Chisaki was the first to finish tidying up her room.
She hadn’t been here long, and when she left her apartment, she didn’t have much to bring.
Aside from the essential “three-piece set” for modern people, she only brought a few sets of clothes and some crudely made Bozai plush dolls.
She walked out of the room, went downstairs to the living room, and immediately saw Kather standing in front of the open refrigerator, lost in thought.
“Senior, have you run into some problem?” Chisaki asked as she walked over to Kather.
“I have run into a problem.” Kather frowned slightly.
“A very serious problem.” Hearing Kather say it was a very serious problem, and seeing that he indeed looked quite serious, Chisaki felt that the issue must be grave, and she prepared herself to help Kather share the burden at any moment.
“I’m thinking about…
what we should have for dinner tonight.” This one sentence caused the breath that Chisaki had been holding in her throat to completely deflate.
“Senior, there’s really no need for jokes like that.” Chisaki chided, but she was genuinely relieved; as long as it wasn’t a major problem, it was fine.
“I thought you would like it.” Like it my foot!
Chisaki couldn’t help but sweat at her senior’s unconventional sense of humor.
“Hmm…
There’s plenty of food in the fridge, but I’m too lazy to cook a whole table of dishes myself.” After all, he’d been running around outside for most of the day, and it was already sunset by the time he got home.
In the past, he probably would have just made do with takeout or instant noodles.
But bringing five beautiful girls home and feeding them takeout or instant noodles would be too perfunctory.
Kather suddenly felt Grandma Lin’s legendary kitchen tools beckoning to him.
Just then, Kather suddenly spotted the beef brisket he had stuffed into the corner of the fridge a few days ago, and a plan immediately formed in his mind.
“How about we have hot pot tonight?” Kather suggested.
“I don’t mind, but Denia and Sigrika don’t seem to be the type who can handle spicy food.” During lunch, while enjoying the food, Chisaki had also been observing everyone’s eating habits.
Although it wasn’t very obvious, this pair of best friends clearly didn’t have much of a fondness for spicy food.
“Of course I’m not making a spicy base.
I’m going to make beef hot pot.” Beef hot pot, as an outstanding representative of modern Chaoshan culinary culture, emphasizes ingredients, knife skills, and heat control.
Most importantly, it is truly non-spicy, so Denia and Sigrika would be able to enjoy it happily.
Kather glanced at the time; it was nearing 6:00 PM.
It should be in time to start simmering the soup base now.
“Just like at lunch, I’ll help you out, Senior.” Chisaki once again took the initiative to offer to help Kather, even having already rolled up the sleeves of her uniform.
“Although I intended not to keep asking for your help, I’ll have to trouble you, Chisaki.
There are quite a few ingredients to prepare and plate, and I can’t handle it all by myself.” Kather smiled with a hint of embarrassment.
“It’s okay.
I can take this opportunity to learn how to make beef hot pot.” Chisaki expressed that she didn’t mind; not only could she help Senior, but she could also learn something in the process—why wouldn’t she want to?
Moreover, since everyone was living under the same roof, sharing responsibilities was necessary, even for daily chores like preparing dinner.
…
“Done!” Looking at her bedroom filled with graffiti and photos, a small sense of accomplishment welled up in Lynae’s heart.
She had completely rearranged this bedroom, which had looked a bit monotonous, to match the layout of her dormitory at Star Torch Academy.
Now, the bedroom was filled with Lynae-style flair everywhere, and Lynae herself was quite satisfied with it.
“Oh, right, there’s also this photo!” Lynae placed the group photo with Grandma Lin and the others in the most conspicuous spot in the room.
For her, this was the first and most precious memory since arriving in this world, and she had to treasure it well.
After finishing all this, Lynae opened the bedroom door and walked out, immediately having her soul snatched away by a meaty aroma mixed with the fresh scent of clear soup.
She bounded down the stairs, two steps at a time, and as soon as she turned her head, she saw Kather and Chisaki preparing dinner for everyone in the spacious kitchen.
You have to say, the two of them standing together really gave off a feeling of a harmonious couple.
“Yo, Lynae, you’re fast.” Seeing Lynae, who had wandered into the kitchen at some point, Kather immediately grabbed her to be a free taste tester.
“Come, taste this soup and tell me how it is.” Looking at the bowl of freshly made beef soup that Kather handed over, Lynae took it and couldn’t wait to scoop a spoonful into her mouth.
“Hiss, hot, hot, hot…” Lynae successfully scalded her tongue with the freshly made beef soup.
“But it’s really delicious!” “So what are you making?
Why did you suddenly start simmering soup?” “Beef hot pot,” Kather replied.
“Everyone in the alley sent over quite a lot of ingredients.
If we just stir-fried them, we wouldn’t be able to finish them for a while, so having hot pot is just right.” “Hot pot?
I’ve heard of it but never tried it.
I’m so looking forward to it!
Is there anything else that needs help?
Let me lend a hand too!” Lynae’s anticipation for the hot pot was quite high, and she was very eager, taking the initiative to ask Kather if there was anything else she could help with.
Seeing Lynae so enthusiastic, Kather asked her to take the prepared ingredients to the dining table one by one.
Following that, the best friends Sigrika and Denia came down.
