Chapter 113 Chapter 113 Pie.
The blond man stood there in a daze, clutching the brand new silver coins, seemingly not knowing what to do.
His towering figure made the originally spacious kitchen seem a little small.
But in this contrast, his confused and helpless posture seems even more ridiculous.
Su Cheng: "It looks great!"
The pie in the white porcelain plate has a beautiful golden brown crust, slightly puffed on the surface, and a crispy crust.
She took the knife in her right hand and cut a small piece. The deep red cherry filling was as sticky as molten lava, flowing out of the crack and onto the plate.
Su Cheng quickly picked it up with a fork and took a bite.
The blond man was startled, "...be careful of the burns!"
Su Cheng puffed up his cheeks and looked at him, mumbling, "Thank you, I'm fine, and this is so delicious!"
The crust melts between your lips and teeth, the aroma of butter and milk permeates the air, and the hot jam nectar flows over the tip of your tongue, sweet but not overly cloying.
Su Cheng felt like he was about to melt, and he was at a loss for words. He didn't know how else to praise her, so he could only give her a thumbs up.
The blond man stared at her blankly, a faint blush creeping onto his handsome, rugged face. "...There's still some in the stove."
He seemed a little annoyed after he said this.
——Because the portion sizes of those pies are actually more than most customers can eat by themselves.
However, the girl in front of him had bright eyes. She stuffed the remaining half of the cherry pie into her mouth and nodded vigorously, "Okay, okay!"
The way she ate was neither elegant nor savage, but it would certainly satisfy most cooks.
It is a pure joy of immersing yourself in a wonderful taste experience.
It seems as if he has forgotten all worldly troubles.
The blond man's expression softened a bit, and he lowered his head to get more pies from the oven next to him.
Su Cheng didn't even have time to take the food out and sit down. He just stood in the kitchen, turned away from the counter where the ingredients were placed, to make sure he wouldn't get any crumbs on it. He was too lazy to cut the food one by one with a knife, so he just ate it with a fork.
The crust at the edge of the pie is slightly hard, but the inner layer is flexible due to steaming and baking, and you can pull out sugar threads when you bite it.
These jams are clearly carefully prepared.
Although they are all sweet, their flavors are different.
The cherry has the most intense sweetness, and the aftertaste is a bit sour, but not astringent, and the taste is extremely mellow.
The apples are softened by honey and cinnamon, and the flavor spreads out in a delicate way, giving a fermented feeling like that of glutinous rice wine.
The sweetness of mango is even more unrestrained, with a milky flavor in the freshness, like the hot breeze and sunshine in summer.
There are a few crushed cardamoms hidden in the pear filling, which suddenly release a spicy fragrance in the soft and gentle juice.
Su Cheng quickly finished showing off a plate of pies, and the chef gave her another plate and asked her if she wanted more.
She said the second plate would be enough, and the blond man nodded silently, rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands, scooped half a spoonful of syrup from the oak barrel, and opened a bottle of mead.
He crushed two more wild berries and made her a drink with an amber nectar base, a bluish-purple syrup cloud in the middle, and a bright red berry juice on top.
The rough fingers with broad joints gently picked up the mint leaves, flicked the leaves, and then placed them in the wine glass.
The green leaves sway gently on the juice like small boats.
Su Cheng was watching from the side.
When I first met the person in the story, I felt a little strange, but he actually seemed to have nothing to do with that kind of horror legend.
"for you."
The blond man said in a muffled voice.
"Wow--"
Su Cheng took it happily.
She took a sip, and the mixture of honey and fruity aroma exploded on the tip of her tongue. A hint of crimson swayed in the cup, and the berry juice was like the sunset dissolving into the waves.
"Oh my god," Su Cheng couldn't help but admire, "It's so delicious, and so beautiful. Not only are you good at seasoning, but you're also great at color matching! Oh, right..."
She was going to pay again.
"No!"
The blond man suddenly had a headache. "That was enough—"
As he spoke, he subconsciously reached out to stop her.
The man's palm was broad and thick, and with his tiger's mouth, he almost circled the girl's entire wrist, and the tip of his thumb almost touched the throbbing blood vessels.
The calluses on the edges of his palms scraped against his thin skin, causing a slight tingling sensation.
Those were the marks left by kneading the dough. Whether it was the thick joints or the hard calluses, the hands looked weathered and had a wild sense of power.
