Just the thought of going out and seeing Ah Qi still made Ruan Qiao a little uneasy.
But what she didn’t expect was to come out and see a scene like this.
She jumped in fright!
Ruan Qiao hurried over to support him. “What’s wrong? Is your head hurting again?”
Ah Qi leaned weakly against her, inhaling the soothing scent of her presence, and gradually calmed down.
After a while, he opened his eyes and gave her a weary smile, softly saying, “I’m fine.”
Seeing him so weak, Ruan Qiao’s anger flared instantly.
She jabbed his forehead forcefully with her finger and scolded, “Fine? Look at your face, it’s as pale as a corpse! How can you say you’re fine?
Are you not listening to me now? Didn’t I just tell you to go back and rest? What, my words mean nothing to you?!”
Ah Qi had never seen Ruan Qiao this angry. Feeling guilty, he lowered his head, not sure of what to say.
As Ruan Qiao tried to push him away in frustration, he instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his head deep in her chest and nuzzling against her.
Just like he had during his nightmare before.
Ruan Qiao gasped, her voice cutting off abruptly.
She felt all the muscles around her waist stiffen.
She didn’t expect him to pull a trick like this.
To think he would act so stubborn!
And yet, she couldn’t push him away.
Finally, Ruan Qiao stopped nagging.
She lowered her gaze, staring at the top of his head, fidgeting slightly in discomfort.
Then, feigning annoyance, she said, “Stop acting cute. Acting cute won’t work, move.”
Ah Qi seemed not to hear her at all, burying his head even deeper.
After a long moment, he finally let out a soft breath and tentatively said, “Don’t be mad… I won’t dare to do it again.”
Ruan Qiao wanted to reply, “You still have things you don’t dare to do?”
But before the words could leave her mouth, she suddenly remembered the dream she had just had, and her expression became incredibly complicated.
Only then did she realize that the person in her arms would become the strongest interstellar commander in the future.
In the book, he burned down this very orphanage and drove the original owner with nowhere to hide.
He, naturally heroic and invincible, wouldn’t possibly be afraid of a mere threat from her.
Looking again at this boy, still pretending to be oblivious, clinging to her and acting stubborn in her arms, Ruan Qiao couldn’t bring herself to connect him with the Jiang Qi from her dream.
She didn’t want to say anything. Silently, she reached out and ran her hand through the boy’s sleek black hair.
Once she sensed he was no longer so tense, she pressed her fingers against the top of his head, trying to relieve his pain through massage.
Although reason told Ruan Qiao that she should keep her distance from him, at least remain cautious, she simply could not associate the boy in front of her with the cold commander from her dream.
She felt that this boy was still the big cat in her heart, the first familiar and closest person she had met after arriving in this strange world.
She couldn’t bear to see him in pain.
Ruan Qiao’s massage made Ah Qi squint in pleasure, nearly letting out a contented rumble.
After a while, she stopped, patted his head again, and said, “Get up. Don’t cling on so much.”
Ah Qi reluctantly let go.
Only then did he belatedly realize how improper his earlier actions had been, and his ears slowly flushed crimson once more.
“Are you still looking up information on the Aixin Charity Association?”
Ruan Qiao deliberately ignored his embarrassment and asked, watching the computer.
“Yeah,” Ah Qi nodded.
“Found anything?”
“No.”
“Then stop looking for now. Go back and rest. The doctor specifically told you yesterday to rest and not overexert yourself. Have you already forgotten what the doctor said?”
Forcing Ah Qi to leave, Ruan Qiao sat back down at the computer.
After the initial shock had passed, she stared at the open page with a calm heart.
There was none of the anger, worry, fear, or other emotions she had expected to feel when she first woke up.
Although she knew she had indeed crossed into a book, Ruan Qiao didn’t believe she would have to relive the original owner’s fate.
Or rather, she was certain in her heart that everything would change.
And it would only get better, not worse.
After all, her arrival had already created a major turning point in the story.
It was as if the orphanage was now in her hands, not the original owner’s.
