Baggins?
Bilbo Baggins?
Li Wei froze.
Could it really be this much of a coincidence?
Case solved. No wonder that wooden chest had looked familiar.
Wasn't that his mother's dowry chest?
Hiss—
Li Wei looked at Bilbo.
This poor Hobbit had no idea what his home was about to go through.
Nor did he know that his mother's dowry chest would someday be used by some dwarf to prop up his feet.
At that moment, Li Wei suddenly felt a touch of mischief.
He returned to the doorway, bowed, and said, "Li Wei, at your service."
This was how he indicated that he had come for a formal visit.
Perhaps not expecting Li Wei to suddenly do this, Bilbo froze as well. Only then did he instinctively straighten his clothes and reply, "Bilbo Baggins, at your service."
Only after completing this ritual did Li Wei bend down and step back into the cozy hole-home.
It had to be said that Hobbits perhaps all had a bit of a hoarder's nature. Li Wei spotted the huge stockpile of food and alcohol stored deep inside the house at a glance.
It was enough to host a feast for thirteen dwarves. It was no small amount.
"Li Wei, you can find somewhere to sit first. Afternoon tea is at four. It's not time yet, but I don't mind eating early. Oh, right, what do you like to eat? How about fried sausage with some bread?"
Hobbits' warm hospitality was no exaggeration.
Even though Li Wei's arrival had been somewhat unexpected, once he entered the home, Bilbo still showed him the warmth one would offer an old acquaintance.
"Of course. Anything is fine. I'll follow the host's arrangements. Whatever you say," Li Wei said with a nod.
"Follow the host's arrangements? All right."
Bilbo scratched his head and took a string of sausages from the pantry, along with a plate piled high with bread.
Then, under Li Wei's watchful gaze, he cut up the sausages and placed them beside a frying pan.
While lighting the stove and heating the pan, Bilbo stepped away briefly to fetch a few other things.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Li Wei stood and moved closer to inspect the little stove.
It was a very ordinary stove and frying pan, except the counter was a little low, at a height suited for Hobbits.
"Are you interested in cooking?"
Bilbo's voice suddenly came from behind him. Li Wei tactfully stepped aside and let Bilbo take his place before the heated pan.
"This pan has been around for ages. My family has always used it. It's a good pan."
Sizzle—
The sausages hit the pan, splattering tiny droplets of oil.
After a few seconds of silence, seeing that Li Wei had not spoken, Bilbo perhaps found the atmosphere a little awkward. Watching the sausages fry in the pan, he put his hands on his hips and continued:
"Come to think of it, I'm fairly confident in my cooking. Frying, roasting, boiling... I learned it all from my mother."
As he spoke, Bilbo flipped the sausages over.
The other side was already browned, releasing an enticing meaty aroma.
Grrr...
Li Wei's stomach growled at the worst possible moment.
Gulp.
Li Wei swallowed.
After a while, Bilbo finally placed the fried sausage on a plate and sprinkled a little pepper over it.
Just as Li Wei could not help standing up to ask whether he could eat one first, a notification suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Function unlocked: Synthesis Table [Recipe] branch recipe learned: Fried sausage [You may view what you can make at any time. The Synthesis Table will update dynamically based on the items you come into contact with.]
Hm?
The Synthesis Table!?
Clack.
The plate of sausages was set before Li Wei, interrupting his thoughts.
"I guessed you must have been hungry for a long time."
Bilbo was still so considerate.
"Thank you."
Li Wei said this, tears of gratitude streaming uncontrollably from the corners of his mouth.
Then he cleared the plate in just a few bites.
It happened so fast that Bilbo did not even have time to return to the stove.
His hunger recovered by two bars, out of ten.
"Bilbo." Li Wei suddenly called out. "Can I give it a try? I mean, cooking."
Bilbo froze, clearly not expecting Li Wei to make such a request.
"Oh, certainly. Um... of course, go right ahead."
Bilbo stepped back and gave up his spot.
Li Wei immediately bent over the pan. Just as he gripped the handle and felt somewhat lost, a tutorial prompt appeared.
Cooking steps: Select recipe - Prepare ingredients - Lock tool - Begin cooking
Normal cooking was absolutely a skilled craft. It always involved numerous steps, and the cook needed to precisely control variables such as heat and seasoning. But for Li Wei, who had a system, it was merely a more complicated version of a furnace. He just had to follow the steps.
Sizzle—
The sausages went into the pan.
Li Wei stood silently before the frying pan, as though nailed in place. Not even the faintest movement from breathing could be seen in his body.
He looked as though he were daydreaming.
Seeing that the sausages were about to turn golden brown, Bilbo, who had been watching closely, was just about to remind him when Li Wei's arm twitched, the pan tilted, and the sausages inside flipped over with perfect precision.
A professional!
Bilbo could not help marveling inwardly.
Could this man be a professional chef?
He was not sure. Better keep watching.
Whoosh—
A moment later, after another flip, a golden sausage, glistening with tiny beads of oil and steaming hot, rolled onto the plate. Yet Li Wei was not done. At the very end, he ground a little fine salt and sprinkled it evenly over the sausage.
The fine salt melted over the sausage with the rising heat.
The two flavors melded into one.
For some reason, merely looking at the sausage made Bilbo swallow.
Cooking complete
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Li Wei carried the plate over to Bilbo.
Bilbo tried cutting open the sausage. A puff of white steam rose out, and the center was cooked to just the right degree.
He took a small bite.
Whoosh—
The flavors of meat, seasonings, and faintly melted salt crystals exploded in his mouth. Even though the freshly cooked sausage was scorching hot, hot enough to bring tears to Bilbo's eyes, this stubborn Hobbit could not bear to open his mouth and let that aroma escape along with the heat.
Its doneness and flavor were so perfect that they scarcely seemed possible for a human to achieve. The extra pinch of salt had perfectly balanced the sausage's slightly bland flavor. Such a tiny alteration had vastly enriched the layers of taste.
Perfect!
In an instant, the Hobbit's eyes widened. He sprang to his feet, even shoving his chair several steps backward.
Bilbo stood at attention.
"Mr. Li Wei, I swear, this is the most delicious fried sausage I have ever eaten in my life!"
"You flatter me." Li Wei nodded, somewhat unable to understand why Bilbo was reacting so strongly.
By his habitual way of thinking, wasn't food produced by the system basically the same as prepackaged food?
Yet in truth, technology had never been a bad word...
"No, Mr. Li Wei, that isn't excessive praise. I mean it. I've eaten this kind of sausage for years, but today feels like the first time I've truly tasted it. So this is how delicious it can be!"
"Oh?"
Li Wei raised an eyebrow, sensing something unusual.
Really? Let me try it.
Sizzle—
Several more sausages came out of the pan and were placed on a plate.
Li Wei took a bite.
Li Wei took another bite.
Li Wei calmly set down his knife and fork, then smiled and nodded at Bilbo.
Yet the corners of his mouth were already twitching uncontrollably.
Holy shit, it's delicious!!
Did I really make something this good?!
Before you continue