Chapter 104: Hope That Next Year, I Can Be Part of Xia Ya's Family
A family dinner—without the extravagance of the banquet at the Hall of Oaths, yet carrying a warmth of its own.
The copper pot bubbled with steam, fresh ingredients rolling up and down in the boiling water.
The main dish was a spicy hot pot, though this ti, due to the presence of none other than the Master of the White Chalk Tower and the Second Imperial Princess, Xia Ya ultimately decided against using the large alchemical cauldron he usually preferred.
As for the side dishes, they were unfamiliar to both Isadella and Sylvia. According to Xia Ya, they were dishes from his holand.
From their perspective, that naturally ant specialties from the Northern Snowfields.
Only Ailora looked at Xia Ya with suspicion.
"If I’m also from Ceylan, how co I’ve never seen these cooking thods before?"
"Even though the Ingulite family has fallen on hard tis, they were still once lords of their domain. The chefs in your household were all professionally trained, so of course, a noble lady like you wouldn’t be familiar with the local delicacies of Ceylan’s commoners."
Xia Ya placed a plate of braised pork onto the table.
"I learned all of this from the old hunter who took in."
The golden-haired girl deftly picked up a piece of braised pork with chopsticks. Tilting her head slightly at Xia Ya’s response, she asked, "Then those bestselling novels you published at the Royal Literary Society, and your business acun in the Black Lily District—did that snowfield hunter also teach you all that?"
"That’s right."
Xia Ya nodded helplessly. "Unlike you all, who are either noble heirs or born into royalty, I won’t even bring up the matter of status. At the very least, you never had to worry about food or clothing…"
"For kids like us who grew up poor, we had to take charge early on."
"That snowfield hunter raised and taught for five years. So, it’s only natural that I picked up so business skills, learned a bit of writing, and got so basic knowledge of beastmastery and cooking along the way."
Better than so death god detective kid who spent a few months in Hawaii and suddenly knew how to pilot planes, drive boats, and operate cars.
"Oh."
Ailora nodded in satisfaction and returned to devouring the braised pork.
After a mont, she spoke with a hint of regret. "It’s a pity that when I was in Ceylan, I never got the chance to learn from that snowfield hunter as well."
She ant it sincerely.
Xia Ya was the kind of person who left everything to others, frequently away from the Imperial Capital. Most of the shops in the Black Lily District were under her managent. But the deeper Ailora got involved, the more she realized just how advanced Xia Ya’s ideas and business strategies were.
As the one taking over his enterprises, even just maintaining the status quo was like walking a tightrope for her.
She truly regretted not being able to et that resourceful old hunter back then. If she had learned even a little, she could have been much more helpful to Xia Ya now.
Thus, Xia Ya found his carefully prepared response stuck in his throat.
This was the terrifying part of soone with natural instincts.
Sotis, she could spot flaws in Xia Ya’s logic from angles he would never even think of—like the tis she caught him red-handed in certain compromising situations.
But most of the ti, Ailora simply showed him her adorably foolish side.
Even when he spouted nonsense that couldn’t hold up under scrutiny, Ailora would believe him without question… simply because it was Xia Ya who said it.
His nesis. His ultimate counter.
With a long sigh in his heart, Xia Ya carried over the final dish.
A batch of glutinous rice dumplings, floating in hot water. Their surfaces were smooth and translucent, like white jade.
"This is also a specialty from my holand, but unlike the previous dishes, this one is only made for festivals."
Xia Ya spoke softly.
Just then, from a distant tower, the deep and ancient toll of a bell rang out.
Midnight had arrived.
After the lengthy dinner, along with the post-al cleanup in both the spirit realm and the kitchen, it was already late into the night.
"In my holand, these are called Yuanxiao or Tangyuan."
"They’re traditionally eaten during the Lantern Festival—which happens to be today."
Xia Ya sat down in the empty seat at the table. To his left was Ailora, to his right was Sylvia.
The Month of Blossoms was a term unique to the Western Continent, marking the end of winter and the revival of all things.
If translated into Xia Ya’s holand’s calendar, it would correspond to late January to late February.
And today was the Lantern Festival.
"This dish carries people’s hopes and wishes for the new year."
As he spoke, Xia Ya picked up a dumpling with his chopsticks and placed it in his mouth.
"I hope that in the coming year, our families will be happy and reunited."
…
"Happy and reunited, huh?"
Isadella also reached out with her chopsticks, taking a dumpling and tasting it.
She let the sweet black sesa filling slowly spread across her tongue.
For the first ti, a faint smile appeared on her usually expressionless face.
She had never used chopsticks before. As an imperial princess, she had always been accustod to dining with a knife and fork.
But for soone approaching the rank of Legendary Beastmaster, mastering such a small thing was hardly a challenge.
"What a simple and unassuming wish."
"But… it really is my most sincere desire right now."
In that mont, Isadella slightly let down the perfect facade of an imperial princess.
"Still, in a world where extraordinary power exists, where the weak strive to beco strong, where the strong seek even greater heights, and where even the legendary aspire to godhood…"
"Peace is perhaps the most extravagant pursuit of all."
She didn’t say more, but everyone understood her aning.
The Abyss, the cults, the Lost Beast Kings… and those so-called gods lurking in the Starrealm or hiding in the dinsional rifts…
The Western Continent had never been a land of peace.
Every second of tranquility was bought with untold bloodshed.
Beside Isadella, Sylvia also tasted a dumpling, her argent-blue eyes shimring with emotion.
She did not speak aloud. Or rather, the only one who had ever truly heard her voice was Xia Ya.
In Sylvia’s snow-white hands, a thick ancient to appeared.
Golden letters slowly materialized across its blank pages.
The Argent Witch slightly turned her body, positioning the book so that only Xia Ya could read its words.
"I hope that next Lantern Festival—"
"I can sit here as part of your family, eating dumplings with you, Xia Ya."
…
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