No matter what, she could never sell the land to Wei Qiu, so the orphanage could never become a trash dump.
And the children could no longer repeat the tragic fate from before.
If Xiao Wang didn’t die, then Ah Qi would have no reason to kill her.
She could stay at the orphanage, tend her vegetables, pay her taxes, and live self-sufficiently.
How could she end up destitute and dying on the streets?
Ruan Qiao bit her lip hard, giving herself a mental reassurance.
Before closing the computer, she deliberately glanced at the file Ah Qi had been looking at, her gaze lingering on Jiang Wang’s name.
Although Ah Qi hadn’t said anything, she could sense that the things he was remembering were far more than what he had voiced.
She felt that the time she could spend with these two little “cats” might not be very long.
According to the book’s timeline, Ah Qi shouldn’t even be here yet.
He was supposed to return from the battlefield almost a year later, only then discovering that his deceased brother’s only child, Jiang Wang, had been sent to a wasteland planet because the transformation failed, and only then would he come chasing after him.
But now, he had appeared early, and he had lost his memory.
Ruan Qiao had no idea why the story’s timeline had collapsed like this.
Does this have anything to do with her?
But she knew that Jiang Qi would eventually remember the past.
When he did, he would naturally take Xiao Wang with him, that had always been the purpose of his coming here.
“I just hope that when he wakes up, he finds Xiao Wang living well here, that he sees we all love him, and maybe he’ll go easy on me,” Ruan Qiao murmured softly.
After saying it, a sudden wave of reluctance rose in her heart.
Even though it hadn’t happened yet, it still made her feel uneasy.
Not wanting to dwell on such inexplicable emotions, she stood up and walked out of the room.
As soon as she stepped out, she heard cheers coming from the playground.
She followed the sound over.
“Where are you all going?”
Ruan Qiao looked at the little ones clustered around Ah Qi, all shouting and running around, and asked, confused.
“We’re going fishing! Ah Qi is taking us fishing!” 001 answered first.
He didn’t know if he had learned it from the kids, but he spun his base and circled around Ah Qi with them, making it seem like the orphanage had gained a new little friend.
“Fishing?” Ruan Qiao repeated in disbelief, glancing at Ah Qi, then pointing at the robot. “You’re taking him too?”
Ah Qi didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, with a faint smile, he poked 001 on the head and corrected him: “We’re going fishing. That doesn’t include you, you stay here and guard the place.”
At once, 001’s small screen changed from a smiling face to a crying one, looking hopefully at Ruan Qiao and asking, “Won’t you come with us?”
“No, you’re really going? And at the middle of the day?”
Ruan Qiao was genuinely surprised.
Being from another world, she had grown up with the idea that the scorching sun was dangerous and ultraviolet rays would age the skin.
Here, the conditions didn’t allow for that, no one seemed to have any concept of sun protection.
So much so that she couldn’t even buy a bottle of sunscreen.
And now, going out in the middle of the day?
Ruan Qiao felt an instinctive resistance.
“No, no,” she shook her hands repeatedly. “The sun is too harsh. I’m not going.”
Ah Qi looked at her with confusion, seemingly unable to understand why she was afraid of sunlight.
He didn’t press the issue but instead tried to entice her further. “There are trees by the river. You can sit under them. There’s wind too; it’s shady and cool there.”
Looking up at the sky, he explained, “The sun is strong now, so it will warm the river water. They’re still small, if the water’s too cold, it’s not suitable for them to get in.”
Ruan Qiao froze. “You’re actually taking them into the water?”
She had assumed Ah Qi was just going to let the little ones play by the river or maybe do some fishing. She never expected they would actually go into the river.
In disbelief, she pointed at Gungun and Lin Shan. “They’re going in too?”
“Otherwise?” Ah Qi asked, looking genuinely confused.
Ruan Qiao: “……”
She didn’t know how to explain it to him, but—
Who lets a rabbit and a squirrel go into a river to catch fish?!
