Life After Being Claimed by the Disabled Dragon Lady - Chapter 32

That annoying little milk dragon, is she going to poison me to death with Fugu? So she can go find a new Omega?

As soon as Long Ling heard the Evil Dragon Miss’s inner voice, cold sweat immediately broke out on her forehead, and the Fugu she was holding almost trembled and fell to the ground.

Even if she had a hundred times the courage, she wouldn’t dare commit such an outrageous act!

Find a new Omega? Just being with one Evil Dragon Miss was already more than she could handle every day.

Long Ling hurriedly explained to Violet: “This Fugu, once the toxic parts are removed, is edible. How about I braise it in soy sauce for you?”

Violet’s face was cold: “I won’t eat it.”

Her dark golden eyes gleamed with a deep, cold light as she stared at Long Ling, as if to see through Long Ling’s hidden intentions.

Long Ling was just a chef, not a deadly poison doctor!

If this were back in the palace, Long Ling would have knelt to prove her innocence, but this world didn’t follow that custom!

Her eyes became watery, and she anxiously said, “I didn’t want to harm you. I just wanted to make you something delicious! Really! It’s edible!”

Violet raised her chin and said indifferently, “Take it away.”

Crying wouldn’t work; she wasn’t buying it. Had she been too kind to this little dragon lately, that the little dragon now dared to openly attempt poisoning?

What else would Long Ling dare to do in the future?!

Just now, to clean the little Fugu thoroughly, Long Ling’s hands were soaked red in the cold lake water, looking like a red radish.

Now, holding the small Fugu, she didn’t know whether to throw it away or keep it.

It was clearly super delicious, and she wanted to present all the delicacies of the world to the Evil Dragon Miss.

Luo Lan helped smooth things over: “This Fugu really can’t be eaten. A dragon once accidentally ate a large amount of Fugu and was immediately poisoned to death. Also, there was a king who was poisoned daily with Fugu blood by his queen, and he died of the poison many days later. So, it’s better to keep it far away.”

Long Ling had no choice but to nod and say, “Alright, I’ll go put the Fugu back in the stream now.”

“Such a good girl,” Luo Lan praised, not forgetting to remind her, “It’s almost lunchtime, Long Ling. Have you thought of another fish to cook?”

Violet’s peripheral vision caught Long Ling’s small action. What was poking the little Fugu supposed to imply? Don’t think that turning into a little milk dragon could placate her.

Luo Lan was practically being “shown off” to death by these two dragons. They even needed a go-between to communicate for lunch. It was truly difficult for him just to get a taste of this delicious meal.

Luo Lan chuckled and winked at Violet, saying, “Vio, your Alpha is asking what you want to eat.”

Violet’s tone was flat: “Tell her to make whatever she wants, except for that poisonous Fugu.”

Luo Lan couldn’t help but shake his head slightly. Women are so tsundere. He then turned to Long Ling and said, “Your Duchess can eat anything. Just make a bit more.”

Seeing that Violet was still willing to talk to her, Long Ling felt much more at ease. She tucked the stray hairs at her temples behind her ear: “Then please let the Duchess wait a moment. I’ll be back with the meal very soon.”

Luo Lan glanced at Violet and waved his hand: “Go quickly. I’ll keep her company for you and let her calm down.”

A grateful smile appeared on Long Ling’s face, and she quickly said, “Thank you very much.”

Luo Lan was gratified by the little Alpha dragon’s gratitude, squinting his eyes: “You’re welcome.”

Violet didn’t speak, just glanced at Long Ling.

Long Ling quickly left and released the small Fugu. It was a shame to lose such a premium delicacy; if she weren’t having lunch with the Evil Dragon Miss, Long Ling would have wanted to make braised Fugu for herself.

But since the Evil Dragon Miss clearly said she didn’t want it, Long Ling wouldn’t secretly make it and serve it. She was very confident in her culinary skills; she could create delicacies from other ingredients that were no less delicious than Fugu.

Long Ling washed her hands clean in the stream. Nuo La had someone bring over the catch and also brought a young girl to see her.

“Miss Long Ling, this is the maid I just introduced to you. Her name is Mi Na, and she has worked as a kitchen helper.”

Mi Na was relatively tall and thin, with somewhat dry brown hair tied in a short ponytail. But her head was constantly bowed, so Long Ling couldn’t see her face.

Long Ling could only look at her hands. Mi Na’s hands were long and seemed to have large joints. Such hands suggested a diligent and hardworking nature from doing a lot of work, so Long Ling felt a certain fondness for her.

“Mi Na, what kind of dishes can you make?”

Hearing the beautiful Miss Long Ling suddenly ask if she could cook, Mi Na became nervous and stammered.

“M-Miss Long Ling, I can make vegetable salad, roast meat, bake some desserts, and I’ve been chopping vegetables for ten years or so. I’m quite capable.”

Only then did Long Ling see her full face. She looked similar to most of the maids here—seeing too many could lead to face blindness—but Mi Na seemed quite young, about twenty years old.

Long Ling nodded: “Not bad. Can you prepare fish?”

Mi Na nervously said, “A little. I can make smoked fish, and I’m decent at slicing sashimi.”

