Chapter 36

Outside the wooden house, the wind howled, rattling the windows with a clatter.

The wind blew in, and Xi Mi instinctively felt Ying Quhe would be cold. Her arms slowly wrapped around his waist, holding tight.

Ying Quhe slid his fingers through her curly hair, gently gathering it, savoring the slow, tender kneading. The hollow in Xi Mi’s heart gradually filled with the tenderness of his touch, a sweet, creamy warmth nearly overflowing from her chest.

They held each other in silence for a while. Ji Donglin’s voice came from outside. “So how are we doing this tonight? Two rooms? Guys with guys, girls with girls, or mixed? If it’s mixed, I volunteer to share a room with the Goddess.”

The door was pushed open. Ji Donglin walked in, saw the scene, and froze for a beat. “What the hell, Ying Quhe, you have no shame! You’re getting handsy with my Goddess!”

Xi Mi released Ying Quhe, covered her bright red face, and stood up. “You’ll share a room with Ying Quhe tonight. I’ll room with Nan Qing.” She walked to the door and told Ji Donglin, “Um… Ji Donglin, please look after him tonight.”

Once Xi Mi left the room, Ji Donglin sat on the bed, took off his shoes, and sneered at Ying Quhe. “Heh. I thought you were a gentleman, but you’re this kind of person. I used to admire you when I was a kid. Now I finally see who you really are. So this is what all you older guys are like?”

“What do you mean?” Ying Quhe leaned back against the bed and pulled the blanket over his lower body. The bedding had sat in the wardrobe too long and carried a damp smell.

Ji Donglin flopped onto the bed, pulled the blanket around himself, and turned his back. “You’ve had these filthy intentions ever since you took the Goddess as your disciple, haven’t you? Our Goddess is innocent. That’s the only reason an old fox like you could fool her. But we’re both men, so I know exactly what you’re thinking.”

“What do you think I’m thinking?” Ying Quhe stared at the back of his head, finding this all a bit ridiculous.

“Heh. Your lower half already gave you away. You took advantage of a woman. Have you no decency left?” Ji Donglin rolled over and glared at him. “Ying Quhe, I used to respect you as an elder. But now you’ve lost every bit of that respect. As the Goddess’s master, instead of guiding her properly, you turn around and take advantage of her? Tell me this. If people found out you’re not just master and disciple, but you’ve got those kinds of intentions toward her, what would netizens think? That the competition was rigged?”

“Stop obsessing over my seniority.” Ying Quhe switched off the light, lay down, and folded his hands behind his head. “Let me correct one thing. I had no intention of taking advantage of her. What just happened was a normal reaction born from mutual attraction between a man and a woman.”

A sour feeling rose in Ji Donglin’s chest, nearly driving him to cough up blood. How could an old fox like Ying Quhe be worthy of the Goddess? Ying Quhe had once publicly criticized Xi Mi as utterly worthless on the show. As a die-hard fanboy, there was no way he’d stand for the Goddess dating someone like that!

He called the Goddess worthless, and now he wants to hit on her? What does he take her for?

If this actually goes his way, the Goddess will be pushed around nonstop from now on.

Just thinking about it was terrifying.

*

The next day, Ying Quhe slept in unusually late.

He walked out of the bedroom and saw Ji Donglin sitting on the doorstep of the main room, gnawing on bread. Ulrica lay on the veranda, squinting lazily in the warm morning sun.

Stepping over the threshold, the fresh morning air rushed into his face, his lungs feeling as if they had been cleansed.

The horizon glowed a soft crimson. Smoke from the kitchen chimney across the way wound through the morning mist. Lush greenery bordered the muddy ground, and bright sunlight cut through the thin haze, falling on the row of white sheets drying in the yard. In this mountain air, thick with the smell of soil, those pure white sheets gleamed like patches of clean snow, a soothing sight.

A small curly-haired head poked out from between the sheets, and a moment later, her whole body slipped through sideways.

The girl tiptoed, reaching out to smooth the wrinkled sheets. The bright sun refracted a warm glow at the tips of her chestnut-brown hair, her fair face almost translucent in the warm sunlight.

Xi Mi turned to check the clothes hanging on the tree. The athletic jacket was still a little damp, but the tank top and long pants were already dry. She reached for them, but even on tiptoe she fell just short of the hanger. The moment her heels hit the ground, a firm chest pressed against her back. A hand lifted easily and took the clothes down for her.

Xi Mi turned around to see Ying Quhe, bare-armed, his chest and eight-pack abs fully exposed. She nearly got a nosebleed.

