The Amnesiac, Sickly Beauty Is Pregnant With My Dragon Cub - Chapter 62.2

“Mm, quite the philosopher.” Yu Xuanji stroked Cang Lan’s head and smiled. “Didn’t the ‘Master’ say she would cook a specialty for me when I woke up?”

Cang Lan lowered her eyes and whispered, “I got so absorbed in the movie I forgot to cook. Eat some snacks first to tide you over, and I’ll go make something delicious right now.”

Yu Xuanji reached out to say something, but the little dragon vanished in a flash, leaving her standing there alone.

A slight, dull ache came from her lower abdomen. Yu Xuanji lowered her gaze and saw An Zhi and Ting Lan walking out, their eyes red and swollen. Seeing Yu Xuanji, they quickly composed themselves. “Master, you’re awake.”

Yu Xuanji asked, “Who showed her the movie?”

An Zhi cautiously raised her hand. “Master, it was me. I just thought she’d never seen a movie and wanted to show her a classic. I didn’t know she’d turn into a ‘tear-dragon.’ When Jack died, she almost jumped up and poked a hole in the study ceiling. We had to hold her back.”

Yu Xuanji said, “Show her more comedies in the future. She can’t handle stuff like this.”

An Zhi and Ting Lan replied in unison, “Understood, Master.”

The two tried to sneak away, Ting Lan hiding the ring designs in her robe. As they passed Yu Xuanji, she stopped them: “Ting Lan, what are you hiding?”

A powerful pressure descended. Ting Lan’s legs trembled, and she backed away with her head down. “N-nothing!”

Yu Xuanji sneered and held out a hand. “Hand it over.”

Ting Lan had no choice but to carefully pull out the drawings and place them in Yu Xuanji’s hand. “Master, this is—”

Yu Xuanji opened the paper and froze. Looking at the densely packed ring designs, her heart skipped a beat. “You drew these? Why?”

Ting Lan nodded and whispered, “Cang Lan asked me to.”

Yu Xuanji suspected the reason but asked again, “Why?”

An Zhi hung her head. “The day before yesterday, she asked us about the marriage process in our world. Ting Lan and I said there needs to be a proposal ring for it to be official.”

As she spoke, An Zhi’s voice grew smaller. “She said she wanted to make a ring for you herself, but she didn’t know what they looked like. She gave us some ‘benefits’ to draw them so she could choose.”

Seeing An Zhi spill all of Cang Lan’s “secrets,” Ting Lan wanted to stop her, but seeing Yu Xuanji’s expressionless face, she sighed and told the truth. “Yes, Master. we weren’t doing anything bad—just planning a surprise for you.”

An Zhi nodded. “That gold figure Cang Lan made today… she didn’t actually know how to make one. She’s been learning from Ting Lan for days. She’s actually quite good at it now. At first, I didn’t think you were a good match, but now even I’ve changed my mind about her.”

Yu Xuanji’s face remained impassive. She folded the paper and put it back in Ting Lan’s pocket. “Don’t tell her about this. Act as if nothing happened. You may go.”

Ting Lan asked cautiously, “But Master, you’ve seen the rings. Which style do you like? I can give her a hint. She doesn’t understand this—she even said she wanted to make a diamond the size of a duck egg! How could you even wear that?”

Yu Xuanji’s expression softened, a trace of a smile appearing on her lips. “No need. Let her take her time. I’ll like whatever she makes.”

Cang Lan was busy in the kitchen, a cookbook she’d brought along beside her—full of tips she’d heard from Ting Lan and the others.

Ting Lan had once tactfully mentioned that her cooking was somewhat… disappointing. Cang Lan had resolved to forget everything she knew about cooking and start from scratch.

An Zhi also mentioned that while Yu Xuanji seemed cold, she actually loved spicy food. Cang Lan went to the garden and picked a basket of chili peppers, intending to make chili-fried eggs.

Cang Lan looked at the recipe: first, slice the peppers into thin strips. Using both red and green peppers would make it look more beautiful.

The old Cang Lan would have just chopped them twice and thrown them in. Now, she was clumsily slicing them into strips about half a finger wide. As she worked, her eyes started to itch, so she rubbed them.

“AAAH—!”

A piercing scream erupted from the kitchen. Yu Xuanji rushed to the door to see Cang Lan squatting on the floor, hands covering her eyes, frantically searching for water. “Water! Where’s the water?!”

Yu Xuanji stepped forward, saw the peppers on the cutting board and Cang Lan’s pitiful state, and knew immediately she had rubbed her eyes with chili-covered hands. She was both anxious and annoyed. “Let go. Let me help you.”

Stinging with pain and tears, Cang Lan blindly found Yu Xuanji and refused to let go, pointing at her red, swollen eyelids. “My lady, save me! I’m going blind! I can’t see!”

Yu Xuanji cupped Cang Lan’s face and blew a gentle breath onto her eyes. The burning sensation gradually faded.

