Chapter 245: Have I Seen You Before?

Shen Lu smiled but didn’t say anything. She was confident in her skills, but not so arrogant as to think she could outshine everyone.

Bai Wanwan probably only said that because she was looking at things through the filter of friendship.

"The Kitchen King Competition is starting soon. Are you going to enter?" Bai Lei suddenly asked. "You should, right? Pretty much every restaurant in the Imperial City, big or small, participates."

"I won’t," Shen Lu said. She wasn’t interested in competitions. Right now, she just wanted to keep a low profile, make money, and complete her quests to max out her shop’s defense as soon as possible.

It was best for her to avoid anything that would draw too much attention.

"Huh? Why not?" Bai Lei had been all ready to go and cheer for Shen Lu, hoping he could maybe snag some free food and drinks in the process, but now she wasn’t even entering.

Bai Wanwan said, "If Little Deer doesn’t want to go, she doesn’t have to. Why do you need a reason?"

"I’m too busy to get away," Shen Lu offered as an explanation.

Just as Bai Wanwan was about to speak, a maid knocked on the door to announce that a Miss Li had arrived.

"Sister Qin is here?" Bai Wanwan was pleasantly surprised and quickly stood up. "I’ll be right down."

Bai Wanwan rushed into the walk-in closet, then turned and pulled Shen Lu in with her. "Hurry, let’s change and go down."

Shen Lu didn’t want to budge. "She’s your guest. I don’t need to go down, do I?"

"Don’t dawdle. Come on."

Since Bai Wanwan insisted, Shen Lu had to oblige. The two changed their clothes, quickly tidied their hair, and went downstairs with a similarly changed Bai Lei to meet the guest.

The moment she saw the woman sitting poised on the sofa, Shen Lu froze.

"Sister Qin! I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to make it," Bai Wanwan said, warmly taking her hand.

Li Qin smiled. "Today is your eighteenth birthday. Of course I had to come and wish you a happy birthday in person."

She turned her head and noticed Shen Lu, who was a couple of steps behind.

"You... Have we met before?"

Bai Wanwan, who had been about to make the introduction, let out a small "Oh?" "This is my friend, Shen Lu. Do you know her, Sister Qin?"

Shen Lu stepped forward. "Oh, Researcher Li. I visited the institute a while ago."

"It’s you!" Li Qin remembered. "I can’t believe you’re friends with Wanwan."

Shen Lu smiled and nodded. Bai Wanwan, curious, asked how they knew each other, and Li Qin gave a brief explanation.

"I’ve never even been inside the institute!" Bai Wanwan pouted.

"It’s not like it’s a nice place to visit," Li Qin said.

"But I’m curious," Bai Wanwan said.

The importance of the research institute to the Imperial Capital Survival Base could not be overstated. It was no exaggeration to say that every aspect of life for everyone in the Imperial City—their food, drink, shelter, and transport—was inextricably linked to the institute.

Li Qin had only taken a two-hour leave. Factoring in travel time, she couldn’t stay long at the Bai Family’s home. It was a rare trip out for her, and she still needed to visit her parents.

Shen Lu wasn’t about to waste this opportunity. She proactively asked Li Qin if they could exchange contact information.

Li Qin didn’t agree right away, only offering a faint smile.

Shen Lu wasn’t surprised. They’d only met once before, so it was perfectly normal for Li Qin to be unwilling to exchange contact information.

"Well, you see, I happened to plant a pot of scallions a while ago." Shen Lu pulled up a picture on her Light Brain, sharing it for everyone to see. "They’ve sprouted, but they’re growing very slowly. I’ve never grown anything like this before, so I’m worried something might go wrong. I was hoping to get Researcher Li’s contact information so I could ask for advice if that happens."

Shen Lu had casually taken the picture a couple of days ago while relaxing in her courtyard in the afternoon sun. Under the warm light, a few thin, green shoots in the flowerpot looked especially frail against the vast, yellow-brown expanse of soil.

