Night of the Broken Gliph

There were three dishes and a soup on the dining table. The food was so aromatic that it was as if Chui Yim could already taste it. He was nearly drooling at the smell. 

“Come on, let’s eat.” Lam Ming’s mother smiled gently. “I heard from Siu Ming that you‘re quite picky, try some and see if you’re pleased with what I made.” However, Lam Ming had already dug in, resulting in him receiving a glare from his mother. 

“Thank you.” Chui Yim said and hurriedly dug in. 

The three dishes Lam Ming’s mother made were stir-fried beef with vegetables, boiled eggs, and steamed fish. The dishes were simple, but they tasted like food from another world to Chui Yim. It was hard to believe that such simple dishes could become so flavorful and texture-rich

“The simpler the dish, the more I can bring out their true colours.”  As if sensing Chui Yim’s surprise, Lam Ming’s mother smiled and explained. “Simple home-cooked dishes are the true tests of a chef’s skills. Siu Yim has been looking forward to today, so as his mother, I definitely can’t disappoint him.”

“Mum!” Lam Ming shouted, grumbling. 

“Haha, alright. Mummy is just repaying Siu Yim for taking care of you at the academy.”

“Not really; it’s Lam Ming who takes care of me at the academy instead,” Chui Yim replied immediately. 

“Haha.” She laughed with a hand covering her mouth. All her actions were gentle and gave off a warm vibe which suited her perfectly. “That’s what friends should do, take care of each other. Here, try the soup. This soup is the essence of tonight’s dinner.” 

Hearing her, Lam Ming immediately served a bowl to his mother and then Chui Yim. He only then took a bowl for himself and drank it in a hurry. As soon as he took a sip, he gasped. “Mum! This…” 

“Shh…” Lam Ming’s mother smiled mysteriously. “Let Siu Yim feel it himself.” Chui Yim glanced at the mother and son suspiciously before taking a sip slowly. But as soon as he did, his eyes lit up. “This taste…” 

As if presenting a treasure, Lam Ming spoke immediately. “Brother Chui, you’re so lucky! This is g-food!”

“When I went to the market today, I heard that a fisherman had caught a seamouth, so here it is.” The woman smiled. 

Seamouth was a low-grade gliphic beast. It was known as seamouth as this fish was born with four strokes of gliph at the side of its mouth, barely forming a simple gliph that helped increase its speed. Thus, it wasn’t easy to catch. It might not be a high-grade gliphic beast, but it was edible. Simmering its head into a broth helped growth, so it was a g-food suitable for growing children. 

This taste… It’s the same! Chui Yim was dumbstruck. He took another sip to confirm. Yes, it’s indeed the same……

“Why… Why does it taste exactly like the one my father made?” 

“Exactly the same? That’s not possible,” the woman said, slightly shocked. “The ingredients can be changed, but the seasoning technique I used for this soup is something that only me and Siu Ming… hmm?” Her eyes landed on Chui Yim’s face, blanking out. 

Chui Yim felt so uncomfortable by her stare that he hesitated. “Uh… Yes, it’s exactly the same…” He had no idea how he should feel. This is g-food?他的腦海中百感交雜？

This soup was Chui Yim’s favourite dish. As a result, Chui Tin made this dish at least once a week for him. It was this fish soup he had drunk after fainting due to observing too many gliphs. He had even thought that Chui Tin was a stingyperson who felt pain when the soup was spilled onto the dining table. 

Does this mean that I have always been consuming g-food? 

“Your surname is Chui, could your father be Chui Tin?” The woman mumbled.

“How did you…” Chui Yim jumped up. 

Lam Ming looked between Chui Yim and his mother, pulling his mother’s sleeve worriedly. “Mummy, what’s wrong?” 

After some time, the woman finally looked up with a smile. “Ah, no wonder. I’m the one who taught cooking to your father. He’s a good father.”

Chui Yim and Lam Ming exchanged glances. His mother and my father are former acquaintances?

“Siu Ming, mummy isn’t feeling well. Clear the table once you are done. I’ll go and rest first,” Lam Ming mother said as she made her way to her room, leaving both kids staring at each other. They said nothing and ate in silence. 

Lam Ming couldn’t understand his mother’s weird behaviour, while Chui Yim felt weird after realising that he had been consuming g-food since young. 

After the meal, Lam Ming cleared the table and went to fetch water to clean up. It was then that Lam Ming’s mother came out of her room. “Young brother Chui, I have something to tell you, can you come in for a while?” 

It was a clean and simple room with only a single long table and bed. 

A candlelight swayed gently in the wind, the lighting in the room feeling hypnotic. “Aunt…” Chui Yim called out as he entered the room. 

“My surname is Sit; just call me Aunt Sit.” She smiled gently. “I’m old friends with your father, so it’s alright to just call me Aunt Sit.” She went to the side of the bed and got Chui Yim to sit down. 

Chui Yim did as he was told and sat next to her. “If my father has offended you previously, I’ll apologise on his behalf now.” After everything, Chui Yim acknowledged Chui Tin as his father. He had a simple character, daring to love and hate. Since he had already taken Chui Tin as his father, then he’d pay for his father’s mistakes as his son. 

Aunt Sit looked at him in a daze before breaking out into a smile. “Boy, you’re overthinking.” She shook her head. “We might have known each other for a long time, but we aren’t as close as you think. I taught him how to cook in exchange for him tattooing my gliph for me. That’s all..” 

Chui Yim heaved a sigh of relief on hearing her. Mine and Lam Ming’s friendship might be affected if she was my father’s enemy, and that’s something I don’t wish to see. 

Seeing Chui Yim’s reaction, Aunt Sit realised what was going on. “You might have misunderstood from my previous response, but the thought of your father reminded me of some things that I’m hiding from. Those are things I never want Siu Ming to come into contact with, which explains my reactions.”

Chui Yim listened to her silently. He wasn’t any ordinary child, and he was more observant than many others. A house hidden in the woods, fantastic g-food, and related to my mysterious father. Aunt Sit is definitely no ordinary person. 

“Since you’re Chui Tin’s son, I believe that you’ll become extraordinary in the future too. Siu Ming is dense and slow. I hope that you can help me watch over him in the future.” 

Aunt Sit stood up and bowed towards Chui Yim. “Please.”