Chapter 21

“This is the taste.” Liu Shengrui’s tears fell in heavy drops. “This is the taste my mom used to make. I never thought I’d get to taste it again in this lifetime.” That sentence struck a chord in the hearts of everyone at the table, like flipping a switch. A woman who looked the youngest among them could no longer hold back and burst into loud sobs.

Though it was only one sentence, Qian Jianing understood. What they were seeking wasn’t simply delicious food, but the taste of home that haunted their dreams.

Qian Jianing quietly stepped away and returned to the kitchen to prepare other dishes. One plate after another came out and was placed on different tables. Some people were eating ravenously, some slowly savoring, some chatting gently, while others continued to cry. Qian Jianing placed the rice noodles for table ten on their table and softly reminded them, “Your meal is complete now.”

Liu Shengrui picked up a chopstick of rice noodles and put it in his mouth. With tears in his eyes, he nodded. “Thank you. Thank you for recreating all these flavors.”

Qian Jianing tried to smile but couldn’t. In her past life, she had also experienced the pain of losing a loved one and knew all too well the bitter hopelessness that settled in the heart.

“Today is my mom’s birthday,” the eldest woman suddenly said. “My mom had a hard life. Not even a year after my youngest sister was born, my dad passed away. My mom worked tirelessly from dawn till night, supporting the entire family on her own. Years ago, my aunt who had married far away in Zibo City mentioned they were recruiting at the aluminum mine. It was tough work, but the pay was good. My mom went to the commune for a referral letter, and then brought us all the way from Yunnan Province to Zibo City.”

“After we came to Zibo City, the thing we missed most was the food from Yunnan. My mom would try to recreate those flavors for us every day. Honestly, she wasn’t a great cook. Her red chili paste had uneven chunks, and because we didn’t have much money, she could only afford to trade for one chicken leg from the neighbors. So our chicken soup rice noodles always tasted bland. But even so, we still ate with relish. It was the flavor we’d grown up with, the flavor of our mother.”

“My mom passed away. Actually, her health had been poor for ten years. Years of overwork in her youth had taken a huge toll. We siblings worked hard, bought her supplements, and took her to the hospital every two months for check-ups and nutrient shots. Though she spent most of her time bedridden, she still insisted on cooking our traditional New Year’s feast every year.”

“These are the dishes we would have at our New Year’s dinner table.”

“My mom passed away before this year’s New Year. The doctor said the fact that she lived an extra ten years was already a miracle. Given the damage to her health, she was probably only meant to live to sixty.”

“This year is her birthday. In fact, it’s only in recent years that we started celebrating her birthday. Earlier, we didn’t have the means or the energy. But now that her birthday’s here, we don’t even know what to do, because Mom’s no longer with us.”

Qian Jianing quietly wiped her tears with a handkerchief. She could still vividly remember her past life when Li Wanhua pushed her out of harm’s way and was killed by a falling log. In that moment, her world had shattered. When a mother is gone, the home is too. No one left to pamper her, no one left to sigh helplessly when she acted spoiled.

“Thank you, young boss,” the older woman said, dabbing her eyes with a smile. “Thank you for recreating the flavors we longed for so meticulously and giving us a place to remember our mother.”

Qian Jianing smiled through tears, “If needed, I can save a spot for you every year around this time.”

“Thank you.” The siblings bowed their heads in gratitude. Their tears fell into the rice noodle broth, blending with the bland chicken soup, making it taste slightly more bitter.

Back in the kitchen, Qian Jianing felt a heaviness in her chest. Treasure Bowl, seeing her so melancholic for the first time, was immediately flustered. “Xiaomi, are you okay?”

“Mm.” Qian Jianing nodded gloomily. “I was just thinking about how foolish I was in my past life. If I hadn’t insisted on getting married back then, my mom wouldn’t have gone out to buy wedding gifts for me. And if she hadn’t gone out, she wouldn’t have had the accident.”

“Xiaomi, you’re falling into a trap,” Treasure Bowl interrupted her. “I’ve already told you, a person’s fate ends at a predetermined time. Even if it wasn’t because of that event, something else would’ve happened. Besides, you’ve been given a second chance. As long as you work hard and make money, I’ve been saving this Life Extension Talisman just for you.”

