After Being Hopeless at Singing and Dancing, I Exploded in Popularity Due to My Appetite - Chapter 48

Xiao Nan did indeed know how to cook. When they were on Qingnan Mountain, Tao Nian loved his cooking too.

Well, it was probably at the level Huang Li described: just roasting food directly over a fire. No seasoning, no other techniques, just cooked and eaten.

Anyway, at that time, the little Taotie was just a small beast, the kind who knew nothing and had never eaten anything. So she ate it with great relish and didn’t feel anything was wrong. At least it was better than eating it raw.

But now, Tao Nian had been down the mountain for two months. The cafeteria food was already delicious, and Zhang Jingyue and Lin Qianman occasionally fed her various delicacies. The question of whether Xiao Nan’s cooking could still satisfy Tao Nian’s palate was basically answered.

Xiao Nan didn’t know this, though!

Xiao Nan was very confident when he applied for the job.

Although he, as an unscientific being, had no experience of living in the mortal world and knew nothing about modern society, he felt that he had taken care of Tao Nian for hundreds of years. If someone was still needed to care for Tao Nian, there was no one more suitable than himself.

He confidently held his fabricated documents, calmly and eloquently defeated other applicants, and successfully made it to Tao Nian.

Then he failed at the first hurdle.

He frowned at the various strange things in the kitchen. Except for bowls, chopsticks, spoons, and spatulas, he didn’t recognize a single item.

Xiao Nan: “…”

The mountain god was bewildered.

Fang Wen stood behind Xiao Nan with her arms crossed, giving a cold chuckle and rolling her eyes.

What were those people at the studio doing? With so many people, they found someone who knew Tao Nian before and lied during the interview?

But her boss seemed to know this person too, and even seemed quite satisfied. So Fang Wen didn’t suggest replacing him. Anyway, when Tao Nian went out for promotional activities, if this person couldn’t take good care of her, the studio would definitely hire another person to look after Tao Nian.

In the kitchen, the auntie wrung her apron, observing Xiao Nan. Finally, seeing that Xiao Nan had no intention of starting, she pointed to the gas tank and told him: “Oh, this is the switch! Just looking is no use, you have to turn the switch on!”

Xiao Nan tentatively tried to twist the gas tank.

Fang Wen coughed twice in the living room, pretending not to hear the auntie: “Be very careful when using gas tanks, or they’ll explode!”

Explode?

Xiao Nan looked at Tao Nian confusedly.

Tao Nian glanced at Xiao Nan with an innocent expression, completely missing his confusion. She gave him a smile, then continued to look at the already cooked dishes.

The auntie watched for a while, seeing that Xiao Nan wasn’t moving at all, she pushed him aside and started stir-frying.

Xiao Nan stood by, watching and learning.

And Tao Nian, carrying the cooked dishes out, prepared to eat.

The fresh vegetables and freshly slaughtered meat that the auntie bought early in the morning at the market were cooked with little oil and salt. They weren’t as strongly flavored as the cafeteria food, but they were light, refreshing, and delicious.

While the auntie cooked, Tao Nian ate. When she finished, she went to get more rice herself, completely at ease.

Xiao Nan was disheartened and remained in the kitchen, sticking close to the auntie, eager to learn how she cooked.

Lin Qianman sat beside Tao Nian, watching her eat.

The auntie used to buy groceries according to Lin Qianman’s appetite. Lin Qianman usually had milk, eggs, and salad for breakfast. Sometimes Fang Wen would come for lunch, and then four stir-fries would be enough. For dinner, it would just be two dishes. Even if there was an extra guest, at most, there would be a bit more salad for breakfast, six stir-fries and a soup for lunch, and two extra dishes for dinner.

Although Fang Wen said the guest had a big appetite, how much could a young girl from the entertainment industry eat? Those girls on TV were thinner than the last, looking like they could be blown away by a gust of wind. How much could they possibly eat? The auntie thought Fang Wen was afraid she would cook too little and neglect the guest, secretly grumbling that she knew her limits. Since it was a guest, she would definitely make the food abundant; there was no need to remind her.

