novelraw Chapter 51
Chapter 51
Chapter 51: Eastern Cuisine
I want to rail her!
As expected of the Qingqiu fox clan that had once come from the East to the West and nearly stolen all the succubi’s business back then!
Unlike Western succubi, these fox spirits did not use charm spells. Their clothing, appearance, and bearing were all the result of thousands of years of accumulated experience and excellent bloodline selection.
Because of that, many powerful witches and wizards could resist succubi magic, yet still fall to these foxes’ devastating smiles.
In her previous life, Lina had fallen for it in Yunque. A fox demon named Su Yunni had hooked her so badly that the corners of her mouth practically curled up every day. She had nearly abandoned the Witches’ Association to return to Qingqiu and marry her, only to suddenly wake up to reality after seeing her walking arm-in-arm intimately with another fox girl who looked even younger.
Lina forcibly suppressed the wicked fire in her heart and said with a stern face, “Lodging. How many rooms do you still have left here?”
Seeing that Lina remained unmoved, the fox girl raised her willow-leaf-like brows slightly in surprise.
This girl did not seem disgusted by this kind of seduction. She simply appeared to be the shy type.
Twisting her slender waist like a water snake, she walked up before Lina and leaned sideways against the pillar beside her, handing over a silk-covered booklet as she said in a coquettish voice, “Honored guest, this booklet contains all the room types available at our establishment. If this servant may recommend one… perhaps the Autumn Moon Pavilion would better suit honored guest’s tastes.”
Lina accepted the booklet, and the fox girl’s delicate fingers lightly brushed across the back of her hand, intentionally or otherwise.
Lina nearly failed to endure it again.
Only after repeating in her head seven or eight times, “This fox vixen is only trying to trick me into spending more money,” did she finally open the booklet.
Fortunately, it looked like a legitimate hotel.
The hotel had four room types in total: the single-person Plum Pavilion, the double-person Springwater Pavilion, the triple-person Autumn Moon Pavilion, and the four-person Lotus Pond Pavilion, as well as a special room with a small courtyard called Listening Rain Pavilion.
The room prices were slightly higher than hotels of the same class, costing 3 gold dragons per person per night. This was because the hotel provided magical hot springs after check-in, and it also bore the official C-rank recuperation facility certification mark from the Witches’ Association.
Breakfast was provided free of charge, but lunch and dinner required separate payment.
As expected of a major city. Prices really were on a completely different level from some backwater place like Osselro Town…
Thinking that the weekly rent for her little villa was only 6 gold dragons, Lina could not help but feel a painful sting in her heart.
After turning around to discuss it with her companions, Lina decided to book the Autumn Moon Pavilion for three nights.
The check-in process only took two minutes, but to Lina it felt longer than an entire day.
The fox girl’s seemingly casual teasing continuously stimulated her nerves every moment.
King Zhou was right.jpg
“Have the three honored guests eaten dinner yet?” The fox girl’s fluffy white tail lightly brushed against the side of Lina’s leg once or twice, intentionally or otherwise. “Our restaurant also provides exquisite meals. Besides Koberen cuisine, we also have Yunque specialty dishes~”
Lina quickly weighed in her mind whether it was better to endure the fox demon’s seduction while eating here or go out onto the streets dressed in these overly fashionable battle-damaged clothes to search for another restaurant. In the end, she compromised and let out a soft sigh. “We’ll eat here then. Sibyl, Annie, what do you think?”
“No problem.” Sibyl nodded. “We’ve walked around all day and I’m a bit tired too. Eating here sounds fine.”
“I also want to try Yunque cuisine!” Annie’s eyes sparkled brightly. “I heard their bao… uh…”
“It’s baozi,” the fox girl blinked her right eye at Annie. “It’s said that Valentian pizza actually evolved from Yunque baozi~”
Led by the fox girl, the group arrived at the entrance to the restaurant in the hotel’s rear courtyard.
“Three honored guests, this is the place,” the fox girl said, placing her hands gently against her lower abdomen before bowing to the three of them. “If honored guests need anything at all, you may come call for this servant at the front desk. This servant is named Tushan Yunyou, though honored guests may simply call me Yunyou.”
Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly leaned forward slightly. Silver strands of hair brushed past Lina’s shoulder, and her fragrant breath carrying an ambiguous scent softly grazed Lina’s ear. “Any kind of need is acceptable too~”
After saying that, she gracefully swayed away down the corridor, leaving Lina standing there touching her somewhat heated cheeks.
“That big sister just now seemed to really like Sister Lina,” Annie finally said. “It felt like her eyes were always on Sister Lina!”
“Children shouldn’t think about weird things!” Lina patted Annie’s head. “Those fox spirits are only thinking about your money! Come on, let’s eat!”
With black lines across her face, Lina pushed open the heavy carved wooden doors. A wave of warm air mixed with the fragrance of food and faint tea aroma rushed toward them.
The scenery inside the restaurant continued the same antique style as the exterior. Several enormous palace lanterns hung from the ceiling, their light filtered through lotus-embroidered covers that cast hazy lotus-shaped halos upon the walls.