His body temperature was very high, and his fingertips felt hot on the inside of his wrist, like the touch of a branding iron.
"……Feel sorry."
The blond man withdrew his hand in a panic, like a bear that accidentally touched a beehive.
Su Cheng saw the blue veins on the back of his pale hand. When his sleeves were rolled up, he revealed a muscular forearm, and his bulging muscles stretched the linen fabric.
"I mean," Mr. Chef lowered his head awkwardly, "you don't have to pay me anymore."
He looked at her again as he spoke, his gaze unable to help but linger on her face, as if he had never seen a creature like her before.
Although in a sense, Su Cheng could understand it.
After all, this town is not a prosperous place.
"Okay," Su Cheng nodded, "I just want to say that your cooking skills are very good. Thank you for your hospitality. This person——"
The blond man lowered his eyes to look at her, his lips moved, and he said his name in a low voice: "...Grutness."
really.
Su Cheng sighed inwardly.
It's exactly like in that fairy tale.
Both this tavern and the pastry chef himself.
Su Cheng smiled at him, "Nice to meet you, and besides-"
She tried to talk about some topics related to rabbits, such as asking the other person indirectly whether he had a pet, but found that she couldn't say anything.
Is this a restriction on time travelers?
But in the previous timeline, this didn’t seem to happen?
Su Cheng couldn't help feeling a little confused.
The cook in front of her was still waiting for her to speak.
what to do?
If she wanted to prevent that crazy tragedy from happening again, was she forced to stay with the Holloway family, monitor them day and night, and save Rabbit at the critical moment?
Su Cheng: "...Also, I want to know, if I pack it up and take it away and leave it for a while, will the taste change?"
He nodded slightly. "If you leave it overnight, the skin might become hard, but if it's sealed, the flavors of the filling will blend better."
Su Cheng nodded thoughtfully, pretending to be thinking about this problem.
The blond man looked at her, his face flushed again. "Excuse me, are you a mercenary passing by?"
Su Cheng thought this identity was good. "Well, yes, my team and I got separated due to some accidents, and I want to find them."
Grootness looked a little flustered again, as if he was afraid of touching upon her worries, but when he didn't see any sadness on the girl's face, he relaxed a little.
"Anyway," Su Cheng thought for a moment, "besides the pie, is there anything else to eat? If it's still your working hours?"
He nodded and shook his head. "Well, I mean, there is—"
The chef's expression froze for a moment.
Su Cheng looked at him in feigned confusion.
If what the book says is true, then this guy seems to refuse to cook meat.
And considering his current status, there are very few mercenaries who don't eat meat.
Unless they are some high elves, because of their living environment, they may have been accustomed to eating fruits and vegetables since childhood and have little interest in meat.
"I mean," Su Cheng thought for a moment, "you only make sweet pies? Do you have any savory ones? I like potatoes and beans, and mushrooms are good too."
The blond man seemed to relax again and nodded silently.
All the ingredients were available in the kitchen, he just mixed some of the fillings, and the process was quick and skillful, without even having to weigh them.
It seemed that he had already memorized all those proportions and could measure them accurately with a spoon or his hands.
"...Do you want to eat anything else?"
The blond man whispered, "Cream mushroom rolls, phyllo potatoes, garlic white bean risotto—"
"I want to try your pie first."
"……good."
Not long after, Su Cheng had another new flavor of pie.
The puff pastry was filled with peas, carrots, and turnips stewed until soft, mixed with thick mashed potatoes and some kind of fragrant mushroom sauce.
Su Cheng ate two in a row. During this time, Grootness made some fried potato balls, which were golden and shiny with breadcrumbs, and served with a dish of sour cream and a dish of dill sauce.
He seemed to want to do something else and went to the side to peel some fruit.
Su Cheng quickly said that he was almost full after eating all this.
"It's okay," the blond man said dully, looking at her. "I can eat the rest."
Su Cheng: “…”
So Su Cheng watched him make roasted pumpkin, brushed it with honey and rosemary, and placed it on a plate in the shape of a flower.
Then, hollow out the caps of some plump wild mushrooms, fill them with mashed garlic, parsley, and breadcrumbs, and roast them until the juice boils.
The kitchen was filled with fragrance.
He cleared a table directly and filled it with various large plates and dipping dishes. The stews, roasted vegetables and salt-baked vegetables were colorful and beautiful.
"Do you want to eat meat?"
After a few seconds, the blond man whispered.
