Chapter 61: The Sixty-First Day of Slacking
If it was just these things, squandering them would be no trouble at all for Wen Ying.
Wasting seasonings? All she had to do was cook. It was right up her alley.
But no matter how ridiculous the situation was, these were still precious items belonging to someone’s mother. If she really wasted them, Wen Ying’s conscience wouldn’t be able to take it.
Fortunately, they were just seasonings. Wen Ying had plenty of similar things, so she could just use her own stock to put on a show.
With that, Wen Ying carefully stored Lin Ruge’s mother’s bottles and jars in her pocket dimension and took out her own corresponding salt, sugar, soy sauce, and other spices.
Looking at them, a smile spread across her lips.
Extravagance. It was a joy that no one could resist.
And so, early the next morning, Wen Ying began her grand squandering scheme.
First, she went to the kitchen.
Seeing the bandit chefs idling about, Wen Ying walked straight up to them and gave a slight nod. “Hello, gentlemen.”
The news that their leader finally had a fiancĂ©e had spread like wildfire through the stronghold. The bandits naturally knew that the woman before them was the new fiancĂ©e-to-be and scrambled to their feet. “No need for formalities, Sister-in-law! What can we do for you?”
“There is something,” Wen Ying nodded. “I need ten pounds of fresh garlic. Do you happen to have any in the kitchen?”
Ten… pounds… of garlic?
The chefs exchanged bewildered glances, making sure they hadn’t misheard.
They never would have guessed that this sister-in-law, who looked like such a refined lady, had such… intense tastes.
But even with intense tastes, no one could possibly eat ten pounds of raw garlic by themselves…
Wait a minute.
Their education was limited, but they had definitely heard that garlic had the power to ward off evil spirits.
That had to be it. There was no way it was for eating.
“Yes, we do,” one of the bandits nodded. “There’s some in the storeroom out back. I’ll go get it for you, Sister-in-law.”
Soon, the bandit returned with a large sack of garlic. As he handed it to Wen Ying, he couldn’t help but ask, “Sister-in-law, ten pounds is pretty heavy. Do you need a few of us to help you carry it back?”
“No need. Thank you for your help.” Wen Ying shook her head, reached out a single hand, and took the sack of garlic. She lifted the ten-pound bag as if it were a toy and turned to leave the kitchen.
The bandit brothers watched, their eyes wide and their jaws slack. It was a long moment before any of them managed to swallow.
“Is… is our sister-in-law always this… fierce?” one of them asked, turning to the man beside him.
“Hissâ I wonder if our big brother can handle her…” another one sucked in a breath of cold air. “She looks like such a proper lady, I never would have thought… It’s true what they say, you can’t judge a book by its cover.”
“But why would she need so much garlic… You don’t think there are really evil spirits in our stronghold, do you?”
“Hard to say… Doesn’t it strike you as odd that we never go out raiding, yet we never lack for food or drink?”
“Stop talking! You’re giving me goosebumps…”
Of course, Wen Ying had brought back the ten pounds of garlic to eat.
But definitely not raw.
No matter how intense one’s tastes were, nobody could stomach ten pounds of raw garlic.
Wen Ying took out a large clay jar from her pocket dimension and, without a word, began toâpickle vegetables.
The best way to use up a lot of seasonings was to pickle something.
Besides, she had already given away the last jar of pickles to the disciples of the Xunxian Sect. It was the perfect time to make another batch.
And the best pickle for using up so many seasonings at once was, naturally, sweet pickled garlic!
After preparing and washing the garlic, Wen Ying used a magical art to dry the cloves slightly before placing them all in the jar.
Next, as if it cost her nothing, she poured in copious amounts of salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. She sealed the jar, and the job was done.
Normally, pickling a jar of sweet garlic would take nearly a month, but Wen Ying couldn’t wait that long.
This was where the wonders of magic came in.
Wen Ying cast a spell on the jar. By her calculations, the sweet garlic would be ready in just a few days.
During those few days, Wen Ying had the perfect opportunity to properly investigate the stronghold.
And after some investigation, she confirmed that this place was indeed very strange.
In broad daylight, the bandits would shut their doors and windows tightly, as if they were terrified of something. Even more bizarre, some would plaster their houses, inside and out, with yellow talismans meant to exorcise ghosts and ward off evil.
Wen Ying didn’t believe in ghosts, but the collective behavior of the stronghold’s residents meant that strange things must be happening here on a regular basis.
Could it be… that the source of all the strange phenomena in Ping’an Town was truly here, in this stronghold she had never visited before?
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