So, when the auntie bought groceries today, she bought them according to this amount.

Then this morning, following her plan from yesterday, she heated two portions of milk and two portions of salad, steamed a small basket of steamed dumplings and siomai, and stir-fried three dishes.

She originally thought there would be leftovers.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Lin Qianman got up, she glanced into the kitchen and said, “Steam another pot of coarse grain rice. This isn’t quite enough.”

The auntie wasn’t very convinced at the time and even thought Lin Qianman was being wasteful.

And now… she had already stir-fried a whole day’s worth of dishes in the morning. And that thin little girl really ate it all…

The auntie somewhat helplessly wiped her hands on her apron and told Lin Qianman: “Boss, I might have to go buy some more vegetables. There won’t be anything for lunch.”

Lin Qianman looked at Tao Nian, who was happily eating, satisfied, and pulling Xiao Nan towards the room, and gestured for the auntie to go.

Fang Wen watched Tao Nian and Xiao Nan’s retreating figures, then looked at Lin Qianman, who watched them leave without saying a word, not understanding what kind of “cremation ground” (slang for a disastrous or awkward situation) scenario this was.

Xiao Nan followed Tao Nian upstairs, still mumbling the various terms the auntie had told him: “Gas tank… induction cooker… dishwasher… refrigerator… MSG… oyster sauce… light soy sauce…”

Tao Nian didn’t know what he was saying. Seeing him ignore her, she impatiently pulled Xiao Nan and told him: “Does Lin Qianman’s house have a lot of food?!”

She pushed the door open and pointed to the cardboard boxes, a quarter of which she had already eaten: “These are also from Lin Qianman! This house is Lin Qianman’s! It’s huge!”

Xiao Nan looked up, said nothing, and continued to recall the auntie’s cooking steps.

Tao Nian then excitedly held her belongings and shared with Xiao Nan: “Look, Lin Qianman taught me to share, so I’ll give you a little bit.”

She rummaged through the cardboard boxes, picking out a small biscuit the size of her palm: “Here! This is from Lin Qianman! It’s delicious!”

She then took out her phone: “This is called a phone! My master gave it to me, you probably have one too, right? I’ll teach you how to play! Lin Qianman’s house has internet, I know the password!”

Xiao Nan remained silent, so Tao Nian kept talking to him excitedly: Lin Qianman smells good, Lin Qianman is very good, Lin Qianman gives her food…

After reviewing the auntie’s cooking steps in his mind, Xiao Nan, feeling he had learned a bit, finally spoke.

He still had that gentle and intelligent look about him: “Nian Nian, have you only met Lin Qianman since you came down the mountain?”

“No,”

Tao Nian recounted everything: “There’s also Yueyue! And Fang Wen! The cafeteria auntie! The auntie who makes jianbing guozi!”

Xiao Nan nodded, then asked: “Then why don’t you mention them, but instead say ‘Lin Qianman’ in every sentence?”

He didn’t mean anything by it, he was just genuinely curious.

When Tao Nian was on the mountain, she hadn’t met many people, and she never mentioned the same person in every sentence. Why now, having met more people down the mountain, was she mentioning Lin Qianman constantly?

From the moment he met her today, she kept pestering him with questions. Did Lin Qianman send him? Did Lin Qianman complain to him? Did Lin Qianman say something to Master…?

Tao Nian stated confidently: “Lin Qianman gave me food! It was delicious!”

Xiao Nan thought of the dishes the auntie had just stir-fried; they were indeed beautiful and very fragrant.

He nodded: “Yes, it is very fragrant. It seems I still know nothing about life down the mountain.”

He couldn’t help but glance at Tao Nian.

It seems I also know nothing about Tao Nian.

For the next few days, neither of them had work.

Fang Wen also remained on vacation.

The villa only had Lin Qianman, Tao Nian, Xiao Nan, and the auntie.

The auntie had already gotten used to Tao Nian’s appetite. These days, when she went to buy groceries, she no longer slowly went by bus with her small basket. Instead, she rode an electric tricycle, sputtering to the market to sweep it clean.

