I controlled the entire Zerg race with my superb culinary skills.

After a night, Xu Le had finished making a table that was perfect for eating hot pot, took a picture, and sent it to Chu Yang.

Upon seeing the table in the photo, Chu Yang raised his eyelids in surprise; it was even better than his own sketch.

"Xinhang, I'm going to see Xu Le."

"Yes, my lord, please be careful on the road."

Chu Xinhang was still holding a steamed bun in his hand, looking up as he watched Chu Yang ride his motorcycle away and disappear from the store entrance.

Chu Yang was already very familiar with the black market, and soon he arrived at the back door of Xu Le's bar on his motorcycle.

As I walked in, I took off my gloves and tossed them onto the sofa next to me.

"Boss, why are you here?"

Xu Le wasn't too surprised by Chu Yang's arrival and greeted the shop's staff.

"I came to see the actual product. I didn't expect you to finish it in just one night. It's even better than my drawing."

The worker brought two glasses of sparkling water, placed them on the table, and then left.

"The item isn't here; it's in my private vault."

"Can I take a look at your private vault?"

Xu Le nodded and smiled, then got up and led Chu Yang down from the basement to another studio.

As soon as he entered, Chu Yang was stunned by the cooperative pistols hanging on the wall.

"Are these models or the real thing?"

Chu Yang curiously approached the weapons and examined them closely; they didn't look like models.

"These are all from my collection. Do you like any of them, boss? I can give them to you."

Upon hearing that these were all genuine, Chu Yang excitedly took a white mechanical pistol from the wall. It wasn't as heavy as he had imagined, and it felt comfortable to hold.

"Were these all bought on the black market?"

"Yes, some are, and some I just made for fun."

"Really? You're amazing! You can actually make such a weapon. How about you make me a powerful sword sometime when you have time?"

Xu Le pushed up his glasses, a gentle expression appearing in his eyes.

"With great pleasure."

With the new store opening imminent, Chu Xinhang also recruited some employees. After confirming their job duties and benefits with them, he met Song Liluo at the entrance.

His basket contained only half a bunch of mushrooms, and four tiny insects followed behind him.

"Sir, may I work here?"

The weather is getting colder and colder, and it's hard to find mushrooms on the mountain. Although we saved up a lot of star coins before, it's only enough to keep the four cubs from getting too hungry, and not enough to buy heating equipment or warm clothes.

Chu Xinhang felt a little reluctant, but seeing the cubs following behind him, he ultimately refused.

"Is that so? Thank you, sir."

A dejected Song Lilu slammed his head down, while Song Ya beside him gripped the hem of his father's clothes tightly.

While washing mushrooms with his parents, he kept glancing around.

Upon seeing Chu Yang, he excitedly put down the mushrooms he was holding and quickly ran over.

"Brother Chu Yang."

Chu Yang, who had just returned from the hospital after having his blood drawn, gently rubbed Song Ya's head.

"What's wrong, Song Ya? What do you want to eat today? We can have them make it for you."

Song Ya hugged Chu Yang's leg and shook his head.

"I'm not hungry, I want to ask Brother Chu Yang for a favor." The little guy looked up at Chu Yang with a tearful expression.

"Okay, let your brother hear what important thing our lovely little one wants from me."

Chu Yang picked up Song Ya, who was clinging to his leg, and lifted him up. The little guy looked quite tall, but he was very light, and his bones were a bit hard to hold. Chu Yang couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Brother, could you let my father-in-law work at your new store?"

Chu Yang pinched his little nose and said affectionately.

“You’re all too young. If your female parent goes to work during the day, who will take care of you? What if you encounter bad insects?”

Song Ya lowered his head in disappointment. Indeed, if the female father went to work and encountered a bad insect, he wouldn't be able to defeat it.

"Mushrooms are hard to find on the mountain now, so the female father can no longer earn star coins. Everyone will have to suffer from cold and hunger again this winter."

As the little guy spoke, tears streamed down his face. He remembered how in the past, during winter, he would go to the garbage dump to scavenge for food and clothes, and he could only endure the cold when he got sick.

