Chapter 92 - 93: New Year
In the kitchen, Sophie Wexler bustled about, instructing Cillian Forrest as she worked.
"That’s not how you chop vegetables."
"This is the flour."
"Roll the dumpling wrappers properly."
Looking at the misshapen dumpling wrappers he had rolled, then at Cillian Forrest’s helpless expression, Sophie Wexler couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter.
"Tammy, come over and do this."
Hearing Sophie Wexler’s voice, Tammy immediately rolled over on its wheels. After Sophie demonstrated the process once, it got the hang of it right away.
You had to admit, robots were impressive learners. It looked like a natural. With Tammy helping, their pace quickened considerably.
"See? You pinch the dumplings like this," Sophie Wexler patiently demonstrated for the man beside her.
Cillian Forrest held the dumpling wrapper in his large palm, his movements unusually clumsy. A man accustomed to handling weapons now held a tiny piece of dough, looking almost timid and painstakingly careful.
Watching him, the corners of Sophie Wexler’s eyes crinkled slightly. She reached out to guide his hands.
Her fingertips pinched his, guiding his fingers as they moved over the wrapper. "Like this. This is how you make the pleats."
Cillian Forrest’s hand, holding the wrapper, froze. He lowered his gaze to the smiling woman before him, his eyes softening and deepening as his Adam’s apple bobbed.
After teaching for a moment and getting no response, Sophie Wexler looked up at him in confusion. "Did you get it?"
"Mm," a single sound escaped the man’s throat. Then he spoke. "I got it."
"If you’ve got it, then you can do it yourself." With that, Sophie Wexler let go of his hand.
She turned back to continue making dumplings. Cillian Forrest rubbed his fingertips together but said nothing more, clumsily resuming the task.
For a time, a pleasant atmosphere filled the kitchen. A man, a woman, and a Tammy—it was quite cozy.
.
Sophie Wexler sat at the table and called out to Cillian Forrest, "Hurry and bring them out! It’s time to eat."
The moment the words left her mouth, the man emerged wearing an apron and carrying a plate of dumplings. The more Sophie Wexler looked at him, the more she wanted to laugh. ’He has probably never done this kind of chore in his life.’
Cillian Forrest knew she was laughing at him, but he didn’t say anything and simply sat down at the table.
On the plate, plump dumplings were nestled closely together.
Sophie Wexler looked at them for a moment, then snapped a picture and posted it to her social media account.
[Sue Shiver: You have to eat dumplings for the New Year.] [Image.jpg]
She was immediately flooded with comments, a dense wall of text all asking what the food was.
Sophie Wexler’s previous posts about sweet dumplings and lotus root and pork rib soup had gone incredibly viral on StarNet.
Many people had tried her recipes and found them delicious, especially when compared to the bland, tasteless nutrient liquid.
It had even sparked a food craze for a while.
Now that she was sharing food again, the comments came in with lightning speed.
[I don’t know what dumplings are, but they look delicious just from the picture.]
[Sue, you don’t love us anymore! Why didn’t you livestream yourself making this delicious food?]
[I’m so mad, I can’t be consoled. I’ll only forgive you if you share the recipe right this instant.]
[Hahahaha, your ulterior motive is so obvious it’s practically slapping me in the face. But I agree, hand over the recipe!]
Sophie Wexler glanced at the comments section and smiled, then readily posted the recipe for dumplings.
She had been planning to post it for everyone to make anyway. She had even sent a copy to the Seventh Legion ahead of time.
Just then, Felix York saw her update and replied under her post: [The dumplings are delicious. Image.jpg]
The picture showed many plates of dumplings, made in the military district’s cafeteria.
The netizens were instantly abuzz: [Wow, an official military account!]
[We knew from last time that Sue was acquainted with the Seventh Legion, but I didn’t realize they were this close.]
[Hehe, I’m going to eat the same dumplings as them.]
[Say no more, I’m already on it. Image.]
You had to hand it to them, the netizens were incredibly fast. No sooner had Sophie Wexler posted the recipe than someone had already started making it.
As she was reading, a dumpling was placed in her bowl. "If you don’t eat, they’ll get cold."
Sophie Wexler looked up at Cillian Forrest and turned off her Light Brain. "Okay, okay, I’m eating."
Her dumplings were well-made, while Cillian Forrest’s, by comparison, weren’t as pretty. He had put all the ones he made on his side of the table. Unexpectedly, Sophie Wexler reached over with her chopsticks, picked one up, and popped it in her mouth. "They look just fine," she said while chewing. "Why’d you put them so far away?"
Hearing this, Cillian Forrest gave a soft chuckle and pushed the plate of dumplings closer to her. "Then eat up."
Sophie Wexler looked at Cillian Forrest for a long moment before speaking. "You’re so handsome when you smile. You shouldn’t always have such a stern look on your face. It’s too serious."
Cillian Forrest didn’t smile often. To be precise, she had hardly ever seen him smile. He was usually stern-faced and taciturn.
Sophie Wexler was just speaking her mind after seeing him smile. She didn’t say anything more after that and focused on her meal.
’I’ve been in this place for half a year now. It’s clearly a completely different era from Aethel. Before, I always felt a sense of detachment, as if I didn’t belong here.’
’Who would have thought that Cillian Forrest, who had loathed me so much at the beginning, would now be sitting with me, eating dumplings in perfect harmony?’
’It’s an indescribable feeling.’
’Actually, sometimes I feel quite lucky. After coming here, I have Cillian Forrest, so I’m not completely alone, even though his attitude toward me wasn’t good at first.’
Sophie Wexler’s thoughts began to drift, until a deep voice sounded beside her ear.
"Sophie Wexler."
Sophie Wexler looked up. "?"
"It’s snowing," the man said slowly, his gaze shifting from the window to her.
Sophie Wexler turned her head in surprise. The next second, her eyes filled with delight.
Sometime while they weren’t looking, snowflakes had begun to drift down outside the window. They were large, each one dancing in the air before landing on the ground.
Sophie Wexler stood up and pushed open the window. A rush of cold air flooded in, but it did nothing to dampen her spirits.
’It’s really snowing!’
The sky outside had already begun to dim, making the white of the snow stand out even more.
’Winter, the New Year, dumplings, a snowy landscape... all of it is coming together, making me feel that this place might not be so bad after all.’
StarNet was also buzzing with activity.
It hadn’t snowed in the Empire for a very long time, let alone a snowfall this heavy. The citizens were thrilled, and everyone was coming out to watch the snow.
The comments on StarNet were nonstop. People followed the recipe Sophie Wexler had posted, eating their dumplings while admiring the snowy scenery outside, and found themselves feeling a New Year’s spirit that was different from years past.
This kind of celebration felt truly lively.
Sophie Wexler didn’t know it, but her unintentional act would lead to the people of Karath eating dumplings every New Year from then on.
But for now, she just gazed at the snow outside, thinking about her days here, her impending trip to the Capital Planet, the original owner’s fate, and Cillian Forrest beside her.
After a long silence, Sophie Wexler turned to look at Cillian Forrest, her lips curling into a slight smile. "Cillian Forrest."
Cillian Forrest looked down at her. "What is it?"
Sophie Wexler then said, each word spoken with the utmost seriousness, "When we get to the Capital Planet, I will find a way to get that neck ring off you."
’The neck ring he always kept hidden under his clothes, the one he never let anyone see. That neck ring is shackling him.’
’Even though he never mentioned it again, I know it bothers him.’