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Ye zhian left for work in the city and returned in the evening with his bundle of possessions. During the day, Bai li yue had done some painting and given some thought about how she would occupy herself for the remaining months before the start of the tournament. She asked Ye zhian about job opportunities in chenyang. The prospect of doing nothing for a whole year was unthinkable. 

He gave her a general description of the chenyang job market. Most of the people in the city worked in trade and commerce. The capital was a place where a person could buy and sell everything as long as there was a demand for it. The merchants' guild was in charge of all the merchants and shops, but it was composed of several minor guilds like the food suppliers' guild, the guild of artisans and craft men, the smithing guild, the entertainers guild or the apothecary guild. There were also other professions that weren't regulated by guilds like teaching and household domestic service. 

Ye zhian suggested that she open a small inn even though she didn't have that intention when she bought the house. She already had rooms. They were just sitting there empty when she could put them to good use and earn money at the same time. 

'Do you think running an inn is as simple as giving a room and taking money?'

'Isn't it?' 

He had worked for a short time near an inn as a guide and he'd barely seen the innkeeper budge from his station. Granted, it wasn't a good example. The inn was located in the bad part of town. He had quickly given up the spot for a more profitable one when he realised that the passers by were poorer than him. 

'That's not the case where I come from. I don't think that's the right job for us.' 

Us?

Ye zhian felt his face flushing in embarrassment. He looked away quickly. 

He didn't approve of her decision, especially since the rooms were not being used, but he wasn't the boss. 

The answer came to him one day when he was guiding an old man around the city. He stroked his unkempt beard as he followed Ye zhian all over the city visiting old back alley bookshops. He had already bought several old scholarly manuals when he patted his stomach.

'Boy, i'm hungry.'

He said, hoping Ye zhian would show him to a good restaurant. 

Eating at Wang's food house had somewhat opened the guide's eyes to good food. He immediately recommended Wang's, but the old man wasn't impressed. He'd already tasted everything they had to offer. Eating at Wang's food house had lost its excitement. 

'Don't you know a better place? And by better place, i mean a small place. A small place where the food is good. A small place where the food is like nothing you've ever tasted.' 

He elaborated. His voice was filled with passion.

Ye zhian wasn't sure what the man was talking about, but the only time he remembered eating food that evoked that sort of feeling was when Bai li yue cooked. 

Come to think of it, it did not seem like a bad idea. She'll finally have something to do instead of sleeping or painting all day. He mused.

'Sir, I know a place.'

'Where? Where?' 

The old man hopped on his toes, looking more energised than before.

'It's not a restaurant. A house.' 

He replied hoping it wouldn't make a difference to the old man. It didn't.

'Home cooked food? I haven't eaten at home in decades. Kid, If it ends up being as good as you say, I'll definitely double your fee.'

Ye zhian nodded and led the way to the amber river district.

Bai li yue was slumped in the same position she'd been in when he'd left in the morning. He left the man to wait under the shade of the large tree in the garden. The carpenters had built a large wooden patio under a tree in the garden. It made a good waiting spot. 

She sensed his presence and opened her eyes when he drew closer. 

'Ye zhian, you are back earlier than usual. Who is that with you?' 

'An old man hired me today. I told him you're a wonderful cook. He wants to try it.'

'Are you sure he wouldn't want to go to a restaurant instead?' 

She covered a wide yawn with a delicate hand. 

'I took him to Wang's, but he didn't enter.'

She stretched her limbs and got to her feet after Ye zhian looked at her expectantly.

'Don't make a habit of bringing people to eat. I'm very busy.'

Ye zhian almost burst out laughing except he didn't think she was joking.  

'Find a place for him to sit. I'll be along shortly.' 

If Ye zhian had informed her before bringing the traveller over, she probably would have said no and gone back to sleep, but it was no longer an option since he was already in her house. The man was Ye zhian's client and she didn't mind helping him out from time to time.  

She knew what she was cooking by the time she stepped into the kitchen. The soybean blocks she'd prepared were drying nicely. They would make good soy sauce given time. For now, she cooked without it. She put some rice on fire and went to work chopping vegetables. 

In the garden, Ye zhian served the old man a cup of warm tea and went to help out. 

The old man opened a book to pass the time. Soon however his stomach growled. He patted his stomach to tamp down his hunger. The aroma of cooking food wafting from the kitchen was tantalising his taste buds. He had already swallowed so much saliva that he was surprised he still felt hunger. His stomach grumbled louder in the silence and he cleared his throat to cover his obvious embarrassment. 

He looked forward to more than anything, tasting the final result of this torturous temptation. 

Bai li yue called Ye Zhian over from the door. His eyes widened at the sight in front of him.

'Take this to him. I left yours over there.'

Ye zhian ran off carrying the heavy tray of food to the old man. He also couldn't stop his eyes from widening in surprise. There was an assortment of small bowls and plates in front of him. The boy had rushed off the minute he finished serving him to his gratification. He was blessedly alone and could take a closer look at each plate. There was one plate of steamed meatballs, a bowl of rice tossed with vegetables, a roll of yellow food that he didn't recognise, a plate of  shrimp fried in batter, a white root vegetable dish, and several dishes he couldn't identify by sight alone. His chopsticks went to the yellow roll. 

