"Sigh, everything about this shop is great, but the food just isn't authentic," Nian said with a face full of smiles as she picked up a piece of Beast meat and placed it in Xia Yu's bowl. "Come, try this."
"I think it's okay," Xia Yu said as she slowly picked it up with her chopsticks and took a bite. "It's quite fragrant, isn't it?"
"But it lacks that kick, you know?" Nian winked and said, "It doesn't have that Shangshu flavor!"
"Shangshu flavor..." Xia Yu paused upon hearing this. She really hadn't tasted much of that so-called Shangshu flavor.
Even in her previous life, she had only tentatively tried the so-called Chongqing spicy hotpot.
Why did she say 'so-called'? Because she hadn't eaten it in Chongqing; she had only eaten at a Chongqing hotpot restaurant near her company.
That taste... it was truly spicy just for the sake of being spicy. After any ingredient went into the pot, you couldn't taste its original flavor anymore; there was only the spiciness.
How should she put it? Xia Yu really couldn't appreciate this style. Compared to proper cooking, this felt more like a method of adding lethal amounts of chili just to cater to the public's curiosity...
Of course, it was also possible that she had never been to Chongqing and hadn't eaten authentic Chongqing hotpot. Since she had no point of comparison, she didn't know if that 'so-called' Chongqing hotpot was authentic or not.
The current place was quite good. It was spicy enough, but not to the point of masking the aroma of the ingredients.
But Nian was still unsatisfied.
"I'm telling you, authentic Shangshu flavor is what truly hits the spot," Nian was still working hard to pitch her tastes.
"Oh, then how about we take a trip to Shangshu?" Xia Yu squinted at her. "It'll be the perfect time to show that video to your eldest sister too."
Nian froze instantly.
Although her eldest sister usually seemed unreliable and would occasionally join her in teasing Xi, that video...
She would probably get a lecture.
Not to mention Sister Shu. She was usually the gentlest, but once she got angry, she had more elder-sister majesty than even the eldest sister. When her face turned stern, Nian's heart would tremble.
And then there was the eldest brother. He didn't have much of a majestic air and seemed very approachable, but when he started lecturing, he was truly endless...
"Oh, my little ancestor, please spare me," Nian said with a face full of grievance. "I was just making a joke, why are you making such a big deal out of it?"
"Then shall we go back to talking about food?" Xia Yu blinked.
"If you want to talk about that, then I've really done my research," Nian immediately perked up. "I'm telling you, spiciness is an attitude toward life!"
"Is that so?" Xia Yu casually took out a plate of Mapo Tofu from Fuyuki City. "Want to try this?"
"Hiss, this... I have to taste this for myself." Nian's eyes lit up. This plate of bright red Mapo Tofu was perfect in color, aroma, and taste—it looked like top-tier delicacy at a glance.
Mapo Tofu preserved in the Gate of Babylon. Eat up, Xia Yu had bought many portions back then.
"This taste... this taste..." Nian reached out to pick up a piece of tofu and put it in her mouth. "Ah, this is the flavor!"
"This is way too authentic, little girl!" Nian pulled her chair over and sat next to Xia Yu. She habitually wanted to reach out and put an arm around her shoulder, but seeing the other's height—where she had to straighten her back just to reach the food—she paused, then inconspicuously retracted her hand and scratched her head.
"Which shop made this? I'll definitely visit when I have the time!"
"Forgot," Xia Yu looked at her hand expressionlessly, then pulled the plate of Mapo Tofu toward herself. "I bought it from a random small shop on the roadside. Anyway, it wasn't in Lungmen."
"Yo, little girl, your preservation skills are top-notch," Nian said with a smile. "It looks just like it came right out of the wok."
"By the way, you've definitely recognized me, but I still don't know your name."
"My name is Bailu," Xia Yu introduced herself. "I am a physician."
"Alright, my name is Nian," Nian reached out and shook Xia Yu's hand. "Former engineer, future Great Director!"
"Great Director, huh?" Xia Yu looked her up and down. "Then may I ask if Great Director Nian has any works?"
"I said 'future' Great Director," Nian let go of her hand and picked up a piece of Mapo Tofu. "It hasn't started yet."
Actually, she had already filmed two movies and lost everything, so she was too embarrassed to go around boasting about it.
Well, it was like that at the start. After losing enough, she slowly began to stop caring.
"How about it, Little Bailu?" Nian said while quietly pulling the plate of Mapo Tofu toward her side. "Want to come to my film crew and play a role for fun?"
"Do you know how popular your look is? I can definitely turn you into a big star!"
"A big star? Like Sister Robin?" Xia Yu tilted her head. "Not interested. I already told you, I'm a physician."
"Robin? Who?" Nian thought about it carefully but couldn't find such a person. "Never heard of her."
"You don't even know the Galactic Songstress," Xia Yu sighed, shaking her head while looking at her with Pity. "And you call yourself a Great Director... I guess this is as far as you'll get in this life."
