Chapter 33: The Ranch Apprentice

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“The reputation of being a miracle exists only in legend for now. No one has ever seen one, so people place all their impossible hopes upon it.”

At this, Chi Sui’s imagination suddenly ran wild. “For example, bringing the dead back to life or granting eternal youth?”

Mr. Shi tapped her on the head. “Birth, aging, illness, and death are the fundamental laws of the world. Even a miracle cannot defy the laws at its foundation.”

“Instead of filling your head with such things, you should think about the ranch’s plans for the future.”

Chi Sui rubbed her forehead where he had struck her. It did not hurt.

“What plans?”

“The machine that merchant brought out just now gave me an idea. Many of the dishes you are good at need to be eaten while they are hot. Have you considered opening a restaurant at the ranch?”

Chi Sui tilted her head and thought for a while, looking troubled. “I have considered opening one, but it would be too much trouble for customers to come all the way here just for a meal. The mountain road is still rather difficult to travel.”

“Isn’t there a passage leading directly to the square?”

“It was sealed off before I came to the ranch. There seemed to be something dangerous in the cave.”

Mr. Shi was puzzled. “What danger could there be inside? Chi Yu had that road opened specifically for convenient travel. At most, there would be a few echo bats in there.”

Chi Sui shook her head and was just about to say something when a sudden voice interrupted them.

While the two of them were talking, a new visitor arrived at the ranch.

“Excuse me, is Ranch Owner Chi Sui here?”

Standing outside the ranch was a young man. Chi Sui found him familiar at first glance, but she could not remember his name.

Seeing her confusion, the man revealed a standard toothy smile. His large, perfectly white teeth were striking.

In all the time she had spent on Sky Island, Chi Sui had never seen teeth so white. She wondered whether it was because of the local water or simply a matter of habit.

“Hello, I’m Kia. We met once before in Windchime Town.”

Only after hearing his name did Chi Sui suddenly remember. He was the one who had come to apply.

“Oh, it’s you. Come in.”

Kia smiled and nodded before pushing open the gate and walking inside.

Once he had entered, Chi Sui led him to the only table on the ranch, and they sat down.

Chi Sui cleared her throat and tried hard to recall the interview questions she had encountered in the past. The words almost slipped out automatically.

“Why would you like to join our company?”

The moment she said it, she realized it was inappropriate and hurriedly amended it. “I mean, why would you like to come here as an apprentice?”

Kia, who had only just sat down, had not expected the question-and-answer session to begin so quickly. He froze for a moment, but soon recovered.

“Well, I have been traveling from place to place for quite some time. What I enjoy most is developing new dishes and collecting recipes I have never seen before. At the last competition, I had never encountered the pastries made by Ranch Owner Chi. That is why I wanted to come and learn.”

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Chi Sui stared at him. “Just because of that?”

Kia nodded solemnly. “Just because of that. If you agree, I am willing to help out at the ranch—and pay ten gold coins in tuition.”

Chi Sui wondered if she had misheard him. “You mean, you want to come here to work… that is, to help out. Not only do you not want wages, you are also going to pay me?”

“That’s right.”

…The working environment on Sky Island really was terrible. Chi Sui swallowed and consoled herself.

It was not that she wanted to become a capitalist. Her employees were simply too competitive.

“The ranch does not currently have anywhere else for you to stay. You’ll have to wait until I—”

Before she could finish, Kia interrupted her. “That’s all right. I have already booked a room at the inn in town for the entire summer.”

Chi Sui opened and closed her mouth, wanting to say something to refuse him. After struggling for a moment, she ultimately asked, against her conscience, “When can you start?”

She wanted to believe that Kia had some ulterior motive, but there was nothing of value anywhere on the ranch. If he truly only wanted to learn recipes, then judging by his performance during the competition, she could only hope he would not still be learning on his deathbed.

Kia once again flashed his brilliant white teeth and smiled brightly. “I can start right now.”

Because his smile was so dazzling, Chi Sui immediately shoved an ear of corn into his hands.

“Do you recognize this? Try making a dish with it.” Afterward, Chi Sui added, “This is another test. The result will determine what kind of work I assign you.”

The two of them happened to be sitting beside the dining table, with the kitchen not far away. Given the ingredients currently stored at the ranch, there were actually very few things he could make.

But Chi Sui did not have high hopes for Kia. As long as he could boil the corn until it was cooked, she could convince herself that she had not hired an employee, but taken on a disciple.

“I recognize it. I saw it in another town before. It’s corn.”

Kia’s answer was brimming with confidence, and the way he peeled the corn by hand was perfectly normal.

Watching from the side, Chi Sui felt the anxiety in her heart ease slightly.

Perhaps he had simply performed poorly during the competition. After all, improved recipes were born from failure.

That hope lasted until Kia grabbed a handful of flour and threw it into the water in which the corn was boiling.

Chi Sui frowned. Was he trying to make corn porridge?

Kia opened the backpack he carried with him and added several pieces of radish.

Chi Sui: ?

Kia then took several chunks of honey from his backpack and tossed them into the pot.

Chi Sui: ??

Once again, Kia rummaged through his backpack and pulled out several pitch-black, unidentifiable objects. He threw those into the pot as well.

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Chi Sui: ???

“Stop!” When Kia reached for her spatula to stir the contents, Chi Sui practically shouted the word.

What was this, a wizard brewing medicine?

Chi Sui stared tremblingly at the vaguely familiar lump in the pot. How had this man managed to make every dish look exactly the same?

Startled by her reaction, Kia asked cautiously, “Ranch Owner Chi, did I do something wrong?”

“Heh…”

Hearing that question, Chi Sui finally lost control of the corners of her mouth.

Was there anything he had done right?

“What are you trying to make?”

Once he received a response, the awkward Kia immediately launched into an explanation.

“This is a recipe I learned on Green Island. It is called mixed stew. You put all the available ingredients into a pot and stew them together. The corn I ate before was made this way.”

Chi Sui fell silent.

When she did not answer, Kia continued to emphasize, “I’ve eaten it before. It really is delicious when prepared this way. I’m not lying to you.”

Looking into Kia’s sincere eyes, Chi Sui took a deep breath and spoke as calmly as she could.

“Then taste what you made yourself.”

“Oh, and don’t use my spoon. Eat it with your hands!”

The unreasonable demand left Kia looking somewhat aggrieved, but he still reached toward the edge of the pot and cautiously tested the temperature. Faced with the black mass inside, he simply had no idea where to begin.

“But… it isn’t finished yet,” Kia said, his voice gradually growing quieter.

Chi Sui shook her head and could not stop herself from saying, “By the time you finish it, we’ll all be unconscious from the stench.”

“Mixed stew means mixing things together, but it does not mean mixing them like this! At the very least, you should have made the flour into dough before adding it! And after putting in radishes and corn, you added honey too. Were you trying to make a pot of sweet soup?”

“That black thing—do you even know what it is? How dare you throw it in without knowing!”

After saying all that, Chi Sui expected Kia to feel miserable. She even regretted not phrasing herself more tactfully.

Instead, Kia had already pulled a money pouch from his backpack. He held it out with both hands, wearing an eager, ingratiating expression.

“You’re right, Ranch Owner Chi. When do we begin our lessons?”

Chi Sui: …

She pressed a hand to her aching forehead. After a long while, she finally managed to say:

“Wash the pot first.”