Chapter 21: Successfully Selling a Dream to Tangyuan

An Xixuan nodded obediently. “Sister Tangyuan, my little tummy is fine. It said it can wait until Sister comes.”

“Alright, alright, then young master, just sit here. I’ll go help Miss cook.” Tangyuan said with a helpless smile.

An Xixuan nodded, thinking, Isn’t Sister the one doing the cooking? At most, Sister Tangyuan is just helping a little. Why are adults always so strange?

An Xiyan quickly stir-fried a plate of vinegar cabbage, washed the big pot, poured clean water into it, and covered it with a lid. Now she just had to make the final dish—fresh meatball soup—and they could eat.

The minced pork had been chopped a few days ago by Uncle Meng and Qingzhu at her request, in preparation for the journey to the capital. She had them chop up two big bowls’ worth, covered them with plastic wrap, and stored them in her space.

To ensure good meals on the road, she even asked Uncle Meng to procure a large fat pig. Her family had eaten a small portion of it, and the rest was stored in her space.

The minced meat and pork wouldn’t spoil in the space. However it was when it went in, that’s exactly how it came out. It was even better than a refrigerator.

Moreover, whether it was hot food or other kinds of meat, once placed in the space, they wouldn’t spoil at all. Time inside the space seemed to stand still.

But the fruits, vegetables, and grains planted in the fields inside the space weren’t affected by this function. They still grew naturally.

More importantly, the growth rate was much faster than in the outside world. For instance, outside you could only grow one crop of rice, but inside the space, you could grow three.

Because of this, she calculated the time inside the space to be in a 3:1 ratio compared to the outside world.

Seeing steam rising from around the pot lid, He Lianrong reminded her, “Miss, the water is boiling. You can add the meatballs now.”

An Xiyan came back to her senses, quickly lifted the lid, added a little shredded ginger, and put on disposable gloves.

She then picked up a bowl of fresh minced pork, and with her other hand, swiftly shaped the meat into small balls, dropping them into the boiling water.

She was quick and skilled, as if she had done this countless times before.

Watching from the side, Tangyuan couldn’t help clicking her tongue in amazement. “Miss, you’re amazing! I thought my cooking skills were pretty good, but compared to you, I’m like a novice. It’s not even worth mentioning.”

Then, with a flattering look on her face, Tangyuan…

Tangyuan looked at An Xiyan with a grin and said sweetly, “Miss~~”

An Xiyan’s hands froze mid-motion, a layer of goosebumps forming on her skin. She spat out one word, “Speak.”

“Hehe…” Tangyuan grinned foolishly and said cheerfully, “Miss, could you teach me how to cook someday? I really want to learn the dishes you make!”

These past few days, it had mostly been the Miss doing the cooking. She herself had gotten a bit lazy, almost forgetting that she was actually a maid—something that really shouldn’t be happening!

But truly, the food the Miss made was just too delicious. And there were so many seasonings Tangyuan had never even seen before. In just a few days, under the Miss’s generous feeding, the whole family had gained a little weight.

She decided things couldn’t go on like this. The Miss was a proper noble lady—she shouldn’t be spending all her time in the kitchen. That simply wasn’t a place a lady should linger in.

So she would learn the Miss’s cooking skills and take over the responsibility of feeding the household in the future.

An Xiyan glanced over at Tangyuan and smiled slightly. “Sis, you’ve got promise. Just the fact that you have this thought means you’ve got a drive to improve. If you’re willing to learn, I’ll teach you everything.”

“Besides,” she added, “I haven’t been hiding anything while cooking these past few days. You all could’ve been learning just by watching. It’s really not that hard. As long as you get the seasoning right, making tasty food isn’t a problem at all.”

“Wow!” Tangyuan cupped her small face in her hands, eyes sparkling as she looked at An Xiyan like she was the best thing in the world—almost like she wanted to devour her with admiration.

“Miss, you’re amazing! I love you to death!” she said loudly and excitedly.

An Xiyan sighed. “Girl, your big sis has a perfectly normal orientation. Don’t go getting the wrong idea, okay? You’ve got to marry a handsome young man someday.”

Tangyuan’s face turned bright red. She said shyly, “Miss~ you’re so annoying. When I said I loved you, I didn’t mean it like a woman loves a man. It was more like…”

Tangyuan got stuck mid-sentence, her face flushing even redder, unsure how to explain further.

An Xiyan chuckled softly and came to her rescue. “Sis, I get what you mean. Alright? Let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s get back to the cooking thing.”

Tangyuan quickly nodded and patted her chest confidently. “Miss, don’t worry! I’ll learn from you seriously. Once I’ve mastered it, you won’t ever need to step foot in the kitchen again!”

An Xiyan gave Tangyuan an encouraging look…

“Sis, keep it up. Your big sister here believes in you. Once you’ve mastered it, I bet your cooking skills will be even better than mine,” An Xiyan said with a smile.

Tangyuan was instantly filled with confidence by An Xiyan’s encouraging words. Beaming, she said, “Miss, with what you just said, I’ll definitely give it my all!”

“Mhm, I believe you’ll keep your word. Whether or not I get to free my hands in the future—it’s all up to you now,” An Xiyan replied in a serious tone.

Tangyuan looked like she’d just been injected with pure motivation—her cheeks were flushed, and she nodded seriously to show she wouldn’t let Miss down.

An Xiyan gave a smug smile. There we go—another successful dream sold to Tangyuan. At this rate, I can totally become a laid-back salted fish before long.

After tossing the last meatball into the pot, An Xiyan took off her disposable gloves, added a suitable amount of salt, chicken powder, and pepper, then stirred the soup gently with a ladle.

As she added the seasonings, she began explaining each one to the highly motivated Tangyuan—especially those spices that didn’t exist in this era.

Tangyuan listened attentively and eagerly asked questions whenever she didn’t understand something.

Once the meatballs were cooked, An Xiyan sprinkled chopped green onions into the pot, then patted Tangyuan’s shoulder. “Alright, sis, you can go ahead and serve the soup.”

“Got it! Miss, you’ve worked hard. Go take a seat at the table. I’ve got this,” Tangyuan said brightly, flashing a grin that was almost a little too flattering.

An Xiyan was speechless. How did my good sister end up like this?

Did I lead her astray somehow? That can’t be…

After all, I’m a perfectly decent person—the picture of normalcy.

Well… okay, maybe I’m a little unhinged sometimes. But still, let’s hope Tangyuan picks up only my good habits and not the weird ones.

Otherwise… I’d cry.

He Lianrong brought over a large tray filled with steamed buns and mantou and set it on the table, then called over Meng Guangping and Qingzhu to sit down on the floor mats.

Tangyuan quickly ladled out the meatball soup, added some clean water back into the pot, and used the remaining heat in the stove to warm it—so they’d have hot water ready for dishwashing after the meal.

She then swiftly brought the meatball soup to the table and sat down beside He Lianrong.

An Xiyan sat next to An Xixuan, gently patting her little brother’s head. “Little bro, you must be starving. Now that big sis is here, you can start eating.”