Shen Guoguo didn’t notice the change in Huo Tao’s mood—she was completely absorbed in tinkering with the stamping press.
This one was slightly different from the ones she used in her previous life, but that wasn’t enough to stump her.
The solar panel was broken, and the wiring was old.
She found a thin piece of iron, lit a fire, and heated it until it glowed red, using it as a makeshift adhesive. Bit by bit, she carefully reattached the solar panel.
When she found a broken circuit, she pulled out the copper wire, twisted it together neatly, and wrapped it several times with a strip of cloth she’d salvaged earlier.
No electrical tape? Fine—she’d make do.
She placed the machine near the stove at the doorway.
Then turned back and smiled at Huo Tao. “While there’s still sunlight, let’s give it some time to charge.”
“Alright.”
There was an unnoticeable trace of affection in Huo Tao’s eyes.
Oh no—please stop looking at me like that! Shen Guoguo’s face flushed under the gaze of those clear, peach blossom eyes.
Even the scar at the corner of his left eye suddenly seemed… handsome.
After spacing out for a few seconds, Shen Guoguo pulled out the remaining wild chicken eggs.
“For dinner, we’ll have eggs again. Let’s make do with them—if we don’t eat them soon, they’ll spoil.”
She missed her refrigerator dearly.
“Not making do. Your cooking’s delicious,” said Huo Tao earnestly.
He wasn’t exaggerating. Before, he’d lived off nutrient solutions. When he wasn’t exerting himself much, he sometimes even forgot to drink them.
But under Shen Guoguo’s hands, even unformed eggs could turn into delicacies.
She fried the yolks in chicken fat—essential, of course—and since they’d worked hard that afternoon, she added extra salt for electrolytes.
Now that they had sugar, she even made a sweet poached egg.
Then she stir-fried some egg yolk with the leftover chicken intestines—another new dish.
Finally, she pickled the last two yolks for breakfast the next day.
Huo Tao had never seen anyone make so many variations out of eggs before.
They sat side by side at the table for dinner.
“Good?” she asked.
He nodded firmly.
“If only we could go hunt mutated beasts ourselves, we’d have even more to eat,” Shen Guoguo sighed.
Huo Tao knew she wasn’t blaming him for being disabled—she was just speaking her mind.
“Do you want to become an official cook?” he asked suddenly.
Shen Guoguo bit her chopsticks, hesitation flickering in her eyes before she sighed. “You know that Master Li, the big chef?”
“I know him.”
“He’s the only master chef in Windsoil City. He’s been running things for years—connections everywhere, influence deep. If I suddenly became a chef too… do you think the Shen family would challenge him for me?”
The answer was obvious—no.
So until she had enough strength to protect herself, she’d keep a low profile.
She ate quietly, lost in thought.
That was just who she was—defeats didn’t discourage her; they only fueled her.
Many people grew because life forced them to.
But she was different—her destiny and choices had to be entirely in her own hands.
She would become a chef, yes—but only when the time was right.
After dinner, she was about to wash the dishes when Huo Tao tugged her sleeve.
“Um… you go work. I’ll wash them,” he said, his handsome face tinged red.
He had never done such a thing before—it was just that he didn’t want her to overwork herself.
“Okay!”
Shen Guoguo had no outdated notion that men shouldn’t do housework. She happily dropped the dishes and turned back to her machine.
As she pressed the power button, a buzzing hum filled the air.
“It works!”
She gave herself an imaginary thumbs-up, picked a suitable steel pipe, measured it, and placed it on the machine.
She pressed the red button.
Clang!
A loud noise, and the pipe was cut cleanly in two. Another clang! as it hit the floor.
Shen Guoguo picked it up and held it against a broken stool leg. “Perfect!”
Now she could make all sorts of furniture and tools.
Do it yourself—live well!
“Huo Tao, look!”
Her eyes sparkled like stars as they met his dark gaze.
In that instant, Huo Tao felt his world fade away—her eyes were full of light and life, brimming with hope.
While he stared, lost in thought, Shen Guoguo used the machine again to drill a hole in the pipe, fixed it with screws onto the stool, and—just like that—added another working chair to their home.
“Nice! When we have time, let’s go pick up more chairs. Then we can have a whole table set.”
Her little face flushed with excitement as she worked nonstop—fixing the stool, setting up a stove counter, and cutting pipes into racks.
Now they had places to store spices, pots, and dishes.
Huo Tao simply watched as the small, energetic figure moved about in the doorway, filling their once-empty room with handmade furniture piece by piece.
And slowly, the emptiness in his chest began to fill as well.
Their neighbor, Li An, was returning from work when the noise drew his attention. He leaned casually against the doorway.
“Hey, Huo Tao’s wife, can you make one of those racks for me too?”
He worked at a textile factory in the city and had never seen anything like this before. The rack looked perfect for holding his tools.
Usually, on the production line, his tools were piled together. Even though the factory provided metal boxes, they weren’t convenient.
But this rack—he really liked it.
“Huh?” Shen Guoguo wiped her forehead. “A commission already?”
She grinned. “Sure! But you’ll need to provide the materials.”
“Uh…” Li An scratched his head. “I’m pretty busy at work. How about I just pay you? You tell me the price.”
The steel pipes weren’t worth much—the value was in her craftsmanship and machine.
She looked to Huo Tao for help.
He understood immediately—she couldn’t buy things herself and didn’t know market prices.
He raised five fingers, then pointed to one, then five again—meaning around 150 star coins should be fair.
Oh!
Shen Guoguo nodded confidently. “Five hundred star coins per rack.”
Li An froze.
Seeing his expression, Shen Guoguo knew she’d probably overshot, but words once spoken couldn’t be taken back.
She coughed lightly.
“You see, my craftsmanship leaves no visible joints—it’s sturdy, practical, and well-designed. Plus, I can customize it to your needs. A one-of-a-kind piece in all of Windsoil City.”
At the words custom and one-of-a-kind, Li An hesitated.
Five hundred star coins was about ten days’ wages—if he worked a few extra shifts, he could afford it.
After a moment’s thought, he gritted his teeth. “Alright, I’ll order one. Let me tell you what I want.”
…
Five minutes later, Shen Guoguo waved to Huo Tao. “Come collect half the deposit first. I’ll get the rest when it’s finished.”
Huo Tao immediately extended his wristband.
His little girlfriend… had taken her first order.
And as her boyfriend, his job was to support her—no questions asked.
[Beep, transfer successful.]
Two hundred and fifty star coins received. Shen Guoguo was thrilled.
After seeing Li An off, she tidied up her tools and went back inside with Huo Tao.
In Windsoil City, security was strict—no one dared to steal.
Theft was a serious crime.
Besides, those scrap pipes weren’t worth anything, and the stamping press was useless to anyone else anyway.
Shen Guoguo touched her sticky back.
She really wanted a bath.
(Why had the world become like this? Humanity had paid a terrible price. By Chapter 67, Shen Guoguo would finally touch the threshold of this world’s truth.)