Long Ling smiled slightly: “Then, when I cook later, you can help me prepare the fish and slice the fillets.”

Mi Na hadn’t expected Miss Long Ling to be so approachable. She was so delighted that she looked stunned, like she’d been hit by a pie falling from the sky: “G-good, I will certainly work hard!”

Seeing her good friend halfway to getting the job, Nuo La was happy for her and quickly said to Long Ling: “Miss Long Ling, if you’re making lunch, do you need me to find some ingredients for you? There are many wild vegetables in the spring. I saw several Chinese toon trees, wild onions, wood ear mushrooms, and shepherd’s purse along a path we passed earlier. I can bring them all over.”

Nuo La was indeed a very observant girl. Long Ling instructed: “Be careful then. When picking the Chinese toon, don’t climb the trees; just pick from the shorter, small ones.”

Nuo La patted her chest confidently: “Don’t worry, I’m still a dragon. Although I’m just a Beta, I’m very tall when I transform, and I can grab a large patch directly with my dragon claws.”

Long Ling felt reassured and let Nuo La go pick the wild vegetables. She and Mi Na began preparing the salmon.

Mi Na had been a helper for many years, and her technique for preparing salmon was swift. Although she was human, she could stun a fish with two blows, just like Long Ling the dragon.

Because a large number of salmon were caught this time—nearly two hundred—Long Ling planned to use half for the cooking competition after the Evil Dragon Miss had tasted them, and sell the other half at the tavern.

The flowing stream water was very clear. After cleaning out the salmon’s organs, they took out the bright orange roe. The roe, which had just been inside the fish, felt cool to the touch. Each plump bead of roe was large and translucent. Long Ling had Mi Na bring a plate, placed a few washed, crisp green lettuce leaves on it, and arranged the roe on top.

In addition to the two salmon, Long Ling also cleaned some green shrimp. The shrimp were still jumping lively. When placed in the plate, they kept trying to leap out, so Mi Na quickly grabbed another plate and covered all the green shrimp.

The fish and shrimp were brought together to the cutting board. Long Ling gave Mi Na a kitchen knife and let her try slicing the fish first.

Long Ling stood beside her. Mi Na first halved the gutted fish, removed the skin, and was a bit nervous at first. Her cutting wasn’t very smooth, and the first few pieces were quite thick, but she gradually got into the swing of things.

Long Ling picked up the sliced fillets to inspect them. The fish was cut quite evenly, which was good enough for a beginner chef who mainly chopped vegetables.

However, by the standards for raw fish (sashimi) in her world, these slices were lacking.

Long Ling still offered encouragement: “It’s alright.”

Mi Na was very confident in her fish slicing skills. She had worked for many years, and the chefs usually specifically asked her to do the slicing, so she held a respectable position in the manor kitchen.

Hearing Miss Long Ling’s rather bland reply, Mi Na couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Had Miss Long Ling met someone even more skilled than her?

When Long Ling picked up the kitchen knife, Mi Na’s eyes widened. So Miss Long Ling was such a great cook!

The sharp knife fell onto the white, smooth fish. With a gentle stroke, the fish meat was sliced into pieces as thin as silk. The knife work was fast, precise, and incredibly fluid. One couldn’t even clearly see the movement of Miss Long Ling’s hands; they only saw the fish slices fall onto the cutting board like flower petals, like a layer of white snow, leaving behind only the distinct fish bones.

She couldn’t help but look at her own hands. It was the same knife, so why did it feel completely different when used by her and by Miss Long Ling?

It turned out that someone truly could practice the craft of cooking until it was as beautiful as a pleasant dance. Mi Na’s former trace of pride was instantly shattered into dust before a true master. Her gaze towards Long Ling became a hundred times more respectful than before.

Just then, Nuo La returned with the wild vegetables she had picked—a large, full basket. They were brought over only after being washed in the stream, along with a small basket of everyday vegetables the manor purchased from the elf tribe for Long Ling to use as side dishes.

“Miss Long Ling, I also got this: a nest of wild bird eggs, still warm.” Nuo La pulled the eggs out of her pocket and put them in a bowl. There were five or six of them, and the shells were rosy red, about the size of a chicken egg.

Long Ling couldn’t help but ask curiously, “What kind of bird eggs are these?”

Nuo La chuckled: “These are Clear Crystal Demon Bird eggs. They are very nourishing for the body. Didn’t you say you wanted to buy potions the other day? I thought you might need this. You can drink the potion after eating this.”

Long Ling’s cheeks felt warm: “When the tavern makes a profit later, I’ll give you a bonus.”

Nuo La’s eyes lit up, and she said seriously, “Thank you, but this is what I should be doing, Miss Long Ling. The salary I already receive as your personal maid is much higher than others’.”

Long Ling nodded slightly, quickly withdrawing her gaze from the eggs. She decided to focus on finishing the meal at hand first.

The sliced fish was to be made into a raw fish salad (yukui), which required ginger, garlic, and chives. These needed to be pounded into a paste, but using only these would lack the unique flavor of spring, so she also used water radish, chopped into small pieces. This was mixed with the pounded seasoning paste and evenly stirred together with the snow-white salmon meat. A rich vinegar sauce was then poured over it, and after being plated and garnished with coriander, the dish was complete.

