Qu Tong took out some chili peppers, carrots, and baby cabbage from the Space Button.

The butler responsible for meat had everything well prepared, Qu Tong could just take what she needed, and as for the small amount of contamination within, she habitually cleaned it up.

Once all the preparations were ready, Qu Tong once again opened her live stream.

Not much time had passed, and many people were waiting in the live stream without leaving.

As soon as the stream started, they began to send barrages of comments and virtual gifts.

Qu Tong didn't speak; she blanched the spare ribs and chicken.

Taking advantage of the gap, her slender and delicate fingers picked up the cleaver to start chopping the vegetables.

Some chili was cut into strips, some diced, the carrots were roll cut, and the mushrooms sliced...

It took some time, but Qu Tong prepared three different dishes from the mushrooms: braised spare ribs with big red mushrooms, yellow braised chicken, stir-fried Green-head Mushroom, and also quickly stir-fried some baby cabbage.

The fragrance confused the viewers in the live room, who started to ask questions:

[Is the host doing a giveaway today?]

[Will the food ingredients be sold in the host's shop? I want to buy them.]

[I've eaten mushrooms before, but how could this be the same food?]

[What's the deal? The vegetables are Energy Plants, and the meat is Purified Meat; I'm so envious.]

...

The spare ribs and yellow braised chicken needed to simmer for a long time, so Qu Tong took the chance to reply a few messages:

"Today's food won't be part of a giveaway, just pure sharing."

"My shop only sells Energy Fruits and Vegetables, you'll have to find the other ingredients yourselves; mushrooms mostly grow in moist, hot forests."

"Here's a friendly reminder to everyone, when frying mushrooms, make sure to cook them a bit longer, ensure they're fully cooked, whether stir-frying or stewing, to avoid poisoning."

Qu Tong also did not forget to carefully impart some knowledge, as it would be a shame to have viewers leave due to ignorance.

After finishing all the dishes, Qu Tong bade farewell to her fans in the live room.

As soon as the broadcast ended, she received a video call from Wen You.

"Sister Tong Tong, another day passed longing for you, it's been so long since I last ate the food you made," Wen You's pretentiously coquettish words came from the quantum computer.

Qu Tong: "..."

She knew it, no one visits the temple without a cause.

With a "ding~" notification: [Wen You has transferred 200,000 Star Coins to your account!]

She liked this way of saying hello.

"I miss you too."

Qu Tong divided the food into three portions, the largest portion got packed into two insulated boxes and was first placed in the Space Button.

In addition to food, Wen You's portion also included some strawberries and cherry tomatoes, and upon inadvertently noticing the vibrantly orange lemons in the corner, her lips curled into a smile, and she slipped three into the package.

The remaining portion was for Butler Chi, which also included a small plate of strawberries.

As for Qianqian and the other male servants, Qu Tong didn't bother too much and just handed them a basket of strawberries to divide among themselves.

Qianqian excitedly accepted the strawberries and sincerely thanked Qu Tong.

Butler Chi, however, had an expression of being unworthy of such a favor and hesitated to accept the food box Qu Tong offered.

"This! This is made by the lady; I cannot eat it."

Qu Tong placed the food box on the table, smiled reassuringly at the butler: "You don't have to be so formal, butler. I'll often make some food in the future, and I'll need Uncle Chi's help to taste it."

Then, without waiting for the butler to react, Qu Tong glanced at the time and walked outside, "Take your time with the meal, Uncle Chi. I need to visit the Empress in the Imperial Palace, if it's too late, I might not come back."

"I'll arrange for Xiaowu to take you there on a flying machine," Butler Chi hurried out after Qu Tong and immediately contacted one of the male servants.

Of course, Qu Tong wouldn't refuse a free ride on a flying machine.

Qu Tong had already contacted the Empress before cooking, so she wasn't worried about going there for nothing.

*

His Majesty the Emperor had just met with people from the Research Institute and the Military Science Academy and was preparing to deal with the remaining official business when he saw the Empress sitting alone in the pavilion.

Si Chen summoned a maid who was waiting outside and inquired.

Learning that Qu Tong had an appointment with the Empress, he was not in a hurry to go to the study anymore and walked towards the pavilion.

After all, there was no rush; it wouldn't matter if he dealt with it tomorrow.

"Finished with your matters?" The Empress looked up from her quantum computer with indifference.

"Not yet, just came to keep you company."

Si Chen sat down opposite the Empress, his expression softened.

"Thank you," said the Empress, her beautiful fox-like eyes slightly lifting, her tone gentle.

Si Chen maintained a normal expression and smiled at the Empress.

The Empress did not continue to tease him since she originally intended to call him over anyway.

