The Warmth of Everyday Life

Outside the Small Study, Lu Xun stood there, unexpectedly at a loss as to where he should find food.

The Back Mountain was vast, yet only a few people lived there. Lu Xun was the only one who needed three meals a day, no different from an Outer Sect Disciple.

There was a dining hall where the Outer Sect Disciples lived, but Lu Xun could hardly climb over mountains every day just to fill his stomach, could he?

Besides, he was quite skilled at cooking. As long as he had ingredients, he preferred making his own food.

In his previous life, he and his younger sister Lu Yu had relied on each other, and he was usually the one who cooked.

When he had worked part-time to support himself through school, he had even helped out in the back kitchen of a restaurant and picked up quite a few tricks.

Later, seeing that Lu Xun had talent in the Culinary Arts, the chef would sometimes let him watch from the side when he was in a good mood, teaching him a few dishes in the process.

That chef always wore a sour expression, and everyone in the kitchen feared him. He found Lu Xun the most irritating and scolded him more than anyone else.

Often, everyone else had already finished work, yet he would keep Lu Xun behind for a harsh private lecture, pointing out everything he had done poorly. Then, before leaving, he would toss him an insulated lunchbox with a cold face, filled with dishes that were still warm.

His younger sister Lu Yu had especially loved the chef's cooking. Every time Lu Xun brought home the lunchbox, she would eat with great delight.

Lu Xun had always regarded that chef as half a Master.

"Gurgle, gurgle." His still-growling stomach pulled Lu Xun's thoughts back to reality.

After thinking for a moment, he went to knock on Mao Nanbei's door and asked whether there were any ingredients on the Back Mountain.

When it came to dealing with people, the most important thing was having a sweet tongue and a black heart. With one "Fourth Senior Sister" after another, Lu Xun somehow talked Mao Nanbei into going hunting with him.

In Mao Nanbei's eyes, she was a kind and friendly Senior Sister.

In that dog's eyes, she had become his personal hunting cat.

In the end, Mao Nanbei caught two fish and a mountain chicken.

There were actually quite a few living creatures on the Back Mountain. Aside from the fireflies that flew around everywhere at night, however, the other animals all tacitly avoided getting too close to the Small Study at the summit. No one knew why.

After bringing the two live fish and the mountain chicken back to the Small Study, Lu Xun began cooking.

Fortunately, the kitchen lacked nothing. According to Mao Nanbei, Third Senior Brother loved cooking, but everything he made tasted awful, and he was always inviting others to sample his dishes.

"Is there any wine?" Lu Xun asked as he looked at the two fish.

The fish caught from the stream counted as freshwater fish and carried a slight muddy smell. Using ginger and wine to remove the odor would make them far more delicious, but there was no wine in the kitchen.

"Third Senior Brother definitely has some in his room. I'll go steal a little." Mao Nanbei rushed off in a flurry.

She had not been interested in cooking at all, but Lu Xun had described the food too deliciously.

His every word painted such a vivid picture that, listening to him, she felt as though she could already taste it!

Her mouth watered. Slurp!

Not long afterward, Mao Nanbei jumped out through a window with a small wine jar in her arms.

Children did not like using the front door, and she was a little kitty besides. She loved jumping in and out through windows.

"Is it really okay to just take it like this?" Lu Xun asked.

"It's fine. Third Senior Brother has a great temper. He said I could play with any little trinkets in his room. Besides, his memory is terrible. He probably doesn't even know how many jars of wine he has."

"Could it be some kind of immortal wine?" Lu Xun asked. He truly did not dare use it so casually.

Some immortal wines brewed from precious materials were highly nourishing. With his current cultivation, drinking one carelessly might leave him unable to handle the benefits.

As Mao Nanbei skillfully opened the wine jar, she said, "Don't worry. Third Senior Brother is dirt poor. They're all just ordinary wine."

For some reason, after Mao Nanbei's description, although Lu Xun had never met Third Senior Brother, he already had a rough impression of him: good-tempered, terrible at cooking, forgetful, and extremely poor.

