Chapter 6: Lucifer liked dumplings
“Devil?”
Lucifer tilted her head, but she didn’t say anything. She followed Chen Ming, her bare feet touching the ground.
It was just a casual remark. Maybe there was just a misunderstanding? And even if the girl really was a devil, after all the conversations they’d had, she seemed harmless.
He looked up at the sky. “You said you came from ‘up above.’ Do you mean…”
“Yes, the heavens.”
She confirmed his guess, then added—
“But I fell again.”
“Again? Why do you say ‘again’?”
Had she fallen more than once? Chen Ming looked at her sorry state; she didn’t even have shoes on. It seemed like falling from up there wasn’t an easy feat.
Frowning, Lucifer seemed to ponder this seriously, then turned to him with her red eyes and said—
“… Did I just say ‘again’?”
“Hm? You did say that.”
What did she mean? Was she already developing Alzheimer’s at her young age? Chen Ming himself was sometimes forgetful; he would forget what he had said as soon as it left his mouth.
Was she hit on the head when she fell?
Lucifer tilted her head, looking deep in thought, before she finally sighed and said, “Never mind, I seem to have forgotten.”
“Forgotten?”
“It might have been once, or twice, I can’t remember.”
But Lucifer herself seemed unfazed. “It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s nothing really.”
Chen Ming nodded, though he didn’t quite understand. He did wonder, however, about what it meant to fall from the sky and why she had fallen. These were all rather perplexing questions.
He wasn’t without his guesses, though.
Perhaps she had gotten into a fight with someone? He thought about the stories about Lucifer, and it did seem like she had a rocky relationship with those in the heavens.
The two walked into an apartment. The entire place, including the balcony, was a spacious sixty square meters, and it boasted separate living and dining rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom.
On top of that, the rent was extremely cheap.
It had everything: water, electricity, internet—other things..
Chen Ming had thought he struck gold when he found this place. Although it was an old building that gave off a vibe of being from the 1980s, with exposed wires and all, it was still a great deal.
However, he wouldn’t be able to live there for long; he would soon move into the shop, which was more spacious and came with its own private quarters. There was no need to rent a separate place.
He took out a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet and placed them before Lucifer, saying, “Come in.”
“Mm-hm.”
Lucifer looked around the small apartment, then followed Chen Ming inside.
Her red eyes scanned the various cooking books on the table, the crumpled boxes of spices in the trash can. His clothes and headphones were casually tossed on the sofa while paper balls littered the floor, making it look quite messy.
Flustered, Chen Ming said, “Have a seat here and wait for me a moment; I’ll clean up.”
He pulled out a stool for her to sit on while he put away the clothes and trash.
Lucifer picked up a pancake recipe book from the table, flipped through it, and asked, “Is cooking your hobby?”
“Ah? I guess you could say that. It’s also my job; I own a shop.”
Chen Ming tossed the clothes into the washing machine… He really had to sing praises for this rental house. Although it was small, everything was fully equipped, and the monthly rent was frighteningly low. The landlord was practically a philanthropist.
Looking at all the mouthwatering food images on the table, Lucifer rubbed her stomach. To be honest, one pancake wasn’t enough to fill her up.
As Chen Ming was cleaning the kitchen, he glanced at the refrigerator and also felt a sudden pang of hunger. He liked to eat some late-night snacks to satiate his cravings and fill his stomach. He popped his head out from the kitchen and said to Lucifer, who was flipping through the cookbook, “Would you like some late-night snacks, Miss Lucifer?”
“… No thanks.”
Lucifer was still being courteous.
Chen Ming looked at her face, rubbed his chin, and said, “I actually want some, I’m a bit hungry, but I don’t want to eat alone if you’re not eating.”
With such an excuse, Lucifer couldn’t refuse. She gave him a glance, then lowered her head slightly, and said, “Thank you.”
Chen Ming smiled and said, “Don’t be so modest! You saved my life, you know; I owe you one now. You’re practically my creditor.”
“…”
They were supposed to be even, but now she somehow owed him a debt instead. Lucifer shook her head and gave up on trying to understand this person’s logic.
Chen Ming took out the dumplings he had made earlier from the refrigerator, placed them in a steamer basket, and turned on the heat, then made a dipping sauce.
Steaming dumplings was the simplest method; it was less likely to fall apart compared to boiling, and no soup base needed to be prepared.
Since the filling had been pre-fried, it only needed to be steamed for about ten minutes before consumption. This was a habit in Chen Ming’s household, as it allowed the filling to reach a nice crispiness, ensuring it would be fully cooked through without any worry.
Of course, if anyone wanted to argue authenticity or “soul” of the dish, Chen Ming maintained that as long as it tasted good, that was enough.
His guests certainly seemed to agree, as his dumplings sold like hotcakes.
For a moment, Chen Ming almost thought he’d opened a dumpling shop instead.
“Here you go…”
Wearing oven mitts, Chen Ming placed the dumplings on the table.
Lucifer sniffed the white steam emanating from the dish, catching a whiff of the savory aroma. Her stomach once again audibly gurgled in response.
She covered her stomach, her head lowered.
Chen Ming laughed, feigning ignorance as he ran back into the kitchen.
“I’m done with the dipping sauce too. Please go ahead and eat. I’ll steam another basket.”
Lucifer watched as he placed another batch into the steamer basket, then brought out the dipping sauce, set out a bowl and chopsticks, filled a bowl for Lucifer, and poured the sauce over it all with a spoon, smiling as he said,
“Try them?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Lucifer poked one dumpling with his chopsticks, watching the sauce drip off, then blew on it a couple of times before taking a bite.
“… Delicious.”
Seeing Lucifer’s delighted expression, Chen Ming’s heart swelled with pride as a chef. He happily took out a red jar from the fridge and said, “Try this, I’ll warm up some of my homemade chili sauce for you, it’s really good when mixed with soy sauce.”
There were people who wanted to buy his chili sauce, but he didn’t sell it. His store didn’t even have enough for him to use, so he kept this jar for himself. He warmed up the chili sauce, mixed it with soy sauce, and placed it in front of Lucifer.
Lucifer tasted it, her eyes widening slightly, and dipped every dumpling into the sauce.
She had already eaten a whole bowl’s worth, but she never mentioned that she was full, choosing instead to quietly eat.
Chen Ming added more dumplings for her, also filling his own bowl, and said, “If you’re hungry, you don’t need to be modest, just let me know.”
“… Mm-hmm.”
Unconsciously, Lucifer had an expression of contentment on her face. The usually guarded girl seemed to have let her guard down for the moment. Chen Ming gave him a faint smile and picked up his own bowl and chopsticks to eat.
He picked up his bowl and chopsticks and began eating as well.
It had been a while since he’d last eaten with someone else, and living alone definitely had its drawbacks. Sharing a meal and having someone to talk to made things much more enjoyable.
This reminded him of when he was younger, living at home with his sister. He’d make a big pot of dumplings and the two would eat together…
“Ah…”
Something suddenly occurred to him.
Lucifer looked at him and asked, “What is it?”
“Uh… Should I give my sister a call to let her know I’m safe…?”
He didn’t dare to contact his parents, as he was still technically at odds with them. If they knew he’d almost gotten into a car accident… He shuddered at the thought.
However, contacting his sister could also be troublesome…
He looked at Lucifer, who blinked and tilted her head slightly to the side.
Should he tell his sister about Lucifer? But would his sister believe him if he told her such a bizarre story?
His sister would unconditionally believe him, yes…
But Chen Ming instinctively felt that something about this was off. He didn’t want his sister to know about Lucifer…