Daily Survival After Inheriting a Harem (GL) - Chapter 9

Qiu Qi might not be a master of elaborate dishes, but there was one thing she excelled at and relied on for survival during her unpaid days—egg-fried rice.

Pei Yuqing didn’t leave either. With a hint of curiosity, she leaned against a wall, watching Qiu Qi work up a sweat in front of the stove.

The kitchen was where communal meals were prepared. One pot was so large that an ordinary person needed two hands to lift it, and the prolonged action of tossing and flipping tested arm strength even further.

However, Qiu Qi had no shortage of strength now. She first rendered lard to grease the pan, then added the shredded fresh pork and stir-fried it until cooked.

Originally, she had intended to add the crispy rendered fat, but she had noticed Pei Yuqing’s slight aversion and guessed that she didn’t like greasy food, so she switched to just pork.

“Old Chef, can you beat an egg for me?” Qiu Qi remembered that the eggs in the bowl hadn’t been whisked.

“Ah?” The chef wiped his hands and walked over, holding his rough hands somewhat awkwardly. He cracked an egg with one hand and poured it into the bowl. “My Lord, how many?”

Qiu Qi looked at the few floating eggshell fragments, pondered for a moment, “…Never mind, I’ll do it.”

Because she didn’t know Pei Yuqing’s appetite, Qiu Qi generously added five large bowls of rice, so the eggs were also proportionally more.

First, she stir-fried the rice grains and shredded pork together until separated, then added the beaten egg mixture to the pot. This type of stove made it difficult to control the heat, so Qiu Qi had to speed up her flipping to prevent sticking.

It turned out that flipping a large wok was indeed a strenuous task. Qiu Qi had only been stir-frying for five minutes before she felt her arms were about to give out.

“All done!” The last step was plating. Qiu Qi washed the large bowl she had used for the eggs, then filled it to the brim with fried rice and presented it to Pei Yuqing. “Madam, please try it quickly.”

Pei Yuqing looked at the “basin” in front of her, comparable in size to a washbasin, then at the pitiful, palm-sized bowl in Qiu Qi’s hand…

“My Lord, do you misunderstand my appetite?” Even if Elves didn’t eat, they wouldn’t starve; they occasionally ate merely to satisfy their cravings.

But Beast-folk were different; eating five chickens in one meal was no big deal for them.

Pei Yuqing proactively swapped bowls with Qiu Qi, taking the smaller portion herself.

“You want to eat too?” Qiu Qi noticed the old chef’s longing gaze, so she gave him a small bowl as well.

“Thank you, My Lord!” The old chef held the bowl of golden egg-fried rice, his expression as excited as if he were holding a lump of gold.

He respectfully held his spoon, carefully scooping a spoonful from the edge of the bowl. The egg, infused with the aroma of lard, enveloped the hot rice grains, and the shredded pork provided a varied texture. With just a touch of salt, the entire bowl of fried rice was outstandingly delicious.

“It’s so delicious!” The old chef shed tears of emotion. “My Lord, please tell me the secret recipe!”

Seeing that the chef had eaten and was still perfectly fine, Pei Yuqing then picked up a chopstick and put a mouthful into her own mouth.

The golden egg-fried rice grains were distinct, the combination of shredded pork and egg was just right. Although lard was added, the stir-frying had removed the greasiness, leaving only the aroma. The salt was used sparingly, perfectly suiting her light palate.

Overall, it was a dish with excellent color, aroma, and taste—truly good.

Pei Yuqing had eaten many Human delicacies before, but this simple egg-fried rice was in no way inferior in taste.

It was, surprisingly, the first time she had ever eaten food so cleanly.

“Madam, do you like it? Eat more if you do!”

“Yes, My Lord should also eat more…” Seeing the basin in Qiu Qi’s arms already half empty, Pei Yuqing silently took back the rest of her sentence. “My Lord, remember to chew slowly and carefully when eating, lest you choke.”

“Burp!” The moment she finished speaking, Qiu Qi, her face flushed, clutched her throat and let out a burp. “Wuwuwu, I really did choke.”

Pei Yuqing reacted quickly, pouring water and feeding it to Qiu Qi.

Qiu Qi drank the water in large gulps from Pei Yuqing’s hand. Glistening drops of water ran down her neck and disappeared into her collar, soaking a patch of fabric.

Pei Yuqing held the bowl and freed a hand to grab a cloth to wipe Qiu Qi’s collar. “Don’t rush.”

The tears welling up at the corners of her eyes were tears of happiness. Qiu Qi, having healed from her pain, forgot it immediately. After drinking the water, she instantly opened her mouth again and stuffed in a full mouthful, puffing out her cheeks. “I can’t eat slowly; it’s best to eat it while it’s hot. You don’t know how long it’s been since I had a bite of this. I even think I’m a genius; how can my cooking be so delicious!”

“Mm, it is very delicious,” Pei Yuqing replied, reaching out and gently rubbing Qiu Qi’s chin with her thumb. “Eat slowly, no one is fighting you for it. You’re getting rice everywhere.”

Qiu Qi’s movements suddenly paused. She blinked, looking up at Pei Yuqing, the playful look gone from her face.

The latter slightly raised an eyebrow, meeting her gaze and asking softly, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Qiu Qi smiled. “When my mom was still alive, she was just like you; she always loved to say that.”

Qiu Qi had no father. Her mother was a strong woman who would leave Qiu Qi with neighbors or at kindergarten when she went to work. Only occasionally, during holidays, would they sit down and enjoy a meal together.

They rarely had meals together, so Qiu Qi always ate like she did now, in a hurry, as if someone was going to snatch her food.

However, her mother had a tough life. She finally raised Qiu Qi, and her career was just getting on track. Just when she thought she could finally relax and live out the rest of her life peacefully, she suddenly developed cancer during a medical check-up and passed away not long after, when Qiu Qi was twenty.

Qiu Qi, an “elderly orphan,” thus carried a mortgage and started drawing certain-forbidden comics to make a living.

The original owner’s mother was unknown, so Pei Yuqing couldn’t discern the truth of Qiu Qi’s words. However, this time, looking at the faint sadness and longing in Qiu Qi’s eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to make a malicious guess.

“My condolences.” These two words were Pei Yuqing’s limit.

She was never good at comforting people.

But Qiu Qi was easier to coax than she imagined. She soon grinned and hugged Pei Yuqing’s arm. “It’s okay. Now I have Madam with me, and I’ll live very happily from now on.”

Pei Yuqing’s eyelashes trembled. For the first time, she proactively raised her hand and, with a comforting gesture, gently stroked Qiu Qi’s head.

After she made this movement, both their bodies stiffened. One hadn’t expected the other to suddenly touch them proactively, and the other hadn’t expected themselves to subconsciously make such an intimate gesture.

Elves had always been aloof and proud. Pei Yuqing only showed a hint of softness when dealing with Lan Tang, who had grown up with her.

She smiled self-deprecatingly, thinking, I didn’t expect that while playing this role, I would almost take it seriously myself.

Author’s Note:

Pei Mei Ren (Beauty Pei) is starting to waver. As expected… is a coquettish woman the luckiest? (not really)