CHAPTER 959: CHAPTER 958: CHANGES IN JUXIA BUILDING (PART 2)

"Frog?"

"Bullfrog?"

Makki and Eriina exchanged startled glances.

Eriina frowned, instinctively feeling disgusted at the mention of frog sashimi in the text message. She shook her head and said, "I’ve never eaten sashimi made from frogs, nor do I want that experience."

Makki stuck out her tongue playfully and winked, "Bullfrog sashimi, I know of it!"

"In Xia’s Shopping Street, there’s a bizarre new seafood store that opened at the end of last year, specializing in providing... well, foods that aren’t commonly eaten in daily life."

"Besides bullfrog sashimi, there’s horse meat sashimi, deer meat sashimi, and whale sashimi, among others."

Upon hearing this.

Eriina’s beautiful eyebrows furrowed even more, her face showing disgust: "Horse meat, deer meat... can these meats really be eaten raw?" She cast a suspicious look at Makki, wondering if this seemingly innocent girl is actually a bizarre food enthusiast with heavy tastes.

Clearly noticing the oddity in Eriina’s eyes, Makki quickly waved her hand to clear her innocence: "Ahaha, I just heard about it. I also like to read some of the more peculiar food magazines, so I know a bit."

"Really?"

Eriina still had some disbelief.

Makki pretended to be annoyed, "I don’t want to end up with parasites!"

Knock knock!

A third girl suddenly poked her head in through the slightly open glass door, "What are you chatting about? Oh, the atmosphere seems friendly."

The silver-haired red-eyed girl was, of course, Tiqie Ailisha.

Her face beamed with a smile, eyeing Makki and Eriina, though her eyes secretly hid a mischievous intent to stir things up. This was evident from her playful line.

Among the Far Moon Team, Ailisha was the most troublesome, only Zhu Qing could intimidate her with her seniority, while foodie senior Kobayakawa Ryodan was easy to handle. She didn’t demand a salary, wasn’t short of money, and only sought food, so Kobayakawa Ryodan often took the day off, disappearing to embark on exploratory trips for authentic Chinese cuisine, living a highly enriched life as an exchange student.

Sen Tian Makoto showed Ailisha the text message.

"What? Bullfrog sashimi?" Ailisha’s smile vanished, "Bull... bullfrogs, can these little animals be eaten?"

Her face turned slightly green.

"Ahem, actually on the Chinese Continent, bullfrogs, if used right, make a very delicious ingredient." A fourth voice came from outside, Hozoi Midori opened the glass room door across from them, waving her phone, "Do you want me to order a batch of high-quality bullfrogs for cooking? Dry pot, hot pot, spicy stir-fry, basically a full frog feast!"

Hozoi Midori gestured grandly.

Makki, Eriina, and Ailisha simultaneously shouted, "Stop it!"

Tsk tsk!

Elsewhere, Koga Shoji observed secretly, not showing himself, and murmured longingly, "I heard Yun Dian has a Hundred Insect Banquet with even more explosive flavors. Fried bamboo insects, crispy bee pupae, sautéed flying ants, such bizarre dishes sound quite thrilling!"

He clutched a strand of yellow hair on his head, and a strange, excited blush appeared on his face.

"I wonder if Instructor Xia knows any dishes from the Hundred Insect Banquet. When he comes back, I’ll definitely seek a good exchange with him!" The hidden heavy-taste giant, Koga Shoji, let out a low chuckle.

...

In the evening.

When Juxia Building closed for the day, Xia Yu returned from abroad.

Jintan Shun and Tulip were transiting in Shanghai, preparing to head straight back to Neon. Their research base was in Neon, so naturally, they needed to hurry to the place they were most familiar with, to familiarize themselves and understand the ’god’ ingredient.

As for Xia Yu, he went straight to his new home.

The team gathered in the hall and arranged a dust-settling feast for him.

"Congratulations to Chef Xia for returning safely!" Ailisha eagerly moved closer, handing him a drink. Xia Yu glanced at her, daring not to look too much at the young girl’s bold and passionate hint, drank the wine, and then turned to ask Zhu Qing and Liu Lan about the management during the week he was away.

After the feast, when the Yuchuan Sisters were tidying up the dishes, Sen Tian Makoto came to Xia Yu’s ear to whisper.

Hmm?

Xia Yu raised his head in surprise and said to the unusually quiet Tiqie Eriina sitting there, whose style differed greatly from usual, "Eriina, do you have a new masterpiece?"

"Yes—"

A reflexive answer, incredibly loud, like a student suddenly called upon by a teacher when lost in thought during class.

Tiqie Eriina’s face showed evident conflict and nervousness.

The sudden, loud voice caused the hall that had been filled with laughter after the feast to suddenly fall silent.

Ailisha covered her mouth slightly, finding it difficult to recognize this cousin who stood up with both hands on the table, showing such tension yet coyness. Damn, is this still the Far Moon Campus’s prestigious queen who made many students feel lower than dirt, not even worthy of licking shoes?

Immediately, Ailisha wanted to laugh, her shoulders shook but were stopped by a glance from Xia Yu.

In reality, Xia Yu roughly knew the reason for Eriina’s nervousness.

Their relationship was, um, how to describe it, too simple to call it complex.

They used to be arch-enemies.

Then they acknowledged each other’s strength as mentor and student.

Later, due to multiple instances of Xia Yu giving Eriina special lessons, teaching her recipes, this Far Moon Queen learned more from Xia Yu, like recipes and cooking techniques, than she ever did from Liu Ying, the legitimate first disciple.

If someday news spread of Xia Yu officially taking Tiqie Eriina as his disciple, Neon folks wouldn’t be surprised.

After all, Xia Yu holds the "guardianship" of this Far Moon gem!

If forced to say the relationship, it might be closer than a master, leaning towards a father-daughter connection.

Father-daughter...

Ahem!

Xia Yu looked at the notably nervous Eriina and, just beginning to show a fatherly smile, then shook his head, bah, the expression is wrong, the approach is wrong, he didn’t want to suddenly have a same-age daughter.

However, seeing Eriina’s instinctive nervous stance, Xia Yu was comforted.

This showed that in the young girl’s mind, his status is about equivalent to that old Tiqie Xianzuowen, as for Ghost Father? Don’t mention it, the dark shadow in the girl’s mind had long been dispelled, and he occupied that bright place, irreplaceable.

As much as a guiding father, leading the young girl out of darkness, Xia Yu’s status is naturally supreme.

"Bring out your work, I and everyone here will be your tasters."

He spoke kindly.

Tiqie Eriina nodded and walked away briskly, her departing silhouette giving the impression of fleeing. Just as she left, Ailisha couldn’t hold back, clutching her belly and laughing, "Ahahaha, Instructor Xia, it seems in Eriina’s heart, you’re an old father!"

Xia Yu glared at her, "To hell with being an old father, I’m a mentor, understand?"

"A mentor for life?"

Ailisha leaned in closer, grinning cheekily, "Then please, Instructor Xia, give me some life guidance... I want to grow quickly..."