What if it triggers some kind of stress reaction?
Even though they would eventually take humanoid forms, right now they were still cubs. Could their instincts really be ignored?
“I’m coming with you!” Ruan Qiao answered decisively.
Even though she didn’t think Ah Qi would put the children in danger, she still couldn’t fully relax.
The river was at the foot of the mountain, not very close to the orphanage halfway up, and it would take more than half an hour on foot.
Although Ruan Qiao could see it from before, she had never actually been there.
Only when she arrived did she realize that Ah Qi had been right, the environment here was far better than up on the mountain.
Not only were there a few large, thick trees providing plenty of shade, but near the river there were also patches of green grass, full of life and vibrancy.
Ruan Qiao, who hadn’t seen so much green in a long time, couldn’t help but marvel.
The river wasn’t deep, just a little over a meter, and the water was so clear she could easily see the small stones at the bottom.
The little ones were visiting for the first time and had never seen anything like this, so they were instantly excited, practically going wild!
Recently, Jin Ge had been exercised intensely by Ah Qi, making him far more agile than before. Today, he ran ahead and was the first to rush into the water.
Although he immediately looked like a bird that had fallen in, he didn’t think anything was wrong. He flapped his big wings forcefully, splashing water everywhere.
He quacked loudly, as if calling to his friends, or showing off his speed, either way, he looked utterly delighted.
Naturally, cats have a slight fear of water, so Xiao Wang hesitated at the edge for a moment.
But seeing Jin Ge in the water, he paused briefly and then cautiously stepped in.
Because the water was shallow, even the fur on his belly didn’t get very wet. The cool sensation around his legs made him feel indescribably comfortable.
He meowed and walked toward Jin Ge.
Seeing Xiao Wang follow, Lin Shan and Huihui, two little ones who were naturally afraid of water, stopped hesitating and went in after him.
Huihui was bigger, so the river probably felt like a bath to him, and he adapted fully within minutes.
What made Ruan Qiao laugh was how brave little Lin Shan was, he got submerged immediately but kept flapping his big tail and floated back up.
The large red-golden tail moved joyfully in the water, acting like both a float and a sail.
In her twenty years of life, Ruan Qiao had never seen anything like this.
A squirrel using its tail as a sail, perched on a rabbit’s head, with a hedgehog stretching out its tiny paws to play in the water…
The scene was so surreal that she almost felt like she had stepped into a fairy tale.
“A magical world,” she murmured in awe, then turned to look at Ah Qi standing beside her. “Aren’t you going in?”
“I’ll wait a little while.” Ah Qi watched the kids happily splashing in the water and replied simply.
Ruan Qiao didn’t ask more. She ran toward the river under the blazing sun and shouted to the little ones, “Everyone, swim over here a bit! I’m going to take pictures of you!”
A moment this warm and heartwarming couldn’t go undocumented.
She lifted the camera that Ella had left behind and started snapping away, capturing every adorable movement and expression of the little ones.
The camera looked a bit old, but for Ruan Qiao, it was extremely useful.
Its pixel quality was especially high, and the capture results were excellent.
Every shot looked like a professionally edited photograph, and she could even see the tiny droplets of water on the little ones’ fur clearly.
The more she looked, the more she fell in love with them.
After letting them play a little longer, Ah Qi finally entered the water.
But he didn’t rush to catch fish.
Instead, he brought a metal bucket he had carried all the way, opened it, and poured out the ten or twenty small balls inside into the river.
The balls were made of a material like plastic or rubber, Ruan Qiao couldn’t tell exactly.
Once in the water, they immediately scattered and were carried downstream quickly.
Ah Qi calmly pointed to the balls and began giving the little ones instructions to fetch them.
He had obviously planned this in advance; his commands were very precise.
He even specified which little one should retrieve how many balls and within what distance they must be collected.
The little ones, who had just been frolicking playfully and looked so cute, became completely serious the moment Ah Qi finished speaking. The five scattered immediately.
