The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

“Go back to your Mejiro family. Mejiro Ardan should be the eldest daughter of the Mejiro family.”

"It shouldn't be associated with a racehorse girl whose surname is from the North."

Having cried until he was almost exhausted, Meguro Aldan lowered his head, looking at the wrist of the Embroidered Dream he was holding in his hand, feeling the warmth emanating from her skin, and muttered to himself.

"Is a name really that important?"

As for Xiu Xingmeng, she didn't hate the Meguro family that much, not only because of her grandmother's last words, but also because she knew that Meguro Asami could not represent the entire Meguro family.

However, the press conference held by Megumi Asami a few days ago changed everything. As the head of the Megumi family, she declared that Xiuxingmeng was a descendant of the family, which was equivalent to binding Xiuxingmeng to the Megumi family's big ship.

No matter what honors she receives thereafter, the Mejiro family will always share in the glory, because in everyone's eyes, Hokuho Seimei is already the Mejiro family's racehorse girl.

But Xiu Xingmeng couldn't accept all of this. She had promised her grandmother that she would make the glory of the Northern family resound in the horse racing world once again. She didn't want the Northern family to disappear in obscurity until the very end.

The outcome should not be like this, given the efforts of my mother, my grandmother, and many ancestors whom I have never met.

Therefore, Xiuxingmeng must declare war on the Mejiro family in the most vehement way in front of reporters at the horse racing page and sever ties with them.

The purpose was to make everyone notice one thing: Hokuho Hoshino has always been just a racehorse girl of the Hokuho family, and her honors have always been only the honors of the Hokuho family.

"At least, for me right now...it's very important."

Xiu Xingmeng's tone was soft, yet it carried an unwavering determination that could not be changed.

Meguro Aldan also sensed this will from her words, knowing that he could not change it no matter what, so he quietly let go of Xiuxingmeng's hand.

"I understand, I will go back..."

Although this was the answer that Hidehoshi dreamed of hearing, she still felt somewhat uncomfortable when Meguro Ardan finally told her.

She turned her back and said nothing, but silently tidied up the training ground.

Just when Xiu Xingmeng thought that Mubai Aldan was about to leave, a stubborn voice suddenly came from behind her.

“But I will still come tomorrow! And the day after tomorrow, no matter how many days pass! Since you hate Megumi so much, then I will just come here as Ardan!”

Upon hearing this, Xiu Xingmeng paused in her actions. For a moment, she wanted to respond, but she didn't know what to say, so she could only remain silent with her back to Mubai Aldan.

Meguro Aldan stared at her retreating figure, pursing his lips tightly. Although his face was already streaked with tears, he still tried his best to force a smile.

"There's one last thing..."

"Congratulations on winning the Emperor's Spring Appreciation Contest. I'm so proud of you."

Chapter 199 Who's the Fool?

The next day, Meguro Ardan arrived as promised. She looked at the several bags of ingredients she was carrying and made up her mind.

She had heard a saying that to win a man's heart, you must first win his stomach. Although Xiu Xingmeng was a girl, Megumi Ardan felt that this saying should be universally applicable.

In such a remote mountain forest, if I could cook her a delicious meal, I might be able to break through her defenses. Only by being willing to communicate can we possibly resolve the conflict.

Thinking that the ingredients in his hand might be the last hope to break the deadlock, Megumi Ardan unconsciously clenched the bag tighter.

His knuckles were slightly white from the force he was exerting, as if a drowning person were tightly gripping the only piece of driftwood, afraid that if he loosened his grip even slightly, the opportunity would slip through his fingers.

But when she finally climbed up the deep mountain and saw the dilapidated northern mansion, a white cloud of dust suddenly rose from the sky. A rather ominous thought grew wildly in her mind, and without even having time to think, Megumi Ardan ran towards the direction of the dust cloud.

Hearing hurried footsteps behind her, Xiu Xingmeng turned around with some confusion. She wasn't surprised to see Megumi Ardan, but she didn't know why he was sweating profusely and had a strange expression on his face.

"What...are you doing?"

Looking at the disheveled Xiu Xingmeng, and then at the burning mound of earth behind her, Megumi Ardan was at a loss for how to react. He could only force a smile and unconsciously voice his confusion.

Xiu Xingmeng simply gave her a questioning look, and then spoke matter-of-factly.

"Cooking, what else?"

Upon hearing this, Megumi Ardan's confusion did not dissipate; instead, she became even more bewildered. She looked at Xiuxing Meng, whose face and hands were covered in dust, and then at the strange spire behind her, which was made of clay and piled up from top to bottom in irregular shapes. She simply couldn't figure out what this scene had to do with cooking.

"Star Dream..."

