If you were to ask Chen Qiyun if doing this was worth it, her answer would be—of course it was! More than worth it.
She thought, "You can’t just make yourself suffer for the sake of saving face, right?" Frankly speaking, that half-pot of potato and beef brisket stew was the most delicious thing she had eaten in years.
She thought, "You have no idea how I usually live! You just don’t know!"
At this moment, a hungry dragon roared within her.
Because her parents had to work, her grandmother usually cooked at home. In her grandmother’s mind, cooking just meant making sure the food was fully cooked and edible; making it taste good was never a consideration. If you didn’t eat it, it was because you were a picky eater, not because the food was inedible. Take note: *inedible*, not *unpalatable*!
Chen Qiyun used to protest, but now she couldn’t even be bothered to argue. Every time she complained, her grandmother would scold her, calling her picky, saying her wings had grown hard, and telling her that if she didn’t like the food, she could cook it herself. She actually wanted to cook for herself. The problem was that every time she tried to make a dish, she would be chased out of the kitchen.
The excuse was always that she didn’t know how to cook. Yep, she was despised for not knowing how to cook, but when she wanted to learn, she was forbidden from doing so because she didn’t know how to cook. Absolutely ridiculous!
Things were slightly better on weekends when her parents were home and her mother cooked. However, the improvement was limited. After all, her mother had zero culinary talent and was the kind of person who managed to turn steamed buns into rock-hard dough lumps every single time. It was only during the holidays when relatives visited, and her father and brother cooked, that the meals became somewhat decent.
It wasn’t until she witnessed Chen Jingle’s culinary skills that Chen Qiyun finally understood what true cooking talent meant!
She thought, "So, glowing food really does exist in this world! Brother Le, you are my true brother!"
Chen Jingle shot the Little Douding a mild glance. "If you ever don’t get enough to eat at home, you can come over and eat here. As for your teacher’s contact info, forget it. I’m very busy right now and don’t have the time to think about those things."
He’d be thanking the heavens as long as she didn’t cause trouble for him.
Chen Qiyun was initially thrilled, but her expression quickly morphed into shock. "You sleep all day and play on your phone at home. How are you busy?"
Chen Jingle scoffed. "That’s just what you see. I’m busy when you’re not looking. Did you really think I was just a shut-in waiting to die?"
Chen Qiyun’s small face flushed. She really had thought that before, because that was what everyone said.
"Alright, I’m going to start getting busy. If you don’t want to go home, you can stay here. There are snacks and fruits anyway. Also, I made some milk and mung bean soup. If you want some, go to the kitchen and grab a bowl yourself. Just wash the bowl when you’re done and leave it by the sink. I’m heading upstairs," Chen Jingle said, waving his hand. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
"Milk and mung bean soup?" Chen Qiyun’s eyes lit up. She loved sweets the most. Before her baby teeth fell out, she had eaten so much sugar that her mouth was full of cavities. It was only after she got her permanent teeth and her parents strictly forbade her from eating sweets that she stopped.
"Okay, okay! Go do your thing, Brother Le. I’ll watch over the first floor!" Chen Qiyun nodded repeatedly, acting as humble as could be. After all, she was the one asking for favors now.
TCH.
Having her watch over the first floor was no different from letting a mouse guard a rice bin. Chen Jingle couldn’t even be bothered to expose her.
As soon as Chen Jingle went upstairs, Chen Qiyun walked into the kitchen to forage for food. The glass pot used for boiling the mung bean soup sat right on the stove. When she lifted the lid slightly, a rich, refreshing milky aroma wafted out. Just smelling it told her it was absolutely delicious! Chen Qiyun couldn’t wait any longer.
However, she didn’t stay at Chen Jingle’s place for too long. After eating two bowls of the mung bean soup, she headed back. If she went home too late, her grandmother would definitely gossip and complain again. She found it incredibly annoying.
Chen Jingle went upstairs to work out. The system hadn’t assigned any tasks for the third lesson, so he had free time. He decided he might as well exercise a bit more.
The lingering soreness from yesterday’s push-ups and squats had mostly faded, and he felt like he was ready to go again.
"Another two hundred today!" he declared.
That’s right, he was just that bold!
Muscle soreness didn’t matter; what mattered was the sense of accomplishment. Some things required pushing oneself to the limit to squeeze out one’s full potential. Take working out, for instance. As long as you stuck with it for a while—and as long as no one was secretly dumping instant milk tea powder into your protein shakes—you would see results.
But if you did nothing, you’d get nothing. Just look at all those people who had mocked the guy doing the butterfly flap exercise; they all ended up eating their words.
[Great job, baby! You have successfully completed the exercise task. Reward: 0.1 kg of Strength. Current Strength: 33.2 kg.]
An hour wasn’t particularly long, nor was it short. However, when he truly immersed himself in a serious workout, he found that time passed remarkably fast. Chen Jingle didn’t stop until he heard the system prompt. The floor tiles in his small training area were completely drenched in sweat.
"I heard that soldiers who train in their dorms have to put a newspaper underneath them, and they can’t stop until the paper is completely soaked through. I wonder if that’s true," he mused. Just thinking about it was terrifying.
Of course, he was still far from that level, both in terms of physical fitness and willpower. New chapters come out on g.com first.
He took a quick shower to wash off the sweat. When he went downstairs, he found that Chen Qiyun had already left. The washed bowls and chopsticks were neatly placed by the kitchen sink. It was exactly dinner time, so he finished off all the leftovers from lunch.
While he was eating, he suddenly received a message from Liang Chen.
"There’s something I might need your help with."
"What is it?" Chen Jingle asked.
Liang Chen replied, "Didn’t you give me two pots of bougainvillea yesterday? Teacher Zhong loves showing off, so she casually posted them on her Friends Circle, and the post completely blew up. When Director Liu from her grade saw them, she asked where we bought them and whether she could buy two pots from you. If not, she was hoping you could help prune a few pots she’s raising herself. I saw the photos Director Liu took; she raises them well, but they don’t look as good as the ones you pruned."
He paused for a moment before saying hesitantly, "This director’s husband happens to be a leader at the municipal bureau in charge of our division... If you find it inconvenient, I can reject her on your behalf."
Realization dawned on Chen Jingle. He smiled and replied, "There’s nothing inconvenient about it. However, I don’t have many flowers left here, so I won’t sell any. It wouldn’t fetch much money anyway. You can make a trip over, bring the flowers here for her, and I’ll help prune them. But let’s get one thing straight—my skills are limited. If I mess them up, you can’t blame me."
"Thanks!"
"Come on, no need to be so formal. Just remember to treat me to a big meal later."
"It’s a promise!"
"..."
As everyone knew, their circle had its own set of rules. Many people couldn’t find the right connections even if they came bearing lavish gifts. But once a connection was established and someone could put in a good word, things became much easier.
Liang Chen had spent five years at the grassroots level. His service period was almost up, and several departments had already offered him a position. However, none of them were particularly good; they were either too obscure or too exhausting. His superior department had also extended an olive branch.
But one had to understand that even within the same department, there were different positions. Liang Chen was no longer young. Coupled with the insane amount of overtime he had worked in the township over the years, his body had developed quite a few issues. Now, he just wanted to find a more comfortable department position and ride it out until retirement.
Having figured this out, Chen Jingle felt that it would be wonderful if he could help out. After all, it was just a matter of moving his hands.
As for Liang Chen, he never expected his old classmate to possess such a skill. It had truly produced an unexpected effect. It could be said that he had been a huge help!
After receiving a positive reply, Liang Chen hurriedly called the other party. "Hello, Director Liu. This is Liang..."