At the kitchen entrance, she appeared, her flawless skin glowing under the snow’s light, a black liuxian dress standing out dramatically against the white backdrop. The silver-threaded crescent moon patterns on her dress added an air of noble mystique, accentuating her breathtaking curves.
Ying Bing’s gaze didn’t need to search; it zeroed in on a certain someone instantly.
She had arrived.
“Brother Li, Miss Ying is looking for you… um?”
Huang Donglai suddenly noticed something.
Brother Li seemed unusually serious and tense.
And for such a cold day, why was there sweat on Brother Li’s forehead? Was he running a fever or what?
“You’re here.” Li Mo put down the barbecue sauce.
“What are you doing in the kitchen?”
“You know, I do have some authority when it comes to culinary skills.”
“But you haven’t fully recovered yet.”
Ying Bing slightly arched an eyebrow, her gaze flickering over the dumpling wrappers and fillings on the side, a hint of… curiosity lurking in her eyes.
When she came from Jiawei Tavern, the tavern’s madam was making dumplings for her husband.
The husband watched with love, the two of them looking blissfully happy together.
At that moment, Ying Bing felt a strange stirring of unfamiliar emotion in her heart.
Was it longing?
Anyway, the madam had pulled her in to learn a thing or two, and Cold Fairy quietly picked up the art, almost like someone experiencing an epiphany.
Li Mo would need to have a little heart-to-heart with the madam about this whole ordeal.
“Ice Chunk!”
When Ying Bing reached for the dumpling wrappers, Li Mo gritted his teeth.
If they could survive battles with thousands of horses, surely they could handle a celebration feast!
“What’s the matter?”
Ice Chunk was filled with confusion.
“… Your clothes today look quite splendid. This isn’t an ordinary dress, is it?”
Li Mo wore a totally serious expression as he looked at her.
He had heard that complimenting a girl’s appearance could shift her focus.
Ying Bing’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as she nodded.
“Yes, this liuxian dress has its wonders. It feels good even during practice.”
“Will you practice on the festival day?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“??”
Li Mo coughed lightly, noticing her gaze gravitating toward the dumpling wrappers again. He asked more earnestly:
“So where is such fine attire made? I’d like to buy one for myself as well.”
The young man’s eyes sparkled with genuine interest.
“… I’m not telling you.”
Ying Bing avoided his eyes.
It was well known that when one didn’t know what to do, they’d busy themselves with something else. Ying Bing had just learned the secret of making dumplings.
Right there in front of her were wrappers and fillings.
Li Mo: “???”
Staring blankly at Ice Chunk, who had already started, Li Mo couldn’t for the life of him figure out where they had gone wrong.
Kitchen defense operation… failed!
Huh?
A delicate dumpling rested on a pale hand, somewhat resembling a work of art.
Looking up, Li Mo saw Ying Bing’s cold, aloof face, her stubborn corners slightly curled in a hint of a smile…
“Real or fake? Did you actually make that? How did you manage it?”
The master chef was completely shocked.
Had Ice Chunk awakened some previous memory? Nah, that can’t be right!
“It’s just a few dumplings.”
Ying Bing’s expression remained confident, cool and collected.
She effortlessly picked up a wrapper and, in the blink of an eye, formed a perfect dumpling! Her movements too fast to follow!
She even employed her true essence!
Pork and leek dumplings—boom!!
Little Li was dumbfounded, leaning back dramatically, feeling like the villain of some novel getting completely outclassed by a boss-level protagonist.
“What do you think?”
“Master Li Mo bows in admiration.”
As the sky darkened and the clouds, which had lingered all day, still refused to release snow, the outside field of white was no longer snow.
Instead, row upon row of piles of dumplings lay stacked neatly.
Two massive vats of boiling water stood ready, while countless barbecues were placed over charcoal pits.
“It’s time to start boiling dumplings!”
At Commander Qu Sheng’s command, piles of fresh dumplings were dropped into the pots then momentarily lifted by a powerful inner force into awaiting bowls, whisked off to the various campsites.
“Commander Qu, you’ve been working all day, have some.”
Huang Donglai presented a bowl freshly out of the pot.
“Alright, let’s see how this tastes.”
Commander Qu embraced the bowl and gingerly picked out one dumpling. His brows relaxed, and he mumbled:
“It’s true… it has a bit of that… flavor from home?”
While murmuring, he took another bite, trying to confirm if it was indeed the hometown taste he hadn’t tasted for decades.
Suddenly, Commander Qu’s body froze.
Huang Donglai gestured subtly with his eyes toward the distance.
Following his gaze, Commander Qu saw Li Mo sitting atop an armory holding a bowl of dumplings and smiling, his lips moving silently, as if saying:
“Merry Winter Solstice, Commander Qu.”
“Merry Winter Solstice.”
Commander Qu nodded solemnly before vanishing into the night.
Li Mo let out a relieved sigh, as a clear and pleasant notification tone rang in his ears.
[Congratulations to the Host! Successfully invested in Commander Qu, adding one jiazi cycle (60 years) to his lifespan.]
[Investment Return: Kongming Multicolor Tower.]
[Kongming Multicolor Tower]: “Consists of thirty strata, each representing a different color. Capable of absorbing life force, refining it, purifying it from distractions and impurities, storing the purified essence.”
“Note: Substantial energy loss; only 10% of the absorbed life force can be reclaimed after purification.”
“!”
Could it be this convenient?
Li Mo began to think of Commander Qu as even more of a great person.
Even the rewards for the investment were so considerate.
Now, all he had to do was figure out how to collect some life force, though the exact methods would require further deliberation.
“What’s wrong?”
“Commander Qu… he is truly good.”
Before long, the dumplings made by Ice Chunk were done, and Li Mo held a bowl in his hand. Looking down, he found…
A bowl of floury noodle soup.
And it was utterly black.
Little Li momentarily froze. He grabbed one of Ice Chunk’s masterpieces that hadn’t been boiled, and finally, he noticed the thin layer of ice encasing the dumpling wrappers.
So Ice Chunk was using her essence to freeze the edges of the wrappers?
That explains the speed!
Little Li covered his face, but at least it was Ice Chunk’s first attempt at dumpling making. As long as there were wrappers and fillings inside, it could pass as a bowl of dumplings.
“What about the soup…?”
“Isn’t it customary to eat dumplings with vinegar?”
“How much vinegar did you put in the soup?”
“Do you even need soup for this?”
Ying Bing tilted her head slightly. Through the layers of smoke, her deep gaze seemed a bit misty.
It was as if she were saying,
“Didn’t I specifically make this for you? Aren’t you going to try it?”
She looked as if she truly yearned to see Li Mo savoring her dumplings, exclaiming in delight.
But Li Mo remembered the last time she cooked—peppers stir-fried with meat and tomatoes stir-fried with eggs. Her face had been one of such solemn dedication, full of the belief in her own infallible ability.
Now, there was something else—… a small amount of anticipation?
“Can I get a little taste first…?”
“Not a chance.”
Ying Bing gave him a look as if to say, you think getting a taste is something easy to come by?
But glancing down at her own Taiyin dress:
“There is something else…”
“What is it?”
“It’s… Merry Winter Solstice.”
“Ah?”
Ying Bing pursed her lips and ladled a spoonful of vinegar-soaked noodles and dumpling filling into the soup. Seizing the moment when Little Li was puzzled and slightly open-mouthed, she quickly fed it to him.
The suffering of Piggy Hero returned.
…
PS: Classes have started, and poor little Pusheer’s hit counts are dropping like crazy. Don’t you want to charge up and support? (Ice Chunk’s serious face)