Ardan hesitated for a long time, wanting to speak but then stopping, before finally speaking.

"I don't think cooking is like that. Although fire can cook food, even grilling requires some skill..."

"If you pile it all up in the mud, you can only burn it into coke..."

As he spoke, Megumi Ardan felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

Yes, no matter how mature Xiu Xingmeng may seem, she is still just a child. Before, she had her grandmother to take care of her at her home in the north, and now she has someone to cook for her at the Mejiro family's house.

But how is she supposed to live alone?

To achieve such remarkable results on the field, she must have devoted all her energy to training and competition. I had been watching her train from morning till night before the Emperor's spring festival, so why didn't I notice?

The thought of this goal brought tears to Aldan's eyes, and his voice even became slightly nasal.

"It's alright, Xingmeng. From now on, your older sister will take care of you! I will never let you eat this kind of burnt food again!"

Seeing Meguro Aldan, whose eyes were red and who was patting his chest to make a vow, Xiu Xingmeng was stunned for a moment, and then she twitched the corner of her mouth speechlessly.

She immediately stood up, kicked the burning mound of earth, and then used a blackened stick to smooth it out.

Seeing Xiu Xingmeng's actions, Mubai Aldan thought she had stopped the almost farcical cooking at his request. He immediately wiped his eyes, walked over, and took Xiu Xingmeng's hand.

"Come on, where's the kitchen? I'll make you something delicious!"

As she spoke, she gently wiped Xiu Xingmeng's somewhat dusty cheeks with her sleeve, completely unconcerned about soiling her exquisite and elegant dress.

However, Xiu Xingmeng did not respond, but silently patted Meguro Aldan's shoulder, gesturing for her to sit down.

Although completely bewildered, Megumi Ardan still chose to obediently follow Xiuxingmeng's instructions.

She felt that children of Xiu Xingmeng's age always came up with strange and unusual ideas, and that was the case during their first meeting. Now that she thinks about it, it's probably the same.

Meguro Aldan was very confident in his cooking skills and was sure he could make the most delicious food in the shortest time, so it was okay for him to stay here for a while to play around with Xiuxingmeng before cooking.

This way, she might get closer to me.

With this in mind, Megumi Ardan sat down next to Xiuxing Meng with the mindset of coaxing a child.

Looking at Xiu Xingmeng, who was staring intently at the collapsed mound of earth, Megumi Ardan began to ramble on about how to cook.

She first gently pointed out that Xiu Xingmeng's method could easily burn the ingredients, and that lighting such a fire in the deep forest could easily lead to accidents, but in the end she praised the other person's intelligence and whimsical idea in an encouraging tone.

"It's alright, Xingmeng. When I was your age, I couldn't have come up with such a creative way of cooking."

"Let's try it a few more times later under your sister's safe supervision. I believe you can do it well."

As he spoke, Aldan affectionately patted Xiuxingmeng's head.

Xiu Xingmeng did not resist and let her rub her head.

After Megumi Ardan finally finished speaking, she stood up. Megumi Ardan thought she wanted to go eat, so he quickly stood up as well.

However, Xiu Xingmeng did not leave as she had expected. Instead, she used the stick she had used earlier to turn over several charred, irregular spheres in the pile of dirt.

Under Aldan's questioning gaze, Xiuxingmeng took the potato in her hand and broke it open in front of her.

Peel back the charred charcoal shell, and the roasted potatoes in the mound of earth reveal their golden, plump interiors, their delicate texture gleaming with a warm, moist sheen like melted honey.

The rising steam, carrying a rich, sweet aroma, wafted towards him. The unique, mellow fragrance of potatoes permeated the air, directly hitting the tip of Megumi Ardan's nose.

Megumi Ardan blankly accepted the potato that Xiuxingmeng handed him, took a bite in a daze, and then, guided by Xiuxingmeng, sprinkled some salt that was placed aside.

After finishing the potato in her hand, Megumi Ardan was still a little stunned. She looked at her hands, which were blackened by charcoal, and muttered to herself in confusion.

"It's actually...delicious?!"

"And sweet potatoes."

Xiu Xingmeng dug out an irregularly shaped long object from the mound and handed it to Megumi Ardan. Then, she pointed expressionlessly at the still steaming mound and said...

"And there was a chicken inside."

"You don't really think I'm an idiot, do you?"

Chapter 200: Brain Warfare in the Deep Mountains

Upon hearing this, Megumi Ardan subconsciously nodded, then immediately realized what was going on when he saw Xiu Xingmeng's speechless expression.

"Right, right?"

"No, no, no, no! My sister never thought of Xingmeng as an idiot!"

