Chapter 42

In the enjoyment of life that Lao Zhou and I value, being able to have a meal cooked by Ah Mu herself is definitely one of the top pleasures.

Even with just five people facing a simple three-dish meal with a soup, it is more attractive to me than any lavish banquet.

Before we even picked up our chopsticks, Ah Mu had already placed a bowl of soup in front of me. The soup was clear and bright, with white flowers and stems submerged in it, along with a few thin slices of pig's lung.

"What is this?" I took a sip of the soup in front of me, finding it extremely light, but with a natural fragrance that overpowered the fishy smell of the pig's lung, yet retained the unique rich aroma of the pig's lung. This aroma, in turn, made the fragrance slightly richer, complementing each other beautifully.

The soup was originally very light, but after swallowing it, there was a slight warmth. This warmth brought out all the flavors, which I could tell came from a small amount of ginger threads.

However, I didn't know what the white flowers in the bowl were.

"It's night-blooming cereus. To capture the unique fragrance of the night-blooming cereus, you have to pick it at the moment it is about to bloom. The fragrance is then contained in the flower and doesn't dissipate. It's a pity, I was planning to admire the flowers. Although the night-blooming cereus only blooms for a short time, it is a moment of unparalleled beauty. Now that it's in your stomach, it shows that I'm not a refined person." Ah Mu smiled faintly and reached out to put a piece of jade cabbage in Hai Nian's bowl.

"You love to eat stuffed pastries. You've been talking about this jade cabbage for a long time, so eat it quickly. Today, I had a bit of free time and changed the filling, using shiitake mushrooms as the main ingredient. I don't think it's particularly outstanding, but it's a bit lighter, and the natural fragrance is a bit stronger." Ah Mu smiled and said to Hai Nian, but Qin Hai Nian, this 'man,' was already staring at the jade cabbage in his bowl with shining eyes.

The so-called jade cabbage is not real cabbage but a type of pastry. The specific method is to use green and white dough as the skin, wrap the filling, and then shape it into the form of a cabbage. After cooking, the green leaves and white stems look just like jade carvings.

Ah Mu's skillful hands made it look like real fresh cabbage. When she had the leisure, she would even add some patterns, making it hard to resist. But the most amazing thing was the filling, which was always fresh and could make your tongue dance. The slightly warm broth was indescribably delicious.

But Ah Mu didn't think it was worth praising. She simply said, "It's just a variation of steamed dumplings. Is it that strange?"

While Hai Nian was eating the jade cabbage, Ah Mu reached out to put a piece of fish in Lao Zhou's bowl and said, "This bass is fresh, and I used the simplest method. The main flavor comes from the ginger threads, and the yellow rice wine suppresses the fishy smell. The freshness of the fish slices is still preserved, and they are quite tender. Eat quickly."

Although Ah Mu spoke simply, the steamed bass in front of us was skillfully sliced into the shape of a peacock spreading its tail. Each piece of tender fish meat was distinct, spreading out like a peacock's tail. Each piece could fully absorb the seasonings Ah Mu had prepared, retaining its freshness and tenderness while being full of flavor.

The last dish looked simple but was extremely difficult to make. It was a boiled cabbage dish. Ah Mu seemed to love this dish, and Sang Sang did too. This dish was almost always made when Ah Mu cooked.

There were many nuances to this dish. It looked simple, with a clear, bright broth like water, containing a few cabbage hearts. In reality, the cabbage was fresh and crisp, and the broth was full of flavors. Making this dish well was extremely difficult, and the secret lay in the broth, which seemed like plain water.

In short, I didn't understand why Ah Mu loved this dish so much. She never said, and we never asked.

"Eat more of the night-blooming cereus and drink more of the soup. It's good for your lungs. I don't understand why you love smoking so much." Ah Mu advised me, and while speaking, she served me another bowl of soup. The soup was very delicious. The pig's lung was fine, but the texture of the night-blooming cereus was extremely smooth and silky, feeling very special. I was happy to have another bowl.

By this time, Qin Hai Nian had already eaten four jade cabbages and muttered, "To clear the lungs for Third Brother, I love pastries, Zhou Zheng loves fish, and the rest are what Ah Mu and Sang Sang love. Wow, Sister Mu, I admire you more and more. It's as if you knew we were coming to eat, and you prepared the dishes so precisely."