Yu Xuanji let go to wet a handkerchief, but Cang Lan clung to her, hugging her from behind for security. “My lady, I can’t see. Don’t leave me.”

Helpless, Yu Xuanji led Cang Lan to the water vat, soaked the cloth, and pressed it to her eyelids. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here. Keep the cloth on your eyes. Don’t open them yet; it’ll feel better soon.”

Cang Lan hugged Yu Xuanji tightly from behind, resting her chin on her neck. “My lady, it still hurts.”

Yu Xuanji coaxed her gently, “Just endure it a bit longer. It’ll stop hurting soon.”

Cang Lan squinted, leaned in to touch Yu Xuanji’s nose with her mouth, then slowly squatted down. She removed the wet cloth and pointed piteously at her red eyelids. “It won’t hurt if my lady kisses it.”

Yu Xuanji had known this was coming. Even now she wanted a kiss—she never learned. Nevertheless, she held Cang Lan’s face and kissed both eyelids. “Is that better? Don’t rub your eyes after cutting chilies ever again.”

Cang Lan smiled contentedly. “I’ll remember.”

Yu Xuanji led her to the table. Seeing the pile of sliced peppers, she asked, “Why so many? Are you making chili sauce?”

Cang Lan still couldn’t quite open her eyes. She shook her head. “My lady, An Zhi said you like spicy food, so I wanted to learn a simple dish like chili-fried eggs for you. But I ended up stinging my eyes… I’ve made a fool of myself.”

Yu Xuanji said patiently, “Now that you’ve been stung, you’ll remember. Actually, I like anything you make.”

Cang Lan hung her head, dejected. “Don’t lie to me, my lady. I know. I’m a terrible cook. No one likes my food except you—you just say it’s good to be nice.”

Yu Xuanji comforted her, “Cooking is a matter of effort, but it also takes a bit of talent. Some people are naturally good at it, and some just can’t seem to learn.”

Cang Lan said gloomily, “Then I’m the latter.”

Yu Xuanji rubbed her temple. “I’ll do the cooking from now on. You can go hunting and gardening. It’s called specialization, alright?”

Cang Lan shook her head. “How can I let you do that? I can’t have my lady getting tired.”

Yu Xuanji said patiently, “But I enjoy cooking. I want to make delicious things for you every day so you’re full and can work efficiently. I know you don’t want me doing heavy labor, but I am your wife; I want to make you happy too.”

Cang Lan nodded. “My lady is right.”

After a while, Cang Lan could open her eyes. The burning was gone. She looked at the chilies that had almost blinded her and felt an urge to chop them into a paste.

Yu Xuanji smiled. “Since A-Lan wants to cook, and I have nothing to do, why don’t I teach you? Hand-in-hand. I don’t believe you can’t make it delicious.”

Cang Lan nodded fiercely. She picked up the knife again, holding a pepper carefully to slice it.

Yu Xuanji stood by and watched quietly. she kept a close eye on Cang Lan, fearing she’d rub her eyes again, and frequently reminded her not to cut her fingers.

Just as Yu Xuanji was about to speak, she heard Cang Lan cry out. She held up her left index finger piteously. “My lady, I cut myself.”

Yu Xuanji rushed to grab her finger, but there wasn’t a single scratch on it. Instead, the knife in her hand had a huge notch in the middle—it had chipped after hitting Cang Lan’s hard finger.

Cang Lan tossed the knife aside, transformed her fingers into claws, and easily shredded the peppers, slicing through the cutting board beneath them as well.

Yu Xuanji couldn’t help herself. She pushed Cang Lan aside, used the notched knife to slice the peppers, and said helplessly, “Alright, watch me. I’ll slice them, and then you can fry them, okay?”

Cang Lan nodded, her eyes fixed on Yu Xuanji’s hands, terrified the knife would cut her.

Yu Xuanji was very skilled. She could bundle the peppers together and slice them into uniform strips in seconds.

Cang Lan was stunned. She ran out of the kitchen, got the video recorder from An Zhi, and stood by Yu Xuanji to record the whole thing.

Yu Xuanji smiled. “What’s the point of recording me cutting vegetables?”

Cang Lan shook her head. “My lady is wrong. This is called ‘recording life.’ An Zhi told me about it; she called it ‘Wei Brother’ or something.”

It took Yu Xuanji a moment to realize Cang Lan meant “Vlogger.” She chuckled. “Alright, record as much as you like. When I’m done, you can fry them and I’ll record you.”

In just a few minutes, Yu Xuanji had sliced all the chilies. She placed them in a wooden bowl and handed it to Cang Lan, then took the recorder. “I’ll record you cooking.”

Cang Lan took the bowl as if it were a hot potato. She licked her lips nervously, looked at Yu Xuanji’s smiling eyes, and said tensely, “My lady… I’m a bit scared.”