She shook her head and waved the sweet potato in her hand, the scattered charcoal flying everywhere under Megumi Ardan's movements, making her face, which she had just wiped clean for Xiuxingmeng, look grimy again.

Xiu Xingmeng wiped her face, which had been smeared again, without saying a word, and just gave a cold laugh to Mubai Aldan.

"Wow——"

Feeling utterly humiliated in front of Xiu Xingmeng, Meguro Aldan let out a scream and crouched down, clutching his head, as if trying to escape this embarrassing situation by burying his head in the sand like an ostrich.

But Xiu Xingmeng would not let her off so easily. She quietly squatted down next to Mubai Aldan's ear and whispered the story to her.

"A brilliant idea... burning it to produce charcoal... a creative way of cooking..."

Hearing Xiu Xingmeng repeat her words verbatim, Mubai Aldan wished she could cover her ears. The more righteous she had been when she spoke, the more embarrassed and ashamed she felt now.

After lecturing Mubai Aldan, who had been treating her like an idiot for ages, until she was blushing with embarrassment, Xiuxingmeng finally let her go, satisfied.

He picked up a sweet potato, sat down next to Megumi Ardan, and started eating it by himself.

After an unknown amount of time, Megumi Ardan, who had finally recovered somewhat, quietly lifted her head from her arms. She looked at the mound of earth in front of her, which was filled with the aroma of meat, and then at Xiu Xingmeng sitting beside her, munching on a potato. She said in a low voice, somewhat surprised and admiring.

"Xingmeng, you're amazing! You managed to come up with such an incredible cooking method all by yourself..."

Upon hearing this, Xiu Xingmeng put down the potato she was eating. She didn't like the Meguro family now, but she didn't dislike Meguro Aldan at all, especially after what he said yesterday.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have deliberately teased the other person earlier, so after thinking about it, Xiu Xingmeng decided to answer the other person's question.

"Actually, it wasn't just my idea."

Xiu Xingmeng actually learned this method of cooking in an earthen kiln during the second script. At that time, everyone was in the countryside every day, and after training, they had nothing to do, so they would always get together to think about all sorts of strange things.

The idea for this earthen kiln originated from a cooking method that Xiuxingmeng had heard about in her previous life, but it was still fraught with difficulties in practice. It was only with the help of many horse racers from Kasamatsu that she was able to use it with ease.

If we consider this method as a research paper, then Hideyoshi Dream is the first author, then Golden Ship and West Birch are the second and third authors respectively, and other racehorse girls should also be included in the acknowledgments list.

However, she hadn't expected to be able to use this cooking method at first. It was only today that she suddenly thought of experimenting with it. She just didn't expect that Megumi Ardan would arrive at the Northern House first, which caused her to misunderstand.

"But it's still amazing! I've never even heard of such a method before."

"That's because the Mejiro family doesn't need to learn this method. You are a prestigious and powerful family, so how would you know about such rural things?"

Upon hearing this, Megumi Ardan shook his head and said...

"What I don't know is what I don't know, and it has nothing to do with anything else. Xingmeng, you know these things before me, so you're more capable than me."

Xiu Xingmeng glanced at Mubai Aldan, who was praising her, and pointed to the Northern Mansion not far away.

"Let me remind you first, there aren't kitchens like you imagine in homes in the North these days."

"What else could a kitchen look like?"

Megumi Ardan tilted her head in confusion. In her worldview, what was a kitchen but a gas stove and some pots and pans? What could be the difference?

Instead of offering further explanation, Xiu Xingmeng simply took her along on the trip.

When Mejiro Ardan saw the brick stove and large pot in the kitchen, all the introductions were no longer necessary.

Megumi Ardan pointed to the hole under the stove and asked Xiu Xingmeng in confusion.

"Star Dream, why... did they have to hollow out down there?"

"To put firewood on the stove and cook, what else?"

Xiu Xingmeng responded with an "I knew it" look.

"Isn't there a gas stove or anything like that?"

Do you think this thing will be useful?

The mansion belonging to the Northern family was built a long time ago. Back then, there was no convenient thing like gas. And now, Xiu Xingmeng doesn't want to go down the mountain to find someone to renovate it.

Anyway, she knows how to use this kind of stove, so it's more convenient to just gather some firewood in the mountains and cook directly.

Xiu Xingmeng raised her head and spoke to Megumi Ardan, who was dumbfounded as if he had seen something beyond his worldview.

"Come on, where's the kitchen? I'll make you something delicious...!"

Hearing what she had just said, Megumi Ardan blushed and rubbed her skirt a little shyly.

"Xingmeng, stop teasing your sister..."

To everyone's surprise, Xiu Xingmeng shook her head upon hearing this and continued.