"Silly boy, don't cry. Although your father can't work at the hot pot restaurant, he can work at the steamed bun shop. All of you little ones can come and work for me, okay?"

Her disappointed eyes immediately brightened, and Song Ya wrapped her little arms around Chu Yang's neck, saying excitedly.

"Really? Brother Chu Yang, don't worry. Don't underestimate us just because we're young. We can do any kind of work."

The Zerg have no special laws regarding underage offspring, and even if they hire child laborers, it does not violate the law.

Song Liluo's job was to clean up the steamed bun shop, while the little ones could help wash vegetables in the backyard.

This would not only increase Song Liluo's income, allowing them to get through the winter safely, but also relieve Chu Yang of his worries about the poor children.

The Zerg are male-dominated and female-subordinate, much like in feudal societies of the past. Those who are abandoned are mostly girls. What's even more heartbreaking is that if a girl is born, she is either drowned or thrown away.

Carrying Song Ya, whose brows were still red, to the kitchen, Chu Xinhang's gaze never left Chu Yang and the others.

It seems the male master really likes the cub, so I need to work harder to get on the bug egg as soon as possible.

With three days to go before the new store opens, all the custom-made tables and chairs have arrived, and the soft furnishings in the restaurant have been completed. The restaurant will not only serve hot pot but also allow customers to order other dishes.

Chu Yang specially prepared several set meals, ranging from cheap to expensive, and from single insect dishes to multi-insect team-building meals.

The hot pot currently only offers spicy broth and bone broth broth. You can order a single broth or choose a half-and-half broth.

Before the opening, Xu Le specially filmed a promotional video for Chu Yang's new restaurant.

The video not only shows Chu Yang cooking, but also scenes of eating hot pot.

The dishes in the video look and smell delicious, especially highlighting that the dishes and ingredients in the restaurant are all carefully selected by the esteemed male insect, and that some specific dishes are even made by him personally.

[Grand opening special offer! Customers who make a purchase within the first three days of opening will receive a complimentary gift bag of candy personally made by Mr. Male Insect.]

The video ends with a promotional event for the new store opening, and the short promotional video quickly went viral on Planet D06.

[What! What did I just see?! Male insects can cook?!]

I've seen male beetles before, but I've never seen a male beetle that can cook. What's going on? Were there any people sharing tables on opening day?

Yes, yes, yes! I'll give it my all! I'll give it my all!

Count me in!

【And I! 】

...

With only three days left until the opening, the steamed bun shop always has a particularly enticing sweet aroma wafting out.

That's right, Chu Yang is working overtime to make candy gift packs.

The four little cubs, their mouths glistening with drool, peered curiously through the kitchen window at the pot of somewhat dark-colored stuff Chu Yang was cooking.

After the first batch of toffee was made, Chu Yang gave each of the four little ones two pieces, and each of the rest of the little ones one piece.

Everyone raved about the sweet and salty toffee, and many people came to buy it after smelling it, but Pan Cheng and his team refused them outright, saying that the candies were only given away as a gift and that the details of the promotion could be found in the promotional video at the store entrance.

Besides toffee, snowflake crisps are also a great winter treat. I made nut flavor, freeze-dried strawberry flavor, and caramel cookie flavor all at once.

"It's dried strawberry! This is the first time I've ever seen it. I've only ever seen it on TV or on the internet before."

Chu Yang looked up and saw Shen Nanxi, who had just gotten off work, picking out a small piece of broken strawberry crumb and feeding it to her mouth.

"It's delicious and sweet. The taste of strawberry-flavored nutrient solution is not even a tenth as good as this."

Having tasted the strawberry, Shen Nanxi looked at Chu Yang expectantly with her big, watery eyes.

"It's okay, eat whatever you want."

"Hey, thanks, bro."

Upon receiving the signal, Shen Nanxi excitedly picked up a whole dried strawberry, but instead of eating it immediately, she leaned closer to examine it.

After observing for a while, I reluctantly took a small bite.