Lu Jinshuang was rendered speechless by Mu Jin and Dongxue’s words. She had wanted to help, but apparently there was nothing she could do. Compared with the sisters, they really were far too weak.
She waved her hands with a smile. “Forget it. We’ll just let things take their course.”
Before long, Xi Qingyue led Xi Weilan over. Weilan had changed into dry clothes, and her hair, which had been dripping wet after swimming, was now completely dry and freshly combed. The ribbon in it fluttered back and forth as she walked.
Lu Jinshuang circled Xi Weilan, unable to figure out how her hair had been dried so quickly. But there were already far too many mysterious things about this boat—and especially about these two sisters—so she could only suppress her curiosity. She was afraid that if she asked too many questions, they might think she harbored ulterior motives.
Seeing her look like an inquisitive child, Xi Qingyue found it amusing. “Stop staring. I’ll let you experience it for yourself tonight, and then you’ll understand.”
Lu Jinshuang’s eyes lit up. “We’re spending the night on the lake?”
“No. We’re going back to the county office. Today’s meals haven’t been delivered yet. We’ll take out the motorhome when we get back; playing there will be just as fun. If you want to sleep on this yacht, you can stay as long as you like after we leave in a couple of days.”
Xi Qingyue hadn’t forgotten that meals from more than a dozen establishments had to be delivered to the county office every day. She was a true foodie—stockpiling delicacies from every corner of the land was the proper thing to do.
Out on the lake, their yacht was especially conspicuous. Many people were curious about it, and some of the boats nearby even tried to approach and see who it belonged to.
Xi Qingyue lay on the sofa, sipping freshly squeezed orange juice through a straw. She paid no attention to the people peering in from outside.
Her water-element ability had already reached the fourth level. On the water, no one could sneak up on her anymore.
Xi Weilan sat on a stool in front of the bar, leaning over the counter as she ate the food she had just ordered. None of it was the sort of thing commonly found in restaurants: there were French fries, cumin-roasted chicken wings, spicy chicken legs, and more. Beside them sat the soda she loved.
Her face was bright with happiness as she called out to Lu Jinshuang, “Sister Jinshuang, these spicy chicken legs are delicious! Do you want one?”
Lu Jinshuang was puzzled. It wasn’t as if she had never eaten chicken legs, but what exactly were “spicy chicken legs”?
Curious, she stepped forward and picked up one to taste. Her tongue immediately began to burn and tingle. She hurriedly grabbed the cup of water beside her and gulped it down.
After finishing the water, she stared at the chicken leg in her hand, her face full of delight. “Lan’er, where did you buy this?”
The flavor had taken some getting used to at first, but it was truly delicious. She had never eaten chicken legs with such a unique taste, not even in the imperial palace.
Xi Weilan’s mouth was covered in grease. She looked at Lu Jinshuang proudly. “Big Sister made them specially for me. They’re delicious, aren’t they?”
She remembered that her sister had added an entire potful of chili peppers while cooking them. She kept eating even as her nose ran from the heat. It was spicy, but that only made it more delicious.
Lu Jinshuang turned to Xi Qingyue in astonishment. “You made them? What did you use to make these chicken legs? Why have I never tasted chicken legs like this before?”
With a wave of her hand, Xi Qingyue filled the bar with even more food: spicy chicken legs, cumin-spiced rabbit, spicy beef, spicy crayfish, spicy lotus-root slices, spicy chicken cutlets, chili-flavored strips, pickled chicken feet with chili, spicy peanuts, and more. Everything was spicy, and the entire bar was soon covered with dishes.
She had originally thought it was still too early for a meal and that the little foodie could eat by herself for now. But since Lu Jinshuang had already started, they might as well all join in and let the others try these new foods too.
She rose and walked toward the bar with a smile. “Sister Jinshuang, all of these are made with chili peppers. You should all try some. If you like them, I’ll give you some later.”
