Quick Transmigration: Not My Story

Chapter 10 The Cook Mistress（part 9）

Although Lin Dan had intentionally made extra food for dinner, everyone still didn’t get quite enough to eat. The main reason was the three burly men, who had enormous appetites and ate the rolled pancakes at an astonishing speed. While others had just finished one, they had already stuffed down three each, which was truly infuriating to watch.

Lin Dan, as usual, ate very little. Her cough worsened at night, so after taking her medicine, she crawled into the carriage to sleep. The rest of the group naturally lightened their movements, careful not to disturb her.

The three burly men found an open area to sit and keep watch over the caravan for the night. They seemed to be well accustomed to such a life of sleeping in the open. While everyone else in the caravan had already dozed off from exhaustion, they remained full of energy.

“No wonder Old Shen was so reluctant to part with Shopkeeper Lin when he left,” Luo Tietou said, lying on the ground and idly patting his stomach. “He even said that since Lin is sick, nothing tastes good to him anymore. Now I get it.” He smacked his lips and sighed. “That spring three-delicacy pancake was damn delicious! Too bad there wasn’t enough—I’m still not quite full.”

“Are you hungry again?” Zhao Liu asked, poking at the campfire with a wooden stick.

“I am,” Luo Tietou muttered as he turned over and smacked his lips. “I wonder what we’ll have for breakfast tomorrow. I still want more pancakes.”

Thinking about the taste of those pancakes, Zhao Liu secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He also wanted more. Those pancakes were so fresh and flavorful—he could eat them every day for three months and never get tired of them.

“Enough. Get some sleep, I’ll keep watch,” the handsome and imposing man ordered in a low voice.

The leader's words were absolute, so Zhao Liu and Luo Tietou didn't argue and soon fell asleep. Not long after, the silence of the night was interrupted by the sound of stomachs growling, but luckily, everyone was already asleep and no one noticed.

The next morning, Lin Dan’s health had improved even more. Before dawn, she was already up, preparing breakfast for everyone. Seeing that their shopkeeper had risen early, the assistants naturally couldn’t laze around either. They got up one by one to fetch water and start the fire.

“You kept watch all night?” Lin Dan asked in mild surprise when she saw the handsome man sitting by the fire.

The man nodded. He opened his mouth as if to say something but then hesitated.

Lin Dan noticed his hesitation and took the initiative to ask, “Is something wrong?”

“No.” The man hesitated again, then finally couldn’t resist asking, “What’s for breakfast?”

Lin Dan chuckled. “I’ll cook a pot of white rice porridge, boil some noodles, and make a few side dishes. You can have porridge or noodles—whichever you prefer.”

The man nodded and said nothing more. However, the two burly men beside him had woken up and groaned, “Shopkeeper Lin, why aren’t we having pancakes? White porridge and noodles can’t compare to those delicious pancakes.”

Lin Dan shook her head with a smile. “No matter how good something is, you can’t eat it every day. It’s important to change flavors now and then.”

Shaoyao walked over, grinning. “Master, the dough is ready, and the porridge is simmering. You can start cooking the side dishes now.” Then she turned to Zhao Liu and Luo Tietou with a teasing smile. “You two really don’t know how lucky you are. My master can cook hundreds of different dishes without repeating a single one, and we’re barely able to taste them all. Yet here you are, complaining.”

“No complaints! No complaints! Whatever Shopkeeper Lin makes, we’ll eat,” the two burly men quickly backtracked under their leader’s glare. But deep down, they still longed for last night’s pancakes. White porridge and noodles—how could they compare to the taste of spring three-delicacy pancakes?

But soon, Shopkeeper Lin showed them with her actions that as long as the cook had real skill, even the simplest white porridge and noodles could become an extraordinary feast.

She took some preserved pork fat from a jar, chopped it finely, and stir-fried it in a pan. Then she added blanched Chinese toon shoots, dicing them and mixing them with the crispy pork fat. The juices from the toon shoots and the oil from the pork fat blended together, forming a thick and fragrant sauce. As the mixture simmered, bubbles popped, releasing bursts of rich aroma. Once the pork fat softened and the fragrance of the toon shoots was fully extracted, Lin Dan quickly added soy sauce, fine salt, and ground pepper, stirring everything together before taking it off the heat.

“It smells amazing!” Shaoyao and Dujuan carried away the bowl of sauce together, sniffing eagerly as they walked.

Zhao Liu and Luo Tietou, who originally had no interest in eating noodles, now found themselves struggling to keep their mouths from watering.

Still unsatisfied, Lin Dan steamed a large bowl of salted fish, made a cold salad with Indian aster, and took out some pickled vegetables from a jar, placing them neatly onto plates. Only then did she begin rolling and cutting the hand-stretched noodles. By the time the noodles were cooked, the porridge was also perfectly done. Everyone hurried to grab their bowls and chopsticks, eager to eat.

“Alright, dig in! The sooner we finish, the sooner we can get on the road,” Lin Dan said as she washed her hands and calmly lowered her sleeves.

The three burly men, being martial artists, were naturally fast eaters. In the blink of an eye, they had each scooped up three bowls of steaming hot noodles, mixed in the sauce, and started slurping them down. The combination of the rich, nutty toon shoots and the crispy, fragrant pork fat was absolutely irresistible. The tender freshness of the toon shoots perfectly balanced the crispy chewiness of the pork fat, creating an unbelievably delicious flavor.

The noodles themselves were incredibly springy, each strand absorbing the savory sauce completely. With just one bite, the soft yet chewy texture, combined with the rich, salty-sweet flavor, completely won over their taste buds.

