Royal Chef Transmigrated into the Real Daughter - CHAPTER 5

 

Chapter 5: Ci Fan Tuan (Sticky Rice Rolls)

Tang Ning couldn't drive, so she had no choice but to take the public bus.

After painfully parting with three dollars, she stepped off the bus and walked into the university campus with heavy steps.

At the front of the lecture hall, the professor was droning on and on, blabbering about goodness-knows-what. The students below had their laptops open,looking diligent on the surface, but actually doing all sorts of random things. One male student’s Bluetooth headphones accidentally disconnected right in the middle of an adult video, plunging the entire classroom into an eerily quiet silence for a good dozen seconds.

Tang Ning sat in the back row with an expressionless face, completely oblivious to it all.

The previous anxiety and confusion had vanished from her face, replaced by a deep, numbed resignation, a feeling that when you already have too many troubles, one more won't itch.

Sixty thousand dollars a year in tuition, three thousand a month for homestay rent, two thousand for monthly living expenses, plus textbooks, transportation, and a whole slew of other costs.

And through it all, she had to ensure she didn't fall sick.

Even if she did fall ill, she must never call an ambulance again!

With only 22 dollars left on her, that was at most enough for seven bus rides.

In half a month, she would be unable to pay rent and be forced to fight homeless people for cardboard boxes on the streets.

When Tang Ning was a child, her family ran a renowned restaurant. She had never suffered any hardship in her life other than learning culinary arts. Even after disaster struck her family, her parents passed away, and she was forced to enter the palace as a cook, her exceptional skills earned her bountiful rewards from various imperial consorts.

Aside from daily gifts and networking expenses, the personal fortune she saved up back then was enough to buy a spacious three-entrance courtyard home right at the foot of the Imperial City.

So in all her years of living, this was truly the first time she had ever been so strapped for cash.

The moment class ended, Tang Ning clicked off her lesson recorder, patted the 22 dollars in her pocket, and marched straight to the Student Service Center.

"Hello, I'd like to apply for a student loan."

"Sorry, you don't meet the eligibility criteria for a loan."

"..."

"Hello, are the dining halls currently hiring servers?"

"Regrettably, you're too late. The hiring window closed a month ago."

"..."

Just then, Tang Ning caught a stray translation coming through her earphone:

"Lisa, I heard you want to apply for a stall in the school dining hall. If you'd like, I can personally recommend you to the management board."

Sitting at a round table, Lisa was filling out application forms. The manager in charge of campus dining services sat down beside her, placing a hairy hand on her shoulder.

Uncomfortable with the touch, Lisa leaned back slightly to create distance. She didn't need his recommendation, but didn't dare offend him outright either, so she forced a smile and redirected the topic.

Tang Ning listened for a few moments. After a brief pause, she walked over. "Excuse me. I happened to overhear that you are opening a new dining stall. Do you need a Chinese chef?"

Hearing the translated voice from the device, Lisa and the manager turned simultaneously to look at Tang Ning.

"A chef? You mean yourself?"

Lisa’s vibrant, fiery brownish-red hair made the surprised expression on her face look all the more intense.

Tang Ning’s gaze remained calm. "Yes."

The moment the word left her mouth, the manager beside her burst into roaring laughter. "You're a Chinese international student, right?"

Tang Ning nodded.

The manager looked to be in his thirties with a receding hairline that bore distinct British characteristics. Speaking with his nostrils pointed upward, his tone dripped with mockery: "Haston University has three main dining halls, nearly fifty stalls, and over a dozen themed restaurants,including French, Mediterranean, Mexican, Italian, and even Japanese cuisine. Everything you can think of except Chinese food. Do you know why?"

Tang Ning remained silent.

The manager put on a provocative grin: "Because we never eat pig slop! Hahahahaha!"

As the robotic voice in her earphone finished translating, a flash of icy coldness settled in the depths of Tang Ning's eyes.

Evidently.

This manager was a hopelessly wretched racist.

Tang Ning said nothing, slinging her backpack over her shoulders to turn and leave. Seeing her lowered eyelashes quivering slightly,whether from hurt or anger, Lisa felt a wave of discomfort in her chest. She knit her brows and glared at the manager. "Enough, Johnny! Saying that is way too out of line."

Johnny thought nothing of it. Seeing Tang Ning walk away, he even called out after her: "Hey, chick! Running away already? Did I say anything that isn't true? I heard people who eat pig slop all know kung fu. If you're not satisfied, why don't you come punch me, you weak slanty-eyes?"

His voice was coarse and loud, drawing the attention of numerous students across the Service Center.

