Chapter 158: Cognition Gradually Shattering

The aroma in the kitchen is becoming increasingly enticing.

Zhang Suannai, having looked at all the flowers, stands behind the little girl, mechanically pushing the swing while watching the little girl sway, all the while subconsciously sniffing the air, smelling this fragrance, and recalling the scene she saw earlier in her mind.

The two of them, one preparing the ingredients and the other cooking, seem to have a very tacit understanding; judging by the proficiency of Ning Qing's knife skills, it seems this is not just a one-day affair.

She had only ever eaten the Dumplings, porridge, and cured meats cooked by Ning Qing before, so she actually didn't know Ning Qing had this skill.

Oh, that's right—

Hearing from Xiaoxiao, it seems the two of them don't have parents, so it makes sense that they have some life skills.

"Hiss!"

Zhang Suannai suddenly sniffs hard twice and turns her head to look behind her.

There is a sizzling sound in the kitchen.

This kind of sour and spicy aroma is rare in both Yujing and Jianzhou; when it was first ignited by the hot oil, it was very pungent, but extremely enticing. Zhang Suannai recalls the ingredients she glimpsed prepared on the stove when she was at the kitchen door just now.

There were pickled red peppers, wild mountain peppers, pickled ginger, sour cabbage, and sour long beans.

So many sour things...

It is completely to cater to Ning Qing's appetite.

"Tsk tsk."

Zhang Suannai cannot help but shake her head; a bootlicker is truly pitiful.

"Knock knock..."

There is another knock at the door.

"I'll go open it!"

Zhang Suannai runs over first.

Opening the courtyard gate, standing outside is a girl with a face that is white and round, but not large; she looks very young, but if one looks closely, one can distinguish from certain details that she is already an adult.

She is also carrying two bottles of wine in her hand.

"Hm? Did I go to the wrong place?"

Chen Banxia quickly steps back two paces and looks up at the house number.

Zhang Suannai quickly smiles and says, "No, no, you are Chen Shu's sister, right?"

"That's right... Oh! You are Ning Qing's roommate?"

"Yes, my name is Zhang Suannai."

"Zhang Suannai?"

"Like the yogurt you eat."

"That's a lovely name."

"I think so too!"

"My name is Chen Banxia, you can call me Sister Banxia."

"Chen Banxia..." Zhang Suannai mutters, feeling a bit familiar, "Come in quickly... You are called Chen Banxia? Why isn't Chen Shu called Chen Banshu?"

"Sometimes he is called Chen One-Third Shu..."

"Eh?" Zhang Suannai is stunned for a moment, "Then if you have another younger brother or sister, shouldn't they be called one-fourth?"

"Xiaoxiao sometimes calls him Chen One-Sixth Xiaoxiao."

"One-sixth?" Zhang Suannai is a bit confused, but looking at Chen Banxia, she finds her more and more familiar, "Ah, I remember! Are you that Chen Banxia from Yujing Academy? The one in Pharmacy?"

"You know me?"

"Last year you improved our Sword Sect elder's Jade Sword Pill Formula, and then turned it into a modern medicine, making our elder half-dead with anger."

"You are from the Sword Sect?"

"That's right."

Zhang Suannai pauses as she speaks, then quickly adds: "But I am not close to that elder at all! If you ask me, those old stubborn fools have rocks in their heads; they can't keep up with the progress of society and blindly praise tradition—they are doomed!"

"Haha..."

Chen Banxia nods, feeling bewildered; is this girl always this talkative? She is so chatty the moment they meet, making it impossible for her to feel any distance.

"Where are Chen Shu and Ning Qing?"

"In the kitchen."

"Where is Xiaoxiao?"

"Over there on the swing."

"Wow, you even installed a swing! It wasn't here last time I came!"

"You came last time too?"

"Yes, last month for Chen Shu's birthday."

"When was that?"

"The tenth of the third month."

"Ah..."

Zhang Suannai remembers instantly.

It was the day she discovered Xiaoxiao had a brother-in-law, the day Ning Qing put on makeup and went out.

So it was that silly vegetable's birthday!

"..."