Yu Xuanji patted her shoulder. “Don’t be. I’m here. Just follow my steps and it will be a success.”

Cang Lan went to the stove. Huang Liu was sitting there tending the fire and gave her a thumbs-up. “Go for it, King! With the Madam’s help, even a stone would taste good!”

Yu Xuanji filmed Cang Lan. “Light the fire. Heat the pan.”

Huang Liu immediately added wood to heat the iron wok. Yu Xuanji tested the heat with her hand and smiled. “A-Lan, pour the oil. Just a little bit.”

Cang Lan clumsily grabbed the oil pot, her right-hand trembling. She accidentally poured too much. She looked to Yu Xuanji for help; Yu Xuanji smiled and comforted her: “It’s fine. More oil makes it tastier.”

Cang Lan relaxed and followed Yu Xuanji’s instructions, dumping all the peppers into the wok.

An Zhi and Ting Lan came into the kitchen, smelling the pungent air. “What are you doing?”

An Zhi leaned in. “Oh, chili-fried eggs! Why are the peppers going in first?”

Cang Lan used the wok lid to hide half her face, frowning. “My lady says peppers first, then eggs, makes the eggs more flavorful and delicious. You bumpkins don’t know anything.”

Under Yu Xuanji’s direction, Cang Lan cracked six eggs into the wok. With a sizzle, Cang Lan gripped the spatula, terrified the peppers and eggs would burn. She frantically tossed them around, the sound of metal on metal ringing out.

An Zhi leaned toward Yu Xuanji and whispered, “Master, is this actually going to be edible?”

Yu Xuanji said with certainty, “It’ll be delicious.”

When the chili-fried eggs were served, they were slightly charred in places, but the aroma was good. Cang Lan carried the large plate she had cooked herself, chest puffed out proudly. She set it in the middle of the table and began serving everyone happily.

Except for Yu Xuanji, everyone looked terrified, holding their bowls as if they were being served a last meal.

Just as they were about to eat, Tushan Bai arrived with Shen Xiu, pulling a small cart filled with vegetables and fruits—they had come to give thanks.

But the moment Tushan Bai saw everyone at the table, he instinctively stepped back, ready to flee with Shen Xiu. Cang Lan easily blocked their path with a barrier. “Tushan, Xiu-Xiu, since you’re here, sit down and have a bite.”

Tushan Bai said stiffly, “I don’t think that’s necessary. Xiu-Xiu and I already ate at home. The cart has fresh vegetables from our garden. You enjoy your meal; we’ll be going!”

As soon as he finished, Tushan Bai forced his way through Cang Lan’s barrier and practically sprinted away, vanishing in an instant.

Cang Lan snorted, had Huang Liu take the cart to the kitchen, and muttered, “No taste. I worked so hard and they’re that scared.”

Turning back, Cang Lan saw everyone clutching their bowls, none daring to eat. “Hey, is my cooking that scary? Why are you all like this?”

Yu Xuanji led the way, taking a piece of egg with her chopsticks. After a bite, she smiled. “It tastes good.”

An Zhi exchanged a look with the trembling Gray Wolf Demon, then whispered under the table, “Master’s eyes and taste buds have been blinded by love. You can’t trust a word she says.”

The two looked up to find Cang Lan scrutinizing them. The Gray Wolf Demon took a bite as if facing execution—then his eyes lit up. “Wow! King, your cooking is great! You’ve improved so fast! It’s delicious!”

Huang Liu got curious and took a bite. She blinked. “Not bad! King’s cooking is excellent! With the Madam’s guidance and your talent, it’s revolutionary!”

Ting Lan heard this and sniffed the aroma. “Huh? It actually is good!”

An Zhi followed suit, but after a sniff, she frowned. “It’s a bit—”

Before she could finish, her mouth was sealed by a silence spell. She turned to see Yu Xuanji withdrawing her gaze. An Zhi lowered her eyes guiltily. When her voice returned, she praised: “Indeed. This is the best food I’ve had since coming to the Great Desolation.”

Huang Liu and the others, ever the loyal subordinates, sang in harmony until Cang Lan was dazed and shyly buried her face in Yu Xuanji’s arms.

Finally, the dinner was finished completely. Cang Lan took off her apron and threw herself into Yu Xuanji’s arms, sniffing the strong scent of chili on her. “My lady is amazing. Just a little guidance and I made such good chili-fried eggs.”

Yu Xuanji washed her hands, counting the vegetables Tushan Bai had brought, and prepared to cut into a large, cold watermelon.

Cang Lan pounced on her from behind, her arms squeezing Yu Xuanji’s waist as she swayed back and forth.

Cang Lan had done this countless times, and Yu Xuanji would usually lean back into her. But now, the woman in her arms let out a small, muffled groan and clutched her lower abdomen, seemingly uncomfortable from the movement.

Cang Lan immediately noticed something was wrong. She let go in a panic. “My lady, what’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”