One Hundred Thirty-First Page Tea-soaked Rice
“Witch of the Witch Forest” is an excellent work of fantasy.
Compared to the large circle of “fantasy works,” the circle of readers of Lilith Publishing is obviously much smaller.
Squinting her already narrow eyes, Teacher Takagi smiled and said, “A work that was boycotted within its small circle has gained a wider audience outside it, even surpassing the popularity of the first book. Oh my, this can’t help but be ironic?”
These words were directed at her younger sister, who was munching on the last piece of cake and murmured quietly, “Ah, as a publisher, we should avoid hurting authors like this, but we can’t afford to go against our readers. After all, they are our bread and butter…”
The words were somewhat pitiful, subtly downplaying the responsibility of the publishing house, but Miss Xiao Ji accepted it.
“I understand your difficulties. I didn’t expect such a strong backlash. I’ve caused trouble for the publishing house.”
After her first book received widespread acclaim, she wanted to write something truly her own. But once she deviated from the tastes of those readers, she was immediately rejected and trampled upon.
Xiao Yedi hurriedly said, “There’s no need to say that. As your editor, I will always support you! Just write the story you want!”
“Isn’t it hard for a publishing house? Like at this book signing event, there might be readers who hate me causing trouble… No, there definitely will be.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll find a balance between readers and authors.”
Xiao Yedi tried to look reliable, but her petite one-meter-five frame made it seem like she was putting on a show.
She added, “This isn’t just my view; it’s also our editor-in-chief’s view. As a publishing house, we have our own stance! How to balance the interests of readers and authors is a long-term challenge we can’t avoid!”
It wasn’t hard to guess the editor-in-chief’s thoughts.
Lilith Publishing = Women’s literature.
This simple and straightforward notion had taken root among the readers before Miss Xiao Ji wrote her first book, which was precisely why she became an instant hit by fully catering to their tastes, with her excellent writing skills and carefully crafted author persona. It was almost impossible not to become popular.
—But this free ride wasn’t cheap; in fact, it was quite expensive.—
As Cherry Sauce said.
As a result of adapting to the trend, the pen name “Gongyong Xiaoji” was branded as a romance novelist by the readers, tied to the same wagon as Lilith Publishing, leading to a backlash against “Witch of the Witch Forest” once it changed direction.
This is what I knew before.
But I never expected that the poorly received “Witch of the Witch Forest” wouldn’t be buried. Even though the number of people was small, there were still a few loyal fans like Ba Heimei.
They were like sparks that could start a prairie fire, spreading through good word-of-mouth and persistent recommendations, eventually gaining widespread praise outside Lilith Publishing’s reader circle.
—This is both a crisis and an opportunity.—
Yes, this is a shared opportunity for Miss Xiao Ji and Lilith Publishing.
The unexpected success of “Witch of the Witch Forest” is not a bad thing for the publishing house. Sticking to women’s literature might allow them to build a solid wall and consolidate their foundation, ensuring peace of mind.
But this comfort could also become a chain, preventing the publishing house from expanding outward and growing stronger.
In fact, they had already lost this possibility before.
“Order, Ling Meng. The teacher invited you to eat.”
“Oh! Thank you, teacher!”
Teacher Takagi handed over the menu. Although eating in a tea room seemed odd, it was already noon, and I had to go to the research institute afterward.
Flipping through the rather limited light meals on the menu, I continued the previous conversation: “To put it simply, ‘Witch of the Witch Forest’ opened up a path you hadn’t anticipated. Your editor-in-chief also sees it as an opportunity and plans to seize the chance to enter the realm of fantasy literature?”
“Yes, so I hope Teacher Xiao Ji’s next book will still be a popular fantasy work. However, we won’t rely solely on one author. We’re launching a writing contest for new categories, hoping to attract talented authors leveraging the heat of ‘Witch of the Witch Forest.'”
“I’ll have the tuna tea rice combo.”
Although it sounded cheap and unremarkable on the menu, the price was actually higher than a regular bowl of rice.
More importantly, it looked like a special item available only in the tea room, so it shouldn’t be missed.
“Tea-soaked rice? Ha! My dad often makes this in the summer.”
Glancing at the menu I pointed at, Teacher Takagi continued, “But this one is cold. Is it okay to eat in winter?”
Despite being sunny, the outdoor temperature was only around six or seven degrees Celsius, which was quite chilly.
But what did it matter to me?
“It’s fine, there’s air conditioning inside, and I’m not planning to go out anyway.”
“Are you going to stay in the commercial area all day?”
“No, I have a driver.”
Even though driving was with a magical marble that could teleport, Cherry Sauce could be considered a driver.
But to Teacher Takagi, it meant something else. She reached across the table to pull my face.
“Well, you’re still calling yourself not a young lady?”
