Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

Generally speaking, Akina Sawaya's force is enough to crush an ordinary dumpling, but this one is different; it is not only heavy, but its surface is also extremely hard.

Akina Ze also felt like he was molding a piece of iron.

“The essence of the meat mountain changed its density, which is why it’s so small now,” he said.

“That’s right, Suika can indeed do things to that extent,” Reimu Hakurei nodded in response to Sawaya Akina’s guess.

"So to put it another way, the meatballs weren't damaged; they just became denser," Akina Ze said, tossing the meatballs into a pot of water.

"Boom~"

The meatballs splashed out like stones falling into the sea, creating a dull ripple.

Then Akina Ze bent down, struck a flint, and lit the dry wood and rotten leaves under the stove.

"Are you sure it's cooked through?" Reimu Hakurei asked doubtfully.

"I believe that food is only truly cooked if it's cooked long enough."

Akina Ze added, "Anyway, it's in this pot, it'll boil sooner or later."

"Your idea is good," Reimu Hakurei said, walking over to pick up the lid and put it back on. "As long as it takes a lot of time, it will definitely boil."

“However…” Reimu Hakurei paused for a moment before continuing, “Do you see if there are any cooking utensils in my kitchen that are suitable for cooking?”

Hearing this, Akina Sawa scratched his head in confusion and looked around the kitchen.

The walls were dark gray, and a few strands of cobwebs hung from the beams. Old objects, some even covered in mold, were piled up in the corner. A deep breath revealed the smell of decay.

It's hard to imagine that Reimu Hakurei's meals have always been prepared here.

After looking around, Akina Ze also discovered the problem. It wasn't a big problem, but it wasn't a small one either.

The huge kitchen seemed to contain only one pot, and that pot was bubbling away, cooking small meatballs.

"Are you saying that this is the only pot you have at home?" Akina Ze asked.

Reimu Hakurei nodded and replied, "Yes."

"This is troublesome. Why does such a big shrine only have one pot? That's too strange!"

"Why do you care so much?" Reimu Hakurei slapped Zeya Akina on the shoulder and said, "I have to go catch Suika now, so dinner is entirely in your hands. Don't disappoint me~"

"Hey... we don't even have a pot, what are we going to do..." Akina Ze said bitterly.

There was no response to her words, and Reimu Hakurei had already walked away with light steps, but it cannot be said that there was absolutely no response.

Gulu gulu~

The boiling water in the pot was bubbling and gurgling, while at the bottom of the pot, the grayish-black meatballs remained completely still, as if they had sunk to the bottom of the sea.

"Ugh...this is tough..." Akina Ze also raised his hand to his forehead.

----------------

"You stinky Reimu! You wicked Reimu!"

Cirno knelt on the ground, leaning forward and scrubbing the floor vigorously, the towel in her hand becoming crumpled from the effort.

Because she brought a group of fairies to cause trouble at the shrine, Reimu Hakurei punished her by making her clean the shrine floor that had been soiled.

But which of these stains on the floor were left over from this incident, or were they already there?

Therefore, Cirno has been cleaning until now, but less than half of the floor area has been cleaned. If she worked through the night, she could finish it in one day.

But fairies rise with the sun and return with the sunset; this has been their age-old custom.

Cirno didn't really care, but she didn't want to work for others at night. Otherwise, how would she be any different from the fairy maids enslaved in the Scarlet Devil Mansion?

Cirno always believed that the fairies of the Scarlet Devil Mansion were coerced by the evil silver-haired demon and her puppet dwarves.

"I'll have to rescue them all sooner or later," Cirno thought aimlessly.

Who are you going to save?

"⊙ω⊙!?"

The sound that came from beside her made Cirno tremble, and her movements became more urgent.

The reason is simple: the voice belongs to a shrine maiden, and Reimu Hakurei has come to see her work again.

Although she was extremely unwilling, Cirno understood the simple principle that a wise man doesn't suffer a loss when he has the means.

"Hmph~" Reimu Hakurei cleared her throat and said, "Cirno, are you bored right now?"

