In all his years, William had never encountered a little kid quite like Amy, who was downright annoying, much like himself.
“Mr. Johnson, do you have a mother? How come I’ve never seen your mother?”
“…” William swore, Amy was truly an annoying child.
“My grandpa said my mom is coming back today,” Amy, holding the dishes, finally shared what she wanted to with William.
Coming over was mainly to share this news with William, it seemed.
“I know your mother,” said William leisurely.
“You’re lying; you’ve never seen my mother.” Amy, with wide eyes, totally dismissed William’s claim.
William chose not to continue discussing this topic with Amy, instead, he got up and walked towards the kitchen.
Amy trailed behind William curiously asking, “Mr. Johnson, where are you going?”
“To make noodles.” There were no ready-made noodles at William’s place, so if he wanted to eat some, he had to make them himself.
Of course, the simplest solution would be to buy some noodles from the supermarket, but William preferred making them himself.
He had some flour and eggs at home. Cracking two eggs into the flour and adding some water, he began kneading the dough.
“Mr. Johnson, what are you doing?” Amy watched William knead the dough with a puzzled look, her young mind unable to comprehend that noodles could be made like this.
“You silly kid, I already told you, I am making noodles,” William spoke while kneading, adding, “You are so clueless, won’t your mother spank you when she sees you?”
Just then, Theo Hughes called out for Amy from outside. Hearing this, Amy stuck her tongue out at William, “You’re dumb! You’re the dumb one! Mr. Johnson is a dumb pig!” she retorted before running out haphazardly, making William somewhat worried that the annoying kid might trip and fall.
If she did fall, such a cute kid would surely cry for a long time.
Once Amy left, William continued with his kneading.
Pasta, a type of food with hundreds of years of history in Europe, has spawned thousands of varieties globally due to different preparation methods, seasonings, and shapes. William, being a food explorer, had tried almost every type of pasta from all over the world. Once the dough was ready, he checked the ingredients in the fridge and decided to prepare one servings of pasta paired with a simple garlic oil sauce for tasting.
This kind of pasta was influenced by ancient Rome. During that period, people made pasta using simple dough and sold it in the marketplaces. This practice was later introduced elsewhere, gradually becoming widespread.
Typically, pasta is paired with a rich sauce. However, William opted for a simple approach: boiling the pasta in water and preparing some garlic and olive oil. After stir-frying, the rich aroma of garlic oil filled the air.
William was cooking pasta when a visitor arrived in the yard.
Bella came to visit his home. However, William didn’t go out to greet her; instead, he continued to focus intently on cooking his noodles. Bella didn’t show any formality either; she walked up to the kitchen door and knocked, “William, are you making breakfast?”
“Mm, have you eaten yet?” William replied while cooking. He remembered that upon their first meeting, Bella had asked him to be her boyfriend. Although later Bella had spent a substantial amount of money inviting him to dinner, they had lost contact in recent days. William thought that if he got the chance to take on such a “task” again, it would be more than welcome. To be able to enjoy gourmet food and earn money, could this be the “easy money-making” method he had dreamed of?
Living for so many years, William felt this was the most relaxed way to earn money. Bella surveyed William and softly said, “I usually don’t eat anything in the morning.”
“Then I’ll make less,” William replied without hesitation, starting to cook a small bundle of pasta. With this kind of food, eating too much can easily lose its special texture. A small bundle of pasta, cooked just right, would suffice.
After cooking the pasta, William topped it with some blanched spinach leaves, drizzled over some olive oil infused with fried spring onions, sprinkled with seasoning, and a simple bowl of pasta was ready.
When he brought the bowl out, Bella cast a curious glance into it. The noodles were smooth and delicate, the rich sauce clear, topped with golden flecks of oil and green bits of minced garlic. The intense aroma hit her nose, making Bella involuntarily swallow her saliva.
Noticing her reaction, William gave a slight smile. He then took a fork and seasoning, transferred half of the noodles and sauce to another bowl, and handed it to her.
“No… thank you, I’ll try a little,” Bella wanted to decline, but when the words reached her lips, looking at the noodles in the bowl, it mysteriously turned into a thank you, and her hand uncontrollably took the utensils.
It was just a regular bowl of noodles, yet an unknown allure made Bella unable to refuse.
William smacked his lips, finding guests who initially say they won’t eat to be the most troublesome.
He carried his bowl directly to the area under the plane tree where there were stone benches and a stone table. If it wasn’t too crowded, William enjoyed eating there.
Bella followed him, holding her bowl and sitting opposite William under the tree. ｏｖ𝚕．ｃｏ𝚖
“Let’s talk about what you’re here for after we eat,” William said, before starting to devour his noodles.
Originally, it wasn’t a large portion, and now split in half with Bella, William cleaned his bowl quickly in just a few bites, even drinking all the noodle soup.
Bella didn’t pretend to be reserved; she picked up a few strands of noodles and started eating.
Upon tasting her first bite, she found herself unable to stop. The noodles were both chewy and smooth, the simple olive oil and scent of onions perfectly combined, bringing a unique and addictive flavor. As she ate the noodles and drank the delicious soup mixed with the noodle juice and seasoning, she felt a warmth envelop her, the delightful aftertaste lingering in her mouth. It was just a bowl of seemingly ordinary pasta, but for Bella, it seemed to be the most delicious food she had ever eaten in her life…
Terrifying!
Why did this strange illusion occur?
Bella had tasted many delicacies; how could her taste buds be conquered by a bowl of noodles?
It must be because she had eaten too many gourmet foods usually, and suddenly eating this ordinary and light pasta felt refreshing.
This was how Bella convinced herself internally.
Soon, Bella’s bowl was spotlessly clean, not a drop of soup remained.
William of course knew what was happening. The noodle-making process had already set these noodles apart. It was just that since Bella wasn’t a Soulmancer, she couldn’t perceive the mysterious elements hidden within the noodles. If this were the ancient mythical era, any deity eating these noodles might gain greater power. For ordinary people, eating these noodles would only make them feel their spirits relaxed, and their hearts filled with unparalleled joy.
William suddenly realized that he might have made a mistake; would this woman come specifically at meal times to scrounge meals in the future?!
That would be really terrible.