Seeing that Megan York had absolutely no intention of stopping, and seemed determined to finish off the entire plate of lettuce in one go, James Bolton hurriedly struggled to snatch the chopsticks clutched tightly in the girl's small hand. “Little glutton, why are you eating like you’ve been starving for days? Just have a taste, and save the rest for dinner later.”

Watching with longing eyes as James Bolton moved the plate out of her reach, Megan York finally, though reluctantly, tore her gaze away from the vibrant greens. With a fawning, puppy-like expression, she started flattering James Bolton: “Brother-in-law, it’s delicious, amazing!” As she spoke, she even raised her slender, fair thumb to emphasize her point.

After sampling James Bolton’s cooking, Megan York no longer mentioned the earlier debate about the “West Lake Vinegar Fish,” but her attitude toward James Bolton’s next dish shifted from disdain to anticipation. When she saw James Bolton toss the well-rinsed kidney slices—after squeezing out the excess water—into the already hot oil, and the faintly gamey aroma began to rise, Megan York suddenly felt as if she hadn’t eaten in days. She was hungry—very hungry!

To distract herself, after gulping down the saliva that filled her mouth with a loud “gulp,” Megan York quickly changed the subject and asked, “Brother-in-law, what’s this dish called? Does it have a story?”

While attentively stir-frying the kidneys in the wok, James Bolton replied casually, “Spicy Stir-Fried Kidneys! As for a story, yes, there is one. It comes from a novel by Gu Long, called ‘The White Jade Tiger.’ No need to ask—I’m sure you haven’t read it.”

Catching a glimpse of Megan York staring at the wok and swallowing desperately, nodding so hard it looked like her head might fall off, James Bolton confirmed his guess. He smiled and continued, “The heroine in the book, Lian Lian—who also goes by the alias Lian Yi Lian—meets a master chef in a kitchen called ‘Oyster Sauce Beef’—a chef whose skills rival Yi Ya’s, known as the ‘Master of Miraculous Hands.’ This Spicy Stir-Fried Kidneys was the dish he made at that time. The description goes like this: when she smelled the dish made by others, ‘she thought it smelled good, but didn’t want to eat it, since she’d just eaten and was still full.’ But when she smelled the one made by the Master of Miraculous Hands, ‘even though she still wasn’t hungry, she started to drool anyway.’

That’s the difference between the Master of Miraculous Hands’ Spicy Stir-Fried Kidneys and everyone else’s. And the dish I’m making now is ‘Spicy Stir-Fried Kidneys.’ To be precise, it’s ‘the Spicy Stir-Fried Kidneys of the Master of Miraculous Hands.’”

Chapter 007: A Romantic Candlelit Dinner

Megan York wholeheartedly agreed with James Bolton, because she was behaving even worse than that Lian Yi Lian from the novel. Not only was she drooling at the aroma, but her stomach was also getting hungrier, since she hadn’t eaten anything all afternoon.

“All right, go set the table in the dining room. After I finish the Spicy Stir-Fried Kidneys, I’ll make a dish of ‘Oiled Beef’ and a mixed mushroom soup, then we can eat.” As he spoke, James Bolton had already turned off the heat and started plating the kidneys.

Megan York nodded and was about to turn to leave when she suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask, “Does this Oiled Beef have a story too?”

“Mm, you could say that. It’s also one of the Master of Miraculous Hands’ specialties, requiring perfect control of heat and timing,” James Bolton explained as he scrubbed the wok.

“Again with the Master of Miraculous Hands? What other dishes can he make?”

“The book does mention it. Apparently, his best dish is ‘Stir-Fried Human Meat,’ where he picks the most tender parts from little girls about your age and slices the meat—supposedly it’s incredibly delicious. How about we try it tonight?” James Bolton’s tone was clearly teasing now.

Hearing this, Megan York’s almond-shaped eyes widened, and she looked ready to explode. But before her anger could erupt, her eyes suddenly spun with an idea, and she switched to a mischievous smile. Puffing out her well-developed chest, she threw James Bolton a flirtatious glance and, in a coy, teasing voice like a streetwalker soliciting customers, said, “Brother-in-law~, which part of me do you think is the most tender? Want to ‘personally’ pick it out?” She emphasized the word ‘personally,’ clearly hinting at something.

His teasing backfired, and he was the one being teased instead. Seeing Megan York boldly puff out her chest and lean in, James Bolton chickened out! He discreetly took a step back, not daring to look at the girl’s now-prominently displayed chest, and pretended to focus on controlling the heat, fiddling with the flame under the wok. With some embarrassment, he said, “Enough, I’m not really going to eat human meat. Go set the table, or there won’t be any food left for you.”