The next day, the two chefs were waiting outside the Savory Alley early in the morning. The sun was about to rise, but they were dressed ready to travel as Shen Lingqing was going to bring them to Grace Palace and Blue Haven Restaurant for them to undergo training.
When Shen Lingqing told them she was bringing them to those restaurants, both were shocked and surprised. Of course, the two chefs knew the implication of their visit. Not only would Shen Lingqing personally train and a.s.sess them during their five days of training, but they would also have a chance to meet He Haotian and Huang Shenghao, two of the most popular names within the culinary world.
It was freezing cold outside, and their breaths fogged in front of their face as they waited. It didn’t take too long before Shen Lingqing stepped out of the restaurant in thick clothing. Liu Jinfei smiled at her and noticed that she looked paler than usual.
She greeted him and Lin Xiao with a nod before saying, “Let’s get going.”
Two black sedan cars were waiting for them. Because Qiao Lian wouldn’t be able to accompany Shen Lingqing on this trip, she would be replaced by her mother, Zhang Qing. Aside from her and Fu Shuren, another two bodyguards would accompany the Shen princess and the two chefs on their short trip.
The moment Shen Lingqing showed up, Fu Shuren opened the door of the backseat and let her in. Zhang Qing adjusted the temperature as she sat in the pa.s.senger seat, making sure that their miss would be comfortable during their ride.
Behind them, Liu Jinfei and Lin Xiao entered the other car and drove closely behind them. Shen Lingqing took this time to review the reports she received from SY Holdings, so she wouldn’t have to work overtime once they arrived at their destination.
An hour later, they arrived at the airport, and their luggages were loaded to the private plane of the Shen family, the two chefs joining Shen Lingqing inside. Lin Xiao looked around in awe.
It was the first time for him to ride a private plane like this, while Liu Jinfei sat comfortably on his seat with his eyes closed. He flinched when the plane took off into the air, and he looked tense as he gripped the arms of his seat.
Shen Lingqing saw this as she was seated across from him. She didn’t think that the accident Liu Jinfei had with his father would leave a trauma on him even though two decades had pa.s.sed already.
Not that she could blame him, the Shen princess thought. In fact, if she were in his shoes and lost his whole family in an accident, Shen Lingqing would be at a loss as to how to face every day, knowing she was left on her own.
It was harder for Liu Jinfei because not only did he lose his family but also his birthright as the successor of their family to his greedy uncle. Liu Jinfei was only twelve years old when the accident happened, taking everything from him. It was understandable why he would still act like this despite the years that have gone by.
Their trip was filled with silence as Shen Lingqing worked over her laptop, while Liu Jinfei forced himself to take a nap. Lin Xiao was left with no other choice to pa.s.s time but to read the recent magazines in front of him and enjoy the drink the stewardess served to them earlier. Unlike Liu Jinfei, the older chef was too excited to calm down and take a nap.
It was almost noontime when the plane landed, and they were transferred to other cars that were obviously waiting for them. Once the car finally arrived at their destination, Liu Jinfei and Lin Xiao were greeted with a long queue of customers of the two restaurants facing each other.
“We are here,” Shen Lingqing announced, “We are just in time for the lunch services.”
They were led to the private entrance of the Grace Palace restaurant, and they were greeted by He Haotian who was supervising the lunch service in the kitchen.
“Qingqing, you’re finally here,” he said before leading them upstairs where the three could have their lunch in private. Once inside the private room, he greeted their guests.
“Welcome to Grace Palace. We are expecting you today. I hope you’ll be able to help you learn and improve your skills.”
“It’s our honor to be mentored by you, Chef He. Thank you for allowing us to be here,” Liu Jinfei said respectfully, but He Haotian waved their formalities.
“Is there something you like to eat? Grandpa’s treat.” He grinned at Shen Lingqing.
Chef He had considerably aged, but Shen Lingqing thought he was still the same talkative grandpa who always visited her family whenever he came to the capital. Since her maternal grandfather had long been dead, she was told that her Grandpa He was a very close friend of his. Chef He was also the one who trained her mother to become a professional chef.
“Whatever you have there, Grandpa. You don’t need to cook anything special just because I am here,” she said in response, “I don’t want to trouble you.”
He Haotian’s face fell, hearing her answer. Aiya, this daughter of that apprentice of his was really hard to please!
“But Qingqing, you and Lingtian rarely come here to visit this old man. I just want to give you real good food,” he said pitifully.
“Alright, Grandpa. Please give me this month’s Chef’s specials.” Shen Lingqing conceded, knowing that He Haotian wouldn’t stop nagging at her until she accepted whatever dish he came up with.
Meanwhile, as Liu Jinfei watched the interaction between the two, he couldn’t help but miss his own grandfather. Grandfather Liu had died from a heart attack a year after they met the ShenLu couple during one of Lu Xinyi’s cooking battles. Up to this day, Liu Jinfei still missed him terribly.