Chapter 223: Chapter 222 Visit_1 Two days later, Mo Hua went to visit Mr. Zhuang again, and took the opportunity to play a game of chess with Old Kui. When he left, he ran into Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi at the doorway. During the New Year holidays, Mr. Zhuang slacked off a bit and had given the Bai siblings a break too. They were now here to pay their respects to Mr. Zhuang. Bai Zisheng’s eyes lit up when he saw Mo Hua and he asked, “Mo Hua, are you here to pay respects to Mr. Zhuang as well?” “Yes.” Mo Hua nodded, “I have already seen Mr. Zhuang, and now I am going home.” Bai Zisheng sounded somewhat disappointed, then quickly asked, “Can I come to your place to hang out?” “Sure,” said Mo Hua, then with some confusion, “why do you suddenly want to visit my place?” Without any pretense, Bai Zisheng replied, “I want to go there to eat meat.” “You’re not lacking meat to eat, are you? If not monster meat, there’s spiritual meat, right?” Bai Zisheng looked left and right, and whispered to Mo Hua, “Aunt Xue’s cooking is pretty awful.” Bai Zixi gave Bai Zisheng a light glare. Mo Hua was somewhat caught between laughter and tears. “Don’t tell Aunt Xue, okay? Otherwise, she will get angry,” Bai Zisheng said. “Don’t worry,” Mo Hua reassured, and then asked, “But will Aunt Xue let you go?” “I’ve already thought of an excuse,” Bai Zisheng said proudly, “I’ll say that we’ve been under your care, as well as Aunt Liu’s, so I want to come over to express my thanks.” “Alright then, if you can convince Aunt Xue, that’s fine.” Bai Zisheng nodded and said, “All set then, I’ll talk to Aunt Xue when I get back.” “Do you have any particular dish in mind? I can tell my mom to prepare it for you in advance,” Mo Hua offered. “I’m fine with anything, as long as there’s meat,” Bai Zisheng was not picky at all. Mo Hua then looked towards Bai Zixi. Bai Zixi thought for a moment, then also said softly, “Anything is fine.” When Mo Hua got home, he told his mother about the visit. Liu Ruhua was somewhat surprised. She had only heard from Mo Hua that there were siblings studying with him at Mr. Zhuang’s, and that they came from a noble clan, with extraordinary appearance and excellent conduct, but she had never met them. Now that they were going to visit, Liu Ruhua was naturally happy. “Although you all are just disciples in name, studying together makes for a deeper relationship than ordinary sect disciples, so we should treat them well.” Mo Hua nodded his head in agreement. As evening approached, Aunt Xue brought Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi over for a visit in person. Aunt Xue still wore a veil, but her attire was much simpler, and her usually cold demeanor had softened considerably, making her seem much more approachable. Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi were both dressed in elegant, light white Taoist robes, made from quality materials, yet they did not look ostentatious. However, their looks and bearing were so outstanding that no matter how modest their clothes, they could not conceal their exceptional comeliness. As soon as the Bai siblings entered, Liu Ruhua was taken aback. Bai Zisheng had a handsome face, with brows like swords and eyes like stars, while Bai Zixi’s skin was fairer than snow, her eyes shining like stars, as if she were carved from jade. She looked at Bai Zisheng, then at Bai Zixi, and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: “Never have I seen children as beautiful as these in the world.” Aunt Xue brought a gift, a first-rate hairpin, exquisitely crafted and luxurious. Liu Ruhua then brought out a variety of pastries and snacks to entertain them. In the clean and tidy living room, Mo Hua sat with Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, eating snacks, while Liu Ruhua made small talk with Aunt Xue. Bai Zisheng glanced at Liu Ruhua, thinking to himself that this is what other people’s mothers were like, smiling so affectionately, willing to make food with their own hands for their children, and looking at them fondly. Bai Zisheng lowered his eyes; his own mother was not like that and seldom smiled. Bai Zixi’s expression was still indifferent, her lashes drooping, and a tinge of sadness and envy flashed through