USWHC -Chapter 265 Getting Rich (Part 5)

“Bring me some more leaves!”

“Chop more firewood—the firewood isn’t enough!”

Seeing Zhu Jie poke her little head out through the crack of the kitchen door again and again to issue orders, Ji Yi said gloomily, “What exactly is she doing in there?”

“No idea,” Huaihua replied just as gloomily.

“What were you doing when you went in just now?” Ji Yi asked curiously. As someone who had been completely excluded from the kitchen, only he knew how much resentment he was holding inside.

“Big Sister just told me to light the fire and boil some water,” Huaihua answered honestly.

“Boil water? Is she preparing to take a bath?” Ji Yi guessed. After picking so many flowers, could she be planning to take a flower-petal bath?

But why bathe at this time? Was she trying to wash away bad luck?

“Probably not. I saw her putting the flower petals into the pot to boil,” Huaihua said hesitantly. “It looked more like she was making flower-petal soup.”

Flower-petal soup?

Ji Yi smacked his lips in disbelief. He had already made up his mind—no matter what, he absolutely wouldn’t drink it later. Someone who couldn’t even cook suddenly getting a wild idea—what good food could possibly come out of that?

“Then what does she need the leaves for?” Ji Yi swallowed hard, though not from hunger—purely from fear!

“Flower-petal… leaf soup?” Huaihua’s voice trembled as she said it.

Did that feel like being struck by lightning or what? Was this considered dark cuisine?

Ji Yi sighed deeply. What excuse could he come up with to slip away?

At that moment, a strange smell drifted out from the room. It wasn’t the fragrance of flowers, nor the scent of leaves. Instead, it smelled somewhat like laundry soap—only far stronger, so strong it made their heads spin. What on earth? How could flower-petal leaf soup smell like this?

Ji Yi could no longer hold back. He secretly peeked through the crack in the door. Eating bad food could kill someone, after all. But the room was dim and shadowy; he could only vaguely make out Zhu Jie’s back and the two large pots in front of her. The lids sat crookedly on top.

This really did look like something from the dark-cuisine school.

But in truth, he was overthinking it.

Inside the room, Zhu Jie was humming happily while working away tirelessly. Her eyes were full of hope, and even a certain sense of pride welled up inside her. Yes, something was boiling in the pots, and the lids were tilted—but that was absolutely intentional.

Steam slid slowly along the slanted pot lids, trickling down drop by drop into the bowls she had prepared below.

This… looked oddly familiar.

Could this be the legendary distillation technique?

Though wasn’t it a little too crude?

While Zhu Jie worked tirelessly inside, Ji Yi outside was anxiously scratching his head. How long had it been already? Why hadn’t she come out yet?

Just then, the kitchen door creaked open. Amid the rising steam, someone walked out weakly. Ji Yi’s hair stood on end in fright.

Had the witch’s dark cuisine finally been completed?

Yet Zhu Jie didn’t bring out anything at all. She simply looked completely exhausted, as if she had accomplished some great feat, grinning foolishly to herself.

Seeing that she hadn’t carried anything out, Huaihua kindly prepared to go into the kitchen to help bring the dishes out. But just then, Zhu Jie suddenly shouted:

“No one is allowed to enter the kitchen right now!”

“What?” Both Huaihua and Ji Yi were stunned. Had Zhu Jie herself realized her cooking was too horrifying to show anyone?

But unexpectedly, Zhu Jie proudly lifted her chin, striking a pose with her head tilted upward at a forty-five-degree angle. With great pride she declared:

“Tomorrow, I’m going to give you all a surprise!”

“A surprise? Are you sure?” Ji Yi could hardly believe it. What kind of surprise could come from overnight flower-petal leaf soup? That it had gone sour?

“Sister… then what are we eating for dinner tonight?” Huaihua asked weakly.

Zhu Jie had been so busy she hadn’t noticed the time. By now the sun had already set. When Huaihua asked that question, Zhu Jie’s stomach immediately began to growl loudly.

“It seems there are still some leftover cold sweet potatoes. Let’s just make do with those tonight,” Zhu Jie said, rubbing her belly and striking the heroic pose of someone marching bravely to their doom.

Ji Yi and Huaihua nearly burst into tears.

Come on—just because they got robbed! Had they really returned overnight to life before liberation? This was even worse than the Ji household! At least there they could eat hot sweet potatoes!

But just as everyone’s morale hit rock bottom, Zhu Jie suddenly said excitedly:

“Tomorrow, I’ll treat you both to a meal at a restaurant!”

Huh? What was she planning to do tomorrow?

Could the witch really turn things into money?