The cafeteria closed at 10 p.m.
By the time Jiang Luokui arrived, the side door was already locked and the staff had gone home. Only Aunt Chen remained, propping her head up as she waited by the main entrance.
“Aunt Chen, I’m here!”
Despite the big age gap, the two got along well, and over the past few days they had become quite familiar with each other.
Aunt Chen yawned. “Come in, hurry—I’ll lock this door too… Huh? What’s that smell?”
A sharp, onion-like pungency cut through her drowsiness, instantly waking her up.
“It’s the smell of scallions. They used to be used as a seasoning, but not so much anymore.”
Scallions? Weren’t those plants only used in ability assessments? Aunt Chen murmured an “oh,” didn’t ask further, and led Jiang Luokui into the back kitchen.
Jiang Luokui had already told Aunt Chen the day before that she wanted to use the cafeteria’s wok tonight. She had also brought over two 1-liter tins of pressed wild rapeseed oil and some slightly defective glass jars she’d bought.
“Turn this knob to light the fire. Be careful—hot oil can splatter. I’ll wait outside and go over the accounts.”
After briefly explaining the kitchen setup, Aunt Chen stepped out.
Strangely, she had been extremely sleepy just moments ago, but now she felt completely alert. So she took out her ledger and began balancing the accounts.
Since there was nothing else to do, she might as well finish tomorrow morning’s work in advance.
“Alright, I’ll call you once I’ve cleaned up.”
Making scallion oil required some skill, but without other spices, the steps were simple.
Jiang Luokui washed and dried the scallions, then picked up a knife. With swift, practiced movements, she chopped the white parts into segments and sliced the green parts into shreds.
Then she heated the oil.
The cafeteria wok was large—plenty big enough for both tins of oil. When the oil reached about medium heat, she added all the scallions.
Low heat, slow frying, constant stirring.
Not difficult—but it was hot.
Bubu, unable to stand the heat, kept jumping into the sink. Jiang Luokui wiped away sweat, only for more to roll down.
“Hang in there a bit longer,” she whispered. “Another ten or twenty minutes and we’re done.”
Ten or twenty minutes?
Bubu immediately flopped into the damp sink.
As the scallions fried, a rich fragrance bloomed—no longer the sharp raw smell, but a warm, mouthwatering aroma that stirred the appetite.
Aunt Chen, focused on her accounting, worked with unusual efficiency. What usually took over half an hour was finished in just fifteen minutes.
Only then did she notice the cafeteria was filled with an overpowering, irresistible scallion oil aroma.
She put away the ledger and looked curiously toward the kitchen.
What on earth is that child making? Why does it smell so good?
Even the head chef’s signature dishes didn’t seem this fragrant.
She paced back and forth, sniffing, growing hungry. Eventually she couldn’t resist peeking through the serving window.
She wanted to ask—but felt awkward.
Not asking left her restless, pacing in agitation.
The fragrance spread far and wide, growing stronger as the frying continued.
Dormitory Building Five—the closest to the cafeteria—was still lively at this hour. Though lights-out was at eleven, it was only a little past ten.
Anyone who caught the scent rushed to the balcony, breathing it in deeply.
“Holy crap, what smells so good?!”
“With my twenty years of eating experience, I conclude this is the smell of oil! Could it be… the cafeteria’s testing a new dish?”
“No way—that’s definitely from the Food Science department!”
“Hey, food science guys—what are you researching? If it’s going to the cafeteria menu, tell me—I’ll support it!”
A food science student sniffed carefully, puzzled.
“What kind of oil is this? I’ve never smelled it before.”
“Maybe some professor’s new creation? But releasing this scent at night is cruel—it’s making me hungry.”
“Seems like it’s coming from the cafeteria… weird, what is it?”
When the scallion pieces turned from golden to brown, Jiang Luokui turned off the heat.
Next, she needed to wait for the oil to cool before bottling it.
She checked the time—10:30 p.m. Looks like she’d have to spend the night in the cafeteria.
“Xiao Jiang, are you hungry?” Aunt Chen called from the doorway. “There’s some flour left from today—how about I steam some buns and we eat together?”
Jiang Luokui didn’t stand on ceremony. She hadn’t had anything oily or rich since returning to life.
“How about making noodles instead? We can toss them with the scallion oil—it’ll be really fragrant.”
Even though the flour was subpar, boiling it into noodles would reduce the odd taste. With scallion oil mixed in, it would definitely taste better than plain buns.