Ying Quhe casually gave her head a rub, picked up the clothes, and turned back to the room.

Xi Mi lowered her head, her cheeks instantly flushing.

So after last night… are we that kind of couple now? Xi Mi drew a breath and lifted a hand to rub the spot he’d tousled. Her girlish heart hammered wildly.

Ji Donglin grumbled through a mouthful of bread, “Walking around half-naked in broad daylight? Have you no shame?”

Ulrica got up and barked unceremoniously at Ji Donglin. The adult German shepherd’s bark was deep and commanding, enough to rattle eardrums.

Ji Donglin immediately shut up, lowered his head, and kept gnawing on his bread.

After hanging the sheets, Xi Mi returned to the kitchen.

Not long later, Ying Quhe stepped in as well. He first took a look around the kitchen.

The small kitchen was fully stocked with pots and pans. Strings of fiery red chili peppers and golden dried corn hung on the walls. A wood-fired stove had water boiling on it.

Xi Mi was adding firewood to the earthen stove, while Nan Qing helped wash the vegetables.

In a water basin was a skinned snake, about two fingers thick and eighty centimeters long. In another basin was a cleaned chicken. Ying Quhe crouched down, poked at the snake meat with his finger, and looked around. “This doesn’t look like a place that’s been empty for long.”

Xi Mi stuffed two more logs into the stove. “There’s a chicken farm behind this place. The owner knows us and sometimes borrows the kitchen. So it’s got a cozy, lived-in feel.”

Nan Qing chopped the cilantro as Xi Mi had instructed and remarked, “The ingredients in the mountains are so fresh. This chicken is raised well too. If we could open a farmhouse restaurant up here, with our skills, we’d pull in more customers than the Xi Family Restaurant down in the old town.”

Xi Mi tipped the snake and chicken into the pot, blanching them in boiling water. She pointed casually toward another pot and said to Ying Quhe, “That pot… there’s breakfast in there.”

Ying Quhe lifted the lid, and a cloud of steam billowed out. Inside was a bowl of sweet potatoes steamed over water, terrible-looking things, riddled with shallow pits and gouges. His brow furrowed at the sight.

Are these… even edible?

Nan Qing saw his expression and curved her lips into a smile. “Quhe, if you don’t want them, you can gnaw on bread like Ji Donglin.”

“The sweet potatoes on this mountain taste pretty good. They’re really sweet. You… want to try one?” Xi Mi wasn’t sure if it was the heat of the open flame or Ying Quhe himself, but her ears were burning hot.

The moment her eyes met Ying Quhe’s, her heart started pounding like a war drum.

“Alright.” Ying Quhe reached out, grabbed a sweet potato, and bit straight into it without peeling it.

The skin split the instant it touched his teeth. The golden flesh inside was soft, tender, and naturally sweet. His taste buds were wrapped in that sweetness, rich but not cloying, without any of the heavy aftertaste of processed sugar.

When the chicken and snake were about ninety percent cooked through, Xi Mi scooped them out with a strainer and laid them on the cutting board. Nan Qing took one look at the snake and recoiled, goosebumps rising all over her arms. “That thing is seriously creepy. I’m going to wander around and see if I can find any fresh ingredients. The kitchen’s all yours.”

With Nan Qing gone, only the two of them remained. Xi Mi glanced up at Ying Quhe and saw him watching the snake meat intently. She explained, “You’re in luck today. At the Xi Family Restaurant, snake soup is only served on Wednesdays, and it’s limited. Tourists visiting the old town line up before dawn just to get a bowl of Xi-style snake soup.”

Ying Quhe turned his head to look at her, his gentle gaze settling on her face.

Xi Mi immediately lowered her head and started deboning the snake, stripping the meat off in thin slices. “The Xi Family snake soup has a unique recipe. It’s kept secret. But if you want to learn, I’ll teach you. You take the leftover snake bones and simmer them with pork bones, chicken, and ham to make the broth. Then you add shredded snake meat, along with shredded abalone, shredded shiitake mushrooms, processed ginger julienne, and other ingredients, and stew it all together. The snake and chicken have to be torn into strips by hand to keep the texture natural and the presentation nice. The snake strips should be as fine as possible… like this. About this fine.” She demonstrated tearing the meat by hand, her technique so precise it could almost rival a needle and thread. “But we’re missing a lot of ingredients up on the mountain, so today I can only make a simple traditional snake soup.”