Tang Ning was penniless and had no wish to cause trouble.

However...

She abruptly halted her steps, turned around to face him, her pitch-black pupils dark and bottomless.

"Are you sure? If that is your wish, I can fulfill it for you."

Johnny paused, then laughed even harder, shouting to the surrounding crowd: "Did you guys hear that? She actually thinks she can take me on!"

Standing at 185 centimeters tall and weighing 190 pounds, he relied on his massive build, not placing the ant-like Tang Ning in his eyes at all. Leaning back casually against the sofa, he raised a fist and waved it at her.

"Are you serious, chick? I trained in Tyson's boxing—URGH, AHHH!!!"

"Johnny!"

"Oh my God! What just happened?!"

A split second ago, the hulking brute was boasting arrogantly. The next second, under the watchful eyes of the public, he was grabbed single-handedly off the sofa by the delicate Chinese girl and slammed violently face-first into the floor!

The entire process took less than two seconds.

Tang Ning pinned her knee firmly against Johnny's spine, one hand smashing his head down and the other restraining his arm. Her expression was completely cold. "Millipedes crave dung, and crows feast on rotting mice—there is no need to compare. But in my eyes, you lack even the culinary sense of an insect."

Johnny couldn't understand a single word she was saying. His face was crushed out of shape against the floor. No matter how filthy the curses spewing from his mouth were, they turned into garbled, slobbering noises.

Several bystanders had already whipped out their phones to record the scene.

Such a spectacular moment would definitely go viral on YouTube—it was just a pity they hadn't caught the initial flip on camera.

It was insanely cool!

Having taught the rude foreigner a lesson, the fire and gloom pent up in Tang Ning's chest dissipated quite a bit. At the same time, she felt a wave of appreciation for modern society two thousand years later: she no longer had to swallow her anger and suffer in silence like she did in the imperial palace when people bullied her.

She could hit right back with full force.

And no one was going to chop her head off at the drop of a hat.

Shaking off his arm,which was thick as a bowl's rim yet completely limp, Tang Ning stood up and walked toward the entrance.

Behind her, someone kept letting out exaggerated shrieks: "Oh my God, it's Chinese kung fu!"

Tang Ning: "..."

‘Stop talking nonsense.

That isn't kung fu.

It's just that my physical strength happens to be a teeny-tiny bit greater than average!’

No one cared about Johnny sprawled on the ground. Lisa, like everyone else, watched Tang Ning's cool, dashing departure with eyes overflowing with shock and admiration.

Johnny crawled up from the floor in silence, his face flushed with the brutal viciousness of humiliation turned to rage.

"Fuck!"

After performing that quick warm-up exercise, Tang Ning felt her stomach growling with hunger, so she took the elevator up to the top floor lounge.

Time was tight at noon, with her afternoon class starting at 1:00 PM. Going back home to eat and sleep before coming back to school was too much of a hassle—and even if she didn't mind the hassle, her current bank balance couldn't support such outrageous transportation costs.

The lounge offered sofas, recliners, microwaves, and drinking water. One could eat their packed lunch here and get a short rest.

Her student card still came with unlimited dining hall swipes, but unless pushed to absolute desperation, Tang Ning didn't want to touch the hall food for now. While making breakfast this morning, she had prepared her lunch in advance.

Mrs. Bennett had plans at noon, so Tang Ning left one portion for Susan and packed the remaining two to bring to school.

Either way, if she couldn't finish it, it could serve as an afternoon snack.

Pouring herself a glass of ice-cold water, Tang Ning found a quiet, secluded corner. Pulling out her lunchbox from her bag, she removed the lid, revealing two plump, round Ci Fan Tuan (sticky rice rolls) resting inside.

In her past life, eunuchs and maidservants serving high-ranking nobles never got to eat on time.

Especially those with junior standing,after serving their masters, they had to serve the head managers.

Busy running errands left and right, by the time they finally got a break to eat, there wouldn't be any food left. They could only endure the gnawing hunger for an entire day until dinner.

Later, seeing how pitiful they were, Tang Ning made some sticky rice rolls,the kind manual laborers often ate, and gave it to them.

Inside the fragrant, chewy steamed glutinous rice, she would wrap pickled vegetables, fried dough sticks (guazi), cured meat, and other savory fillings. Some were even tossed with sesame seeds, meat floss, or soybean powder, depending on what was available in the imperial kitchen that day.

Taking a bite out of the oil-paper wrapping during free moments was both incredibly flavorful and deeply filling.

