Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

The air in Hefei is much more humid than in Beijing.

Lu Mingfei and Frilian dragged their suitcases out of the subway station; it was already late.

A few lights flickered on in the old residential building, and the auntie at the convenience store downstairs was putting away ice cream from the freezer.

“That’s the building,” Lu Mingfei said, pointing to the building in front of him. “The third floor, the one on the left.”

His pace slowed unconsciously. Frillie glanced at him, then reached out and took the suitcase from his hand: "Let's go."

"Ding Dong"

After the doorbell rang twice, the sound of slippers slapping against the floor came from inside.

"I'm coming!"

The door opened.

Uncle Lu Gucheng stood at the door wearing a wrinkled polo shirt, his face still covered in flour, looking like he was cooking.

His gaze first fell on Lu Mingfei, and he smiled broadly: "Mingfei, you've grown taller!"

Then he saw Frilian.

The smile froze.

Who is this?

Lu Mingfei cleared his throat: "My friend, Frillian."

Frillie nodded slightly: "Excuse me."

The uncle's eyes widened, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Lu Mingfei and Frillie several times before he turned and shouted into the house:

"Honey! Mingfei brought his girlfriend home!!!"

Lu Mingfei: "???"

Frilian: "..."

From inside the house came my aunt's exclamation and the sound of a spatula falling to the ground.

Lu Mingfei covered his face in despair.

Five minutes later, Lu Mingfei tried his best to explain that he and Frillie were classmates at the same school and just had a good relationship.

The uncle paused for a moment, then nodded as if suddenly realizing something: "Oh, you're a classmate! Hello, hello, I'm Lu Mingfei's uncle, Lu Gucheng."

He awkwardly wiped his hands on his apron, wanted to shake hands but felt it wasn't appropriate, and finally just smiled.

Auntie came out of the kitchen carrying a fruit platter and froze the moment she saw Frillie.

The sight of the silver-haired girl standing quietly at the door reminded her of that rainy day twenty years ago when Jovini came to pick up Lu Lincheng with an umbrella. That innate temperament... tsk.

"Mom, her hair is white," Lu Mingze muttered under his breath, his eyes constantly glancing at Frillie's feet. His aunt slapped him on the back of the head, almost making him bump into the shoe cabinet.

"No manners!" the aunt scolded in a low voice, forcing a smile. "Come in and sit down."

She turned around and tugged at the hem of her faded clothes.

Chapter 39 Breaking Ties with Aunt

The kitchen was filled with the smell of cooking oil, and pork rib soup was simmering on the stove, bubbling away, with a large pile of half-cut radishes next to it.

The aunt put the cleaver on the cutting board and gestured to Lu Mingfei with her chin: "Chop the radish into thin strips."

Lu Mingfei grunted in agreement and reached for the knife, but Frillie grabbed it first.

"I'll do it," she said calmly.

The aunt frowned: "You're a guest, how can we let you do the work?"

“It’s alright.” Frillie picked up the white radish, and with a flash of the knife, a row of radish slices as thin as cicada wings appeared on the cutting board.

With a flick of the wrist, the radish slices were cut into thin shreds, each one evenly thick and translucent.

Auntie's mouth dropped open, speechless. She stared at Frillie's hands, fair and slender, chopping vegetables with effortless skill, more adept than she, a cook with decades of experience.

Lu Mingfei scratched his head: "Frilian's knife skills are much better than mine."

Auntie mechanically stirred the soup spoon, her gaze falling on the shredded radish that Frillie had cut on the cutting board, each one cut just right.

She suddenly remembered how clumsy Lu Mingfei used to occasionally stay at her house: he couldn't hold the kitchen knife properly, and the potato slices he cut were as thick as tiles. He would laugh foolishly even after she scolded him.

Now look what's happened! They've found a foreign girl with such superb knife skills; even by her most critical standards, she deserves full marks.

"Lu Mingfei, go wash the green peppers," the aunt said curtly, averting her gaze.

“Okay.” After washing the vegetables, Lu Mingfei actually took the initiative to stand in front of the stove.

"I'll cook a few dishes today," he said, skillfully turning on the stove and pouring in the oil. "Uncle hasn't tasted my cooking yet."

Uncle stood frozen at the kitchen doorway, holding a teacup: "Mingfei, when did you learn to cook?"

"I learned it in Kassel," Lu Mingfei smiled, tossed the minced garlic into the hot oil, and with a sizzle, the aroma burst forth instantly.

Frillie stood to the side, offering the chopped vegetables at just the right moment. The two worked together seamlessly, as if they had rehearsed it countless times.

