301: Special Ingredient

Special Ingredient

Auntie Lan put down the teacup and sighed. "My sense of taste and smell are better than average but I am heavily allergic. Therefore, I can't stay too long in a normal city or I'll get sick. The only solution is for me to stay on that island because the air there is pure."1

So that's why.

"But now that I've returned, I plan to stay." She looked at me with her sparkling eyes. My heart skipped a beat.

"I-is it because of the thing I said about Jing Tian and my little uncle?" I probed carefully. Auntie Lan nodded seriously and solemnly. My heart pounded with sadness and regret.

Auntie Lan pulled my hand and stood up. "Let's not talk about it for now. I'm staying anyway. We'll have plenty of time to deal with them! Now, you need to accompany me to my place for dinner. We'll talk over dinner, okay?"

Can I say no? Of course not. So I followed Auntie Lan to Jing Tian's home for dinner. When I arrived, I understood why she had to get me to join her and not the other way around. Auntie Lan's diet was rather unique. Due to her constitution, there was not much she could eat. However, Auntie Lan was very passionate about cooking. 

She dragged me into the kitchen because I was expected to help her cook. That was something that came as a surprise to me. This was truly a test because I'd rather sit for an exam than cook. Auntie Lan noticed my embarrassment and she chuckled happily. "Finally, I caught someone who will be my student!" She said excitedly.

"Auntie Lan, I'm not good in the kitchen. Please set your expectations. I don't want to disappoint you." I said cautiously.

Auntie Lan laughed. "That's wonderful. That means I'll have a great sense of accomplishment from teaching you!"

Well, as long as she was happy.

So with Auntie Lan instructing, I helped her wash the vegetables. She cried out a few times when she watched me cut the vegetables. When she cooked, she would hum some happy tune. She taught me some tricks as she made the soup.

I slowly got in the groove and found the fun in cooking. Thankfully, I wasn't clumsy enough to burn down the kitchen. However, I didn't have a chance to talk to Auntie Lan about Jing Tian and my little uncle.

Finally, the dinner was served. When we sat down at the dining table, Auntie Lan stopped her lecture. Auntie Lan picked some vegetables for me. "Try them. You cooked them yourself so they should taste different."

I obliged and ate the stir-fried vegetables. I was surprised. "Auntie Lan, they do taste different!"

Auntie Lan smiled.

"Is it really because I've cooked them myself?" I took another bite to confirm.

Auntie Lan smiled and nudged me. "Silly, it's because the flavoring is different! The flavoring in my kitchen is specially made because they have to avoid anything that can make me allergic. Therefore, the taste will definitely be different from what you normally eat. Do you think them tasty?"

I nodded. "Yes, they are very tasty!"

Auntie Lan sighed, "Jing Tian and his father can't get used to my cooking. You're the only one who says it's delicious."

"Really?" I picked up more food.

Auntie Lan sighed sadly, "They said if you want to capture a man's heart, you need to first capture his stomach. I'm a total failure at that!"

I almost choked to death. Auntie Lan quickly poured me a glass of water.

I looked at her eyes that were as pure as stars and didn't know what to say.

If Auntie Lan felt Old Master Jing was not loyal to her, then Mrs. Mai should just kill herself. That was why we shouldn't make unnecessary comparison.

I cleared my throat and finally mustered up my courage. "Auntie Lan, I need to tell you something."

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