"It must be soup made with Spirit Nourishing Liquid, dishes cooked with Spirit Nourishing Liquid, things stewed in Spirit Nourishing Liquidā" every single one a culinary nightmare.
How else could a Food System Spirit Healing Master just pop up out of nowhere? And for the food she makes to have spirit healing power comparable to Spirit Nourishing Liquid? Thatās impossibleā
āIf someone like that really exists... judging by her age, sheās probably still a student. How could I have never heard of such a talent?ā
āIt has to be fake!ā
"Donāt even think about punishing me!"
"I absolutely refuse to accept the punishment! Iām not eating!"
"Really?" Mrs. Aiāer shot Yuan Jian Country a few glances.
"Thatās right!"
"Then youād better not eat later," Mrs. Aiāer said, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "Make sure you donāt. For the next week, youāll have to send me a video every day of yourself drinking six vials of Spirit Nourishing Liquid."
"! Fine!"
āIn that case, I definitely wonāt eat!ā
With the bet made, Mrs. Aiāer went back to supervising the other patients in their small group chat. Mr. Yuan, now bored, decided to go out for a while. "Iām going to go fishing in the outer garden."
"Go ahead."
He happily packed his fishing gear and left.
Mrs. Aiāer watched his jubilant back retreat, a small smile playing on her lips.
āAn idea suddenly popped into her head. But sheād have to discuss it with Qiuqiu first.ā
āAccording to Little Mo and Chengyu, the girlās situation wasnāt great. While sheād saved up some Star Coins from other jobs, she didnāt have much in terms of truly valuable assets.ā
āSheād have to ask if the young lady was willing to earn some less-liquid assets.ā
Jiang Qiuqiu, of course, had no idea what Mrs. Aiāer was thinking. She had already finished chopping all the ingredients and was now ready to start cooking.
First up was the braised beef brisket with carrots. This was a classic, beginner-friendly beef dish and wasnāt difficult to make. The blanched beef was seared in the pot, a suitable sauce was added, and once the meat was lightly colored, she poured in the right amount of water and set it on the stove to begin stewing.
While the brisket was stewing, she retrieved the lamb that had been soaking for over half an hour. She sliced it into pieces about five millimeters thick. The soaked lamb still needed to be blanched; the high heat forced the bloody scum out of the meat. After skimming it all off with a ladle, she poured in water infused with ginger and garlic.
The secret to this lamb soupās unique flavor and crisp, spicy taste was in the ingredients sprinkled in just before stewing: Sichuan peppercorns, dried tangerine peel, and hawthorn.
Lamb itself is succulent. When prepared properly, it becomes ātender but not mushy, rich but not gamy.ā It could stand on its own as the star of the show, without needing many supporting characters.
After adding the seasonings, Jiang Qiuqiu placed the lid on the stew pot.
Mrs. Aiāer chimed in, "Qiuqiu, try channeling your Healing Spiritual Power."
"Okay."
With the two stews simmering on the stove, she moved on to the stir-fries. She heated oil in a wok and activated the cleaning robot, which immediately began to suck up the cooking fumes and vent them outside.
When the oil reached a medium-high heat, she slid in the firm tofu. It wasnāt as delicate as silken tofu, but its flavor when pan-fried was unparalleled.
Everyone had sensitive palates and couldnāt handle much spice, so she went easy on the chili peppers. Once the tofu firmed up, Jiang Qiuqiu gave the wok a slight shake, sending the little white cubes tumbling inside.
She turned up the heat to thicken the sauce. The moment the tofu was cooked, its distinct aroma instantly wafted far and wide.
After the tofu, she moved on to stir-fried pork with dried bamboo shoots and scrambled eggs with tomato. Once all the vegetable dishes were stir-fried and placed in a warming cabinet, only the final star of todayās lunch remained: braised pork belly.
Jiang Qiuqiu had made braised pork belly so many times that she was familiar enough with the process to do it perfectly with her eyes closed.
At first, Mrs. Aiāer, who was sitting near the kitchen, was still able to work. But as the aromas grew increasingly rich, she put down her terminal.
She couldnāt help but look up at Jiang Qiuqiu.
It wasnāt just her. Even the junior guards cleaning in the area would pause for a moment whenever they passed by and caught a whiff of the scent.
And of course, it wasnāt just those inside the door... but also someone outsideā