Even Gungun, who had only dared to hop on his friends’ heads and refused to enter the water before, bravely jumped in, paddling hard with all four short legs to chase after the balls.
Ruan Qiao watched in stunned silence, completely speechless at the scene.
When she saw the little ones swimming farther and farther and noticed Jin Ge be the first to catch a ball, she turned to Ah Qi in amazement and gave him a big thumbs-up.
The “instructor” who had just been serious and unyielding immediately reverted to the shy boy he really was the moment their eyes met, looking down embarrassedly.
Ruan Qiao couldn’t resist the urge to go over and ruffle his hair.
After the little ones retrieved the balls, they quickly swam back out to fetch the second batch, making Ruan Qiao worry about them a little.
“Those balls must have drifted pretty far. Can they really get them?” she asked.
“I set up a net ahead of time, so they won’t drift away. Let them run back and forth, it strengthens their muscles. And they won’t get heatstroke,” Ah Qi explained.
Hearing that they wouldn’t get heatstroke, Ruan Qiao’s lips curved into a small smile.
Just a casual remark from her, yet this boy took it to heart.
She raised the camera again and began filming the little ones splashing back and forth in the river.
Earlier, while reviewing the photos, she realized she should record more memories of the kids.
The juvenile period is far too short. All the little ones were roughly the same age, with only a few months’ difference between them.
This meant that in less than a year, they would all undergo transformation.
If the transformation went well, that would be fine. But if it failed… the child’s life might forever remain frozen at this moment.
Regardless, their carefree childhood would officially end once the transformation occurred, making this time incredibly precious.
Thinking of this, Ruan Qiao also thought of Xiao Wang.
And then she considered Ah Qi’s purpose for coming here.
So—
They might even leave before Xiao Wang transforms, right?
Sensing Ruan Qiao’s gaze, Ah Qi looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Clearing her throat, Ruan Qiao asked, “Do you mind if I film you too?”
She held up the camera. “I want to keep a memory.”
“Do as you like,” Ah Qi replied, unconcerned.
Ruan Qiao moved away from him and chose a better angle to continue filming the rest of the game.
Although Ah Qi said he didn’t mind being filmed, now that she knew his true identity, Ruan Qiao naturally couldn’t act entirely at her own whim.
Under her lens, Ah Qi appeared at times, but she deliberately avoided showing his face; any full shots that included him only captured his back.
After the little ones had retrieved all the balls, Ah Qi let them climb out of the river. Ruan Qiao picked up the large towels she had prepared in advance and helped dry each of them, then sent them to the grassy area by the river to rest and soak up the sun.
Once she finished, she finally noticed that Ah Qi was actually fishing.
The boy was tall with long legs; even just from the back, the firmness of his muscles and the elegant lines of his body looked incredibly striking.
Ruan Qiao couldn’t help raising the camera again.
Ah Qi clearly had plenty of outdoor experience. Even empty-handed, he quickly caught a fish from the river.
The fish was about half a foot long and struggled violently once out of the water. Sunlight reflected off its silver scales, making it look unexpectedly beautiful.
Ruan Qiao captured the stunning scene through her lens.
The little ones, who had been tired and dozing on the grass, immediately perked up when they saw that he really caught a fish.
They weren’t sleepy anymore; all of them ran over, chirping excitedly and fidgeting, ready to jump back into the water.
But Ruan Qiao stopped them.
She had finally gotten all the little ones cleaned up, there was no way she would let them get all muddy and wet again.
Perhaps they were genuinely tired, because this time the little ones obediently stayed put.
They just watched Ah Qi at the river’s edge with eager eyes, cheering enthusiastically whenever he tossed up a fish.
Ah Qi stood in the water, watching them, a puzzled expression on his face, seemingly lost in thought.
After catching five or six fish, he finally stepped onto the shore.
Without waiting for Ruan Qiao’s enthusiastic praise, he walked over to the basket, pulled out a fish, and tossed it in front of Jin Ge.
“Eat.” he commanded.
Jin Ge blinked, looking at him in confusion.
