Chapter 1045: A Strange Old Man
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Xia Fei and that nameless old man wiped their mouths at the same time, a satisfied grin on their faces.
Xia Fei patted his stomach and said, “It’s been a very long time since I ate to my heart’s content. To think your appet.i.te would be even better than mine.”
That old man squinted at Xia Fei, got up, and calmly walked away, not once giving him a reply.
There were plenty of eccentric people in the universe. Radix and Xia Fei were not particularly surprised to find an old man with such a startling appet.i.te; instead, it made Xia Fei fall in love with roast suckling pigs.
The local suckling pig was by no means an average fare. They were the offspring of wild boars, mainly subsisting on a diet of mountain jujubes and pineapples. The quality of their meat was juicy and tender, and even if they were not seasoned, they still gave off a rich aromatic scent.
Matching this suckling pig with green broccoli, golden roasted potatoes, white mushrooms, and other side dishes, the taste of the final product was heavenly, leaving Xia Fei full of praise for the cuisine.
In the blink of an eye, it was now the afternoon of the second day of his journey. As Xia Fei had nothing to do, he decided to take a stroll to that garden once more and chose the suckling pig automated food dispenser, only to find that it was out.
The automated food dispenser could not artificially create food but would display all the available food in the cold storage, automatically cooking it for diners when ordered. Perhaps Xia Fei and that old man had been too vigorous, but they had actually polished off all the suckling pigs in the cold storage.
Shaking his head, Xia Fei was unamused. He recalled the old man eating a turkey dish before and searched for the same thing, only to find out that the turkey had been cleaned out as well. No doubt that this was the handiwork of that old man. Casually ordering a gla.s.s of mixed fruit juice and a few snacks, Xia Fei sat in that garden and watched the stars in boredom.
Though he was already far away from the universe he was born in, the view outside right now looked hardly any different from what he would see back at home—a vast and complex sea of stars that twinkled irregularly.
“Radix, how do you think pieces of the universe are formed?” Xia Fei asked.
Radix chuckled. “I have no idea myself, but what I know is that the old man whom you’ve been competing with in terms of eating is back.”
Xia Fei hurriedly turned around to look; sure enough, he saw that old man wearing the same robe as yesterday enter the garden. Upon seeing Xia Fei seated, the old man flashed him a smile and a nod. He then ordered a plate of salmon from the automated food dispenser.
The fresh pink salmon was accompanied by chocolate-colored caviar; the lingering scent it gave off invigorated Xia Fei’s appet.i.te.
As such, just like the old man, Xia Fei ran over to the food dispenser and ordered the salmon dish and the caviar.
His dinner knife soundlessly sliced into the fish belly, which was so tender it felt like he was cutting tofu, instead. Evidently, this salmon flesh’s quality was extremely superb!
The fish meat would actually melt like ice when he placed a piece in his mouth! Xia Fei exhaled in his exhilaration and very quickly sent the entire plate of salmon into his belly.
It was not that Xia Fei had never eaten delicacies like this in the past or that the automated culinary skills of this s.h.i.+p were so outstanding; the key here was the ingredients! Be it the suckling pig from yesterday or this salmon today, both were a variety that Xia Fei had never seen before. The taste of them was shockingly good!
Very soon, Xia Fei and that old man began ordering one plate after another, feasting upon the tasty salmon dish; Xia Fei had a total of seven plates, while that old man only stopped after eating thirteen. Even Xia Fei had to admit that the old man’s appet.i.te was truly great.
Of course, after the main dish was fruit and dessert. Xia Fei was suddenly inspired to order the same dishes the old man ordered, and sure enough, every single fruit or dessert he ate tasted extremely mouth-watering!
‘This old man is a gourmand! Not only is he capable of eating a lot, the dishes he picked are also the best I’ve ever eaten!’ exclaimed Xia Fei in his heart.
Soon, the old man ended his lunch for the day. He flashed Xia Fei a smile and turned to leave.
Xia Fei watched this amazing old man leave and suddenly had a thought. He got up, went over to the automated food dispenser, and swiftly pushed some b.u.t.tons.
Several minutes later, Xia Fei returned to his seat and lit a cigarette. He could not help but laugh out loud thereafter.
“What’s the matter? What’s so funny?” asked Radix curiously.
“What else do you think? Every single dish that the old man ordered has been emptied out!” Xia Fei said as he laughed.
“Emptied out? What does that mean?” Radix was still clueless.
Blowing out a smoke ring, Xia Fei chuckled. “It means that the old man isn’t just a gourmand but also a glutton. He’ll definitely finish up everything that tastes delicious! All the turkeys, salmons, and roast suckling pigs are gone. Even those ice cream and snacks are all emptied out!
“I’m really looking forward to finding out just what the old man will eat for dinner later.” Xia Fei smacked his lips as he said this.
Good food was like a spring breeze, intoxicating. Xia Fei, who grew up surrounded by hards.h.i.+p, had never been a picky eater, but at the guidance of that mysterious old man, he had gradually become fond of good-tasting food.
Countless synthetic materials in this universe could create all kinds of unbelievable flavors, but this flavor was more amazing. There was simply no way of replicating the freshness that came from natural ingredients.
This was like the difference between an innocent beauty and a prost.i.tute wearing heavy make-up. Both were beautiful, but it was easy to get surfeited by the latter, while the former remained memorable even after a long time.
For three consecutive days, Xia Fei led a blissful life that he had not experienced before. Every day, he would tacitly meet up with the old man at that table and feast on food according to what the old man ordered from the automated dispenser. After they were done, each would wipe their lips and depart to carry on with their respective businesses. Not once did either man chatted with each other, merely sharing a greeting and the underlying tacit acceptance of each other’s company.
