A Bowl of Clear Broth Noodles

As a child from the countryside, Jerry had mastered all kinds of household chores and farm work at a very young age in his previous life.

After graduating from college and staying in the city to work, he had cooked for himself most of the time as well.

It was not because he thought the food outside was dirty or unhygienic. Kids from the countryside did not care much about that. It was simply because cooking for himself could save him nearly half the cost compared to eating out.

With prices rising, if he relied entirely on eating out in the city, three meals a day would cost at least thirty dollars, and that was only for fairly average food.

If he wanted to eat a little more meat, it would probably start at forty dollars.

But if he bought groceries and cooked for himself, especially if he shopped at the market and knew how to haggle, thirty-odd dollars could generally feed him for two days—and quite well at that.

"Poor children grow up early!"

That saying was originally meant to praise poor children for being more sensible and more capable of enduring hardship than wealthy children.

But in reality, it was not something worthy of praise.

Because when a child was overly obedient and sensible, it was usually only because harsh life had forced them to be obedient and sensible.

What child did not want someone to love them? What child did not want someone they could act spoiled around?

The lives of poor people were already hard enough. School brought the pressure of studying, work brought the pressure of employment, marriage brought the pressure of life, and old age brought the pressure of failing health.

Even childhood—the only time free from pressure, full of freedom and happiness—had to be spent learning how to "grow up early."

That had been a very accurate portrayal of Jerry's previous life.

So while he could not be called a master chef, he was quite good at some home-style dishes.

As someone with an adult soul, he naturally did not want to simply accept Hass's care and support for nothing. He would take the initiative to handle whatever he could.

For example, cooking, housework, and looking after Elsa.

Of course, part of the reason was that Hass was a typical rough-and-ready guy.

If Jerry did not tidy up, the entire house would become a complete mess within two days under Hass and Elsa's care, enough to make his scalp tingle with his slight obsession with cleanliness.

As for cooking, haha, the food Hass made was the kind that even stray cats would not touch if it were dumped in the neighborhood.

One could imagine just how indescribable the food they ate had been during the period when Jerry was still unable to cook!

"Elsa likes noodles. I'll make a bowl of clear broth noodles this morning!"

Jerry was not very accustomed to certain Western foods, so aside from making more Western-style breakfasts on school days to save time, he usually made Chinese breakfasts on weekends or during summer vacation like this.

As for whether Hass and Elsa would be unused to it, it was actually not much of a problem.

Although there were some Chinese dishes they did not like, there were simply too many Chinese dishes. There would always be something they liked, such as his Clear Broth Noodles, Kung Pao Chicken, Water Boiled Fish, Double Cooked Pork Slices, and Fish-fragrant Shredded Pork.

Hass had once curiously asked why Jerry could cook so many Chinese dishes. Jerry calmly placed a Chinese cookbook he had long ago bought from Chinatown in front of him.

"Jerry, you're up so early again. It's summer vacation already. You can sleep a little longer. Dad can order takeout for you two for breakfast!"

Just as he took the necessary ingredients out of the refrigerator, bleary-eyed Hass also got up and began getting ready.

As a police chief, Hass did not have summer or winter vacations. He still had to go to work as usual and handle the remaining aftermath of yesterday's bank robbery.

Jerry turned on the gas stove and replied,

"It's fine, I'm used to it. Once you're ready, you can go wake Elsa. We're having noodles this morning, and they won't taste good if they sit too long!"

"Noodles? Oh, that's great. I love noodles!"

After quickly getting himself ready, Hass headed to Elsa's room.

Getting that little girl up to eat was no easy task. Hass would probably have to put in some effort.

"Elsa, hurry up and get dressed. Time to get up and eat!"

"God of Death Hass, don't even think about taking me, the Ice Queen, away from my castle! Take this: Freezing Void Ice Spear!"

"Ow!"

Hearing the intense sounds of battle between father and daughter coming from the room, Jerry smiled and shook his head.

He heated the pan, added cool oil, then cracked in three eggs. Once the eggs had set, he flipped them over and fried both sides until fragrant and browned before adding hot water he had boiled beforehand. When the fragrant fried eggs met the hot water, they released a milky-white, fresh, aromatic broth.

Once the water in the pot came to a boil again, he removed the eggs and divided them into three portions for later, then added the noodles along with several small bok choy leaves he had picked beforehand.

While the noodles cooked, he took out three bowls and added the right amount of light soy sauce, black vinegar, salt, chopped scallions, and, most importantly, lard.

After adding water to the noodles a second time and bringing them back to a boil, he ladled the broth into the three bowls, then added the noodles, eggs, and bok choy in turn. A bowl of fragrant, refreshing clear broth noodles was complete.

Just then, Hass finally carried the unwilling Elsa out of her room. Yes, carried her in the literal sense—holding her suspended in midair by the collar of her shirt—and made sure she had brushed her teeth and washed her face.

"My favorite noodles!"

When Elsa saw that breakfast was her favorite noodles, she immediately cried out happily.

"Eat quickly, before they get cold!"

Jerry ruffled Elsa's messy hair.

"Seriously, Jerry, if you open a Chinese restaurant in the future, your business will definitely be great. These noodles taste much better than the ones I had in Chinatown!"

Hass ate the noodles from his bowl with a fork and could not help praising him.

"I'll pass. Cooking once in a while is fine, but I don't plan to spend every day in the kitchen!"

Cooking was merely a survival skill for Jerry, not a hobby.

"Then have you thought about what you want to do in the future? Be a scientist, a police officer, a lawyer, or an entrepreneur?"

As Hass spoke, he took a large gulp of soup.

In Hass's eyes, he had never seen a child as outstanding as Jerry in all his years. So he felt that as long as Jerry was willing, none of those careers would be a problem.

Jerry froze for a moment at that.

Scientist, police officer, lawyer, entrepreneur... With the experience from his previous life, the learning ability enhanced by Little Red Star, and his magical abilities, the careers he had once longed for in his previous life seemed easy to attain in this life.

But were those truly what he wanted?

In his previous life, he had admired those careers not because he liked them, but simply because they offered good salaries and benefits—things far beyond the reach of an ordinary worker like him, someone without connections and poor at socializing.

But in this life, he seemingly no longer needed to worry about money. So what kind of person did he actually want to become, and what kind of work did he want to do?

"I haven't decided yet. I'll think about it once I'm older!"

Jerry set down his chopsticks and smiled as he gave his answer.

Indeed, he truly had not figured it out yet. At least for now, there was nothing in particular he especially wanted to do. He only wanted to make himself stronger, then protect his two family members, Hass and Elsa, so they would not be harmed in the future.