The quiet moonlight enveloped this isolated border town like a veil, lengthening the shadows of the three people.
After Orange explained something to Xu Zihuang, he fell silent again. His steps also became a little heavy.
The town itself is not that big. Even if Orange deliberately slows down her pace, she will eventually return to this place that is destined to affect her deepest emotions. The carefreeness and happiness of having her parents by her side when she was young, and the sadness that follows.
And draw hatred.
Orange raised his head and stared at the slightly larger three-story wooden loft, his eyes misty. Pictures appeared in his mind involuntarily.
She seemed to see her kind and gentle mother who held her in her arms and her father who doted on her and tried his best to cook all kinds of delicious dishes for her.
But in the next moment, these warm pictures appeared with fine cracks, broken, and dissipated. Instead, there were ancient traces left by time in every place of the wooden attic.
This town is right near the junction of the Mingdou Mountains and the Mingdou Forest. There is no Mingdou Mountains to isolate the humid air on the coast of the South China Sea, and rainfall is abundant all year round.
It is normal for a wooden attic that has been soaked in rain to become worn and softened.
But in order to retain more traces of her parents, Orange insists on never renovating this place.
She lost too much in the war that year. The only thing she was thankful for was that her home was located in the center of the town and was lucky enough not to be reduced to ruins during the war.
"Sister Orange, are you okay?" Keke shook Orange's arm.
Orange shook his head gently, took out a copper key from the soul guide, and pushed open the wooden door with a "squeaking" sound. At the same time, he stretched out his jade hand and pressed it against the metal protrusion on the side.
With the injection of soul power, several bright soul lights illuminated the hall brightly. The area of the hall was not large, only about thirty square meters. The tables and chairs were arranged quite compactly, and the tables and chairs on both sides
There is a walkway in the center. At one end of the walkway is a reddish-brown wooden front desk.
It's very clean and tidy, and obviously someone comes to clean it every once in a while.
"Keke, take Tianhuang upstairs to tidy up the room. I'm going to cook now." Orange said softly.
Although Keke usually looks carefree, she has an innate sensitivity when it comes to certain things.
"Okay. But Sister Juzi, you have to cook a little more. In order to save my stomach for this meal, I only ate one sesame seed pancake on the way." Keke said with a smile, and then used Xu Zihuang.
A look.
Orange said: "Don't worry, I'll make sure you eat until you're full later."
Ke Ke walked upstairs with satisfaction, and Xu Zihuang followed knowingly. The stairs were right next to the front desk. The two walked in tandem, making dull footsteps like thumping. Footsteps and soft soul-guided lights.
Intertwined together, they add some humanistic atmosphere to this loft that has been vacant for a long time.
A smile from the bottom of her heart appeared on Orange's pretty face. With Keke by her side, she was no longer alone. And there was Yu Tianhuang, who had saved her...
This was not the first time Keke came to Juzi's house, and she was very familiar with the overall layout of the attic. She led Xu Zihuang to a spacious room with ease.
The overall condition of the room was similar to that of the dormitory assigned to him by the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. Even the balcony was equipped. The difference was that except for the soul guide lamp protruding from the ceiling, all other items in the room were made of various woods.
Made.
Wooden bed, wooden table, wooden chair, wooden wardrobe, and wooden fence on the balcony.
Ke Ke turned her back to Xu Zihuang, took out a brand new bedding from the soul guide, and tidied the bed. She blushed and said sheepishly.
"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say what I said to you just now. I saw that Sister Juzi was in a very low mood and was a little anxious, so I just said something quickly. If I take the initiative to make your bed now, it will be regarded as an apology. You are a grown man, don't you
You will argue with me."
After saying that, she turned around and winked playfully at Xu Zihuang, but there was no trace of the coquettish look she had just now.
At first glance, he looks like an experienced actor.
"Senior Keke, actually I would have almost forgotten if you didn't tell me." Xu Zihuang said with a smile.
He knew that Keke had such a kind and straightforward nature. He had always had a good impression of Keke.
Of course, the most important thing is that Keke, like Orange, comes from the south of the Sun and Moon Empire. They are the people of his father's fiefdom.
Keke nodded appreciatively, smiling and showing an arrogant expression that said, "You're quite sensible."
Keke helped Xu Zihuang make the bed and ran to the next room. According to Keke, she and Orange would sleep next door tonight. There was absolutely no defense against Xu Zihuang.
Taking advantage of this gap, Xu Zihuang went back to the lobby on the first floor along the stairs. At this time, Orange was busy in the kitchen nearby.
As a girl who has a special preference for eating, she always has various ingredients in her storage soul guide.
Fresh vegetables, fruits, frozen fresh meat and various condiments were placed on the table. There were also fresh black matsutake picked along the way. The two pheasants presented by Lu Li were also treated with oranges.
She looks very gentle and beautiful, but her hands are clean and neat.
Xu Zihuang watched the busy Orange quietly, and waited until Orange finished what he was doing before walking over.
