Cooking in the Monster Sanctuary - Chapter 14 - Part 1

Zhou Hangxing had been successfully contained and, given his highly unusual abilities and his history of causing harm, was transferred to a more authoritative central institution for containment.

The city of Qichuan, though not large had seen only a handful of appearances by high-risk abnormal beings, leaving Lin Yu idle once more. She happily spent her time in the containment facility’s kitchen developing new recipes.

One day, as she brought out slices of lychee rose thousand-layer cake from the kitchen, she unexpectedly spotted two strangers in the courtyard.

The taller one appeared to be around twenty years old, towering at about two meters or more. He wore a deep black short-sleeved shirt that highlighted his muscular physique, and his exposed forearms displayed powerful, sculpted muscles which hinted at restrained strength.

He stood at an angle that only revealed the sharp contours of his face, with upturned phoenix eyes emanating a hint of coldness, a high-bridged nose adding a sharp arc, and his dense, tousled short hair scattered in all directions as dark as the night.

He was the kind of person you wouldn’t dare approach.

In comparison, the younger individual was much cuter.

Dracula was feeding him the sweet and spicy potato dish that Lin Yu had prepared earlier. 

The boy appeared to be only about six or seven years old, with a pair of round, deep brown eyes that sparkled like stars. He blinked them in innocence, and his long eyelashes quivering gently like fluttering brushes. Also, his fair cheeks were pale, and tinged with a faint blush of shyness.

But what stood out the most were the two furry ears atop his head, deep gray on the outside and a soft, snowy white on the inside.

Seeing those familiar ears, the bewildered gaze, and the innocent aura, Lin Yu made a five-Mao bet with herself that this young boy was undoubtedly one of the Three Stooges of the sled team – a Siberian Husky.

The tall stranger noticed her presence first, casting a casual yet penetrating gaze her way.

Lin Yu smiled warmly at him.

“Tuantuan, do you see the beautiful sister over there? She made this potato dish.”

Dracula waved cheerfully at her, and the large Kesuzi logo on his chest drew even more attention. As he spoke, he fed another piece of potato to the boy who this time timidly raised his head.

The potatoes were fried to a perfect crispness with a texture reminiscent of rice crackers. Each bite was crunchy, the crispy outer layer giving way to a soft, and dense potato interior that melted easily into a powdery texture.

The rich sauce was primarily composed of sugar, vinegar, salt, and chili powder. The thick crimson sauce enveloped each potato piece. As it crumbled upon being bitten, it seeped into every grain which offered a mild tang, spiciness, and a pleasant sweetness that tantalized the taste buds.

Occasionally, the vibrant green of scallions would get rolled into a bite which added a refreshing herbal aroma to the snack and made it even more irresistible.

Lin Yu placed the platter on a nearby table and leaned forward slightly. “Is he a new member of the containment facility?”

“Not really, this child poses almost no danger and can live outside of containment,” Dracula squatted on the ground, maintaining a height similar to that of the young boy, and turned to look at him. “Come on, Tuantuan, say hello to the nice lady.”

The boy’s clear, almond-shaped eyes reflected an amber glow. He then curved a small, crescent-shaped smile and said with some difficulty, each word soft and unclear with some syllables lingering in his throat like the whimpering of a little puppy, “Sister… hello, I’m called Lu Tuantuan.”

Dracula covered his face, “Ah, I’m dead! I’m dead!”

He started twitching inexplicably. Mr. Dracula, you’re not a twisted seaweed, you’ll really scare the child like this!

Lin Yu with a complicated expression, refrained from looking at him and glanced around instead. “Where’s Mino? Wasn’t she here earlier?”

“She couldn’t resist touching the kid’s ears and went somewhere to have a meltdown.”

Thinking of that woman’s face filled with a creepy smile, Ling Xi felt a chill in his heart, and he continued with his usual poker face, “This child was found by the containment facility in a garbage can, and he doesn’t speak much yet. The one beside him is his current guardian of the same race named Lu Yinge.”

The black-clad man who had been standing coldly on the side finally spoke, his voice as deep and cold as his demeanor. “Don’t bring up the past in front of him.”

Quite protective, it seemed.

If he belonged to the same race, this stern older brother should also be of the Husky type. Lin Yu subconsciously imagined him running wildly with his handsome face and round eyes, his tongue wagging like a sausage.

She nearly burst into laughter—”my apologies!”

“Hello, I’m Lin Yu.”

She greeted him with a restrained smile and then crouched down, her gaze filled with warmth as she met the young boy’s eyes. “Sister made dessert, would you like some?”

The plump little hands of Tuantuan clutched at his clothes, and with a pitiful and pleading look, he glanced at Lu Yinge. His eyes shimmered like they held water, and anyone who saw them would be melted.

Lu Yinge finally revealed a slightly softer expression, and the tense corners of his lips curving subtly. He nodded silently.

The multi-layered cake as the name suggested was made by layering thin layers of pastry with various fillings. Achieving the smooth and neat layers required great effort.