Chapter 27: A Feast of Flavors and a Change of Heart

The moment Cai placed the prepared dishes on the table, Wang Xiaole knew she regretted it.

Even without tasting a single bite, Wang Xiaole’s refined palate, honed by years of culinary exploration, instinctively recognized that the dishes before her were utterly inedible. Though they appeared incredibly enticing, and their sheer abundance gave the visual impact of a lavish midday feast rather than a mere breakfast, some things simply *could not* be done!

Cai, having been subjected to Wang Xiaole’s prolonged gaze beneath her skirt, felt intensely uncomfortable. To put an end to the sensation, she quickly took a seat at the dining table after serving the meal. The modest table, despite the spacious bedroom, didn’t feel at all intrusive, creating an atmosphere perfectly suited for a meal.

“You’re not eating?”

As soon as Cai sat down, she looked at Wang Xiaole with wide, innocent eyes, their beauty sparkling with childlike wonder.

That gaze, combined with a seemingly harmless question delivered from her bright, watery eyes, carried an undeniable, ‘unavoidable’ effect.

Wang Xiaole knew that no matter how brazen or unreasonable she might be, she couldn’t simply ignore Cai. So, she played dumb.

“Eating? Did I say I was hungry? I don’t recall.”

“But you certainly didn’t say that earlier. Even while I was cooking, you kept hurrying me along.”

“You must have been hearing things. I have absolutely no recollection of any of that…”

*Grrrruuuumble!* A traitorous growl rumbled from the depths of her stomach, shamelessly exposing her pretense.

“Hear that? Your stomach is rumbling! You must be very hungry!”

A plate of fruit salad, nudged by Cai’s finger, moved closer to the chopsticks in Wang Xiaole’s hand, and thus, closer to her stomach.

Observing the fruits’ appearance and vibrant colors, and inhaling their sweet aroma, Wang Xiaole seemingly found nothing alarming after assessing these indicators. Yet, what was this persistent, lingering shadow that enveloped her heart?

Wang Xiaole felt like a hunter lost deep within an ancient forest. Drawn by the vibrant colors of poisonous mushrooms, and influenced by her protesting stomach, she carelessly began to sample the food right before her.

“*Chomp, chomp, chomp… GULP!*”

“Is it delicious?”

“It’s… it’s good… so sweet!”

The sweetness was so cloying, it felt as though her teeth might simply shatter. Having just swallowed a piece of fruit, Wang Xiaole finally understood what was wrong. Taking this salad as an example, it was excessively, sickeningly sweet, leaving behind not just fruit pulp but also a significant amount of sugar granules clinging to her teeth.

If the former kind of sweetness was so delicious one couldn’t find fault, then the latter was akin to ‘drawing legs on a snake’—an unnecessary addition. The naturally delightful salad had been overwhelmed by artificial sugar, transforming it into food highly detrimental to both taste buds and teeth.

Wang Xiaole declared in her heart, without exaggeration: ‘If I were to eat this kind of salad for half a year straight, this mouth full of white teeth, belonging to a girl not yet twenty, would surely be ruined!’

She moved on to the next dish.

Wang Xiaole fixated on a plate of duck necks, picked one up with her chopsticks, placed it in her bowl, and took a bite. Spicy—that was perfectly normal! This dish was all about that ‘numbingly spicy, fresh, and aromatic’ flavor. If it tasted bland, it was likely a fake duck neck.

But the duck neck that entered Wang Xiaole’s mouth was extraordinary in its pungency, a searing inferno that felt akin to plunging her tongue into a bowl of chili paste, then having mustard and curry liberally poured atop it! To quell the ‘flames’ raging in her mouth, Wang Xiaole grabbed the entire pitcher of cold water on the table and, in six rapid gulps, emptied it within six seconds.

Having eaten this much, Wang Xiaole had finally grasped the fatal flaw of the dishes before her. If she were a gentle person, facing these meals imbued with a young girl’s sincere effort, she might have endured the discomfort and silently finished them. Alas, Wang Xiaole was clearly incapable of such gentle acts!

