t.i.tle: Meow Meow Meow
Author: 橘花散里
Chapter: 146.1 – Xiao Cha is Odd
Seeing that Xiang Qing’s house didn’t have the many rooms, he asked with concern, “Where should we put her?” Yin Zi was carrying the girl on his back.
I thought for a moment and quickly decided, “Drop her in the pigpen. That place is a good hiding spot. Don’t let anyone find out.”
So we sneakily brought the girl to the pigpen. We put her next to a pile of straw. From somewhere, Yun Zi had gotten a medicinal concoction. He forced it down her throat. It didn’t take long for her to start vomiting. After she had thrown up for a while, she became feverish and fainted.
I looked at the sky to guess the time. I thought it was somewhat cold. With good intentions, I pushed back several pieces of straw, and then I tightly buried her in the pile of straw, so she wouldn’t catch a cold.
After I finished, I worriedly went back to the kitchen. This time, I didn’t dare to follow my own ideas. I obediently listened to Yin Zi’s instructions while cooking.
So, rice has to be washed before it can be put into the pot.
So, vegetables shouldn’t be crowded together and heat can’t be too high.
So, fishes’ internal organs have to be removed and scales have to be sc.r.a.pped off.
So, salt wasn’t something you could add as much as you feel like.
So, Mo Lin’s medicinal herbs and Feng Xiang wood were poisonous when combined… if someone ate them, they’ll die.
There were so many things to learn for cooking. It was more difficult than fighting. I was so busy that I felt like I was running around in circles. One second I forgot to do this. Another second I forgot to do that.
I didn’t dare to simply boil the fish. Following Yin Zi’s instructions, I sc.r.a.ped off the scales, cut open the belly to remove its internal organs, sprinkled salt and spices directly onto the fish, and steamed the fish with the rice.
Every few seconds, I couldn’t resist checking if the food was done. From time to time I would screech and ask stupid questions like, “why were there white bubbles rising from the rice?”
Finally, I finished cooking the food. Yin Zi saw that there weren’t enough side dishes, so he stir-fried leafy, green vegetables.
This dinner was my greatest victory as a cat. This accomplishment was worthy of being written down and kept in the history books for all eternity!
In high spirits, I carried the food to the dining room. My mother-in-law, elder brother-in law and his wife, and my son were all waiting for the meal to be served. This was the first time I saw my elder brother-in-law. He looked similar to Xiang Qing, but was more rugged. His eyes were somewhat dim. His nose was straight. He had a beautiful beard. Overall, he was a handsome older man.
Elder Sister-in-law was a different person in front of him. She was like a small, obedient bird. Whatever he said, she would agree. Their affection towards each other was warm-hearted. I thought it was very admirable.
Xiao Mao was sitting next to mother-in-law. His sweet and affectionate words coaxed her to smile.
“Dinner is here,” I happily greeted everyone.
Mother-in-law raised her head. Seeing that I was able to cook a meal, her face was more pleasant, “Let’s eat.”
I obediently put down everything. Yin Zi came forward to place the utensils.
Elder brother-in-law looked at me for a while and somewhat enviously said, “Younger brother has good fortune. He has a wife and a son…” Then, he sighed.
He looked at elder sister-in-law’s stomach and let out a long sigh.
Elder sister-in-law lowered her head. She seemed sad and about to cry. She muttered, “Husband, I failed to live up to expectations. Why don’t you get a concubine?”
Elder brother-in-law quickly comforted her, “A rural family is busy every day. Who has the spare money and free time to get a concubine? This family and home has you. Let’s make the best of our humble lives together. Don’t worry about this every day.”
“But…” Elder sister-in-law wanted to say more.
In a dignified manner, mother-in-law ordered, “Now that there is a grandson, I’m not anxious anymore. You don’t need to keep mentioning this. You’ve only been married for three years. Wait and see. Let’s eat first.”
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“Mom, did you cook today’s meal?” Xiao Mao quickly jumped down from the stool. He vigilantly looked at the food on the table.
I proudly nodded.
Xiao Mao looked at the sky, and then at the ground. He hurriedly said, “Eh… I suddenly remember that I haven’t started my homework and I haven’t finished other things. Let me leave earlier.”
I quickly stopped him from leaving, “Even if it’s important matter, eat before leaving. You have to try mom’s excellent skills.”
Yin Zi grabbed him to whisper, “Relax, the vegetarian dishes were cooked by me.”
Hearing this, Xiao Mao sat back down without worries.
I expectantly looked around and discovered that the most important person wasn’t here. I quickly asked, “Where Xiang Qing?”
Elder sister-in-law scooped up rice while she answered, “Today, he went to Ye’s home to break off his marriage. While he was there, he discovered a demon doing wicked deeds. So he’s waiting there to catch the demon. He said to not wait for him to eat. He’ll eat something outside and will return home later.”
He’s not coming back to eat…
He’s not coming back to eat…
He’s not coming back…
Eastern Sea’s fish, Heaven’s Feng Xiang wood, a hundred celestial flower petals, alchemy fire…
I looked at the food on the table that I had strenuously spent a day and a night to make. I wanted to cry. Seeing that everyone had picked up their chopsticks, without regard to image, this cat quickly flew onto the table.
I protected the food while crying, “You have to leave some food for Xiang Qing! You can’t eat everything! You can’t!”
My brave movement with no regard to personal safety startled everyone. Or perhaps, they were scared. I had broken the stone stool when I accidently kicked it on the way to pouncing on the food. Without any complaints, they obediently let me set aside two, big plates of fish for Xiang Qing. After I was done, on their own initiative, they started to eat.
As they ate, they slightly frowned. The vegetarian dish was quickly devoured. Mother-in-law very thoughtfully kept adding fish to Xiao Mao’s bowl.
“Grandson, eat more so that you’ll grow taller.”
With a painful expression, Xiao Mao licked the fish. He froze. Then, without worries, he started to eat the fish. Although the fish was difficult to chew, he finally finished eating it.
I just knew that this child’s taste in food had been spoiled by Wa Wa and Luo Luo. Ordinary food no longer appealed to him. In fact, Heaven Realm’s items were very beneficial to mortals. It would improve their health and increase their lifespan.
A few days after this meal, mother-in-law’s almost blind eyes recovered. Her posture improved and she no longer needed a cane to walk. She became alarmed because she thought this was her brief revival before death (T/N: literal meaning would be ‘final radiance of the setting sun’) and she didn’t have many days left to live. She noisily fussed for us to prepare her burial clothes… it was somewhat funny.
Elder sister-in-law’s skin became much prettier. The lines near her eyes had also decreased. She was so happy that she laughed every day.
Of course, they didn’t know the reason for these changes, and even I didn’t know. A long time after, Yin Zi mentioned the reason to me. But this type of thing, I couldn’t say to a mortal. This would always remain a secret. Let’s not speak of this anymore.
Now, I just wanted to wait at the entrance for Xiang Qing to return, so he could eat my cooking. The night wind was somewhat cold and the insects continued to chirp. The one after another dewdrops brought an indescribable chill.