The dining hour had passed by a quarter, yet the kitchen door remained tightly shut, showing no sign of opening.
Outside, the group of kitchen staff, led by the cook, who had been driven out, stood with their arms crossed, staring at each other.
"Chef Xu, that Jiang Shenyi looks fair and clean, not like someone who can cook. What do you think... can he do it?"
They had been fussing around inside for a long time with no activity, which was quite frustrating!
However, no activity was better than the kitchen exploding.
The cook snorted upon hearing this.
"The Pavilion Master personally ordered it, so he has to do it even if he can't!"
He glanced up at the sky, then tapped the door with his chin, "Go, hurry them up."
The man mumbled something and pouted, but still stepped forward.
"Jiang..."
As soon as he spoke, the kitchen door was opened. From afar, a strong smell of charcoal and smoke billowed out, unstoppable.
Amidst the oil smoke, Feng Yinwan, with tears streaming from her eyes, walked out. Her once fair face was smudged with soot, and she looked somewhat dishevelled.
The cook almost burst out laughing at the sight.
"Jiang Shenyi, what happened to you..."
Feng Yinwan didn't think much of it. As soon as she saw them, she immediately called out.
"Hey, you're all here? That's great, come in quickly!"
She said this and waved away the smoke, preparing to go back in. The cook, however, remained rooted to the spot.
"Jiang Shenyi, you kicked us out earlier, saying you would prepare the food yourself. Now you're asking us to come in. Have you changed your mind?"
Looking at the smoke filling the room, he had no expectation that Feng Yinwan could cook a couple of dishes.
If she was asking them in now, it was definitely to help salvage the situation!
Unexpectedly, Feng Yinwan cupped her hands and chuckled.
"Big brother, you've misunderstood. The food is ready. I'm asking you all to come in to help carry it to the front."
"Ready?"
The cook widened his eyes and, half-believingly, stepped forward.
Upon entering, he saw several large iron trays stacked together. They were hot to the touch, and he had no idea what was inside.
Beside the stove, a fine wire mesh had appeared at some point, with scattered powder clinging to it. It looked like seasoning.
"What is this all about?"
He muttered softly and looked up, meeting Feng Yinwan's confident smile.
"You'll know later."
In the dining hall, upon hearing that Feng Yinwan was cooking today, Yu Feng was so excited that he had already begun planning how to find fault with her.
Just as he reached a crucial point, a dark purple pincer suddenly flashed before his eyes. When he realized what it was, he shivered and instinctively moved to strike.
The palm wind he unleashed came to an abrupt halt upon touching Feng Yun's cold gaze.
"Junior Sister Yun..."
Feng Yun knitted her brows and looked at him suspiciously.
"What's wrong with your mouth?"
She had noticed from afar that this fellow's eyes were unfocused and wandering, and the corners of his lips kept twitching, as if he were about to have a stroke.
Fearing he might have been paralyzed by Xiao Hua's sting, she had come to ask.
Yu Feng was startled and quickly raised his hand to cover his lips.
"Nothing... nothing's wrong."
His eyes darted away, not looking like he was holding back anything good.
Feng Yun's brows furrowed even tighter. Just as she was about to speak again, her attention was immediately captured by the figure entering through the doorway.
Today, Feng Yinwan was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, her black hair lightly tied up, her jade crown gleaming white. Although she held a large iron tray that disrupted the scene, it did not diminish her graceful and elegant demeanor.
Feng Yun was instantly smitten.
Indeed, as expected of the man who had defeated her, even carrying a tray was so handsome!
"Jiang Shenyi, I'll help you."
The iron tray in her hands was still quite hot. Feng Yinwan, who had been struggling to carry it all the way from the kitchen, suddenly had it taken by Feng Yun, and she was filled with gratitude.
"Thank you."
Feng Yun's face flushed, and she turned to quickly walk away.
Feng Yinwan, oblivious, blew on her fingertips and looked up, meeting Yu Feng's gritting teeth. Her temple twitched, and in the next moment, she saw him abruptly stand up.
"Jiang Shenyi has finally decided to come out after dawdling in the kitchen for so long. Everyone in the Wu Xi Pavilion is waiting to eat. If you were any later, the mealtime would have passed!"
His words were full of gunpowder.
Feng Yinwan clicked her tongue and was about to retort with the aroma of the food, when suddenly, with a "snap," Feng Yun interjected righteously.
"It didn't matter that the mealtime passed for you to wait here! Jiang Shenyi is a guest invited by the Pavilion Master. It's already a compromise for her to cook. If you're not satisfied, why don't you do it yourself?!"
Yu Feng, who had been prepared for a reprimand, pursed his lips and, imitating Feng Yinwan's demeanor from that day, lowered his eyes.
"Junior Sister Yun, I'm also considering it for the Pavilion Master. It's a small matter if we go hungry, but what if the Pavilion Master..."
To his surprise, Feng Yun ignored him completely.
"Don't use the Pavilion Master as an excuse! The Pavilion Master hasn't even spoken a word of complaint, so why are you being so nosy? I think you just want to find fault!"
She then turned to Feng Yinwan, her tone changing by a hundred and eighty degrees.
"Jiang Shenyi, don't mind him. He's just petty. I'm different. I don't mind losing to you at all~"
The latter half of her sentence was barely audible, but everyone in the room widened their eyes in shock.
Something was wrong, Feng Yun was not herself!
Spread the word, the new pretty boy had stolen her soul!
Yu Feng was about to go crazy.
Before he could figure out where the problem lay, Feng Wu Xi had already spoken, ending the commotion.
"May I know what Jiang Shenyi has prepared?"
He was indeed curious about this woman's culinary skills.
Surviving in the cracks, Feng Yinwan meekly replied, "The Pavilion Master will know when he sees it."
Several trays were successively placed on the long table. The cook stood by, ready to uncover them the moment Feng Wu Xi nodded, and to publicly condemn Feng Yinwan.
Feng Wu Xi glanced at them and nodded.
"Uncover them."
The moment he spoke, the lids were lifted. Contrary to the oddly shaped dishes they had expected, an unprecedented aroma wafted towards them!
The cook frowned suspiciously.
No way, was his sense of smell malfunctioning?
Yu Feng had intended to mock, but upon seeing what was on the iron trays, he frowned.
"What is this?"
They were strung together, and he had never seen anything like it.
However, despite that, they were captivated by the scent!
Seeing that they had all quieted down and were surrounding them like curious babies, Feng Yinwan pushed her already tight mask and smiled with satisfaction.
"This is called barbecue."
"Barbecue?"
They had never heard of it.
Yu Feng was the first to snap back to reality. He took a deep breath of the aroma and forcibly looked away.
"This thing looks black and charred, can it be eaten?"
The cook immediately chimed in, "Yes (gulp). I've been in this profession for over twenty years, and I've never seen such food!"
The strange appearance was one thing, but this smell... was too fragrant!
This woman must have added something unknown!
While the two of them were enduring, a pair of slender, white hands reached out, and without hesitation, took a skewer from the plate.