her autumnal eyes. Mo Hua didn’t understand why they seemed a bit disheartened, so he pushed the food box toward them: “My mother made these especially for you, they are delicious.” Bai Zisheng’s attention was instantly drawn to the food box. He took a bite of the meat and his eyes lit up with curiosity, asking, “What kind of meat is this?” “It’s a type of rabbit meat, more delicate than the usual monster meat and quite chewy, as well as tasty, but it’s very troublesome to make.” Mo Hua explained to Bai Zisheng, “I don’t always get to have it even when I want to; this time, I shared in your fortune.” Mo Hua also took a bite and squinted his eyes in satisfaction. Bai Zisheng was touched and said with gratitude, “Thank you, Aunt Liu!” Liu Ruhua smiled gently, “If you like it, eat more.” Bai Zisheng nodded eagerly, all his earlier troubles seemed to vanish like smoke. Bai Zixi was somewhat transfixed by the pastries in front of her. The pastries were colorful and varied in style, each adorned with a different floral pattern. Some were osmanthus, some plum blossoms, others peach blossoms, and still, others were orchids—delicate, delicious, and emanating a faint sweetness. She didn’t know which one to try first. After hesitating for a while, Bai Zixi decided to start from the beginning and taste each one—some soft and sticky, some flaky, all with a faint fragrance of flowers. They were sweet in her mouth… Seeing Bai Zixi enjoying the foods, Liu Ruhua couldn’t help but smile and inwardly exclaimed, “Such a lovely girl, even the way she eats is pleasing to the eye.” With a tranquil expression, Bai Zixi ate the pastries and noticed Liu Ruhua looking at her with a gentle gaze; she didn’t know how to react and shyly lowered her head, her fair cheeks tinged with faint blush. Liu Ruhua, liking her even more, poured a cup of tea and handed it to Bai Zixi, saying softly, “There are plenty of pastries left, if you don’t mind, you can take more with you later.” Bai Zixi nodded and said softly, “Thank you, Aunt Liu.” Seeing this, Aunt Xue asked, “Sister Liu, how do you make these pastries…?” Aunt Xue could also cook some meals, but she was not particularly adept; her cooking was just passable to fill the stomach. As the three of them traveled around, studying with Mr. Zhuang, the meals they ate were all prepared by her. Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi had never complained about her cooking, but ever since they had tasted Liu Ruhua’s food, they didn’t enjoy Aunt Xue’s meals quite as much. Everyone has their specialties, and Aunt Xue knew she wasn’t good at cooking but for the sake of Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, she still wanted to learn as much as she could. Seeing that Aunt Xue had an extraordinary air about her, and presuming that she probably hadn’t done much of this sort of thing before, Liu Ruhua began with the basics, explaining the ingredients, heat control, steaming, boiling, frying, and deep-frying, one by one. It was then that Aunt Xue realized there was so much to know about cooking, that preparing a meal with perfect color, flavor, and taste, required many steps and patience, and was indeed a lot of work. Bai Zixi listened attentively, her expression serene, but her eyes were entirely fixed on Liu Ruhua. After a while, Mo Shan returned home and was mildly surprised to see guests. As the year’s end approached, Mo Shan also had many social obligations to attend to—greeting and sending off, exchanges of courtesies, and occasionally drinking with his brothers from the Monster Hunting Team. After bustling about for most of the day, he had just returned. Liu Ruhua gave a brief introduction, and Mo Shan greeted them with a smile, inwardly surprised by the noble bearing and appearance of the Bai siblings. Such high-born individuals from Noble Clans attending with Mo Hua to study under Mr. Zhuang indicated that Mr. Zhuang was truly an extraordinary person. That Mo Hua was accepted as a recognized disciple by Mr. Zhuang was indeed a great fortune. Deep in his heart, Mo Shan felt increasingly grateful to Mr. Zhuang. Seeing Mo Shan’s tall, heroic stature, sharp gaze, and agile movements, Bai Zisheng became interested and said, “Uncle Mo, you must be a Monster Hunter.”