Xiao Nan was very eager to learn. Unlike Tao Nian, Tao Nian’s eagerness to learn was passive; if others told her something, she would remember it and apply it to other situations, showing strong learning ability. Tao Nian would remember everything others told her, but rarely proactively sought to learn.

But Xiao Nan was different. The moment he realized he knew nothing, he diligently sought knowledge without shame, following the auntie every day to learn cooking and going with her to the market to buy groceries. He also learned a lot of practical knowledge, such as bargaining.

This day, in the bustling market, among countless elderly men and women, the gentle and refined Xiao Nan stood out yet perfectly blended in, very gently but very firmly asking the vegetable vendor for a head of garlic.

Although that head of garlic wasn’t expensive, the auntie, having received the garlic, was very pleased and took Xiao Nan back with her.

Now, Xiao Nan had learned to ride the tricycle.

He skillfully put on his helmet and returned.

On the first floor, he saw Tao Nian and Lin Qianman, who were already awake.

Tao Nian was going to work tomorrow.

With her teammates, the studio couldn’t interfere much. Lin Qianman sometimes thought Tao Nian was capable, but sometimes she was afraid Tao Nian would encounter an accident. Today, having some free time, she started telling Tao Nian some things she needed to pay attention to as Tao Nian came downstairs.

Xiao Nan watched the two of them sitting close together. Tao Nian was applying a white face cream while listening to Lin Qianman talk.

Lin Qianman was rambling on, occasionally glancing at Tao Nian, and reaching out to wipe the unblended face cream from Tao Nian’s chin onto her cheek.

Tao Nian let Lin Qianman touch her, wrinkling her nose and sniffing Lin Qianman.

Lin Qianman actually didn’t dodge.

Xiao Nan sighed, confirming again.

He might not only not understand Tao Nian, but also not understand Lin Qianman.

They’re both strange.

Anyway, no matter what, Xiao Nan quickly learned all sorts of knowledge down the mountain.

He even took the opportunity to learn when the neighbor was fixing a water pipe. He found tools from the house and, imitating what he saw, tightened the kitchen faucet.

So, when Fang Wen came over again today, she observed the atmosphere between the three of them, couldn’t discern anything, and finally asked Tao Nian, who was the most straightforward and least likely to lie: “How have things been lately?”

Fang Wen had previously given her so many instructions about the bathroom, and now she was asking how things were, so Tao Nian automatically interpreted it as being about the bathroom.

So she proudly replied: “Lin Qianman doesn’t know how to fix things, but it’s okay! Xiao Nan has learned now! There will be someone to fix things in the future!”

Xiao Nan? Xiao Nan learned? Did he already fix it? Did Tao Nian already…

Fang Wen felt like calling the police. Her eyes widened in a daze: “No!”

She insisted: “If you really have to choose, just find Lin Qianman. Even if she doesn’t know how, she’ll learn!”

Although her boss might be a bit cunning, at least she knew her inside and out, knew how much she liked Tao Nian, and indeed treated Tao Nian very well. Her conditions were also good, and like Tao Nian, she was a girl, so it should be better, right?

But what about that Xiao Nan? He can’t even cook! Who knows what he might do?!

Tao Nian: “But Xiao Nan has already learned, why should Lin Qianman still learn?”

Fang Wen firmly stated: “Learning is a skill, and it’s very useful.”

It can help you chase your wife!

Tao Nian didn’t understand, but seeing Fang Wen’s firm expression, she nodded: “I know.”

The little Taotie was a very obedient Taotie who understood how to apply what she learned.

So that evening, when her shower water ran out halfway through, she hesitated for a moment, then padded out, wrapped in a bath towel, and knocked on Lin Qianman’s door: “Sister Lin!”

She had just been splashed with some cold water and wasn’t dry yet. As soon as she called out, she sneezed: “Achhoo!”

Lin Qianman opened the door: “What’s wrong?”

As soon as she spoke, she saw the person at the door.

Tao Nian’s hair was wet, and she was wrapped in a pink bath towel, with water dripping down her shoulders. Because she had just sneezed, she rubbed her nose, and now her nose tip was pink.

She looked like a freshly washed peach.