Still, something felt strange. The dignified Third Senior Brother of the Small Study, another person Lu Xun had never encountered before his transmigration—was that really all there was to him?

But eating was more important right now, so he stopped fussing and directly showed off his skills.

The fish they had caught were pomfret, so he decided to make a Fujian dish: braised fish in soy sauce.

Once the fish went into the wok, it should be moved as little as possible. That was a major taboo when cooking fish.

You could not keep flipping fish over, or it would quickly fall apart beyond recognition.

Once he added the seasonings, the fragrance immediately filled the air. The sauce was rich and glossy, making the dish look utterly tempting.

"Fourth Senior Sister, do you eat spicy food?" Lu Xun asked.

"I do. Slurp."

"Does Second Senior Sister eat spicy food?"

"She does too. Slurp."

There were Sichuan peppercorns in the Small Study's kitchen as well, but Lu Xun did not add too many.

After finishing the fish, it was time for the chicken.

After giving it some thought, he made vinegar-fried chicken.

There was even a huge vat in the corner of the kitchen, filled with rice.

The vat, along with the small boxes holding ingredients such as Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, ginger, and garlic, had all been treated with secret arts to keep the rice and seasonings from spoiling.

Third Senior Brother truly seemed obsessed with the Culinary Arts...

Once all the dishes were finished, Lu Xun turned around and saw Mao Nanbei standing beside him with a small bamboo basket in hand, looking at him eagerly.

Seeing that Lu Xun was done cooking, she hurriedly packed the food into the little bamboo basket.

They were taking the food to the Bamboo Forest to deliver some to Second Senior Sister first.

Mao Nanbei was in a hurry this time, so she flew over with Lu Xun.

However, she did not dare land directly on the stone where Second Senior Sister sat cross-legged. Instead, she landed on the narrow path.

"Greetings, Second Senior Sister," Lu Xun and Mao Nanbei said in unison.

"Second Senior Sister, Little Martial Brother made two dishes. We brought them for you to eat with us," Mao Nanbei called out.

From where he stood, Lu Xun could still only see Second Senior Sister's slender back. He saw her nod slightly.

Mao Nanbei set down the small bamboo basket and began dividing the food.

The stone where Second Senior Sister sat cross-legged could not fit three people. She also seemed to have drawn a boundary around herself for the time being, so they had to eat separately.

But there were only two fish and three people. How were they supposed to divide them?

She had caught the fish, and she had not thought much about it at the time. Mainly because she had not expected Lu Xun's cooking to smell this good. Had she known, she would have caught more.

After hesitating for a mere three seconds, she directly gave one fish to Second Senior Sister.

This showed that although she was very afraid of Second Senior Sister, their relationship was actually quite good.

Mao Nanbei still had a child's temperament, and many children were like this: you could hit me, you could scold me, but you were not allowed to touch my little cookies!

If a child was willing to share half of their favorite snacks with you, then they truly liked you.

And what was more, this was a fish shared with you by a little kitty who loved eating fish.

In the end, Second Senior Sister ate atop the stone, while Lu Xun and Mao Nanbei sat down beside the narrow path.

Both the fish and chicken were delicious. Lu Xun's skills had not deteriorated, and Mao Nanbei ate until her eyes lit up. Her pair of cat ears swayed back and forth in contentment, making one want to reach out and stroke them.

Lu Xun smiled. He only took one bite of fish before giving the rest to her.

The mountain breeze drifted past, and the Bamboo Forest rustled softly.

In this familiar yet unfamiliar world, Lu Xun felt a trace of warmth for the first time. Even though everyone was focused only on eating and no one spoke.

Perhaps it truly was as the saying went:

The warmth of everyday life best soothes the hearts of ordinary people.

Even cultivators who no longer counted as ordinary people were probably the same.

I really like this feeling of everyday life. It may run through the entire story. I hope you won't dislike it~