Chapter 68 - 63: Acquaintance

Chapter 68: Chapter 63: Acquaintance

Ning He leaned on Johnny’s back as she got off the vehicle, barely holding back the urge to throw up. The guy drove like he was on a roller coaster; the bumps left her stomach churning violently.

"Don’t forget my crutches!"

After being set down, Ning He shouted at Johnny’s retreating back. Seeing him turn around and head back to the car, she breathed a sigh of relief and let Annie help her onto the sightseeing bus.

As soon as she boarded, she froze. Jia Mei and Doctor Lister were sitting by the window, smiling at her. Nearby was the red-haired young man, the short and stout man in a suit sitting on the back sofa, and the family of three gathered around a table. The guest lineup was exactly the same as last time.

"What a coincidence, running into everyone again." Recovering from her surprise, she grinned and greeted them.

Doctor Lister raised his cup to her. "It’s no coincidence. We heard that Mr. Rochester arranged another out-of-town trip just for your cooking, so we made a point to join. I figure for an occasion like today, we won’t have to wait in such long lines."

"Exactly! The first time I went, I was so shocked by the massive crowd that I had to ask the butler to buy it for me. That spicy hot pot you make is absolutely delicious, though it’s a bit spicy—it even brought tears to my eyes!" Jia Mei leaned closer and said with a beaming smile.

"It was the same for us. We didn’t have time to line up, so we had to hire someone to buy it for us to try. The taste is truly wonderful; our whole family loves it," the mother of the family of three smiled elegantly, giving Ning He a friendly, subtle nod.

Ning He suddenly understood. She hadn’t seen these people show up after sending the message in the group chat. It turned out they just disliked waiting in line and had someone else buy it for them. It made sense. Given their status, how could they possibly queue up at a street stall?

"I see. But if we have spicy hot pot again today, wouldn’t it be a bit of a wasted opportunity?" Thousands of dollars in tour fees just to eat a spicy hot pot worth a few dozen bucks? That hardly seemed justifiable.

"This isn’t a food tour today. We’re leaving all the meal arrangements up to you and Mr. Macken. We trust you won’t disappoint us," the man in the suit on the back sofa spoke up, a rare occurrence.

Ning He scratched her head. "Alright. Since you all trust me so much, I’ll have a good discussion with Mr. Macken once we get to the location."

These guests had actually only eaten her food twice, yet they trusted her so implicitly. She wondered if the culinary standards in Beiluo City were just too low, or if she was simply that charming. Regardless, since they were showing such sincerity, she had to perform well and ensure they returned home satisfied. Besides, she had already given Mr. Macken a list of ingredients and seasonings beforehand, which would be more than enough for her to work her magic.

The convoy slowly set off.

Unlike last time, they exited through Beiluo City’s main eastern gate. It was taller and wider, with countless cannonball holes embedded into the inner walls on both sides. Right in the center stood a colossal steel giant. Rumor had it that this was a first-generation mecha used during the founding of Beiluo City, a veritable weapon of mass destruction. Although there were now newer, much stronger mecha weapons, the mere sight of this towering giant, standing dozens of meters tall, provided an unparalleled sense of security.

As they traveled further from the city, the world became a vast expanse of white, blending sky and earth. The only mark upon the landscape was the muddy trail left by the convoy’s tracks in the thick snow.

"In such freezing weather, won’t all those wild beasts in the forest freeze to death?" Ning He asked curiously, gazing out the window at the icy, snow-covered scenery.

"Not all of them," the red-haired young man chimed in, looking somewhat excited. "I’ve looked into this. When a cold wave like this hits, only a fraction of the smaller animals with poor cold resistance die off. Most beasts prepare in advance. They either hide in caves to hibernate or enter a state of suspended animation, or they huddle together with their own kind. Regardless of their method, all animals reduce their activity levels and roaming ranges. Therefore, the forest is relatively at its safest during a cold wave."

