Ares reacted quickly, instinctively taking a step back.
Just then, Sheng Jiu flipped the wok over.
Feeling guilty, Ares took another step back.
After realizing what had happened, the tips of his ears involuntarily turned slightly red.
However, he soon lost those romantic thoughts.
Because the sweet and sour aroma, once it's stir-fried, is truly irresistible.
Ares felt that this dish was somewhat like his current state of mind.
The slightly astringent sourness was tinged with a hint of sweetness. Before he could even savor it, his attention was completely drawn to the intense spiciness, and he could see nothing else.
He thought…
The food here is terrifyingly delicious!
It can even affect one's willpower.
However, Ares didn't think it was bad.
On the contrary, he thought it was quite good.
He'd been under so much pressure all these years, and this rare moment of relaxation allowed him to truly savor the pleasures of life.
After cooking a serving, Sheng Jiu turned to Ares and asked, "Would you like to eat first?"
This pulled Ares from his reverie, and he nodded eagerly, "Yes."
Although he was used to a diet of one or even two vials of nutrient solution a day...
But...
This way, three meals a day, experiencing the four seasons, didn't seem so bad?
Besides, he'd missed two meals today, what was wrong with eating something good?
Ares quickly and happily began to eat.
He was incredibly fast, one serving, two servings…
Sheng Jiu's cooking speed almost couldn't keep up with his eating pace.
Ares wanted to eat quickly, partly because his teammates hadn't eaten yet, and partly because he wanted to help Sheng Jiu with more chores.
Once his food was ready, Sheng Jiu should be opening for business.
Then it would be his turn to take over!
Sheng Jiu felt she couldn't keep up with the diners' eating speed?
That won't do!
So, wok, get to work! Start cooking! Turn the heat up to the maximum!
One serving after another of Yu Xiang Shredded Pork Rice was cooked, and the aroma wafted out.
The spiciness of green chili peppers is quite potent.
Therefore, when these aromas waft out, the main flavors are sour and spicy, while the sweetness is subtly hidden within, carrying a somewhat restrained meaning.
But what if it doesn't exist?
That's impossible!
It will silently slip out again when you least expect it.
Grandpa Hong and the other strolled around, then strolled back.
Smelling the familiar aroma, the two old men exchanged a glance, then quickened their pace.
"That's the smell!"
"The Little Boss's food smells different from everyone else's!"
...
The two old men walked quickly.
Li Cheng Xiang, who was closest, couldn't contain himself any longer.
If there weren't other customers in the shop, he would have rushed over and shouted, "Little Boss, save one serving for me!"
No!
One serving wasn't enough for him.
At least two servings were needed!
By this time, Sheng Jiu had already cooked all the meals for Ares's teammates.
Today, there was more than just this, there was also food she brought back from the village.
After asking Ares and confirming he didn't mind, Sheng Jiu gave him a jar of pickled vegetables and a jar of beef sauce.
Her eldest aunt's cooking skills are excellent, and these items are made with high quality ingredients.
The ingredients weren't provided by the system, so the taste might not be perfect, yet it possessed a unique, lingering flavor.
After tasting the beef sauce, Ares honestly commented, "It's not as good as the Little Boss's."
After saying that, Ares felt that his words were somewhat ambiguous, so he added as a remedy, "The Little Boss's fried rice is still the best."
Sheng Jiu didn't think much of it, assuming Ares might be a bit picky: "Don't you like it? Then let's try something else, I have other ones here..."
Hearing this, Ares silently slipped two small bottles into his pocket.
Sheng Jiu: ?
She even took out another kind of mushroom sauce.
These are her perfect accompaniment to millet porridge in the morning!
Now that she's brought them out, is she giving them to him or not?
Sheng Jiu wanted to take it back, but Ares just staring intently at the sauce in her hand.
Left with no other choice, Sheng Jiu generously shared, "I'll give you some to try too."
Thinking that there were mushrooms in the bottle, Sheng Jiu also remembered the Interstellar Mushrooms from before. After handing the bottle to Ares, she asked in a low voice, "You have mushrooms where you are, right? Just the ordinary kind, not the mutated ones."
Ares first put away the mushroom sauce, then nodded: "Yes, the two mutated ones I tied up before were guarding a patch of Interstellar Mushrooms, but that thing..."
At this point, Ares hesitated for a moment: "It's really poisonous!"
Sheng Jiu didn't seem to care: "It's alright, freshness is enough. It can all be handled."
Ares wanted to say that the poison of this Interstellar Mushroom was different from that of the Frosty Water Magical Crab and others.
For them, something like the Frosty Water Magical Crab is a kind of impurity or contamination.
However, the Interstellar Mushroom is purely poisonous, it was poisonous even before it was contaminated!
Ares hesitated for a long time before finally organizing his thoughts and explaining to Sheng Jiu.
There's a difference between poisonous and contaminated.
Sheng Jiu was stunned after hearing this: "Really poisonous?"
This question wasn't just directed at Ares, but also at the system.
[The anchor point can handle it.]
Hearing this, Sheng Jiu felt relieved: "Don't worry, I can handle it."
After speaking, seeing Ares' disapproving look, Sheng Jiu gestured: "That mushroom looks delicious. The freshness of mushrooms is different from that of shrimp, or the freshness of the Zerg you're talking about. It..."
Sheng Jiu couldn't quite describe what that exquisite flavor was like.
It's like when a person is exhausted, they are suddenly embraced by nature.
The fragrance of flowers and grass surrounded you, allowing your body and mind to truly relax.
After organizing her thoughts for a while, Sheng Jiu described it to Ares.
Ares swallowed hard without batting an eye: "I'll go kill them right now!"
If he'd known it would taste this good, he would have killed it long ago.
It was just taking down some mutated Interstellar Mushrooms guarding the area.
It's a minor issue!
Upon hearing this, Sheng Jiu hurriedly raised her hand: "Take me with you later!"
Ares immediately refused: "No, it's too dangerous at night."
He quickly realized his tone had been too harsh.
Fearing Sheng Jiu would be angry, Ares softened his tone and said gently, "It's relatively safer during the day, and the visibility is better too."
Sheng Jiu thought about it and realized that night time was indeed dangerous.
Not just in interstellar space, but it was dangerous here too.
So she nodded: "Okay, go deliver the food and then come back to work. I need to open for business now."
Ares nodded and said okay, then quickly disappeared behind the gate with the food.
Sheng Jiu went downstairs, tidied herself up, and then went to open the door.
As soon as she opened the door, she was met with the resentful faces of Grandpa Hong and Grandpa Wu.
Sheng Jiu was startled at first, but quickly smiled after realizing what was happening.
Before she could speak, Grandpa Hong said quietly, "Little Boss, if you don't open the door soon, we'll be starving!"