Chapter 22: A Feast for the Senses
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation.
Yu Sheng had so much meat that he couldn’t cook it all at once, so he decided to make different dishes out of it, each prepared in a unique way.
As the old saying goes, “First time unfamiliar, second time familiar, by the third time you add scallions, ginger, and cooking wine.” Perhaps early humans experimented with nature’s bounty much like this, step by step.
Humming a tune to himself, Yu Sheng chopped the largest chunk of meat into big pieces. He blanched them in boiling water to get rid of any scum, then added star anise, fennel, cloves, cinnamon, and other spices into a clay pot. Placing the meat inside, he poured in water, a dash of salt, soy sauce, and a splash of cooking wine to get rid of any gamey taste. He set the pot on the stove to simmer slowly.
While the stew was bubbling away, Yu Sheng took some of the remaining meat and stir-fried two dishes: one with chili peppers and the other with garlic sprouts. He tasted both and found them to be fresh and delicious—not too tough, not undercooked. The meat was tender, with a smooth texture, somewhat like very tender beef, though he couldn’t quite place the flavor.
He still had some meat left, but Yu Sheng planned to wait until he was sure there were no problems with the meal before curing it for storage. Maybe he could try dehydrating it into jerky using an air fryer? He hadn’t tried that before, but it was an idea.
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, he felt like an adventurer, exploring culinary possibilities no one had ventured into before.
After nearly two hours in the kitchen, Yu Sheng finally opened the door and began bringing out plates, bowls, and the clay pot of stew to the dining table, making several trips.
From within her oil painting, Irene watched him rushing around, her eyes wide with a mix of curiosity and concern. Her face held a look that was torn between “Oh, just let him be” and “You can’t! You absolutely can’t!” After a while, she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“You’re not really going to eat that, are you?” she called out, her voice laced with alarm. “That’s stuff you brought back from the Otherworld! You could poison yourself!”
Yu Sheng looked up at her and shrugged. “What if I told you I’ve already eaten it twice over there?”
The mixed emotions on Irene’s face were replaced by sheer shock. “What?!”
“Look at me—alive and well,” Yu Sheng said matter-of-factly. “So it should be fine. This was hard-earned; it’d be a shame to waste it.” He grinned. “You know hunting, right? This is my catch. Sooner or later, I’m going to bring that thing back whole and show it who’s boss.”
Irene stared at him, speechless. Yu Sheng glanced at her stunned expression and asked, “By the way, has anyone ever tried eating the ‘entities’ from the Otherworld? You said they come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them must look edible.”
“Who would try that?” Irene looked horrified. “You have no idea what kind of strange properties they might have! Poison would be the least of your worries. Who puts stuff like that in their mouth? And you ate it twice? Really?”
“Yep,” Yu Sheng replied casually. “But the first two times were sashimi. The situation was urgent—no time to cook. It was either eat or die.” As he spoke, he sat down at the table, casually picked up a slice of meat with his chopsticks, and popped it into his mouth, chewing with satisfaction.
Irene was stunned. “And… what happened after you ate it?”
“I died,” Yu Sheng said honestly.
Irene’s eyes widened. “And you still…”
Then she paused, realizing something was off. Not knowing about his “resurrections,” she thought he was joking. She glared at him. “I’m being serious!”
Yu Sheng chuckled at her reaction. He was starting to enjoy teasing this doll. After all, she couldn’t jump out of the painting and hit him.
He chose not to explain his “deaths and resurrections.” Irene wouldn’t understand—it would sound like nonsense. Besides, he had too many questions about what was happening to him. He wanted to figure things out before discussing them with her.
Unaware of the thoughts behind his mischievous smile, Irene glanced at the dishes on the table. She watched him chew as she mulled over the idea.
The food did look… quite appetizing. The meat, once cooked, looked like any ordinary dish, nothing like its original strange appearance.
“Is it… tasty?” she finally asked, trying to sound casual.