Zhang Suannai is stunned again—

Ning Qing actually spent so long putting on makeup for that silly vegetable's birthday!?

Is this still the Heavenly Human Bloodline?

Is she still her own aloof goddess?

Just as she was thinking this, this sister of Chen Shu had already walked to the side of the swing, and then a scene that greatly surprised Zhang Suannai appeared—

Chen Shu's sister actually waved her hand, telling the little girl to get off the swing and letting her sit on it to play. The little girl actually got off, and then this person told the little girl to stand behind and help push her, and the little girl actually did as she was told.

"..."

Zhang Suannai was stunned again.

She immediately fell into a deeper level of contemplation—

The relationship between Chen Banxia and the little girl seems very good; it shouldn't be any worse with Ning Qing, right? Although the little girl is indeed not as aloof as the sister.

And could this also show that the sisters are not as aloof as she imagined? Or rather, can their aloofness be melted by years of getting along?

If that is the case, then what about Chen Shu, who watched them grow up from childhood, and even, according to Xiaoxiao, raised them?

"!!"

Zhang Suannai was suddenly in Surprise, then hurriedly shook her head.

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

At this moment, she heard whispers coming from Chen Banxia and the little girl in the distance: "Your... that roommate... what's wrong with her? Why is she standing there blankly?"

"Acting silly."

"Emmm..."

Zhang Suannai quickly straightened her expression, pretending she hadn't heard anything.

The time is now eleven-thirty.

The fragrance coming from the kitchen became increasingly complex, as if the scents of many dishes were mixed together. Xiaoxiao did not want to push Chen Banxia anymore, so she pretended to go to the kitchen to see if the food was ready. Having received a feeding from someone unknown, when she came back out, her mouth was chewing, and there was oil on her hands, so naturally, she couldn't push the swing.

Chen Banxia then used Spirit Power to push herself.

Zhang Suannai was a bit stunned again.

Based on her understanding of Ning Qing, the one who fed Xiaoxiao was definitely not Ning Qing, and Xiaoxiao wouldn't grab things to eat by herself either.

Then there was only one person left.

Would a little girl possessing the Celestial Bloodline really be intimate with a male to this extent?

Could it be that her guess just now was true!?

Ten minutes later.

Dish after dish was served on the table.

Zhang Suannai also sat down at the table.

The table was full of food, steaming hot.

The Yuer Chicken that Zhang Suannai ordered was placed in the very center of the table; there was a large basin, and bamboo shoots were added inside, with a bright red color and a rich aroma. The Yuer, stewed until soft and tender, were stained with the color of the red oil, as if the oil and water had already soaked into them.

Next to it was the Home-style Fish ordered by Ning Qing, which was sweet and spicy; the sauce contained a lot of pickled ginger, pickled red peppers, and sour long beans, looking appetizing at first glance.

Then there were Chen Banxia's Boiled Meat Slices.

Chen Shu added three dishes himself, which were Tofu with Intestines and Brain, a twice-cooked pork with sweet potato starch noodles that he hadn't eaten in a long time, and a stir-fried Spicy Shrimp. He processed the Spicy Shrimp himself, just so that the shape it curled into after it was cooked would be beautiful enough, and then arranged them in a circle, which would look very good.

Six dishes.

There were both grand dishes and home-style dishes, shrimp and fish, chicken and meat, and even something for the guests to nourish their brains; it was arranged perfectly.

There was also a dish of Sweet and Sour Chinese Cabbage ordered by Ning Qing.

Now there were vegetable dishes too.

Adding Xiaoxiao's Five-spice Mashed Potatoes, this could basically be eaten as a snack.

Now there were snacks too.

Finally, there was a Sour Radish Old Duck Soup.

Six meat dishes, one vegetable dish, one snack, and one soup; it was practical and reasonable, without a single dish just for show.

Chen Banxia was already swallowing her saliva wildly.

But Zhang Suannai's gaze was not on the table; instead, she was looking ahead with her head raised and a stunned expression—

Chen Shu was untying an apron for Ning Qing.

Ning Qing, who wouldn't even let her own gender sit too close to her, was standing quietly at this moment, letting Chen Shu stand behind her to untie the apron, and then pulling the apron off from her neck; from beginning to end, her expression was very calm.

