Chapter 53

A day passed in the blink of an eye, and early the next morning, Lin Xiao tidied himself up, especially shaving off the stubble he had grown over a few days.

Today, Lin Xiao wore a black and white checkered short-sleeved shirt paired with light blue jeans, looking very good overall, both youthful and comfortable.

Lin Xiao's clothing style might not be particularly distinctive; he preferred simplicity. He liked a simple kind of beauty, not the flashy kind like floral shirts, which seemed a bit too showy.

However, those who liked such simple clothing often had a bit of a reserved and introverted personality.

Opening the curtains, he saw the sunny and pleasant weather outside, indicating another good day. Putting on an apron, he immediately transformed into a good home cook.

Humming a tune, he began his preparations, first processing the ingredients to be ready for cooking. As for whether Lin Xiao knew how to cook, was there any doubt? Orphans usually didn't have the spare money to eat out, and Lin Xiao had worked in hotels and restaurants, learning a bit here and there.

Looking at the ingredients, he had everything from chicken, duck, fish, and meat. He decided to start with the chicken. Slaughtering a chicken was quite messy, so he had to do it outside. Lin Xiao prepared a basin of hot water and a small empty bowl, holding the chicken by its wings and heading outside.

He slit the chicken's neck, letting the blood drain into the empty bowl, then placed the chicken in the hot water to pluck the feathers. In a few quick moves, he was done. Next, he opened the chicken's belly, removed the inedible organs, and kept the edible parts, completing the initial preparation of the chicken.

He found the mushrooms he had received the day before, stuffed them into the chicken, and added cooking wine, soy sauce, salt, and sugar, then sewed it up.

He placed the whole chicken in a clay pot. For the water, Lin Xiao had a sudden idea. He wondered how the water from the space would be, but he knew it would definitely be better than regular water.

Deciding to act, Lin Xiao resolved to use the water from the space for all the cooking today, as it had no side effects and was beneficial to the body.

He poured the water from the space into the clay pot, added a few chili peppers, and placed it on a low flame to simmer.

Seeing the old duck squawking on the ground, Lin Xiao's eyes lit up. This was the perfect choice for a braised duck.

Following the procedure, he cleaned the old duck, took out another clay pot, cut the duck into pieces, and added bamboo shoots, dried mushrooms, ginger, and salt, then placed it on the fire to simmer.

The fish was bought from the village, caught from a nearby river. It was quite large, weighing several pounds. River fish had many bones but fresh meat, making it suitable for steaming.

He might need another dish to simmer. Seeing the corn and pork ribs among the ingredients, he decided to cook them together. The sweet aroma of the corn and the tender pork ribs were a perfect match.

Time passed quietly as Lin Xiao busied himself, and it was almost noon.

Ding dong, ding dong.

The doorbell rang. Lin Xiao checked the time and realized they had arrived. He went to the living room, picked up the tablet, and opened the intercom. Ye Ding's plump figure filled the camera, and all Lin Xiao could see was a pile of flesh in clothes. Suppressing a laugh, he opened the door for Ye Ding and said, "I've opened the door, Ye Ge, just push it open."

Ye Ding, hearing Lin Xiao's voice through the intercom, immediately pushed the door open and walked in.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, looks like my little brother is living well. Living in such a place, you really know how to enjoy life. I regret it; if I had known, I would have gotten a countryside villa too. The environment here is too comfortable," Ye Ding said after looking around.

"Ye Ge, take a seat. The food upstairs is almost ready, and I need to keep an eye on it. If anyone else comes, just open the door for them," Lin Xiao said, then went back upstairs.

Ye Ding's nose twitched as he caught a mixed aroma coming from upstairs, making his mouth water. Even with his experience in tasting fine cuisine, he couldn't resist.

Ding dong.

The doorbell rang again. Ye Ding immediately picked up the tablet and opened the intercom, ready to greet the visitor. However, he was stunned when he saw a dog larger and more imposing than a Tibetan Mastiff on the screen. What's going on? Did I travel through time?

"Brother, brother, there's a dog spirit here, come and exorcise it," Ye Ding shouted incoherently.

Lin Xiao, hearing Ye Ding's words, was taken aback. What dog spirit? Full of confusion, he came downstairs, took the tablet from Ye Ding, and saw it was the Purple Golden Mastiff. He smiled and opened the door.

The Purple Golden Mastiff had been released from the space on the first day of moving in. It was very excited in its new environment, running around and marking its territory by urinating on the trees outside.

As for why the Purple Golden Mastiff knew how to ring the doorbell, Lin Xiao had taught it. The dog was very smart and learned it after just two tries. It usually went out to play by itself every day and came back for meals at noon and night, but Lin Xiao didn't mind, letting it enjoy itself. It seemed the space had confined it too much.

Wu Zuoli and He Pingji followed closely behind, arriving about ten minutes after the Purple Golden Mastiff.

Of course, Ye Ding opened the door, and Lin Xiao had already run upstairs, with the Purple Golden Mastiff following its owner. Otherwise, Ye Ding would have been left to worry about the giant dog.

He Pingji, upon entering, saw Ye Ding sitting in the living room. He recognized Ye Ding, who was well-known in Z Province as a powerful figure. Seeing him among Lin Xiao's guests, He Pingji felt that this trip was worthwhile. He went over to chat with Ye Ding.

As for Wu Zuoli, seeing the two men chatting happily, she went upstairs to find Lin Xiao. She had originally been somewhat against Lin Xiao building a villa here, as it was quite far from H City.

However, upon arriving, she was captivated by the poetic and beautiful surroundings, feeling a desire to stay.

Suddenly, Wu Zuoli saw the Purple Golden Mastiff squatting beside Lin Xiao, and her eyes lit up, staring at the dog with excitement.

The Purple Golden Mastiff, which had been sleeping on the ground, suddenly felt a chill and a sense of foreboding.

Opening its eyes, it saw a human female's head getting closer and closer, and it was startled, pulling back its neck.

Wu Zuoli found the Purple Golden Mastiff's frightened expression too cute, making it hard for her to resist. She prepared to rush over and hug it.

However, the Purple Golden Mastiff saw through Wu Zuoli's intentions and immediately got up, running behind Lin Xiao to hide from her.

Lin Xiao also noticed Wu Zuoli and greeted her, "Hello, sister. Why did you come upstairs?"

"Don't mention it. Those two smelly men were chatting and ignoring me, so I came upstairs to find you," Wu Zuoli's attention was temporarily diverted to Lin Xiao's words.

---

Page break for ads

---

Page break for ads