Chapter 558: Chapter 534: Granny’s Mother_2

Looking at her delicate hands which seemed to never have been sullied by mundane tasks, she wouldn’t even touch the grilled meat until an attendant had roasted it and placed it onto her plate.

Baili An thought to himself that such a fastidious woman probably would not be willing to share a table with strangers.

However, the “White Tiger” girl in his arms had been nagging about wanting to eat at this barbecue restaurant, and Baili An simply couldn’t bear to let her down. He had no choice but to approach and politely ask, “Excuse me, the restaurant is quite busy and there are no vacant seats. Would it be possible to share your table?”

The two guards by the woman’s side instantly gave him a strange and colorful look. One of them furrowed his brow, seemingly displeased, and was ready to dismiss Baili An there and then.

But before he could speak up, their mistress put down her chopsticks, glanced at Baili An, and seemed a bit surprised, but quickly regained her composure, “Please, make yourself comfortable.”

Her words were not overly kind, but neither were they as haughty and unapproachable as he had imagined.

With the consent of the hostess, Baili An took his seat in front of the two guards who concealed their astonishment.

The woman sitting opposite him didn’t look particularly beautiful. She had a very ordinary appearance, the kind one would forget after the first glance.

She was not like the hidden experts of humble appearance but extraordinary poise that one reads about in stories.

At least, in Baili An’s eyes, she really was just a seemingly affluent, ordinary woman.

Her hair was arranged in the married women’s style, but it was unclear whether she was married or not, nor could he guess her age.

However, her eyes subtly revealed a mature charm that suggested her real age far exceeded her youthful appearance.

She was not very talkative, perhaps because of the stranger sitting across from her. Married women tend to be reserved, and she did not look at him again.

Baili An himself was a quiet type, having received a favor from someone, naturally, he wouldn’t foolishly cause any inconvenience.

Although the barbecue restaurant was bustling with people coming and going, the kang-tables and benches inside the house were kept very clean. The small tables made of square mud bricks had blue tiled charcoal burning fiercely in them, and the table surface was covered with an iron plate and a grill for roasting meat.

The restaurant had a plentiful supply of seasoning ingredients, and when the freshly cut thin slices of meat were placed on the grill, they would sizzle with oil delightfully.

Baili An first ordered five large plates of beef and mutton, several lamb legs, one large goose, three tubes of beef bones, and some fruits and vegetables.

The restaurant served food quickly, with slices of freshly slaughtered beef and mutton still stained with blood.

The woman opposite him remained quiet. Her two attendants seemed to have good culinary skills, and the meat they roasted was controlled perfectly almost every slice.

Her eating was slow, perhaps from a scholarly family, her way of eating bite by bite in a self-contained manner was very gentle and elegant.

Each time new grilled meat was placed in her bowl, she would let it cool down a bit before slowly chewing, eating as delicately as a cat.

Their table was not large, but for the convenience of barbecuing, basic barbecue condiments like chili powder, Sichuan pepper, and Ampelopsis grossedentata were moved by the two guards to the other side of the table.

Baili An showed no intention of getting up to fetch anything, as that would undoubtedly be somewhat rude and inappropriate. So he simply relied on the salt by his hand and started grilling his own meat at the other end of the iron plate.

He laid out the lamb legs, the goose, and the beef bones on the grill, slicing small notches in the thicker parts of the meat and sprinkling on salt.

He grabbed the pre-ordered berries and evenly spread the thick, fragrant juice over them, and soon a savory aroma of roasted meat emanated.

After arranging the more difficult lamb legs, goose, and bones, Baili An started to grill thin slices of meat.

The meat was sliced extremely thin, needing only a quick sear on both sides. Once cooked through, Baili An sprinkled on some salt and wrapped the thinly grilled meat slices around two slices of cucumber.

Soon, three large plates of grilled meat were all cooked, heaped high. Baili An did not eat a bite and discreetly fed the “Netherworld Wolf” hiding in his shadow.

The Netherworld Wolf had a ravenous appetite. Baili An’s culinary skills were exquisite; even Fang Geyu, who was meticulous in every way, was very satisfied with his cooking—the more to say of a “Dark Wolf” starved for thousands of years.

After devouring three full plates of cooked meat, the Netherworld Wolf behaved as if it had found a Keeper, with not a hint of fierceness left. It quietly stayed in his shadow, wagging its tail and waiting to be fed.

At some point, the woman put down her chopsticks and sipped her tea with a peaceful expression, watching the young man in front of her with plates full of roasted meat, each plate left clean as if licked by a cow, even the meat juices all lapped up, saving the trouble of washing the plates for the restaurant.

She was momentarily taken aback, and then remembered that the young man actually shouldn’t be eating these things.

A faint, bland smile formed in her clear eyes, her eyes elongating lazily, “The young man’s skills are quite good.”

The motions of the two guards serving their mistress froze, having served her for so many years without ever receiving such a compliment…

Baili An looked at the woman with some surprise; he hadn’t expected the quiet woman to initiate conversation with him.

Having been complimented, out of politeness, Baili An certainly felt he should respond in some way.

However, it was clear she was no longer a young girl, her hair pinned up, so he couldn’t address her as “miss.”

But calling her “madam” might not be proper either, and assuming she was someone’s wife when she might still be unmarried was certainly inappropriate.