Travels in Qiongzhou (6): The Civil Engineering Sis Can Cook

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, Xiao Ling and his group ushered in their first night in Qiongzhou.

Although going out at night has its own unique charm, the girls had been having a blast all day and were completely exhausted, so they all decided to stay in the villa.

Now, we need to consider a very serious issue.

What should we do tonight...?

To be honest, after a whole day of strenuous exercise, most people don't have much of an appetite. If we were to serve a Manchu Han Imperial Feast at this time, it would be an extravagant waste.

"Master, you seem quite conflicted."

Suddenly, a pair of fair, jade-like hands appeared on Xiao Ling's shoulder. Then, a fox rested its head on his left shoulder, gazing at him with affectionate eyes.

"Hmm, I'm thinking about what to do for those girls right now." He casually rubbed Xin's fox ears a couple of times, then pinched her smooth, delicate cheek.

"The charioteer's cooking skills have always been excellent; even simple home-cooked dishes can be made to taste like delicacies," Heartfox pondered. "So, you're worried that the sisters won't be able to finish it all and it will go to waste?"

"Well, although exercise can increase appetite, those girls had been playing all day and were exhausted, so they didn't have any appetite," Xiao Ling explained. "Besides, I didn't want to make things too complicated."

"I understand. You're looking for a simple, delicious, and appetizing dish, Master? I do have one that fits the bill..."

Then, she explained the recipe for this dish to Xiao Ling in great detail, word by word.

"Oh, is that it?" Xiao Ling said with a sudden realization after hearing her description. "This dish is called liangpi (cold skin noodles) here. And you know what? If you control the seasoning well, it really is a delicious and appetizing dish."

"But just one plate of cold noodles probably won't satisfy those girls. How about I also make some beef salad?"

"Good idea," Heartfox agreed. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I haven't made many cold dishes, so I might need your help later. Do you mind?"

"Of course I don't mind. It's my duty to share the burdens of the Emperor."

To Xiao Ling's surprise, Heartfox, whom he usually called "Older Sister Civil Engineer," was actually quite skilled at kneading dough.

A clean apron was tightly tied around her slender waist, and there was some flour on the tip of her nose and fingers. Her fox ears twitched occasionally, and her fluffy fox tail swayed back and forth with her good mood.

No, that's not all. She knows every step of the liangpi (cold skin noodles) process by heart, and she does it with great skill and precision, showing that she is a master chef.

He thought he might have to lend a hand when he had some free time, but it seemed that Heartfox's progress was about to surpass his.

"I didn't know you had this skill, Fox Fairy Sister!" Xiao Ling exclaimed in surprise.

"You must understand one thing, my lord: since I have been able to tell you the recipe for this cold noodle dish in detail, it is because I have personally made it myself," Heartfox said with a smile.

"I was thinking of lending a hand, but it seems I don't need to now," Xiao Ling said with a smile and a nod. "However, there are some small favors I can still do."

Then, under Heartfox's somewhat puzzled gaze, he gently brushed the bit of flour dust off the other's nose before turning back to continue preparing the beef salad he was making.

The fox fairy sister, belatedly realizing she had been flirted with, could only let her pretty face blush slightly before turning her head back to continue making cold noodles.

You know what, you really have to admit, these two actually look quite good together, don't they?

Our Honey Peach was the first to break up this time of peace and quiet for the two of us.

"Hmm? Yaya, what brings you here?" Xiao Ling wasn't surprised and casually picked up a piece of mixed beef and fed it to the little glutton.

"The aroma of delicious food is beckoning me." Dania swallowed a mouthful of beef, sauce smearing her lips in the process. "Delicious! But is this the only dish today?"

"Of course not. Look, there's some cold noodles made by the fox fairy over there. Why don't you go and try some?"

Upon receiving the instruction, Dania immediately moved closer to Heartfox, picked up a piece of prepared cold noodles, and stuffed it into her mouth.

"It was cool and quite chewy, but the flavor was too bland; it felt like eating steamed noodles dry."

Heartfox chuckled twice and gently flicked Dania's forehead with her fingertip.

"That's because you're eating it the wrong way. Cold noodles, of course, need to be seasoned to taste good."

She picked up the condiment and poured it thoroughly over one of the cold noodles, then handed it to the greedy girl. "How about trying it again now?"

Dania took the seasoned cold noodles, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat heartily, nodding as she ate, seemingly enjoying the meal immensely.

"This is delicious!" she exclaimed sincerely. "I played a bit too much today and didn't have much of an appetite, but this tangy and refreshing cold noodle dish is so appetizing, I feel like I could eat several bowls in one go."

"That's exactly the effect I wanted," Xiao Ling chuckled. "Making these cold noodles will give everyone an appetite, save time, and avoid waste. Isn't that wonderful?"

"That makes sense," Dania agreed. "Shall I call them down for dinner now?"

"Hmm, thank you for your trouble. They've waited so long; they deserve a good meal to replenish their energy."

It turns out that adding beef salad to cold noodles was the right choice.

"These cold noodles are pretty good, quite chewy," Iuno nodded. "The mixed beef is also not bad, the meat is firm, not fishy or gamey. Overall, I'd give it a seven or eight out of ten."

"To be honest, this cold noodles with mixed beef is so appetizing, I feel like I could eat two more bowls." Lynae nodded repeatedly, quite satisfied with the dinner combination.

"A-Yu, did you make this cold noodles? It's really delicious! I feel like it could be a regular on the menu!" Aemeath immediately thought it was Xiao Ling's doing.

"Little Ai, I didn't make these cold noodles, you know?" Xiao Ling smiled. "If you want some, you'll have to ask your sister Heartfox."

"It's alright, I can make it again later if you all wish to eat it." Heartfox smiled gently.

"When did you learn this skill?" Qingxiao looked at the Sentinel Dreamland with suspicion.

"Keep it a secret." Heartfox made a shushing gesture.

"Well, that's not important. There will be plenty of opportunities to ask later," Xiao Ling said with a faint smile. "As for now, showing off our food is the priority~"

So, everyone chatted and laughed over the cold noodles in their bowls and the bowl of mixed beef in the middle of the table, enjoying their first dinner in Qiongzhou.