The sun was bright today, and the weather was lovely.
In Dongwu City, a city within the Chu Kingdom of the Spirit Realm, two figures stood before a stove in the kitchen of a beautiful, elegant villa.
"Ms. Zhang, the meat has been stewing for so long. Shouldn’t it be ready now?" Qin Muqing asked the woman who sold lunch boxes and was teaching her to cook.
"Miss Qin, the meat is ready. But before you take it out, sprinkle some chopped green onions on top," Ms. Zhang, the lunch box vendor, said with a smiling nod.
She lifted the lid of the BUBBLING pot, and the enticing aroma of stewed meat immediately wafted out.
Qin Muqing turned off the stove’s flame and picked up a small bowl. She sprinkled the fresh, vibrant green onions into the pot, then used a large ladle to transfer the stew from the pot into a large serving bowl.
Standing to the side, Ms. Zhang, the lunch box vendor, looked with envy at her employer’s newly released Spiritual Artifact stove. This Convenient Spiritual Artifact wasn’t cheap, selling for fifteen thousand Copper Coins.
An ordinary family couldn’t bear to spend so much money on such an expensive Convenient Spiritual Artifact. The Spiritual Artifact stove in her own home, for instance, had only cost one thousand five hundred Copper Coins. The difference in price was vast.
In the dining room, five dishes and a soup were arranged on an exquisitely crafted solid wood table. The presentation was excellent—all were the result of what Qin Muqing had learned from Ms. Zhang that day.
"Miss Qin, you’re the fastest learner I’ve ever seen when it comes to cooking. At this rate, it won’t be long before I have nothing left to teach you," Ms. Zhang praised.
As someone skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, Qin Muqing was naturally a quick study.
Before, with no one to teach her, she had just fumbled on her own, and her cooking had been a culinary disaster. Now that she had a good teacher, her progress was plain to see.
Hearing Ms. Zhang’s praise, Qin Muqing smiled and said,
"It’s all because you’re such a good teacher. Without a master like you, I could never have prepared such a delicious spread."
Everyone loves a good compliment, and upon hearing Qin Muqing’s words, Ms. Zhang beamed.
"Ms. Zhang, please join me for lunch. You have a seat, and I’ll go get the rice," Qin Muqing said with a smile, turning toward the kitchen.
However, Ms. Zhang shook her head, stopping Qin Muqing before she could head to the kitchen.
"Miss Qin, you don’t need to get any rice for me. I have to go out to sell my lunch boxes, so I ate an early lunch at home."
"But it’s been a while since you left home. What you ate should have been digested by now.
I can’t possibly finish these five dishes and the soup all by myself. You should have at least a little! Don’t be so formal with me..." Qin Muqing insisted.
"Er..." Ms. Zhang was about to refuse again when Qin Muqing cut in. "Could it be that you think my cooking is bad? Is that why you keep turning me down?"
"Oh, alright, alright! Say no more, Miss Qin. I’ll eat, okay?" Ms. Zhang said with a look of resignation.
"Hee hee..." Seeing that she had successfully persuaded Ms. Zhang, Qin Muqing let out a series of clear, pleasant laughs and headed to the kitchen for the rice.
At the table, the very talkative Ms. Zhang shared many amusing stories with Qin Muqing, and the meal was enjoyed by host and guest alike.
"Alright, that’s all for today. These are the ingredients you’ll need for tomorrow..." After lunch, as she was about to leave, Ms. Zhang took a folded piece of paper from her small bag and handed it to Qin Muqing.
Qin Muqing took the paper, unfolded it for a quick look, then nodded at Ms. Zhang.
"Got it. I’ll go to the market this afternoon and get the ingredients we’ll need for tomorrow."
When she had first moved into the villa, the ingredients Lin Li prepared should have been enough for three or four days.
But unfortunately, Qin Muqing, who didn’t know how to cook back then, had ruined a large portion of them in her initial attempts.
As a result, there were only enough ingredients left for lunch, meaning Qin Muqing had to personally go to the market that afternoon to buy more.
Speaking of the market, the planned one couldn’t open because construction in this residential area wasn’t complete yet.
If Qin Muqing wanted to go grocery shopping now, the nearest market was quite a long way from the villa.
After going over the ingredients for the next day, Ms. Zhang left, pushing her lunch box cart.
Qin Muqing walked her to the villa’s main gate and watched until Ms. Zhang was a good distance away before looking away and closing it.
’Including what I learned yesterday, I can now confidently make a total of ten dishes.
If Mr. Lin were to eat a meal at home now, I could handle it with confidence. I wouldn’t have to worry about giving myself away like before...’
When she first moved into the villa, Qin Muqing had been worried that her terrible cooking would expose her.
Now that this nagging problem was mostly solved, her spirits lightened considerably.
「Blue Star.」
The afternoon sun was scorching. Even though the suburbs of the East District were a few degrees cooler than the city proper, the heat was still uncomfortable for anyone outdoors.