The Bear Cub's Striving

Big Yellow scrabbled with all four limbs, trying to throw the little fatty off its back.

But when it came to playing dirty, there still wasn't a creature on Big Bamboo Peak that could outdo the little fatty on its back.

Luo Yunji, this little hellion, might not have reached the point where people hated him, but at the very least, he already counted as dog-despised.

"Little Junior Brother! Big Yellow's foaming at the mouth!" Seeing Big Yellow playing dead, Zhang Xiaofan was somewhat speechless as he pulled Luo Yunji up from Big Yellow's back.

The moment Luo Yunji left, Big Yellow instantly "revived," spread its paws, and ran far away!

"Big Yellow! If you dare run, I won't let Little Senior Brother make you tasty meaty bones anymore!" Luo Yunji shouted threats at the yellow figure going away.

Big Yellow stopped rather uneasily, then turned and stood behind a bamboo stalk. It didn't leave, and it didn't come closer either; it just stood there.

Leave or not leave, neither far nor near, it was right there, absolutely not coming closer!

"Let Big Yellow bite onto the bamboo basket!" Zhang Xiaofan suggested.

"Fine!" Luo Yunji curled his lip and agreed.

The two of them and one dog returned to their residence.

"Yo! You actually came back this early today!" Old Six had thought the two junior brothers wouldn't come back at noon again today and was just about to go make lunch when he saw the two people and one dog walking over.

"Where's Master?" Luo Yunji asked urgently.

"Practicing!" Old Six turned his head and glanced toward the place where Tian Buyi practiced.

The moment he finished speaking, Luo Yunji slid down from Zhang Xiaofan's back and ran toward the practice room.

"This is..." Old Six's mouth opened wide in surprise. So it turned out their little junior brother's two legs could run.

"Just now on the rear mountain, a little monkey snatched Little Junior Brother's food." Zhang Xiaofan looked, amused, at Old Six's exaggerated expression, then told him what had happened on the rear mountain.

"It snatched Little Junior Brother's food!" Old Six was somewhat shocked. "Looks like that monkey is going to have a miserable time!" There really was something that didn't know whether it was dead or alive, daring to snatch Little Junior Brother's food!

Old Six rather admired that monkey's courage.

Sure enough, the ignorant were fearless!

On second thought, Old Six immediately beamed with delight again. "There's another show to watch!"

Although he knew Master doted on Little Junior Brother, in just the blink of an eye, Little Junior Brother came running over while holding Master's immortal sword.

"This... Master just gave it to you like that?" Old Six was a little curious, not knowing how this little freak had talked to Master.

"You borrowed it?"

"Mm! But I'm still not familiar with using it! I need to practice! We'll go find that bad monkey tomorrow!" Luo Yunji carried "Scarlet Flame" back to the residence!

Zhang Xiaofan and Big Yellow, meanwhile, went to the kitchen.

"Thank you, Big Yellow." Zhang Xiaofan took down the bamboo basket Big Yellow was carrying in its mouth and rubbed its head.

"Woof woof!" Big Yellow wagged its tail hard and barked at Zhang Xiaofan.

"I know." Zhang Xiaofan took a bone from the cabinet and gave it to Big Yellow. Big Yellow happily bit the bone and ran off to one side to gnaw on it.

"Both of them are gluttons!" Thinking of his little junior brother, Zhang Xiaofan broke into a smile.

Earlier, Luo Yunji had wanted to eat meatballs made with a new method. The method had already been fully told to Zhang Xiaofan. Now that they had the ingredients too, Zhang Xiaofan washed his hands, wanting to make Luo Yunji happy, and prepared to make the new meatballs. "When Little Junior Brother sees them, he definitely won't be so angry anymore!"

Sure enough, at lunch, seeing that there were new meatballs he wanted to eat on the table, Luo Yunji happily picked one up with his chopsticks.

"Mmph! So delicious!"

The others also began tasting them one after another. "Mm! Charred on the outside and tender within. What's even more amazing is that there are actually two layers inside. The innermost is meat juice, I can taste that, but what's the other layer? That sweet-and-sour flavor really whets the appetite!" Old Four curiously picked up another meatball, sliced it open, and, looking at the meatball that had a full four layers, asked in curiosity.

"Fresh bamboo shoots soaked in vinegar!" Zhang Xiaofan answered with a smile. Seeing everyone like the dish he had made, he felt very satisfied and happy.

"Aren't bamboo shoots crisp? Why is the texture of this one soft and crumbly? And it has a trace of sweetness." Old Three also curiously took another bite.

"Mm-hmm! Sweet! I like it!" Tian Linger's eyes curved into smiling crescents, her face full of enjoyment and intoxication.

"That's because of the vinegar. According to Little Junior Brother's recipe, the bamboo shoots are soaked in a mixture of vinegar and sweet syrup boiled from fruit and honey. After the bamboo shoots soak in the vinegar for a certain amount of time, and then are braised in a pot over fire, they become soft."

"Little Junior Brother's recipe!" Everyone had seen that cookbook called Want to Eat. It seemed that the fire must have been spiritual flame summoned with spiritual power. Truly extravagant, but it really was delicious.

"Ah! Little Junior Brother..." While everyone was discussing, Luo Yunji had silently stuffed all the remaining meatballs into his stomach.

"Master! I think the dishes on the dining table can't be arranged like this in the future!" Seeing the spotless plate, Old Six looked at Tian Buyi with a gloomy, mournful face and said.

Tian Buyi smacked his lips twice. "Then what do you say we should do!" He had only eaten two more than his disciples, that was all.

"Divide them by portion. For dishes like meatballs, count them before they're brought to the table, then split them evenly among everyone."

"That's a good idea! Little Seven, do it that way from now on!" Tian Buyi had actually wanted to do this for a long time.

Did you think his fat was something he was born with? That had been genuinely, solidly eaten on!

"I understand, Master!" Zhang Xiaofan looked at his little junior brother. Seeing that his little junior brother had no objections, he nodded and agreed.

"Speaking of which! You little brat! What did you take my 'Scarlet Flame' for?" Tian Buyi asked curiously.

"Little Junior Brother had his food snatched by a monkey on the rear mountain today!" Although Old Six was inwardly startled that Master had actually handed the immortal sword to Little Junior Brother without asking a single question, he rushed to answer.

"He was bullied... by a monkey?" Tian Buyi looked at his youngest disciple with a strange expression.

"If it weren't so fast! I'd have caught it ages ago!" Luo Yunji waved his chubby little fists in fury, shouting in a huff.

"Oh, give me a break! With that lazy way you are normally, even if it were a snail, you still couldn't outrun it!" Tian Buyi shot his little disciple a sidelong look of contempt.

"Who says! Once I'm used to the flying sword, I'll ride it after it, hmph!" Luo Yunji cried, somewhat excited, imagining that after he caught that monkey, he would punish it like this and like that, this way and that.

"Damn it! Taking my flying sword to chase a monkey! Sure enough, I shouldn't have opened my mouth and asked that question! I brought this heartache on myself!" Tian Buyi's mouth twitched slightly as he scolded himself inwardly, blaming himself for talking too much.

Most fat people did not have a very good sense of balance. This was not about themselves, but because every sudden movement could make the fat on a fat person's body jiggle irregularly up and down, or left and right, or even up, down, left, and right; for all one knew, the inertia of that swaying fat might even pull them off course.

"This crappy flying sword isn't useful at all!" This was already the eleventh time the little fatty had fallen off the flying sword.