"Huh?" Su Cheng was stunned for a moment. "I saw you only cooked vegetables and fruits. I thought you didn't like cooking meat."
"...But I will." He looked at her, "If you want to eat, anyway-"
He said, glancing at some raw meat hanging on the other side of the kitchen, "…they're dead."
"Oh, no thanks," Su Cheng could hear the frustration in his tone, "I can't finish it anymore. In fact, I can only eat a small half of this table..."
Pies are high in calories, and she ate enough for four or five people.
If it weren't for the dragon trial, he would have died of starvation by now.
Grootness nodded, brought out another pile of pies and placed them aside, then ran to stand in front of the copper pot next to him.
Fruit and syrup were simmering inside, bubbling. He kept skimming off the foam, stirring with a wooden spoon, pulling out sticky colorful threads.
Su Cheng ate while looking at his focused profile.
He was so engrossed in making the jam that he didn't seem to notice anything until she stopped eating altogether, then he came over and sat next to her.
Then he devoured all the food on the table in a flash, including the mountain of vegetarian pies and several cheeses bigger than washbasins.
Su Cheng: “…”
It’s hard to imagine a normal human being having a bigger appetite than her.
He ate very attentively and quickly, as if he was just grabbing everything and stuffing it into his mouth.
She stared at me silently for a moment. "Speaking of which, if I said I had some prophetic gift and could see terrible things happening to you, and I swear I wouldn't ask you for any kind of payment, would you believe me?"
Grutness looked up at her. "What is that?"
Su Cheng couldn't come up with any specific warnings at all, "...the people around you who are familiar with you are not trustworthy."
The blond man looked at her quietly, his icy blue eyes seemed to be surging with some emotions, "Yeah."
Su Cheng looked at him for two seconds, "Isn't that too general?"
He shook his head slightly, "Thank you."
Su Cheng was stunned. "Seriously? Do you know what I mean?"
Those silent blue eyes were still staring at her. "No, but that's all you can say, isn't it?"
…
At the entrance of the Vatican Temple in western Yasuo.
In the Weiss family's mansion, several young people were gathering on the terrace, with expensive magic plant wine on the table.
"So, Altos," one of them suddenly spoke up, "how's your research going? The dean said earlier that he's looking forward to your work."
"The test has already started," a blond young man said with a smile, "I think it should be almost finished."
Seeing this, several others began to flatter him.
"Those magic spells you improved earlier are so useful..."
"Ah, a genius is a genius. You're the youngest among Dean Toler's students, and you're the only one who can create universal elemental magic. Last time, they said that anyone who could achieve such an achievement in history must be at least a Grand Magister..."
"By the way, why didn't I see your annoying brother today?"
Someone turned around and looked at him, his expression showing a hint of disgust. "He has a sour face all day long, as if others owe him money. Oh, by the way, I heard he dropped out of school? He's really a hopeless case. If I had a brother as capable as you..."
"Don't say that," the blond young man smiled and shook his head, his expression very gentle. "Gerald is actually a very good person. He's still young and can be a little impatient sometimes."
"What? He is just vicious by nature. Didn't you hear that he cut off Henry's arm at the night market that day—"
"Oh, I heard that too..."
"I heard that Henry's godfather is a clergyman of the Holy See..."
"But weren't his parents in prison? The Vatican would probably be eager to disown his family, wouldn't they?"
"That's hard to say..."
A few people discussed it for a while, and suddenly someone patted Altos and said, "By the way, that beautiful magician we saw on the bridge that day—"
"What beautiful magician?"
The sliding door of the terrace was pulled open, and a blond, green-eyed boy stood there, his cold face without a smile, his sinister eyes staring straight at them.
"Gerald," Altos sat up, "you're back?"
The blond boy completely ignored him and just looked at the person who had just spoken, "What beautiful magician?"
The man looked at him in confusion. "Uh, I don't know that person, but I just feel that she is very powerful and beautiful..."
"What does it look like?"
"Looks about your age, maybe a little older, medium height, a little thin, with dark hair and light eyes..."
"Well," Gerald said grimly, "what happened to her?"
"She was on the boat," another person interrupted. "We were passing the Martin Bridge, and she kept staring at Altos. Of course, many people did the same—"
He stopped talking.
Because Gerald's expression was so terrifying, his dark green eyes were filled with gloom, and he looked like a poisonous snake that was choosing its prey.
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