Chapter 28: Zhu Xiaxia’s Cooking Skills?

Zhu Xiaxia’s cooking?

Did that mean she didn’t have to drink milk for lunch today?

Although she had drunk milk twice since arriving at Zhu Xiaxia’s place and the taste was indeed quite good, that was something only children drank.

As the Human Sword Saint, how could she drink milk every day?

Eating real food was the way to go!

Zhu Xiaxia was actually going to man the stove herself.

Zhu Qiu found herself looking forward to her cooking.

Zhu Qiu lay down on the bed, hugged a pillow, turned her back to the sunlight, and closed her eyes while waving a hand dismissively.

The food wouldn’t be ready instantly anyway. Instead of wasting time, it was better to sleep a little longer.

The weather was so nice today; it was the perfect time for a nap.

“Zhu Xiaxia, go make the food quickly. I’m hungry. Call me when it’s done; I’m going to sleep a bit more.”

“No, Daughter, you need to help me.”

“You want me to help?” Zhu Qiu raised her head in confusion. “But I don’t know how to cook. How am I supposed to help?”

“It’s fine. Mother is going to make a very grand feast, so I need my daughter’s help. You can just be my assistant. That way, my daughter can enjoy the food much sooner.”

“Can’t Xiaguang help you?”

“She went out on business and won’t be back for at least a few days. So, for these next few days, it’s just the two of us in the Dragon Race Imperial Palace.”

‘Is that so?’

Zhu Qiu was particularly looking forward to tasting the lunch Zhu Xiaxia made, but she didn’t want to leave her soft bed.

This was no different from asking Zhu Qiu to choose between two of her greatest loves.

To sleep, or to eat.

“What happens if I don’t help?” Zhu Qiu asked.

“If even my daughter is unwilling to help me, then we can only have milk for lunch today.”

‘Milk again?’ ‘I’m not a child; I’m not drinking milk.’

Zhu Qiu no longer hesitated and jumped straight off the bed.

“Fine! Zhu Xiaxia, I’ll reluctantly help you this once.”

“Then, thank you, Daughter~”

Zhu Qiu walked quickly toward the door, leaving Zhu Xiaxia behind.

Just as she was about to go downstairs, Zhu Xiaxia called out to her.

“Don’t be in such a hurry to go downstairs. Daughter, did you forget something?”

“Forget what?” Zhu Qiu scratched her head, looking puzzled.

“You forgot to wash up. Go back and wash up before you come over.”

‘Oh, right.’

“Oh.”

Watching Zhu Qiu’s retreating back, Zhu Xiaxia calculated in her mind.

Her daughter was always forgetting this and that, and she even threw trash around.

She had to find a time to properly educate her.

***

By the time Zhu Qiu finished washing up and arrived at the kitchen, Zhu Xiaxia had already started boiling water in a pot on the stove.

The fire beneath the pot was a basic form of Magic that Zhu Xiaxia was using.

“Zhu Xiaxia, what do you want me to do?”

“See that basket of ingredients on the floor? Just put them in the sink and wash them all. I’ll handle the task of chopping them.”

This was because Zhu Xiaxia was afraid that Zhu Qiu would be clumsy and accidentally cut her hand, which would lead to more crying.

Washing vegetables, however, was very simple.

Although Zhu Xiaxia could use Magic, she still wanted Zhu Qiu to get some exercise.

“Fine!”

Motivated by the thought of food, Zhu Qiu was particularly proactive.

She lifted the entire basket of ingredients at once, but when she prepared to take them over to wash, she discovered that the counter was too high.

Zhu Qiu was suddenly at a loss.

‘Why is this so high!’ ‘Can’t Zhu Xiaxia design the counters a bit lower?’ ‘She really doesn’t consider the feelings of short people.’

But then she remembered — the fact that she had turned into a Dragon Race little girl was Zhu Xiaxia’s doing.

‘Hmph! If it weren’t for Zhu Xiaxia, I wouldn’t be unable to reach the counter.’

