Chapter 9.4: Whose Dream?

"Kids should go play outside, don't get in the way here!" the head chef barked impatiently.

Li Zhuiyuan piped up, "Wow, you're amazing! Your cooking smells so good. When I grow up, I want to be a chef too. I want to learn from you!"

"Heh." The fat chef's irritation faded, replaced by a grin. "Focus on your studies. Being a chef ain't all that. Summer like this? It'll kill you with the heat."

"No, I really want to be a chef. Chefs get to eat all kinds of yummy food. Besides, I'm not smart. My grades suck. I just can't learn well."

"If your grades are bad, then you'd better learn a trade fast. Otherwise, you'll starve to death one day."

"You're really amazing! Oh wow, so that's how you do it. You're incredible. I'll just watch from here, I won't get in your way."

The fat chef didn’t say yes, but he also didn’t kick him out again.

Li Zhuiyuan stood by his side, tossing in the occasional compliment, and helping out here and there—passing a plate, topping up some food dye.

To be honest, the compliments were entirely fake. Every dish the chef made was essentially the same slurry of paste, white paper, and food coloring tossed into a pot.

But watching dish after dish being served up like that... it really was something strange.

He stood like that for a long while, until someone outside shouted, "First round’s done, second round seating!"

Soon, more dirty dishes were brought over, cleansed first by the elderly women scrubbing them with sand, then handed back to the chefs for refilling.

Cold dishes were served first again, so the cold-dish chef took over. The fat chef got a break. He grabbed the towel slung around his neck and wiped his sweat, then picked up two pieces of tiger-skin pork. He ate one himself and handed the other to Li Zhuiyuan.

"Here, eat."

"No, no, it’s fine."

"Come on, don’t be shy."

"I already ate a lot just now."

Li Zhuiyuan figured he’d overdone the praise, which made the fat chef overly enthusiastic now.

But as he declined the second time, the chef's expression suddenly chilled.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed a shadow forming at his feet, gradually spreading outward.

The cold-dish chef and the elderly dishwashers all turned to look at him.

Clearly… what kind of kid would ever turn down a big slab of meat?

With no other choice, Li Zhuiyuan took the piece of meat from the chef, put it in his mouth, and chewed while forcing out a shy smile, as if his earlier refusal had just been out of embarrassment.

"Yum. So tasty."

The fat chef broke into a smile, the shadow beneath them receding. Everyone else returned to work.

"Ah, little sister, how did your shoe break? So clumsy! These are your new shoes too. I don’t even get to wear new ones. Just wait till Mom sees—she’ll definitely scold you!"

As he spoke, Li Zhuiyuan crouched down, pretending to fix Qin Li’s shoe, but in reality, he spat out the meat into his hand and placed it on the ground. Then he grabbed Qin Li’s left ankle and lifted her foot, making her step on the meat.

He had considered just swallowing it—after all, it was only paper—but the moment it touched his tongue, a wave of indescribable nausea surged up to his brain, his stomach convulsing.

It was like… he was eating something that absolutely didn’t belong to him.

Once he stood up again, Li Zhuiyuan took deep breaths, trying to shake off the queasy feeling.

Qin Li lowered her head, looking at her foot. Her body began to tremble.

Li Zhuiyuan guessed she must be upset about getting her new shoes dirty.

Gripping her hand, he leaned toward her and muttered in a weary voice, "Please, just bear with it. Be good."

Qin Li slowly raised her head. The trembling stopped. She didn’t move her foot away from the mess on the floor.

Seeing her like that, Li Zhuiyuan felt a strange little twinge of emotion.

But before it could settle, the fat chef—clearly thrilled by the compliments—suddenly whipped out a giant drumstick and offered it to him.

"Here, kiddo! Chicken leg!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "…"

Without hesitation, he took it, bit off a huge chunk, and smiled. "Wow, chicken leg. Delicious. So good."

The fat chef roared with laughter. "Hahaha!"

"Ah, sister, what did you smear on your dress? Oil stains! You really don’t know how to take care of new clothes. No wonder Mom says you’re nothing but a money pit!"

Li Zhuiyuan quickly crouched again, pretending to clean her dress. He grabbed Qin Li’s right ankle, lifted her foot, and slid the rest of the chicken leg under it—along with what he’d just spit out from his mouth.

"Ah…"

His mouth was bitter, head spinning, stomach cramping. A full-body revulsion washed over him, nearly knocking him flat. If he hadn’t caught himself with a hand, he might have collapsed.

But with sheer willpower, he managed to stand up.

This food—he couldn’t even touch it. It wasn’t meant for the living.

Luckily, the fat chef didn’t push more food on him. He turned back to work, preparing hot dishes for the second wave of guests.

Once that ended, the banquet was basically over. Li Zhuiyuan figured he and Qin Li could finally leave after that.

At last, he saw the fat chef pouring out a pot of sweet rice dumpling soup.

That was the dessert course. The final dish. Once served, it meant the banquet was done.

Li Zhuiyuan perked up and squeezed Qin Li’s hand: It’s almost over.

But just then, the old woman’s voice drifted in from the kitchen entrance.

"Thank you, chefs. You've really worked hard today. I’m sorry for all the trouble."

Li Zhuiyuan stiffened, instantly pulling Qin Li behind the stove and crouching down, using the stove and the chef's bulk to block the view from the doorway.

The fat chef laughed. "Granny Liu! May you live a hundred years, like the southern mountains!"

"Hehe, oh don’t wish me such a long life. Living too long just annoys the younger folks."

"Now what kinda talk is that? An old one at home is a treasure! I wish my own ma would live to a hundred!"

"Your mother’s lucky to have a son like you. Mine… well, they say if I live too long, I’ll steal my kids’ luck, bring disaster to the family."

"That’s total crap. Who says stuff like that about their own mother? They’re not even human."

"Ah, forget it. Maybe they’re not entirely wrong. I’m old. I’m useless. Just another mouth to feed. My presence makes them uncomfortable."

"No wonder I didn’t see your sons today. Your daughter didn’t come either?"

"No, she didn’t."

"Shameful. Their mother’s birthday and they don’t show up."

"It’s fine, really. In a few days, I’ll go visit them myself. Hehe… hehehe… heeheehee."

Her laughter, at first normal, gradually turned high-pitched. And as she spoke, her voice, once outside the kitchen, began to float closer—until it grew sharp and crisp, right above his head.

Crouching on the ground, Li Zhuiyuan slowly lifted his head.

Just inches from his face, a face stared back—an old woman’s face with cat-like features.

He could see the fine fur on her cheeks, count the whiskers sprouting from her skin. Her sharp teeth jutted out so much they couldn’t be hidden behind her lips. And in her green eyes gleamed pure mischief.

"Little one, so here you are?"

• Please take a moment to rate this novel at Novelupdate.

Next Chapter >>>