A Light Brain’s camera automatically records the time and location of a photo. Li Qin glanced at the metadata: it was a recent picture, and the location was listed as Xiao Jin Street·Little Deer Cuisine.

"You grew these?" Li Qin asked.

"I did."

Li Qin didn’t believe her right away. After all, details like the time and location could be faked. However, she was Bai Wanwan’s friend, which made it unlikely that she was lying.

After some deliberation, she decided to exchange contact information with Shen Lu.

"If you’re free in the next day or two, bring your pot of scallions to the institute and find me."

’I’ll know whether it’s real or fake once I see it with my own eyes.’

Internally, a tiny version of Shen Lu pumped its fist and yelled "Bingo!" but on the outside, she respectfully exchanged Light Brain numbers with Li Qin.

’This is great! I finally have a legitimate reason to get into the research institute!’

’And it’s not just a one-time thing, nor will I be trapped inside.’

After seeing Li Qin off, Bai Wanwan and Bai Lei gave her a look heavy with meaning.

Shen Lu fiddled with her fingers. "Why are you two looking at me like that?"

"Fess up. Did you get that soil from *that* supplier?"

Only soil from the research institute could be used to grow anything. All the agricultural bases in the Imperial City, large and small, had to buy soil from the institute every year to grow their vegetables.

The soil was extremely expensive. Some had tried to formulate their own soil mixtures, but they had all failed.

Seeds, on the other hand, weren’t so difficult to come by. After all, bio-cloning technology had reached an advanced stage, and seed propagation was a very mature process.

The government even encouraged citizens to try their hand at planting, so seeds were quite affordable.

"Nope. I found the flowerpot and soil after someone else threw them out. The seeds were just some cheap ones I bought," Shen Lu said, mixing truth with lies.

"I never would’ve guessed you knew how to grow vegetables." Bai Lei looked her up and down. "Shen Lu, how many other secrets are you hiding from us?"

Shen Lu held up her hands. "I don’t know how. I’m just giving it a shot. I’m a restaurant owner; isn’t it normal to want to grow your own ingredients for your business?"

"I’m sure you’ll succeed, especially with Sister Qin helping you," Bai Wanwan said, patting her on the shoulder. "Sister Qin is brilliant. She’s a real expert when it comes to botany."

"Perhaps."

"Anyway," Bai Wanwan said, rubbing her stomach, "Shen Lu, I’m still not full. After all that sweet stuff, I’m craving something savory."

Bai Lei added, "Now that you mention it, I’m getting a little hungry too."

Shen Lu: ...

They were truly brother and sister.

Shen Lu was in a good mood, so she rolled up her sleeves and headed to the kitchen. She saw some small potatoes, so she washed and dried them, then whipped up a large batch of crispy fried potatoes.

The spicy, savory potatoes were bite-sized, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Bai Wanwan and Bai Lei practically inhaled them, even bickering over the very last one.

Of course, Bai Wanwan won.

Bai Lei asked, "Shen Lu, can you make some more?"

A teenage boy’s stomach is a bottomless pit; once they find something they like, they can eat nonstop.

Shen Lu yawned. "I’m getting sleepy."

So Bai Lei didn’t press the issue.

Early the next morning, while Bai Wanwan was still sound asleep, Shen Lu was already up.

Father Bai and Mrs. Bai were also early risers and were in the living room waiting for breakfast. They were quite surprised to see Shen Lu come downstairs.

"You’re up so early, Miss Shen?" Mrs. Bai asked.

Shen Lu greeted them. "I need to get back to the shop to prepare. Thank you both for your hospitality last night."

At Mrs. Bai’s insistence, Shen Lu had no choice but to accept a bag of bread and milk before getting into the Bai Family’s car.

By the time she returned to Little Deer Cuisine, Zhao Qian’s vegetable delivery had also arrived.