Somewhere in an empire, there is a small inn that is filled with steady waves of customers who fill that inn to eat tasty dishes.
It was already night, and the last batch of customers were eating in the inn.
"The food here is really tasty..."
"Yeah."
"But I heard the owner of the inn won't stay here for long and they would move to the next empire."
"Eh why?"
"Who knows? Seems like they hate staying in the same Empire and like to travel a lot of different Empires."
"I see... I see..."
"Then we have to enjoy these delicious foods while they stay here, right?"
"Yeah, yeah..."
"Quick..."
Zhang Ming gracefully moved between the tables, a soft smile on her face as she served the remaining customers. Plates of fragrant stir-fried vegetables, crispy pork belly, and steamed dumplings with delicate folds lined the tables.
"Here you go, enjoy!" she said cheerfully as she placed another dish before a customer and returned back to the kitchen, where Ling Shen was cooking the food alone.
"Shen," Zhang Ming called softly as she entered, "the last of the customers are finishing up."
Ling Shen glanced at her with a gentle smile. "Is it over?"
"Yeah," Zhang Ming nodded. "It's time to close up the inn and prepare for our dinner."
Ling Shen sighed with relief and set down her utensils, wiping her hands on her apron. "Good, I'm starving," she said with a grin.
"Let's make something special tonight. I've been craving some jiaozi and mapo tofu."
Zhang Ming's eyes lit up at the mention of the dishes. "Let me help you," she offered, stepping forward to join her.
As they worked side by side, preparing their own meal after a long day, Zhang Ming's mind wandered. "Shen... it's been almost a month since we left our empire. What do you think now? Do you miss home?"
Ling Shen shrugged casually, a playful glint in her eyes. "Not really. I love this lifestyle. Wandering through different kingdoms, meeting new people, cooking for crowds like this—it's a dream come true."
"And because of Little brother's powers, I can easily cook for many people quickly. Next time, we should try something like a street stall."
Zhang Ming who was hearing this, let out a sigh of wonder "Honestly, I am still in awe that such a powerful being is with us..."
Zhang Yuan let out a soft sigh "I also talked with her... but she is not listening to me."
"Haah.. I see, this girl."
...
On the dining table, everyone is sitting around the table eating their dinner but Zhang Fumin is missing because she was cultivating in her room.
Plates of mapo tofu, jiaozi, Peking duck, and sweet and sour pork were spread across the table. Steaming bowls of fragrant jasmine rice and noodle soup sat beside them.
Zhang Yuan, Zhang Ming, Xiangli Fei, Ning Xia, and Ling Shen laughed as they passed dishes back and forth, teasing each other as they enjoyed the feast.
"Hehe, husband.. have more." Ning Xia served Zhang Yuan with a mischievous grin, piling his plate with extra dumplings.
"Woah, this is quite spicy..." Xiangli Fei playfully complained about the spice in the mapo tofu.
"Muhehe..." Ling Shen laughed as she reached for the last piece of duck, only for Ning Xia to snatch it before her with a cheeky wink.
"That is for my Husband..."
"Here husband... you can have it." She uttered placing it on Zhang Yuan's plate.
"Oh, you are really caring about him..."
"Of course, because I love him..."
Soon after having their dinner, they returned back to their rooms to sleep for the night.
Zhao Yuan and Ning Xia entered the room to sleep and at this time, Ning Xia spoke "I will take a bath before sleeping..."
"Hm."
She reached out to grasp Zhang Yuan's hand and a quick blush painted her cheeks "I said... i am going to take a bath."
Looking at her blushing face, Zhang Yuan understood that Ning Xia was finally ready to raise their relationship and smiled faintly.
"What a good timing. I also thought I should take a bath before sleep."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Ning Xia's lips "I see, so if we bath together... we can save water."
"Don't you think so, husband?"
------------------------------------------------
I hope you guys liked this chapter!