Chapter 18: 18: Pro-Food Reviewer Mingqing

Lin Songmei could breathe again. 

Thank the heavens. 

Food had been laid out on the table in front of them, it was lunch so the food was plentiful, the menu was so long Songmei felt that if she printed it she could use it as a towel. 

Having ordered a dumpling soup, Songmei sat down at a small round table across from Yan Mingqing’s empty seat. Due to some... unfortunate circumstances... Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei couldn’t eat with them. 

In the few words that Songmei managed to hear as the pair ran off in a panic, the two had forgotten to do something that their master had assigned to them.

... Imagine having a strict master...

Clank. 

With a tray being set down on the table and the seat across from her being pulled back, Songmei looked up to see Mingqing’s piercing eyes. 

Gold. 

“What did you end up getting?” Songmei asked as Mingqing sat back into her seat. Mingqing’s golden, ruby-flecked eyes were always piercing, it had only been a few weeks and Songmei could overhear some of the whispers like “The Ice Queen” that had begun to surround Mingqing. 

However, Songmei felt they were inaccurate... Mingqing’s eyes melted the moment she smiled. Granted, others didn’t see it much, but still, that’s how it was... 

“I ended up getting the beef and vegetables rice bowl, it seems good. Last time I got the sandwich version of this because of the novelty, and that was an absolute catastrophe, so I’m hoping this one will be better.” Mingqing answered, a barrage of words escaping her mouth as she picked up her chopsticks. “What did you end up getting?” 

“Vegetable wonton soup, same as always.” Songmei shrugged, motioning her spoon towards the bowl of soup in front of her. Though she didn’t say much, Songmei was happy that Mingqing’s word barrage-like answers had returned. When Mingqing had first shown up, Songmei had felt the weeks of separation made it almost as if they hadn’t ever spoken before. Now though, the distance seemed to have closed a bit more.

“Songmei... why do you eat soup for every meal?” Mingqing questioned, raising her eyebrow while leaning over the table to peer at Songmei, using her chopsticks to poke Songmei’s nose. “Eat some more substantive stuff! Like me! You can’t be afraid of getting fat can you? You run so much everyday!” 

Raising her spoon to her mouth, sipping the soup and eating the vegetables that were left, Songmei sat there, her other hand tapping the snow-white, sky-blue tray as she thought of an answer. “I just... am used to it I guess... I grew up eating soup.” 

An exasperated sigh leaving Mingqing’s mouth, Songmei shrugged, turning to look out the window. It wasn’t snowing anymore. Instead, the sky was shrouded by a layer of clouds, and since much of the sect was built on floating islands, several of the taller buildings and taller mountains pierced into the cloud layer.  

Poke. 

Turning back to Mingqing, Songmei saw that she had an urging smile while poking Songmei’s lips with her chopsticks. “Open your mouth.” 

Songmei opened her mouth, receiving a small piece of meat and a satisfied look in Mingqing’s eyes. Chewing and swallowing the food that Mingqing had given her, Songmei gave a small thank you before murmuring, “you don’t need to treat me like a child...” 

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Picking up some of her soup in her spoon, Songmei then offered it to Mingqing. “Here, to pay you back, try some of my soup.” 

Raise. 

Her hand moving away from Mingqing’s hands that wanted to take the spoon, Songmei shook her head before pushing it towards Mingqing’s mouth. “You did it to me, so I’m doing it to you. C’mon, open up.” 

Satisfied after Mingqing had eaten the food, Songmei asked, “So how’s the food in general? You’re practically a food reviewer of all the food they serve here.” 

“This beef and vegetable rice bowl is pretty good,” Mingqing began, pausing to continue eating her food, “It’s much better than the sandwich version. Your soup, I’d say, probably ranks pretty high among the soups, while this bowl I’d say is... average. I’ve found that this canteen is much better at making pork dishes than chicken or beef. So, that’d be my personal recommendation.” 

Songmei sipped her soup, nodding along to Mingqing’s little explanation. Mingqing's eyes always lit up when talking about food, a little reminiscent of an excited child, and since Songmei enjoyed talking about it too, the two talked about it often while eating together. “Yeah, you’re right about the soup. Their morning soups are usually the best, but this vegetable wonton soup is still quite good.” 

Adding Songmei’s analysis to her personal mental encyclopedia, Mingqing took a moment, her chopsticks moving like lightning as she ate her food. The two ate in silence, enjoying each other’s presence while sitting by the window, savoring the beautiful view of the sect that was by their side. 

Songmei treasured these moments. Just spending some time near others was nice, here at the sect, she could enjoy the good food she never got to eat while growing up while also living life at a more relaxing pace, no more crazy strict schedules of the orphanage. 

As they ate however, a commotion broke out near the door. 

“Do you know what’s happening?” Songmei asked Mingqing who was craning her neck for a better view. 

Mingqing set her pure-white chopsticks down next to her bowl, standing up halfway out of her seat, trying to get a view over the inner disciples that were near the door. “Ah... Seems Cai Yufei and Lu Qiang finally arrived. Carrying little goodie bags too.”

“I hope they save some for us then...” Songmei longed, drumming her hands on her tray. Growing up, free goodie bags were the best presents that Songmei got, it was through free goodie bags that she managed to get Plum. “I bet half of the people over there are for Lu Qiang though.” 

“For sure, no doubt about it. I’ve seen some go up to Cai Yufei and try to get a connection through him to Lu Qiang. Yet, through all of this, Lu Qiang is the most dense person I’ve ever seen, he insists they’re just... admirers... or friends.” Mingqing muttered with a grin, sitting back down and continuing to eat. 

Songmei was inclined to agree, among the four direct disciples, Lu Qiang was the most popular. Songmei herself was second to Lu Qiang, but that was... mostly because Mingqing was too scary to approach and Cai Yufei had a stick too far up his ass.

Songmei didn’t understand why people kept approaching her, she assumed it was because of her position, but her... keen dislike for talking to strangers made it so every conversation would wear her down. 

At least she had gained a few close friends to talk to... 

She wasn’t the closest with Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei, but Mingqing... Mingqing was enough. 

And so, she went back to sipping her soup, laughing and joking around with Mingqing until they finished their lunch and headed off back towards their residence.