Uh, Did I Wander into a Food Channel?

Why?

Every time the little one ate, she looked for all the world like an earthly incarnation of the ancient vicious beast Taotie!

The speed at which she swept everything away, the way she cleared her plate without leaving a scrap, the look in her eyes that could make even braised pork glow with Buddha's light...

Honestly, ever since they, her elders, had brought her home, they might not have been able to give her dragon liver and phoenix marrow, but they'd given her all the rice and vegetables she could eat, and they hadn't left her out whenever they occasionally had meat!

How had she ended up eating like... she and her rice bowl had been sworn enemies in a past life?

Martial Uncle Zhang racked his brains but couldn't understand it. He could only put it down to the child possibly having a naturally... well-functioning spleen and stomach?

Yes, that was it: a well-functioning spleen and stomach!

(Martial Uncle Zhang's inner thoughts: It definitely wasn't because we raised her poorly! It's because our Yao'er... has an extraordinary digestive system! That's right!)

But today, they could say goodbye for now to those penny-pinching days when he hadn't even dared use much oil for stir-frying!

With this "huge sum," he could finally let loose and use the most ordinary ingredients to put everything he'd learned in his life to work, treating the poor little thing, who surely hadn't eaten well while she was away, to a proper meal!

At the thought, Martial Uncle Zhang's recently settled emotions surged again.

He remembered the glimpse he'd caught from afar just before Senior Sister had hauled Chu Yao off to the reception hall.

Oh dear!

She'd only been down the mountain for a few days!

Her little face had been a bit chubby before, but now it looked thinner!

The food in Hong Kong must not have agreed with her "well-functioning spleen and stomach," leaving the poor child to waste away!

(Martial Uncle Zhang's inner thoughts: Poor thing! How could the mundane oils and fats out there compare to the spiritual fire qi I carefully prepared? Look how she's been neglected! Today I have to replenish her spiritual energy (delicious food)!)

He raised his sleeve and vigorously wiped a tiny, nonexistent tear from the corner of his eye. Taking a deep breath, he poured all his attention into the "training ground" before him—the kitchen.

"Whoosh—!"

He used his exquisite spiritual power to stoke the flames beneath the stove, making them roar evenly and fiercely as the blue flames steadily enveloped the bottom of the wok.

Martial Uncle Zhang's slightly plump body was remarkably nimble at that moment.

With a sweep of his large hand, a ladleful of home-pressed peanut oil slid into the iron wok, which had been heated just right. The surface of the oil was calm, yet faint ripples showed through—a sign that the temperature was perfect.

Next, he used exquisite knife skills to cut the finest ordinary pork belly, streaked with fat and lean meat, into slices as thin as cicada wings. He mixed them thoroughly with a secret sauce containing a little low-grade spirit herb for flavor, perfectly legal and aboveboard, and marinated them before quickly sliding them into the wok.

"Sizzle—!"

The hot oil and sliced meat met with an earth-shaking sound!

In an instant, an indescribable blend of aromas burst forth!

The richness of soy sauce, the caramelized fragrance of sugar, the lush scent of the meat's own fat, and that barely perceptible, soul-stealing freshness of spirit herbs spread like invisible ripples, forcefully penetrating the kitchen walls and wafting toward the reception hall!

Martial Uncle Zhang's wrist was steady as a rock as he gently tossed the wok. The slices of meat tumbled merrily inside, coating themselves evenly in sauce and taking on an enticing amber color. As their fat rendered out, they curled slightly, their edges turning a little crisp.

This dish, "Imitation Braised Cloud-Treading Beast," used mortal pork, but it had to have a rich flavor and aroma comparable to spirit beast meat!

On the other side, wisps of white steam rose from a steamer holding "Imitation Seven-Colored Spirit Chicken Steamed with Glutinous Rice in Lotus Leaf."

It actually used Sanhuang chicken, but after a special massage and an herb marinade, the meat was incomparably tender and silky. The fresh fragrance of lotus leaf blended perfectly with the soft, sticky glutinous rice, while the steam carried that savory aroma in delicate wisps that tickled the senses.

Author's note: Thanks, dear readers, for the bookmarks, likes, check-ins, comments, flowers, coins, and memberships. Love you all, sending you a heart ♥