The other little ones stopped their playful antics and sat quietly to watch, equally puzzled.
“Eat it.” Ah Qi repeated, pointing at the fish and giving Jin Ge the order again.
“Gah? Gah gah!”
Finally, Jin Ge understood what Ah Qi meant, and his fur immediately bristled in surprise!
He stumbled backward several steps, flapping his wings frantically and letting out a nonstop series of “gah-gah” cries.
His eyes were full of resistance.
It was as if he simply couldn’t believe that Ah Qi would give such an order, telling him to eat something alive!
Ruan Qiao was momentarily taken aback as well.
But her reaction wasn’t aimed at Ah Qi, it was aimed at Jin Ge.
After all, in her understanding, fish were part of the diet for many large birds.
Golden eagles are naturally carnivorous, so eating a fish wasn’t anything unusual.
But Jin Ge clearly didn’t see it that way.
Seeing Ah Qi step forward with the struggling fish in his hand, moving toward him, Jin Ge was so terrified he nearly cried.
He screamed and lunged at Ruan Qiao, burying his head deep into her arms.
As if that weren’t enough, he used his wings to cover his little feathery head tightly, as though that would make Ah Qi unable to see him.
Ruan Qiao was pushed back a couple of steps by the sudden impact.
But seeing the little one trembling in fear, she couldn’t bring herself to push him away.
She had no choice but to hold the camera in one hand and protect Jin Ge with the other, giving Ah Qi an awkward smile and trying to smooth things over: “Uh… Jin Ge is timid. He’s not used to this. Can we let him get used to it first?”
Ah Qi furrowed his brows, thinking for a moment.
It was clear that he truly didn’t understand why Jin Ge was reacting this way.
Yet faced with Ruan Qiao’s suggestion, he didn’t insist further. He just gave Jin Ge a disdainful glance before turning his attention to Xiao Wang.
Jin Ge’s reaction had already scared the other little ones.
They had grown up eating only dry food for as long as they could remember, with no variety.
Even fruit was something they had eaten for the first time only after Ruan Qiao arrived.
They had never eaten meat, let alone live, wriggling fish!
Although intimidated by Ah Qi’s authority and too cautious to scream along with Jin Ge, each of the other little ones raised their guard, alert and wary.
At this moment, seeing that Ah Qi had fixed his gaze on him, Xiao Wang’s fur bristled!
He dashed behind Ruan Qiao, pressing himself close to her and refusing to meet Ah Qi’s eyes.
After a long while, he timidly peeked out halfway, looking at Ruan Qiao with a pitiful expression and let out a plaintive “Meow?”
The moment he called out, the other little ones sprang into action!
Huihui scurried over and pressed himself against Xiao Wang;
Lin Shan hopped up onto Ruan Qiao’s shoulder, his usual spot;
Gungun struggled, clutching at Jin Ge’s feathers as he squeezed under his wings…
Each of them seemed as if they wished they could vanish on the spot.
Ruan Qiao: “…”
Looking at Ah Qi standing to the side, completely bewildered, she couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and sympathy.
Since the boy had started training the little ones, this was the first time she had seen him put in such a humbled position.
“Ah Qi,” Ruan Qiao tried to console him, “we have to take things slowly, don’t rush. They might have never eaten fish before, so they’re scared.”
“But they need to eat meat, and this… this is meat.” Ah Qi lowered his head, staring at the fish still flailing on the ground, his voice tinged with a quiet sense of grievance.
Only then did Ruan Qiao realize why, despite being tired, Ah Qi had insisted on going out to catch fish today.
He had probably seen her struggle with the loan and wanted to reassure her, so he was trying to solve the children’s nutrition problem.
Thinking this, Ruan Qiao’s heart felt a swirl of emotions.
The little ones, upon hearing Ah Qi’s words, also understood the meaning behind his actions.
These were children who had suffered, and who knew gratitude.
Even though they were still genuinely afraid of the fish, each of them silently loosened their grip on Ruan Qiao.
