Chapter 2: The Dinner Banquet

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The Dinner Banquet

The room was quiet.

Mo Yunxui sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the strange rectangular object in her hand.

It had stopped displaying her face.

She had tried touching it several times, but nothing happened.

She turned it over.

Nothing.

She tapped it against her palm.

Still nothing.

Mo Yunxui frowned.

"Useless."

She placed it on the bed.

Then she noticed something else.

Her hands.

They weren’t her hands.

Mo Yunxui slowly lifted them in front of her eyes.

They were smaller and smoother than the hands she remembered.

Her hands in her previous life had been rough from years of work. There were tiny scars from knives, burns from cooking fires and calluses from sewing and carrying heavy things.

These hands were different.

Soft.

Fair.

Young.

She looked down at herself.

The clothes were unfamiliar too.

She immediately stood and rushed toward the mirror.

The woman staring back at her was beautiful.

Very beautiful.

She had long black hair, delicate features, pale skin and a pair of dark eyes that looked frightened and uncertain.

Mo Yunxui stared at her reflection.

The woman stared back.

She touched her face.

The reflection copied her.

"This isn’t me."

Her voice was low.

She turned sideways.

The woman in the mirror did the same.

Mo Yunxui’s expression slowly became serious.

She had initially thought perhaps she had simply survived her heart attack.

Perhaps she had been brought somewhere strange.

Perhaps she had fallen into some unfamiliar place.

But this...

This was not her body.

She closed her eyes.

Then suddenly—

A sharp pain struck her head.

"Ah!"

Mo Yunxui staggered backward.

A flood of unfamiliar memories rushed into her mind.

A small village.

A poor household.

A mother who was constantly ill.

A father who died several years earlier.

A young girl learning how to wash clothes.

A girl carrying vegetables home from the market.

A girl sitting quietly in the corner while other people talked.

Then—

Xi Yunxiu.

The name appeared clearly in her mind.

Twenty-four years old.

An ordinary young woman.

She had come to the city several years earlier to work.

She wasn’t highly educated.

She didn’t have any special talents.

Her personality was extremely timid.

She rarely spoke unless someone asked her a question.

She had been working as a maid for the Huo family.

But she didn’t live in the Huo residence.

She rented a small room not far from the city and traveled to the Huo residence whenever she was scheduled to work.

The memories continued.

The Huo family.

The household manager.

The other servants.

The kitchen.

The huge residence.

Today’s schedule.

A dinner party.

And—

Xi Yunxui was already late.

Mo Yunxui opened her eyes.

She stood silently in front of the mirror.

For a long time, she didn’t say anything.

Then she whispered,

"So I’m dead."

There was no fear in her voice.

She had already known that.

Her siblings had grown up.

She had died peacefully after seeing them succeed.

Perhaps heaven had simply decided that she wasn’t finished yet.

Mo Yunxui looked at the unfamiliar woman in the mirror again.

"Xi Yunxui."

She raised a hand.

"From today onward, I’ll borrow your body."

She paused.

"And I’ll try not to cause you too much trouble."

That seemed reasonable.

Unfortunately, she had no idea how much trouble she was about to cause.

---

Mo Yunxui changed into the clothes she remembered from Xi Yunxui’s memories.

A simple blouse.

Dark trousers.

Comfortable shoes.

She stood in front of the mirror again.

The clothes were certainly strange.

But at least they were practical.

She picked up the rectangular object from the bed.

According to Xi Yunxui’s memories, it was called a phone.

Mo Yunxui stared at it.

Apparently, people used this little thing to communicate with one another.

They could also use it to take pictures, watch things, read information and do countless other strange things.

Mo Yunxui decided not to investigate.

Not today.

She had more pressing concerns.

She needed to go to the Huo residence.

She left the room.

The moment she stepped outside, another strange object rushed past her.

Mo Yunxui stopped.

A car.

She watched it disappear down the road.

She remembered Xi Yunxui’s memories.

Car.

So these were called cars.

Interesting.

She continued walking.

Then she reached the roadside.

A stream of cars moved past her.

Mo Yunxui stared.

The ancient world had horses.

The modern world had these things.

At least the principle was similar.

Both transported people.

She nodded thoughtfully.

"Convenient."

Then she nearly got run over.

"WATCH OUT!"

A horn blared.

Mo Yunxui jumped backward.

The car sped past.

She stood frozen.

Her face turned pale.

After several seconds, she slowly looked toward the road.

"Convenient my foot."

---

By the time she reached the Huo residence, Mo Yunxui had already decided that the modern world was far more dangerous than her previous one.

At least ancient horses had the decency to make noise before trampling someone.

She stopped in front of the enormous gates.

Then she looked up.

And up.

And up.

Her mouth gradually opened.

The Huo residence was enormous.

The entrance alone was larger than the entire courtyard of the house she had lived in during her previous life.

Beyond the gates stood a massive mansion surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens.

There were fountains.

Trees.

Flowers.

Stone paths.

Lights.

And several buildings that looked large enough to house entire villages.

Mo Yunxui stood there in silence.

She suddenly understood why Xi Yunxui’s memories had described the Huo family as wealthy.

The memories had been accurate.

But memories didn’t prepare her for seeing it with her own eyes.

"This isn’t a residence."

She stared.

"This is a small city."

She walked through the gate.

A servant immediately spotted her.

"Xi Yunxiu!"

Mo Yunxui turned.

