Chapter 45: Who Do You Think You're Looking Down On?

When they arrived at Hengshui Distillery, it happened to be lunchtime.

Li Dawei suggested they eat first before going to look at the liquor bottling equipment, and Liu Xing was happy to agree. After all, it was mealtime—if he didn’t eat now, he’d be starving later.

Seeing Liu Xing’s agreement, Li Dawei promptly led the group to a private room on the first floor of the distillery’s cafeteria reserved for distinguished guests. He immediately ordered the head of the cafeteria, Wang Zhongyu, to hurry over and prepare some dishes.

Liu Xing knew Wang Zhongyu. The first time he had sold river snails, it was Wang who had bought his wild celery and mountain onions. Wang had even asked if he could supply them regularly, but Liu Xing had refused. It had been several days since they’d last met—Wang likely wouldn’t remember him now.

Unexpectedly, when Wang Zhongyu entered the private room to ask what dishes they’d like, he stared in disbelief at Liu Xing and Guazi, standing dumbfounded at the door, his eyes full of uncertainty.

Li Dawei noticed the scene and rapped his knuckles on the table. “What’s wrong with you, jumping like you’ve seen a ghost?”

“It’s not a ghost, it’s just… him…” Wang Zhongyu stammered and pointed at Liu Xing, his voice trembling. “I know him. Isn’t he the boy who herds cattle and sells river snails? How could someone like him be eating in the VIP room?”

“I even know his sister—big eyes, skinny arms and legs. No mistake.” Wang Zhongyu gave Li Dawei a wry smile. He didn’t mind cooking for the distillery’s honored guests personally, but to serve a pair of cattle-herding siblings made him uneasy.

Li Dawei immediately picked up on the implication and shot Wang Zhongyu an angry glare. “What’s wrong with herding cattle? Can’t a cattleherd be an honored guest of Hengshui Distillery? Enough nonsense. Go to the kitchen and make your best dishes. If you’re not willing, I’ll have someone else take your position right now.”

“No, no! I’ll go, I’ll go!” Wang Zhongyu broke out in a cold sweat, hurriedly admitted defeat, and rushed off.

Li Dawei shook his head and poured tea for Liu Xing. “Not a bad environment here, right?”

“It’s all right, just so-so,” Liu Xing replied offhandedly.

Having lived another life, he’d seen all kinds of private dining rooms. This one didn’t impress him at all—in fact, it felt a bit old-fashioned and worn.

The remark stung Li Dawei, and his hand trembled so much he almost spilled tea on the table. “You’ve seen a better VIP room than this in all of HY City?”

“I have,” Liu Xing replied with a smile.

He knew exactly what Li Dawei meant, but chose not to expose it.

Li Dawei was at a loss and could only sip his tea in silence, lest he suffer another blow.

Li Weiwei, watching from the side, couldn’t help but cover her mouth to stifle a laugh. “Brother Liu Xing, from the way you talk and act, it seems you know a lot about the outside world!”

“More or less,” Liu Xing answered.

“Tell me about it, then!” Li Weiwei looked at him expectantly.

“I’d rather not. Your father will just mock me the whole time,” Liu Xing declined politely.

Li Weiwei was still too inexperienced to coax anything out of him.

Li Dawei could only sigh inwardly. He’d hoped to learn a bit more about Liu Xing, but it was clear the boy was tight-lipped.

But perhaps Guazi could be teased for some information? Surely she would know some of Liu Xing’s secrets.

Unfortunately for him, Guazi knew nothing except that Liu Xing was great at herding cattle. This left Li Dawei rather disappointed, and he could only drink his tea in awkward silence, asking nothing further.

After a short wait, Wang Zhongyu arrived at the table carrying a large basin of poached fish. He set it down and, smiling broadly, said, “The other dishes will take a bit longer. Director, you and this young man can have a drink and chat first. I’ll personally bring the rest when they’re ready.”

“All right, go on then,” Li Dawei waved him away.

Wang Zhongyu smiled and left.

Liu Xing stared at the poached fish in surprise, then cried out, “Wait a minute—there’s something wrong with this fish!”

