[Who in their right mind would make gourmet food while fleeing famine?]
Mei Qian questioned Xiao Mei with annoyance, but Xiao Mei responded with a series of righteous questions:
[Do people not eat while fleeing famine?]
[Do they not cook while fleeing famine?]
[If they’re already cooking, why can’t they make delicious food?]
The moment Xiao Mei finished asking, Mei Qian couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation.
“Why not eat meat porridge?”
She never thought this phrase could apply to an Artificial Intelligence!
···
The Lao Mei Family ventured into the mountain forest under the first rays of dawn, and it wasn’t until noon that everyone finally sat down to rest.
It was only then, after being busy for most of the day and ignoring Xiao Mei, that Mei Qian finally sorted out her thoughts and decided to take the time to have a proper debate with Xiao Mei.
Suddenly, Mei Qian saw a large hand reaching toward her.
“Here, Second Sister, this is for you.”
Hearing the voice, Mei Qian looked up to see her cousin Mei Shitou handing her an oval-shaped roasted bird egg.
Just as she took the roasted bird egg, she was also handed a bowl of vegetable soup made from wild herbs her grandmother had tirelessly gathered along the way after entering the mountains.
[Host, the roasted bird egg in your hand has been detected as meeting the Platform’s minimum standards for inclusion. You can now attempt your first upload to the System for exchange~]
Seeing Mei Qian accept the bird egg and vegetable soup, Xiao Mei couldn’t wait to speak up.
[Huh?]
Hearing the System’s words, Mei Qian couldn’t help but take a closer look at the roasted bird egg, which was unimpressive in both appearance and size. She couldn’t hold back and asked:
[Is this what you call “gourmet food”?]
Just as Mei Qian was about to criticize whether the System’s standards for gourmet food were too low, she heard Xiao Mei explain:
[Based on the era and environment you’re in, as well as your own conditions, we can slightly relax the standards.]
It wasn’t just because Xiao Mei’s explanation sounded so human-like.
It was also because, after noticing Mei Qian’s prolonged silence following its earlier remarks, Xiao Mei softened its attitude.
[So, what can I exchange this roasted bird egg for?]
Mei Qian cautiously asked the question she cared about most.
[Host, when uploading food, you need to provide the corresponding food name and description, as well as your own exchange preferences.
Other Hosts from different Planes with matching exchange preferences will be captured by our Big Data and matched with you~]
[Oh~ If my food and preferences match multiple Hosts, can I have the right to choose?]
Mei Qian’s question wasn’t directly answered by Xiao Mei. Instead, Xiao Mei asked again about her exchange preferences.
[Something large in quantity and filling. Mainly filling, and long-lasting.]
Though it was called the Gourmet Exchange System, Mei Qian had no requirements for the taste of the food at the moment. It was obvious she had no other choice.
[Please upload the food first and provide the relevant name and description.]
Mei Qian agreed and, hiding from everyone, uploaded the bird egg into the System.
Remembering the unimpressive appearance of the roasted bird egg, Mei Qian’s eyes lit up, and she decided to show Xiao Mei the art of naming in the food name and description fields:
#Ancient Flavor Roasted Bird Egg: A hint of charcoal aroma, a taste that lingers forever!#
Witnessing everything, Xiao Mei: [=。=]
Mei Qian: [Done!]
While feeling quite pleased with herself, Mei Qian seemed to remember something and asked, [By the way, I also have some wild vegetable soup…]
However, before she could finish her sentence, Xiao Mei strongly objected:
[No, absolutely not!]
[Alright, alright, no need to get so worked up about it.]
Mei Qian inwardly complained about Xiao Mei’s sudden overreaction, then picked up the bowl of wild vegetable soup in her hand and drank it all in one go.
“Pfft—”
At that moment, Mei Qian finally understood why the System didn’t want her wild vegetable soup!
The moment she took a sip, the bland broth, with its sour and astringent taste and the rough, almost unbearable texture, made her feel as if she had caught a glimpse of her long-departed great-grandmother!
“What’s wrong?”
The whole family was resting and eating when they were all drawn by Mei Qian’s sudden outburst.
“Nothing, oh, I just have a bit of a headache…”
Noticing Grandma Mei’s displeased glare at the spilled vegetable soup and remembering how frugal the old lady was, Mei Qian quickly came up with an excuse—she had eaten something that made her sick.
“Are you alright?”