Jin Ge was still trying to battle his own courage, but Lin Shan was the first to step forward.
Although small in size, Lin Shan was the oldest of the group.
He was also the most sensible and clever of them all.
He knew in his heart that his own time to transform would probably come even earlier than Jin Ge’s.
Lin Shan walked up to Ah Qi, stretched out his front paws, and silently grabbed the fish.
The fish was a bit larger than an adult’s hand, almost as big as Lin Shan himself.
Pressing down on the fish, Lin Shan froze for a long moment.
It was clear he was still very scared.
After a while, he finally let out a tiny squeak and bit down!
The fish writhed in pain, thrashing violently.
Lin Shan, being so small, was thrown aside by its movements!
The little Lin Shan lunged again, biting the fish and refusing to let go, managing to tear off a few scales.
…Yes, he had worked really hard, and had only managed to bite off a few scales.
The unfamiliar fishy smell made Lin Shan’s eyes widen instantly. He couldn’t control himself any longer, dropped the fish, and ran to the side to vomit.
Ruan Qiao couldn’t bear to watch any longer. She ran over, picked up little Lin Shan, and lovingly gave him some water she had brought.
Then, she asked Ah Qi helplessly, “Does it have to be eaten like this? Can’t we cook it first? As long as they eat the meat, isn’t that enough? Can I cook it for them?”
Who forces a squirrel to eat a live fish?
This method was just too inhumane; Ruan Qiao felt she couldn’t tolerate it herself.
Lin Shan’s reaction was also something Ah Qi didn’t expect.
It left him confused.
Even though his memories were fragmented, his instincts remained.
In Ah Qi’s mind, he and his companions had always been raised this way from a young age.
Now, seeing Ruan Qiao tenderly reacting to them, and watching her distressed expression, Ah Qi felt a slight hesitation stir within him.
He wondered if maybe his feelings were off, after all, he truly had forgotten the things from before.
“Then cook it for them,” he finally conceded.
Although Ruan Qiao had won the chance to feed the children cooked food, she immediately felt another difficulty arise.
—What was she supposed to cook it with?
The orphanage didn’t even have a stove.
Every single thing she needed, one after another, required money, and every item was urgent, none could be postponed.
The pressure weighed on Ruan Qiao like never before.
Her mood suddenly darkened, but she forced herself to hide it, careful not to show even the slightest trace. She didn’t want the little ones to worry.
Ah Qi silently watched, then came over and took the bag from her hands, placing a straw hat, brought along at some unknown point, on her head.
Ruan Qiao quickly lifted her head. “No, I’ll hold it myself. The bag’s not heavy, and you’re still carrying the fish.”
Ah Qi didn’t let go. Instead, he adjusted the hat on her head to better shield her from the glaring sun.
At that moment, Lin Shan leapt onto Ruan Qiao’s shoulder again.
In his little mouth was a tiny bunch of golden flowers, blooming brilliantly.
Once settled, he grabbed the brim of Ruan Qiao’s hat, stood up, and tucked the flowers into it.
The other little ones quickly gathered around, surrounding her.
Chirping and flapping their paws and wings, they seemed to show off which flower they had picked and debate which was the prettiest.
Surrounded by this little group, looking into their bright, sparkling eyes and feeling their heartfelt closeness…
The frustration Ruan Qiao had felt moments ago vanished instantly, replaced by warmth and light.
A smile bloomed on her face again. For this group of well-behaved little ones, any hardship felt completely worth it.
When they returned to the orphanage, Ruan Qiao reassigned tasks: “Ah Qi, you take Xiao Wang and dig a hole here. The rest of us will collect some stones and firewood. We’ll build a temporary clay stove first.”
“Clay stove?” Ah Qi’s eyes showed confusion; he clearly didn’t understand her meaning.
“A stove for a campfire, a proper little fire pit,” she explained.
Ruan Qiao pointed at the fish basket and explained, “You need a fire to cook the fish.”
