Chapter 38
The late Grand Marshal’s passing was an unforgettable pain for everyone in the Federation. Yet perhaps because of how Shi Xiaowang had repeatedly defended Jian Mo, or perhaps because people had come to understand that Jian Mo also had his own struggles regarding the Grand Marshal’s death, no one this time criticized him.
After a long while, the livestream room gradually returned to its usual lively atmosphere, and everyone’s conversation shifted to the taste of meat.
“One word: delicious!”
Meng Zhan smugly ran back in front of the camera.
“Yesterday, Xiaowang made us barbecue—whole roasted chicken and duck, and skewers with broccoli, mushrooms, and green onions. Absolutely delicious!”
[???]
[Who asked you?!]
[Kick this person out! Mute!]
[Little Duke! You actually ate without us! Are we still not your favorite people?!]
[Little Duke! Five minutes of no talking!]
[Ten minutes of no talking!]
“Don’t incite everyone’s anger, Teacher Meng. I’m the one who’ll bear the consequences!” Shi Xiaowang sighed.
While sighing, a small piece of sliced tomato was handed to him, causing him to reflexively tilt his head back.
Jian Mo smiled at him and waved the tomato slightly.
“This tomato is pretty sweet, give it a try.”
“What are you doing, Jian Xiaogong? Stealing food!” Shi Xiaowang scolded, but honestly opened his mouth to take the tomato, then widened his eyes with a hum of approval.
“It really is sweet! No wonder I picked the best ones!”
“Yeah, no wonder it’s you,” Jian Mo praised politely.
[No wonder it’s them. I came for the food, not for romance! But it does look really sweet…]
[Sweet! Perfect dessert!]
[So Jian Mo is like this in private? I thought he’d be cold and distant.]
[Shh! Keep it down! Jian Mo’s here today!]
[Warning: capture!]
“They’re asking you to ‘capture’ someone,” Shi Xiaowang laughed, tugging Jian Mo.
[Ah! Can’t say that carelessly!]
[Little Duke??]
“Hmm…”
Jian Mo walked over and began carefully examining the barrage of comments. His serious attention caused a stir in the livestream chat.
“There’s nothing false here; we can’t catch anyone,” he said regretfully after watching for a while.
“Want to try a bit harder?”
[No, no, no…]
[Sorry, we’re declining the trip to the Prison Star.]
Shi Xiaowang chuckled beside him.
With this idle time, Shi Xiaowang finished the remaining preparations, heated the oil in the pan, and officially started cooking.
“First, we’ll make sweet and sour pork. Normally, this uses pork, but since we haven’t started raising pigs yet, we’ll use chicken breast instead.”
He added seasonings and mixed them in.
“The meat needs to marinate for a while, then add an egg. Set it aside for now. During this time, we’ll prepare the tomato sauce. This dish is sweet and savory, very suitable for children.”
[Ah… cooking is so complicated…]
[I feel like making meat is harder than vegetables, and we have to marinate it too.]
“I’ve taught you the method for tomato sauce before, so I’m making it faster this time.”
[Isn’t it, Little Duke? You don’t really think we’re trying to learn, do you? He really wants to teach us…]
[Enough talk, Little Duke, open a restaurant already!]
Shi Xiaowang smiled.
“Well, eventually, since we’ve opened the sale of crops, meat is just a matter of time. It’s convenient to know how to do it yourself. Oh, and remember to grab the pre-sale slots, don’t miss out.”
[I’ve got two screens open! Refreshing nonstop!]
[I forgot, I’ll go guard it now!]
After finishing the tomato sauce, he re-oiled the pan and turned to pick up the marinated chicken.
He tripped, almost falling onto the table, but Jian Mo quickly reached out, grabbed his waist, and lifted him entirely with one hand.
“You okay?” Jian Mo asked, examining him.
“I’m fine, just startled me.” Shi Xiaowang glanced at the floor, noticing a small bump, and pointed it out.
“See? Not my fault. The ground’s uneven.”
“Yeah, my fault,” Jian Mo said with a smile.
Shi Xiaowang patted his arm and wiggled his dangling legs, whispering,
“Put me down…”
[Hahaha, looking at him suddenly makes him seem like a kid.]
[I thought he’d say ‘shorty,’ hahaha.]
[Looks like a dangling charm, kinda cute.]
“I’m giving a capture warning! Who’s the short one? I’m 1.78 meters! Not short at all!” Shi Xiaowang protested.
“You’re not short; it’s just Jian Mo growing so tall.”
Meng Zhan, sitting on a small stool eating sunflower seeds, teased while spitting shells.
“This guy is 1.94 meters, tall and stick-like, as if afraid no one can see him.”
Jian Mo snorted and glanced at him.
