Greetings, Mister Principal

Chapter 198: New Dishes

Morale Support: Scherzo

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The dining hall’s decoration is completely simple, with a decorative wine cabinet on one side and transparent windows on the other. A rectangular table with a lace tablecloth is surrounded by four mahogany chairs around it. Three sets of cutlery neatly arranged on the table, awaiting to be used.

In the center of the table, there is garlic powder-sprinkled bread and a small bowl of butter, a large pot of steaming beef stew with potatoes, and a colorful vegetable salad.

Having washed his hands, Reiner sat down on a chair.

Still pondering over Percival’s wife Lisa’s peculiar cooking methods, Reiner felt a pair of eyes staring at him.

“Are you Mr. Thief?”

A child with a childish voice, leaning against the wall, was looking at him.

She had chestnut-colored curls, resembling her mother, and was wearing a bear-patterned skirt, holding a fabric toy and staring warily at Reiner.

“Yeah, I’m a Phantom Thief of Hearts, specialized in stealing the sins in people’s hearts.”

Reiner found it amusing and joked back.

“Phantom, Phantom Thief! It sounds so cool!”

The child looked shocked, as if it was a setting she had never heard before.

“Can I become a Phantom Thief of Hearts too? How can I become one!?”

She asked, and just as Reiner was figuring out how to tease the little one, Percival walked in with a set of cutlery in hand.

“Yako, don’t scare the guests.”

Percival placed the cutlery down and picked up his daughter Yako, placing her in the chair opposite Reiner.

“Dad, I’m already siix [1], I’m a grown-up, don’t treat me like a kid!”

Yako protested, puffing up her chest.

“Yes, yes, you’re six already, so you should behave like a grown-up with manners, do you understand?”

Percival’s tone changed completely, gentle and soothing, as if he was carefully nurturing a treasure.

“It’s time to enjoy dinner.”

Lisa walked into the restaurant with a pot of freshly cooked food and placed it on the table in the center.

Reiner saw that it was a pot of red soup with some vegetable leaves visible. The surface of the soup was floating with a faint white liquid. Judging by the smell, it should be a soup with a sweet and sour taste. However, considering Lisa’s strange cooking methods earlier, Reiner frowned, feeling that things might not be so simple.

“This is Stanlyan Red Cabbage Soup. It’s made with red cabbage from Stanlyan, chopped onions and carrots, mixed with several types of peppers, then added to the already stewed beef soup. Finally, some ham and cream, and stir it evenly.”

Lisa explained with a smile to Reiner.

“At the last exchange meeting, Mrs. Pamar brought back some local specialty red cabbage from Stanlyan. I followed the recipe to make this. I hope it tastes good.”

Stanlyan is always in the cold north wind, and its people have developed a robust character. It is said that every Stanlyan person, upon reaching adulthood, must be thrown into the freezing forest until they hunt a brown bear with their bare hands to return home. It is also said that due to the low temperature in Stanlyan, people rely on drinking alcohol for warmth, especially a type of spicy wine, and even a seven-year-old child can drink a large glass of it. [2]

In short, Stanlyan’s cuisine should be bold, using spicy flavors to counteract the harsh winter.

This seemed to be exactly how it was cooked according to the recipe, as Reiner noticed Lisa using a timer to stir the soup.

Reiner thought to himself as Lisa ladled four bowls of red cabbage soup and distributed them to everyone.

Looking into the bowl, the deep red, blood-like soup, the mixture of softened red cabbage and onions, the clear texture of the beef, and the bits of ham, made Reiner swallow nervously. He glanced at Percival next to him.

Percival, sitting upright, picked up the silver spoon and took a sip of the red cabbage soup.

Percival’s expression remained unchanged as he scooped a spoonful of beef into his mouth, chewing and swallowing.

No reaction at all.

“How’s it? Since it’s my first time making it, I’m worried if the seasoning is correct.”

Lisa looked at her husband with anticipation, eyes sparkling.

“Well, it tastes good, full of exotic flavor.”

Percival confidently said, revealing a smile.

“Really?”

Reiner thought, then picked up the spoon and took a sip of the soup.

In an instant, Reiner felt countless fireworks exploding on his taste buds.

According to Lisa, the combination of several peppers created an incredibly spicy taste that permeated the soup, providing an extremely stimulating experience. The addition of cream took this already spicy winter soup to another level, being able to change a cold winter to a summer. However, this spicy soup went a step further.

In just a few seconds, Reiner’s face turned red, feeling a surge of heat rising from his stomach. He sweated on his back, as if he were in a scorching desert.

In short, this pot of soup wasn’t unpalatable, but the pure spiciness overshadowed all other flavors. It was not red cabbage soup; it was a chili gathering!

“How’s it?”

Lisa looked at Reiner, full of expectation.

“Um, it’s a bit… too stimulating for me.”

Reiner quietly put down the spoon and pushed the soup bowl away.

“What a pity.”

Lisa still smiled. She picked up the spoon and fed her daughter Yako a spoonful of red cabbage soup.

“This is amazing!”

Yako smiled and drank the red cabbage soup without any signs of discomfort.

No way?

Reiner glanced at Percival again, who was calmly and steadily finishing his bowl of red cabbage soup, not leaving a single drop.

And his wife Lisa immediately served him another bowl of red cabbage soup.

Is this whole family a bunch of monsters?

Reiner couldn’t help but marvel. He locked eyes with Percival and saw a hint of helplessness in the mage’s eyes, immediately understanding the reason behind it.

Being the head of the family is really tough.

Reiner sympathized with Percival a bit. Later, he cautiously took a piece of garlic-powdered bread, spread some butter on it, and bravely took a bite.

…

Surprisingly, the bread tasted quite good.

Reiner then cut a small piece of potato stewed beef, and the taste of this dish was also normal.

As for the vegetable salad, there was nothing remarkable about the taste, just an ordinary salad.

In this comparison, the strangeness of the initially served Stanlyan red cabbage soup became even more apparent.

So, how was this pot of red cabbage soup made?

Reiner was once again puzzled.

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T/N:

[1] Author deliberately misspelling six (years).

[2] Russia???

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