As soon as Denia smelled the meaty aroma in the air, she bounded over like a rabbit.
“What delicious thing are you making again?” Denia put her hands behind her back, leaned forward, and stared unblinkingly at Kather as he cooked.
“Want to know?” Kather glanced at the little foodie beside him and used chopsticks to fish out a piece of cooked beef brisket from the broth.
“Open up!” Looking at the beef brisket held in front of her, Denia gently blew on it twice with her small mouth before opening it to swallow it down.
Her cheeks puffed out slightly like a hamster’s, and while chewing, she gave Kather a thumbs-up.
“Sigrika, want a piece?” Kather was in high spirits and intended to feed Sigrika as well.
“Ah, no need, Senior!
I can do it myself!” Sigrika was still quite reserved; being fed like that was simply too embarrassing!
After tasting Kather’s cooking, the pair of best friends went to help Lynae set the table and arrange the utensils.
Originally, Denia wanted to slack off, but her best friend insisted on dragging her along.
Aemeath was the last to come down.
She seemed to have taken a nap and still had a dazed, sleepy look in her eyes.
“Is it time to eat?” Aemeath saw everyone busy and spoke in a soft, sweet voice.
“Yes, you woke up right on time.” Kather poured the simmered soup into a pot and placed it on the induction cooker, which had already been waiting patiently in the center of the dining table.
Aemeath immediately leaned in and fanned the fresh aroma wafting from the pot with her hand.
“Mmm~ It smells so good; I feel like it’s going to be delicious.” (Thus, the project is complete, and the words are finished…
Sorry, I mixed up my lines.) In short, after the main event of the evening returned to its loyal dining table, everyone sat around the table, ready to eat.
With a “click,” Kather opened a can of soda, and the girls followed suit; the sound of cans opening rang out one after another.
“Come, everyone, to a better tomorrow!” Kather raised the can of soda high.
“To tomorrow!” The sound of cans clinking rang out, and this gathering, which signified reunion and new beginnings, officially began.
…
“By the way, how do you eat this?” Denia looked at the paper-thin slice of beef on her chopsticks and muttered in confusion.
“Come, Nia, look, like this.” Kather demonstrated, picking up a slice of beef and swishing it in the hot pot.
“For this kind of beef slice, swishing it in the hot pot for a dozen seconds is enough.
If you cook it for too long, the meat will get tough.” He explained while swishing it.
Denia followed suit, putting the beef slice in her hand into the pot.
After swishing it for a dozen seconds, she took it out and tasted it.
Mmm, indeed, the texture was quite good.
Then she swished another piece of beef.
This time, she specifically waited until half a minute had passed before taking it out to eat.
Just as Kather said, the meat did indeed taste tough.
“It really shouldn’t be swished for too long.” After experimenting, Denia reached the same conclusion as Kather.
Aemeath, sitting next to Kather, picked up a plate of raw beef balls and asked, “What about these?” “If you want to eat them, just drop them in.
After they float to the top on their own, just boil them for a few more minutes,” Kather replied.
“Remember to test them with your chopsticks; cooked beef balls will be firmer and more elastic.” After getting the answer, Aemeath obediently poured all the raw beef balls into the hot pot.
Seeing Denia and Aemeath ask questions first, the other three girls also raised their own questions and insights.
With Kather’s explanations and validation, they gradually began to understand the eating habits of this world.
“I didn’t expect that even seemingly ordinary vegetables could have so many ways of being prepared…” Lynae looked at a piece of vegetable in front of her and murmured softly.
“In my hometown, beef is usually pan-fried or boiled, but this is the first time I’ve known that beef broth can also be used as a soup base to cook other ingredients.” Chisaki looked at the tofu cube in her bowl, which had absorbed the broth, and felt quite moved.
“This cooking method is also the first time I’ve heard of it.
Can you teach me later, Senior?
If I can return home later, I’d like to try making it for my parents.” Sigrika requested that Kather teach her how to make beef hot pot.
Kather felt that recreating this dish in Lahairo would probably be very difficult and would likely be labeled as extravagant and wasteful.
But since she was willing to learn, it wouldn’t hurt to teach her.
This small episode about eating habits faded away with the steam constantly rising from the pot.
The girls began to chat about various interesting things they had encountered in Solaris and in this world while swishing the hot pot.
Kather occasionally joined their conversation, and at other times, he quietly watched them chatting enthusiastically.
He had originally been a bit worried that Denia wouldn’t be able to integrate with them, but every time Aemeath and the others brought up a topic, they would subtly include Denia, all while managing to avoid the past events she least wanted to mention, making it so she couldn’t even eat in peace.
It’s pretty good, he thought to himself.
Just as he was preparing to continue eating, a breeze from who knows where kissed his cheek, as if it had brought someone’s longing from afar.
“Ha, I’ve already grown up this much, are you still worried about me?” Kather suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly, raised the unfinished beef soup in his bowl, and drank it down as if it were wine, with quite a bit of the heroic spirit of toasting the spring breeze.
“Don’t worry, Dad, your son is now surrounded by beauties and living a very comfortable life.” “It’s just…
maybe I’ll still think of you occasionally.” Yeah, just occasionally.
Maybe it’s not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”