THE VILLAIN's APPRENTICE ✔

13 🗡 Charcoal Drawing

All of the dishes were clean, but Da Xia decided to scrub them again. Earlier, she prepared dinner after taking a bath. However, she had to eat alone because the brothel maidservant told her that her master would spend the night in the brothel.

A slight pout graced her lips as she continuously scrubbed the already clean plates. It would've been better if he informed her earlier. She even prepared warm water in the wooden bathtub and sprinkled it with flower petals thinking that he would soon come home.

After doing the dishes for almost three times, she sat in the kitchen and gazed at the open door going to the backyard. She didn't know why, but the fact that her master would spend the night in a brothel, which meant he was undoubtedly with a lady, gave her an uncomfortable feeling.

She cupped her chin in her palm and exhaled audibly to loosen the heavy weight inside her chest. Why was she feeling restless? She knew that Yong Jie frequented brothels before he met the female lead since she had read it in the ancient book. It was something that was not new to her, so what was this heaviness inside her?

Perhaps she was just anxious after meeting with Yanyu because finally, she had some clues on how she could return to her world. Reading the letter of the summoned man by the Poison Blood tribe ancestors made her wonder what her purpose for being transported in Chun Empire might be. She was just an assistant feature writer of News86, unlike the summoned man who seemed to be knowledgeable in warfare. What skills did she have that would be of help?

To get the troubling thoughts off her mind, Da Xia decided to go to the marketplace and buy things they would need for their upcoming departure. She strolled around the stores and bought ingredients for pickling fruits and vegetables as well as for preparing smoked meat so that they wouldn't just eat pheasant meat like what they did before. Fortunately, the articles in News86 Culture and Lifestyle department were quite helpful in her daily life both in modern parallel world and in Chun Empire. For instance, the olden ways of preserving food was once featured in an article of News86 Culture and Lifestyle section, which was the reason why she was familiar with it.

"What are you making?" Jin Mu asked as Da Xia placed the fruits in jars with the brine she prepared while Jingyi was busy helping her in cutting the vegetables. She borrowed the restaurant's kitchen of Madame Lian to make the pickled fruits and vegetables. As for the smoked meat, she planned on doing it at home since it would take a while.

"Pickled vegetables and fruits," she answered simply.

"P-pickled? What's that?"

A slight frown formed on Da Xia's forehead as she looked at Jin Mu and Jingyi's quizzical expression. Was this parallel world not knowledgeable in the various ways of preserving food? Aside from painting, it seemed like Chun Empire also lacked this basic skill.

Da Xia grabbed the restaurant's menu and scrutinized the food listed in it. As she expected, the menu consisted of ingredients that were only in season. She continued perusing the menu as she explained, "Pickling is a way of preserving food. Just like curing and smoking meat."

"Curing? I only know of smoking meat to cook it," Jingyi interjected.

"Curing meat is simply using salt to preserve the meat in warm weather months so that it won't quickly go bad. For smoking meat, it is used to dry the meat and to seal the meat with smoke so that it won't spoil and can be saved to be cooked for later."

Jingyi's eyes grew rounder as she stared at her in admiration. "You are not only a computing genius! Your wisdom in food is also unparalleled!"

"Unparalleled? Jingyi, that's—"

"Wait here! I'll tell the village chief that you know of a way to preserve food!"

"What?" Da Xia exclaimed in bafflement. "Wait, Jingyi. Jingyi!" she called out, but the cheerful girl already exited the kitchen and sprinted out of the restaurant. Why her knowledge of preserving food must be told to the village chief, she had no idea.