"Oh sweet Aeons, what in tarnation have you created? This looks like my grandpa's slipper!"
The furious short girl then threw the plate of food into the trash bin.
"You gotta be batshit crazy to even think about putting that on a plate and calling it food."
The blonde girl was wearing a pink apron and had a scary look on her face as she continued chewing out the guy who gave her his dish.
Aylin and I tried to avoid the stand where the girl was standing. Apparently, it was a culinary stand, and the one running it was actually from our academy.
The guy stomped out of the kitchen with his arms crossed and a salty expression written on his face.
"I know it was good. She is just being delusional," he said behind the girl's back to his friends.
The girl then marched with heavy steps towards him and called him out.
"HEY, fuck face! If you are gonna talk behind my back, have the balls to say it in front of me."
She shoved her hand into the trash can and dug around, grabbing the slop he had given her, and shoved it directly into his mouth.
"Now is it good? Is it good?"
The guy spat it out immediately and started to cough violently. He and his friend looked up at the short, scary blondie before running off.
Aylin looked at me with a nervous expression.
"I would not want to get on her bad side…"
"Neither do I…"
We both tried to discreetly walk by the booth, but then heard a piercing voice calling us out.
"HEY YOU GUYS!"
The people behind us started panicking and hurried off, acting like they had other business to attend to, leaving me and Aylin completely alone.
"You guys wanna try cooking something?" she said in a cute, soft spoken tone while smiling.
"Uh… no thanks…" We both shook our hands back and forth, trying to shake her off.
"Hey hey, if it is not my man Vivshi."
Rentry appeared behind me and put his arm around my shoulder, putting his weight on me.
"Hai hai, Aylin. You guys enjoying the event so far?"
We both looked at Rentry to see if he could get us out of this situation.
"Oh, hi Sis!"
Aylin and I looked at each other with expressions of despondency. There was nothing we could do, and we were going to get dragged into it.
Rentry pulled us closer to the booth and started talking to his sister.
"Let me introduce you to my super duper cute sister!" He picked up his little sister and held her up like a little kitten in front of us.
"Her name is Fei Fei."
"Isn't she just adorable?" Rentry said confidently with a bright smile.
The scary look on her face grew even more horrifying as he held her up. It was as if he was handling an aggressive, rabid raccoon. She would bite him at any second now, me and Aylin thought.
"Let me introduce you, Fei Fei. These are my friends, Vivshi and Aylin."
We both awkwardly waved at the ticking time bomb.
Rentry's stomach then growled loudly, and his sister's face grew dark.
"Man, walking around all day really makes you hungry."
"Big brother, put me down."
Rentry gently let her feet touch the ground, and she went into the kitchen cabinets, grabbing a wok. In a matter of a few minutes, a rich aroma spread through the air. The smell of tens of different spices tickled our noses, followed by the sizzling as everything was poured into the wok.
Everything in the wok was flying around to the point it looked like a wave. Fei Fei was putting on a show for us and managed to capture the attention of the crowd with her dazzling performance and stomach grabbing aroma.
She served up three plates for us and decorated them elegantly before telling us to enjoy the food while it was still piping hot.
"Nothing beats your cooking, sis," Rentry said with a spoonful of her food already in his mouth.
His expression melted as he chewed the food. Both Aylin and I hesitantly stared at our plates before picking them up and putting the food into our mouths. It was as if my taste buds were having a party. My brain was melting from the tenderness of the meat, and the flavors wrapped around my tongue. There was a strong umami aftertaste that hit you like a tidal wave after a few seconds. Both Aylin and I had been defeated by a simple plate of food. The three of us thanked Fei Fei for the meal.
"Now who said anything about the food being free?" Fei Fei's face grew a wicked grin.
"You will be cooking as well as payment for that meal. Show me what flavors you are capable of creating!" she said, pointing at her grand deluxe kitchen.
She grabbed Rentry by the collar as he tried to sneak away.
"You are not escaping this either, big brother."
Aylin and I gulped as we looked at the different ingredients in front of us. Aylin took a deep breath before starting to grab a few vegetables.
I also had to calm myself. I worked for that old hag for months, cooking for her and the brothel. I remembered exactly how to cook.
Both of us started cooking, but Rentry continued standing in front of the vegetables, still wondering what he could make. After five minutes of contemplating, he finally made up his mind.
"Alrighty, let's do this."
He washed his meat with soap and water before boiling it. He then put potatoes into a bowl and poured an unholy amount of salt onto them. Then he made the "sauce." He put in so many weird ingredients that it would probably be a slur for chefs if I said what he added.
After thirty minutes, all of our dishes were placed in front of Fei Fei. Aylin had made a beautiful and cute little strawberry dessert. I had made something classic, egg drop soup. And as for Rentry, he called it the "mish mash," and describing how it looked would probably curse me.
Fei Fei tasted mine and Aylin's dishes and gave us a thumbs up, offering only minor criticism. But when it came to Rentry's plate, he and his sister made eye contact for a good minute before he high tailed it out of there at full speed.
"GET BACK HERE YOU RANCID COCKROACH!!!"
She started chasing him with his plate of "mish mash" and chucked it straight at his head, knocking him out.
Aylin and I started giggling before bursting out in laughter. We then ran away before they could come back.