The Jeep's heater was broken, but the interior felt like a sanctuary compared to the forest. As they drove, the silence was heavy.
Gu Shaozheng finally spoke as they reached the outskirts of a military checkpoint. "Why tell me? Why not the local police?"
"The local police drink tea with my uncle every Sunday," Lin Xi replied, leaning her head against the window. "You're the only one in this province with enough power to make sure they don't follow me."
Gu Shaozheng pulled over near a small, dilapidated roadside canteen. "I have a meeting. Wait here. Don't try to run, or my men will find you before sunrise."
He left her with a junior soldier, a young man named Xiao Wang who looked like he hadn't slept in days.
Lin Xi's stomach let out a thunderous growl. She looked at the canteen. It was nearly empty, serving only grey, tasteless buns to the soldiers on duty.
"Is the food always this bad?" Lin Xi asked Xiao Wang.
The soldier sighed. "The chef quit last week. We're surviving on old flour and salt."
Lin Xi stood up. "Move."
She walked into the tiny, soot-stained kitchen. She didn't have her Michelin tools, but she had her hands. She found a bowl of leftover pork fat, a jar of dried chilies, and some coarse flour.
She worked with a speed that made Xiao Wang's jaw drop. She kneaded the dough until it was elastic, then pulled it into thin, translucent ribbons. She rendered the pork fat until it was golden and crispy, tossing in the chilies and a dash of vinegar she found in the back of a cupboard.
By the time Gu Shaozheng returned from his meeting, the entire checkpoint was covered in a scent so spicy and fragrant that the guards were practically salivating.
He walked into the canteen to find his men huddled around a table, eating bowls of "Oil-Splashed Noodles" that looked like something out of a dream.
Lin Xi stood by the stove, a bowl in her hand. "You look like a man who hasn't had a decent meal in years, Commander."
Gu Shaozheng took the bowl. The first bite was an explosion of flavor the heat of the chili, the richness of the fat, and the perfect 'al dente' texture of the noodles. It was a level of skill that shouldn't exist in a remote village.
He finished the bowl in silence, then looked at her, his expression unreadable. "What do you want, Lin Xi?"
"A permit to open a food stall in the Capital's central market," she said, wiping her hands on a cloth. "And your protection until I can afford my own guards."
Gu Shaozheng stood up, his tall frame dwarfing the small kitchen. "You've got a week to prove those noodles weren't a fluke. If they aren't, I'll give you the permit. If they are... I'll send you back to your uncle."
Lin Xi smirked. "Deal."
In the distance, the first rays of the 1980s sun began to rise. The "cannon fodder" was gone. The Queen of the Kitchen had arrived.