“Alright! Thanks to you, I’ll finally get to taste this scallion oil,” Aunt Chen said with a smile as she fetched a bowl of flour.
Jiang Luokui’s heart skipped—she quickly fished Bubu out of the sink and tucked it into her pocket before Aunt Chen noticed.
That was close…
Aunt Chen was skilled in kitchen work. Even with poor flour, the noodles came out pleasantly chewy.
Though there was still a slight rough taste, once Jiang Luokui drizzled scallion oil over them—and even added some of the fried scallions—the noodles turned glossy and aromatic, masking the flaws.
They sat outside, each holding a bowl.
The moment Aunt Chen took a bite, she froze.
At her age, staying up late usually left her groggy and unfocused.
But after one mouthful of scallion oil noodles, the sluggishness vanished.
Still, she attributed it to the hot food—not the oil itself.
“This scallion oil is amazing!” she praised. “I haven’t had noodles this flavorful in ages. Old Hu’s stir-fries are okay, but his dough work isn’t even as good as mine.”
Old Hu was the cafeteria’s head chef—decent, but nothing special.
“So good…!” Jiang Luokui sighed.
After so many days, she was finally eating something delicious—not the unpredictable-tasting steamed buns.
Compared to Aunt Chen’s hearty bites, she ate slowly, savoring each strand.
The scallion oil perfectly masked the odd taste of the mutated rapeseed oil, leaving a lingering fragrance with every bite.
Aunt Chen finished her bowl in minutes. Though full, she still felt unsatisfied, regretting not cooking more.
She checked the time—it was already eleven.
“You won’t make it back to your dorm. Stay here tonight. See that door? There’s a small lounge—lock it and sleep there.”
She untied her apron. “Your uncle’s been messaging me, urging me to come home!”
“Aunt Chen, wait!”
Jiang Luokui rushed into the kitchen.
The oil hadn’t fully cooled—bottling it now could shorten its shelf life—but she still filled a jar, secretly using a modified Rain Technique to cool it.
Originally meant for watering spiritual plants, she had adapted it to regulate heat on a micro level.
She wasn’t strong enough to cast the full spell—but cooling a small jar was easy.
“This one was set aside for you,” she said, handing it over. “Take it home and let Uncle try it too.”
Aunt Chen instinctively wanted to refuse—but the lingering aroma of the noodles stopped her.
“Then I won’t stand on ceremony. I’m off!”
“Be safe on the way!”
Since Jiang Luokui was staying overnight, she locked the cafeteria from the inside.
As she ate, she took Bubu out and offered it a noodle.
“Try it—see if our scallion oil is good.”
Though unimpressed by the noodles, Bubu obligingly ate it, ending up with oil smeared all over its little radish-like mouth.
Scallion oil is so fragrant!
Spiritual plants were graded like pills: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow.
These scallions would barely qualify as low-grade Yellow—just enough to count as spiritual plants.
Jiang Luokui frowned slightly. “The soil still isn’t good enough… at best it can grow Profound-grade plants.”
Good land—especially land rich in spiritual energy—was rare.
She turned to Bubu. “The school land is rented. Eventually, we’ll need to buy our own. Where do you think is best?”
As her bonded plant, Bubu had a natural ability to sense high-quality soil.
Jiang Luokui could find it herself—but it would cost too much spiritual energy.
Bubu perked up immediately.
It had spent the past few days idling, searching for good land—and possibly others of its kind.
No companions found—but it had found good land.
From its vague description, Jiang Luokui pinpointed the location.
Outside the base.
Though classified as wilderness, it belonged to Jiangnan Base. Buying it required approval—and due to the Revival Plan, such land was tightly controlled.
She wasn’t eligible to buy it yet—but she could scout it first.
“I’ll see if I can find a chance to go check it out.”
After washing up and confirming the oil had cooled, she bottled it.
Eight jars in total—one already given to Aunt Chen.
Carrying the remaining seven, she headed to the campus store.
The entrance light flicked on automatically.
She scanned the consignment QR code, filled in product details, set a price, and chose anonymous listing.
Then she neatly arranged the jars on the shelf.
Looking at the other unsold items nearby, she felt a flicker of unease.
What if the scallion oil doesn’t sell either?
After some thought, she bought a pack of sticky notes and labeled each jar with a slogan.
Only then, satisfied, did she head off to sleep.