Ch 17: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

He combined the flour with water to form dough, found a smooth piece of wood to use as a rolling pin, and rolled the dough into thin sheets. He then stacked the sheets and cut them into fine strips.

Zong Yu, sitting in the courtyard, swung his legs out of boredom, but his attention was on the kitchen. His hearing was sharp, and he could catch some of the noises from the kitchen, which made him curious. However, it was impolite to use magic to spy on others, so after some thought, he quietly got off the chair and tiptoed to the kitchen.

As soon as he entered the kitchen, he was greeted by the aroma of eggs frying in oil. In a nearby pot, something white was bubbling in boiling water. Zong Yu’s sharp nose detected the scent of flour.

The fried egg was set aside while Jiang Lin fished the cooked noodles out of the pot. He had already prepared a bowl with oil, salt, and soy sauce. He poured some clear broth over the noodles and placed the fried egg on top, completing a bowl of egg noodles.

Jiang Lin turned and saw Zong Yu, then suddenly remembered, “Oh, I forgot! Wait a moment.” He grabbed some small greens he had washed earlier, which he had just used his spiritual power to ripen in the Jadeite Space. Fresh and tender, he quickly blanched them in the boiling water.

He took out the greens and placed them in the bowl, adding a sprinkle of chopped green onions. “Perfect!” Jiang Lin assessed his work and gave the presentation a score of ten.

He picked up one bowl of noodles and called to Zong Yu, “Carry your own bowl out.” He showed no intention of pampering him.

Zong Yu pursed his lips and, without a word, picked up the other bowl. The two walked out to the small courtyard.

By now, night had fully fallen, and the courtyard was illuminated by lamps, though the light was still dim. Jiang Lin and Zong Yu weren’t ordinary people; this level of darkness didn’t hinder their vision at all. But Jiang Lin still retained some habits from his time as a human.

He liked bright light.

Those few years in the post-apocalyptic world had left a lasting shadow on his life. Daytime, though dangerous, allowed for some respite; zombies were less active. But in the quiet of the night, darkness became a devouring monster—no one knew what dangers might emerge from the shadows.

Jiang Lin extended a finger and lightly tapped the air. A small glow formed at his fingertip, like a star in the night, and other glimmers of light were drawn to it, gathering from all directions to form a small moon.

The dim courtyard suddenly became bright.

Zong Yu looked up—it was a cluster of fireflies.

The firefly-formed moon hovered just above his head. A thought crossed his mind: he wanted to reach out and poke it. But he quickly suppressed the impulse and snorted, “Childish!”

Jiang Lin glanced at him and snickered, “You, a little kid, with that stern face trying to act mature, aren’t childish?”

Zong Yu felt the urge to get angry again, but Jiang Lin interrupted, “Hurry up and eat before the noodles get soggy.”

Zong Yu didn’t quite understand what “soggy” meant. He looked down at the food in front of him—a bowl filled with thin white strands that Jiang Lin called noodles, along with tender green vegetables and a golden fried egg.

The cooking method wasn’t particularly refined; many of the chefs at the Supervisory Office were more skilled than Jiang Lin.

But the smell from the bowl was strangely enticing, awakening a long-dormant craving for food. Mimicking Jiang Lin’s actions, Zong Yu picked up some noodles with his chopsticks and put them in his mouth.

The noodles were slightly overcooked and too soft. The broth was just clear water, seasoned with simple salt and sauce, not particularly rich. The fried egg was well-cooked, and the vegetables were surprisingly sweet and fresh. Overall, it wasn’t the most delicious thing he had ever eaten.

But the frown he usually wore relaxed, and his chopsticks moved faster.

Jiang Lin, who was paying attention to Zong Yu while pretending not to, felt a bit satisfied. Who wouldn’t like it when someone enjoyed the food they made, even if it was just a simple bowl of noodles?

Neither spoke while they ate, and soon both bowls were empty.

Zong Yu rubbed his belly and, with his pitch-black eyes fixed on Jiang Lin, earnestly said, “It was really good. I haven’t had something this good in a long time.”

He still wasn’t full. Normally, he would have likely grabbed the person in front of him and forced them to cook a whole pot of these noodles for him to eat to his heart’s content. But he sensed goodwill from Jiang Lin, even though this person wasn’t particularly nice to him and often seemed stern. Still, Zong Yu didn’t want to break this goodwill.

The main reason, though… Zong Yu’s eyes flashed: This Jiang Lin is very strong, so using force isn’t a good idea.

Jiang Lin wasn’t aware of the boy’s inner thoughts. Hearing Zong Yu’s words, he couldn’t help but laugh, “It’s just a bowl of noodles; no need to flatter me so much. I know my cooking skills—just enough to make decent food.”

“No, it was really good,” Zong Yu insisted, his tone serious. The malice had faded from his pitch-black eyes.

For the first time, Jiang Lin noticed how beautiful the boy’s eyes were.

His smile widened. “Really? Well, since you said that, even if you’re just trying to get free food out of me, I’ll accept it. For the next month, if there’s anything you want to eat and I can make it, I will.”

“Really?” Zong Yu eagerly latched onto the offer. “Then I want this same noodles for breakfast tomorrow.”

He paused and asked, “But how did you make these noodles? I haven’t seen them in Huaiyang City, or anywhere else. And those greens—I’ve never had them before, either.”

Jiang Lin then realized that noodles might not exist in this era, and neither did the little greens.

Keeping a straight face, he lied smoothly, “Oh, this is a dish from White Tiger Ridge. Maybe humans don’t eat this kind of thing.”

“White Tiger Ridge?” Zong Yu was puzzled. “Can all the demons there make food from flour? The demons I’ve seen in other places are still eating raw meat.”

Jiang Lin continued to bluff, “Then you must not have seen enough.”

Zong Yu gave him a skeptical look but couldn’t read anything from Jiang Lin’s expression.

He fell silent again, and Jiang Lin stretched lazily. “Alright, it’s late. Let’s get some rest.”

He got up and strolled leisurely back to his room, not caring whether Zong Yu followed or not.

Zong Yu found it strange as he watched him go. Just as Jiang Lin was about to enter his room, he suddenly turned back and said, “Oh, right. Remember to wash the dishes before you go to bed.”

Zong Yu: “?”

“Why should I?”

Jiang Lin was matter-of-fact: “I cooked, so you wash the dishes. Isn’t that fair? Or did you think you could eat for free?”

Zong Yu: “…”

He gritted his teeth and thought to himself, I must have been blind to think this demon was nice.