“Fried eggs are ready!”
Shen Guoguo walked into the room with two golden fried egg yolks, interrupting the conversation.
She placed two new bowls and pairs of chopsticks on the table, then put the eggs into the bowls and said eagerly, “Come on, try them!”
Shen Tianliang had already decided that no matter how bad they tasted, he would have to praise her a little.
But wait—Shen Guoguo was a defective person who couldn’t buy anything. These ingredients must have been purchased by Huo Tao.
If he praised her too much and she got motivated to cook more, wouldn’t that make Huo Tao spend more money?
This was a bit tricky.
Mother Shen, however, didn’t think that much—she picked up her chopsticks first.
Her fair and gentle face showed a hint of surprise.
“Guoguo, you made this?”
“It’s delicious—not worse than what a professional chef could make.”
“My daughter’s finally grown up…” Mother Shen said as she sped up her eating. In no time, half the wild chicken egg was gone.
Shen Tianliang looked at her, conflicted.
Couldn’t she tone down the act a little?
Helpless, he picked up a piece of yolk and placed it in his mouth. The moment he tasted it, he noticed something different.
Although the Shen family had a decent life under their ancestral protection, even he rarely got to eat mutated beast ingredients.
This was the first egg he had ever eaten in his life.
Hard to describe, but yes—it really was as delicious as his wife said!
He couldn’t help taking a few more bites.
Was it that the egg itself was so good, or was his daughter truly a talented cook?
“Guoguo, you…”
They had personally seen her fry the eggs—so there was no trick.
“Good, right?” Shen Guoguo propped her chin in her hands, smiling at them. “So you can relax—I won’t starve.”
Huo Tao nodded beside her. “Please don’t worry. I won’t let Guoguo go hungry.”
After all, there were still 100,000 star coins in his wristband.
He planned to tell her about them when the time was right.
“Guoguo, why didn’t you say anything before? If the clan knew you were a cook, you wouldn’t have—”
Shen Tianliang quickly shut his mouth.
He couldn’t say more in front of Huo Tao.
If the clan knew Shen Guoguo had culinary talent, her status would surpass Shen Yazhi’s, and she never would’ve been paired with Huo Tao in the first place.
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Mother Shen elbowed him.
Shen Guoguo waved her hand. “Good thing I didn’t say anything. If I did, I’d just become the clan’s money-making tool.”
“Father, Mother, besides you two, who in the clan really cares about me? Think about it—if the whole clan were sucking me dry, how terrifying would that be?”
“Besides, I like my life now.”
She glanced at Huo Tao and flashed her two little tiger teeth in a grin.
Seeing her in good spirits, getting along well with Huo Tao, and having real cooking talent, her parents felt reassured. Surely things would only get better from here.
At this point, they stopped trying to persuade her. When they left, they insisted on transferring 5,000 star coins to Huo Tao.
Five thousand star coins—equivalent to five thousand yuan.
In Shen Guoguo’s previous life, that might just be the cost of a concert ticket.
But here, it was what Shen Tianliang had saved over two years.
Shen Guoguo tried to refuse but couldn’t.
After sending them off, she visibly looked downcast.
Huo Tao rolled closer in his wheelchair and patted her head. “You’re a great cook with unlimited potential. We’ll pay them back double in the future.”
“Besides, I still have—” money…
“Alright! Exactly! Let’s go collect trash!” Shen Guoguo interrupted without mercy.
She quickly gathered the dishes, grabbed her small cloth bag, and pushed Huo Tao toward the north side of the outer city.
They lived in the south district; the garbage dump was in the north.
As luck would have it, when they passed through the inner city gate, they ran into Shen Yazhi and Li Ge again.
Shen Guoguo: Am I cursed or something?
Shen Yazhi and Li Ge were fully armed, carrying rifles and other weapons—it looked like they were heading out to battle.
Seeing Shen Guoguo, radiant and lively, pushing the disabled Huo Tao, Li Ge couldn’t help feeling a wave of frustration.
Shen Yazhi was fine—she was a mid-level warrior, and her family was powerful. That’s what he wanted.
But still, something about it made him uncomfortable.
His tone turned mocking. “Heh, the useless duo—heading out of the city?”
He knew perfectly well that they couldn’t leave the city easily, but he said it anyway, just to spite them.
Shen Guoguo rolled her eyes. “You really can’t shut that mouth, huh?”
“Shen Guoguo, you’re so annoying. You’re everywhere.”
Shen Yazhi glared at her.
She couldn’t understand what there was to be happy about—being assigned to a cripple?
“Thanks for the concern, but this is everyone’s Windsoil City, not your Shen Yazhi’s. What, you can walk this road but I can’t?”
“And besides, if you don’t like me, what’s that got to do with me?”
“If looking at me bothers you so much, you can just go die together—hand in hand, the perfect lovebirds. Why waste your breath scolding me?”
Three questions in a row.
Shen Yazhi and Li Ge were stunned.
They just stood there dumbfounded, watching Shen Guoguo and Huo Tao stride away.
Hmph!
So what if she was a mid-level warrior? She refused to be emotionally manipulated or dragged into pointless drama—driving crazy anyone who tried.
Huo Tao’s lips curved upward with amusement.
“What are you laughing at?”
“Guoguo, that was great.”
“Hmm?”
She blinked, not quite satisfied. “Great? What’s great about it?”
“I just think it was great.”
Their conversation went nowhere, but it made Shen Guoguo even happier.
Huo Tao suddenly had a thought—he wanted to visit the doctor again about his legs.
At least next time, when someone showed malice, he could stand in front of Shen Guoguo to protect her.
“Guoguo,” Huo Tao said suddenly, “let’s buy you a protective suit first.”
“Huh?”
Seeing her confusion, he explained, “The garbage dump was built in the northern district, but over the years, it’s expanded beyond the city walls.”
“There’s radiation outside the base. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Oh, so that’s why.
She’d seen Shen Yazhi and Li Ge wearing protective suits earlier and thought it was just for fighting beasts. She hadn’t realized there was radiation.
Coming from the modern world, Shen Guoguo naturally feared nuclear radiation.
Yes, she definitely needed a suit.
“What about you?” she asked.
“I may not be able to fight anymore, but my body’s still that of a high-level warrior. Short-term exposure won’t hurt me.” Huo Tao rolled his wheelchair into a shop selling protective gear.
He smoothly completed the purchase with the store’s robot—one protective suit, 300 star coins.
When they reached the dump’s entrance, Shen Guoguo put it on.
The silver-gray coverall protected her from head to toe, her face shielded by a transparent visor that didn’t block her view.
Few people ever came here; only one robot dutifully guarded the gate.
“Hi, robot brother, we’re here to collect trash.”
[Beep…]
“I’m just too poor to live otherwise. I only want to pick up some garbage to survive—no bad intentions,” Shen Guoguo said confidently, completely unashamed of what she was about to do.
[Beep…]
The half-human-tall robot’s red eyes flickered repeatedly.
It was just a gatekeeper robot—it had never encountered anyone asking to collect trash, and its program didn’t even include that scenario.
(Honestly, I kind of want to try picking up trash too…)