Madam Jiang, her mother, asked with concern, her voice filled with worry. Mei Qian forced a weak smile. Seeing her pregnant mother drinking the same wild vegetable soup, Mei Qian couldn’t help but feel a pang of distress.
“Mother, can this soup really fill you up? Should we make some noodle soup or rice porridge instead?”
Mei Qian leaned closer to Madam Jiang and whispered.
“No need, it’s fine for now.” Madam Jiang shook her head, glancing at the two sacks of food carried by the grazing donkey nearby. “We just finished spring plowing, and the family’s remaining grain is only this much. We don’t know how far we still have to travel, so we should save as much as we can.”
Earlier, because the path into the mountains had grown narrow and the surrounding trees were dense, Mei Qian and her mother had gotten off the donkey cart to walk. Their donkey no longer had to pull the cart and only needed to carry the family’s food supplies as they made their way into the mountains.
Mei Qian roughly estimated that the grain stored in their cellar amounted to less than two hundred catties. Yet, their family currently consisted of Grandma Mei, her aunt, her eldest cousin, and Mei Qian’s own family of three—six people in total.
And with her mother Madam Jiang’s pregnancy, it might soon be seven.
If everyone ate every day, even these two hundred catties wouldn’t last long.
No wonder, as soon as they entered the mountains, Grandma Mei’s eyes seemed to be equipped with some kind of food radar—wherever she passed, not a single edible plant was left untouched. Even some edible, non-toxic mushrooms from the trees were picked.
Watching her grandmother’s skilled movements, Mei Qian couldn’t help but think that if Grandma Mei were a few decades younger, she could have easily been the female lead in a farming novel.
But even with her grandmother’s resourcefulness, Mei Qian turned to look at the large family still eating the same hard-to-swallow wild vegetable soup.
Thinking about how precious their limited grain was and how they couldn’t bear to consume it freely, Mei Qian felt a slight tightness in her chest.
[Host, your Ancient Flavor Roasted Bird Egg has been exchanged! As per your request, an exchanger from the Future Interstellar Plane successfully traded a low-grade nutrient solution for it~]
Xiao Mei announced cheerfully, her voice filled with excitement.
[What does this nutrient solution do?]
[It supplements the nutrients needed by the human body. One tube can sustain an adult for three days, keeping them full and nourished.]
What a great item!
Even though it was a low-grade nutrient solution, in Mei Qian’s eyes, it was already incredibly useful.
Too bad there was only one.
Xiao Mei seemed to sense Mei Qian’s regret and seized the opportunity to paint a grand picture for her.
[Host, look, with just a single roasted bird egg, you exchanged for a low-grade nutrient solution. If you had a few more, enough for each family member to have one, think of how much food you’d save~]
It must be said, Xiao Mei’s words were incredibly tempting to Mei Qian.
[Moreover, the more exchanges you complete, the higher your exchange level will become. Eventually, the Platform will unlock more than just the food exchange function for you!]
[What else? Give me an example?]
[For instance, after ten exchanges, the System Storage Primary Space will be unlocked.
You can store non-living objects up to one cubic meter in size here for free~
As your exchange count increases, the storage space will also expand~]
[That does sound quite good!]
Indeed, a storage space is a classic and enduring Golden Finger, beloved by Transmigrators.
In addition, the System told Mei Qian about many other privileges available to advanced Exchangers.
For example, Mei Qian was initially concerned about whether she could independently choose the food items that met her exchange requirements from the Platform’s recommendations.
Xiao Mei replied that not only was it possible, but after reaching a certain number of exchanges, Mei Qian could even precisely browse the foods she needed.
She could accurately prepare the food required for the other party’s exchange request and initiate priority exchanges.
This function also unlocks after completing ten exchanges.
Initially, it allows for one precise selection per month.
This opportunity will also increase as Mei Qian’s exchange count grows.
For now, Mei Qian only has the ability to fill in the name and exchange intent for the food she wants to trade.
She can only wait for the System to match her or for advanced Exchangers to conduct precise searches.
[So, it’s not guaranteed that I’ll exchange for nutrient solution every time?]
After hearing all this, Mei Qian pondered and asked this question.
As soon as she asked, Xiao Mei knew things weren’t looking good and quickly said:
[But Host, your intent to exchange for food is there. Even if you don’t get nutrient solution every time, there will be other similar foods, right?
Right now, your most important goal is to complete ten exchanges as soon as possible to unlock other functions!]