Signature Dish

Everyone couldn't help but stare as Old Guan approached them and took a seat beside Surnamed Zhi with a slight smile on his face. "I'm sorry for being late. I've almost overslept."

"You… overslept?" Tang Ye choked out with much difficulty. Then whose tragic screams had he heard last night? Who was the figure he had seen running out of Old Guan's room? It couldn't be that he was hallucinating… right?!

"Yeah," Old Guan let out a hoarse chuckle that sent chills down their spine. It just sounded… wrong, in more ways than one. "I apologize for my unsightly behavior last night. I was not usually like that. I am an artisan, you see. Before coming here, I've just completed a huge order and haven't had the time to rest yet. I guess the shock and sleep deprivation got the best out of me, I ended up making a joke out of myself. Now that I've gotten a good night's sleep, I can finally think clearly again."

Tang Ye gaped at him, clearly speechless. Could a good night's sleep really cause someone's personality to change 180 degrees?

"What happened to your lips?" Sister Hong directly addressed the elephant in the room, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"My… lips?" Blinking, Old Guan wiped his mouth with an utterly oblivious look. The black color did not come off at all, as if that was how it was supposed to be. "What's wrong with my lips?"

Sister Hong parted her lips to speak, but then she closed it again and decided not to say anything.

Once again, a hushed and grim silence fell over the table, this time with a horror flair as Old Guan started to hum softly under his breath. On closer inspection, it sounded awfully similar to the melody of the gongs and trumpets last night, only more mellow, softer and of course… creepier.

No one said anything, but they all tacitly agreed on one thing – something had happened to Old Guan and it's better to keep their distance from now on.

Xinxin gave a visible shudder and rubbed the goosebumps on her arms whereas Tang Ye looked like he had just swallowed a fly. Only Sister Hong and Surnamed Zhi could keep a straight face in front of this creature that looked exactly like Old Guan.

"Hey," Nian jabbed Jin Jiuchi with an elbow, drawing the latter's attention away from Old Guan. He leaned to the side and whispered to Jin Jiuchi's ear in a voice only both of them could hear. "Why are you staring at him like that?"

Jin Jiuchi could feel his ear twitching when the jade doll's exhale softly caressed his earlobe. He rubbed the shell of his ear absentmindedly. "It's just that…" he had not finished his sentence yet when the door to the dining hall swung open and this time, a group of cooks bringing a huge pot and plates sauntered in.

A warm and appetizing aroma spread in the air and Jin Jiuchi instantly forgot what he was going to say. He was practically buzzing in his seat out of excitement, his sparkling eyes glued to the food. If he had a tail, it would definitely be wagging like mad right now.

Food! There was free food here! And it smelled so amazing! Seriously, could this place get any better?!

Growing unsatisfied with the lack of answer, Nian jabbed him again, harder this time. He felt like what his elbow touched was not human skin and muscles, but a hard wall of bricks. He seethed in a low voice, "I'm asking you a question!"

"Sshhh!" Jin Jiuchi hushed him with a rare seriousness he had never shown before. Without even looking away from the approaching cooks, he stretched out an arm and pushed the jade's doll face away with a large hand. "Nian'er, we must always show appreciation for food. Please don't distract me!"

Nian: "..." He almost brought out his silver needles and stabbed Jin Jiuchi with them to let him know what true distraction felt like.

He swatted Jin Jiuchi's stinky paw away and shot him a dark glare. Alas, the man did not even deign to give him a glance for all of his attention was focused on the food. Once the large pot and plates were placed on the table, Jin Jiuchi let out an astonished 'wow', as opposed to everyone's faces who instantly crumpled as if they had bitten into a sour lemon.

On the table, there were six plates of dry bread for each of them whereas a pot of bubbling meat sauce was placed in the middle. It was bright crimson in color, looking extremely thick and lumpy with small slabs of red meat popping out of the surface. Despite the bubbling soup, the meat looked like they were not cooked at all, with the white fat and bluish little veins on the surface. Not only that, there were also a few black strands swimming inside the soup that honestly looked like… hair. Small clumps of hair.

Xinxin clasped her mouth tightly to prevent herself from retching, and everyone else recoiled as if they couldn't wait to get as far away as possible from the pot.

Only Jin Jiuchi was leaning in to take in more of the appetizing scent. As if it was not enough, he even used his hand to fan the vapor to him. "Hmm…" He closed his eyes with a blissful look. "Smells so good!"

Xinxin and Tang Ye's heads snapped to him in horror. Sister Hong and Surnamed Zhi merely frowned and glanced at Jin Jiuchi warily. Old Guan was still humming, immersed in his own world.

And Nian… Nian was shielding his face, ashamed to be placed in the same group with Jin Jiuchi. What the hell was wrong with this crazy pervert?! How could he say that— oh right, he was crazy. It would be better not to learn how a madman's brain worked.

"It is Shishen Apartment's signature dish, Authentic Meat Sauce," Madam Liu stepped in gracefully through the door and answered Jin Jiuchi's praise with a stiff smile. In daylight, she looked even more terrifying with her gray colored skin, dead eyes, black lips and long black dress that reached her ankles. "Everyone is a guest from afar, so it's only right for me to offer you the best hospitality. I'm very sure you will like the meat sauce I have made. Won't you give it a try?"

Jin Jiuchi's eyes lit up. "Madam Liu is too kind, I like this kind of hospitality the most! Now that you are offering, I won't stand on ceremony with you then! Thank you for the food~" He grabbed the ladle, scooped out the sauce and happily dumped it on his bread.

Nian's eyes flew wide in shock. "Wait—" He did not expect Jin Jiuchi to be crazy enough to ignore the obvious warning signs. He wanted to eat this disgusting soup? Did he have a death wish or something?!

Alas, when he shot up to his feet intending to swipe the plate off Jin Jiuchi's hand, the man used his full height to his advantage to lift it away from his reach.

"Ah, ah, no stealing, Nian'er! If you want to have a taste, then just grab it yourself!" Jin Jiuchi let out a delightful laugh and stuffed the bread dipped in meat sauce into his mouth, chewing it under everyone's stupefied gazes.