Travels · Hangzhou (3): Everyone Cooks Together

At 11 a. m. sharp, the sound of chopping vegetables echoed from the kitchen.

After several days, Xiao Ling returned to the kitchen and became a stay-at-home husband once again.

However, this time he was accompanied by a Black-Feathered Bird that was eager to try its luck.

"Actually, I think you could rest for a while before coming over." Xiao Ling chopped the meat, the two cleavers clapping loudly on the cutting board.

"And then what? If I take a break, Xiao Yu, are you planning to cook all the dishes for the whole table?" Yangyang smiled, but her tone left no room for argument. "That won't do. It's exhausting to cook for twenty people by yourself. I have to share some of the burden."

"Actually, it's not that tiring." Xiao Ling shook her head, amused. "After all..."

He turned to look behind him, where Aemeath and Chisa were standing together, processing the old hen they had just bought.

"Xiao Qian, what should we do next?" Aemeath asked Chisa, holding the old hen that had already been strangled.

(Just because: Oh no, why did I get strangled again?)

"Hmm... Next, we should bleed her out—actually, we could just bleed her out directly, but Little Ai was strangled to death by her." Chisa said, her eyes twitching.

"I think this is more convenient~" Little Ai said with a smile, "And it will struggle when it's being bled, right? If it dies first, it won't be in pain and it won't struggle."

Chicken: Thank you so much!

"Alright, girls, let me handle that thing. You guys go do something else." Xiao Ling finished chopping the meat and came over to take over the chicken. "Yangyang is cooking with us today, see if she needs any help."

Upon receiving the instructions Aemeath and Chisa immediately approached Yangyang and asked if she needed any help.

Looking at the crowded kitchen, Xiao Ling couldn't help but smile.

Shorekeeper and Chun were fiddling around in the beverage area, probably preparing some special drinks for everyone in the family. Various drinks and fruits were laid out on the table, giving them room to express themselves freely.

"Hey Lupa, I know my drinks are really good, but if you finish them all, then nobody will get any!" Miss Tsubaki reminded the little wolf who was chugging a drink at the bar.

"Because it's delicious~" Lupa was about to grab another cup, but after being prompted like that, she could only reluctantly withdraw her hand and then give a polite smile.

The Shorekeeper smiled silently and pushed the drink he had prepared towards Lupa.

"Hey? Shorekeeper, is this the drink you made? Let me try it!" Lupa grabbed the Shorekeeper's special drink and took a sip. "Not bad! This is good too."

"I'm glad you like it," the Shorekeeper said with a gentle smile.

Augusta was trying to recreate the bread he remembered using an oven, but after several attempts, he was still not satisfied, and his brows furrowed.

"What's wrong, Augusta? I've rarely seen you look like that." Iuno looked at the freshly baked bread, picked up a piece and tasted it. "Uh... it's dry and hard. You weren't making that stuff again, were you?"

"Hmm, I'd like to give it a try."

"I don't think they'd like this kind of thing..."

"So I made it for myself, but... I still can't quite recreate that feeling."

Iuno munched on his bread without speaking. After a long silence, he mumbled, "Let's cherish the present. At least right now we can enjoy some simple happiness."

"Yes, you're right." Augusta glanced at Cartethyia, who was carefully preparing a vegetable salad with a smile not far away, and smiled.

"Eh? What a rare guest! Blazing Sakura Shrine Maiden is actually planning to cook herself?" Roccia in a lighthearted tone when she saw the uninvited Crimson Snow.

"Everyone is busy preparing lunch, so I naturally have no reason to freeload," Crimson Snow said with a smile.

What do you want to do? I'll be your assistant.

"The principal is personally assisting me? That would be my honor."

Stop joking around and get to work! I'll be the first to eat it when it's done!

Dania, meanwhile, dragged Sigrika around the kitchen, occasionally sneaking bites of the delicious dishes that Yangyang and the others had prepared.

"Yaya, this isn't right..." Sigrika's lips were smeared with sauce; she was clearly being led astray.

"There's nothing wrong with that~ In principle, we're called taste testers, which means we're giving these dishes a preliminary safety inspection." Dania winked playfully. "If we find any problems, we can bring them up, right?"

"Hmm... that makes sense." Sigrika was easily swayed by her best friend.

(Xixi, you're so easy to be tricked into Hajiya 'Hajiling bed like this.)

As for Phoebe, she started making pizzas. Well... not bad at all. After all, pizza is indeed suitable for eating at gatherings. Xiao Ling still has a special fondness for the creamy mango pizza from a certain Western restaurant.

Although Lynae and Morning, the Rover, also wanted to help out, the kitchen was already overcrowded, so they simply took over the task of serving dishes and delivering bowls.

This is the scene that unfolded before Xiao Ling's eyes: everyone was busy preparing lunch, the sounds of oil frying, chopping vegetables, and general chatter combining to create a happy chapter in this ordinary daily life.

"Why are so many people crammed into the kitchen?" Suisui, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, blinked curiously, her expression showing a hint of surprise.

"Sister Suisui, have you finished what you were doing?" Xiao Ling asked with a smile.

"Yeah, it didn't take much effort. I heard it was quite lively down below, so I came down to take a look," Suisui nodded.

"It's quite simple to explain. Everyone wants to eat, but no one wants to just sit and wait for the food to come. Luckily, the kitchen is big enough, so everyone naturally took on their respective tasks."

"I see~" Suisui said knowingly, "So Brother Ling, what are you going to do now?"

"Prepare to dispose of this chicken that Aemeath strangled."

"Do you need my help?"

"Hmm... we need to bleed it, scald its fur, remove the fur, and then gut it to take out its internal organs." Xiao Ling went over the procedure with Suisui. "Sister Suisui, can you accept this?"

"I'm not that delicate!" Suisui said reproachfully. "Besides, everyone's busy, I can't fall behind."

"Okay, let's go outside and deal with this chicken. Oh, and could you please get me a small bowl, Sister Suisui, and remember to fill it with some salt water..."

Xiao Ling and Suisui formed the final piece of this heartwarming story. Thus, the first lunch everyone enjoyed in this unique Jiangnan mansion was already imbued with a sense of happiness even before the meal officially began.

Just as Lynae said, life is built up from these little everyday moments.