You Protect the World

Watching Yang the Third, Little Chubby Girl, and Alice playing around again, Tang Baona smiled and shook her head, but then she remembered the time Xiang Kun and his group went to Chongyun Mountain for a barbecue before he left.

At the time, Xiang Kun was preparing the barbecue grill, and she was helping him. Xiang Kun naturally brought up the idea that the next project required her to compose "Fear - Rousing March".

Xiang Kun's words at the time also quite accurately touched on Tang Baona's deeply hidden adolescent spirit:

"Nana, I'm about to save the world, and I need your help."

These words ignited Tang Baona's passion. Holding the sauce brush, she felt as if she were wielding a holy sword and carrying a mission. After all, this wasn't bragging, a joke, or a meme; Xiang Kun was truly going to save the world.

So she naturally nodded in agreement, and then asked for details on how to do it and what she should pay attention to.

Xiang Kun didn't have any specific requirements for this; she just needed to create based on emotions. As for fear, given the recent severe weather and the appearance of the Antarctica monster, related Emotional Melody should be easy to find—they're everywhere. Uplifting emotions might be a bit difficult for others, but it's very easy for Nana; she doesn't even need to perceive others—her current mood is already very uplifting.

Finally, Xiang Kun suddenly said, "Nana, I might not be back for a while after this trip to Antarctica, so next..."

However, Tang Baona was thinking about the Emotional Melody at the time, and when she suddenly heard this, she didn't hear the word "short-term" clearly, and only noticed "can't come back". Coupled with the previous words "to save the world", she felt a sense of tragic heroism that Xiang Kun was going to sacrifice himself to save the world, and subconsciously grabbed Xiang Kun's hand.

"Is it dangerous?" Tang Baona asked, somewhat nervously and worriedly.

Just then, Yang Zhen'er and Little Apple, who had gone to fetch ingredients, came over and saw this scene.

Yang the Third jumped up as if he'd discovered a new continent. "Nana! Chef Xiang! You guys..." Then, seeing Little Apple nearby, he yelled again, helped her put down what she was carrying, and pulled her back. "Oh dear, there's still food to move! We didn't see anything, we didn't see anything, you guys continue, continue..."

Tang Baona suddenly noticed that she had somehow gotten hold of Xiang Kun's hand and quickly let go. She hadn't thought much of it at first, but Yang the Third's antics made her feel embarrassed and awkward, unsure of what to say.

On the contrary, Xiang Kun said naturally, "Don't worry, there's no danger. The main thing is that I might have to disappear for a while, just like when I used to 'go into seclusion' when I was making games. It's just that this time the 'seclusion' will be longer. It could be a few months at the fastest, or it could be a few years at the slowest."

"You should be able to sense that the world is completely different now. There will be even more changes after the 'Ultimate Predator' disappears completely. So, while I'm away... I hope you can look after Little Bell, Little Apple, and my parents. If anything happens, I hope you can keep an eye on them. Lao Xia is overseeing the Research Base, the liaison with the authorities, and the cooperation with 'Shenxing Technology.' If you encounter anything related to 'Mutated Creature,' you can ask Lao Xia for advice; she'll make the decisions. If you encounter any problems related to abilities, you can 'summon' Alice at any time; she can solve most problems. If she can't handle it, contact Lao Xia. As for the company, with Zhang Qian's help and the cooperation with 'Shenxing Technology,' you don't need to put too much effort into it."

"Nana, your abilities, Lao Xia's, Lao San's, Little Apple's, and Little Bell's are all linked to mine. I'm destined to grow stronger, and so are you. So... when things go wrong in this world, and people are under great threat, we need to do something too."

Tang Baona was also very excited, and for a moment she forgot her awkward situation. She joked, "Hey, according to your summary, when there's something going on at the company, we rely on Zhang Qian; for superpowers, we ask Alice; for research and cooperation, we look to Lao Xia; and I'm just here to take care of the kids?"

Xiang Kun was taken aback by these words, then burst into laughter. "That's no ordinary kid, that's a 'superhero' who will protect the world alongside you."

Tang Baona actually knew that Xiang Kun for her to look after Little Chubby Girl and Little Apple wasn't to be a nanny or simply to protect them, but rather to accompany and guide their growth, allowing these two already special individuals, destined for even greater things in the future, to have a relatively normal upbringing. Moreover, although Xiang Kun hadn't said it, she believed that Yang the Third was definitely among the "children" Xiang Kun had asked her to look after.

Tang Baona nodded repeatedly. "Yes, I understand what you mean. When you're not here, we'll be responsible for protecting the world. But what if we encounter a very powerful opponent in the future that we can't handle?"

