Hank and Bain

"Husband and Wife Lung Slices? Ants Climbing a Tree?"

"Are… are these all food?"

Flipping through the menu in her hands, Nelly looked perplexed.

With such strange names, could it be…

Fornia, sitting opposite her, offered a harmless smile. "Little Nelly, I've heard of this dish. It requires a loving couple, and then you take out their lungs…"

"Then you use chili peppers, along with some beef…"

A smile curved her lips. "Oh, and the lungs need to be braised first, that makes them more flavorful!"

"Ugh!!"

Nelly shivered and flipped another page. "You… you're injured right now, spicy food isn't suitable for you. Let's… let's forget it, we'll pick something else."

Beside them, the waiter lightly covered her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter. She took a deep breath before explaining, "Actually, Husband and Wife Lung Slices have neither husband nor wife, nor lung slices, just like Wife Cakes!"

"What are Wife Cakes?" How magical, do they marry wives by eating cakes?

"Uh… I mean, this dish is actually made with beef tongue, tripe, and other ingredients. Our establishment is a legal business."

"But it's spicy, isn't it? She's injured, spicy food isn't good for her." Nelly's gaze shifted to Fornia, only to see her burying her head, her body trembling uncontrollably, looking like she was about to die of laughter.

Damn you, Fornia, you're doing this on purpose!

"She's injured?" The waitress blinked in surprise.

"That's right!"

"In our country, we often say that you are what you eat."

Hearing this, Nelly flipped the menu forward. "This Dongpo Pork Hock, that refers to a pig's hock, right? I'll have one of those."

Fornia: …

"Fornia, is there anything you'd like to eat?" Nelly asked with a sweet smile, her innocent eyes looking at Fornia.

Damn it, she's playing cute!

Her eyes darting around, Fornia finally took the menu and ordered Almond Tofu, a dessert.

"Okay, so one Almond Tofu, thank you." Fornia only pointed, and the waiter didn't see. Nelly repeated the order.

The waitress seemed to understand something, a smile on her face as she left the private room.

"Enjoy your meal, ladies!"

Haishi New District.

Just over a month ago, this was undeveloped wasteland. Now, high-rise buildings have been erected, accommodating many refugees.

Some of the disaster victims had already died in the Honkai, some were lying in hospitals, and the rest were either staying with friends and relatives or living here.

Why not stay in hotels? They were all full.

Besides, this wasn't a simple fire or earthquake. Those who experienced the Honkai could turn into monsters at any moment, or contract diseases.

Gu Yan walked slowly.

Although much of the new district had been completed, the population was immense. Countless people in Haishi and its surrounding areas were living rough.

Fortunately, the country hadn't abandoned them. Instead, it had rallied the strength of the people to help them overcome the difficulties.

But those temporarily without shelter could only find refuge in the corners of the completed buildings, to ward off the slight chill of Haishi's winter.

Among them were elderly people who had lost their children, and even more so, children who had lost their parents. They could only rely on the help of kind-hearted people to struggle for survival in this world that had begun to fall apart.

However, at the foot of a residential building, Gu Yan spotted a peculiar person.

The man was a foreign uncle, around forty years old, with slightly long blond hair tied into a ponytail. While his style was one of bohemian freedom, it was tinged with the weariness of an old man.

He was still capable of working, his limbs were intact, yet he sat cross-legged on the ground, a guitar resting on his lap, clearly "busking." Beside him, a golden retriever lay with its eyes closed, listening to its owner's playing, seemingly enjoying it.

But what made Gu Yan even stranger was that his audience was a group of… children?

Curious, Gu Yan approached the group of children, intending to blend in. Since he arrived late, the music was nearing its end, and he had missed the performance.

"How was it, children? Did you like it?" The man's Mandarin was fluent, and his words were gentle.

"It was great!"

"Uncle Hank's violin is the best I've ever heard!"

The man, called Hank, shook his head and smiled. "Oh, thank you so much, little cuties. But Uncle Hank's is a guitar, not a violin."

"Yes, Uncle Hank's guitar is the best too!"

Hank didn't press further. Instead, he spread his hands. "Since you all enjoyed it so much, why don't you give your treasures to Uncle?"

The children didn't hesitate. With excitement, they took out their little collections from their pockets. Gu Yan glanced over, his eyebrows raising.

The children's treasures were quite interesting: perhaps a strangely shaped leaf, or a small stone of a peculiar color, or even paper cutouts they had made themselves. Only a very few produced a coin.

But Hank's face was filled with joy, as if he had truly found priceless treasures.

"Wow, this pebble is pure black! It must be the legendary obsidian. This is a treasure, Uncle Hank will take it."

"Is this origami a dinosaur? I didn't expect to see a dinosaur, what an amazing artist!"

The children, praised as having "treasures," were very happy. Although Gu Yan knew very well that Hank was just trying to appease them.

"With so many good things, I can't keep them to myself either. I remember your country has a saying, it goes something like, 'To give without receiving is not...' "

"'...courteous'!" a little girl answered quickly.

"Yes, that's right. Such a smart young lady, then this chocolate will be for you first!"

Taking out a large handful of chocolates from his pocket, Hank handed one piece to the little girl. The other children's eyes lit up at the sight.

"Thank you!" The little girl unwrapped the chocolate and popped it into her mouth, a look of enjoyment on her face. Then, as if remembering something, she asked, "Uncle Hank, can I hug Bain?"

"Of course, little one. Bain is my best friend, and he likes you all very much too." Hank nodded slightly, reaching out to stroke the golden retriever Bain's head.

Bain, understanding, moved closer to the little girl and nuzzled her affectionately. The girl hugged him, her eyes full of adoration.

"So, who's next for a chocolate?"

The children began to get excited, raising their hands high. Some, afraid their hands weren't high enough, stood on tiptoe, competing with each other.

From a certain perspective, the treasures these children possessed were quite precious. However, in terms of both value and the children's affection, they paled in comparison to the chocolates.

Gu Yan had seen those chocolates before. Each small piece was worth twenty yuan, and for a long time, he had considered them a luxury.

Gu Yan was puzzled, wondering why Hank was doing this. It wouldn't solve his own problem of getting enough to eat.

He quietly took out two banknotes and placed them among the pile of treasures.

"Sir, I don't have any chocolate for you, my big friend."