Chapter 30: Little Yi Dancing

After that, Yan Jiyue’s mood became increasingly strange. Correspondingly, Xie Yi’s words and actions became more and more dignified. Even if Yan Jiyue wanted to find fault with him, he couldn’t pick out any mistakes.

Su Mu increasingly felt that Xie Yi had gradually transformed from the pitiful little one she had picked up initially into a gentle and dignified attendant under her casual remark.

Being gentle and dignified was good, but sometimes it was too dull, always bound by invisible rules, lacking vivid colors.

Unlike now, although Xie Yi was obedient and gentle like in the previous life, he was so excited that he couldn’t even hold his chopsticks steady just because she casually picked up some food for him with her chopsticks. He completely lacked the skilled maturity of the previous life.

All his reactions came from his nature, without any concealment. Even if he tried to hide it, she could easily see through it at a glance.

Especially his slightly reddened face now, like a half-ripe green apricot, green and sour-sweet, temptingly delicious.

Su Mu resisted the mischievous urge to pinch his face again and took a new pair of chopsticks from the chopstick holder and handed them to him: “Those chopsticks are dirty, change to new ones.”

“Mm, thank you, Mu Jiejie.” Xie Yi accepted the chopsticks with his face deeply buried, his high ponytail sliding from the side of his neck to his chest, revealing the white and delicate neck flesh, showing a thin blush.

“You’re welcome.” Su Mu rested her chin on her hand, looking at him, her gentle smile growing heavier: “Eat quickly, try the food you made yourself. It’ll get cold if you don’t eat soon.”

Xie Yi gripped the chopsticks tightly, his heartbeat almost bursting out.

Even with his head lowered, he could feel Su Mu’s gaze resting on him. That feeling of being watched made him both delighted and nervous, unable to control himself.

Although it was a simple action of picking up food, his hand was stiff and uncontrollable. He barely managed to pick up the food and put it in his mouth, not daring to chew too loudly, fearing that Su Mu would find him inelegant. He chewed slowly for more than 30 times before slowly swallowing.

“Is it delicious?” Su Mu asked.

“Mm.” Xie Yi’s emerald eyes flashed quickly over her, the blush on his face not fading, but instead becoming redder under her bright and direct gaze.

He bit his trembling tongue excitedly yet restrainedly, one hand struggling to grip the bottom of the table. The feeling of being watched by Mu Jiejie… was too good, and also too torturous. It made him hold his breath at all times, longing to keep this gaze forever, to always stay on him, and only on him alone. The strong desire for exclusivity grew wildly like weeds.

“Then have another piece.” Su Mu picked up another piece of plum blossom tofu for him.

Xie Yi pursed his lips. He had made this table full of dishes not for himself to eat, but for Mu Jiejie to eat. How come she not only hadn’t eaten much, but instead started feeding him?

He wanted to refuse, but seeing her gently picking up the plum blossom tofu, careful not to break the tofu carved into the shape of a plum blossom, carefully placing it in his bowl, he found that he simply couldn’t refuse Su Mu.

He moved his chopsticks.

“Wait, this tofu is too soft, it’ll break if you move too much. Let’s use a spoon.” Su Mu gave him a small porcelain spoon.

Xie Yi put down the chopsticks and switched to the small spoon, scooping up the tofu and putting it in his mouth.

He couldn’t taste anything. In fact, all his perceptual abilities were focused on Su Mu. Even the most delicious food in his mouth tasted like chewing wax.

Even with his head lowered, Xie Yi could feel that Su Mu was watching him with interest, especially watching him eat. The expression on her face became much gentler and more relaxed.

Although Xie Yi didn’t understand why Su Mu liked to watch him eat, as long as she was happy, it was fine.

“Isn’t Mu Jiejie eating?” After swallowing the tofu, Xie Yi asked.

“I’ve already eaten on the way back, I’m not actually hungry,” Su Mu said.

When they were in Cloud City, they had gone shopping together and bought a lot of things. Especially Shen Yuxue, who was rich and generous. When Su Mu saw something she liked but thought was too expensive, Shen Yuxue bought it without a second thought, almost filling up the carriage. The carriage was also stocked with snacks and specialties from Cloud City, and the two of them had been eating all the way back.

“…Oh.” Xie Yi let out a low sound, his tone flat, revealing disappointment.

It wasn’t hard to guess why. The meal he had carefully prepared for her, but she had already eaten. How could he not be disappointed?

Su Mu chuckled softly: “But seeing Little Yi eat, I suddenly have an appetite too.”

For some reason, watching Xie Yi chew slowly and eat, it was like watching a mukbang, very immersive. Originally not hungry, she now felt hungry.

Moreover, with all his effort, she couldn’t bear to disappoint him. Especially seeing Xie Yi with his eyes lowered, looking so pitiful, her heart was about to melt. How could she refuse?

The light immediately returned to Xie Yi’s disappointed eyes, and he said happily: “Then Mu Jiejie should have some Brasenia soup. This porridge is very tasty.”

As he spoke, he ladled half a bowl of Brasenia soup for Su Mu.

Su Mu tasted it. It was fragrant, soft, and smooth, with a light flavor that was good for the stomach and very drinkable.

She put down her spoon and asked: “Little Yi, tell me, how exactly did you learn these cooking skills? You’ve improved so quickly.”

