Chapter 12
Chapter 12
"Boss, one basket of xiaolongbao, two meat buns, and two bowls of sweet soy milk."
On a busy corner of the old city, Jiang Li greeted the stall owner and ducked into the breakfast shop with Kakayan in tow. He picked out a table by the window and waved her into the empty seat.
Jiang Li used to eat here all the time.
There was only one reason: the soy milk was sweet.
The boss was a wiry, middle-aged man whose shaved head gleamed under the fluorescents. He cooked like a pro and never forgot a regular. Even though Jiang Li hadn't shown up for months, the man recognized his voice the moment he spoke. It was the morning rush, so the boss only nodded, but when the order arrived the plate carried two extra tea eggs.
"Kid, your girlfriend's gorgeous—eat up."
The boss gave Jiang Li a friendly slap on the shoulder, eyes crinkling with the sort of grin that knew too much.
Young man, young woman, early-morning breakfast date.
They must have had a long night.
"Thanks, Uncle."
Jiang Li laughed weakly; the more you argued this kind of thing, the worse it got. He pushed the two tea eggs toward Kakayan. "Try one."
"You're not having any?"
Kakayan sounded polite, but her fingers were already reaching.
"You earned them. They're yours."
Jiang Li's mouth twitched. The boss's free eggs were entirely thanks to the pretty girl sitting opposite him.
"Thank you, you're sweet."
Kakayan's courtesy lasted half a second. She peeled the shell in one long spiral, blew on the egg twice, and took a bite.
"So good!"
She had never tasted an egg seasoned like this; her eyes lit up like twin lanterns. How could something so small taste better than meat?
"Slow down—you'll choke."
"You think I'm three?"
Kakayan shot back. Still, the Witch Miss didn't really need the reminder. Unless she was starving, she ate with measured grace: back straight, delicate fingers ferrying food to her mouth. She chewed each mouthful completely, yet still polished off the first tea egg in three tidy bites.
Jiang Li sipped his soy milk and watched her.
Kakayan's white T-shirt was cut for a man's frame, the shoulder seams drooping so low she looked every inch a listless shut-in as she leaned forward to eat. No one would guess this harmless woman had once hovered ten storeys above the castle roof lobbing fireballs at him.
If her mana ever fully returned, would she still sit here beside him, eating breakfast in quiet companionship?
"You're not eating?"
Kakayan glanced at his untouched plate and, without the slightest hesitation, reached for his food.
Smack.
Jiang Li slapped her hand away, picked up his meat bun, and took a deliberate bite to establish ownership.
Greedy woman. She hadn't even finished what was in front of her.
Kakayan didn't take offense; she simply picked up her own bun and compared the two. Hers looked smaller. In truth every bun here was handmade—skin thin, stuffing generous, each the size of a palm.
She tore off a corner of dough and popped it into her mouth. Steam burst from the tiny tear, carrying the scent of pork so rich it made her dizzy.
Jiang Li hadn't lied; Earth really did have food that put instant noodles to shame.
She demolished the bun in record time, then fixed her gaze on the basket of xiaolongbao. After the hefty meat bun the soup dumplings looked like miniature replicas.
Everything else had been finger food, so Kakayan naturally assumed these were too. She reached out.
Jiang Li lifted a dumpling with practiced chopsticks.
...
Kakayan watched, wide-eyed. It wasn't that she didn't want any—she just didn't know how to use chopsticks.
"Do I really need those sticks?"
To her they were just tiny buns.
"Are you three?" Jiang Li raised an eyebrow. "Only kids use their hands."
Kakayan froze. This was no longer about breakfast; it was about pride. The boomerang had come back fast. She pulled out a pair of chopsticks and mimicked Jiang Li's grip, easing them toward the bamboo steamer.
The moment she applied pressure, the dumpling tore. Clear broth spilled out like liquid pearls. The once-plump wrapper sagged and collapsed against the slats.
"...You killed it."
Jiang Li delivered the killing blow, then lifted a perfect dumpling and popped it into his mouth.
"What does it taste like?" Kakayan swallowed.
He answered with an exaggerated smack of his lips and reached for another.
Suddenly her hand clamped over his wrist.
"Stop eating. Save some for me."
"Rebelling? I paid for these."
Jiang Li scowled.
"I want some too..."
Kakayan hesitated, then surrendered. "But I can't use chopsticks."
"Want me to feed you?"
"No!"
Kakayan jerked upright and shook her head. A witch was a proud being; by lifespan alone she ranked alongside dragons. At two hundred plus years she was still young for a witch, but far too old to be spoon-fed like a pet.
"Then I'm finishing them."
Jiang Li shrugged and turned back to the basket.
Kakayan sat frozen as the dumplings vanished one bite at a time. She wasn't especially hungry—tea eggs and a meat bun had seen to that—but the mystery of the unknown dish gnawed at her. She really wanted some. If she did nothing, Jiang Li would devour the lot.
"Jiang Li, you control the chopsticks, I'll control your hand. That way it's not feeding."
Kakayan summoned her astonishing intellect to solve the crisis.
"Are you really that hungry?"
Jiang Li blinked, startled.
One meat bun and a tea egg should have been enough to satisfy any adult.
"I want more."
Kakayan gave a solemn nod.
Seeing her resolve, Jiang Li said nothing. He lifted a plump xiaolongbao and held it to her lips.
"Hold on." Kakayan reached out, wrapped both hands around Jiang Li's wrist, and, in an awkward maneuver, guided the dumpling into her mouth.
The next second, the fragrant, silky xiaolongbao detonated on her tongue like a bomb. Her violet eyes snapped wide, gleaming.
"This is incredible!"
She cupped her cheeks, face flushed with rapture.
"..."
Jiang Li had never seen her wear such an expression. Who would've thought a witch more than two centuries old could lose herself over food?
He slipped out his phone, switched to video mode, and picked up the last xiaolongbao.
Kakayan repeated the previous performance, devouring the dumpling with pure satisfaction.
Jiang Li saved the clip. He planned to create an anonymous vlog account when he got home—Kakayan's looks and reactions were too entertaining to keep private.
After he stopped recording, he noticed unread notifications at the top of the screen.
It was the family group chat, with his parents pinging him.
Jiang Jianguo: Son, I'm in Hangzhou on business. Thought I'd drop by.
Jiang Jianguo: Still asleep?