Speaking of Qingzhou, one can’t help but mention braised pork. Although this batch of braised pork tasted a bit different, it was still delicious.
Just a little too salty.
As soon as a piece of braised pork entered her mouth, before Chen Xiaoyan could even savor its flavor, she suddenly froze.
Her expression then alternated between bright and dark, constantly shifting.
‘How the hell much salt did they put in?’
‘It almost choked me to death.’
Seeing her frown, Liu Yue immediately became nervous.
“How is it? Not good?”
“It’s good, it’s just… Yueyue, did your family’s chef make this?” Chen Xiaoyan put down her chopsticks and said helplessly.
“I made it myself.”
“Huh? You can cook?”
Liu Yue shook her head. “It’s because you came. I just asked my family’s chef to teach me on the spot. Xiaoyan, did I do a bad job?” Hearing her dejected tone, Chen Xiaoyan didn’t want to directly discourage her.
“It’s okay, I guess.”
With such a perfunctory tone, Liu Yue saw right through it. But she was puzzled: she had followed every step that Zhang Ma had instructed. So why wasn’t it tasty?
Filled with doubt, she picked up the chopsticks Chen Xiaoyan had just used, picked up a piece of meat, and tasted it.
The moment it entered her mouth, she spat it out immediately.
“Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo. How can it be this salty?”
“Yueyue, how many times did you add salt?”
“Hmm… three times.”
Chen Xiaoyan was dumbfounded.
Liu Yue put down her chopsticks and replied shyly, “I added salt, tasted it, felt it was too bland, so I added more.”
“But that doesn’t make sense. How did you taste it?”
“I took a piece of meat, added a little salt, and licked it to test the taste.” Chen Xiaoyan silently gave a thumbs up. This suffocating method… No wonder her family never let her learn to cook.
‘Damn, this isn’t a matter of cooking skills anymore. This girl definitely has no talent for cooking.’
‘As expected. A fairy, huh? Doesn’t eat the food of mortals. Confirmed.’
As for the other dishes, unsurprisingly, they were also terribly salty. With no choice, she put down her chopsticks, put on a smiling face, and said she was full.
“I’m sorry, Xiaoyan.”
“Wait a moment. I’ll have Zhang Ma cook something. It’ll be fast.”
“No, no. Yueyue, where are your parents?” Chen Xiaoyan had lost her appetite. Now all she wanted was to get things settled and then go out with Liu Yue for a big meal.
“They’ll be here soon.”
“Oh, do you have any snacks? I need to fill my stomach.”
“I do. Next time, I’ll practice cooking more.”
Chen Xiaoyan was alarmed and quickly advised, “No, Yueyue! We fairies don’t need to cook. Besides, the fumes are too heavy. They stick to your clothes and smell. I don’t like it.”
Liu Yue smiled slightly and nodded. “Alright then. Actually, I don’t like the smell of fumes either.”
“Right, right. So greasy and disgusting.”
“Then I’ll go get you something to eat.”
“Okay. Once we persuade your parents, should we go out and have some fun?” Liu Yue had just stood up when she heard this. She froze on the spot and looked at her in disbelief.
“Not convenient?”
Liu Yue shook her head and asked, “Just the two of us?”
“Yeah, just the two of us. If you have friends, you can bring them along.” She nodded shyly and quickly left.
Chen Xiaoyan lay on the round wooden table, propping her head up with one hand, watching the girl’s fleeing back, and revealed a mischievous smile.
‘Sister Liu Yue seems to get embarrassed easily.’
‘In this melting pot of modern society, girls like her are really rare.’
‘Most of the time, if you tell her a dirty joke, she can respond with an even dirtier one. She hasn’t been tainted, probably because of her family’s upbringing.’
‘Yueyue mentioned before that her mother likes the ancient style.’
‘Auntie must be teaching her children in the traditional way, right?’
‘The first time I saw her, I felt she was a person who understood etiquette. Now it turns out to be true.’
Liu Yue’s mother was named Chen Ru. She was a literary master. This information was on Baidu, and looking at the photo on Baidu, she was also a still-charming beauty.
Time seemed to have left no trace on her face.
Of course, the photo might have a filter. Everything should be taken at face value.
“Xiaoyan, come here, come here.”
Although the siheyuan was built in Republican style, it also had modern appliances installed inside.
Liu Yue pulled Chen Xiaoyan to her own bedroom.
An ancient-style canopy bed. It looked quite old, with a brownish-red patina.
‘Can you really sleep on this thing?’
Chen Xiaoyan was a bit puzzled.
In any case, she didn’t dare to sleep on it. Who knew if anyone had died on this bed? After all, during the last century, Huaguo was plagued by warlord conflicts, and people were dying everywhere.
In the past, Chen Xiaoyan might not have cared, but after witnessing the abnormalities of the Xianjie and coming into contact with the Cultivation World, she realized that the existence of ghosts was real.
The bedding was from a major brand, “Mousi,” in a girl’s pink. The bed curtain was a chain of pearls strung together. When lightly touched, it rustled.
At first, she thought they were fake pearls, used for decoration. But when she asked Liu Yue, she found out that these were actually real!!!
Seeing this, Chen Xiaoyan’s eyes widened, and she couldn’t help swallowing.
‘Damn, damned capitalists.’
The bedroom had two ventilated windows, and Liu Yue had placed potted plants on them, all growing flowers.
So, the moment she entered, she felt the room filled with the fragrance of flowers.
By the window, there was a computer desk.
Chen Xiaoyan glanced at it and then ignored it. She no longer played on the computer now.
Since the Xianjie appeared, who still played computer games, unless work required it?
“Xiaoyan, do you want some dried beef?” Liu Yue took out a jar of beef jerky from the cabinet under the computer desk. The label on it showed that it was imported from abroad.
“Sure.”
“Let me go get you some fruit too.”
“Don’t bother. Your parents will be here soon. I probably won’t eat much.”
“It’s no trouble. It’s very close. Wait a moment.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Liu Yue ran away without a trace.
Chen Xiaoyan shook her head with a smile, turned around, sat in the computer chair, opened the lid of the beef jerky jar, and started eating.
After a few pieces, she lost her appetite.
She leaned down and pulled open the cabinet… Wait, which drawer had Little Yueyue opened just now?
The computer desk had three drawers. She hadn’t noticed which one Liu Yue had opened just now.
‘Forget it. It’s all the same. I’ll just pick one randomly and put it in. It’s not a valuable item anyway.’
Chen Xiaoyan casually pulled open the second drawer. Just as she was about to put the sealed beef jar in, she discovered an old diary lying in the drawer.
A diary, nothing major. But what caught her attention was the four big characters on the front of the diary.
[Heartbeat Memorial]
‘Heartbeat Moment?’
Chen Xiaoyan’s eyes lit up. Feeling like a thief, she looked back guiltily at the open door of the bedroom.
Then, slowly, she pulled the diary out.
She opened the first page.
(2012.4.21]
[I’m about to graduate from middle school. I’m so happy. The school organized a party, but at night I accidentally got lost. It’s so dark. Are there ghosts? Wuwuwu, I’m so scared,
At that moment, a white horse prince radiating light descended and saved me, the princess. The prince was a policeman uncle, the guardian of the East District. He’s really amazing.]