Powerful backing

　　It was time for the employees to eat and Xie Tao therefore had to reluctantly put the cub down. Just thinking about the fact that some days ago the cub was still in its egg, Xie Tao felt very uneasy and gave the cub one last glance.

　　As the others seemed to, unconsciously or not, distance themselves from this cub, Xie Tao had taken it upon himself to take proper care of him and he had unknowingly become somewhat overprotective.

　　According to Xia Qi, the cub was now free to move around outside the hatching room. But Xie Tao, as a human, had been very aware of how cold the weather recently had been and when he saw the cub, his first impulse was therefore to pick him up and use his own body temperature to warm him.

　　Sometimes when Xie Tao needed his hands free, he would even pull down the zipper on his jacket and place the Knox cub inside. It worked best if he sat down so after preparing the food, Xie Tao picked up the cub again and put him inside while he ate.

　　“We will get something delicious today, the investor and Vice President of our club has personally cooked. Let’s just agree to not fight over the food this time.” Xia Qi said this to everyone but it was mainly for Zarad, because among the employees, he was the only one who had not yet tasted Xie Tao’s delicious cooking. Everyone else had already experienced it and was now a little more restrained.

　　Although Zarad had fixed his image a bit and didn’t look as scary, he was still distant and quiet. He only nodded slightly when Xia Qi looked over at him and did not say anything.

　　As a former General, he had not lacked good food, he had once even spent tens of thousands on one dish containing the rare Golden Crab. However, he had also eaten a lot of “employee meals” with his solders and he knew not to expect too much. However he didn’t say this out loud. Because, despite coming across as having no social skills, Zarad still had enough emotional intelligence to know not to express his rude thoughts.

　　After doing her announcement, Xia Qi disappeared into the kitchen. While waiting, Zarad went and sat down at the table, but suddenly he felt an entrancing smell. Xia Qi was walking towards them with the dishes and Zarad couldn’t help but turn his head in her direction and follow the dishes with his eyes as they were placed on the table. Just looking at them instantly awoke his resting stomach and although he hadn’t felt especially hungry before, he was now starving.

　　How could there be such a tempting fragrance? Zarad recognized the main ingredients used in the dishes, but feeling the scent he started to doubt his own senses.

　　He was so distracted by the food that he didn’t even notice that the Knox cub was placed inside Xie Tao’s jacket. In fact, his eyes never even left the food and he couldn’t help but swallow.

　　The other people present were not surprised at seeing their new colleague in this state. Because, when they first ate the food made by the investor himself, they had been even more exaggerated than he was right now…

　　“If I can get such a staff meal every day, then I am even willing to work for free!” Feng Wenxian, who recently had become their accountant, said this very sincerely. Xia Qi had told him this morning that Xie Tao would cook and ever since he had this extreme craving, to the point of almost dying of longing.

　　Although their other new employee, Zheng Zhou, did not make a sound, his expression involuntarily revealed everything and one could see that he agreed to Feng Wenxian’s statement.

　　When Xie Tao heard this, he smiled and said: “I can’t do it every day, but after the financial situation of the club get better, we will recruit someone responsible for cooking and I will then teach that person the recipe.”

　　Many of the dishes that Xie Tao had cooked was in fact just common dishes in his world. Very basic home-cooked dishes, like fried shrimp, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, and sautéed eggplant. (T/N: Scroll to the end for food pictures.) Of course he had to change them a bit as not everything was possible to find on this planet but he had managed to find things with similar taste and the dishes were not that much different than the original dishes. As for why Feng Wenxian had the appearance of a reincarnated hungry ghost that had not eaten for 800 years, well, that had more to do with the food culture of this world…

　　On his first day in this world, Xie Tao had already discovered that it was quite different from his world.

　　There were of course catering businesses in this world too, however the catering industry was not very developed. Most people’s daily meals consisted of nutrient packets and they rarely ate at a restaurant. Even the families that could be considered regulars would only go once or twice a week.

　　On his first day, Xia Qi had taken out a small box filled with nutrient packets and handed it to him, saying that it was this month’s food.

　　Xie Tao had therefore tried nutrient packets and even though it was not repulsive or uneatable, as a person from another world he could not get use to it.

　　The taste of the nutrient packet’s content was bland and the texture was thick, it was a bit like drinking porridge. Although it could fill your stomach and provide enough nutrition, there was no sense of happiness when eating.

　　Or at least that was what Xie Tao felt, the people in this world seem to be accustomed to this way of life and at present there seemed to be no desire to change.

　　So after auctioning off the bonanza, Xie Tao had used a small part of the earnings and started to improve the food for himself and the other people in the club. Before when there was only nutrient packets, everyone ate alone, just hurriedly emptying it and getting back to work. But now everyone gathered together and enjoyed the food together.

　　The atmosphere in the club had become much better as everyone got to know each other and was more well rested and happy when they got back to work.

　　When the dishes were placed on the table, everyone tried to be civilized and pa.s.s the dishes around but when everyone had been served they hurriedly dug in.

　　Dipping the shrimp-like creature in the sauce and taking a bite out of it, Feng Wenxian couldn’t help but exclaim: “Sometimes I forget that this is not a restaurant but a nursing club, but, oh, that restaurant would definitely earn a lot of money and everyone on Gaia Star would know of it!”

　　It might not even stop at Gaia Star, it was possible that the word of it would travel throughout the entire universe.

　　Anyway, Feng Wenxian now felt that the dishes found in restaurants outside really wasn’t worth their high price. He used to think that they were delicious, but ever since he had his first staff meal here, he felt that they were no better than nutrient packets.

　　The dishes in those restaurants also contained some of the ingredients that the Vice President used, but they tasted entirely different. Feng Wenxian didn’t know if it was the way he prepared them or the seasoning, but there was a huge difference!

　　Before he had eaten here, Feng Wenxian never knew that food could be so delicious.

　　The rigid former General had already joined the others as they gorged themselves, leaving all table manners behind, and when he heard Feng Wenxian’s remarks, he even nodded in agreement.

　　The delicious Golden Crab that had cost him tens of thousands couldn’t even compare to the dishes he was eating now. After having tasted this, Zarad suddenly felt that every good meal he had ever had was bland in comparison.

　　Xie Tao certainly wouldn’t give up on their club and start a restaurant instead, but Feng Wenxian’s words made him think.

　　This world’s catering industry held great business opportunities. Although he couldn’t open a restaurant himself, maybe he could make a corresponding investment in it later?