Because of this, Tang Ning became wildly popular among the palace maidservants and eunuchs.

Whenever there was any news or gossip in the palace, she was always the first to know. For instance, if a certain noble lady lost her appetite due to hot weather today, or if a certain consort was fuming with frustration tomorrow, she could adjust her dish recipes accordingly, earning herself endless praise and rewards.

This was one of the main reasons why Tang Ning's personal vault had been so exceptionally wealthy.

Since October was not yet freezing cold and there was a line for the microwave, Tang Ning was too lazy to heat it up. She peeled back the plastic wrap directly, releasing a delicate aroma of steamed glutinous rice, subtly layered with the savory fragrance of ham, the sharp tang of pickled green beans, and the rich oiliness of roasted peanuts...

‘Grumbleee—’

"?"

Hearing someone's stomach rumble loudly, Tang Ning instinctively looked up, coming face-to-face with a pair of bloodshot, rabbit-like eyes. Glistening teardrops hung from her eyelashes, and her glowing white cheeks were slightly flushed, she had clearly just been crying.

Tang Ning remembered...

There hadn't been anyone sitting on the opposite sofa earlier.

Where did this plump girl with brownish-red hair suddenly spring up from?

Assuming she had been here from the beginning, her presence was almost unnaturally low.

Noticing Tang Ning staring at her, the plump girl hastily averted her eyes from the rice roll, burying her head back into her folded arms, showing no desire to communicate.

Tang Ning shot her an odd look, said nothing, and took a bite of the sticky rice roll in her hand.

‘Grumbleee—’

Tang Ning looked up. The girl didn't lift her head. Tang Ning took another bite, chewing slowly.

‘Grumbleeeeeeee—’

"..."

The girl seemed to realize how embarrassing it was, hurriedly pressing one hand tightly against her belly in an attempt to stop it from making any more noise.

Tang Ning hesitated for a second. Turning on her translator, she walked over to her. "Do you need help?"

The girl’s body stiffened. Slowly revealing two teary eyes, she spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum: "I'm sorry, did I disturb you? I'll leave right away."

With that, she stood up.

Before her translator finished playing the audio, Tang Ning realized she had misunderstood.

"No, I just thought you must be hungry. I have another rice roll here. If you don't mind, you can have it to tide you over. You can't go to afternoon classes on an empty stomach."

She gently took the girl's hand and placed the unopened rice roll into her palm.

The palm-sized Ci Fan Tuan looked adorably plump in the girl's hand. Beneath the clear wrap, every grain of glutinous rice glistened plump and translucent, radiating an alluring luster that practically begged for a bite.

Even though it was just an ordinary rice roll, it looked extraordinarily delicious.

The girl snapped out of her daze. When she lifted her head again, she found that the Chinese girl who gave her the rice roll had already finished her lunch and left the lounge.

Having finished filling out her application form, Lisa walked into the top-floor lounge.

The moment she stepped inside, she spotted her younger sister curled up in a corner with her back turned, her shoulders trembling subtly. Lisa sprinted over and pulled her into a tight hug. "Lily, don't worry! I've already submitted the application to have Dad close down his restaurant and come work in the campus dining hall instead. You won't have to starve yourself anymore..."

Halfway through her sentence, she noticed that although Lily's eyes were red, they were glowing brightly. Her cheeks were puffed out full like an autumn squirrel's, and in her hands, she held a colorful, fragrant rice roll.

 

Upon asking, Lisa learned that a Chinese girl had given it to her.

"So... you were brought to tears because this rice roll tasted that good?"

Lily gave a shy, nodding nod.

Lisa: "..."

Lily had possessed a soft, timid personality since childhood. Because she was on the heavier side, she was frequently bullied by classmates, growing increasingly self-conscious to the point where she didn't even dare attend a university far from home.

Yet she had actually accepted food from a complete stranger.

Lisa stared thoughtfully at the rice roll in her sister's hand, even leaning in to take a sniff. The instant the aroma hit her nose, she couldn't help swallowing her saliva.

Suddenly, she understood.

‘It's just a rice roll, but why on earth does it smell this intoxicating?!’

A sudden thought flashed across Lisa's mind. She asked, "Lily, do you remember what that Chinese girl looked like?"

Lily nodded.

"Long black hair, big beautiful eyes, a lovely smile... and she was carrying a dark green backpack."

A dark green backpack.

‘It's the girl who knows Chinese kung fu!’

Lisa's expression grew wildly excited as she pulled her sister into a tight embrace.

"Lily, I just thought of a brilliant idea! Dad's restaurant doesn't have to close down after all!"

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