll take care of the cooking with Sister Jiao. We should share the work, right, Big Brother Lei?”

Little Jiao was nodding along with Little Chuanli’s words when Lei gave them a stern glance. “Trust the process, and don’t ever talk like that in front of the Head Chef.” He started pacing around the group, hands clasped behind his back. “A chef is different from a cook. A chef cares not only for his kitchen but also for his restaurant. A chef knows the hard work it takes to run one. A chef respects the effort and never shies away from hard work. A chef does what it takes!”

The kids straightened their backs as Lei looked them up and down. If he was to be a Head Chef, then he had to act like one. He had to be the one keeping the team together.

“A chef knows he can’t do all the work by himself. A chef knows he has to rely on his team to get the job done. Now, sure, I can clean this whole place by myself, but won’t it be easier to get help from a team? Won’t we finish the job in half the time with a common effort?”

They seemed to take the lesson well, judging by the looks on their faces. Little Chuanli had lowered his head, staring at his feet. Little Jiao looked like a lightbulb had flashed in her brain, her eyes glinting.

“Before we get inside the kitchen, I want you to check the upper floor. I want those rooms cleaned to perfection. If you can finish in one hour, that means we’ll have four more hours for cooking,” Lei said, his back to the kids. He then turned slowly toward them and gave them a smile. “I have five new recipes I want to teach you, so you’d better be quick.”

Little Chuanli bolted toward the staircase, pulling Little Yunru behind him. The girls dashed after them, with Little Ning sighing as she let Little Jiao drag her up the stairs.

It was always good to see the thrill in their faces. It always felt nice to have a team eager to work.

Lei smiled contentedly as he picked up a water bucket from the main hall and went up after them. Things were shaping up just the way he wanted.