Chapter 346 - 262: In This World, Only True Feelings Should Never Be Betrayed

Chapter 346: Chapter 262: In This World, Only True Feelings Should Never Be Betrayed

Let me analyze and translate this text:

[Step 1: Contextual Analysis]

Literary genre: This appears to be a Chinese web novel/light novel, specifically in the cultivation/martial arts genre with romance elements.

Language style: Casual narrative with dialogue, descriptive passages about cooking and daily life.

Tone: Warm, domestic, with some light humor and romance.

Plot keywords: Romance, cooking, martial arts, revenge, protection, family

Characters:

- Wu Liangchen (武良辰): Male protagonist, appears to be powerful, planning revenge and exploration

- Bai Erya (白二丫): Female, seems to be romantically involved with Wu Liangchen, skilled at making noodles, recently lost her father

- Yang Lian’Er (杨莲儿): Female, a level 2 Martial Artist, seems to be concerned about her weight

- Wu Mengchan (武梦婵): Female, likely Wu Liangchen’s sister, helping Bai Erya cook

[Step 2: Integrated Translation and Polishing]

Now I’ll translate the text while following all the rules:

The text describes a scene where Wu Liangchen and Bai Erya share an intimate moment, followed by her cooking traditional hand-pulled noodles for him with Wu Mengchan’s help. The scene focuses on domestic life and relationships, with some hints at larger plot elements involving revenge against an East Sea nation’s fleet and Wu Liangchen’s plans to explore secret realms overseas.

Let me begin my translation, carefully following the glossary terms and all other rules:

After a long while, their lips parted.

By now, Erya could barely stand, her face as red as a boiled lobster.

Despite being aroused, Wu Liangchen didn’t continue further.

Even though with just a bit more effort he could have taken her right there, Wu Liangchen refrained.

Respect was mutual.

He didn’t want to embarrass Erya.

After all, Lian’Er and his sister were just outside.

That didn’t stop him from teasing her, though.

Wu Liangchen smiled and whispered into Erya’s ear, "Don’t look back, Mengchan and Lian’Er are peeking at us from the doorway."

Hearing this, Erya’s face instantly turned pale, and she nervously glanced toward the door.

Of course, she found nothing there.

Only then did Erya realize she’d been tricked. She gave Wu Liangchen an annoyed look before struggling out of his embrace.

"Brother Xiaowu, are you hungry? What would you like to eat? I’ll go make it for you right now," Erya eagerly offered.

Wu Liangchen was about to tell her not to trouble herself, but seeing her expectant expression, he changed his mind.

"How about a bowl of hand-pulled noodles? Just the simple stir-fried noodle soup we make here in Dinghai City," Wu Liangchen suggested.

Bai Erya’s eyes lit up as she nodded firmly. "Alright! Brother Xiaowu, please wait a moment. I’ll make it right away."

With that, she turned and went downstairs.

Watching her retreating figure, no longer lonely or sad, Wu Liangchen let out a long sigh.

No matter what, life had to go on, and this girl was far stronger than he had imagined.

Although her father’s death would likely affect her for the rest of her life, at least now she was gradually emerging from the shadow of grief.

This was precisely why Wu Liangchen had risked destroying the entire East Sea nation’s fleet.

He wanted to send a message to the world: if anyone dared to mess with his people or possessions, they would face the most brutal and merciless retaliation.

This was also preparation for Wu Liangchen’s next step—exploring secret realms overseas.

After all, once he left, who knew what might happen? Only by first delivering a harsh blow to all potential threats could he create a safe environment for Erya, his sister, and the others.

Just as Wu Liangchen was feeling relieved, a figure tiptoed up behind him.

Before she could get close, Wu Liangchen calmly said, "Give it up. Your footsteps are as loud as an elephant’s. No need to sneak around."

Yang Lian’Er pouted, somewhat indignantly saying, "I’m a second-level Martial Artist now. Are my footsteps really that loud?"

"Absolutely," Wu Liangchen turned to face Lian’Er’s disbelieving expression and smiled.

"Haven’t you noticed you’ve put on weight compared to before?"

Hearing this, Lian’Er was struck as if by lightning. She immediately touched her face, trembling as she said, "That’s impossible! I couldn’t have gained weight."

It seemed that regardless of status, all women cared most about their weight.

"Nothing is impossible. Besides, you’re so lazy, it’s normal for you to gain a little weight," Wu Liangchen said casually.

Then he turned and walked away, completely ignoring Yang Lian’Er’s growing distress.

The top floor of Jufu Pavilion had its own kitchen, fully equipped with various cooking utensils and ingredients.

Since Wu Liangchen and his companions needed to eat, and it was too troublesome to have food sent up from the main kitchen downstairs, this small kitchen had been set up specifically for them.

However, the ones busy in this kitchen now weren’t professional chefs, but two pretty young women.

Bai Erya was skillfully kneading dough with practiced technique, while Wu Mengchan assisted her on the side.