In her previous life, Xie Yi must have been operating under the perfect househusband setting in front of her, so she never knew how Xie Yi had evolved from a Central Plains culinary novice into a master chef.

But this question had always bothered her. She couldn’t get an answer from the Xie Yi of the previous life, but she could from the current Xie Yi.

Xie Yi put down his chopsticks somewhat nervously: “I learned it at Qiao Zhufu’s house. I just watched from the side when his cook was cooking.”

“Just like that?” Su Mu felt it was too easy and didn’t quite believe it: “You learned just by watching once? Every step of Central Plains cuisine is very complicated. How did you remember it all?”

Xie Yi bit his lip and said: “Actually, while the cook was doing it, I was calculating in my mind, what his steps were, how much seasoning he used. When it came to the timing of putting things in the pot, I wasn’t sure about the time, so I counted beats in my head, recording how many beats each step took. This way, when I did it myself, I could use that.”

“But there are so many steps? How did you remember them all?” Su Mu found it incredible.

Xie Yi smiled: “After watching a few times, I got it.”

“…Genius.” Su Mu praised.

Xie Yi really had a talent for cooking. He could develop master chef skills just by observing from the side. Unlike her, who was all thumbs, cooking entirely by feeling, whether it was edible or not depended entirely on luck. Coming to this world, it took her nearly half a month of fumbling to barely produce food that others described as mediocre.

Hearing Su Mu’s praise, Xie Yi smiled shyly: “Actually, this doesn’t count for much. Cooking is just a basic skill for men.”

Only he knew how much time he had spent during Su Mu’s trip to Cloud City for the exam, to understand these dishes he had never seen before, and to master the best cooking method for each ingredient.

He grew up in the desert, where they mostly ate flour-based foods. He was skilled at making flatbread and nang, but due to geographical reasons, fresh vegetables were very scarce and precious. His family would only eat stir-fried dishes once in a long while, and because they were afraid of wasting ingredients by not cooking well, it was always his father who cooked, with him occasionally observing.

He had wasted many ingredients, been splattered by oil countless times, his arms covered by sleeves full of burn marks from oil splashes. He had even bribed the cook in Qiao Zhufu’s house, begging for guidance, before he developed these skills.

However, seeing Su Mu eat the food he made, he was completely satisfied.

“By the way, when we came back this time, we saw many new and interesting fabrics in Cloud City, so I bought a few bolts for you. Summer is coming soon, you should make yourself a few more outfits.”

She took out neatly folded fabrics from the bundle. They were all in light and elegant styles, but there was also a bolt of tea-red fabric.

In the previous life, Xie Yi had chosen very light and elegant colors for his clothes to cater to his preferences. Su Mu had thought he liked these colors.

Until one day, she went to the Hu Tower with a business partner and saw some dancers from the desert wearing exotic, vibrant clothes, dancing energetically.

She, who was used to Central Plains dances, suddenly appreciated the passionate and fiery Huxuan dance. When she returned, she casually praised one of the dancers to Xie Yi, saying how well she danced.

Xie Yi mumbled: “Mu Jiejie, I can dance too.”

“How come I didn’t know? Why don’t you dance for me then?”

Her joking remark was taken seriously by Xie Yi.

He got a set of clothes from somewhere, more conservative than those in the Hu Tower, but in deep red, bright green, and bright gold colors. Logically, such a color combination of red and green should look vulgar, but on Xie Yi, it wasn’t vulgar at all.

He wore gold bracelets on his arms, his strong abdominal muscles partially visible at his waist, his bare, smooth feet stepping on the carpet, bells tied around his ankles. His thick, slightly curly long hair was let down, wearing a gold forehead ornament unique to the Western Regions. Combined with his emerald-like eyes, he looked even more exotic than the dancers in the Hu Tower.

With his dance moves, every movement would make the bells on his ankles produce a clear and melodious jingling sound. The movements of the Hu Tower dancers had somewhat erotic and suggestive meanings, as if they might take off their clothes and do indescribable things at any moment.

But with the same movements, Xie Yi’s dance completely interpreted what it means to be charming without being erotic, like a coquettish Persian cat.

It was stunning, nothing but stunning.

It was from that moment that Su Mu truly realized what it means to be beautiful in both light and heavy makeup.

In this life, constrained by economic factors, she didn’t have the conditions to buy him more beautiful, more vibrant silk like in the previous life, or buy him expensive jewelry. But she still tried her best to let him have his own choices, rather than always wearing white to cater to her preferences.

Although white looked good too, making him look like a fresh young man, red wasn’t bad either.

The tea-red color, unlike formal red which was solemn and dignified, had a hint of non-traditional, bewitching charm amidst its intensity. But she could clearly see that Xie Yi liked it very much.

“Do you like it?”

The joy in Xie Yi’s eyes couldn’t be hidden. He held the fabric and smiled happily: “I like it.”

How could he not like it?

Even during such an important time as going to take the imperial examination, his Mu Jiejie still thought of him and brought back gifts for him. He had never been so happy before. Even the gems those desert women gave him couldn’t compare to a ten-thousandth of his current happiness.

He couldn’t wait to make the clothes and wear them for Su Mu to see.

Su Mu stroked his head: “I’m glad you like it.”