Chapter 398: Piggy Knight Lierre!
"Mmm... Lord Lierre, do you want more?"
Pekola, cheeks puffed like a hamster, was chewing blissfully on a piece of squid tentacle. Noticing her old boss's bowl was empty, she turned her head and asked vaguely, still chewing.
Since the Lord was currently a little loli less than 1.2 meters tall, she couldn't reach the "Iron Pot Stewed Bad Duck" in the middle even if she stood up, so Pekola took the initiative to help serve food.
"Not for now, I want to try something else..."
( ﹁ ﹁ )
Lierre glanced at Pekola, a slight look of disdain appearing on her small face: "Can you finish eating before speaking?"
Thinking back, Pekola used to eat quite elegantly in Heaven.
Now...
Hard to describe! Hard to describe!
"Oh... okay."
Pekola responded a bit embarrassedly, turned back, and continued chewing.
Thinking about it, eating while talking was indeed not good—she decided to correct this bad habit!
"..." After lecturing her subordinate, Lierre's eyes shone brightly, looking expectantly at the dishes in front of her, her gaze finally fixing on the plate of Slippery Meat Segments.
The meat pieces were shiny and plump, stacked together yet distinct from one another. The surface was coated with rich, shiny amber sauce, interspersed with bright green and red garnishes.
Steam rose in curls, the salty-fresh aroma mixed with a tantalizing scent of garlic, hitting the nose.
Let's eat this first!
Lierre raised her slender arm, extended her chopsticks, picked up a piece of golden-red meat segment for herself, and put it into her mouth expectantly.
One bite down, the tip of her teeth first touched the warm and crispy outer shell. This crispiness wasn't the thin crispiness of fried chicken, but a more solid "crispy shell" with a certain thickness.
Because it was coated with sauce, a bit of smoothness seeped into the crispiness of the shell, turning into a texture that was tough amidst softness and flavorful with salty fragrance.
Inside, the tenderloin still retained abundant juices, fresh, tender, and bouncy, forming a stark contrast with the crispy-soft outer shell!
Rich sauce aroma, salty-fresh base flavor, and the warm aroma of minced garlic spread together in the mouth, interweaving into a delightful taste experience!
"Super delicious—!"
(๑＞ᴗ＜๑)
It even brought out Lierre's accent!
But it was really delicious!
In terms of texture, it was a perfect combination of "crispy and tender." In terms of taste, it was a harmonious unity of "salty, fresh, and fragrant."
This was a delicious dish full of bold aura yet extremely detailed in craftsmanship!
Lierre felt as if she had become a Piggy Knight, riding a sleek big black pig under her crotch, galloping on a vast and fertile black soil.
Quite a feeling of roaming the world with a pig!
However, she quickly came back to her senses, her small face blushing. She lowered her head guiltily and took a bite of white rice, secretly spitting in her heart:
Roaming the world with a pig my ass! I will never roam the world with a pig in this life!
"..."
"Little Charcoal, want some corn cake?"
Poporon got up to get herself a corn cake, then turned to look at Little Binchou-tan beside her.
Having lived together for a while, plus Little Binchou-tan had a good personality and was diligent, they got along very well!
Poporon occasionally took care of her in the role of an "older sister."
"Want."
Little Binchou-tan looked at the slightly puffed oval corn cake in Poporon's bowl, interwoven with golden and burnt brown colors, and nodded unconsciously.
So Poporon picked one for her too, then sat down to eat.
This corn cake was also very delicious, arguably an extension and sublimation of the Iron Pot Stewed Bad Duck flavor.
The half soaked in the soup almost required no chewing upon entry. The soup melted in the mouth along with the cake, bringing a bursting satisfaction.
The mellow duck soup's savory fragrance flooded the taste buds like a tide, sweeping all senses.
The other half, sticking closely to the pot wall, formed a golden crispy hard shell, tasting fragrant, solid, and with a bit of chewiness. The part exposed to the steam was fluffy and moist, emitting a pure sweet corn fragrance.
This half of the corn cake provided a refreshing texture and taste baseline, forming a sharp contrast with the rich lower half.
"Mmm—! The taste and texture of this corn cake are really good... especially eating both sides alternately!" Poporon lifted her chin slightly and said with satisfaction.
(๑´ㅁ`)
"Alternately?"
Little Binchou-tan glanced curiously to the side, tried it herself, and her big azure eyes lit up instantly: "Indeed..."
Sitting on the other side, Kanna glanced at them, indicating she learned it. She raised her head, opened her mouth wide, and put the whole corn cake Kobayashi helped her get into her mouth, chewing gently.
"...Delicious!"
Kanna held her cheek with one hand and said enjoyably.
...
Dinner came to an end in a warm and cheerful atmosphere. Pekola, Poporon, and the others took the initiative to clear the dishes.
Elma didn't trouble Tohru anymore—perhaps satisfied, she couldn't muster the interest to fight for a while.
"In a blink, it's almost New Year's."
Kobayashi started a topic.
"Mn, at most fifteen days left." Ryohei looked at Kobayashi curiously and asked: "Speaking of which, why didn't you go to work today?"
Today was Friday.
He was quite surprised to see Kobayashi at the ranch in the afternoon, originally thinking she would come over after work...
"Hmm... took on a big project last week, worked overtime even on weekends, busy until yesterday... really couldn't hold on anymore, so took a break early."
Kobayashi moved her shoulders and explained simply.
Tohru said with heartache from the side: "Kobayashi worked so hard during this time! Coming back late at night, sleeping immediately, and going to work early the next morning."
"Indeed not easy." Ryohei nodded gently.
"Speaking of New Year's..."
Yurine turned her face, looking at Ryohei gently, and invited: "Does Ryohei-kun want to come to my house for New Year's this year?"
"Uh..." Ryohei was a bit surprised, looked at Yurine, hesitated, and declined tactfully: "Feels a bit inappropriate... usually it's fine, but New Year's... at least not appropriate for now."
"Alright."
"Hey, Yurine." Jashin-chan crossed her arms, swayed to Yurine's side, stared down at her for two seconds, and wondered: "Why didn't you invite me?"
Yurine tilted her head slightly, looking at her strangely: "Why should I invite you? My family is very busy during New Year's; no time to entertain you."
"Haha—!"
Cheerful laughter rang out in the restaurant.
Jashin-chan clenched her fists, glaring at Yurine unhappily: "You guy! You weren't like this to Servant just now!"
"He is my boyfriend... and he would have to help with work if he came to my house." Yurine's lips curled up slightly, glancing at Ryohei playfully.
"Oh."
Hearing about working, Jashin-chan's anger dissipated instantly. Blinking her dot eyes, she said: "Then never mind..."
"You are so realistic!"
(￣ ￣|| )
Ryohei couldn't help roasting.
"I call this being witty!" Jashin-chan put her hands on her waist, lifted her chin slightly, and said smugly.
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