"Senior Orange, let me make a dish too."
"You can also cook?" Orange looked sideways at Xu Zihuang in surprise, with a curious look on his face.
Xu Zihuang smiled calmly.
"This is my first time cooking, but the taste should not be bad."
The curiosity in Orange's eyes became even stronger, but for some reason, she felt an inexplicable sense of trust in the young man in front of her.
"Okay, you can use whatever ingredients you like here."
Xu Zihuang was not polite. He reached over the orange and picked up a kitchen knife to cut the black matsutake that was still stained with a few drops of crystal water. Each piece was extremely even and thin.
After cutting three black matsutake mushrooms, several other fresh fungi were also cut into thin slices.
The curiosity in Orange's eyes gradually turned into emotion, her red lips slightly opened, and she murmured in her heart.
"Stewed pheasant with black matsutake, how could it be this dish?"
At this time, Xu Zihuang had no idea what Orange was really thinking, and was just concentrating on making this dish.
For various reasons, he put aside his pride as a royal to perform this act of serving others.
One of them is naturally to help Orange fall and help him unify the continent in the future. The other is the guilt for Orange, more precisely, the guilt for all the people who lost their lives and loved ones in that war.
.
If you can't even protect the people under your command, how can you talk about the pride of the royal family?
At this stage, he is weak, too weak to change anything.
Wherever there are people, there will be disputes, which is inevitable. But one day, he will create a unified and peaceful Sun and Moon Empire.
Orange's eyes were almost fixed on Xu Zihuang's body. His skillful movements made it impossible to tell that this was his first time cooking.
Finally, the chopped black matsutake was sprinkled into the boiling chicken soup, and Xu Zihuang closed the lid of the casserole.
"Senior Orange, please continue working. It still needs to be simmered for about half an hour to taste the most delicious."
Not long after, Ke Ke also came downstairs, and Qiong's nose wrinkled slightly and she sniffed.
"It smells so good. Sister Orange, did you make chicken soup? I can smell it from a long distance away."
Orange glanced at Xu Zihuang subconsciously, but Xu Zihuang just smiled and placed the dishes prepared by Orange on the dining table in the hall on the first floor.
Orange cooked three dishes in total. They were roast chicken, stir-fried braised beef and a plate of stir-fried vegetables. She knew that Ke Ke was impatient and cooked dishes that could be prepared in a short time.
It’s not particularly rich, but the portion is substantial. Paired with the warm sesame seed cakes, your mouth will be full of oil.
"How's it going? I'm not lying to you. The food cooked by Sister Juzi is delicious, right?" Keke showed off in front of Xu Zihuang.
Xu Zihuang smiled and nodded in approval, then stood up.
"The chicken soup is ready, I'll serve it."
The transparent amber-like chicken soup, the soft pheasant meat, and the delicious aroma exuded by the black matsutake all prove that the maker has a very high level.
Stimulated by the rich aroma and outstanding appearance, Keke couldn't wait to take a sip of the chicken soup. Her eyes immediately narrowed in comfort and she shouted excitedly.
"Wow, Sister Orange, you did this? Why do you feel that your level has improved a lot compared to the past?"
But Orange's eyes were a little dazed, and there was an indescribable touch in his heart. He tasted the chicken soup in the bowl as if it were a treasure, and from time to time he raised his head and looked at Xu Zihuang, his voice gentle and somewhat inexplicable.
mood.
"This was not done by me, but by Tianhuang."
"Did you do this?" Keke looked at Xu Zihuang dumbfounded, her expression much more exaggerated than the previous one.
"I didn't expect you to have such a skill?"
"Senior Ke Ke, eat it while it's hot. The taste will be worse when it's cold." Xu Zihuang replied with a smile, and at the same time his eyes met with the orange opposite.
From Orange's eyes, he saw a variety of emotions. Although it was more of a spiritual sustenance at the moment, he knew that his goal had been achieved.
Keke and Orange sat together, but because of the blind spot in their perspective, they didn't notice any difference in Orange's expression. As a foodie at the same level as Orange, when he heard Xu Zihuang's words, he didn't bother to ask any more questions, and he felt like wolfing down the food.
I picked up a piece of tender chicken and put it in my mouth, and then took a big sip of chicken soup.
Keke didn't give up until she couldn't eat anymore.
Orange stood up and said to the two of them.
"It's getting late, you should go to bed early. I'll take care of things later."
"Sister Orange, I will go back to the room first, and you should come back early."
Keke pretended to smile ambiguously and walked up the stairs without thinking too much.
Xu Zihuang followed closely behind and also returned to his room, entering a state of meditation and practice with a peaceful mind.
Tangerine, who was immersed in his own world, took another bowl of chicken soup from the casserole and tasted it carefully. The tenderness in his eyes turned into endless sadness and remembrance.
"Mom and Dad, is he sent by you to protect Little Orange? Otherwise, why would there be such a coincidence in the world? It was he who saved me back then, and the stewed pheasant with black matsutake now tastes just like my father's.