"Are you asking this to let me go?" Cirno looked up, her two big eyes darting around.

"Yes and no," Reimu Hakurei helped Cirno up from the ground, patted the dust off her shoulder, and said, "If you help me with one thing, you won't have to sweep this floor."

"I agree!" Upon hearing that she wouldn't have to work anymore, Cirno's eyes lit up, and she agreed without even hearing any questions.

Seeing that Cirno had agreed, Reimu Hakurei nodded and said, "Take those fairies and help me find Suika. Once you find her, come find me directly."

"Hehe, why do we need those guys for something so simple? Look, I found it for you in no time!" Cirno leaped up from the ground, flapped her wings, and flew away.

Seeing that Cirno had already left, Reimu Hakurei stretched her arms and rubbed her slightly sore neck.

"Alright, I've left the kitchen to Akina-kun and the search for Suika to Cirno. Now, what should I do?"

Reimu Hakurei glanced at the sky ablaze with colorful clouds, then at the withered yellow leaves hanging from the branches, shook her head, and said, "Alright, I'll just go back and have some tea."

She walked slowly to the door, waved it open, and was stunned by what she saw. She closed the door, shrugged, and walked towards the kitchen.

Inside the house, a group of little devils were sprawled out on the floor, fast asleep...

-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------

"It won't taste good if you cook it like this."

Reimu Hakurei looked at Zeya Akina's actions with a look of disgust.

"What matters is not how delicious it is, but the sense of ritual."

Akina Ze was seen picking up a piece of lamb roll he bought from the market and putting it into the hot pot, but he did it just like he did with beef tripe, dipping it in and out of the pot seven or eight times.

The boiling soup bubbled and steamed, with layers of steam winding upwards along the bamboo chopsticks. Akina Ze focused intently on picking up pieces of mutton and putting them into the soup, as if performing a sacred ritual.

Saying it was no use, Reimu Hakurei pouted and turned her attention back to her chopsticks, on which was also holding a piece of steaming mutton.

If it weren't for her pride as a shrine maiden, Reimu wouldn't have chatted with Akina Sawa; instead, she would have picked up her chopsticks and started stuffing food into her own bowl.

But now that I've had my fill of restraint, no one can stop me from eating this piece of meat!

Reimu Hakurei opened her mouth wide with a "whoosh," as if she were eating a piece of tender, juicy hot pot mutton that had been cooked on her chopsticks. She slightly closed her pearly teeth, and instantly, the extremely delicious flavor filled her mouth. Reimu's eyes narrowed slightly, like slits.

"This tastes absolutely delicious!" Reimu Hakurei exclaimed in her heart.

Blah blah blah~

The autumn wind, in the dim light, rustled against the windows of the shrine.

But these noises completely disturbed the three people who were enjoying the clear broth hot pot inside.

A farmer, a witch, a fairy, and a monster.

"Tell me, how did you come up with the idea of ​​using that almost scrapped thing to make this?"

Reimu Hakurei spoke incoherently, her mouth full of meat.

“That’s easy,” Akina Ze replied, also speaking incoherently. “The quality of the meatball made from Maoyu meat, after being extracted and compressed, was not reduced. On the contrary, it further enhanced the deliciousness of the Maoyu meatball. Finally, my extraction and preservation skills maximized its deliciousness.”

Dinner parties always make people talk a lot, and when they get into the mood, they blurt out things they should and shouldn't say.

Reimu Hakurei nodded slightly in agreement with Zeya Akina's statement.

To be honest, she was quite surprised when she saw the white light emanating from Akina Zeya's hand as he retrieved the discarded dumplings.

Reimu Hakurei always thought that Akina Sawa was just an ordinary human being, and although there was a flow of energy within her body, it was still within the realm of humanity.

The skill he revealed clearly caught Reimu completely off guard.

It has absolutely no spiritual power, and it's not even related to the aura that Akina Sawa himself possesses, but he can still use it. It's unknown where his energy comes from.

However, Gensokyo is a place that cannot be understood by common sense. Reimu Hakurei was surprised for less than half a second before she forgot about it.

