Chapter 249: Time to Eat at Liang He’s Little Canteen!

Chapter 249: Chapter 249: Time to Eat at Liang He’s Little Canteen!

The pork ribs still needed time to stew. Liang He couldn’t bear to let the Mojin King Tiger go hungry, so she coaxed him into eating first. "You need to be a good boy and eat your food. Fill your tummy, and later you can help me call Lanton back." She was still thinking about Lanton. Even though he had eaten his breakfast later than the rest of them, it was about time for a snack.

When she went looking for the Killer Whale today, Lanton had been circling in the sky the entire time, burning a considerable amount of energy. Since neither Lanton nor Cedriel liked eating raw meat anymore, they definitely wouldn’t be able to find anything to eat out there. She couldn’t be blamed for worrying.

"AWOO—" Cedriel, eager to share Liang He’s burdens, saw that she had assigned him a task. Even if it was just calling Lanton back for a meal, he was more than happy to oblige.

Seeing the Mojin King Tiger CHOMP away at his food, Liang He watched him tenderly for a good while before suddenly remembering the ribs stewing in the pot and hurrying back to the kitchen. "Sorry, I was just..." She was about to explain that she wasn’t slacking off on purpose, but Huo An anticipated her words and offered comfort instead.

"Lick has washed all the vegetables, and I’ve chopped everything that needed chopping. I suppose the hard work falls on our head chef now?" His underlying meaning was simple. It was a division of labor to begin with; since it hadn’t been her turn to step in yet, taking a break or getting a little distracted was perfectly normal. There was no need to apologize. Understanding his implication, Liang He relaxed considerably and shooed them out of the kitchen with a smile in her eyes.

"Alright, thank you for your hard work, my two sous-chefs! Now it’s my turn to take the stage!" She sent them to rest at their seats while she busied herself with the cooking.

After finishing their discussion, Goring and the others finally felt their stomachs RUMBLE. Just as they decided to check if there were any leftovers to fill their bellies, they caught sight of Liang He bustling about through the transparent glass. "Why are you letting her cook all by herself? I’ll go help!" Seeing Liang He working alone in the kitchen, Leila rolled up her sleeves and moved to help without waiting for Huo An or Lick to explain.

Fortunately, President Lucas stopped her just in time. "Huo An and Lick have been helping out all along. Liang He is just doing the stir-frying right now, so you guys can just wait to eat." Hearing this, Leila realized she had misunderstood. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she offered an embarrassed smile.

"Sorry, I thought..." She had genuinely thought the others were unwilling to help with the cooking. In the end, the only ones reaping the rewards without lifting a finger were the three of them who had arrived late. Although they had just been hoping to scrounge a meal, seeing Liang He busily cooking inside made them feel incredibly guilty.

"Sigh... It’s mostly my lack of foresight for not making sure everyone ate on time. I’m truly ashamed that our invited guest has to cook for herself." Goring’s words actually echoed Ao Ke and Leila’s thoughts. No matter how you looked at it, Liang He had come to help them free of charge, yet now she had ended up as their personal chef. Of course, that wasn’t to say that being a chef was a lesser profession compared to theirs. They just felt that it was unjustifiable that Liang He, who had come to lend a hand, couldn’t even be guaranteed a hot meal and was forced to cook it herself.

"I understand what you mean, but I can’t offer comfort on Liang He’s behalf." Huo An always had a strong sense of boundaries and never offered generosity at another’s expense.

"However, once the food is ready, you can eat a bit more and praise her cooking skills. She should be very happy about that." This was a little secret Huo An had discovered during his daily interactions with Liang He. As the head chef, whenever someone praised her culinary skills and ate with great gusto, Liang He seemed to gain a profound sense of accomplishment and immense joy.

"Could this be the reason why she likes feeding fluffy animals and became a Breeder?" Lick’s thoughts suddenly went on a tangent, convinced he had just discovered the crux of the matter.

Hearing this, Cedriel—who had just finished his meal and gulped down the entire basin of milk Liang He had prepared for him—stiffened his massive frame slightly. An indescribable look flashed across his golden tiger eyes. He wondered if Liang He would be disappointed if he turned back into a human and couldn’t eat as much as he did now.

"Brother Hao, come help carry the dishes!" Just as a full and satisfied Cedriel started to zone out, Liang He finally finished cooking. At her call, everyone sprang up from their seats and ran into the kitchen one after another, scrambling to help.

"Then I’ll leave it to the gentlemen to carry these two large bowls of ribs to the table. The rest of you can handle the noodles and side dishes." Through the glass, Liang He had naturally spotted Goring and the others as well. Because of this, she had prepared enough noodles for seven people. Of course, if anyone wasn’t full, they could ask for more noodles at any time.

"These are tomato ribs. They’re sweet and sour, making them quite appetizing," Liang He gave everyone a brief introduction to the dishes. "This large bowl has potato ribs. They’re savory, fragrant, and so tender they practically melt in your mouth. The potatoes have stewed into mash. On Blue Star, mashed potatoes mixed with noodles is absolutely delicious."

Before Liang He could even finish, everyone was already eagerly lining up. Just like getting food in a cafeteria, they obediently waited for her to dish out their portions.

"President Lucas, which kind of ribs would you like?" Out of tacit respect, everyone let President Lucas go first in line.

"Tomato ribs? No, no... potato ribs instead? Oh dear, I’m a bit torn." Plagued by a bit of indecisiveness, President Lucas found himself struggling to choose.

In the end, Liang He grabbed another small bowl from the side and scooped half of his noodles into it. "One portion of noodles with two different flavors. Why not try both?"

"Yes! That’s wonderful! Why didn’t I think of that?!" A completely satisfied President Lucas walked away beaming, holding his two bowls of noodles.

There were also side dishes and pickled vegetables that Liang He had prepared on the dining table, free for anyone to take. "Liang He, I want to try both too, but you don’t need to separate them. Just put them together!" Not wanting to trouble Liang He, Leila opted to have both types of ribs scooped into the same bowl.

"Alright. If it’s not enough, you can come back for more. There are plenty of noodles too." Unlike President Lucas, the others were younger and naturally had larger appetites. Thus, regardless of whether they were men or women, Liang He made sure to remind them that they could ask for seconds. Hearing that they could get another bowl, those who had been equally conflicted simply decided to start with one flavor, saving the other for their second bowl.

"Wow! Liang He, your cooking is absolutely amazing!" As a fan, being able to eat food prepared by his idol—even if it was just a bowl of noodles—made Lick feel like crying tears of joy. Setting aside Lick’s fan-tinted glasses, the others also showered the rib noodles with immense praise.

Compliments were tossed at Liang He like they cost nothing, leaving her feeling rather fidgety. "...I’m just glad everyone likes it." She quickly scarfed down her bowl of noodles before rushing off to cook another large batch for everyone to serve themselves.

"I’m full. I’ll go check on the Little Tiger Whales. Take your time." Watching Liang He beat a hasty retreat, everyone exchanged glances before turning their eyes to Huo An in unison.

"Did you set us up? Liang He didn’t look very happy." Leila’s words were perhaps a bit too blunt, but it was clear that the rest of them shared the same thought.

Being questioned, Huo An simply drank the last mouthful of noodle soup calmly and pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth. "Instead of accusing me of setting you up, maybe you should reflect on yourselves." He had only told them to praise Liang He, not to overwhelm her with relentless flattery. If they didn’t understand the principle of talking less and eating more, he could hardly be blamed.