Free Web NovelChapter 1090: As Long As You’re Safe
“Is there nothing to eat?” Yun Mengmeng’s eyes dimmed almost imperceptibly. She had hoped to enjoy some good food here, but as luck would have it, the ingredients were all used up.
“Not even a little something to eat?” Yun Mengmeng asked, unwilling to give up.
The woman in the sky-blue dress pondered for a moment and said seriously, “There’s still a plate of Laba garlic.”[1]
“Never mind... Have you eaten?”
The woman in the sky-blue dress was taken aback. “No. Why?”
“Then let’s eat together!” Yun Mengmeng enthusiastically invited the woman. She excitedly raised the paper bags she was carrying, each stuffed to the brim.
Eating while walking can never be as comfortable as eating while seated.
Originally, she had planned to order a few dishes at the shop and eat a few spirit snacks from the paper bags. Now, it seems I’ll have to modify that plan a teeny bit.
The woman in the sky-blue dress sensed no ill intention from Yun Mengmeng. Since sharing a meal wouldn’t hurt, she agreed. “Alright then.”
Yun Mengmeng tore open the paper bags. The woman went to the kitchen and brought out bowls and chopsticks. The bags were spread out across the small table.
“Here, try this meat shaobing. Both the Second-in-Command and I think it’s delicious.” Having someone to eat with, Yun Mengmeng’s mood lifted considerably.
The woman in the sky-blue dress carefully took a small bite and poured the juices into her spoon before continuing to eat with refined grace.
“It’s indeed not bad.”
The comparison left Yun Mengmeng feeling that her own table manners were somewhat lacking, and she tried to imitate the woman’s elegance.
Through their conversation, she learned that the woman was named Little He, the head chef of this shop. She and her boss were the only two people running the shop. As they were short-handed, the boss had to go out and buy the ingredients personally, leaving Little He to watch the place. Their life sounds rather straitened; otherwise, they wouldn’t have opened their shop in such a remote spot.
Little He also learned that the patron’s name was Mengmeng. From how she kept mentioning the “First-in-Command” and the “Second-in-Command” and that she frequently lived in the mountains, Little He surmised that she was likely a bandit from some mountain. This girl seems a bit simple-minded; she was probably tricked into joining.
It seems that Second-in-Command often deceives the First-in-Command; he must not be a good person.
The two clinked their teacups and continued their earlier conversation.
“Your shop has been that unlucky? A group from a diabolic creed even came, and a battle broke out, nearly leveling your place? Luckily, your boss had some skills and managed to save the shop? Afterward, you thought your old location was too dangerous, so you moved here to Demon City?”
“It sounds like you’ve had a hard time, too. You ran away from home to seek refuge with a good sister, and she immediately found you a First-in-Command and Second-in-Command. After that, she barely paid you any attention, and you’ve been following the two bosses ever since.”
Little He ate a mung bean pastry that was fresh out of the furnace. The aroma of mung beans was fully released, lingering on the lips and teeth. Its only flaw was being a bit dry.
“Actually, it’s not that bad. The First-in-Command and Second-in-Command are good people. Originally, the Second-in-Command wasn’t keen on coming to Demon City. He only came because I said I wanted to do so.”
The more Little He listened, the more she felt that Yun Mengmeng had been duped.
Seeing that the food was finished, Little He rose to see her out. “By the way, Mengmeng, how long will you be staying in Demon City?”
“Probably until the Spirit Chef Competition ends.”
“Will you come again?” Little He rarely had a chance to chat with anyone. When she chatted with Yun Mengmeng today, she felt an inexplicable sense of rapport. She wanted to talk to her more. There are still many days before the competition ends.
“I suppose so.” Yun Mengmeng felt that after her Second-in-Command was pulled away, he would probably be quite busy and wouldn’t have time to accompany her strolling the streets like these past two days. I shouldn’t trouble him. It’ll be nice just to sit here.
“Then how about in the evening? Would you have time? My boss always goes out to buy ingredients in the evening. She... really doesn’t like me interacting with people.”
“Sure,” Yun Mengmeng agreed readily. A chef chatting with customers during work hours—probably no boss would like that.
After Yun Mengmeng left, a woman in a gray dress returned with a vegetable basket. Seeing Little He wiping the table, she looked somewhat puzzled.
“Did something good happen? You seem happier than before I left.”
“You’re overthinking it.”
Has Lu Yang been here? The woman in the gray dress immediately grew wary. The woman shook her head. No, I’ve been able to sense Lu Yang’s location all this time; he hasn’t come near our shop. I’m overthinking it.
Ever since she learned that Lu Yang was connected to the Everlasting Immortal Fairy, she had a premonition that the person she was looking for was somehow linked to Lu Yang, and that if she found him, she would find the Everlasting Immortal Fairy.
But when she sensed that Lu Yang had come to Demon City, she found herself conflicted instead. She didn’t know why she felt torn. Is it because I’m afraid of meeting the Everlasting Immortal Fairy? Or is there some other reason? I don’t know. I’ve never felt this way before.
“Let me help you.” The woman in the gray dress took the cloth from Little He and began wiping the tables and chairs.
~~~
Yun Mengmeng knocked on Lu Yang’s door. “Second-in-Command, are you in?”
“Yes. Come in.”
Lu Yang had assumed that Yun Mengmeng would return earlier than him, but it turned out he was back first.
Yun Mengmeng placed several paper bags on Lu Yang’s table. She had bought more on her way back. “I came across several pretty tasty spirit foods. First-in-Command, Second-in-Command, you two probably haven’t tried them before. Want a taste?”
“Sure, sure.” Lu Yang said “sure” twice, the second time on behalf of the Everlasting Immortal Fairy.
Spirit chefs of later generations were highly innovative. The Everlasting Immortal Fairy had never seen many of these spirit foods.
Usually, Lu Yang would take a bite, then the Everlasting Immortal Fairy would take over his body, take a bite, then return the body to him, and chatter nonstop in the mental space about where the food fell short. Lu Yang would listen to her critiques as he ate.
“Second-in-Command, what did those people pull you over for?”
“The Taotie Tribe Chieftain wants to compete for the position of Spirit Chef Alliance Leader. He has trained a large group of people to participate in the competition and win ingredients, so that he can make his ideal dishes.
“It was because I ate dirt that they assumed I could use Swallowing Heaven Devouring Earth. Well, I can use it. Anyway, it was a bit of a misunderstanding. They mistook me for one of their own and wanted me to participate in the competition too.”
“I thought it was a rare and novel experience, so I went along with it and infiltrated them.”
Yun Mengmeng felt that her Second-in-Command was truly blessed with great fortune.
“What about you, Sister Mengmeng? Did you run into any accidents? Why are you back so late?” ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
“Not exactly. I happened to meet a spirit chef I hit it off with, so we chatted for a while,” Yun Mengmeng replied sheepishly.
“As long as you’re safe. If anything comes up, let me know. We have people here in Demon City.”
1. Laba garlic is vinegar garlic preserved in vinegar. It has a greenish or blueish hue and resembles jade. ☜