Qian Jianing nodded, gratitude welling up on her face. “Thank you, Xiaobao. Thank you for bringing me back and helping me so much.”

Hearing how sincere she was, Treasure Bowl’s chubby cheeks turned red. He pulled out a red fruit from his pocket. “Here, this is for you. Eating it will lift your spirits.”

Qian Jianing took the fruit that suddenly appeared on the counter and took a small bite. “It tastes so good—crisp and sweet. What kind of fruit is this?”

Treasure Bowl also took one out to munch. “No idea what it’s called. It doesn’t have a name. I picked it from the estate of the Solar True Lord.”

After she finished the fruit, a bright red pit remained in her hand, exuding a faint warmth.

“Don’t throw the pit away. I’ll make it into a bracelet for you.” Treasure Bowl waved his hand, taking the pit back, then pulled out a few identical pits from his little jacket pocket.

With a pass of his tiny hand, the juice on the pits was absorbed, and they began to glow with a reddish light. A red thread appeared above the pits, winding around one, then began weaving quickly, inserting the pits one by one. The red string tied itself off, and the light faded, while the pits became even more brilliantly red.

“This stuff isn’t worth much to immortals, but it’s quite useful for humans. It can control fire and also increase your sensitivity to heat.”

“Thanks again for yet another gift.” Qian Jianing stroked the beaded bracelet, her eyes reddening. “I really have nothing good to give you in return.”

“Aiya, don’t say that. This is so you can make more money,” Treasure Bowl said a bit awkwardly. “Didn’t Food Elder say heat control is key to culinary skill? This is just so you can earn more.”

Qian Jianing burst out laughing. “Hiding your merit and fame? That’s not like you at all.” She glanced at the wall clock, got up, and turned off the stove. After waiting two minutes, she lifted the steamer lid, and a sweet fragrance filled the kitchen instantly.

“Immortal cakes!” Treasure Bowl’s eyes lit up. “You actually made them!”

Qian Jianing used tongs to place the flower-shaped cakes onto a plate. “Food Elder used a lot of ingredients from the Immortal Realm. I’ve been trying to recreate the flavor using similar local ingredients. Give it a taste.”

Treasure Bowl couldn’t wait to try one. Luckily, he was immortal and immune to the heat—otherwise, no human could have handled it.

He took a bite of the fragrant, fluffy cake, and his eyes narrowed in pure joy. “Good thing you chose cooking back then. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had this blessing.”

Qian Jianing placed a whole plate of the cakes on the counter. “These are all for you.”

Treasure Bowl paused mid-bite, staring at them with hesitation. “You’re not selling these?”

“No. These are for family and friends. You’re my best friend.”

His chubby cheeks turned red again, and he quickly packed up the cakes. With a twist of his body, he disappeared.

“Hey, what’s that amazing smell?” Old Tan from table one stood up and peeked into the kitchen, drawn by the fragrance. “Young boss, what are you eating?”

“Immortal cakes.” Qian Jianing popped a piece in her mouth and closed her eyes in enjoyment. Seeing her so enraptured, Old Tan practically drooled. “Can I get a plate too?”

Qian Jianing shook her head. “Sorry, they’re only for family and friends. I don’t have any extras.”

Old Tan gulped and sulked as he checked his place in the reservation list—still another month and a half to go. He cast a miserable glance at Qian Jianing and sighed heavily.

Qian Jianing pretended not to hear. She packed some cakes in a lunchbox to bring to Li Xue tomorrow, leaving the rest for her family’s late-night snack.

Old Tan, realizing she wasn’t giving him even a crumb, reluctantly returned to his seat, glancing back every few steps.

Old Tan was a true foodie—not only did he love to eat, but he knew food and had the stomach for it. One of the earliest wealthy folks in Zibo City, he already had hundreds of thousands to his name in an era when earning ten thousand was a big deal.

Last month, he missed lunch while running errands and was starving. Just then, he caught the aroma of something delicious. Following it, he found a bustling street cart with dozens of people still in line long after lunch hour, all staring hungrily at the griddle.