Ah Qi looked even more puzzled. “Why can’t you use the kitchen to cook the fish?”
“There’s no kitchen here,” Ruan Qiao said, her tone carrying an unspoken frustration.
Really, why bring that up now? Didn’t he know that cooking requires a kitchen?
But what could she do?
She had spent the past couple of days browsing various shopping websites. In this world, most people relied on nutritional fluids, so only wealthy families cooked over a fire.
The kitchenware was absurdly expensive.
Not something someone like her, who counted every single star coin, could afford.
Ah Qi thought for a moment, then asked thoughtfully, “Do you mind using the things Ella left behind?”
“I don’t mind… what do you mean?”
After answering, Ruan Qiao realized that Ah Qi’s question seemed to carry a hidden meaning.
“There’s a kitchen in Ella’s house, with all the cookware you’d need,” Ah Qi said without beating around the bush, pointing to a standalone house not far away.
Ruan Qiao!!!
Without another word or explanation, she sprinted straight toward it.
Ella and her husband had a separate residence in the orphanage, apart from the staff dormitories.
When 001 had introduced the orphanage’s facilities to Ruan Qiao, it had run off to recharge halfway through the tour, so she never had the chance to see that house.
Ruan Qiao had never been curious about houses other people had lived in.
Besides, after her husband passed away, Ella probably didn’t want reminders of the past, and had moved out of that house, taking one of the staff dorm rooms instead.
That house had been vacant for a long time.
There were plenty of houses in the orphanage, but only a few people, so many rooms were unnecessary.
So, even though Ruan Qiao had been at the orphanage for a while, she never thought to check that house.
She hadn’t even considered it when she had searched for a kitchen, walking around the orphanage without realizing she could look there.
Ruan Qiao called 001 over to open the door and stepped inside.
She immediately noticed that the house had clearly been cleared out beforehand, the rooms were empty.
Yet despite the emptiness, the equipment was complete, and the interior was far nicer than the staff dorms. From the few remaining items, it was easy to sense the traces of a past life lived here.
The kitchen itself wasn’t very large. On the countertop were just a few unopened bottles of seasonings, obviously leftovers from before.
All the necessary appliances were there, an electric stove, an oven, pots and pans, nothing was missing.
The materials looked high-quality as well.
It was easy to tell that Ella and her husband had once placed great importance on their quality of life.
“001 brought me here before to look for Ella’s husband’s clothes, so I’ve been inside,” Ah Qi explained, noticing Ruan Qiao’s astonished expression and realizing she probably hadn’t been here before.
“Mhm, mhm! Good thing you came in, this is wonderful, I can finally eat hot food!”
Ruan Qiao didn’t care at all that Ah Qi had arrived before her; she was incredibly excited at that moment.
It felt like a pie had fallen from the sky.
No, actually, it was even more surprising than that!
Her stomach, used to hot meals and warm water, had suffered so much in this world; only she truly understood how hard it had been.
She hadn’t even dared to think about how she would survive in winter if she still hadn’t earned enough to buy kitchenware.
Looking at this fully equipped kitchen, Ruan Qiao felt completely satisfied.
Even getting the loan wouldn’t have been more exciting than this moment.
She rolled up her sleeves and declared with full gusto, “Come on, bring in the fish! Today I’ll show you my skills, we’re steaming fish, frying fish, boiling fish, let’s make a full fish feast!”
Of course, it wouldn’t truly be a full fish feast. Ruan Qiao didn’t have that level of cooking skill, and besides, the little ones couldn’t eat anything with seasonings.
She divided the six fish into two portions: half for steaming, half for roasting in the oven.
Using the available condiments, she made a small dipping sauce for herself and Ah Qi, leaving the fish plain so it would be safe for the little ones.
In fact, Ruan Qiao wasn’t even sure if the little ones could eat seasoned fish at all.
She figured that much of the common knowledge she had before probably didn’t apply to them, but it was better to be cautious than take risks.
After all, this was a critical time for the children. Anything affecting their transformation could not go wrong.
