Chapter Ninety-One: He Zhang Mengwei

Ye Sansi found the village strangely built. Though made of wood, it looked exceedingly light, and the framework was unlike anything he had ever seen. Puzzled as he was, he did not dare say so outright, fearing it might be some local custom in this remote place.

The woman rose and said to Ye Sansi, "Never mind, we won't wash them now. We'll do it tomorrow morning. Oh, and I still haven't asked your name."

Ye Sansi bowed with clasped hands and said, "I am called Ye Sansi."

"Ye Sansi, hmm, what a fine name. It's almost nightfall, so why not stay at my house for now, have a meal, and leave tomorrow?"

Ye Sansi scratched his head, thinking, What is the matter with this elder sister? I haven't even said what I'm here for, and she's already inviting me to eat. The way she speaks and carries herself is truly strange. I must be careful.

When Ye Sansi stood, the man finally got a good look at him. Ye Sansi bowed again and said, "Brother, I am Ye Sansi, passing through this place..."

The man waved him off at once, cutting him short. "All right, all right, I get it. I don't like the way you talk. Anyway, you're a guest. Welcome, welcome. Sit down; no need to be formal."

After speaking with the man for a few words, the woman came out again, muttering, "Why so eager? Isn't everything fine now? Since we have a guest today, shouldn't we make a little more effort?"

But since she insisted, Ye Sansi could not refuse. He followed her into the house, where she said, "My name is He Meng. You can call me Sister Meng. My husband went hunting and will be back soon. Once he arrives, we'll eat. Boy, you're lucky today. I made a Western meal. You've definitely never had it before; it will broaden your horizons."

Ye Sansi still did not understand what the elder sister meant, but knowing she meant no harm, he found a stool and sat quietly to wait while the woman went to the kitchen to cook.

Half an hour passed before footsteps sounded outside. Ye Sansi peeked out and saw a man pushing the door open, calling toward the inner room, "Honey, is dinner ready? I'm starving."

"Hey, hey, hey, you silly fool, aren't there knives and forks? Pick them up and cut the meat to eat."

Ye Sansi saw the knife and fork on the table. He took one in each hand, speared the meat with the fork, cut off a piece with the knife, and put it into his mouth. He Meng laughed and said, "You're so deft. That doesn't look like your first time eating Western food."

Ye Sansi smiled. "I used to live in the mountains and often ate roasted meat. Using knife and fork is actually easier than chopsticks."

The woman brought out six plates and motioned for Ye Sansi to sit, but the dishes looked so strange to him that he asked, "Sister Meng, what are these dishes? Roasted meat? Dried grain noodles?"

He Meng said mysteriously, "These two Western dishes, if you hadn't come here, you'd never get to taste them. This piece of meat is called steak, and this is called spaghetti. Try them."

Ye Sansi looked around and laughed. "Sister Meng, it seems you've forgotten to give me a bowl and chopsticks. You sit down; I'll get them myself."

As she spoke, He Meng's eyes reddened slightly. The man hurried to wrap his arms around her and said, "Honey, what are you doing? Why are you crying while we're talking? We have a guest here. Tears look ugly. Be good; let's not cry."

Ye Sansi smiled and said, "Though I don't understand much of what you say, I can tell you are deeply in love. When you speak of the past, your faces are full of happiness. I truly envy you."

He Meng composed herself and said with a smile, "Ye Sansi, right? Don't just keep eating the steak. Try this spaghetti too. See how it tastes."

He Meng glanced at the man beside her and smiled with bliss. "My husband simply never knew how to eat Western food. Back in college, when he barely had any money in his pocket, he insisted on taking me to some Western restaurant, ordered two steaks, and even asked the waiter for chopsticks. Hahaha."

The man laughed as well. "You say that, but every day you kept telling me how delicious Western food was and never said it should be eaten with a knife and fork. Honestly, I think you were just trying to make a fool of me."

"How was I supposed to know you were trying to show off? Hahaha. Thinking back, those days were truly happy and carefree. We thought we'd get our civil service jobs, register our marriage, and that would be that. Who knew..."

"The proper way is this: melt butter over low heat in a pan, then turn up the heat and add minced onion, stir-fry until fragrant, then add diced tomatoes and keep stirring. Once it releases its juice, add basil, black pepper, and salt, then stir constantly and let the high heat reduce it into a sauce. In another pot, heat water, and when it boils, add a little salt, then cook the spaghetti until done. Drain it, add a little cooking oil, and mix well. Finally, it's time to finish: pour in some oil, and when it is about seventy percent hot, add mushrooms, ham, and green peppers and stir-fry until fragrant. Then pour in the cooked tomato sauce and the spaghetti, toss everything together in the pan, and the noodles are done. Hahaha, isn't that complicated? I memorized it for a long time."

Ye Sansi listened in a daze, grinning foolishly and scratching his head. "Sister Meng is truly amazing. It seems I won't be able to learn this delicacy, hahaha."

He Meng waved her hand and said with a smile, "The recipe may be written like that, but we can't find the proper ingredients here, so we have to use substitutes. Otherwise, the spaghetti would taste even better."