"In advance? Does that mean these animals can predict weather changes?" Ning He caught onto the word, a bit surprised.

"Of course. These creatures might be ferocious, but they aren’t entirely useless. Some of them are actually quite smart—"

"But they are still highly dangerous. Don’t let your guard down," the man in the suit from the back row suddenly warned.

The red-haired young man hurriedly replied, "Don’t worry, I promise what happened last time won’t happen again!"

The man in the suit nodded and said nothing more. The others continued to chat idly along the way, but as soon as the vehicle entered the forest, everyone fell silent as if by prior agreement.

Last time, Ning He had lamented how difficult it was to distinguish the seasons in the forest, but this time, it was starkly obvious. The snow in this world was still white. The forest was draped in silvery layers, and the pure white scenery before her eyes brought back memories of romantic winters from her past.

BEEP BEEP. The mechanical sound of the system rang out in her mind once more, a clear sign that there were new mutated species in this area.

Twenty minutes later, the convoy began to slow down. They had arrived.

Ning He scanned the surroundings through the sightseeing bus’s panoramic windows and realized they were actually situated at the top of a slope. To her front-left was a massive ski slope that had already been cleared and flattened, complete with conveyor belts installed on both sides. The view from the top of the slope was expansive. Not far from the bottom, she could see a river cutting across from south to north. On the other side of the river lay a continuous, undulating mountain range—the high-risk zone Mr. Macken had mentioned before. Beneath the thick, white snow over there, countless hidden dangers lay in wait.

Mr. Macken and Johnny directed several teams to quickly set up two tents, one large and one small. They placed the heating equipment inside, set up security alert devices around the perimeter, and, having swiftly and professionally arranged everything, notified everyone that they could disembark.

The others went into the large tent, getting ready to change into their gear for skiing, while Ning He hobbled into the small tent on her crutches. Since today wasn’t a food tour, the expectations for lunch weren’t as demanding. A fresh, hot meal with both meat and vegetables, roughly on par with the standard meal at a Level 3 Restaurant, would suffice.

Ning He first inspected the ingredients Mr. Macken had prepared. Not only was everything she had listed present, but he had also brought several extra pounds of meat. It was plenty for her to show off her skills.

"Mr. Rochester and I are going out on the ice to catch some fish. Can you prep them?" Mr. Macken suddenly walked over and asked.

That river had already frozen over, making it perfect for ice fishing. There was absolutely no way fishing enthusiasts would pass up such an opportunity.

"Sure, I’ll start prepping the other things first."

Mr. Macken nodded and called over a young man of about seventeen or eighteen. "Watson, you stay behind and help out. If you need anything, go find Johnny."

The young man, Watson, was highly enthusiastic. "Okay, Mr. Macken! I’ll be a good assistant to Miss Chef."

Miss Chef?

Ning He felt a layer of goosebumps erupt on her arms, but after getting a clear look at the young man’s handsome face, she suddenly didn’t find it so hard to accept anymore. Mr. Macken patted the young man on the shoulder and walked away. Ning He waved at Watson, and the young man immediately jogged over with eager attentiveness.

"Miss, is there anything I can help with?"

Tsk, those clear blue eyes were truly to die for.

Ning He coughed lightly and looked away. "Have you ever studied cooking?"

"No," Watson blushed, "but I’ve helped Uncle Hansha in the past. I know how to do things like washing vegetables!"

"Alright. In that case, help me to a seat first. After that, you can just chat with me while you wash the vegetables."

"Okay."

Watson helped Ning He onto a tall stool nearby, then rolled up his sleeves and got to work. His movements were fairly brisk; it seemed he really had done this kind of work before.

There was a stove in the tent, so it wasn’t cold at all. Ning He took a moment to admire the defined muscle lines of his forearms, then picked up a cleaver, grabbed a slab of pork belly, and began to chop away—THWACK THWACK THWACK.