Chapter 276 : How to Prepare a Salted Fish
“I can’t thank you enough for all your help today,” Nanase Ren said, bowing to Ling Ning. If she hadn’t met Miss Ling Ning, she truly wouldn’t have known what to do.
“No need to thank me. If you get bored at the hotel, you can always give me a call or even come over to my place. I’d love to discuss more about cooking with you~”
Ling Ning replied with a cheerful smile. During lunch, they’d discussed various culinary topics, and she’d discovered that Nanase Ren had an impressive depth of knowledge in cooking. Ling Ning felt they could learn a lot from each other, and who knew what interesting insights they might uncover.
“Mhm~”
Nanase Ren nodded softly. She was passionate about cooking and often spent time researching recipes on her own. Now that she’d met someone with a shared interest, she was excited to explore culinary topics together.
Watching Ling Ning’s retreating figure, Li Qian and Li Meng both wondered if maybe they, too, should learn a thing or two about cooking. Both had completely forgotten about their “kitchen disaster” track record.
In their minds, the last time they’d tried to cook was simply a case of insufficient preparation. If they properly prepared, surely they could make dishes that would dazzle, just like in Cooking Master X or Food Wars!
As Nanase Ren walked away, Ling Ning noticed the twins standing there, lost in thought, with drool practically forming at the corners of their mouths. What on earth could they be imagining to have that reaction, especially after just finishing lunch?
“Ahem.”
After Ling Ning coughed lightly, the twins snapped out of it and quickly wiped the corners of their mouths.
“So, what are we doing this afternoon?”
Ling Ning squinted up at the sun, the blinding light making her shield her eyes. With this scorching weather, she didn’t care where they went—as long as there was air conditioning.
Li Qian, originally planning to spend the day at the movies, suddenly recalled her recent musings. “How about we check out the bookstore? I’ve been feeling a bit bored lately, so I thought it might be nice to buy a few books to read.”
Li Meng shot her sister a deadpan look, thinking they both clearly had a different destination in mind.
“Meow meow meow!?” Ling Ning looked at the twins suspiciously. To her knowledge, neither of them was the bookish type. Suddenly wanting to go to a bookstore—could they be planning to buy those cliché CEO romance novels? Now that she thought about it, that seemed likely.
Not that it mattered much to Ling Ning. She’d go anywhere with air conditioning.
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“Aaah, I feel alive again!”
Ling Ning sighed with contentment as she took in the refreshing air conditioning, sipping on a cool milk tea. Summer survival without AC was simply unthinkable.
“Why’d you pick the same book as me?”
“No, you’re the one who copied me! I picked it up first!”
“Liar! I had my eye on it from across the room!”
Ling Ning watched them argue, exasperated. Despite being twins who shared similar looks and habits, they somehow couldn’t get along for more than five minutes without bickering. Didn’t they ever get tired of it?
What really surprised her, though, was their choice of book. Instead of some trashy romance novel like CEO Falls in Love with Me, they were both holding a cookbook, Simple Home Cooking Recipes. What had gotten into them?
“Why are you two suddenly interested in this type of book?” she asked, curious.
The twins both turned to her, replying in perfect unison, “To learn how to cook, of course!”
“Huh?”
Ling Ning recalled her last visit to their house and their “performance” in the kitchen. They were practically kitchen destroyers. If they were actually serious about learning to cook…
“Well, as long as you’re happy,” she said, shaking her head. She then picked out a book on ingredient preparation, convinced the twins wouldn’t last long.
Sure enough, her guess was right. Barely ten minutes in, the twins, who had initially looked enthusiastic, now wore blank expressions. Another ten minutes passed, and they were visibly sleepy, struggling to keep their eyes open as if their eyelids were weighted. After another ten minutes, they were both slumped over the table, fast asleep.
Watching this, Ling Ning couldn’t help but feel helpless. She gave them a gentle nudge, waking them up, and they looked at her sheepishly, realizing how ridiculous they’d been with their earlier enthusiasm.
“It must have been that late-night movie binge last night,” Li Qian said, chuckling awkwardly as she avoided Ling Ning’s gaze.
Seeing her sister’s excuse, Li Meng also chimed in, pretending to sigh. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have stayed up gaming. Now I’m really exhausted…”
Ling Ning chuckled, seeing through their flimsy excuses but choosing not to call them out. “Maybe you two should look at some other books. If you’re serious about cooking, I could just teach you sometime.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary! Just explain a few things here from this book, and we’ll be all set,” Li Meng said, grinning as she handed Simple Home Cooking Recipes to Ling Ning and scooted closer to her, subtly inhaling her scent, delighted.
Watching her sister lean in, Li Qian felt a surge of jealousy. She had been there first, hadn’t she?
Without a word, Li Qian squeezed in on Ling Ning’s other side, shooting her sister a challenging look.
Ling Ning looked at the twins with mild exasperation, then picked up the cookbook and began explaining the basics. She doubted they’d absorb much, but she humored them.
Strangely enough, under Ling Ning’s guidance, the dull cookbook seemed interesting. Coupled with her pleasant voice, the twins suddenly felt inspired, each thinking, “Let’s try cooking something tonight!”
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Author’s Note:
Another pure-hearted book recommendation: Shouta’s Strange Tales/翔太的怪异物语 by "Honko." It’s already got over a million words! Here’s a summary:
Sawamura Spencer Shouta is still troubled by his blushing, tsundere sister Eriri.
Despite not being a transmigrator and having no cheat abilities, he didn’t choose to make games or write light novels. Instead, he lives the life of a regular high school student. Until that day when he saw the senior he’d been chasing, Saeko Busujima, a class rep with cat ears, Tsubasa Hanekawa, and even found himself turned into a vampire due to a series of bizarre events.
Now, an older woman (asjfoihf) and an “older sister” stand before him, claiming to be his long-lost other half.
As someone who’s already dating Senior Kasumigaoka, what is he supposed to do?
This is urgent. Awaiting replies online.