Moreover, apart from Reimu Hakurei, everything else was brought by Sawaya Akina.

The mutton rolls, the ash meatball base, and even this pot are all examples of this.

As the saying goes, "He who takes a man's money is bound to him, and he who eats a man's food is bound

Reimu Hakurei shouldn't be so unreasonable about something so commonplace.

Of course, this excludes one absolute taboo that must not be done.

That is to transform from a human into a monster, which is an absolute taboo in the human village. Anyone who violates this taboo will be punished by the iron fist of the priestess or even Yukari Yakumo.

Reimu Hakurei half-opened her eyes, looking at the man in front of her who was focused on eating. Then she shook her head and stuck a chopstick into the hot pot.

"Damn it! The fried tofu I just put in is gone!" Reimu Hakurei angrily stirred the hot pot, but she just couldn't find the fried tofu she wanted.

On the other side, Akina Sawa also scratched his head in confusion, because he found that the large mutton roll he had also put in was also missing.

Seeing Nikua's eager look, Akina patted her head to comfort her, and then put another piece of mutton in.

"I hope he won't just disappear without a trace this time," Akina Ze thought to himself.

...............................

"Meow meow meow~ I knew Lord Zi was the best~"

In a small, unnamed Japanese-style house surrounded by a barrier, Yakumo Ran, mimicking Orange, rolled around on the floor and acted cute towards Yakumo Yukari.

This wasn't Yakumo Yukari bullying her own shikigami again; it was Ran who did it willingly.

That's what happened.

That day, Yukari Yakumo briefly woke up from her hibernation. Feeling a bit hungry, she opened the gap to check what was happening in Gensokyo and also to find herself a delicious breakfast.

Yukari Yakumo went to Hakugyokurou first and found Yuyuko cooking mochi with cherry blossoms while humming a little tune.

Yukari Yakumo looked around but couldn't find the Gardener—Youmu Konpaku—thus ruining her plans. As for eating mochi with Yuyuko…

Eating mochi is like eating air, isn't it?

Disappointed, Yakumo Yukari closed the gap leading to Hakugyokurou, and then opened the gap leading to Moriya Shrine the next second.

Those two deities were also key targets of attention, and Yakumo Yukari peered through the gaps to observe the specific situation of the Moriya Shrine.

At that moment, Yukari Yakumo smelled a strong odor, somewhat like something that had been grilled and then used to make soup. Although Yukari wasn't interested in the smell, she was very interested in the person making the food—who was making such strange-smelling food at Moriya Shrine? Wouldn't the two gods intervene if they smelled it?

Driven by this curiosity, Yakumo Yukari darted through the gaps to the air above where the scent was emanating.

There stood Sanae Kochiya, stirring a pot of boiling soup with a long shovel-sized ladle.

Meanwhile, Sanae Kochiya also spotted Yukari Yakumo spying on them.

Sanae waved and greeted her, saying, "Would Lady Murasaki like to come down and have a sip of the soup I personally prepared?"

"This pot of soup took a lot of my energy and time," said Sanae Kochiya with a tired look on her face.

But the next second, the tired look on Sanae's face disappeared without a trace, and she became enthusiastic.

“Have a bite,” she said.

Yukari Yakumo replied with a smile, "Okay."

When food comes knocking on your door, you naturally just open your mouth and swallow it.

The thick, yellow broth, so thick that you couldn't see what was cooking inside, was ladled into a small bowl by Sanae.

As Yukari Yakumo took the yellow soup from Sanae and was about to drink it, she caught a glimpse of several ingredients being carried up from the bottom of the large pot by the bubbles.

Upon seeing those two items, Yukari Yakumo's expression turned strange. She glanced down at the thick yellow soup in her hand, then looked at Sanae, who was standing by the pot, intently stirring.

Yakumo Yukari quickly picked up the small bowl and began to drink it like a glutton, actually emptying it all through the gap.

"Lord Zi, is there something wrong with that soup?"

Noticing that Yukari Yakumo had woken up, Ran Yakumo, who came in to serve her, asked.

"That soup was made by cooking snakes and frogs."

Yakumo Yukari said this.