A middle-aged woman hurried toward her.

"You’re finally here!"

Mo Yunxui recognized her from the memories.

Auntie Zhang, one of the senior servants and one of the people responsible for managing the younger maids.

Mo Yunxui immediately lowered her head slightly.

"I’m sorry."

Auntie Zhang frowned.

"Do you know how late you are?"

Mo Yunxui glanced at the sky.

"I’m—"

"Don’t explain."

Auntie Zhang waved her hand.

"Everyone has been busy since morning. Tonight’s dinner is important, and you’re arriving now?"

Mo Yunxui swallowed the words she was about to say.

She remembered Xi Yunxui’s personality.

Quiet.

Apologetic.

Never arguing.

So she lowered her head again.

"I’ll go work immediately."

Auntie Zhang looked slightly surprised.

Usually, Xi Yunxiu would have apologized several times before moving.

Today, she only apologized once.

Still, there was no time to think about it.

"Go to the kitchen. They need extra hands."

"Yes."

Mo Yunxui immediately headed toward the kitchen.

As she walked, she couldn’t stop looking around.

Everywhere she turned, servants were moving around.

Some were carrying flowers.

Others were arranging tables.

Several people were polishing silverware.

The entire residence seemed to be preparing for something important.

Mo Yunxui remembered from Xi Yunxiu’s memories.

There was going to be a dinner party that evening.

Several important guests had been invited.

Which explained the chaos.

She followed the familiar path toward the kitchen.

The moment she entered, she heard shouting.

"Be careful!"

"Move that over there!"

"Where are the vegetables?"

"Has the soup been prepared?"

"Don’t burn that!"

Mo Yunxui stopped at the doorway.

The kitchen was enormous.

There were several chefs working at once.

Pots boiled.

Knives chopped.

Plates were being arranged.

The smell alone made her stomach growl.

She immediately understood one thing.

This was a serious kitchen.

She had managed kitchens before.

She knew exactly how chaotic a large banquet could become.

Then she noticed something strange.

Several chefs were gathered around a large fish.

Nobody was touching it.

Mo Yunxui walked closer.

"What happened?"

One of the chefs turned.

"You’re late too."

Mo Yunxui ignored that.

She looked at the fish.

"Why isn’t it being prepared?"

The chef sighed.

"We have a problem."

"What problem?"

He lowered his voice.

"One of tonight’s honored guests cannot eat fish bones."

Mo Yunxui blinked.

"Cannot?"

"Absolutely not."

"Is the guest allergic?"

"No."

"Does the guest dislike fish?"

"No."

"Then what is the problem?"

The chef looked frustrated.

"The guest likes fish. Very much."

Mo Yunxui stared at him.

"Then why can’t they eat it?"

"Because they cannot eat the bones."

She looked at the fish.

Then at the chef.

Then back at the fish.

"Remove the bones."

The entire kitchen went silent.

The chef stared at her.

"Remove... the bones?"

"Yes."

"We know that."

"Then why aren’t you doing it?"

The chef’s face became complicated.

"Because we need the fish to remain whole."

Mo Yunxui finally understood.

They wanted the fish presented beautifully while making sure there wasn’t a single bone left inside.

She walked closer.

"What fish is this?"

"Sea bass."

Mo Yunxui nodded.

"Bring me a knife."

The chef hesitated.

"Can you do it?"

Mo Yunxui looked at him.

In her previous life, she had prepared fish countless times.

She had cooked for three younger siblings who had been picky about bones.

She had learned how to remove them cleanly because Mo Yulan used to choke easily when she was little.

"Move."

The chef stepped aside.

Mo Yunxui picked up the knife.

Her grip changed immediately.

The timid manner Xi Yunxui had possessed disappeared.

Her movements became steady.

Precise.

She made a clean incision.

Then another.

Her fingers moved along the bones.

The kitchen slowly became quiet.

The chefs watched.

Mo Yunxui carefully separated the flesh from the skeleton without damaging the outer skin.

She removed the central bones.

Then the smaller ones.

One after another.

She worked quickly but carefully.

A few minutes later, she lifted the fish.

The shape remained almost completely intact.

The bones were gone.

The chef stared.

"How did you...?"

Mo Yunxui placed the fish on the cutting board.

"Experience."

"Where did you learn this?"

She paused.

The question caught her off guard.

Ancient China.

A small kitchen.

Three hungry children.

A lifetime of cooking.

She couldn’t exactly explain that.

So she simply said,

"I’ve prepared a lot of fish."

The chef looked at the fish again.

Then at her.

"You removed every bone without tearing the flesh."

Mo Yunxui nodded.

"Of course."

She looked at the clock.

"We don’t have much time. What are you waiting for?"

The chefs exchanged glances.

Then one of them suddenly laughed.

"Fine!"

The kitchen immediately became busy again.

"Bring the sauce!"

"Prepare the vegetables!"

"Get another plate!"

Mo Yunxui rolled up her sleeves.

She didn’t know much about modern cooking equipment yet.

She didn’t understand half the machines around her.

But cooking?

That was something she understood.

And as she began preparing the fish with the confidence of someone who had spent half her life in a kitchen, none of the people around her noticed one small problem.

The original Xi Yunxiu had never cooked like this.

Not even once.

And before the night was over, someone in the Huo household was going to notice.

The quiet maid who had always kept her head down...

wasn’t the same Xi Yunxiu who had walked into the kitchen that morning.