Ye Sansi picked up the so-called spaghetti with his knife and fork, took a large bite, savored it carefully, and exclaimed, "Ah, this is truly delicious. How can it taste so good?"

Pleased by his praise, He Meng laughed. "It is good, isn't it? I knew my own cooking wouldn't be any worse than the restaurant's."

The man chuckled in agreement. Ye Sansi asked curiously, "Sister Meng, how is this noodle made?"

Zhang Wei laughed. "Hahaha, what immortals? We're nothing but unfortunate mortals."

"Brother Zhang, what do you mean by that?"

"Sixteen years ago, Xiaomeng and I were on our way to the civil affairs office to register our marriage. Oh, you wouldn't know this, but the civil affairs office is our kind of government office. It certifies two people in love as husband and wife, and no one can separate them."

Ye Sansi asked, "By the way, may I know your esteemed name, brother?"

The man laughed. "Hahaha, if you hadn't mentioned it, I really would have forgotten. My name is Zhang Wei."

"You really speak in such an amusing way, Brother Zhang. Is this a custom of your village? When I first entered, I found the houses strangely built, and the things Sister Meng mentioned were all things I had never heard of or seen before. Could it be... could it be that you are immortals?"

Zhang Wei shook his hand with a laugh. "No, no. We used to live in the mortal world as well, but perhaps our world belongs to a different era. It's like those time-travel dramas on television. Thinking about it is amazing."

He Meng continued, "My husband is a doctor of architecture. He may seem a bit foolish, but he is very talented. Look at this house: warm in winter, cool in summer, well-ventilated, and not a drop of rain leaks in. It's much better than the houses the villagers built. Because our house is so good, the villagers have all begged my husband to build for them, and we've taken in quite a lot of grain and produce. Who would have thought that learning a skill would still let one make a living in this era? Hahaha."

Praised so highly by He Meng, Zhang Wei grew embarrassed and scratched his head with a smile. "Xiaomeng, you're amazing too. You were a doctoral student in one of the top computer science programs at our university. Back in college, there were plenty of people pursuing you; I didn't even dare come near you. Just talking to you made me nervous. And you, you never gave me any way out, kept going on and on until my face turned red before you were satisfied."

"Isn't this what people call the red thread of destiny?"

"Hahaha, you could say that. But on the way there, our car was struck by lightning. We instantly lost consciousness, and when we opened our eyes again, we were already in this world."

Ye Sansi nodded and asked curiously, "So you were originally in another world? The demon realm? The devil realm? Or the heavens?"

While the three of them were chatting, the plates had all been emptied. Though Ye Sansi did not fully understand Zhang Wei and He Meng's conversation, he knew they were deeply in love, far beyond ordinary people in the world.

Seeing how blissful they were, Ye Sansi understood that the two loved each other so much that, no matter how far the world stretched or how many times the sun and moon changed, they would think of one another with unwavering devotion.

He could not help thinking of Ling Shuang, and also of his master, Taiyi, Xiaosun, Senior Brother Fang Yuan, and Senior Brother Zheng Fan. His most pressing task now was to return at once to the immortal island and not let them worry about him.

He Meng turned her head aside, hands on her hips, and said, "You still have the nerve to say that? You couldn't even tell I liked you. You were such a fool, always deliberately avoiding me. Hmph, I haven't forgotten that debt. And you even said my major was useless. In this world, what's the use of computers? Aren't they just your burden?"

"Hahaha, Xiaomeng, why are you angry again? Who said you were my burden? Isn't it you who cooks the meals at home? Isn't it you who cleans? And the clothes, aren't they all washed by you too? Where could one find such an excellent homemaker? I really was lucky. From now on, you're not allowed to say that."

He Meng laughed happily, pouting as she said, "All right, I won't say it anymore. Not bad—your mouth is getting sweeter and sweeter now." Zhang Wei also grinned foolishly in agreement.

"Then, Brother Zhang, do you know where this place lies beneath the heavens?"

"At the far eastern edge. If you keep going east, you'll reach what people call the ends of the earth, hahaha. Though I haven't been there myself, the elders say it's true."

Ye Sansi thought it over and muttered under his breath, "The ends of the earth? That damned Taohsiao really went too far, bringing me here of all places. How am I supposed to get back?"

"Sister Meng, Brother Zhang, do you know where the Immortal Isle of the Square Inch lies?"

He Meng thought for a moment and said, "I've never heard of it. I usually stay home and don't go out. You should ask my husband about this; he meets more people, so he might know. I'll go wash the dishes first. You two talk."

He Meng went to the kitchen. Zhang Wei thought for a long while as well, then shook his head. "I'm really sorry, but I've never heard of this Immortal Isle of the Square Inch."

Zhang Wei smiled. "Young Hero Ye, why don't I take you to the village chief's house tomorrow and ask him? He's widely traveled and likes to learn about all things under heaven. He would surely know where this island is."

Ye Sansi nodded and agreed. Rising to his feet, he bowed and said, "Brother Zhang, many thanks. We have only just met, yet you have treated me so kindly. I am deeply grateful."