“What are you doing? This is the test field for the God of Cookery; drinking brine to commit suicide won’t work here!” the system yelled in a panicked manner.

  The cold and ferocious look in Mag’s eyes was quite unsettling even to the system.

  Much to Mag’s surprise, the putrid brine was unexpectedly gentle on the tongue, and the stinky odor gradually disappeared, leaving behind a rich aroma that spread over his palate. The aroma didn’t belong to any ingredient or condiment, but was completely unique instead, and it was particularly rich and tasteful having been fermented for so long.

  “Gulp.”


  Mag swallowed the mouthful of brine, and its unique flavor lingered in his mouth for a long time before finally dissipating.

  “So this is what it tastes like……” Mag slowly opened his eyes as a surprised look appeared on his face.

  Stinky tofu was one of the foods that were on his taboo list, and he’d never understood how anyone in the world could bear to stomach such a foul-smelling dish.

  However, the mouthful of brine he’d just tasted had completely changed his impression of stinky tofu. What kind of flavor combination would result from this rich brine and tofu? Mag was starting to look forward to this new creation.

  After the rich flavor dissipated, the putrid odor wafting through the air struck Mag again, and even though he didn’t spring back like last time, he still couldn’t help but take a step backward. He resisted the urge to take another sip of brine just to escape this horrible smell, and closed his eyes to calm down. He tried to truly inhale the odor in the air in an attempt to pinpoint the rich aroma he’d identified earlier, and then focused on that particular aroma.

  When he opened his eyes again, the smell in the air didn’t seem to be as abhorrent as before. Even though it still wasn’t a good smell by any stretch of imagination, it was bearable at the very least.

  The complex cooking process meant that he’d have to spend more time to perfect every step, and he also had to ensure that all of the steps connected with each other seamlessly.

  This meant that there was also more potential for error.

  “No good!”


  “No.”


  “It’s still a little off.”
……

  Mag wallowed in the putrid odor, and continued to make stinky tofu like a madman while the system rejected him over and over again.

  He had already forgotten the putrid odor as his nose was dissecting the aroma in the air, trying to break it down into its individual constituents before finding the best combination……

  Beep, beep…… Beep, beep……

  Sally was woken up by a strange sound at 5 am, but she didn’t want to open her eyes as she lay under her warm and comfortable blanket. She had never felt so comfortable before, and it was as if she’d sunk deep into a cotton ball.

  Wait…… This is……!!!

  Sally abruptly opened her eyes as she looked around at her surroundings, which were familiar yet alien at the same time, and her eyes gradually widened.

  A thought then occurred to her, and she abruptly turned around, heaving a sigh of relief when she discovered that there was no one lying next to her on the large bed.

  She then swept her blanket aside to find that she was still wearing her clothes and stockings from the day before. Her qipao was a little creased and disheveled, but that was only normal seeing as she’d slept an entire night in it.

  Only then did Sally completely relax as she recalled the events that had unfolded the night before. After tucking Anna into bed, she’d planned to lie down on Mag’s bed to take a rest, but she was so tired that she slept all the way until morning.

  Sally immediately blushed as the fact that this was Mag’s bed dawned on her. Who would’ve thought that she would sleep an entire night on a man’s bed!

  Wait…… I feel like I was wearing my shoes when I lay down yesterday, so why…… Sally turned to discover a pair of black leather shoes placed neatly beside the bed.

  Could it be…… Sally suddenly recalled that she’d dreamed of ants crawling over her feet the night before, and the recollection made her blush deepen even further.

  She knew that Mag wasn’t the type of person to take advantage of her, so he’d most likely taken off her shoes so she could have a better night’s sleep. However, the thought of a man taking off her shoes and touching her feet in the process still filled her with humiliation and anger.

  “Huh? Why are you here, Big Sister Aisha? Where’s Father?”


  Amy had just been roused by the alarm, and she turned to Sally with a confused look on her face.

  “Did you not go back last night, Big Sister Aisha? Did you sleep with Uncle Mag?” Anna also sat up before turning to Sally with a curious look.

  Ugly Duckling was doing his best not to fall off the bed, but it was also staring at Sally with wide eyes.

  Sally looked back at the curious trio, and a panicked look that completely belied her usual calm and aloof demeanor appeared on her face. She hurriedly waved her hands, and explained, “It’s not what you think.”


  “Wow! This is the first time something like this has happened!” Amy jumped down from the bed, and then rushed over to the larger bed. She picked up a corner of her blanket with a curious look on her face, and asked, “So where’s Father hiding? Huh? He’s not under the blanket.”


  “Perhaps under the bed?”


  “He’s not under the bed, either,” Anna replied with a shake of her head.

  Ugly Duckling rushed over to the closet in an excited manner before pawing at the closet’s doors.

  Amy and Anna immediately rushed over to the closet and flung open its doors, only to find that there was nothing in there aside from piles of neatly folded clothes.

  “He’s not in here, either.”


  Both Amy and Anna were looking rather disappointed.

  “Phew……”


  Sally heaved a sigh of relief before she realized what was happening, and she was suddenly struck by a sense of exasperation. Why did she feel as if she’d just dodged a bullet? Nothing had happened! So why did she feel like a naughty child who had been caught doing something wrong?

  “It’s alright, Big Sister Aisha, we haven’t found Father, but we refuse to believe that nothing happened between the two of you,” Amy consoled.

  “I heard from a storyteller that some things will happen when a man and a woman lie down on the same bed, but grandpa always covered my ears when the storyteller reached that part in the story. However, I’m sure it’s something quite important,” Anna chimed in with a nod of her head.

  Sally looked on at the two little girls with her mouth slightly agape, and she suddenly felt as if there was no way that she could talk her way out of this situation.

  “Don’t worry, Big Sister Aisha. If you don’t want other people to know, then we’ll keep this a secret,” Amy said with a smile before putting on her slippers and running downstairs. After reaching the bottom of the staircase, she just so happened to bump into Mag, and she immediately asked, “Father, did you sleep with Big Sister Aisha?”