"It seems there's no future in your film crew. I'm not going, I'm not going."
"Uh, Galactic Songstress?" Nian was stunned.
What a massive title.
But was there such a person on Terra?
Seeing the confident look on Bailu's face, she felt a bit unsure of herself and pulled out her phone to search.
There really wasn't.
"But this so-called Galactic Songstress can't even be found on Lungmen's intercity network," Nian looked up at her. "Or is 'Galactic' the name of some small city?"
Xia Yu didn't answer, only looking at her with the gaze of someone looking at a summer insect that couldn't comprehend ice.
"You're just making fun of me, right?" Nian laughed helplessly.
"Think what you want," Xia Yu shook her head and continued eating.
Since someone else was treating, she might as well eat.
"So, what exactly is your relationship with my Xi?" Nian looked at the Painting Scroll on her back. "I've seen this painting at her place. I begged for it for a long time but never got it."
Begged? Got it?
Are those words that belong together?
It was probably more like tricking, deceiving, or stealing...
"And although your face is young and hasn't fully matured, looking closely, you're quite the beauty in the making," Nian stroked her chin as she observed. "It's just that these snowy white horns are a bit different from Xi's."
"That's enough," Xia Yu gave her a helpless look. "Are you really not afraid I'll show the video to your brothers and sisters?"
"Afraid? What am I afraid of?" Nian puffed out her chest and raised her head. "Little Bailu, I've figured it out. Given your personality, no matter what I do, you'll definitely give it to them anyway."
"Since the beating is unavoidable, why should I care anymore? Come, let me hear you call me Aunt Nian."
"You can clearly see that I'm not the same race as you guys, right?" Xia Yu looked at her with dead fish eyes.
"You clearly know that those words have no effect on me," Nian pulled her lips back in an arrogant grin.
"So, Little Bailu, just give in to me! Hahahaha!"
"Um..." Just then, the door to the private room opened. The receptionist from before stood there with her phone, looking inside warily. "Little girl, do you need me to call the police for you?"
She knew it!!!
This was just not right!
Who eats a whole table of hotpot early in the morning? Besides, a child had come alone without an adult watching!
They didn't even seem that familiar!
The kind-hearted receptionist had been lingering by the door. Nian had been so arrogant just now that her voice naturally got a bit loud.
And then she heard that line: 'Just give in to me!'
Countless prime-time drama plots flashed through the woman's mind, and she resolutely chose to open the door and call the police!
"Ah..." Nian's smile instantly froze on her face.
"Sorry, Auntie," Xia Yu shook her head helplessly and gave the woman at the door a well-behaved expression. "My Aunt is just like this, she likes to play pranks. Thank you for your concern."
"Are you really relatives?" The woman looked at Nian suspiciously, fearing the well-behaved little sister was being coerced.
"Truly relatives," Xia Yu swished her tail and pointed to her horns. "Look, these are the same. How could it be fake?"
"There aren't many of our race in Lungmen, right?"
The woman still didn't quite believe it, but she couldn't press further. She only looked at Xia Yu and said, "Then, little girl, carry on. If anything happens, just call me. I'll be right outside!"
Click.
The door closed.
Xia Yu and Nian stared at each other.
"No matter how you look at it, I shouldn't be the 'Aunt,' right?" Nian whispered while stroking her chin. "I'm Xi's sister! Sister!"
"You're really getting into it, aren't you?" Xia Yu rolled her eyes at her. "I just didn't want the people from the Lungmen Guard Department to work overtime. They've been tired enough these past few days."
"As for Miss Xi, well, I haven't even met her."
"Then why do you have her painting?" Nian suddenly lowered her head and asked.
Hmm, this was what she truly wanted to ask.
"This painting was given to Sister Tarnished because of a promise," Xia Yu said seriously. "Now, Sister Tarnished has gone to sea to stabilize a seal, so I took the painting from her hands, and I also took over that promise."
"What promise?" Nian was full of curiosity. "I spent so much time grinding her down and still couldn't get my hands on this painting!"
"She was slacking off because she couldn't think of a solution," Xia Yu looked up at her. "So she fell into despair. Her heart was full of desolate mountains and withered waters; she even painted portraits of every single one of you siblings."
"Sister Tarnished promised to give her hope."
"And? She just believed that?" Nian's eyes widened. "She just gave the painting to your sister?"
How could it be that easy? How could that reclusive Xi be so easily swayed?
"Oh, it's also possible because Sister Tarnished had just fought your eldest brother, so she carried a bit of his aura. There was a bit of a foundation for trust from the start," Xia Yu said seriously. "Of course, it could also be because the seal on Sister Tarnished was about to explode at the time."
"If that seal had exploded, half of Yan would have been finished, not to mention her entire house of collections. So..."
Xia Yu spread her hands, meaning 'you understand.'
"This..." Nian hesitated.
Was that 'getting it' of yours... a bit on the coercive side?