Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 423 - 417: Man of Temperament [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1

Chapter 423: Chapter 417: Man of Temperament [Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets]_1

Sha Chen had quite a difficult time pushing Three Holy Mother away.

He spoke with gravity, "If you can’t help, then leave. I can cook by myself just fine."

Three Holy Mother was not willing to miss out on the opportunity to be alone with Sha Chen and naturally expressed that she could be of help.

Sha Chen thought she might cause trouble again and was prepared for it. If she did cause trouble, he would just throw her out.

But this time Three Holy Mother was indeed much more behaved, diligently helping Sha Chen.

About an hour later, most of the dishes were almost ready. Only the final selection of pastries and side dishes remained.

Sha Chen was smacking cucumbers when Three Holy Mother stopped him.

She protected the cucumber and said, "Big Brother, I won’t let you smack it! It’s too cruel. It’s so cute, why do you have to smack it?"

Sha Chen frowned. "What do you mean? This is for eating. If you want to use it, keep it. I won’t smack it."

Three Holy Mother blushed. "I don’t need to use it. You handle it, Big Brother."

Sha Chen glanced at her. Three Holy Mother obediently handed him the carrots, cucumbers, and corn intended for the side dishes.

He said indifferently, "There’s no need. Keep them."

Three Holy Mother shook her head, adamantly refusing. "No, it’s cold now; I don’t want to keep them."

Sha Chen was puzzled. "What does this have to do with the cold?"

Three Holy Mother replied seriously, "It’s cold. I want to eat something warm."

Sha Chen’s cheeks twitched. He looked at the cucumbers, carrots, and corn on the cutting board, unable to bring himself to cut them.

SLAP.

Three Holy Mother, on the other hand, took matters into her own hands and smashed them all to bits.

Sha Chen felt a chill creep up from the ground again.

CRACK.

Three Holy Mother then took out two eggs, cracked them open, and added the whites to the cold dish, mixing everything together. She then added the other seasonings.

Sha Chen watched her, perplexed. "What kind of recipe is this?"

Without a second thought, Three Holy Mother said, "It’s a family recipe."

Then she picked up a piece and offered it to Sha Chen to try, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to try it; it was... indescribable.

Afterward, Three Holy Mother began to knead dough for making desserts.

She shaped a steamer basket full of buns and presented them to Sha Chen with a smile. "Big Brother, look! Are they big? Are they white? Do you like them?"

Sha Chen glanced at the basket of buns, nodded, and said, "They look quite big and very white, but I don’t know about the taste."

Three Holy Mother said, "Why don’t you take a couple of bites to find out?"

Sha Chen replied, "These haven’t even been steamed! They’re raw. You expect me to eat them?"

Her face flushing, Three Holy Mother responded, "Who said you can’t eat them raw? My buns—plump, savory, and juicy—are delicious."

After a moment of silence, Sha Chen ended up driving Three Holy Mother out of the kitchen.

This woman hadn’t learned anything proper; she’d picked up all sorts of coquettish tricks from those spider demons. If her past self had possessed such wiles, why would she have descended to the mortal realm and ended up with Liu Yanchang?

However, the mention of Liu Yanchang put Sha Chen on guard. He wondered if Three Holy Mother would still meet Liu Yanchang and subsequently dedicate her heart to this outsider. If she did, he worried the secrets of the Flowing Sand River might be leaked as a result.

Sha Chen pondered this for a moment and concluded it was unlikely the story of Three Holy Mother and Liu Yanchang would repeat itself. Three Holy Mother was no longer the innocent "white lotus" she once was. Having been influenced by the spider demons’ antics, while not exactly a "green tea bitch," she was now well aware of the intricacies of attraction between men and women. Given the adoration she showed him and her inherent loyalty, she would definitely not transfer her affections to another man. It was just like when she fell for Liu Yanchang; even under coercion from the Heavenly Court, she refused to renounce her choice. This courage to love fiercely and her unwavering loyalty were indeed traits she shared with her mother.

Sha Chen was quite satisfied with this realization.

Although without Liu Yanchang and Three Holy Mother, Liu Chenxiang would likely never exist, Sha Chen didn’t particularly care. Whether Liu Chenxiang existed or not, what did it have to do with him anyway?

「The meal was quickly prepared.」

Nezha was also present. Three Holy Mother became much more composed, maintaining a dignified and graceful smile. But occasionally, when she looked at Sha Chen, her eyes were filled with tenderness, conveying amorous glances.

