Chapter 223: Chapter 223: Almost Burned Down the Kitchen

"Regardless, I must thank you." Captain Zhang was genuinely grateful to Su Qing. She had truly done them a huge favor today. Considering how frenzied the kidnapper was, rescuing the hostage completely unscathed would have been rather difficult.

"Don’t mention it. I just happened to see what was going on and helped out, that’s all." Su Qing gave Captain Zhang a faint nod. "If there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way."

"Wait, there is one thing," Captain Zhang said quickly, seeing that Su Qing was about to leave.

Su Qing turned her head to look at Captain Zhang. She could tell he probably had no intention of recruiting her, but she didn’t understand why he had called her back.

"Are you from Beijing?" Captain Zhang asked.

Su Qing shook her head. "No, I’m just visiting Beijing."

Captain Zhang nodded upon hearing this. "You knocked out the kidnapper by hitting his temple with a pebble, didn’t you?"

Su Qing nodded.

"Your skills are incredible. Honestly, no one on my team, including me, has that kind of ability." Captain Zhang smiled and gave Su Qing a thumbs-up.

In truth, Captain Zhang was stunned. It was one thing to suspect it, but for the young woman before him to admit it so openly was something else entirely.

After all, Su Qing was far too young—she looked no older than seventeen or eighteen—yet she possessed such skill. Captain Zhang was tempted to ask her who she had studied under, but seeing that Su Qing didn’t seem inclined to discuss it, he wisely held his tongue.

"Let me be straight with you." Captain Zhang got right to the point. "Your skills are exceptional, but since you aren’t official personnel, you’ll need to come down to the station and register."

Fearing Su Qing might object, Captain Zhang quickly added, "Don’t worry, it’s just a registration. It’s not just for you. Anyone with exceptional skills who isn’t officially affiliated with us needs to register at the station."

In truth, not everyone with great skills needed to be registered. It was just that the way Su Qing had knocked out the kidnapper was simply too astonishing. You could probably search all of Hua Country and not find more than a handful of people with that level of proficiency.

"Alright." Su Qing considered it for a moment before agreeing.

Seeing Su Qing agree so readily, Captain Zhang smiled. "Thank you for your understanding." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

With that, Captain Zhang gave Su Qing the address of his police station. Luckily, it was within the city; he and his team had only come all the way to Yunxia Ridge in pursuit of the kidnapper.

They agreed that Su Qing would go to the station in a couple of days to register, after which Captain Zhang said his goodbyes and headed down the mountain.

Watching Captain Zhang descend the mountain, Su Qing took a deep breath. She had only been on Yunxia Mountain for half a day, yet it had been one event after another. ’Still, at least I found something good for the Vine Seeds.’

With that thought, Su Qing turned her attention to the Bagua Pool. The Vine Seeds were still lying motionlessly at the bottom. ’Looks like the little guy really is leveling up.’

After a glance at the sky, Su Qing wandered the mountain for a while longer, absorbing some green mist and gray mist before heading down and taking a bus back to Xilin Alley.

Over the next few days, Su Qing went to the police station to register her file. She also wandered around some more and, just as she’d hoped, heard about two more courtyard houses for sale: a large five-courtyard residence and a three-courtyard residence, both in the city’s outskirts.

Su Qing bought them on the spot, spending another twelve thousand yuan. All told, she had now spent around twenty-three thousand yuan to acquire seven properties in Beijing. This trip to the capital had certainly been a fruitful one.

With her main goals accomplished, Su Qing had no immediate plans to return to the Northeast. She had money and property now; she really couldn’t care less about work points. Besides, work in the village wasn’t mandatory anymore. It was completely voluntary. You worked, you earned points, and you received a share of grain and money at the end of the year. If you didn’t, you got nothing. She wasn’t hurting for that paltry sum, so she was in no hurry to go back.

’I’ve been in Beijing for so many days and still haven’t contacted Li Huan,’ she thought, and decided to give her a call.

"Hey, Su Qing! You finally remembered me!" Li Huan sounded especially happy to get her call. "Did you get my letter?"

"What letter?" Su Qing asked. "I’m in Beijing right now."

"What? You’re in Beijing?" Li Huan exclaimed in surprise. "When did you get here? You didn’t even tell me! I would have come to pick you up. Hmph, that’s not very nice of you."

Su Qing chuckled. "I came to Beijing to take care of some business. And look, the moment I finished, I called you."

Hearing this, Li Huan’s mood brightened instantly. "That’s great! Let me treat you to a delicious meal. I know a fantastic private kitchen. It’s on me! Hold on, I’ll call and make a reservation right now."

Su Qing smiled. "Sounds good. After we eat, I’ll take you over to my place."

"Your place?" Li Huan didn’t quite process it at first. ’Isn’t Su Qing from the Northeast?’ she wondered. Then, it dawned on her. "Su Qing, did you buy a house in Beijing?" she asked, astonished.

"Yeah, that’s what I came here to do," Su Qing said with a smile.

"Oh my gosh, you’re incredible! And you’re more than a year younger than me." Li Huan could hardly believe her ears. Su Qing was already buying houses in Beijing, while she was still relying on the protection of her parents and grandparents, having achieved nothing on her own. ’I’m so pathetic,’ she thought.

"It was just good luck," Su Qing said with a laugh.

After chatting a bit longer, they hung up. Li Huan quickly made a reservation at the private kitchen for the following day. And so, at noon the next day, Su Qing went with Li Huan to the restaurant.

When they arrived, Su Qing couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. "Oh, it’s this place."

"You’ve been here before?" Li Huan was a little surprised.

Su Qing didn’t hide it. "Yeah," she said with a nod. "A friend brought me here the other day. They mentioned it’s really hard to get a reservation at this place—that you have to book at least a week in advance."

Li Huan smiled and led Su Qing into a private room. "You’re right," she said. "You do normally have to book a week in advance for this place. But not me."

Finishing her sentence, Li Huan gave Su Qing a smug little eyebrow-waggle. "The person who owns this private kitchen is my uncle."

"It’s your uncle?" Su Qing said, surprised. "Doesn’t that make you a descendant of an Imperial Chef, too?"

"Yep," Li Huan nodded. "My maternal grandfather’s family were Imperial Chefs. My grandpa is an amazing cook, but unfortunately..."

Li Huan pouted. "I didn’t inherit a single drop of their culinary talent. Ever since I nearly burned down my uncle’s kitchen, my mom has forbidden me from setting foot in one. She’s afraid I’ll accidentally burn myself to a crisp along with the food."

Su Qing couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

Just as they were talking, a man’s amused voice drifted in from the doorway. "And you have the gall to bring that up."