Three days after someone skipped out on the bill.
12:24 a.m.
"Let's congratulate TES on taking the first game of this best-of-five!"
"Wow!!!!"
Hua Xin, lying in bed, watched the live broadcast and immediately sat up in excitement. Her delicate, fair little face flushed slightly pink. Her oversized short-sleeved shirt was sly enough to reveal her shoulders and collarbones.
But she had forgotten why she had sat up and scratched her head in confusion. Hua Xin simply lay back down and rolled over.
Watching the words "Keep it up," "Awesome," and others constantly fly across the barrage, Hua Xin refused to be outdone. She had to cheer for her home team.
Mountain Sword Point? Tonight!!
The strongest all-Chinese roster—I only acknowledge TES!! I'm not familiar with Isatis root.
I Really Want a Cat: "Big bro, well done! Little sis wasn't bad either! Heavenly Oilfield 999!"
"Putting everything else aside, tonight's definitely a 3-to...!"
"Mm..." At noon, Hua Xin drowsily rubbed her eyes. Feeling something on her pillow, she sat up and wiped away her drool.??
Ah-woo (so cute)...
She yawned and rubbed her eyes.
"What? How did I fall asleep?"
"Right! The match!" Hua Xin hurriedly opened her phone. Unfortunately, it had been streaming all night, and the platform had helpfully redirected the closed livestream to the next one—its goal was simply to drain the battery.
????????
Aminos, Yidege Lami.
Anxious, Hua Xin had no choice but to turn on her computer.
One minute later.
The girl stared silently at the huge 3–1 score in front of her.
Ah, the team logos must have been placed backward. This one's the official's fault, teehee. (In a sobbing voice)
Hua Xin silently closed the page??, tears welling in her eyes as if they might fall like tiny pearls at any moment.
Since things had come to this, she could only eat first.
She rubbed her flat stomach, which felt as though hunger had nearly caved it inward.
Yesterday, she had survived the entire day on only one cup of instant noodles, a few vitamin tablets, and calcium tablets.
Hua Xin picked up the calcium tablets from the table, looking extremely satisfied... uh...
They had expired three months ago???
"It's fine... Naruto ate expired instant noodles and milk and is still alive. I'm the inheritor of the Will of Fire, so I'll be fine too????"
Hua Xin opened the door and walked to the refrigerator in the living room to choose some ingredients.
Adhering to her dietary plan of not eating instant noodles every day, she personally cooked a meal every few days to make sure her cooking skills didn't decline and her digestive system remained in good working order.
She had to keep herself healthy so she could continue staying up late.
"Hot pot base, eggplant... All right! I can make four dishes and a soup today!"
The girl's superb culinary skills instantly determined what dishes could be made from the ingredients before her.
Hua Xin happily hugged the ingredients she had taken from the refrigerator and walked into the kitchen.
She gave the nonstick pan a quick wash.
"Two chicken legs?? Throw them in. (Two whole raw chicken legs)"
"One piece of tofu. Throw it in. (One whole large block of tofu)"
"Eggplant?? Throw it in. (One whole eggplant, still attached to its green stem and unpeeled)"
"Baby cabbage?? Throw it in. (One whole intact head, not separated)"
"Add a bowl of water to the pan, sprinkle in some Sea Salt??, then some chicken bouillon, and then some Thirteen Spices (a lethal dose)."
Watching all the ingredients in the pan take on the color of Thirteen Spices, Hua Xin nodded in satisfaction.
"I really am a master chef. I wonder who's lucky enough to eat such genius-made delicacies of mine. (The girl put her hands on her hips, immensely proud)..."
"Put on the lid and start cooking!"
The girl clapped her hands and returned the Thirteen Spices in her hand to the counter. At the same time, nine Wang Shouyis stood in neat formation.
After casually scrolling through videos for a while, the algorithm precisely pushed her news about last night's match.
"The TES we placed such high hopes on has fallen at..."
Stop! I'm angry????.
"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle..."
"Huh? Did I get Red Temperature?" Hua Xin raised her head blankly.
Even if she got Red Temperature, she shouldn't be making a sound.
She shifted her gaze to the nonstick pan and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "What? The water's boiling."
Setting down her phone, the girl lifted the lid and took a pair of scissors from a metal basin beside her.
"Let's snip this baby cabbage a little, ??snip?? snip?? snip..."
Hua Xin then fished out the baby cabbage and placed it in the kind of metal food tray used in middle- and high-school cafeterias.
It had come free with the cookware. With just one dish to wash, it could solve an entire meal—the most effortless and water-saving episode ever!
"Two spoonfuls of Yellow Lantern Chili Sauce..." The girl picked up the chili sauce bottle and spooned two portions onto the baby cabbage.
"Now some soy sauce." The black liquid from a mineral-water bottle poured over it.
"First dish, chili and garlic baby cabbage, done!??"
The boiling in the pan continued.
Hua Xin picked up the scissors again, her expression serious. ??: "Next, let's snip this eggplant too, ??snip?? snip?? snip..."
She scooped out the chopped eggplant and repeated the previous steps of adding chili sauce and soy sauce. Thus, the second dish, "Chili Sauce and Garlic Eggplant," was done!
"That leaves the chicken legs and tofu..."
Full of confidence, Hua Xin took out the scallions, ginger, and garlic. (Unpeeled, uncut, and still in their skins.)
"Put the scallions, ginger, and garlic into the pan! Then throw in half a bag of hot pot base! Add a spoonful of Lao Gan Ma, another spoonful of Doubanjiang, some soy sauce, and some Old Soy Sauce..."
Looking at the black-red mixture still bubbling in the pan, the girl said in satisfaction, "The hot pot flavor smells so good??..."
After putting the seasonings back in their places, she picked up the scissors once again and muttered, "Now cut the tofu into small pieces, ??snip?? snip?? snip..."
Using a steel spoon, she scooped out the tofu along with the soup, scallions, ginger, and garlic. The third dish, "Mapo Tofu," was done!
Hua Xin swallowed, then used chopsticks?? to take the two chicken legs out of the pan one by one: "Now take out the chicken legs..."
"Fourth dish, Mapo Chicken Legs, done!"
Looking at the four dishes filling the metal food trays, the girl wiped away the sweat from her forehead, feeling deeply fulfilled.
"Cooking for myself really is the way to go??..."
Next, Hua Xin filled a small bowl halfway with water from the tap and poured it into the pan:
"Add half a bowl of water to the pan..."
She picked up the scissors and some baby bok choy: "??snip?? snip?? snip... Add some baby bok choy, too, and make some Mapo Soup...
Two minutes later.
Looking at the rich soup in the small bowl and the four dishes resting in the metal food tray, Hua Xin couldn't help feeling the joy and satisfaction that came from working with her own hands??.
Sitting at the dining table by herself, Hua Xin happily looked at the four dishes and one soup before her.
She picked up her chopsticks?? and tasted the baby cabbage. The girl's eyes narrowed contentedly.
"Delicious??..."
Then, visibly, a layer of pink began spreading across her fair face.
"So spicy...??"
She adorably stuck out the tip of her tongue, then gulped down some Mapo Soup.
Her high ponytail swayed from side to side, and Hua Xin let out a blissful sound. (Like the cry of a baby animal—in short, it was cute, and that was all that mattered.)
"A little salty, but not bad. This is delicious too??..."
After devouring the entire lunch, Hua Xin stared pensively at the two chicken-leg bones left on the plate. A brand-new recipe took shape in her mind.
??????????
"How about..."
"I make fried rice with chicken bones for dinner?"
Before you continue