Xiang Kun laughed and said, "Don't worry, while I was asleep, my power system didn't go dormant. You protect the world, and I'll protect you."

"Sister Nana, you have such a beautiful smile."

Suddenly, Little Apple's voice rang out beside her, pulling Tang Baona out of her reverie. She smiled and said to her, "Little Apple, you look even prettier when you smile."

Little Apple laughed, "Sister Nana's smile is like warm honey water, sweet and comforting; Zhen'er's smile is like iced cola, refreshing and joyful; Little Bell's smile is like Chocolate Ice Cream, cute and adorable; Alice... hehehe, Alice is like Lemon Tea, so delicious, you can't stop drinking it, haha."

"And you, Little Apple, what kind of drink are you like? Apple juice?" Tang Baona asked with a smile.

"I'm like hot milk, hahaha, I can warm your stomach, I'm nutritious, and I go with everything," Little Apple laughed, then, remembering something, added, "It's a pity I haven't seen Sister Bing smile yet, she must look amazing when she smiles."

"Oh right, she smiled at her last birthday party, back when you didn't have these glasses. It's okay, when she comes to Peng City or when we go back to Chongyun Village, you and Little Bell can put on a special comedy routine to make her laugh, or we can smear cake and cream all over her face for her next birthday party, hehe." Tang Baona laughed, "By the way, what about Xiang Kun? What do you think Xiang Kun is like?"

"Uncle Xiang..." Little Apple touched her chin, then suddenly burst into laughter, clutching her stomach with laughter, which surprised Tang Baona standing next to her.

Little Apple laughed for a while before stopping. She tried to act serious, but her face betrayed her laughter, and she continued, still laughing, "Uncle Xiang is a great hero who saves the world. He's incredibly powerful, able to drive away evil and eliminate monsters. He represents justice and is full of righteousness, so... he should be 'Righteousness Water,' hahaha..."

The metaphor of "Little Apple" was a bit strange, but Tang Baona, who already had a low threshold for laughter, couldn't help but laugh along with it, laughing so hard she bent over.

The group of one adult and two children who were discussing the taste of barbecue were drawn over by the two girls' laughter.

"Nana, Little Apple, what are you laughing at?" Yang Zhen'er asked curiously.

"Zhengqi Water... Little Apple said Xiang Kun is Zhengqi Water, hahaha." Tang Baona laughed, her stomach hurting from laughing.

Yang Zhen'er looked down and exchanged bewildered glances with the Little Chubby Girl beside her, not understanding why Little Apple would call Xiang Kun "righteous qi water," and what was so funny about that?

Then the two looked at Alice together, who scratched her head and pointed at Tang Baona: "Little Apple said Sister Nana is honey water." Pointing to Yang Zhen'er: "Zhen'er is iced cola, Little Bell is Chocolate Ice Cream, Little Apple is hot milk, and the boss is Zhengqi water (a traditional Chinese medicine for relieving stagnation)." Finally, pointing to herself with her thumb, chin slightly raised, she said proudly, "I am Lemon Tea! I'm just delicious!"

Yang Zhen'er finally understood what they were talking about, but she still didn't quite understand why saying Xiang Kun was "righteous qi water" was so funny. She didn't get the joke. Had Nana lowered Little Apple's sense of humor?

She ruffled Alice's hair. "What's with the Lemon Tea's smugness? Cola is always the boss. Come on, call me 'brother,' no, call me 'sister'!"

"I'm hungry..." the Little Chubby Girl whispered.

"Oh right, it's almost 1 o'clock, hurry up and make something to eat, make something to eat." Tang Baona finally stopped laughing, wiped away the tears that came out of her eyes, and called Yang Zhen'er to go to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Due to the continuous and unpredictable severe weather during this period, there are not many restaurants open. Not to mention dine-in, most of them have also stopped taking out food. Delivery is only available for restaurants that are very close to each other, on the same street, within a few hundred meters. Moreover, the delivery is not done by the delivery people from the food delivery apps, but by the restaurant's own staff.

There are still two restaurants open in their neighborhood, and they just ordered takeout yesterday. But with the heavy rain now, it's definitely inconvenient to deliver, so they can only make do with the frozen ready-made food they have in the freezer.

"Nana, shouldn't we learn how to cook? What if Chef Xiang doesn't come back for several years? We can't just keep eating takeout, restaurants, or fast food when we get together, can we?" Yang Zhen'er said somewhat reluctantly while helping to unpack the food.

If it were a year or so ago, she certainly wouldn't have had this thought or this worry.