The moment she noticed the flaw, she spoke her mind without the slightest hesitation.

“Did you use too many seasonings?”

“Oh, really? I thought my control over seasonings was just about right.” In her surprise, Cai instinctively raised her eyelids to the very top of her eye sockets, making her pupils appear much larger.

“You foolish woman, do you feel good about yourself? Alright, let me ask you: how many spoons of sugar did you add to this salad?”

“Would changing the container work?”

“What do you mean?”

“Changing the container for adding sugar from a spoon to a bowl.”

“I…”

Wang Xiaole felt as though her past decade-plus had been lived in vain. In this era, only someone like Cai, born in a village, knew how to truly ‘play the game’!

“Adding sugar by the bowlful, not by the spoon… This foolish woman is something else! That overly spicy duck neck, was that also because you added too much chili?”

“Too much? I only added half a small bottle of chili sauce?”

“Ha!”

Wang Xiaole threw her hands over her face in a gesture of utter defeat, and through the gaps between her fingers, one could faintly discern the despair etched across her features.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Cai wrung her hands, which had just finished handling the spatula, appearing quite uneasy.

“Of course, you did something wrong, you foolish woman! But I want to know: why did you put in so many seasonings? Was it to get back at me for giving you a transparent skirt?”

“No, no!” Cai vigorously waved her sweat-dampened hands in front of her.

“In my memory, I’ve never once added seasonings when cooking, so the food always tasted bland…” The Nun spoke with an unnerving calm, saying words that couldn’t possibly be ignored.

“Just now, when I entered the kitchen, I found that your home actually had so many seasonings, so I thought I’d add a lot to make the dishes more to your liking.”

“When you’re at home, you don’t use salt or other seasonings when you cook?”

“That’s right. The ingredients at home are all things I’ve exchanged from neighbors by doing odd jobs. Although I’ve thought about trading labor for salt and vinegar before, everyone said they didn’t have any extra…”

“You mean you’ve never eaten any seasoned food?”

“That’s pretty much what it means.”

*Infuriating!* Hearing this, a surge of anger welled up in Wang Xiaole’s heart, and she blurted out her true feelings:

“I’ll kill them.”

“What did you say?”

“I’m going to find some time to go and kill everyone in that foolish woman’s village!”

“I appreciate your kindness, but there’s no need. Those are minor matters, not worth your concern.”

“Minor matters?”

As mentioned before, the dining table wasn’t large, so Wang Xiaole, being tall enough, could easily lean half her body across it. She raised one hand high above Cai’s forehead, then brought her palm together and struck the head before her.

*Thunk!* This was Cai’s second time being hit. It didn’t hurt, but her head felt numb. Especially when, a moment later, the words spoken by the other person made Cai’s head swim.

“You foolish woman, your temperament utterly displeases me!” The young woman before Cai displayed the imposing air of a mountain bandit chieftain. “Minor matters? Even the most trivial thing, if it concerns you, is more important than the heavens! And quickly rid yourself of that overly submissive nature!”

“But the scriptures say: ‘One should be tolerant’…”

“The scriptures tell you to be a good person, but they can’t give you a single grain of rice or a bowl of soup. I’m telling you to be a bit harsher, and I can also ensure you eat well and live comfortably here.” Wang Xiaole then fully stood up, reached out, and patted Cai on the chest, urging her to think things through. Though, she couldn’t help but wonder if the exact spot she’d chosen to pat was quite appropriate…

Afterward, Wang Xiaole strode purposefully towards the kitchen, seemingly preparing to cook herself and improve the young woman’s diet. Cai, driven by a sense of responsibility to improve her culinary skills, unconsciously followed.

Upon entering the kitchen, Wang Xiaole poured some white granules from a cloth bag. Cai, not knowing what they were, asked,

“Is that food too?”

“Yes. In my homeland, we call this ‘rice’. It’s normal that you haven’t seen it, as people in the central continent primarily eat wheat and bread.”

“Is rice delicious?”