“Huh?” Wang Zhongyu turned back, puzzled. He’d been making this dish for over a decade—what could possibly be wrong?

Liu Xing picked up a leafy stalk from the basin with his chopsticks. “Do you know what this is?”

“Isn’t it just wild celery?” Wang Zhongyu replied impatiently.

Liu Xing smiled faintly. “You must be getting old—this is water hemlock, also known as poison celery. It’s toxic. Eating it will give you diarrhea, and it tastes wrong—numbing and bitter.”

“Impossible,” Wang Zhongyu said, grabbing a pair of chopsticks from the table. “I’ll eat it right now. If it’s numbing and bitter, I’ll step down as the head of the distillery cafeteria.”

“You said it, not me. I’m not forcing you,” Liu Xing gestured for him to try the fish.

Li Dawei and Li Weiwei watched with interest from the side.

This Liu Xing was something else—daring to challenge Wang Zhongyu. Didn’t he know that Wang Zhongyu’s cooking was among the best in the city? If not for his age, he’d never settle for being a humble cafeteria chief here.

Wang Zhongyu, though annoyed, didn’t show it. He tasted the poached fish with a dark expression.

One taste, and his face changed instantly.

“What’s wrong?” Li Dawei asked curiously.

“Nothing, maybe my taste buds are off,” Wang Zhongyu said nervously, trying another bite.

When he tasted the numbing bitterness again, panic seized him. He froze, unsure what to do.

Li Dawei realized something was off, and to be sure, picked up his own chopsticks and tried a piece. The unpleasant, numbing taste made him furious. “What are you waiting for? Take this fish out right now and make something else! You’ve disgraced the distillery!”

“Yes, yes!” Wang Zhongyu glanced fearfully at Liu Xing, grabbed the fish, and hurried out.

Li Weiwei burst out laughing, tears streaming down her face.

Guazi’s eyes curved into crescents with mirth. Who’d have thought the cafeteria’s top chef was worse than her own mother in the kitchen? It was hilarious.

“Liu Xing, I’m afraid you’ve made a spectacle of us,” Li Dawei said awkwardly, trying to keep a straight face but unable to suppress his laughter in the end.

Liu Xing smiled as well. “You can’t really blame the chef. Water hemlock and wild celery look almost identical before they flower—without careful inspection, it’s impossible to tell them apart.”

“I see,” Li Dawei nodded slowly.

That was a lesson for Wang Zhongyu. If a foreign guest had eaten that poached fish, it would have been a real disaster.

Just then, an assistant stood at the door with a bowl of egg drop soup, hesitating to enter. Li Dawei waved him in. “What are you waiting for? Come in—everyone’s hungry.”

“Yes, yes!” The assistant hurried into the VIP room.

Soon after, Wang Zhongyu himself brought in several of his best dishes.

This time, Liu Xing made no more trouble for him, but picked up his chopsticks and ate heartily.

Finding the food good, he even praised Wang Zhongyu in front of Li Dawei.

Wang Zhongyu breathed a sigh of relief. Now he understood that the cattleherd before him was no ordinary boy and truly deserved to be treated as an honored guest.

At that moment, a portly, balding middle-aged man entered the room. “Li, you’ve got time for lunch, but the workshop’s about to break out in a fight.”

“What happened?” Li Dawei asked with a frown.

The bald man glanced at Liu Xing, and seeing Li Dawei didn’t object, continued, “Many of the temps want to quit. Even a dozen permanent workers do too, but HR won’t allow it. That’s how the conflict started.”

“Is it because they can’t stand the damage alcohol does to their skin?” Li Dawei mused.

“That’s right,” the bald man nodded.

“Let’s go take a look,” Li Dawei said, getting up and heading for the door. But after a couple of steps, he turned back with a wry smile for Liu Xing. “Sorry, I have urgent business and can’t keep you company for lunch.”

“No problem,” Liu Xing replied casually.

“By the way, this is Director Zhang of Hengshui Distillery,” Li Dawei introduced the balding man.

“Hello,” Liu Xing greeted him with a smile.

The bald man shot him a glance and walked straight out, not giving him the slightest acknowledgment.

Li Dawei felt awkward, shrugged, and followed after him.

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