She sat beside Sha Chen, serving him food and pouring wine, silently performing the duties of a handmaiden.

Sha Chen told her there was no need for such ceremony, as he had prepared the meal for her and Nezha to enjoy themselves.

However, she wouldn’t hear of it.

Three Holy Mother said, "Big Brother, if you don’t eat and drink to your satisfaction, I won’t feel at ease either."

"Don’t worry about me. If you’re happy, I’m happy. I just want to serve you well. If you’re cheerful, then I’m joyful too."

Such blatant displays of affection were enough to make Nezha feel full before he even started eating.

Helpless, he hadn’t even started eating but already felt stuffed with their ’dog food’; he was truly lamenting his situation.

However, Nezha was a straightforward person and had a good relationship with Three Holy Mother, so he decided to speak up for her.

He laughed and said, "Third Sister, I never imagined you’d actually fancy the River Master! Why don’t you just go for it? Even if you can’t be his wife, you could be a concubine. Serve him well, so he doesn’t feel lonely in this cold, desolate cave manor."

Upon hearing this, Three Holy Mother’s face lit up with delight. She lowered her head, a blush creeping up her cheeks, and hummed softly in agreement. She seemed to approve but maintained an air of demure shyness.

How could Nezha not see that Three Holy Mother had consented? As Yang Jian’s good friend and like a brother to Three Holy Mother, he naturally had to put in a few more good words for her.

So he said with a smile, "Third Sister, this is your chance to seize your happiness! Quickly offer the River Master a toast. Share a cup of wine as a pledge, and then I’ll inform Second Brother Yang and have him come propose marriage!"

Three Holy Mother blushed, hummed in acknowledgment, then lifted her wine cup and placed it before Sha Chen.

With hopeful eyes, she said, "Big Brother, I have no other way to repay your kindness except by dedicating myself to you. From now on, I only wish to be a devoted wife and mother..."

Sha Chen’s cheek twitched. He pushed her wine cup back onto the table, refusing to drink.

Instead, with a stern expression, he said, "None of that. We are sworn siblings. I am your elder brother; you call me Big Brother. Don’t muddle things."

Three Holy Mother replied, "But... but we’re only sworn siblings."

Then, with a look of disappointment, she said, "Big Brother, do you not like me? Was I too reckless before, or is my figure and appearance not good enough?"

Nezha also tried to chime in and stood up to speak.

Sha Chen shot him a glare, and Nezha promptly sat back down. His mind raced, and he suddenly seemed to understand something.

So, he wasn’t interested, but she clearly was!

Nezha became conflicted. He didn’t know what Sha Chen’s true feelings were, while Three Holy Mother was obviously very fond of Sha Chen. If Sha Chen wasn’t interested, and he, Nezha, pushed things too far, he could very well be kicked out of the Flowing Sand River. He had just arrived and was dependent on Sha Chen’s hospitality. He especially wanted to join Sha Chen, so he absolutely couldn’t afford to offend him; he had to make a good impression. Therefore, he decided to keep quiet.

Three Holy Mother had been waiting for Nezha to support her. Seeing him remain silent, just focused on eating and drinking, she immediately grew dissatisfied. For a moment, she was at a loss.

She could only say, "Big Brother, I wish to dedicate myself to you and be devoted to you alone from now on. Big Brother, can you accept me?"

Without any hesitation, Sha Chen replied, "I cannot."

Three Holy Mother immediately puffed out her chest and said, "Big Brother, there’s nothing wrong with my figure! I’m definitely fertile and can bear you a whole army of children!"

Worried Sha Chen wouldn’t believe her, she tried to grab his hand and pull it towards her body. "If you don’t believe me, feel for yourself! Really, Big Brother, trust me!"

Sha Chen, however, firmly pulled his hand away. "Can’t you act with a little more dignity?"

Then he moved to clear the table, saying, "If you’re not going to eat, then don’t."

Three Holy Mother protested, "No, I’ll eat, I’ll eat! If you clear the table and take it away, wouldn’t that be a waste?"

Nezha, at the side, continued to stuff himself, eating and drinking heartily.

Sha Chen said calmly, "It wouldn’t be a waste. If you don’t eat, I can feed it to the dogs. They’d eat it faster than you do anyway."

Nezha stopped his enthusiastic eating and drinking and fell silent for a long time.