Plotting Over a Meal

In the kitchen of Budding Courtyard, the fragrant scent of sizzling spices and the soft hum of simmering sauces filled the air. On the rustic yet polished wooden countertops, Xu Feng moved with the grace of a seasoned chef. 

With swift and practiced motions, he chopped vibrant vegetables—an assortment of crisp bell peppers, verdant bok choy, and slender carrots—that had been carefully harvested from his greenhouse earlier that morning.

Beside the neatly arranged vegetables, a plump piece of chicken, tender and succulent, lay waiting to be transformed into a delicious dish. Xu Feng neatly seasoned it with aromatic spices—ginger, garlic, and a dash of soy sauce—enhancing the flavors that would soon marry in the simmering wok.