Chapter 781 --781

Chapter 781: Chapter-781

Ren had always known that women in this world were not expected to cook. It didn’t matter whether a woman was poor, lazy, or even an alcoholic. Cooking was simply not something women did. They could spend their entire lives doing nothing productive, yet no one would expect them to step into the kitchen and prepare a meal.

And those who actually knew how to cook? Ren had never met one.

Even his own mother, who had loved his father dearly, had never once stepped foot into the kitchen to cook for him. So, in all his life, Ren had never imagined that he would one day witness a woman preparing a meal with her own hands.

Yet here he was, standing at the entrance of the kitchen, staring at Heena as she calmly chopped the ingredients.

The rich, savory aroma filling the room was enough to make his stomach stir, but the sight before him was even more shocking.

Hina, who was busy cutting the vegetables, sensed someone watching her. She turned her head and found Ren standing there with a rather strange expression on his face.

She glanced at him briefly before returning her attention to the ingredients.

"Oh, you’re here?" she asked casually. "Wanna eat?"

"Me?" Ren pointed at himself, looking at her in disbelief.

Heena finally turned to look at him properly, her expression carrying a hint of confusion.

"If I’m asking you, who else would I be talking to?"

"Oh." Ren blinked, momentarily at a loss for words. Then, as if suddenly remembering that he was supposed to respond, he nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, yeah! Of course. I’d love to!"

"Fine. Go set the table, and call your mother too."

"Mother?"

Ren paused for a moment before nodding again.

"Right, right. I should call her."

With that, he hurried out of the kitchen, still unable to wrap his head around what he had just witnessed. Heena was cooking. And not only that, she had casually invited him to eat as though preparing a meal herself was the most ordinary thing in the world.

Meanwhile, when Ren found his mother and told her that Heena was preparing food, her expression immediately turned sour.

"I’m not eating any of that trash!" she declared without hesitation.

Ren looked at her helplessly.

"But, Mother, it smells really good!"

"So what? Just because it smells good doesn’t mean it’s edible." She waved her hand dismissively. "I’m not eating it. You can eat whatever you want."

"But—"

"Enough, Ren. I’m not interested."

His mother refused to listen any further, leaving Ren with no choice but to give up. He returned to the dining area to set the table, still convinced that his mother was making a terrible mistake.

After all, he had already smelled the food himself. There was no way something that delicious could be trash!

His mother, meanwhile, eventually made her way toward the dining room, intending to see what sort of ridiculous meal Heena had prepared.

She had no intention of eating it, of course. She merely wanted to take a look before dismissing it entirely.

But the moment she stepped into the room, her footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

A rich, mouthwatering aroma drifted through the air, warm and savory, carrying a fragrance so inviting that she couldn’t help but draw in another breath.

Her brows slowly furrowed.

What is that delicious smell?

For a moment, she simply stood there, trying to make sense of it.

Surely, it couldn’t have come from Hina’s cooking... right?

And at that exact moment, Heena walked out of the kitchen, carrying a freshly prepared dish in her hands.

Heena naturally understood why Old Lady Lin had reacted that way. The woman wasn’t entirely wrong. Food was expensive, and eating eggs and meat in the same meal was something usually reserved for the nobles. Even they didn’t indulge in such luxuries every day, choosing to do so only on special occasions.

So, seeing Heena casually prepare such a meal, Old Lady Lin’s reaction was understandable.

But so what?

Heena knew all too well how difficult life could be for ordinary people. Having traveled through so many worlds, she had witnessed her fair share of starvation, poverty, and hunger. She understood the struggles of those who could barely afford a bowl of rice, let alone meat or eggs. She respected their circumstances and had no intention of wasting food.

However, that didn’t mean she was going to starve herself out of consideration for others.

Her body was already sick, and she needed proper nutrition to recover. Proteins, vitamins, and other nutrients weren’t luxuries for her; they were necessities.

If she continued surviving on nothing but rice and pickles, she might as well start preparing to meet Yama before she even completed her mission!

No, thank you. She wasn’t interested in dying so soon.

Besides, she hadn’t forgotten the live fish she had bought. She had carefully placed them in a wooden container filled with water to keep them alive. She could cook them whenever she wanted, so there was no need to worry about wasting them.

Heena had already decided that she would take care of her health first. She had a mission to complete, and she couldn’t accomplish anything if her body gave out halfway through.

With that thought in mind, she sat down at the dining table and glanced at Ren, who was still standing nearby.

"Why are you standing there?"

Ren looked at her and answered somewhat awkwardly, "I’m waiting for you two to eat."

Heena stared at him for a moment.

"Are you planning to stand there and watch my face while I eat?"

Ren’s face immediately flushed red.

"No, no! That’s not what I meant!"

"Then sit down."

"Me?"

Heena’s eyebrows twitched.

"Why are you asking the same question twice? If I’m telling you to sit down, then sit down."

"Oh! I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!"

Ren hurriedly apologized before finally lowering himself onto the cushion beside the table.

Heena shook her head and turned her attention back to the food.

Honestly, even the way people ate in this world was troublesome.

Most people sat on small cushions placed on the floor, eating from low tables. While there was nothing inherently wrong with the arrangement, Heena found it incredibly uncomfortable. The table was too low, forcing her to bend her legs awkwardly and sit in a half-kneeling position.

And then there was the cold.

It wasn’t the modern world, where heated floors and other conveniences were readily available. The wooden floor was cold, and sitting on it for an entire meal only made the experience more irritating.

Heena had grown accustomed to eating while sitting on a proper chair. It was more comfortable, easier on her body, and simply made more sense to her.

I need to get a chair and a proper dining table made as soon as I have enough money.

She added that to her growing list of things to do.

It wasn’t as though she wanted to waste money on unnecessary luxuries. She simply wanted to make her life a little more comfortable. If she was going to live in this world for a while, she might as well make some practical improvements instead of forcing herself to endure every inconvenience.