Ying Quhe glanced at the snake meat, then lowered his gaze back to her, the corner of his mouth curving upward. A trace of a smile rippled all the way to his eyes. “No need to learn.”

“What do you mean?” Xi Mi’s face fell. She looked down and muttered quietly, “I’m not treating you like an outsider…”

Ying Quhe stepped closer until the tips of his shoes touched hers. He bent his head and said, soft and tender, “If I want some in the future, you can make it for me.”

He was so close his voice brushed right against her cheek, making her eardrum thrum. She pressed her lips together, lowered her head, and kept tearing the snake meat.

…

Even with so many ingredients missing, under Xi Mi’s deft hands, the flavor turned out surprisingly good.

Ji Donglin stirred the thick, milky-white snake soup with his spoon. It was impossible to tell which strips were chicken and which were snake, but the texture was impossibly delicate, melting on the tongue the moment you tasted it. That transcendent mouthfeel drove him wild with excitement. He pounded his chest and stamped his feet. “Goddess, this is incredible!”

Nan Qing took a taste and nodded in approval. “I shouldn’t have left earlier. Should’ve stayed and stolen some culinary secrets.”

Ying Quhe seemed accustomed to the role of judge. “Truly excellent,” he commented. “The broth is white as milk, rich without being greasy. The flavor is full-bodied but very natural.”

Ji Donglin snorted. “As if she needs your praise? Anything my goddess makes is perfection.”

Nan Qing asked, “What’s the plan after eating?”

Xi Mi suggested, “Mm… the fruit in the orchard is ripe. How about we go pick some this afternoon? And at night, the stars in the mountains are beautiful. We can all sit in the courtyard and watch them together.”

Ulrica had devoured her bowl of snake soup in record time, licking the bottom completely clean. She picked up her dog bowl in her mouth, wagged her tail, and trotted over to Xi Mi, staring up at her with eager, pleading eyes.

The pitiful little act tugged at Xi Mi’s heart, but her surge of sympathy was instantly snuffed out by Ying Quhe’s voice. “Ignore her. She’s on a diet lately.”

“…On a diet?” Xi Mi gave Ulrica a sympathetic look and patted her on the head.

Ulrica let out a whimper from her throat, flopped down on the ground, released her bowl, and wore an expression of utter despair…

——

In the afternoon, they went into the orchard. Nan Qing and Ji Donglin had already carried off the wooden ladder. Xi Mi stared up at the tall fruit trees, wanting to climb up and pick some fruit. She turned back to where Ying Quhe was crouched on the lawn playing with the dog and called out, “Bastard Dao, could you… give me a boost up?”

Ying Quhe tossed the unripe persimmon in his hand, patted the dog’s head, and with a bark, Ulrica bolted off to chase the fruit he’d thrown.

He walked over, glanced at the persimmon, and said, “Nan Qing and Ji Donglin have probably picked quite a bit over on their side. Why not wait and let them share?”

Xi Mi shook her head. “Fruit tastes better when you pick it yourself.” She pointed straight up at a large, round, fully ripened golden persimmon right overhead. “I want that one.”

Ying Quhe followed her pointing finger, hesitated a moment, then crouched down and patted the back of his neck with one hand. “Climb on. The height should be about right.”

Xi Mi froze.

Ying Quhe looked up at her. “What’s wrong?”

She glanced toward Ji Donglin and Nan Qing in the distance, her face flushing red. “Isn’t that… a bit much? If they see us, how embarrassing would that be?”

“Miss Xi.” Ying Quhe’s voice turned serious and earnest. “Are you embarrassed to have me as your boyfriend?”

Bang.

Fireworks exploded inside Xi Mi’s head.

Ying Quhe’s expression was completely serious. “If that’s what you think, I’ll be very hurt.”

“No, no… I just… I was just…” His sudden words had scrambled her completely. Her limbs were moving entirely on their own, and somehow, before she knew it, she had straddled the back of his neck.

The corner of Ying Quhe’s mouth lifted. He wrapped his hands around her calves and slowly stood. “Going up. Hold on tight.”

Xi Mi let out a soft “Mm.” As he rose, her body lurched backward from the momentum, and in a panic, she grabbed both of Ying Quhe’s ears, finally steadying herself.

From her perch on his shoulders, the whole world opened up. One reach of her hand, and she easily grasped the ripe persimmon. She tapped her fingers against the top of his head. “I… got it.”

Ying Quhe led her around the tree. “Pick a few more of the ripe ones.”

