Chapter 257: That’s Exactly What It Means!
At the dining table, it was as if time had stopped; everyone’s movements froze all of a sudden.
Hua instantly wanted to throw down her chopsticks and flip the table in anger.
Everyone had worked so hard to prepare this meal, and Ding Ning had even gathered up all the salt in the whole territory just for him.
And now he says it’s not salty enough?
Just how much salt would it take to be "enough"?!
At this point she couldn’t hold it in any longer, glaring fiercely at Jiang Che—Jiang Che, have you eaten that much salt in your life?
She resented Jiang Che for being too honest right now; if only he could tell a white lie or two, just to comfort everyone a bit.
Blood Slaughter also put down his chopsticks, feeling that Jiang Che was being a bit thoughtless.
Ding Ning took a deep breath but let out a heavy sigh in her heart.
Jiang Che could sense that something was off. Even though no one spoke, their expressions made it clear.
Was there some problem with him saying it wasn’t salty?
Could it be they’d noticed something wrong in his mood?
Thinking of this, Jiang Che felt certain about his guess.
They must have picked up on that brief flicker of emotion in him.
While he didn’t think that slight saltiness was anything to fuss about, evil spirits were extremely sensitive to human emotions—it made sense that they’d caught on to his feelings in that instant.
Jiang Che hurriedly spoke up, "What I mean by ’not salty’ is, the flavor is just right." He quickly explained.
"’Not salty’ means the taste of this dish is perfectly balanced, seasoned to perfection."
After hearing Jiang Che’s words, the expressions of the evil spirits visibly eased.
Thinking it over, this did indeed sound like something humans would say.
"Hahaha, so that’s what it means!" Blood Slaughter burst out laughing, trying to shake off the awkwardness.
Ding Ning’s lips curled up unconsciously—she realized she still needed to learn a lot more about humans.
She knew nothing of how humans described food.
This was, in fact, a total blind spot in her knowledge.
Hua racked her brain for any memory of human customs, and... it really did seem like they’d misunderstood Jiang Che.
"Just right—that’s the highest praise!" Hua confirmed, looking at Ding Ning. At this, Ding Ning couldn’t help but smile even wider.
She quietly committed the amount of salt she’d added this time to memory.
She’d simply used her own instinct for seasoning—never expected it would suit Jiang Che’s taste so well.
As for whether it truly fit Jiang Che’s taste—that she didn’t really mind.
Nothing could be a perfect fit, but over time, her cooking would become more and more tailored to Jiang Che’s palate.
And Jiang Che’s taste buds would become increasingly attuned to her cooking.
Everyone’s cooking was unique; this was something she’d learned before—every meal was one of a kind, just like everyone who made it.
Whenever someone left home, or a husband missed his wife, the first thing they would long for was the distinctive taste of family cooking.
That was a flavor you couldn’t find anywhere else—not in any restaurant, nor from any chef.
So even if Jiang Che’s taste was a little different from hers, it didn’t matter. The two of them would naturally make tiny adjustments toward perfect harmony.
"Tell me, the food Ning makes, compared to what you usually eat, which is better?" Hua looked at Jiang Che with curiosity.
Jiang Che put down his chopsticks at the question. "That’s not something you can compare."
"Different people’s cooking is naturally going to be a little different."
"What Ning makes is her own unique flavor, and I really like it." Jiang Che finished, and Hua didn’t press him further.
Throughout this meal, the whole family was filled with happiness.
Jiang Che even finished every last bite of the dishes on the table.
He had to admit, after becoming high-level, even his stomach seemed much bigger.
He’d eaten so much, yet his belly didn’t feel full at all.
He hadn’t been here long, but thanks to the different flow of time in the illusion realm, he’d learned more than most in the shortest time possible.
His spirit couldn’t leave his body for too long—if it did, it would become incompatible with his body.
Jiang Che washed the dishes—even though all these bowls and chopsticks were conjured illusions, and could be dispersed with a wave of the hand.
Still, he stood by the sink, scrubbing away the leftover bits of food clinging to the bowls.
Ding Ning didn’t stop him. For them, these were hardly "pointless" tasks.
These little things were, to them, the most important things in the world.
Once the dishes were done, Jiang Che had to return.
"I really wish we could see each other sooner," Jiang Che said, the sound of running water in his ear.
"It’s okay, we’ll meet very soon," Ding Ning said, leaning back on the sofa, enjoying the scene before her.
It was only a pity they didn’t have a real TV here; she could conjure a television model, but she couldn’t create any programs to watch.
Otherwise, she truly wanted to experience ordinary human home life together with Jiang Che.
Jiang Che carefully put away each bowl and plate, looking at Ding Ning with reluctance in his eyes.
Tuantuan was sitting on a tiny stool to the side.
"Once the passage opens, the first thing we need to do is go to the Rabbit-man’s dungeon. We’ll clear her dungeon first," Ding Ning said quickly.
Of all the dungeons, she felt the Rabbit-man’s was the toughest.
Because of the special rules of her dungeon, even her subordinates would go berserk within its boundaries.
The other Lords’ dungeons were much easier to deal with—their dungeons couldn’t boost combat stats.
Only the Rabbit-man’s could level up the combat power of her subordinates by several tiers.
Of course, it came at a price.
When the Rabbit-man used this frenzy skill, she herself would be left weak for a long time afterwards.
If her subordinates used it, they would drop dead on the spot when it ended—no medicine could help them.
It was a kind of self-destruction, but not mindless—their life force turned directly into power, fighting to the bitter end.
Ding Ning took out two outfits from the wardrobe for Jiang Che, about to hand them to him, only to realize he was currently a spirit—he couldn’t take them with him even if he put them on.
Sensing Ding Ning’s disappointment, Jiang Che took the clothes from her and stepped into the bedroom, where he spent only a few minutes changing into them.
Even if he couldn’t take the clothes, he could at least wear them now—for Ding Ning to see.
Ding Ning started in surprise, then waited quietly outside the living room.
Even Hua thought these clothes had just been scavenged from a dungeon.
Figured Ding Ning must have taken them off some corpse.
Many people who come to the dungeon dress very well.
Perhaps so they’d look decent in death—their clothes were always of the finest material and craftsmanship.
But Ding Ning tried on many sets left behind in the dungeon, and none seemed right for Jiang Che.
The ones on Jiang Che now were made by Ding Ning herself, unpicking seams from countless pieces, taking a large suit and altering it to size.
Though it was a refit and not new cloth, she could still say with pride—this was handmade by her own hands!
As soon as Jiang Che put the outfit on, he noticed the messy threads—their ends all jumbled up. Even hospital clothes had neat seams.
The stitching was rough, but the garment was sturdy.
Jiang Che caught on immediately, and quickly changed into all of it.