Qin Hai Nian's words were unintentional, but I suddenly looked up, my thoughts becoming complicated as I looked at Ah Mu. Qin Hai Nian's words were too coincidental, as if she had really prepared a dish for each of us, and these dishes required a lot of effort. Ah Mu had even been singing earlier, so it definitely wasn't something she could have prepared in a short time.

After all, Lao Zhou and I had decided to come here on the spur of the moment, and Qin Hai Nian had also come unexpectedly, just because he was bored and had free time. He hadn't even notified anyone.

This made me recall every time I had tasted Ah Mu's cooking. It seemed that there was always a dish that perfectly suited my taste, thoughts, and personal preferences. Could it be?

Thinking about this, I couldn't help but look at Ah Mu again, but she looked at me calmly and said, "Let's just say I had some inspiration. It's not bad to have some inspiration. As long as you all eat to your satisfaction, I'm happy."

This was Ah Mu's typical style of speaking and acting, light and easy, but she had subtly changed the topic. I knew that if Ah Mu didn't want to say something, even a jackhammer couldn't pry her mouth open. I could only lower my head and continue drinking the soup.

After the meal, Ah Mu personally cleared the table. She was like this; if she cooked, she would always clean up and wash the dishes. Her reasoning was unique: since she had cooked, she would wash the dishes, as it was the proper way to start and finish a task. For others, since they had enjoyed the meal, they should enjoy it thoroughly, drinking tea and eating fruit afterward to fully savor the experience.

Ah Mu...

Ah Mu was clearing the dishes, and Sang Sang had already returned the slip of paper to me. I asked her nervously, "Sang Sang, did you see anything?"

I was afraid that her sometimes unreliable fortune-telling would fail again.

Sang Sang's expression was calm as she looked at me and said, "This birth chart is quite special. If it's a girl, it's very easy for yin energy to enter the body, and yang fire is low. However, if the yin energy is not mixed, it can nourish the soul, making the person more spiritual. Depending on the circumstances, environment, and location, the spirituality of this birth chart can vary in strength. If it's strong, it will show in youth; if it's weak, it will show in old age when the body is weaker."

Sang Sang rested her chin on her hand, speaking casually, and played with her nails, as if it wasn't a big deal.

But I frowned, knowing that this girl was 'on' this time, and her description was spot on. I couldn't help but swallow and ask, "What about the descendants of this birth chart?"

"Descendants are the most unpredictable. Each person's birth chart and destiny are different. How would I know? However, the aura of the mother can be passed down to the descendants and continue to be passed down. If the conditions are right, the spirituality can become even stronger." Sang Sang seemed even less interested in continuing the topic.

"What do you mean by 'right conditions'?" I felt I had grasped a key point and persisted in asking Sang Sang.

Sang Sang glared at me and said, "Ye Zheng Ling, that's enough! Don't think that just because you look good, I'll be patient! Three-legged toads are rare, but two-legged men are plenty. There are countless possible destinies, so do you want me to list them all?"

"Enough, enough." I lit a cigarette and burned the slip of paper. Although Sang Sang didn't say much, the information she revealed was enough. This wasn't strange; it's like how people with strong blood energy tend to have children with strong blood energy.

And those who are born with yin energy can also pass it down, nourishing the soul. Could Zhao Ying's death be related to this? Was her soul strong? But her soul wasn't devoured?

I have a bit of an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Although I was just investigating who the man was, I wanted to understand all the reasons behind it, which made me very uncomfortable.

"Ah Mu, you just went to wash the dishes, and Sang Sang, you're getting angry again," Ah Mu appeared at the door of Room No. 1, holding a tray with six neatly arranged glasses of wine.

But I was already restless from the puzzle, and I couldn't sit still, especially since I had already said I didn't want to drink. So, I stood up and said, "I'm going out alone. If you want to wait for me here, you can. Otherwise, you can leave. I'm going out first."

"Zheng Ling, have a drink before you go." Ah Mu, who never forced anyone, unexpectedly stopped me. Her voice was gentle but had an unspoken insistence, as if she really wanted me to have a drink.

I looked at Ah Mu in confusion, and she looked at me with a deep, meaningful gaze.