Liang Chen stopped in front of the door, holding the two beef shanks as he looked at the door handle. He’d really only have to reach out with his free hand and push the handle down and then he’d be able to meet up with Yan Ling and his reincarnated family, it was an act so easy it would be simplicity itself. But he didn’t stretch out his arm, his head tilting slightly as he looked down. His posture was maintained for a handful of seconds, long enough for Qing Feng to catch up with him and place his hand on the handle.
"They’re waiting for us on the other side,Wasn’t really any need to wait for me."
Qing Feng seemed to have become rather relieved by their conversation, he looked more at ease now, even a little appreciative. But there was a tiny glint in his eyes, a sliver of sorrow tucked away behind his pupils. He probably wasn’t entirely comfortable with the sort of life Liang Chen lived. But he didn’t voice his thoughts and just pushed open the door, beckoning Liang Chen inside.
"Welcome. Our home probably isn’t much compared to what you and Yan Ling’ve seen over the years, but at least you’ll always be welcome here."
Qing Feng’s arms swept out in a welcoming gesture. Liang Chen was going to marry and take care of the girl he treated as if she was his own daughter, they’d be family once all this was over. And his doors, well, they were always open to family, even if it was family he had yet to learn that much about. Liang Chen still stood a step away from the open door, his head still slightly tilted as he looked down at where the handle used to be.
His brows were furrowed, wrinkles spreading across his forehead. He found it… a bit difficult to take that one step forward. It had been the same with the handle, his hand hadn’t been quite willing to stretch out, it was as if his entire body was hesitating to move forward. He had already given up on his family, he saw that they had reincarnated and were happy so he gave up on reuniting with them, remembering the past would only hurt them, and being with someone like him would only endanger them. So he was content with keeping his distance, but then Yan Ling had dragged him here.
She had given him a pep-talk, she had convinced him that it was fine, that he deserved it. And he had believed her, albeit somewhat hesitantly. He had grown strong, he had grown confident, he was someone who could protect others. But in that moment where he was alone and had to take the step on his own, his body faltered, it still feared and hesitated. He realized it, and he also realized why, the shadow of a self-deprecating smile flashing past his face.
"…I really am a joke."
He shook his head, wiping away the shadow that tried to settle on his face. He then raised his head and took that step forward. No matter how much of a joke he was, there was someone on the other side of that door that thought better of him, someone who believed that even a raging fire could take care of others without burning them. He had to respond to that belief at the very least, he had to make it come true.
"There ya go, welcome to our humble abode. Honey, we’ve brought two more legs, that enough for you?"
Qing Feng closed the door behind Liang Chen and welcomed him, calling out to his wife afterwards, his voice echoing through the hallway. The house that was hidden behind the door was as normal as they came, a small room where you could leave your coats and shoes, a small hallway leading into a living room on the right, furnished with four bookshelves. The books looked a bit too nice for a farmers family so they were probably brought by Yan Ling over the years.
"Yeah, two legs’ll be more than enough! I’ve already gotten to work so you can just bring them right here!"
The voice of Qing Lan came from beyond the living room and a bit to the left so there was probably another small hallway there that separated the two rooms. Yan Ling and Qing Chun’s voices could just barely be heard a bit to the right of the living room so it didn’t seem like they were helping with the cooking, and with what Liang Chen remembered of Yan Ling’s cooking it was unlikely to be a coincidence. And indeed, Qing Feng confirmed just that with a gesturing nod.
"You heard her, Chen Boy, just take em straight to her. Into the living room and then straight to the left, you can’t miss it. Yan Ling said that you’re the one who was in charge of cooking when you travelled together so I take it that you don’t have anything against helping her get things ready faster? The two other kiddos have been too lazy in their training so I wouldn’t go farther than saying that what they make can be eaten."
Liang Chen looked at the small wall straight ahead of him, as if his gaze could pierce the wood and see it all. And true, he could do that if he wanted, or at least something similar. If he wanted to then he could see everything that happened on almost the entire planet, much less this small house. But he didn’t. Right now he just didn’t want to do that. It was the atmosphere here, the gentle and peaceful aura that lingered in the air, it even came from Yan Ling. This was home, this was a place where you should rest with your family, this was a place to be normal.
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"Yeah, I can help her. I have some… Experience with cooking."
But, even if he didn’t use his abilities here, he felt like he could tell what Qing Lan was cooking over there. The scent of vegetables in the air, the heavy smell of broth, the fruity fragrance of redwine, the beef shanks he carried. Yes, he was familiar with a dish just like that, he had quite a bit of experience with cooking that dish.
"Perfect. I’ll go make sure the two other kiddos actually set up the dining room, they’ve got a tendency to wander into their own world when they’re together."