‘Right now, I’m just biding my time and waiting for an opportunity. Once I catch an opening and trick Zhu Xiaxia, I can change back. After that, I’ll definitely make the counters even higher so Zhu Xiaxia can’t reach them either!’

The little girl was very angry.

She even felt that Zhu Xiaxia had intentionally designed the counters to be high just to laugh at her.

Zhu Xiaxia noticed Zhu Qiu’s difficulty.

She silently moved a stool over, placed it on the floor, picked Zhu Qiu up, and set her on it.

Now she could reach.

“Hmph!”

Zhu Qiu began washing the vegetables in a huff.

‘I wouldn’t be helping you if it weren’t for the sake of eating.’

Zhu Xiaxia’s focus, however, wasn’t on that, but on Zhu Qiu’s angry little expression… ‘She’s still so cute~’

When raising a daughter, one had to be patient; there would always be rewards.

As soon as Zhu Qiu finished washing an ingredient, she tossed it to Zhu Xiaxia, letting her do whatever she wanted with it.

A tomato.

A potato.

Corn.

A banana.?

‘A banana?’

Zhu Qiu tilted her head and looked at Zhu Xiaxia.

The woman was still chopping away with a serious expression.

After taking the banana handed to her, she didn’t even peel it.

She simply sliced it into small pieces and threw them all into the pot.

This?

“Zhu Xiaxia, will this really be delicious?”

“Trust Mother. Mother’s cooking skills will definitely make your eyes light up.”

‘Alright then.’ She would trust Zhu Xiaxia for now. Since she said she was showing off her skills, it probably wouldn’t be that bad, right?

Zhu Qiu continued washing.

Eggplant.

A small pumpkin.

Green peppers.

A… pineapple?

A pomegranate? Huh?

O-o-o-okra?

Wait, what kind of ingredients were these! Why were there fruits?

The top of the basket contained normal ingredients, but the further down she went, the more ridiculous it became.

Moreover, out of all these ingredients, there wasn’t a single piece of meat.

Whatever. She would trust Zhu Xiaxia this once.

There were only a few left. She would finish washing quickly and wait for the meal.

Finally, after Zhu Qiu washed the last ingredient — a dragon fruit — and handed it to Zhu Xiaxia, her mood shifted from anticipation to unease.

‘Zhu Xiaxia isn’t just feeding me empty promises, is she?’

Zhu Qiu stood on her tiptoes to take a look.

Zhu Xiaxia was holding a long ladle, stirring a colorful… something in the pot that could barely be called food.

“My task is done. Can I go now?”

“Yes, Daughter, go rest first. Mother needs a little more time here.”

Zhu Qiu walked out of the kitchen and back to Zhu Xiaxia’s room on the second floor.

She lay down on the part of the bed touched by the sunlight to sleep.

‘Sleeping really is more comfortable.’ ‘Washing vegetables and stuff? Never again.’

Inside the kitchen, Zhu Xiaxia looked like she was facing a formidable enemy, with cold sweat pouring down her forehead.

She gently scooped up a spoonful of the colorful, viscous substance from the pot and held it to her lips, not daring to take a bite for a long time.

‘It should be fine, right?’

Zhu Xiaxia took a tentative lick.

An extremely disgusting sensation rushed straight to her brain.

“Ugh!”

She spat it out on the spot.

‘That shouldn’t be right? These are all fresh ingredients mixed together. How could it taste bad? One plus one should be greater than two, right?’

Zhu Xiaxia recalled the details of how Xiaguang usually cooked.

Xiaguang always made delicious food, and her cooking time was usually quite long, whereas she had only spent about 10 minutes.

‘It must be because I haven’t stewed it long enough. That’s definitely it.’

She confidently placed the lid on the pot, rested the long ladle against the edge of the lid, and then increased the intensity of the fire.

This way, she should be able to shorten the time and let Zhu Qiu eat lunch sooner.

After waiting for about 30 minutes, Zhu Xiaxia felt it was about ready.

Without testing the taste, she carried the pot directly to the dining table.

“Daughter, come down for lunch!”