Dinghai City had unique dietary habits. Although located in northern Great Yan, it had several rivers flowing through it, resulting in large areas of rice paddies.

This led to Dinghai City’s staple food being equally divided between wheat and rice.

Among wheat-based foods, the most classic and homey dish was hand-pulled stir-fried noodle soup.

It could be said that being able to make good hand-pulled noodles was a significant advantage for a Dinghai City girl when seeking marriage.

This was because making good noodles wasn’t easy—the dough’s consistency had to be just right, otherwise the cut noodles wouldn’t be uniform and could easily break, making them less chewy to eat.

As someone who had sold wonton soup with her father since childhood, Bai Erya was no stranger to dough-making, and being clever and dexterous, she had developed her own techniques.

Now, as she gradually rolled and thinned the dough with a large rolling pin, Wu Mengchan watching beside her couldn’t help but admire her skill.

Coming from a poor background herself, Mengchan naturally knew how to make noodles, but she doubted she could roll the dough as thin and translucent as Erya did without breaking it.

After rolling the dough into a large circular sheet, Bai Erya skillfully sprinkled a thin layer of cornmeal over it.

The cornmeal primarily prevented sticking and also provided a special texture when eaten.

Then, she grasped the upper half of the dough sheet with both hands, gently lifted it into the air, and folded it layer by layer, eventually forming a rectangular shape about ten centimeters wide.

Next came the test of knife skills. Dinghai City style called for a big knife and thin slices.

The specialized noodle knife was at least twice the size of a regular cleaver, yet in the hands of these girls, such large and heavy knives became incredibly nimble.

Noodles cut this way were uniform and didn’t stick together, though the Huangpu Guard didn’t have such large cleavers.

But this didn’t trouble Erya. She picked up a huge bone-chopping cleaver, sharpened the blade slightly, and began cutting.

The bone cleaver, designed for chopping ribs or large marrow bones, was naturally very heavy.

Yet Erya wielded it with flying speed, quickly cutting the folded dough sheet into noodles as thin as matchsticks.

Finally, she evenly sprinkled another layer of cornmeal, grabbed the cut noodles, and gave them a gentle shake. The hand-pulled noodles were ready.

By now, Wu Mengchan had the pot ready and hot.

The process for stir-fried noodle soup began with adding two spoonfuls of lard, then adding green onions, ginger, and dried chili peppers to release their aroma. When the green onion strips turned yellow, she quickly added a spoonful of dry yellow bean paste for color and flavor.

Instantly, a rich savory aroma wafted through the air.

Then it was time to add the sliced Chinese cabbage.

Only the upper leaves of the cabbage were used. After stir-frying to remove excess moisture, salt could be added.

When the cabbage leaves were nearly done, she added an appropriate amount of warm water. Once the water came to a boil, she added the prepared noodles, and after about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a genuine Dinghai City style hand-pulled stir-fried noodle soup was ready.

Of course, if conditions allowed, one could add a couple of poached eggs, though ordinary Dinghai City residents couldn’t afford to eat like that regularly—that was a luxury reserved for festivals or birthdays.

Now there was no need to worry about such things, and considering Wu Liangchen’s appetite, Bai Erya and Wu Mengchan made five poached eggs.

This was still accounting for the fact that the soup was the most important part of the dish, and too many eggs would disrupt it—otherwise, they would have added even more.

Soon, a large bowl of steaming noodles, emanating a tantalizing aroma, was placed before Wu Liangchen.

"Brother Xiaowu, eat while it’s hot!"

Wu Liangchen was genuinely hungry. He picked up his chopsticks and slurped away.

The hand-pulled noodles were chewy and springy, and combined with the soup, they perfectly satisfied his empty stomach.

Though she was sweating from her efforts, Bai Erya was filled with joy, watching intently as Wu Liangchen devoured his noodles.

In her eyes, nothing was more important than seeing the man she loved enjoy the food she wanted to eat.

Wu Liangchen showed his appreciation by quickly finishing the bowl of noodles. As soon as he put down his bowl, Bai Erya handed him a second serving.

Wu Liangchen gave her a thumbs up.

"Delicious!"

"If you like it, have some more," Bai Erya said with a smile, feeling completely content.

In fact, she had imagined this scene countless times before.

In her previous imaginings, Brother Xiaowu would come home after pulling a cart all day, and she would massage his shoulders, wipe his sweat, make him noodles, wrap dumplings...

And finally, watching the man she loved eat the food she made with her own hands would be the happiest thing in the world.

She never expected this wish would come true today in this way.

Unfortunately... her father couldn’t see it.

Suddenly reminded of this, Bai Erya’s eyes reddened, but she quickly took a deep breath and suppressed her emotions.

Brother Xiaowu was finally enjoying a warm meal, and she didn’t want to spoil the mood.

Meanwhile, Yang Lian’Er was hiding in another room, seriously examining herself in a mirror.

"It seems... I really have gained a little weight!"

As she felt the slight excess flesh on her abdomen, Yang Lian’Er became completely panicked.