Long Ling planned to use shrimp oil to fry the salmon, which would bring the fish’s freshness to its peak. The green shrimp raised in the lake were very clean. The shrimp heads were put into the frying pan and quickly fried to a ripe red color, and golden shrimp oil was rendered out. The shrimp heads were discarded, and some crisp green wild onion segments were added. Then, the sliced salmon was placed in the pan. The salmon skin was fried to a slight golden-brown crispness on both sides, having fully absorbed the flavor of the shrimp oil. It was then ready to be served.

The moment the dish was plated, not only did Nuo La and Mi Na beside her inhale deeply from the aroma, but even Prince Luo Lan, who was next to Violet, put down his book and hurried over.

“Wow, this smells incredibly delicious! Vio is so lucky to have such an amazing little dragon making her delicious food every day.”

If the dish hadn’t been served yet, Luo Lan would have wanted to just take the whole plate away to maintain his manners and composure.

But this dish was made for Violet to eat. No one else had that fortune. A freeloader should have the self-awareness of a freeloader. If he really took it, Violet probably wouldn’t even give him a bite of fish.

Long Ling also remembered what she had promised the Evil Dragon Miss. She only said to Luo Lan, “This will have to wait a moment. I have one more dish to stir-fry.”

She looked at Violet in the distance. Her dark, curly hair was spread out on the lounge chair, and her cool, pale profile was stunning and noble. Even though Violet wasn’t looking at her, Long Ling felt very happy just to be able to gaze at her.

According to the agreement set by the two families, if she could get Violet pregnant with a dragon cub, they could get married later. A sense of anticipation couldn’t help but rise in Long Ling’s heart.

Violet didn’t need to go over at all. She knew in her heart that Long Ling would only cook for her, just like the strawberry-flavored little milk dragon, who could only be enjoyed by her.

Luo Lan, hearing he had to wait a little longer, couldn’t help but egg her on: “Two dishes should be enough. Don’t you still have the salmon roe? We can serve it all together. It’s been so long, Vio must be hungry.”

Long Ling was also worried about the Evil Dragon Miss going hungry and then getting angry again, so she quickly said, “Alright. Mi Na, please help me take it over first.”

Violet didn’t look at her, likely still holding a grudge about the pufferfish incident.

Long Ling felt a pang of regret. If she had known, she wouldn’t have brought a toxic ingredient next time. She hadn’t meant to do it.

Violet had thought Long Ling would bring the dishes herself, but when Mi Na arrived, her face immediately darkened, and she waved her hand for Mi Na to leave.

Luo Lan, on the side, couldn’t help but say, “Your Alpha dragon has been busy all morning just to make you these few dishes. She probably didn’t know the pufferfish was dangerous. Maybe you should stop being angry with her later.”

Violet glanced at Luo Lan. Was she angry? She just wanted to teach the little milk dragon a lesson.

Seeing that she wasn’t speaking and smelling how truly fragrant the dishes were, Luo Lan suggested, “How about we eat first?”

Violet’s eyes were calm: “We’ll eat in a little while.”

Luo Lan knew Violet was always stubborn, so he could only join her in waiting eagerly, watching Long Ling cook from afar.

Long Ling cooked the final dish, using the bird eggs Nuo La had brought her. She gently tapped an eggshell on the rim of the bowl, making a small, crisp crack sound.

Holding the eggshell in one hand, the golden egg liquid flowed out, slipping into a large porcelain bowl. She chopped the blanched, tender Chinese toon into pieces, mixed it evenly into the egg, and then placed it in the hot oil pan to fry.

The Chinese toon was the tender new growth of the year, with only the softest buds being used. It was fried with the tender bird egg until it was golden, fluffy, and fragrant with a delicious egg aroma.

Long Ling expertly tossed the hot pan, frying the Chinese toon egg into a perfectly round, soft, and tender piece. She slid it onto a plate, where it looked like a round moon.

After finishing this dish, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and suddenly noticed Violet and Luo Lan staring at her together.

She had thought they were already eating. Long Ling personally brought the last dish over.

“You should hurry up and eat; it’ll get cold.” Long Ling’s ice-blue eyes were very clear, but her ears were flushed only when she looked at Violet. “This is Chinese toon scrambled egg. It’s just for you.”

Luo Lan picked up his fork and was about to take a bite of the fluffy, fragrant fried egg but paused halfway.

Violet truly hadn’t expected Long Ling to so openly give her a separate, individual dish. She had thought Long Ling would continue to be so attentive and flattering to everyone, as before.

Violet was satisfied. She used her fork to scoop up a mouthful of the fried egg. The egg was very fragrant, with a slightly spicy flavor that went well with the crisp Chinese toon. It tasted excellent.

Luo Lan, seeing these two dragons being so close, speared a slice of raw salmon and put it in his mouth. The fish slices were incredibly fresh, with delicate flesh. Coupled with the gossip about Violet, he could happily eat all the salmon on his plate.