“Never seen the view from high up? Growing like a pillar, afraid you’ll miss money on the ground.”
“You…”
Meng Zhan swallowed his words with the shells and pointed at him.
“Just wait!”
“Wait for what? For you to kick my knee?” Jian Mo stretched his leg out.
“Here, don’t wait, just jump already.”
“You’re impossible, Jian Mo!” Meng Zhan angrily started searching for a weapon.
“If I don’t hit you today, my surname isn’t Meng!”
The table suddenly clanged, startling both Jian Mo and Meng Zhan. They looked over. Shi Xiaowang stood with hands on his hips, scowling, scanning both their faces.
“What’s wrong with you two? Didn’t fight enough yesterday? Starting again today? One’s a Marshal, the other a Director—together not even six years old! So childish! Come help, or no lunch for you!”
The two fell silent, exchanged a glance, and obediently came to help.
From the corner of his eye, Shi Xiaowang began frying the flour-coated meat strips. Meng Zhan whispered to Jian Mo, “Control your wife, he’s so fierce…”
Jian Mo whispered back, “Why don’t you control your student?”
“I heard that,” Shi Xiaowang warned without turning.
The two kept quiet and worked.
[Hahaha, dying of laughter…]
[Doesn’t matter if it’s a Director or Marshal, we’re all under the Little Duke!]
[So entertaining, I almost forget the food is important. Please livestream together more often!]
After frying the meat strips and draining them, Shi Xiaowang handed two to the two men.
“Here, one each. No more fighting after eating.”
Both silently remembered the Grand Marshal’s two Dobermans; when the dogs fought, they would try to mediate similarly.
They ate the meat, praising it:
“Delicious!”
Meng Zhan gave a thumbs up.
“Different texture than yesterday’s crispy roast chicken, but still very tasty!”
“Indeed,” Jian Mo commented succinctly.
Shi Xiaowang smiled, taking a piece himself.
“Right? Once we add tomato sauce, the taste changes again.”
The chat exploded with excitement.
[Ah!! This is really delicious!!]
[So this is what meat tastes like? When can I buy some? I can cook it myself!]
[Little Duke, so cruel! Always tempting us with things we can’t have! I want some too!]
“There will be! As promised, flowers and crops are already on sale, and chicken will be too,” Shi Xiaowang reassured while adding tomato sauce to the meat.
“Currently only our base sells crops, but we’re promoting cultivation elsewhere. Soon, all food will be commonplace.”
[Go, Little Duke!]
[Can’t wait to eat rice!]
The meat coated with tomato sauce became sweet, tangy, and savory, and the chat erupted again. Even Meng Zhan who was eating meat cheered.
“I love this! Of all the meat these days, this is my favorite! The sweet and sour taste is perfect!”
Jian Mo remained more composed; compared to sweet flavors, he preferred yesterday’s roast duck.
“Don’t eat too much. We’ve only made one dish. I’ll cook braised chicken with potatoes, stir-fry two vegetable dishes, then make a loofah soup. Once Aunt Ling arrives, we can eat with rice,” Shi Xiaowang reminded.
Whether from hunger or desire, Jian Mo and Meng Zhan focused on helping him, working faster.
After tasting the cooked dishes in the livestream, Shi Xiaowang quickly ended the broadcast, leaving the chat filled with complaints.
After lunch, they sat in the shade, leisurely eating watermelon. Relaxing and content.
“Maybe I should quit being a Director and just buy a hill to farm,” Meng Zhan said lazily in a lounge chair.
“Then go resign from His Majesty, let’s see if you can do it,” Jian Mo said casually.
“I’ve thought about it too,” Shi Xiaowang added.
“But I don’t need a whole hill; our land is enough for me. Just enough for Uncle Ye, Jian Da Meow, and the four of us. Plant, eat, play a few days, then lie in the greenhouse sunbathing. Sounds perfect.”
“Sure, and raise more chickens and ducks, then have barbecue at night,” Jian Mo agreed.
“Yeah!” Shi Xiaowang nodded.
“Tsk…” Meng Zhan glanced at Jian Mo.
“Oh right!” Meng Zhan suddenly remembered something, becoming serious.
“About His Majesty, I just received word. Due to the purification chamber’s success, tomorrow our team and you two will attend a celebration. There might be a formal press conference during the day, then dinner at night, similar to your previous investiture ceremony.”
“Ah?” Shi Xiaowang’s face fell.
“Another ceremony? Can I skip it and just go to dinner?”
Seeing him, Meng Zhan laughed.
“Probably not. Your ability is key to the purification chamber, so your presence matters. But this time it won’t be so grand—just a simple press conference. You can say a few words, leave the rest to me.”
“A few words? I don’t even know what to say…” Shi Xiaowang sighed.
“Just let me go home to farm…”