What's wrong with ordering takeout or eating at restaurants? It's not like we can't afford it, and it's not like the food is bad. Cooking yourself is troublesome, the food is often unappetizing, and you have to wash dishes, deal with the garbage, and buy groceries, prepare ingredients, and learn recipes before you even start cooking—it's too much work and unnecessary!

However, after getting to know Xiang Kun, especially after eating at many family gatherings cooked by Xiang Kun, Yang Zhen'er became somewhat unable to accept always eating takeout at home or always eating out.

Before, she was the only one in Peng City. Every day after picking up her Little Chubby Girl, she could comfort herself by thinking that there would be a big meal Chef Xiang arrived. Eating takeout was similar to secretly eating snacks when they were kids.

But now that the Chef Xiang won't be back for a long time, and considering that she'll be eating takeout or frozen food from now on, it's fine if she's alone or with Nana. But if Little Bell and Little Apple are around, Yang Zhen'er feels something is wrong, as if something very important is missing from her life.

Hearing this, Little Apple, leaning against the kitchen door, laughed and said, "Zhen'er, I've already started learning! I've been studying recipes before bed these past few days. Once Uncle Xiang has dealt with that giant monster in Antarctica and the weather gets better so we can go grocery shopping, I'm going to show off my skills! I'm going to make sweet and sour pork ribs. I'm very confident now; it'll definitely taste delicious!"

The Little Chubby Girl, squatting on the other side of the kitchen door, kneaded Egg Pie beside her and looked up, saying, "Little Apple, would you like to learn how to make fried chicken wings? Then I'll help you out. I'll be in charge of washing the dishes; I'm really good at washing dishes."

Alice, squatting side-by-side with the Little Chubby Girl, shouted, "I'll help Little Bell wash the dishes! We're unbeatable at washing dishes!"

Yang Zhen'er panicked upon hearing this and said to Tang Baona, "Nana, this can't go on! We don't even need to wait for Chef Xiang to come back. When Lao Xia comes over in a while and finds that the cook is Little Apple, whose eyesight is still recovering, and the dishwasher is Little Bell, whose head is barely touching the sink, what will he think of us? I can already imagine what Lao Xia will say. She'll calmly taste Little Apple's cooking, then look at the dishes Little Bell washed, and say, 'My cousin and Sister Nana taught us so well!' Ugh! That would be so embarrassing!"

As she spoke, Yang Zhen'er wiped her hands, walked over, squatted down, and said to the chubby Little Chubby Girl who was petting the cat and looked confused, "Little Bell, if there's anything you want to eat, just tell me and Nana, and we'll make it! Your and Little Apple's main tasks right now are... playing and studying!"

The Little Chubby Girl hummed in agreement and started counting on her fingers. "Then... I want fried chicken wings, spicy rabbit meat, braised rabbit meat, braised pork, sizzling beef, garlic eggplant, braised pork belly with preserved vegetables, black chicken and mushroom soup, hot and sour..."

"Stop! Take it slow, let me learn two dishes first, we can talk about the others later." Yang Zhen'er quickly interrupted, wondering how Little Bell could remember the names of the dishes so clearly.

"I want crispy pork knuckle!" Alice shouted.

Yang Zhen'er flicked her forehead with her finger. "Make whatever you want to eat!"

Tang Baona found it amusing. It was true that as long as Yang the Third was around, whether on the rooftop or inside the house, whether in the living room or the kitchen, it was always lively and never quiet.

However, she didn't take Yang Zhen'er's claim about learning to cook too seriously, because it wasn't that they hadn't tried. Not only them, but even Lao Xia was particularly quick to learn, had studied cooking with them during their time in Chongyun Village. But the food they made... well, it was hard to describe.

None of them had much talent for cooking to begin with, and their palates had been spoiled by Xiang Kun, making them extremely demanding. Given enough time to practice, they might be able to cook ordinary home-style dishes that were at least edible, but achieving the taste of the meals Xiang Kun made for them was highly unlikely.

Therefore, in her opinion, no matter how much enthusiasm and drive Yang the Third or Little Apple have to learn to cook, they won't be able to stick with it for long, because no matter how they do it, they can't replicate the taste of the dishes Xiang Kun makes for them, and that taste is etched in their hearts and is an insurmountable benchmark.

However, she wouldn't stop them from learning to cook. She would even try to learn to make ramen, pancakes, fried rice, and other staple foods herself, even though the taste was still far from Xiang Kun's and not as good as takeout. But just like Yang Zhen'er, she also felt that it was more proper for them to eat together at home.

Sister Lin and Professor Li entrusted Little Bell and Little Apple to their care; they couldn't always feed her takeout, could they?