When you call me ‘little guy,’ you can’t be a young lady!
Though I wanted to emphasize this, the face-pulling left me only able to make meaningless sounds.
——————
The so-called tuna tea rice combo wasn’t what I imagined—a bowl of tea-soaked rice with a few side dishes.
Instead, it was a bowl of steaming white rice, a small pot of chilled Longjing tea, soy sauce, a small dish of sesame seaweed, and a small dish of tuna.
“The presentation is very delicate, but do I have to ‘soak’ the rice myself?”
“Cool tea and soy sauce poured when the rice is still warm, the tea hasn’t yet heated up, and there’s a slight temperature difference. That’s when it tastes best.”
Teacher Takagi explained in the manner of a tea-soaked rice expert, though she herself was eating curry udon. The mild tea-soaked rice and the curry were vastly different in aroma.
It’s too unfair. I want curry too.
By the way, Miss Xiao Ji and Xiao Yedi, having eaten too many pastries, only ordered a bowl of plain noodles to share.
—”…Say, do these two have any chemistry?”—
I don’t think so.
Miss Xiao Ji’s mind was only on writing novels and her sister, while Xiao Yedi didn’t treat her as anything more than a woman.
—But it would be suitable. Cangyu needs a brother-in-law, after all, he can’t remain single forever?—
I think you should curb your gossiping heart. We aren’t matchmakers, so why do we care?
Seeing me staring blankly at the plate without picking up chopsticks, Teacher Takagi asked again, “Ah? Do you need help? If the food gets cold, it won’t taste good.”
“Oh, no, I can do it myself.”
I came back to my senses and picked up the small spouted teapot.
“Wait! Put the sesame seaweed and tuna on top first! Press the seaweed with the tuna, then pour the Longjing and soy sauce!”
I was stopped by Teacher Takagi.
I didn’t think the order would affect the taste, but as a homeroom teacher, I followed her instructions.
The mound of rice in the large bowl was topped with oily seaweed fragments, lightly toasted sesame seeds adding color, and finally, a small clump of tuna.
Watching me finish, Teacher Takagi said, “Don’t pour the tea directly on the tuna. Pour it around the rice, circling until it covers the seaweed.”
Though I followed her instructions, I still felt puzzled. After all, it seemed overly ceremonial just to eat tea-soaked rice.
The Longjing cool tea poured from the tiny spout, perhaps due to the brewing technique, looked clear and green when seen, but turned darker in the bowl, with a much richer aroma than usual. During the pouring process, it even overpowered the smell of Teacher Takagi’s curry.
But the curry was too overpowering, and the tea was still cold, so it quickly faded away.
Finally, adding soy sauce made the tea-soaked rice even darker.
Finishing everything, I looked at Teacher Takagi.
“All done. So how do I eat it?”
“Mmm, press the tuna and seaweed still floating on the surface into the rice and mix them together, then you can eat.”
“—Then what’s the point of not pouring the tea directly on the tuna?—”
“So you don’t ruin the presentation. I need to take a photo.”
“You’re taking a photo!”
Teacher Takagi picked up her phone from the table.
“Yes, come closer.”
“Do you want to include me in the photo too?”
“Isn’t it reasonable to take a photo since I’m treating you to a meal?”
I lifted the bowl and smiled for the camera.
Click—
She lowered her head to check the phone and said, “All set, you can eat now.”
I sighed, pressing the tuna and seaweed into the bowl as the teacher instructed. The oil from the seaweed and tuna spread across the clear tea, and stirring with chopsticks instantly made it murky.
“You two really don’t act like teacher and student.”
We quickly finished the simple plain noodles. Miss Xiao Ji propped her chin and observed us.
With turmeric from the curry on her lips, Teacher Takagi chewed and said, “A homeroom teacher who can’t become friends with students isn’t a good teacher! And outside school, I don’t want to establish authority in front of students.”
I picked up the ceramic bowl and took a sip of tea. The tea had warmed up due to the heat from the rice, reaching the perfect temperature.
The taste was refreshing, with a hint of fishiness from the tuna, but the fishiness brought a sense of sea breeze, which wasn’t bad. Tea-soaked rice is indeed suitable for summer, but it also has a unique flavor in winter. After all, true delicacy knows no season.
“How is it?”
“Not bad, it’s very tasty.”
Teacher Takagi pretended to be profound and asked, “Classmate Ling Meng, do you know the key to whether tea-soaked rice is delicious?”
“Is it the rice? Soy sauce? Please enlighten me, teacher.”
She pointed to the small teapot that had contained Longjing.
“It’s the water. Only high-quality roasted tea can make good tea-soaked rice.”
I looked at the rice in my hand.
“Now I understand… This is indeed a well-brewed cup.”