Oh! Red tail fowl egg! How is this possible?

Next, he tried the white root vegetable and gasped in surprise. 

'Impossible! White root vegetable doesn't taste like this.'

The crunchy raw vegetables coated in cream disappeared into his mouth as did the meatballs. He caught the juice rolling down his chin with his tongue and couldn't believe that chenyang hid such a treasure. 

'I, Fu lianzu, am truly lucky.' 

He stuck one of the fish skewers into his mouth and cleaned it with relish.

Inside the kitchen, Ye zhian's emotions mirrored those of Fu Lianzu. Each plate, each bite he took was an adventure filled with ecstasy. 

'If Miss opened a restaurant, she could put many of the restaurants in chenyang out of business. Is that why she hasn't chosen that path?' 

He asked himself in between bites. A moment later, he shook his head, rejecting his own argument.

'No. What am i even saying? Miss Bai is probably just too lazy to open a restaurant. How great would it be to have such a great skill and ambition!'

 

This was the moment that Ye zhian lost his drive. The thought of guiding people around the city lost its appeal without him even realising it. Walking around the city paled in comparison to the idea of cooking like Bai li yue. 

The old man paid ten gold coins for the meal and rewarded Ye Zhian as promised. 

Over the next few days, Bai li yue noticed something odd about Ye zhian. He loitered around the kitchen and watched her with an intensity that made her a little bit self conscious. His eyes followed her every movement as if he was committing her actions to memory. Her suspicion was further confirmed when he started asking questions while they ate. The questions appeared innocent, but with her radar working she noticed how focused those questions were. 

'Why do you care how long the meat has to stay on the fire? Just eat your food.'

She grumbled, uncomfortable with the attention.

Chastised, he ate his meal in silence. He no longer made any effort for further conversation. Bai li yue knew she was out of line for snapping at him. She understood Ye zhian's thought process. The empty beds were an eyesore to him. So he suggested that she open an inn. The food she cooked was delicious. It was only a matter of time before he brought up the issue of opening a restaurant. 

Unfortunately for him, that wasn't part of her life plan. She had no intention of staying in chenyang forever. His interest wasn't a bad thing in itself. Cooking would certainly be a better job than being a tour guide. 

Maybe, he'll get off my back if I keep him busy. If he's so in love with cooking, he can open the restaurant on his own and let me cultivate in peace.

'Are working today?' 

'Later.' 

His answer was terse. They finished their meal in silence. 

At dawn, the next day, she pulled ye zhian out of bed and dragged him into the kitchen. His sleepiness cleared the second she handed him vegetables to wash, explaining as she went along.

'My mother once told me that the only way to know that you can cook is to boil water without burning it. It makes no sense when you think about it, but it has stopped more people than you can imagine. My time is very precious. I don't want to waste it. So I will ask you: are you confident you can boil water without burning it?'

Ye zhian thought about what she said before he nodded, he wasn't certain about the future, but he was confident about learning.

'If you are sure about it, then I'll do my best to teach you. You should also do your best. Watch and learn.'

Fu lian zu was bedevilled. At least that's what everyone told him. They said that he must have met a member of the Twin sun devil sect. Their female members were experts in drawing men into devilish illusions. Lost in the dreamland, they revealed their deepest secrets. Fu lianzu didn't think he had any secrets worth the attention of a devil sect. 

When the president of the association heard that he had paid twenty gold for a meal in a random house, he imprisoned him inside the Darkfire sword array. It had taken him five months to find a way out and another month to find the way to the house. To his eternal shame, he had gotten lost in the amber river district when he tried recalling the route he had taken to the house. He'd wandered around most of the day and taken a wrong turn. He'd almost lost hope if not for the timely arrival of a helpful guard on patrol. At the moment, he'd given up his quest to find the house. His only link to the house, the tour guide who had led him to the house, had stopped showing up at his usual spot. It was as if he'd disappeared into thin air. 

'If i find the house empty, then it's my bad luck. I hope the devil worshippers didn't get any significant information from me. All he knew were formations.'

He bemoaned his miserable existence. He didn't know any secrets. So what would they want from him?

'Or did they do it just for the sake of bedevilling people?' 

He wondered aloud as he wandered around. 

Ever since that fateful day, he thought constantly of the food he'd eaten. He told others about the experience every chance he got and had gotten several high ranking members of the association interested in tasting the food too. For a period of time before he was thrown into the array, the association seethed with talk of him and the food. It was mentioned in every conversation and had become a kind of greeting.

'Fu lianzu when are we going to eat it?'

'Fu lianzu, when?'

 Fu lianzu, the food.'

'Fu lianzu, you miser.'

'Fu lianzu, take me too.'

The conversations had gradually taken a derisive turn until the president was forced to step in. Now, he simply wanted to find the house and know the truth.

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