Chapter 137 - Another Child to Take Care Of
Early the next morning.
Early in the morning, a series of knocks came from the door.
Lin Fan opened the door with a frown and saw An Yao standing at the entrance, sporting a pair of dark circles under her eyes.
“So early. Is something the matter?”
“I am Her Majesty the Empress's personal handmaiden! My duty is to attend to her daily needs! I am here to take care of Her Majesty!”
An Yao said righteously, her head held high.
Last night, she had tossed and turned, unable to sleep, thinking all night about how to rescue Her Majesty from the Demon Sovereign's clutches. After much thought, there was only one plan:
And that was for her, as the personal handmaiden, to guard the Empress's side at all times, to prevent Her Majesty from being further bewitched by the Demon Sovereign and falling deeper into his clutches!
Lin Fan thought for a moment and, in the end, opened the door to let her in.
No matter what, she was the person closest to Long Yue. There was no reason to shut the door on her.
“Your Majesty, this subordinate has arrived.”
Entering the apartment, An Yao quickly scanned the room, searching for Long Yue's figure.
“You're here. Have a seat for now, This Empress is almost done cooking.”
Long Yue's voice came from the kitchen. An Yao frowned and walked to the kitchen doorway with a puzzled look.
She saw Long Yue standing at the stove wearing an apron, skillfully stir-frying over a high flame.
For a moment, An Yao was stunned.
“Your Majesty, what are you…?”
“This morning, This Empress fried some sausages and pan-fried some meat patties. It'll be ready soon.”
Long Yue smiled slightly and proudly held up the plate of cooked meat patties.
An Yao looked at her in disbelief, then turned indignantly to look at Lin Fan.
“Demon Sovereign! How dare you enslave Her Majesty, making the noble Empress do such lowly domestic chores!”
“Her Majesty has a precious body. How can she suffer such humiliation!”
Lin Fan gave her a speechless look.
“It's just cooking a meal. That doesn't count as enslavement, does it…”
Long Yue also chimed in from the kitchen:
“An Yao, This Empress is learning to cook voluntarily. It has nothing to do with Lin Fan.”
“Cooking is quite interesting. This Empress quite likes it.”
Ever since learning to cook, she had gradually come to like the feeling of it. Each dish had its own cooking method, and both seasoning and heat control were indispensable.
When, after much effort and many attempts, she could finally serve up a delicious dish she had made with her own hands, she couldn't help but feel a sense of joy and pride, a full sense of accomplishment welling up in her heart.
And the ability to cook whatever she wanted to eat—that feeling of joy was no less than the feeling she had as a child when she first encountered the Dao of Immortality and learned one immortal art after another.
“Your Majesty, your status is so noble! How can you do this kind of kitchen work?!”
An Yao walked urgently to Long Yue's side to persuade her.
Long Yue was unconcerned.
“As the Empress, am I not allowed to cook?”
“That's not what this subordinate means. It's just that for a trivial matter like cooking, why must you trouble yourself to do it personally, Your Majesty.”
“If there is something you wish to eat, you need only tell this subordinate.”
Hearing this, Long Yue turned off the flame, put down the spatula, and turned to look at An Yao, pointing to the stove.
“Then do you know how to cook?”
An Yao was at a loss for words and lowered her head in shame.
In the Immortal Realm, whenever the Empress wanted to eat something, she would just go and inform the imperial kitchen, and someone would immediately bring the dishes. She never had to do anything herself, so she had never cooked.
“So there you have it. You go sit outside; This Empress will be done in a moment.”
Long Yue showed an 'I-knew-it' expression and urged her to leave the kitchen.
As the personal handmaiden who had been by her side since childhood, she knew very well what An Yao could and couldn't do.
She had deliberately asked if she could cook just to make her back down.
“Your Majesty! Although this subordinate does not know how, I can learn! I can assist you here!”
An Yao raised her head and declared with determination.
As Her Majesty's personal handmaiden, her duty was to take care of the Empress. How could she now let the Empress cook for her!
If that were the case, what reason for being would she have as a personal handmaiden!
Seeing An Yao's determined attitude, Long Yue hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside, giving her the spot at the stove.
“Alright then, you can give it a try.”
An Yao walked resolutely to the stove, but before she even started, she was already lost.
This stove... where is the opening for firewood? And there's no firewood prepared. How am I supposed to light it?
I clearly saw Her Majesty cooking over a large flame just now. How did it go out so suddenly?
Long Yue saw An Yao's predicament and, smiling, twisted the ignition knob. The most update n0vels are published on novel~fire~net
“This is the ignition switch. You press down and then gently turn it to light the fire.”
“This is all the wisdom and invention of the mortals of this world.”
As she spoke, with a click, the gas stove was lit again.
“Ooh! As expected of Your Majesty! You know how to use the magical treasures of this world so clearly!”
An Yao was greatly surprised and praised Long Yue repeatedly.
“It's nothing, really…”
Listening to the praise, Long Yue felt a little embarrassed.
In truth, she had been just as clueless as her before and had also learned how to light the stove under Lin Fan's guidance.
“The flame is on now. Stir-fry it a bit so the bottom doesn't burn.”
Under Long Yue's guidance, An Yao recalled how she had been tossing the wok earlier and tried to do the same with all her might.
However, with all her spiritual energy gone, the weight of the wok was far heavier than she had imagined, and on her first try, she couldn't toss it at all.
An Yao frowned, gathered her strength, and once again tried to toss the wok with all her might.
This time, because she used too much force, the sausages and scalding hot oil flew out of the wok, splattering onto her body and face.
A piercing scream echoed in the kitchen as An Yao clutched her face and rolled around on the floor.
Lin Fan, who had been watching silently from the side, sighed helplessly and skillfully took out the burn ointment he had prepared in advance.
Long Yue took the ointment and helped An Yao apply it, bit by bit, to the burns on her body and face.
“Using brute force like that is wrong. It's easy to hurt yourself.”
“I'm sorry, Your Majesty. An Yao has caused you trouble…”
An Yao's eyes were filled with tears, her small face full of self-reproach and sadness.
Not only had she not been of any help, but she had also wasted the sausages the Empress was about to finish cooking, and had burned herself…
This was the first time she had been so derelict in her duty in front of the Empress. She was simply unworthy of her title as personal handmaiden!
“It's okay. We can just remake it in a bit. As long as you're alright.”
Long Yue put away the ointment, a comforting, gentle smile on her pretty face.
An Yao's eyes instantly filled with tears. Moved, she threw herself into her embrace and began to wail.
“Wuwuwu, Your Majesty…”
Long Yue smiled helplessly and gently stroked the back of her head to comfort her.
Lin Fan had said that after Meizhi and the others arrived, it was like having four more children to take care of. She hadn't really felt it before, but now, she suddenly empathized.
It feels like I have another child to take care of…