Even though he had aimed to find a cool restaurant and order two dishes with a couple of beers, his legs wouldn’t take him away from the smell. Before he knew it, he was at the end of the line. The blazing sun made him question his sanity, but he still stood there for a whole hour to buy five vegetarian pancakes.

Qian Jianing’s vegetarian pancakes were stuffed with chive, egg, and tofu. Newly picked chives were mixed with pre-made scallion oil, then tofu was cooked until about 80% done, and egg was poured in. The cooked mixture blended into one texture where soft tofu and fragrant egg enhanced each other. Combined with chives and no heavy spices, their natural flavor was enough to win over many diners.

The cart had no tables or chairs, so Old Tan crouched under a tree and took a bite of the steaming pancake. Soft dough wrapped bright green chives and tender tofu-egg mix. It was so fragrant and delicious that he couldn’t find other words.

Since then, he became a regular at Qian Jianing’s stall. When she opened her restaurant, he showed up the very first day and even ate all three meals there, spending the entire day either waiting in line or eating.

Qian Jianing’s skills spoke for themselves. It made Old Tan realize all the food he had thought was tasty before paled in comparison. And it gave him a new craving—to taste dishes he’d never tried before.

He thought it was just a fantasy, but soon the opportunity came. Qian Jianing started offering custom dinner reservations, and clients could even write their own menus. Old Tan eagerly listed all the dishes he’d heard of but never tasted and invited fellow food lovers to join the feast.

The dishes were odd and varied, drawn from hearsay and stories. The most surprising was a dish called “A Chest Full of Treasures”—a whole steamed bass appeared standard until they drizzled it with scallion oil. Old Tan’s friend Chen Min thought it was just typical fish. But when he lifted a piece, he discovered inside the fish belly was stuffed with lamb, shrimp balls, wood ear mushrooms, and more. He flipped the fish again in shock, unable to fathom how all that was packed inside so seamlessly.

At 9 p.m., it was time for Qian Jianing to close shop. The guests left their payment in her cash box. Though the custom meals were more expensive than usual, everyone left fully satisfied—even the guests at table ten walked out smiling.

Stretching, Qian Jianing placed all the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. In mere moments, both the kitchen and dining hall once again looked spotless and orderly.

***

“Good morning.” Li Xue stuffed her backpack into her desk slot and pulled out her textbooks. “Jianing, I have to tell you, I didn’t sleep well last night. I kept thinking about today’s test results. I feel like I couldn’t solve over half the math problems. This test was too hard.”

Qian Jianing looked at sleepy-eyed Li Xue, took out a lunchbox from under her desk, and handed it over. “The questions were mostly beyond the syllabus. It’s normal you couldn’t do them. Don’t feel bad—try my pastries instead.”

Li Xue opened the lid, and a wave of warm, sweet fragrance escaped. Her eyes sparkled as she spotted the delicate pastries inside. “Jianing, they smell amazing!”

In front of them, Zhao Ran was flipping through her textbook moodily. Last night, she realized she had used a lot of formulas from the wrong grade. There was a real chance she might fail this math test.

Already in a terrible mood, hearing Jianing and Li Xue chatting made her even angrier. She slapped her desk and turned around, ready to fire off a sarcastic comment—but just as she opened her mouth, she caught sight of Chen Kai’s bruised, battered face in the corner. The sight shocked her so much she swallowed her words. She’d shut her mouth so fast she bit her tongue, and tears sprang to her eyes from the pain.

Qian Jianing looked at her, confused. What’s her problem? Why’s she crying at me?

“What’s wrong with you?” Qian Jianing frowned slightly.

Zhao Ran trembled, wanting to turn back around. But the smell of pastries from Li Xue’s hand anchored her in place. She hadn’t eaten breakfast because she’d been so nervous about the test results, and now the smell was making her stomach ache with hunger.

“Grumble grumble…” Her stomach growled loudly. Zhao Ran’s face turned beet red, and her tears welled up even more.

Li Xue burst out laughing. “Zhao Ran, seriously? You cried from craving food?”