Chapter 27: Wen Zhiliu Moved Deeply

Once Qiao Xin’s results were released, Xiao Linshuang immediately shared the good news with Xiao Linfeng, who was waiting at home. The Xiao family kept two machines on hand and immediately began preparing food. By the time Qiao Xin and her group arrived at the Xiao residence, a significant amount of food had already been prepared.

"Hua Qinmo, give me some flowers; I want to add a floral feast." Qiao Xin tugged at Hua Qinmo, who instantly extended his tree vines to bloom a variety of flowers, stunning Wen Zhiliu, who was seeing this for the first time.

"For Xiangxiang, flowers~" Hua Qinmo beamed brilliantly. Everyone except Lin Yifeng and Lei Wuxie looked away in disdain. They had seen him show off like a peacock far too many times to be impressed.

"Thank you~" Qiao Xin signaled for him to take the flowers into the kitchen, then ruthlessly pushed him out. "This is my time now, please wait outside." She pulled Wen Zhiliu inside to help.

"Me? Can I really do it?" With three men who were barred from the kitchen staring at her, Wen Zhiliu felt a chill run down her spine. Although the Wen family was located on the Capital Planet, no one in her family had attended a military academy for two generations, and her grandfather held a low-ranking position in the military. Seeing the status of the Xiao family, she had almost fled in terror.

"Ignore them; they aren't needed for the flower feast. Since you're planning to take the intermediate nutritionist exam, you should be more useful than them." Qiao Xin began washing the flowers while directing her, treating her not as an outsider at all. "Pour a bowl of wheat fruit flour, add five cuckoo-chicken eggs, pour in a spoonful of sour-fruit juice, and stir until smooth."

Wen Zhiliu froze for a moment, scrambling to find the ingredients before quickly whisking the mixture together.

"These flowers are all edible; the cooking methods are steaming, boiling, or frying. Steaming only takes ten minutes. Boiling requires a rich broth—usually, a cuckoo-chicken stock will do. For frying, you need to coat them in this flour and egg mixture; the cuckoo-chicken eggs have a mild flavor, and the sour-fruit juice removes any fishiness. Flowers are delicate, so just deep-fry them on low heat once the oil is hot."

Wen Zhiliu watched as this strange knowledge flooded in, her mind still reeling long after all the flowers were done. "Qiao... Qiao Xin, you’re just teaching me like this?"

"Is this something difficult? The exam isn't just about frying flowers, and they don't provide the ingredients anyway." Qiao Xin gave a sly smile, signaling her to carry the finished dishes out.

The three men forbidden from the kitchen immediately stepped in to help. Wen Zhiliu, both shocked and moved, followed Qiao Xin with wide, sparkling eyes. The Wen family had hired tutors for her before, but those people always looked at her with disdain, as if she could do nothing right. She would even feel like a thief just trying to observe their techniques; they would never tell her the correct way to do things.

She had spent a lot of money, yet she couldn't produce anything worth showing. She had wanted to research on her own, but she wasn't a particularly creative person. Although she had expected to fail this time, facing her fiancé’s contempt afterward still left her deeply saddened. She hadn't stayed behind to wait for Qiao Xin on purpose; she had simply been left behind.

When she learned that Qiao Xin had passed the intermediate exam, she was astonished. She had thought about asking her for help, but she never imagined the president of the Nutritionist Association would personally step in for her. At that moment, she felt an unbridgeable chasm between them. However, the scene before they entered the exam hall flashed in her mind, and since she had added her on the light-brain, she took a step forward for that sliver of hope. She thought she would just try; if Qiao Xin refused, she had nothing to lose. She never expected an invitation to the celebration banquet!

People in the Interstellar Era were generally cold, though they were good at maintaining appearances. Someone like Qiao Xin, who dared to treat others with genuine sincerity, was rare. Wen Zhiliu didn't realize that Qiao Xin was selective about who she was kind to. Had Wen Zhiliu joined her fiancé in criticizing her earlier, they would never have been standing together. Her own gentle and kind nature was the main reason Qiao Xin was willing to be friends.

Qiao Xin didn't have many friends here, so only the Lin and He families attended the celebration.

"Cousin, is this your new friend?" He Qing was the type to become familiar quickly; he had called her "cousin" so naturally that no one dared to ask him to stop.

"Wen Zhiliu, a friend I picked up at the exam hall." Qiao Xin introduced her to He Qing with a smile, then introduced him to the slightly nervous Wen Zhiliu: "He Qing, his family lives next door."

"Nice to meet you. My cousin prepared so much delicious food today; I hope you enjoy it~"

"N-nice to meet you, thank you." Wen Zhiliu was flattered. The elders were very kind, but the three men around Qiao Xin kept staring at her, making her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles. Even little Miao Miao Lei looked at her as if she were a threat, which made her awkward. The Xiao twins were indifferent, which made her feel slightly less tense. The only one actively talking to her was He Qing.

"Hurry up and taste it, or they'll eat it all before you get a chance." Qiao Xin placed a serving of each dish on her plate and ladled a bowl of soup for her, practically filling the space in front of her. Wen Zhiliu had been salivating at the fragrance, but with eight intense gazes fixed on her, she didn't dare to move.

"Eat, eat! These ingredients are hard to buy. If you don't eat them now, who knows when you'll get another chance!" He Qing sat beside her, devouring meat while reminding her. Seeing him eat so heartily, Wen Zhiliu ignored the gazes and took a sip of the cuckoo-chicken soup. The fresh, sweet taste left her stunned; she subconsciously tried to analyze the ingredients in her head, but couldn't quite figure them out.

Seeing the look on her face, Qiao Xin laughed. "Just enjoy the food! I'll send you a copy of the recipe later."

"Ah? No, don't!" Wen Zhiliu refused immediately. A recipe was such a private thing—how could she just give it away?

"Is it good?" Qiao Xin didn't dwell on the question, shifting the topic instead.

"It's delicious!" Wen Zhiliu began stuffing her face. She tried a bite of everything, and after one round, she was stuffed! "It's so good!"

"Slow down..." Qiao Xin pressed a hand to her forehead. She had thought Wen Zhiliu was demure; who would have thought that once she let go, she was no less enthusiastic than He Qing!

"It's just too good, I couldn't help myself..." Wen Zhiliu wasn't quite satisfied yet, but she truly couldn't eat another bite.

"Cousin, sell me one of your machines?" He Qing whispered to Qiao Xin.

"Is mooching meals not satisfying enough for you? Can't you just come over to cook whenever you want?" Qiao Xin didn't think he needed to buy one separately.

"It's definitely better to have one in my own home!" He Qing said proudly, though in his heart, he was thinking he wanted to carry it with him everywhere.

Wen Zhiliu was curious but didn't ask.

"Just take one from the kitchen," Qiao Xin said generously. He had opened up a new line of thinking for her: instead of selling pre-made meals, it would be better to sell the machines! The Interstellar space was vast, and machines were much easier to ship than individual pre-made dishes. Her current recipes had already reached the intermediate level and were suitable for most people. Besides, there were still plenty of primary and intermediate ingredients she could use; she could update the recipes monthly, ensuring people would never get tired of them.