Chapter 108 is about flowers, right? Right? Right? Right?
Strange, Shen Cangyu thought, Pei Wenjing seemed a bit off today.
She led him into the kitchen, and Pei Wenjing immediately noticed the medicine cauldron in the corner. The candle dragon was still circling the cauldron, and the lid was swaying, but what wafted out was not the smell of medicine, but a rich, sweet fragrance.
It's a cake.
Pei Wenjing hadn't smelled cake for a very long time, but now, stepping into this cramped kitchen, all the memories of the past flooded back. His feet were rooted to the spot, afraid to move forward; he feared it was all just a dream.
Seeing that it was almost time, Shen Cangyu manipulated the earth dragon to open the lid and took the cake base out of the medicine cauldron. She looked at Pei Wenjing, who was standing to the side with a dazed expression, and asked, "What are you standing there for? Cut the fruit."
She pushed the fruit basket on the table toward Pei Wenjing, asking him to peel and cut the pears into small pieces: "Cut them as big as you like; these fruit pieces will be put on the cake later."
Fruit is hard to find in winter, and since there are no greenhouses here, there are naturally no grapes or peaches like those commonly seen on fruitcakes. Shen Cangyu searched all over the city and finally had to buy pears. They should taste about the same, and Pei Wenjing probably wouldn't care about the difference.
Shen Cangyu poured out the cake base, cut it in half, and spread the prepared red bean paste on it as a filling. She couldn't remember what cakes she had eaten before, so she just did whatever came to mind, relying purely on inspiration.
As she whipped the cream, she turned to look at Pei Wenjing, who was sitting on a small wooden chair to the side, holding a pear, his brows furrowed, and a serious expression on his face.
"It's just cutting a pear, why is he making that face..." Shen Cangyu thought, looking at the plate he had placed aside.
A wisp of steam rose from the dish, and within the steam lay a flower as white as jade, its petals translucent and its texture delicate…
Wait a minute! Where did these flowers come from?
Shen Cangyu then realized that she had asked Pei Wenjing to chop the pear into pieces, but Pei Wenjing had used the pear to carve flowers, and the flowers he carved were so lifelike that they were indistinguishable from real flowers. No wonder he was so focused. She didn't know whether to praise his superb skills or his interesting taste.
Pei Wenjing manipulated the carving knife, carving delicate petals, thin as cicada wings, onto the pear. He was focused, and his tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
When carving flowers, he could forget all unpleasant things and only think about the flower in his hand. Watching each flower emerge from his hands, a sense of accomplishment followed. Pei Wenjing finally understood why Chu Xun always liked wood carving; perhaps he, too, was immersed in this state of selflessness.
As Pei Wenjing was thinking, a hand suddenly reached out and scooped up the pear blossom he had placed on the plate, then crunched it down.
He looked up and saw that Shen Cangyu had somehow dropped her cream and come to his side: "Let me taste this carved pear and see how it differs from a regular pear."
She nibbled off a petal, and Shen Cangyu's first thought was, "Cold." But it tasted like ice cream; once the coldness subsided, a sweetness with a hint of saltiness bloomed on her tongue, bringing a delicate pear fragrance. Shen Cangyu had just eaten half a pear, but compared to that pear, she felt the pear carved into a flower tasted better; perhaps the carving added to its flavor.
Pei Wenjing was worried that the cut pear would oxidize and turn yellow, so he used a special trick to turn the salt water into ice mist and cover the pear, freezing it and slowing down the oxidation.
Unexpectedly, Shen Cangyu took a bite out of the pear with ice crystals still attached.
Upon hearing Shen Cangyu's words, Pei Wenjing raised his hand to dispel the icy mist surrounding the snow pear, but Shen Cangyu quickly stopped him: "No, I was just curious and came to taste it."
Pei Wenjing is a man who can't take a joke. Shen Cangyu realized that everything she said would be remembered by him, and even if it was a joke, he would take it seriously.
It really is... sigh, never mind.
Shen Cangyu punched Pei Wenjing on the shoulder to vent his anger, then turned back to continue spreading the whipped cream on the cake base, amidst Pei Wenjing's puzzled gaze.
After smoothing the cream, Shen Cangyu took a piping bag and began decorating the cake with concentric circles of patterns. As she pushed the plate in her hand, she suddenly remembered the snow pear blossoms that Pei Wenjing had carved. Recalling the appearance of the snow pear blossoms, she piped out white cream flowers. She called out to Pei Wenjing, "Quickly, bring me your pears."
Pei Wenjing walked over carrying a plate and saw that the cake was covered with familiar flowers, just like the one in his hand. The flowers were in full bloom, yet they had deliberately made room for his pear, just waiting for him to place it on top.
Shen Cangyu took the plate from his hand, pondered it as she placed the snow pear blossoms on it, and adjusted the angle.
Pei Wenjing had never seen a cake like this before. It was unlike any cake he had ever seen before. It didn't have any fancy colors, but it was far more exquisite than any cake he had ever seen before. Moreover, it was specially designed for him by Shen Cangyu.