Dark sandalwood tables and chairs were arranged in a scattered yet orderly fashion, cleverly separated by screens painted with landscapes, flowers, and birds, preserving privacy without making the space feel cramped.
Several fox-girl waitresses in matching uniforms moved lightly between the tables and chairs like butterflies dancing among flowers. They too had fluffy fox ears and swaying fox tails, but unlike the naturally seductive Tushan Yunyou at the front desk, these girls appeared more lively and clever.
All of them wore cute double-bun hairstyles and fitted modified short qipaos. The main color was ink black, trimmed with exquisite red edging that accentuated their figures without sacrificing elegance.
Below the slits of their qipaos were shapely legs wrapped in slightly translucent black stockings, while on their feet were soft-soled embroidered cloth shoes. Their footsteps were almost completely silent as they walked, with only the swaying hems of their skirts stirring a fragrant breeze.
Seeing Lina’s group of three enter the restaurant, one waitress immediately came forward with a sweet and radiant smile. “This way please, honored guests~”
She led them to a quiet seat by the window. Outside, a cluster of slender bamboo in the courtyard could just be seen, carrying a unique charm beneath the night and lantern light.
After they sat down, another fox-girl waitress approached gracefully carrying a thick menu. With gentle movements, she poured warm tea for the three of them before handing the menu to Lina, who sat in the eastern seat.
“This is our restaurant’s menu,” she said in a crisp and pleasant voice, speaking Koberen with a slight Yunque accent. “Our Qingqiu Pavilion restaurant serves both Gaul City local specialties, such as pan-seared veal steak, baguettes, and the cloud soufflé beloved by ladies, as well as traditional Yunque cuisine, such as soup-filled steamed buns, jade shrimp dumplings, and red oil wontons.”
As she introduced each dish, her fingers painted with pale pink nail polish lightly pointed at the corresponding images on the menu.
“Do either of you have foods you dislike?” Lina asked her two companions.
“I don’t like carrots…” Annie said quietly.
“As long as it’s not excessively spicy or greasy, I can eat it,” Sibyl replied.
“Oh right, do you know how to use chopsticks?” Lina suddenly remembered that most Yunque dishes required this special utensil.
“I can use them.” Sibyl nodded slightly.
“I learned before, but I never mastered it…” Annie lowered her head. “But I do know how to replace most chopstick functions with a knife, fork, and spoon.”
“Alright then, I’ll order something lighter.” Lina flipped through the menu, only for her stomach to let out an embarrassing growl. Blushing, she coughed lightly. “Two baskets of soup dumplings and one serving of Liangzhou lamb fried rice. Oh, and don’t add cilantro to the vinegar dipping sauce for the soup dumplings…”
Before she could finish, however, she suddenly seemed to remember something and changed her words. “Actually, cilantro is fine.”
The waitress blinked her bright eyes and lowered her head to write down Lina’s order.
Sibyl accepted the menu Lina handed over and ordered a delicate bamboo fungus soup, a serving of jade shrimp dumplings, and a sweet Jiangnan tea pastry.
“You seem quite familiar with Yunque cuisine?” the fox-girl waitress asked politely. “Judging from your appearance… are you from the East?”
“No, I just happen to have a friend living over there.” Lina replied with a smile. “This is enough.”
“Very well, please wait a moment~” The fox-girl waitress wrote down the order, smiled sweetly, and bowed before retreating.
After the waitress left, the gossiping souls of Annie and Sibyl immediately ignited. Annie was the first to ask, “Sister Lina! Who’s this friend from Yunque you mentioned? Why have we never heard you talk about her before?”
Sibyl nodded. “I’m curious too… honestly, when I first met you, I really thought you were a girl from the East.”
Lina let out a soft sigh, sipping her tea while brushing her hair back.
To be honest, that “friend” had truly left quite a bit of psychological trauma on her.
She would never forget the sight from the day she had gone to propose marriage in her previous life—her future “bride” intimately clinging arm-in-arm with another fox girl.
Trashy. Absolutely trashy!
This wasn’t a fox at all. It was a cow!
“That’s all in the past now. No point bringing it up!” Lina waved her hand, signaling that they should not pry into their sister’s painful romantic history.
Just as Annie was about to say something else, a burst of commotion suddenly came from the other side of the screen divider.
That voice… sounded somewhat familiar?
“Young miss… that’s not how you eat this…”
“Wah! So spicy! Seriel, water, water!”
“Here it is, young miss.”
“No, it’s still too spicy! Milk, I want milk…”
“My apologies, there doesn’t seem to be milk on the menu here… wait, young miss, what are you trying to do?”
“If there’s no milk… another substitute is fine. Seriel, come over here!”
“Young miss… please don’t do this, this is a public place, please conduct yourself properly… ah… if you do that you won’t be able to drink anything… gentler please… it hurts a little…”
Lina made a silencing gesture toward Annie and Sibyl, then crept quietly toward the screen divider. Swallowing nervously, she secretly pressed one eye against the gap in the screen.