Days pa.s.sed quickly. It was now the third day’s dinner, which was also their final meal together on board this s.h.i.+p. The s.h.i.+p was expected to reach Golden Eagle 19 at midnight, marking the end to this interesting trip Xia Fei had shared with the old man.
As always, Xia Fei arrived early. He waited and waited, yet the old man had not appeared.
‘Is he perhaps skipping dinner?’ Xia Fei wondered to himself.
By the time it was eleven, Xia Fei could no longer wait further, so he went over to the automated food dispenser and tried a few dishes. Alas, in the end, he lost his appet.i.te after tasting each. It was not that they tasted bad; rather, after the last few days, Xia Fei had already gotten used to eating those intoxicating delicacies.
This was akin to falling down to the mortal realm after experiencing the heaven realm. Xia Fei momentarily had difficulties adjusting to the change. After tasting the final dish of chicken braised in red wine, Xia Fei had no choice but to admit that his standard in the food he ordered could not compare to that old man. It was a chasm of difference, and for the first time in his life, Xia Fei had considered throwing these half-eaten dishes away.
Feeling glum, Xia Fei stuffed the last mouthful of chicken meat before was.h.i.+ng it down with water. He mumbled to himself, “My habit of not wasting food has really backfired on me this time. To think I’d actually finish something that tasted horrible.”
Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Xia Fei got up and prepared to leave. Half an hour from now would be disembarkation time; it looked like that old man would not turn up tonight.
It was right at that moment when the automatic doors opened, and that old man wearing the same clothes as he had in the last two days came strolling in.
Xia Fei got a little excited. He quietly sat back on his seat and waited to find out what the old man would order.
However, against everyone’s expectation, this old man only ordered a mushroom on a small plate, and it hardly weighed more than eighty grams. Xia Fei felt that he could very well finish the entire dish in one bite.
However, at the very least he could still taste something good tonight, so Xia Fei hurried over to the food dispenser in hopes of ordering the same spotted mushroom. To his great misfortune, though, he realized that there was only one serving of mushroom in the entire s.h.i.+p, and that old man had already gotten it!
Xia Fei’s stomach was saddened as he returned to his seat, lighting a cigarette as he looked at the old man busying himself with the food.
First, he rinsed his mouth with water thrice before he organized the napkin and cutlery. The old man acted abnormally, showing a completely serious att.i.tude unlike what he had shown before. After all, his habit of eating these last few days was similar to Xia Fei’s, devouring whatever dish he ordered with much gusto. Today, however, the old man gazed at the little mushroom as if they were dearer than his grandson.
*Slice*
The silver dining knife made a light cut, splitting that spotted mushroom into two. This unimaginable fragrance was instantly released, and the entire garden was filled with its amazing scent!
Xia Fei’s mouth hung agape in surprise. This was the best smell in this world! Even though he had just eaten a lot of food moments ago, he could feel his appet.i.te open up with that smell.
The old man lightly stabbed one half of the mushroom with a fork and placed it in his mouth. He chewed as he spoke for the first time. “This s.h.i.+p once belonged to a top connoisseur of fine food, and its cold storage used to store countless delicacies from all over the universe. When this connoisseur died, his descendants sold the s.h.i.+p to someone else.
“The new owner of the s.h.i.+p isn’t a connoisseur and is completely unaware of the delicacies kept in its cold storage. It’s such a waste. That stupid s.h.i.+p owner ruined so many of these outstanding delicacies, and after exchanging hands several more times, there’s hardly anything left inside.”
Chewing that piece of mushroom with great care, he then swallowed it. The folds of his wrinkled skin abruptly tensed, and the old man seemed to have become several years younger.
“This one is called the White-robed Jade Mushroom. Just it alone is worth a million pearls; the taste is transcendental. Seeing that we were fated to meet, I’ll leave half for you as thanks.”
Out of the blue, the old man had spoken a lot; once he was done, he got up with a smile and left.
Xia Fei was puzzled. It was him who had clearly been enjoying these gourmet dishes with the old man, so why had the other thanked him, instead?
The old man left rapidly, disappearing before Xia Fei could ask him for clarification.
Mulling over what had just happened, Xia Fei took that plate with the half White-robed Jade Mushroom and placed it before him. He then stabbed it with a fork and lifted it up to his nose for a brief moment before sending it into his mouth.
…
Never did Xia Fei expect, but the moment this half piece of mushroom entered his mouth, he felt like he had been embraced by a G.o.ddess; it was a blissful experience that left him in a complete daze.
Xia Fei had never tasted anything as delicious as this before, nor had he heard about the existence of such deliciousness. In fact, he was left tongue-tied to describe its actual flavor.
When he next opened his eyes, he noticed that the s.h.i.+p had already made a berth, and the captain of the s.h.i.+p with his large nostrils was looking at him from afar. As for that old man, he had probably already disembarked long ago.
“That was indeed a heavenly delicacy. Never did I expect that something as delectable as that mushroom could exist in this world,” Xia Fei said with a soft sigh. “Was that strange old man with the plaited hair a part of your crew, captain? Has he left already?”
That captain was a little stunned as he wondered aloud, “Brother Xia, when has there been an old man with plaited hair on my s.h.i.+p? I’m the oldest out of everyone on board.”
“So he’s not someone from your s.h.i.+p?”
“Definitely not.” The captain shook his head, absolutely certain of himself.
Xia Fei leaned in his chair and lit a cigarette, mumbling, “Well that’s strange then. Could I have seen a ghost?”
The captain rubbed his hands awkwardly as he smiled.. “Brother Xia, though Boss Xiang paid for this trip, that did not include the cost of the food you’d eaten onboard. Don’t you think that it’s about time for you to settle the bill?”