Delicious—unbelievably delicious! The three of them widened their eyes in delight, speeding up their eating pace. Seeing them gobble up their food, the rest of the group naturally didn’t dare to lag behind. The camp soon filled with nothing but the sounds of eager slurping.

Still recovering from her illness, Lin Dan had little appetite and only drank a bowl of plain porridge before stopping.

The handsome man looked up at her with concern and asked, “Shopkeeper Lin, are you feeling unwell?”

“My health has improved a lot,” Lin Dan replied gently. “I’m just a little tired and want to rest in the carriage for a while. You all go ahead and eat—don’t mind me.”

The man carefully observed her. Seeing that her complexion was rosy and her eyes were bright—without any signs of worsening illness—he finally felt relieved.

Sitting beside him, Zhao Liu and Luo Tietou only slowed down their eating pace after finishing three bowls of noodles. Though they were already seventy percent full, they still scooped up a bowl of white porridge to cleanse their palate.

The porridge was just plain white porridge, without any particularly strong flavor—mild and bland when eaten alone. The two of them instinctively picked up some pickled vegetables and mixed them into the porridge. Taking a small sip, they were instantly amazed.

The pickled vegetables were made from finely chopped water celery, mixed with vinegar, sesame, and fennel. They had a crisp texture, a slightly rich sour and salty taste, but when paired with the mildly sweet white porridge, the flavor became perfectly balanced and incredibly fragrant. Drinking it slowly, they felt as if their whole body relaxed, with their stomachs feeling especially soothed.

Another dish served with the porridge was fermented black bean steamed salted fish. No one knew what secret technique Lin the shopkeeper had used, but the originally firm-textured salted fish had been steamed until it was tender and glutinous. The rich juices slowly seeped from the meat, blending with the aroma of the fermented black beans, making it utterly mouthwatering. Not only was the fish meat soft, but even the bones had turned tender—one could pick them up and chew them directly, with the flavor intensifying the more they chewed.

The salted fish was rich in taste, while the porridge was mild. Taking a bite of salted fish followed by a sip of porridge, the combination preserved both the sweetness of the rice and the savory depth of the fish—a perfect harmony of flavors.

Once they started eating, Zhao Liu and Luo Tietou couldn’t stop. They drank two large bowls of porridge before finally wiping their mouths with satisfaction. Seeing their frenzied eating, the tall and handsome man naturally wouldn’t miss out on the feast. Though he appeared elegant, he swiftly scooped up a bowl of porridge, grabbed a generous portion of pickled vegetables, and finished off the remaining salted fish. Still unsatisfied, he poured the fish sauce and fermented black beans into a bowl of noodles, slurping it all down.

Xiao Zhu was dumbfounded. He had never expected these three men to have such enormous appetites. It was fortunate that they hadn’t agreed to stay as guards, or else their caravan would have been eaten into bankruptcy.

“Damn, this is the life!” After breakfast, Zhao Liu and Luo Tietou lay on a large rock, rubbing their bellies with satisfied expressions.

“Rest for a while, then we’ll set off. We should reach the capital the day after tomorrow,” the tall and handsome man said. He still stood straight as a rod, his lean waist and abdomen as flat as ever, as if he hadn’t eaten at all.

“Got it!” The two burly men readily agreed. Just then, one of Lin the shopkeeper’s servants came running out of the forest, carrying two wild rabbits and a hazel grouse. Excitedly, he shouted, “Shopkeeper! The traps and nets we set last night caught some game. We’ve got lunch sorted!”

“What did you catch?” Lin Dan lifted the curtain of the carriage and, upon seeing the game, chuckled lightly. “Great, we’ll have braised rabbit and stir-fried hazel grouse for lunch. Hazel grouse meat is delicate and is known as the ‘dragon meat of the sky.’ No matter how it’s cooked, it’s always delicious. First, chop the grouse meat, young ginger, pickled chili, and preserved mustard greens into small pieces. Stir-fry them in sequence, then add half a bowl of clear broth and simmer briefly. This method keeps the grouse tender, allowing the marrow from the chopped bones to blend with the tangy, spicy broth. The dish doesn’t even need thickening—it’s already packed with flavor. Served with white rice, it’s an absolute delight.”

As Lin Dan described the dish, the recently full group found themselves swallowing hard once more, wishing time would pass faster so that noon would come sooner.

“Keep the rabbits and hazel grouse caged for now. Let’s get on the road,” Lin Dan said, turning to the three burly men with a gentle voice. “Brothers, this is where we part ways. Thank you for your care along the journey.”

“You’re too polite, Shopkeeper Lin.” Zhao Liu hurriedly swallowed his saliva, smiling awkwardly.

“Farewell,” the tall and handsome man said, mounting his horse and giving a slight nod.

Luo Tietou took off his boots, pretending to check for small stones inside, but his eyes were sneakily fixed on the rabbits and hazel grouse, clearly plotting something.

Lin Dan gave a respectful bow before slowly departing.

Luo Tietou took his time putting his boots back on, then mounted his steed and said with feigned concern, “Boss, why don’t we escort Shopkeeper Lin a bit further? The road ahead is full of dense forests and dangerous terrain—there could be bandits. Her servants are all southerners, small and frail. How could they possibly protect five full carts of goods?”

“Tietou is right. Shopkeeper Lin is a good person, and she’s just a weak woman. We’ve completed our mission anyway, so it wouldn’t hurt to escort her a bit longer,” Zhao Liu quickly chimed in.

The tall man turned his horse and looked at the caravan. After a brief pause, he made the decision. “Then let’s follow them.”

The three men whipped their horses and quickly caught up, explaining their intentions through the carriage curtain. Shopkeeper Lin was naturally grateful, but Xiao Zhu’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

These three gluttons—could it be that they saw the wild rabbits and hazel grouse and just wanted to stick around for another meal?