Then—

Ning Qing went behind Chen Shu to untie Chen Shu's apron.

Zhang Suannai watched blankly.

"Pop."

The wine cork that Chen Banxia forced out with Spirit Power hit her head. Only then did she react. She gave a simple response to Chen Banxia, who was apologizing to her, then lowered her head and stared at the tabletop in a daze, beginning to doubt the understanding she had built up over the past half year.

At this time, Chen Shu and Ning Qing had already walked over.

"Wait! I'm taking a photo!" Chen Banxia stood up all at once, holding her Mobile Phone high, aiming it at the table full of dishes.

"Post it in the group chat after you're done."

"That's for sure! I'd post it even if you didn't tell me to!" After Chen Banxia finished taking the photo, she took the wine bottle and started promoting it, "Who wants to drink? Who wants to drink? This time it's Blueberry Wine, it's delicious."

"I want to drink," Chen Shu said. "You pour it for me, I'll go get a bowl of rice first."

"Get me a bowl too," Ning Qing said.

"Does Qingqing want to drink?"

"Drink a little bit."

"What about Suannai?"

"Ah? Oh, oh..." Zhang Suannai was a bit flustered; this didn't look like her usual self. "I, I'll drink a little too."

"Alrighty."

Chen Banxia started pouring wine for everyone again, as if this time every day was the happiest time for her.

Zhang Suannai stared blankly at the purple wine in the bottle in her hand as it poured into the cup, her gaze unfocused; she had been getting along with Ning Qing for over half a year, and Ning Qing had always done her own things, neither willing to trouble others nor willing to let others trouble her.

And did she really want to drink alcohol?

Weren't Heavenly Humans almost entirely devoid of desire for pleasure?

"Eat! Why are you just sitting there?"

The voice of Chen Shu, her elder sister, startled her; by the time she reacted, the other three had already started using their chopsticks, and Chen Shu, her elder sister, had the largest range of motion—she picked up a bright red shrimp, didn't even peel the shell, stuffed it into her mouth, and chewed, the crunching sound echoing loudly.

Ning Qing reached her chopsticks toward the Home-style Fish first.

The little girl also picked up a piece of fish, placed it on Taozi's plate, and then used a spoon to scoop a spoonful of mashed potatoes for herself.

No one had any intention of waiting for Chen Shu.

"Whew..."

This silly vegetable really had no status at home.

Zhang Suannai breathed a sigh of relief, her gaze sweeping over the table; it seemed every dish looked delicious...

Should she try a piece of taro first?

Zhang Suannai extended her chopsticks and, with the body control of a Sword Cultivator, perfectly picked up a piece of taro and placed it in her bowl; just as she was about to eat, she saw the silly vegetable, who had gone to fetch rice, walk back carrying two bowls and sit down naturally beside Ning Qing.

She immediately stopped her movements and observed them again.

"Here, your rice."

"So much?"

"Eat more, get a bit fatter."

"I want to eat more vegetables."

"It's already all scooped."

"I'll share some with you."

"You're so annoying..."

"You're the annoying one."

Zhang Suannai's expression gradually turned blank.

Immediately, she saw Ning Qing lift her rice bowl and shovel the rice from the top of her bowl into Chen Shu's bowl.

"Plop."

The taro on Zhang Suannai's chopsticks dropped back into her bowl, her face full of disbelief.

This was the Heavenly Human Bloodline?

This was the aloof goddess?

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Zhang Suannai rubbed her eyes and heard Chen Shu's voice: "Let us wish Qingqing a happy 80th birthday, happy birthday."

Chen Shu was the first to raise her cup.

The others responded one after another.

How did it seem like she suddenly had family status again?

80th birthday?

Wouldn't she give him a cold glare for this?

Zhang Suannai turned her head blankly to look at Ning Qing, but only saw Ning Qing with a calm face, raising the cup in her hand.

Zhang Suannai also blankly raised her cup.

"Cheers!"

"Clink~"

Everyone's cups collided together.

It was the sound of Zhang Suannai's perception gradually shattering.