Whether they were the chili peppers, potatoes, watermelons, or anything else in her space, she intended to sell them for silver eventually. She had planted so much that she could never eat it all herself.
Lu Jinshuang stared at the extra dishes and swallowed. They all looked delicious.
Mu Jin and Dongxue also picked up pieces of rabbit and began eating. The next moment, Dongxue suddenly burst into a fit of coughing and grabbed her cup to gulp down water.
Her face turned bright red from coughing, but after setting down the cup, she couldn’t resist picking up a chicken foot and eating it. Tears streamed down her face from the heat, yet she continued eating happily.
Mu Jin fared a little better, though her face was flushed as well. She felt that the princess had brought her along simply so she could enjoy herself. Whenever she accompanied the two Young Commandery Princesses, all they did was eat and play—and the food was always the finest imaginable.
Watching them, Xi Qingyue laughed. “No one’s going to take it from you. Be careful not to choke.”
She even thoughtfully placed two bottles of chilled soda in front of each of them. Nothing paired with spicy food better than a cold soda.
The four of them enjoyed the meal immensely. After they finished everything Xi Qingyue had brought out, she took out more than a dozen additional plates. They didn’t eat any staple food; once all the dishes before them were gone, they could only cradle their bottles and drink continuously.
Lu Jinshuang sighed. “Ah, I’ve never eaten anything so satisfying. But it feels as though there’s a fire burning in my stomach. Am I getting sick?”
Xi Weilan patted her shoulder with the solemn air of a little adult. “Don’t worry, Sister Jinshuang. That happens when you eat too much spicy food. Just eat more of it in the future and you’ll get used to it.”
Xi Qingyue herself was a little surprised. She hadn’t expected Lu Jinshuang and the others to tolerate spice so well. It was their first time eating it, yet they had consumed so much. She had even prepared other dishes for when they could no longer handle the heat, but apparently there hadn’t been nearly enough.
She suddenly realized that she had underestimated the value of the things in her space. If she wanted to sell them, she should start with wealthy families and rich households. Those people certainly wouldn’t lack money.
With a beaming smile, she looked at Lu Jinshuang. “Sister Jinshuang, you said earlier that the guards from my estate came here with you. Have them come see me tomorrow. I’ll arrange a good job for them.”
Lu Jinshuang didn’t think much of it and nodded. “All right. You said before that you didn’t want to see them, so I had them stay in Sophora Blossom Alley. Mu Jin can bring them over tomorrow.”
After eating, they rested on the yacht for a while. They circled the entire lake, played to their heart’s content, and only then headed back.
By the time they returned to the county office, it was exactly when the food deliveries arrived.
Xi Qingyue stored each of the large insulated containers filled with food in her space. Some of them even had special racks inside, with two plates on each level. The racks were used for dishes such as steamed fish that were unsuitable for being mixed together.
Lu Jinshuang didn’t ask a single question about the strange containers. She simply turned her head and pretended she hadn’t seen anything.
She soon forgot all about it, because Xi Qingyue set the motorhome in the courtyard, and Xi Weilan pulled her inside to take a bath.
When Lu Jinshuang felt the hot water pouring from the showerhead, she was stunned for a moment. Although she had already used the faucet to wash her hands and the toilet when nature called, the sight before her still left her shaken. The fact that hot water could appear out of nowhere seemed unbelievably mysterious.
She turned to Xi Weilan. “Lan’er, your sister couldn’t possibly be a goddess descended to the mortal world, could she?”
The more time Lu Jinshuang spent with Xi Qingyue, the more she understood how formidable and extraordinary the woman was. She was definitely no ordinary person. Perhaps she was even the most important individual in all of Great Jing—the one who could determine whether the entire kingdom enjoyed peace or descended into war.
Hearing her elder sister praised, Xi Weilan beamed with delight. “Mm-hmm. Big Sister is a goddess descended to earth—she’s absolutely unrivaled in this world. I’ll become formidable too someday.”