Finally being able to have a proper meal, just eating fish still felt a little unsatisfying to Ruan Qiao.
Gritting her teeth, she went to the nursery room and picked up the seedling tray with the growing lettuce.
After more than ten days, the seeds she had planted had sprouted into small seedlings.
Since she had scattered the seeds initially, the tray was now densely filled with many tiny sprouts.
Ruan Qiao had originally planned to thin them out in a few days so the removed seedlings could grow a bit bigger, edible, at least, and not wasted.
But now, she couldn’t wait.
Carefully, she picked some lettuce seedlings with a few small leaves from the tray, handling them like precious treasures, and brought them to the kitchen to make a vegetable soup.
Although the vegetables were still tiny and not enough to eat on their own, cooking them into a soup would at least bring a touch of green to the table.
Never underestimate the power of that bit of green, after going so many days without vegetables, just thinking about a bowl of hot vegetable soup made Ruan Qiao so happy she almost wanted to cry.
The fish freshly caught from the river were incredibly fresh; no matter how they were cooked, they would taste delicious.
Although she only brushed them lightly with a thin layer of oil and didn’t add any seasoning, the roasted fish came out with crispy skin and snow-white flesh.
As soon as the oven door opened just a crack, the enticing aroma filled the air.
Not just the little ones, Ah Qi couldn’t help but lean in, eyes fixed on Ruan Qiao as she portioned the food.
She reserved one fish for herself and Ah Qi, cutting the remaining two into smaller pieces for the children’s plates.
At first, she had worried that the little ones might choke on the bones, intending to remove them, but Ah Qi stopped her.
Her concern turned out to be unnecessary.
Even though it was their first time eating fish, the little ones were immediately captivated by the delicious food, burying their heads and eating enthusiastically.
Bones? Not a chance, they swallowed both fish and meat without hesitation.
The kitchen didn’t have a wide variety of seasonings, and some of the spices were unfamiliar to Ruan Qiao.
So in the steamed fish that she and Ah Qi ate, Ruan Qiao had only added a bit of salt and a small amount of what looked like fish sauce.
Perhaps because it had been so long since she’d had anything like this, she was ravenous. Even with such simple seasoning, Ruan Qiao felt the fish was an exquisite delicacy unlike anything she had ever tasted before.
It was just too delicious!
Ah Qi clearly enjoyed this meal as well.
With his head down, cheeks puffed out as he ate, moving like a little hamster, every corner of his face radiated satisfaction and joy.
Watching him, Ruan Qiao, the chef, felt even happier than if she were the one eating it herself.
Everyone left the meal feeling content. Afterward, the little ones sprawled on the soft mats, lying on their backs with their paws in the air, rubbing their bellies and humming happily.
To be honest, with so few fish for so many, there was no way anyone was truly full or stuffed.
Yet for each of them, this sense of satisfaction was something they had never experienced with any previous meal.
Although some things had happened in the morning, for Ruan Qiao, this was still a happy, joyful day.
So joyful, in fact, that when Ah Qi tried to sneak onto the computer that evening, Ruan Qiao’s push to shoo him away was gentle but carried a smile.
Even being shooed away, Ah Qi didn’t feel bad; he knew Ruan Qiao was just worried he was overthinking and overworking his brain.
He didn’t know how to explain the fragments of memories in his mind to her, but they were causing him real trouble.
Without sorting them out, he felt he couldn’t rest even while sleeping.
As expected, the result of his restless thoughts was another nightmare that night.
This time, besides the roaring fire, Ah Qi also saw glimpses of the scenes within it.
Faintly, he seemed to see the small building where the little ones lived, as well as the bungalows they now occupied.
The room where Ruan Qiao currently stayed was engulfed in flames!
Startled, Ah Qi shot up from the bed, unable to calm himself for a long time.
Unable to control his emotions, he got out of bed and ran straight toward Ruan Qiao’s room.
But when he reached the doorway, he hesitated.
After a moment, he crouched down and transformed into a majestic, handsome big cat.