Yu Sheng chuckled, as if he’d been expecting this. He picked up an empty bowl, ladled some stew into it, and set it in front of her painting.
“I didn’t say I wanted any,” Irene mumbled.
“Well, you can’t actually eat it anyway,” Yu Sheng said. “So there’s no need to worry about what it’s made of, right?”
She considered this and nodded. “I suppose so.”
Content, she sat before the bowl and chopsticks he’d set up, as if she could truly partake.
Halfway through the meal, their conversation returned to a different topic.
“Actually, there’s another reason no one has come looking for you,” Irene said, hugging a small teddy bear as she perched at the edge of her frame. “Some organization or government might have noticed something strange here. But they might think it’s not time to act yet, or they haven’t figured out the connection to the Otherworld. So they’re just watching for now.”
“Watching?” Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah. There could be agents in plainclothes watching your house right now. After all, you returned from the Otherworld on your own before they could even rescue you. Whether it’s your abilities or just dumb luck, the specialists didn’t get a chance to step in. They probably haven’t found the exact connection point, so they’re just watching. You should keep an eye out over the next few days—see if you notice any unfamiliar faces around. They could be undercover agents, detectives, investigators—it’s easy enough to tell. Just make sure you keep an eye out when you check the ads on the utility poles nearby…”
Yu Sheng ignored her remark about utility pole ads and glanced out the window.
Irene made it sound simple: just notice if there are any unfamiliar faces around. But how was he supposed to know who was unfamiliar? He’d only been here for two months, and he’d spent most of that time holed up inside. Plus, he was a bit face-blind. Half the people here were strangers to him!
“Do you think that pancake seller on the corner looks like an agent?” he muttered to Irene, suspiciously eyeing the street.
“I wouldn’t know; I can’t see,” she replied.
“Oh, right. Sorry.” He picked up her painting and placed it near the window. “Over there, that one…”
“Doesn’t look like it.”
“You sure?”
“Of course. He can make a pancake with sausage and egg in fifty seconds. If he were an agent, he wouldn’t even know how to brush the oil that fast.”
“Good point. What about the guy next to him—the one fixing phone screens?”
“Not him either—his hands are too quick.”
“Hmm… Well, what about—”
“Stop looking,” Irene interrupted. “Being paranoid won’t help, and if they’re real professionals, you won’t spot them. Instead of guessing, you should go out more over the next few days. You’ve been exposed to the Otherworld’s aura. If you get close, they’ll notice you immediately.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Yu Sheng admitted with a sigh. He couldn’t argue with her logic. He started clearing the dishes from the table.
Just as he turned away, Irene called out, “Could you put me back first? I’m still leaning against the window!”
He sighed heavily, turning back to grab her painting. “So much trouble,” he muttered under his breath.
“Well, if you’d hurry up and get me a body, I could move around on my own,” she retorted, raising an eyebrow as he set her back on the dining table. “I feel like we’ve gotten to know each other better today, so I’m asking again…”
Yu Sheng’s mouth twitched.
When they’d talked about her “escape plan” before, Irene had said they weren’t familiar enough to work together. He hadn’t expected her definition of “familiar” to be so… flexible.
“We’ll talk about it later,” he said evasively. “I’ve got a lot going on right now. At least wait until I’m through this busy period…”
“Alright,” she agreed easily, though she looked a little disappointed. “But don’t forget!”
She was quiet for a moment, watching him tidy up. Then she piped up again, “So what are you going to do next? Heading out to check utility poles?”
“What’s your obsession with utility poles?” Yu Sheng shot her an exasperated look. “I’m going upstairs to sleep! I’m exhausted!”
“Oh,” Irene murmured, then pointed at the TV opposite her painting.
“Could you fix the TV first? The signal went out, and there’s nothing to watch…”
Yu Sheng stared at her, momentarily speechless.
After a long pause, he let out an especially heavy sigh.
It hadn’t even been that long since he’d started spending time with this chatterbox, but he was already beginning to miss his quiet, solitary life.