Lu Mingfei's wok-tossing technique was quite skillful; the shredded pork with green peppers flew around in the wok before finally landing on a plate.

"Wow!" Uncle exclaimed, his eyes wide. "This skill level is comparable to that of a restaurant chef!"

"It was all taught by Senior Ye Sheng," Lu Mingfei said a little embarrassedly. "He was my senior at Kassel College."

What he didn't finish saying was that he had honed these skills through club activities at the "Mage Guild".

As the founders of the club, he and Frilian often prepared various Chinese delicacies to entertain the club members.

At first, he would burn even his fried rice, but now he can cook a whole table of dishes quite well.

The steam blurred her vision, and in a daze, the aunt saw Lu Mingfei from four or five years ago, hunched over in front of the stove, his school uniform sleeves stained with soy sauce, being bossed around by her without daring to utter a sound.

Now Lu Mingfei stands up straight and can even flip the wok while cooking.

Her heart felt like a spice jar had been overturned, a mixture of sour and bitter feelings she couldn't quite describe. She slammed the ladle against the edge of the pot, splashing out a few drops of scalding soup.

"The food is ready, let's eat!" Lu Mingfei called everyone to sit down and eat.

At the dinner table, the aunt picked up a piece of shredded pork with garlic sauce and asked, "Lu Mingfei, how much scholarship money did Kassel give you?"

Lu Mingfei paused with his chopsticks: "This."

"What, can't you tell me?"

“It’s not that I can’t say,” Lu Mingfei said, carefully choosing his words. “I do have scholarships, but I mostly use them for club activities and daily expenses.”

The weekend outing with Frilian has already cost us almost all of it.

Going to the aquarium requires an entrance fee, eating desserts costs money, and occasionally you need to buy alchemy materials. Although Frilian insists on splitting the bill, the expenses are still quite high.

Next time, ask Vice Principal Flamel for some funding. Who else should his precious students ask for money when they go out to play?

Auntie snorted: "That means you haven't saved any money."

She then asked her second question: "Americans are so warm and open-minded, have you found a girlfriend?"

Lu Mingfei nearly choked on his rice. He glanced at Frillie subconsciously, who was picking at fish bones, seemingly oblivious to the question.

"Not yet."

"You're such a grown man, and you don't even have a girlfriend," the aunt said, pursing her lips. "Look at Mingze, he's actively pursuing girls."

Lu Mingze stole a glance at Frillie's silver hair, and upon hearing this, his face flushed red: "Mom!"

Ignoring her son's protests, the aunt asked one last question: "Have you seen your parents?"

Lu Mingfei slowly put down his chopsticks: "No."

"I knew it," Auntie said with a triumphant smile. "All he does is talk about archaeological research, but he doesn't even care about his own son. It's a good thing he didn't send Mingze to that damn Kassel, hmph."

Snapped.

Frillie put down her chopsticks.

"Please apologize to Lu Mingfei," the voice said softly.

The aunt was stunned: "What?"

“First, whether Lu Mingfei received the scholarship or not is none of your business,” Frilian said, her emerald eyes fixed on her aunt. “Second, whether he has a girlfriend or not is his private matter.”

“Third,” her tone turned cold, “you have no right to judge his parents.”

The uncle quickly tried to smooth things over: "Oh dear, we're eating, why are you talking about this?"

Frillie's aura was so strong that her aunt involuntarily shrank back.

Under that gaze that seemed to see right through people, she stammered, "I've said too much."

"Apologize."

My aunt just couldn't bring herself to say the words "I was wrong."

Silence spread across the dining table.

Lu Mingfei stood up: "Uncle, if Auntie doesn't welcome us, then we'll take our leave."

"What are you saying!" the uncle quickly pulled him back. "Your aunt just speaks her mind, she didn't mean any harm!"

Lu Mingfei went to get his coat, and Frilian quietly followed behind him. Before leaving, she turned back to look at her aunt, who shivered.

"Mingfei! Where are you going so late?" Uncle chased after him to the door.

"I'm going back to my own home," Lu Mingfei said with a smile. "Anyway, it's nearby. I'll come visit you again when I have time."

The door closed.

The uncle stood there and sighed, "Sigh."

The aunt stared at the table full of barely touched dishes, feeling a sense of emptiness in her heart.

She then realized that Lu Mingfei, who always kept his head down and took the scolding, was no longer the little brat she could criticize and scold at will.

A cool evening breeze blew as Lu Mingfei and Frilian walked side by side through the residential area, their shadows stretched long by the streetlights.

"Thank you."

Frillie shook her head: "You're welcome."