Qing Feng’s hand landed on Liang Chen’s shoulder for a moment, an although it seemed like he was quite used to the act, he also looked a bit awkward doing it to Liang Chen so it was probably a way for him to close the distance between them. There was no need for it, but he guided Liang Chen to the living room and pointed him down the path to the kitchen before he split away and headed for where Yan Ling’s voice came from.
"You can drop the legs over there, dear. Ah, and can you get our new son-in-la… oh, how nice timing."
Qing Lan spoke to him the moment he entered the kitchen, dried ingredients hanging from the wooden beams that lined the ceiling. She didn’t turn to face him straight away but changed her tune when she glanced back and saw him, gesturing towards the bench next to her with her thumb.
"That one, just plop them down there. I’m going to make a stew I’ve been eating since I was a child but it’s rare for me to make it for so many people, mind helping me? I should have a recipe around here somewhere…"
Her head started moving about a bit as she looked around, seemingly scanning the various shelves and handwritten books that were scattered about in the kitchen in a haphazard manner. She was just about to step away from the stove when Liang Chen stopped her by placing the two legs on the counter she had pointed at.
"No need for a recipe. I can tell what you’re making from the ingredients, my family used to make a similar dish."
The ingredients he saw were exactly what he had smelled. Some carrot, some potatoes, a bit of leek, fresh garlic, sweet potato, bell peppers. There were two vegetables he wasn’t quite familiar with, probably a local speciality more than anything else. She had also pulled out some spices, some that he was familiar with and some that he wasn’t, it seemed like this reincarnated version of his mother preferred the food to be a bit spicier.
"Oh? That’s wonderful, then we can just get right to it. But you’ll have to tell me about your version of the dish later, regional varieties have always been an interest of mine."
Qing Lan smiled quite happily, almost humming as she turned back to the stove where the broth was stewing. Another pot was placed right next to the broth, a bit of smoke rising from it as she was cutting the vegetables and spices into it. Liang Chen also gave a very small and quiet smile, fetching the large cutting board that Qing Lan had probably prepared.
"Yeah, when we’ve got the time for it then I’ll teach it to you, you’ll probably pick it right up."
He wet a small cloth she had put on the counter and placed it beneath the cutting board, fetching one of the knives that had been stabbed into what looked like a sponge. He picked a long and flexible one, as well as one that was wider and heavier than most knives, sharpening them slightly before he placed the first beef shank on the cutting board. He first used the heavy one to remove the hoof, this wasn’t the type of dish that used it. He then spun the leg so that the thigh-part faced him, sliding the long knife under the skin.
There were several layers of fat between the skin and the meat, most of them getting removed as Liang Chen made small cuts while tugging on the skin to remove both it, the fat, as well as the connective tissue that held them together. He left the layer of fat that was right above the meat, it would just add more flavour. He then followed the bone with the long knife, bending it as he cut out the meat and separated the joint. Qing Lan occasionally glanced over at him, a soft exclamation of surprise slipping out.
"You’re good with the knife, did you work as a chef before or is it just something you learned?"
His cuts were quick and clean and he worked with efficiency that was clearly ingrained into him, each move repeated more than just a handful of times. There weren’t many actual chefs in these parts, just people who were taught the basics as they grew up, it would be quite nice to have an actual chef to learn from. But Liang Chen could only shake his head, Qing Lan not missing the fond and slightly reminiscing curve of his lips and eyes.
"My mother taught me when I was younger. I was rather lazy back then so she wanted me to at least have something to do."
He wasn’t cultivating, nor was he studying to cultivate in the future, so whenever the other kids in the area went off to cultivate he would be all alone and have nothing to do. At those times, his mother dragged him into the kitchen and made him help. Now that he looked back at it he couldn’t help but find it slightly funny. Those kids who had cultivated diligently and the boy who helped in the kitchen, it really was funny that it ended up being the latter that rose highest.
Qing Lan’s eyes sparkled slightly as she looked at Liang Chen. Yes, the look he wore now was much better than the one he had when he first came here, he had been far too similar to how Yan Ling was when they first met. This was much more natural, much more fitting for the age he looked to be. Of course, she also quite enjoyed what she heard.
"How nice. I wish Yan Ling or Little Chun had an interest in cooking, it’s much more fun to cook with family, don’t you think?"
They occasionally tried to help, obviously, but those times couldn’t really be called cooking together. It was fun enough, always something to laugh about due to how chaotic it was, but this type of cooking together was also nice, it was more peaceful and calm. If she had to come up with a comparison then it would be like gently rowing a boat across a lake, both parties taking charge of one oar as they worked together. It was satisfying, so it was a shame that her daughters couldn’t share in it. Liang Chen also didn’t deny it, maintaining a fond expression as he finished the first shank and started to cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
"Yeah, it really is fun."