The abducted chef

Ling Chu and her two companions turned around at the same time. Standing before them was a boy of seventeen or eighteen.

A bulging bag hung from his shoulder. The sun at sea had tanned his skin a healthy golden brown, and the wind had left his hair in a complete mess.

He was watching the three of them warily.

Ling Chu found his face familiar. After a moment's thought, she remembered him as the overly friendly boy aboard the vegetable merchant ship beside them when the Ghost Ship had been waiting to enter Black Reef Island.

He had said his family ran a farm on Black Reef Island and had started asking whether they wanted to do business together before they had even entered port.

She hadn't expected to meet him again so soon.

But all three of them were wearing disguises now, so naturally, the boy didn't recognize them.

Seeing three sleazy-looking men lurking outside his family's fence, he had already reached for the knife at his waist.

Ling Chu had no intention of getting into a fight with him. She glanced at the sprawling fields nearby and quickly came up with an excuse.

"We were just passing by and noticed how well your vegetables were growing. We wanted to ask the owner whether they were for sale."

"You're here to buy vegetables?"

The boy paused, his suspicious gaze sweeping over the three of them.

You Jiali immediately chimed in. "That's right. I'm the chef in charge of buying supplies for our ship... I noticed how fresh the savoy cabbage in your fields looked. Its leaves are tender and soak up broth, so it's perfect for stews."

Most of the wariness immediately disappeared from the boy's face.

"Hey, you could identify it just by looking at the leaves.