Before long, Qu Tong was led in by a guard.

The Empress's face immediately beamed with a smile, and she stood up and waved to Qu Tong from the pavilion.

"Father Emperor, Mother Empress, good day."

Qu Tong now addressed them as Father Emperor and Mother Empress without the unease she had felt before.

"Tongtong, come, come, come, we're family, no need for formalities."

The Empress very affectionately pulled out a seat for Qu Tong and had her sit down.

Qu Tong sat down.

The Empress finally got to enjoy the delicacies made by Qu Tong, and even the Emperor, who usually had a habit of drinking nutrient solution, ate quite a bit.

The nutrient solution Qu Tong had in the morning was high-grade, and so she didn't feel hungry, choosing to only eat some sweets from the Imperial Palace.

"If Tongtong likes them, I'll have someone send some to Yuelan Bay later."

"Then I must thank Mother Empress," said Qu Tong, not hiding her fondness and not overly refusing.

After the Emperor finished eating, he stayed for a while before returning to his study, leaving Qu Tong and the Empress to catch up.

The Empress was gentle and amiable, and Qu Tong quiet and composed; the two of them had a pleasant conversation.

They talked about the management of the star, the past events involving Si Yuting, and the affairs among the noble families' young masters and misses; most of the time, it was the Empress talking while Qu Tong listened.

Later, seeing that Qu Tong was dressed simply, the Empress had someone take her measurements to have a batch of clothes custom-made for her.

Qu Tong, unable to refuse, could only accept.

It wasn't that the Empress thought Qu Tong dressed poorly—on the contrary, Qu Tong's aesthetic was quite on point, adopting an innocent and intellectual style that matched her current temperament, making her a refreshing sight to behold.

But the Empress simply wanted to give her clothes, a bit of every style; as a Princess Consort, how could it be wrong for her to dress lavishly and exquisitely?

She had no expectations of her rebellious son at all.

Qu Tong felt moved.

In her previous life, she had never seen her parents from the moment she had memories, and over twenty years passed, with no other family or friends by her side apart from Shengsheng.

Having died performing a task and arriving here, although she still lacked parents, she had met these warm people.

Xu An, who trusted her unconditionally; even though his kindness was meant for the original host, she genuinely enjoyed the care and help.

The tender and dignified Empress, the serious and commanding Emperor, the thoughtful and meticulous butler; she could feel the goodness emanating from them all.

Even her aloof husband who was brusque with her wasn't so bad after all.

Indeed, a family of excellent upbringing and character.

*

Over at Abel Star, Wen You had been waiting in front of the transporter early, eagerly taking the food container back to the resting room as soon as it arrived.

Once he lifted the lid, the aroma of the food instantly filled the room.

Wen You couldn't wait to grab his eating utensils and start his meal.

He finished both portions of the white rice prepared by Qu Tong and still felt unsatisfied.

Qu Tong's cooking was still as good as ever; if only he could lure Qu Tong to Abel Star.

But that was just wishful thinking.

Wen You took the food container to the back hall to have a robot clean it, then brought out the strawberries stored in the bottom layer of the space.

Plus three oranges.

The oranges in the garden had ripened?

With a bit more growth liquid, it should be just about ready.

Wen You went outside to the base entrance and took out a small table and stool from the space, then started eating while watching others train.

As a reward for completing this assignment, he had been granted three days of leave.

Wen You peeled the "orange" and found it hard to break apart, so he used a small knife to cut it into six slices.

Wen You sniffed, wondering why it smelled noticeably sour.

Curious, he took a slice and hesitantly licked it.

Yikes~~~~

The sourness made him shudder all over, immediately losing any desire to eat it and tossing the slice straight into the trash.

He promptly brought up the light brain keyboard and typed rapidly: [Sister Tongtong, to think you even snuck in some private goods, you're going to lose my trust like this.]

No sooner had he sent the message than an annoying voice rang out behind him, "Wen Dazhuang, what delicious thing are you eating?"

Wen You hurriedly stuffed the last strawberry into his mouth.

Cheng Feng: "Do you have to be so stingy? After all these years..."

"Shut up!" Wen You interrupted with a hand gesture, rolling his eyes in disgust.

Cradling the plate of lemon slices like a treasure, he took one piece and handed it to Cheng Feng: "Take it or leave it."

Cheng Feng gave a look that said 'you know what's good for you,' took it, and put it into his mouth.

Cheng Feng chewed one bite, seemed puzzled for a moment, and then took a second bite.

"Is it sour?" Wen You asked expectantly.

"Not sour at all," answered Cheng Feng with a smile in his eyes.

"Huh?" Wen You's expression moved from anticipation to self-doubt.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.