The moment he turned, Xi Mi wobbled and let out a yelp, grabbing onto Ying Quhe’s head to steady herself.

Her chest pressed against the back of his head, and the soft pressure made it a little… hard for Ying Quhe to keep his composure. He cleared his throat lightly. “Sit tight.”

Xi Mi settled herself back in place, hung the bamboo basket on a branch, and gently placed the persimmon in her hand inside.

Ying Quhe asked her, “How does it feel sitting up so high?”

“Mm… it’s okay.” The backs of Xi Mi’s ears flushed red. She paused, then asked in a tiny voice, “Bastard Dao, are we… really that kind of thing now?”

“What kind of thing?” Ying Quhe pretended not to understand.

Xi Mi bit her lip hard. Those words suddenly felt impossibly hard to… get out.

She hemmed and hawed for a long while before finally managing to say, “Boy… boy… girlfriend.”

“You don’t want to be?”

Ying Quhe carried her a few more steps. The ground was uneven underfoot, and Xi Mi nearly toppled over several times, only saved by clutching his forehead.

“No, it’s not that.” Xi Mi’s voice was very small. “Okay… it’s not a big deal, really.”

She’d thought he would say something romantic before making things official.

At the very least, she’d really wanted to hear him say, “I like you.”

Ji Donglin saw this scene from a distance. His foot slipped, and he tumbled off the wooden ladder. Rubbing his backside, he struggled to sit up and glared in their direction through gritted teeth. “Damn it. I never should have lugged that stupid ladder over here.”

Nan Qing followed his gaze and glanced over, then punched him in the forehead. “So, you were planning to sit on my shoulders to pick fruit? Ji Donglin, can’t you see those two are into each other?”

Ji Donglin: “Heh, can’t I choose to be willfully blind? A perfectly good Goddess, ruined just like that.”

Nan Qing: “So if she were with you, it wouldn’t be ruined?”

Ji Donglin puffed out his chest. “At least I’m younger and stronger than Ying Quhe!”

“Heh. Younger, sure, but stronger?” Nan Qing swept her eyes over his frame, clicked her tongue, and shook her head. “I’m not seeing it.”

…

By the time they’d finished picking the fruit, the setting sun had climbed over the mountaintop. A golden expanse rolled and surged in the evening breeze, dyeing the entire peak a brilliant, piercing gold.

By the time they’d set up the campfire, the sun had already sunk away, leaving only a smear of crimson at the horizon’s edge.

They sat around the fire roasting persimmons. Ji Donglin and Nan Qing sat together, sharing a phone to play games. Xi Mi sat close to Ying Quhe, doing her best not to let any distance grow between them.

Ulrica rested her muzzle on Xi Mi’s instep, sprawled on the ground in a posture of supreme comfort.

Ying Quhe skewered two persimmons onto an iron rod and held them over the fire to roast. The firelight played across his face, casting a thin layer of warmth over his handsome profile.

Moisture roasting out of the persimmons dripped into the flames and immediately burst into sprays of sparks that scattered wildly into the night.

Ulrica flinched, ears pricked up, staring at the fire with pure hostility, a low, rumbling growl in her throat. Ying Quhe patted her head to soothe her, motioning for her to lie back down.

Without the slightest change in expression, Xi Mi quietly shifted herself a little closer to Ying Quhe. She tilted her head up toward the starry sky and said, “Look, the Milky Way.”

Ying Quhe raised his head. It had been a long time since he’d seen a starscape this beautiful.

The gossamer Milky Way slipped across the sky overhead; the stars seemed close enough to pluck. He stretched out a long arm, wrapped it around Xi Mi’s shoulder, and pulled her against him. “Mm, it really is beautiful.”

Xi Mi bit her lip, then carefully, ever so carefully, leaned her head against his shoulder. Her heart dissolved into a vast, honey-sweet ocean.

Sparks scattered in every direction. The courtyard was so quiet that the only sound was the background music from Fight the Landlord^[1].

Someone’s phone buzzed. A moment later, Ji Donglin let out a shocked cry: “Whoa…”

He looked down at the WeChat message from Lao Qin, then raised his eyes to the sickeningly lovey-dovey couple. “Still cuddling? Something’s happened!”

Ji Donglin marched over with his phone, wedged himself between the two, and forcibly pried them apart. “Stop hugging, something big just went down!” He enlarged the WeChat screenshot, and a news headline slammed into both of their eyes.

#《China’s Supreme Taste》Judging Scandal, Chefs File Joint Lawsuit#