Chapter 96: Lin Xin's Culinary Skills

Early on Saturday morning, Lin Huang was roused from sleep by Lin Xin knocking on his door.

“Brother, get up and come eat breakfast!” Lin Xin’s voice was bright with unmistakable excitement.

“Got it, I’ll be there in a minute.” Lin Huang glanced at the time with some resignation. It was only half past six.

Though reluctant, he still dragged himself out of bed.

After a quick shower in the bathroom and a change of clothes, Lin Huang finally went downstairs.

At the center of the table sat a plate of oddly shaped fried eggs, their color somewhat charred. Beside them was a plate of vegetable salad that at least looked fresh enough.

Lin Huang walked to the table and looked into the bowl. The porridge inside was an ordinary, reassuring color. At last, the girl seemed to have learned from her previous failures; at least by appearance, she had not added any strange concoctions to it this time.

“Brother, hurry up and eat. Once you’re done, we can catch the first batch of Wind Vultures today!” Lin Xin looked a little impatient.

“No rush. Eat slowly. We’re not taking Wind Vultures.” Lin Huang finally understood why she had been making such a fuss first thing in the morning.

“If we’re not taking Wind Vultures, how are we getting to Mighty City? Didn’t you say we were leaving this morning?” Lin Xin asked, puzzled.

“You’ll know when we set out later.” Lin Huang calmly scooped up a spoonful of plain porridge and brought it to his mouth. In the next instant, his expression changed completely. After forcing it down, he looked up at Lin Xin.

“How is it?”

“It’s okay. A little too salty, though. Remember to be more careful next time. Too much salt isn’t good for you.”

Seeing Lin Xin’s face full of anticipation, Lin Huang could hardly bear to dampen his sister’s enthusiasm.

“I saw the fried eggs and salad didn’t have any salt, so I put a little more in the porridge this time.” While Lin Xin was talking, Lin Huang stole a glance at the spice rack. In the semi-transparent rack, the compartment for salt had once held at least three-quarters of a container; now it was nearly empty.

“If you think the flavor’s too mild, just sprinkle a little salt on the fried eggs, or add some soy sauce. You can also put a bit of salt in the vegetable salad.” Lin Huang explained patiently.

To wash away the saltiness in his mouth, Lin Huang reached out and scooped up a spoonful of the vividly green salad.

The moment the salad hit his tongue, he felt as though the top of his head might be lifted clean off. After swallowing it down with great effort, he grabbed a handful of napkins and wiped at the tears in his eyes.

“Xin’er, how much mustard did you put in this salad?” It took Lin Huang a long while before his tongue finally felt like it had returned to his mouth.

“I remember you said last time that some dishes taste better after being marinated first. So I poured the whole bottle of mustard oil into the bowl, then soaked the washed and chopped vegetables in it one slice at a time. I even wore gloves and rubbed it evenly from top to bottom before plating it again. It took me a lot of time!”

Lin Xin looked at him proudly, clearly seeking praise.

“No wonder the color looks so bright. So it was washed a second time with mustard oil...” Lin Huang grumbled to himself. He no longer had much appetite to continue eating.

“Xin’er, your brother’s full now. Eat slowly. I’ll wash the dishes when you’re done.” With that, Lin Huang stood up and turned toward the sofa.

“Brother, you haven’t eaten the fried eggs yet.” Lin Xin hurriedly called out.

“I’m not eating them. You have them.” Lin Huang returned to the living room, sat on the sofa, and began checking the news.

Meanwhile, Lin Xin ate with great relish at the table, whether it was the salt-heavy porridge, the salad soaked in mustard oil, or the fried eggs that had clearly undergone some kind of special treatment.

Lin Huang kept glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. She really did seem to be eating happily, as though she were completely unaware that the flavors were off.

“Could this girl have been born with some kind of taste disorder?” Lin Huang found it hard to make sense of.

Before long, Lin Xin had cleared every last dish from the table.

Lin Huang closed the news page and started washing up the bowls and chopsticks.

“Brother, how are we actually getting there later?” Lin Xin asked while helping beside him.

“What’s the hurry? I’m still busy. You’ll know soon enough.” Lin Huang remained unhurried.

After cleaning every pot and dish, he tidied the kitchen as well. By the time everything was done, it was about twenty minutes past seven.

“Have you packed everything you need?” Seeing Lin Xin sitting on the sofa browsing a social network page, Lin Huang walked over and asked.

“I packed it last night!” Lin Xin closed the webpage and looked up at him.

“I’m going to check my room to see if I left anything behind. You go check the third and fourth floors to make sure the windows and lights are all turned off. And before coming down, remember to lock the front door.” After speaking, Lin Huang turned and went upstairs to his own room.

Lin Xin followed him upstairs and headed toward the third floor.

Back in his room, after closing the window, folding the quilt, and confirming that he had not left anything behind, Lin Huang locked his bedroom door and returned to the first floor. Just as he finished shutting all the windows downstairs, Lin Xin came down as well.

“The windows and lights are all off, and the door is locked too. Can we go now?” Lin Xin looked at him eagerly.

“Change your shoes.” Lin Huang nodded.

After they had changed their shoes, Lin Huang locked the front door once they stepped outside. He took two steps forward, then summoned the Azure Scale Wolf on Street 101.

The sight of the imposing beast left Lin Xin momentarily stunned. After a long pause, she finally came to herself. “Brother, you’re a beastmaster?!”

“Yes. I discovered it when I was taking the preliminary hunter assessment before.” Lin Huang still did not tell the truth. If he did not put it that way, it would be hard to explain why he had never told her before.

“But... riding the Azure Scale Wolf to Mighty City will take a long time, won’t it?” Lin Xin looked at him with a somewhat strange expression.

“We’re only using the Azure Scale Wolf to get outside the stronghold. We’ll transfer to another beast once we’re out there.” With that, Lin Huang swung himself onto the wolf’s back, then reached back and helped Lin Xin up as well.

Only then did the Azure Scale Wolf rise and dash all the way toward the eastern gate of the stronghold. In just two or three minutes, they reached the outside of the eastern gate.

Along the way, they ran into a few acquaintances from the town. When those people saw Lin Huang and Lin Xin riding on the wolf’s back, their mouths fell open in shock.

Once outside the stronghold, Lin Huang recalled the Azure Scale Wolf and summoned the Violet-Eyed White Eagle.

“So beautiful!” Seeing the cool and majestic white eagle, Lin Xin could not help exclaiming.

“The Violet-Eyed White Eagle is a bit faster than a Wind Vulture. With it, there’s naturally no need to pay for Wind Vulture transport.” Only then did Lin Huang reveal the answer.

“Brother, you’re amazing. You can actually summon two beasts!” Lin Xin did not forget to praise her brother.

“Get on. You sit in front so you can enjoy the view better.” Lin Huang steadied Lin Xin as she mounted the Violet-Eyed White Eagle’s back, then climbed up himself right after.

“Let’s go. We’re heading to Mighty City.” Lin Huang patted the Violet-Eyed White Eagle and gave the order.

The eagle let out a clear cry, beat its wings, and carried the two of them into the sky...

Tonight there will be an extra chapter. The number of favorites has already climbed past thirty thousand, and in the next day or two I may set up a new reader group. Once it’s ready, I’ll post the group number.