“That depends on individual taste. I once let the others try rice; Little Eagle really likes this food. The other demons ate it once and refused to eat it again, saying they preferred meat.”

“That’s truly a shame; matters of taste are the hardest to change…” Gaping at this previously unseen food, Cai’s mouth shamelessly watered. “Do I have the right to eat rice?”

*Thunk!* Cai’s head was knocked for the third time. Wang Xiaole irritably told her,

“It was made for you, you foolish woman, and of course I’ll eat some too. But for me, it’s just an afterthought; the main thing is for you to eat something good.”

“You’re so good to me?”

“Don’t flatter yourself! My actions right now are akin to a master on the day a new pet enters their home. I’m showing kindness by improving your meals, but in essence, I mean to tame you. Understand?”

“I understand. It seems you have a very kind side.”

“I—!”

Faster than words could describe, Wang Xiaole reflexively raised her hand. Having learned her lesson earlier, Cai swiftly clapped a metal basin onto her head, adding a layer of protection, thus avoiding her fourth head-knock of the day.

From that moment on, the two began their serious work. One person skillfully bustled about the kitchen, while the other learned excellent cooking techniques on the spot.

The dish Wang Xiaole was about to create was her masterpiece—the Golden White Jade Rice!

This dish was not easy to make. First, the main ingredient had to be rice that had been sun-dried for seven days. Once all its moisture had evaporated, the rice was placed in a pot, thoroughly cooked, and then left for half an hour to cool naturally. After the rice had completely cooled, the golden monster beast eggs were added, and a selection of spices were mixed in while stir-frying. Some chefs liked to add fish essence during stir-frying to neutralize the eggy smell, while others preferred to add black pork; both were excellent choices. However, Wang Xiaole’s cooking was different; she only added an appropriate amount of black pepper. Then she poured in sesame oil and other condiments, grabbed the spatula, and stir-fried the abundant, plump rice grains mixed with egg foam forty-nine times, ensuring the rice itself turned a brilliant golden yellow. What emerged from the pan was this classic ‘Golden White Jade Rice’!

In the Eastern Continent, this dish had another resounding name: Egg Fried Rice!

Cai, born in the central continent, had never witnessed such an elaborate cooking method. For a moment, she couldn’t help but stare in awe, beginning to admire the other’s culinary skill. Naturally, since Wang Xiaole had the intention of improving Cai’s meals, she certainly didn’t prepare just one dish. In a remarkably short time, she prepared seven dishes.

It was no exaggeration to say: this diverse breakfast, or rather, lunch, was absolutely the most sumptuous meal Cai had ever eaten in her entire life. After finishing this grand feast, she had but one thought:

‘Rice is better than bread!’

After a satisfying meal, Wang Xiaole informed Cai,

“If you’ve eaten enough, get ready to come out with me. I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

“To meet real demons?” Cai’s lips, now restored to a healthy color, curved upwards instantly. “Okay, I’ll wash the dishes when I get back. For now, I’ll go out with you!”

“You foolish woman, you seem very happy. Are you especially relieved that you don’t have to wear that embarrassing skirt anymore?”

“But you promised! You said you’d only make me wear that skirt in front of you.”

In other words, if she went outside, Cai could change back into her original clothes.

“I did say that… but I never promised to only make you wear it once, you foolish woman. When you return to this room, you’ll still have to wear this dress I meticulously designed.”

“That’s fine then, as long as you don’t make me constantly endure such immense psychological pressure, that’s the biggest help to me.” Cai’s mood at this moment was almost jubilant. The Nun swiftly changed her clothes; perhaps because her heart felt lighter, she looked much more spirited than before.

Led by Wang Xiaole, Cai retraced the winding path they had taken earlier. The sunlight outside was undeniably more abundant than inside the room, especially at the mountain’s summit, where it felt as though the sun was directly overhead.

Wang Xiaole took a few steps forward, standing at the entrance of the upward-winding mountain path. With a slight bow of her waist, she gathered her breath and roared down towards the mountainside.

“Minions, assemble!”