Guo Xuyang spoke and dialed Liu He.
"Manager Liu, I was thinking of sending a lamb soup to Xiao Xi at noon. Is the lamb in the storeroom enough?"
"Okay, President Guo. There's still some lamb left, but we'll need to buy some more soon. The lamb is still in high demand." Liu He replied.
"Alright, I'll replenish the lamb in the storeroom for you. Also, there's some beef and venison."
"Thank you, President Guo. I'll have the head chef research and develop some new dishes."
"Mm, the beef brisket last time was good. Send two more portions of beef brisket at noon."
"Okay, President Guo. Anything else?"
"You decide on the rest. Just maintain two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, four dishes in total, and one soup per meal."
"Okay, President Guo."
Liu He hung up the phone and immediately arranged for people to cook the lamb soup. The first thing they did every morning was to start boiling the pre-soaked lamb in a large pot. Most families only cooked the lamb, but restaurants would smash the lamb bones and put them in the large pot to boil together with the lamb. This way, the lamb soup would be rich and the meat tender, the clear soup would retain its original flavor, and the lamb would melt in the mouth. However, to maintain the lamb's chewiness, the hotel would take out a portion of the lamb when it was about seventy percent cooked, air dry it, and store it in the refrigerator to be cooked as needed. This was to cater to different customer preferences.
Since Guo Xuyang requested confinement meals, Liu He naturally couldn't just send the clear soup from the large pot. Seasonings had to be added. This would not only preserve the fresh taste of the lamb soup but also help in blood replenishment and recovery. Ever since Guo Xuyang designated Jun Yue Lai Hotel as the confinement meal supply center, Liu He had arranged for two people to specialize in researching confinement meals. They also ensured dedicated stoves, utensils, and ingredients. As for ingredients for regular business, they were sourced through normal channels, while confinement meal ingredients were specially procured and had to be guaranteed fresh.
Upon receiving the order, the two chefs first transferred the cooked lamb soup from the large pot. Then, based on their research, they added various seasonings and diced the tender lamb. The other chef went to prepare the beef brisket. The beef was cut into pieces, blanched with scallions and ginger, then removed. Carrots were cut, onions were julienned, garlic cloves were sliced. Seasonings were added along with the beef into a stew pot with water and slow-cooked. They also prepared a 'Three Fresh Vegetables', a King Crab, and a clear stewed lamb ribs. All dishes were ready by eleven o'clock, and then people were dispatched in two groups. One group delivered meals to the Maternity and Child Health Hospital for Li Minxi, and another to the artificial lake villa for Xiao Hong.
"Yu'er, why aren't you back yet? Where are you planning to eat lunch?" Guo Xuyang asked on the phone when he saw the food had been delivered, but Ye Zi and Yu'er were still not back.
"You guys go ahead and eat. We have something to attend to, so we won't be joining you." Yu'er's voice came through the phone.
"Didn't I ask you to accompany Xiao Xi at the hospital this morning? Where did you go after dropping her off?"
"We had something to do and forgot to call you. Don't wait for us to eat."
"What could be more important than eating?"
"Someone followed us, and Ye Zi and I noticed. We're leading them on."
"Do you know who it is?"
"Not exactly. But they don't seem very smart. We've been leading them on for over an hour, and they haven't given up. Even a fool would know we're just playing with them."
"Why don't you stop and ask them what they want?"
"They think they're so clever. As soon as we stop, they stop too, thinking we haven't noticed them."
"Could it be someone we know? Where are you now? I'll come over to take a look."
"This road north of the plaza, nearing the food street."
"Alright, see you in a bit." Guo Xuyang hung up the phone.
"What's going on? Who is it?" Li Minxi asked, lying on the bed, looking at him.
"Yu'er and Ye Zi are being followed. I'm not too sure about the details. I'm going out for a moment."
"Why don't you tell Brother Liang? What if there's danger?"
"It's fine. I'll be right back." Guo Xuyang got up to leave, then looked at Li Minxi and added a reminder.
"You guys eat first, it won't be good if it gets cold. Xiao Qi and the others are downstairs outside. If anything happens, call him immediately."
"Can anyone really pose a threat to us? It's fine, don't worry."
"Okay. You guys eat first." Guo Xuyang said and then turned to go downstairs.
"Xiao Qi, you go up now. Leave one brother downstairs." He said to Xiao Qi in the parking lot downstairs.
"Yang Zi, where are you going?"
"Yu'er and the others are being targeted. I'm going to see what's happening."
"Should I have Xiao Liu take you?"
"No need. They probably don't have malicious intent. Please make sure Xiao Xi and the others are safe."
"Don't worry, go ahead. I'll head upstairs now."
As the two spoke and parted ways downstairs, a woman dressed in a white coat approached Li Minxi's ward.
"Routine check-up," the woman said, bending down to pick up the baby.
"What's your name? I've never seen you before," Wu Jia asked, seeing the woman about to pick up Xiao Niu Niu.
"Li Siqi," the woman replied, attempting to lift Xiao Niu Niu.
"Who exactly are you? I know everyone in this hospital and have never heard of anyone named Li Siqi here." Wu Jia said, moving to grab the woman.
"So troublesome." The woman uttered, striking Wu Jia with a palm chop, knocking her unconscious.
"If you want the baby, call Guo Xuyang immediately and tell him to find Sarah." The woman dropped the line and left with the baby.
Li Minxi and Yang Bin were stunned, momentarily unsure of what to do.
"Sister-in-law, quickly, quickly, call President Guo!" Yang Bin shouted frantically as he saw the woman leaving.
Li Minxi's mind went blank. She had never encountered anything like this. Hearing Yang Bin's shout, she came back to her senses and quickly dialed Guo Xuyang's number.
"Yang Zi, the baby has been snatched. Jia Jia has been knocked unconscious."
Upon hearing this, Guo Xuyang's head exploded. He had fallen for the enemy's diversionary tactic. He spread out his senses but couldn't find his little treasure. There were too many babies in the hospital. Ever since Li Minxi gave birth, he had been busy contacting people and hadn't noticed anything different about his own baby compared to others. With so many children, he had no idea which one was his.
"How long has she been gone?" Guo Xuyang arrived next to Li Minxi with a direct teleportation. He no longer cared about causing a stir.
"Less than two minutes." Before Li Minxi could finish speaking, Xiao Qi walked in.
"Yang Zi, you didn't go up?" Xiao Qi asked, surprised to see Guo Xuyang in the ward.
"It was a trap. The other party snatched Xiao Bao." Guo Xuyang said, looking at Xiao Qi.
"Did you see anyone in a white coat carrying a baby when you came up?"
"No, I took the elevator. This person shouldn't have gone far. I'll send people over."
"It's too late. Since this person dared to snatch the baby under our noses, they must have made thorough preparations. You stay here and guard. I'll go check downstairs."
[Author's Aside]: This book will have three updates today. Please continue to follow along, esteemed readers. Throw in your free silver tickets and let's all have some fun.