"Perfect!" Shen Cangyu clasped her hands together, sealed it with cold air, and put it into the Sun and Moon Pot. She looked at Pei Wenjing and met his longing gaze.
It really is...
Shen Cangyu said, "Let it freeze for a while, then again tonight. It's still early."
Pei Wenjing's disappointment was palpable. Shen Cangyu looked at him and asked, "Are you really not going to eat longevity noodles? Are you sure you're only having cake tonight?"
Pei Wenjing took his head.
“If you’re not going to eat it, then I will.” Shen Cangyu started to eat.
The people here eat two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. Shen Cangyu used to follow this habit, but after regaining some of her memories, she learned that people in the other world generally eat three meals a day. Cultivators mostly adhere to fasting, believing that food contains impure energy that will disrupt the energy within a cultivator's body and affect their cultivation.
But Shen Cangyu felt that grains and cereals came from the earth, sharing the same origin as her; they were not impure air, but spiritual energy nurtured by all things in heaven and earth. In this world, food was just as important as cultivation.
Shen Cangyu rummaged through drawers and cabinets to find the dough she had prepared earlier, ready to pull the noodles, but Pei Wenjing suddenly spoke up: "Let me do it."
"You?" Shen Cangyu looked at him with a questioning gaze. In her impression, Pei Wenjing didn't like anything and was always anorexic. Someone like him was probably a kitchen killer, and all he could make was terrible food.
But Pei Wenjing's eyes were firm, and Shen Cangyu couldn't refuse him, so she divided the dough in two and gave one half to Pei Wenjing.
If Pei Wenjing messes up, she'll at least have half a piece of dough to eat.
Pei Wenjing rolled up his sleeves, took the dough, and looked ready for battle. He seemed more nervous than Shen Cangyu. Shen Cangyu was nervous because she was afraid he would blow up the kitchen. She even put the remaining half of the dough into her Sun and Moon Pot, thinking that if the kitchen exploded, her dough would still survive.
It wasn't until Pei Wenjing started cooking that Shen Cangyu realized her prejudice against him, his skillful movements revealing her disbelief. Pei Wenjing disliked eating and had never cooked before, leading her to believe he was completely inept at culinary arts. But watching his movements now, she realized he was quite adept at it. Perhaps she should have realized this when she saw him carve flowers from a pear.
That's true, after all, Pei Wenjing has lived for thousands of years.
Shen Cangyu excelled at everything, especially cooking. Pei Wenjing used to think that Shen Cangyu only seemed like a real person when she was eating. But he didn't understand why she was so obsessed with eating. She didn't care about people or things, only about her three meals a day. She only wanted to give herself a break as a reward after completing each mission, to travel all over the world to find delicious food and ingredients, and to treat herself to a good meal.
Later, Pei Wenjing realized that Shen Cangyu treated this world as a travel destination. She wasn't interested in anything else and could only find ways to amuse herself to pass the time. If one day even delicious food couldn't interest Shen Cangyu, it meant that this world had lost its meaning for her, and she would leave sooner or later.
So when he accompanied Shen Cangyu on her travels, he would always pay attention to what foods she showed interest in, and then he would secretly ask others for the recipes. He always wanted to keep her with him in every way possible, no matter what it was, as long as he could have a little more.
The noodles, as fine as spider silk, floated lightly into the tray. Pei Wenjing looked at the food cabinet beside him and scooped out the scallops from the porcelain jar.
"I didn't buy that, it belongs to someone else," Shen Cangyu said, but Beco was so fat that she was indeed a little tempted.
"Never mind, leave him some silver, consider it as my purchase." Pei Wenjing said, prying open the shell, taking out the clam meat and cleaning it.
Shen Cangyu never expected that Pei Wenjing, a person who values rules more than life itself, would say such a thing.
In addition, Pei Wenjing rummaged around the kitchen without restraint, taking all the ingredients he wanted, until he took a bowl from the cabinet with a half-eaten pear in it.
Shen Cangyu's gaze drifted to the side, and she remained silent. Those were the pears she had stolen earlier.
No, what do you mean by stealing food? She clearly bought these pears herself. It's only natural for her to eat what she bought! Thinking of this, Shen Cangyu became righteous again.
Pei Wenjing didn't say anything, but simply blew a blast of cold air into the bowl to freeze the pear, and then put the bowl back.
Pei Wenjing opened the pot lid, and the fresh aroma of the cooked seafood soup wafted out. He put the thin noodles in and stirred them gently, the noodles blending into the soup in strands.
Shen Cangyu leaned closer to look, and couldn't help but swallow. She decided to take back her statement that Pei Wenjing was a kitchen killer; his skills were on par with hers, at least his food was delicious and visually appealing.
Pei Wenjing brought over the scallions. Shen Cangyu saw his actions and was about to speak when Pei Wenjing spoke first: "Don't use the white part, just the green part. Chop it into small pieces, right?"
Although he asked "Right?", his movements were extremely skillful.
Shen Cangyu's heart sank suddenly. After a long while, he replied, "Yes."
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