Yuhao's Grilled Fish

After class, Wang Yan appointed Zhang Lan class monitor.

Nan Qiuqiu and Wang Dong were appointed deputy class monitors.

Toward evening, the setting sun dyed the horizon orange-red.

Zhang Lan changed clothes and left the dormitory building with Wang Dong, heading toward the academy gates.

At the entrance, they met Nan Qiuqiu and Xiao Xiao, who had already been waiting there.

"Where are we going?"

Wang Dong asked, a little puzzled.

"Out to grab something to eat,"

Zhang Lan said.

"Eating in the cafeteria every day is getting a little old."

With that, they left the academy grounds.

Shrek Academy's main gate was also the eastern gate of Shrek City's inner city.

The sky was darkening, but the food street outside the eastern gate was brightly lit and bustling.

Vendors crowded the street, selling everything from snacks and medicinal herbs to everyday goods.

A dazzling array of wares offered everything anyone could want.

Most of the stalls sold various kinds of food.

Some of the stallholders were even wearing Shrek uniforms.

In his previous life, he had always stayed home and rarely gone shopping.

Compared with the modern food streets of his previous life, the scene before him looked more like a street from ancient times.

This was his chance to experience what shopping in ancient times felt like.

"Young master, it's so lively here!"

Nan Qiuqiu said, tugging at Zhang Lan's sleeve.

Wang Dong's eyes shone brightly too.

He had grown up in Clear Sky Castle and rarely had the chance to see this kind of everyday hustle and bustle.

"Come on. Let's get something to eat."

Zhang Lan smiled at the others.

They walked side by side, browsing the roadside stalls along the way.

Grilled skewers, wontons, candied hawthorn skewers, fried cakes...

The aromas of all kinds of food mingled together, whetting their appetites.

Watching the three of them buy everything that caught their eyes, Zhang Lan helplessly pressed a hand to his forehead.

Before they finished one snack, another had already caught their fancy.

As a result, Zhang Lan was now holding plenty of their unfinished food.

Why hadn't he put it in a Storage Soul Tool?

They insisted that only carrying it around made it feel like a proper shopping trip.

Of course, anything he truly couldn't carry still went into the Storage Soul Tool.

Their cheeks bulged with food, making them look like three little hamsters stealing grain.

Zhang Lan smiled helplessly, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding stalls.

Then he spotted a familiar figure.

At a stall not far away, a thin boy was crouching on the ground with a simple grill set up in front of him.

A girl with a ponytail stood beside him, helping him arrange things.

Huo Yuhao.

He was selling grilled fish.

Come to think of it, tasting Huo Yuhao's grilled fish was a must after transmigrating here.

"Oh? Isn't that the one in our class with the Spirit Eyes martial soul?"

"I think his name was Huo Yuhao."

"He's actually selling grilled fish here?"

Xiao Xiao had noticed Huo Yuhao's stall too.

As someone who enjoyed gossip, Xiao Xiao knew a fair bit about the notable students in their class and the other classes.

Huo Yuhao was the only student admitted with a body martial soul, and his soul power was low.

Apparently, he had even entered through the Tang Sect's examination-exempt admission quota.

But hadn't the Tang Sect fallen into decline?

Naturally, Xiao Xiao had remembered such noteworthy information.

"Then let's go take a look. We can support a classmate's business."

Zhang Lan led the others over.

Huo Yuhao's grilled fish stall was very simple.

A sheet-metal grill and a basin of burning charcoal.

The cleaned black carp were laid out on a rack beside him.

"Huo Yuhao?"

Huo Yuhao looked up and saw Zhang Lan and the others.

"Class monitor? Deputy monitors?"

"What brings you here?"

Looking at the fish on the grill, Zhang Lan asked with a smile,

"Why didn't you tell us you were setting up a grilled fish stall here?"

"We're your classmates. We could have come to support you."

Huo Yuhao rubbed his head and said somewhat sheepishly,

"I... I was just a little embarrassed."

"There's no shame in earning money."

Zhang Lan patted his shoulder, then offered him a Gold Soul Coin.

"Four grilled fish, please. Let's see what you can do."

"No, no, no!"

"Class monitor, this is far too much."

"The fish are five Copper Soul Coins each. This is too much."

"I can't make change for it."

Huo Yuhao hurriedly tried to refuse.

"And this is...?"

Xiao Xiao looked at Tang Ya beside him and asked.

"This is Tang Ya. She's our senior."

"She helped me find this stall."

Tang Ya lifted her chin slightly, a smile on her face.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Tang Ya, and I'm the current sect master of the Tang Sect!"

Hearing the words "Tang Sect" seemed to trigger something in Wang Dong.

He immediately exclaimed in shock,

"The Tang Sect? You're..."

Before Wang Dong could finish, Zhang Lan hurriedly interrupted.

"Yuhao, just take this Gold Soul Coin without worrying."

"As a soul master, you're bound to have expenses."

"Keep it for now."

With that, he placed the Gold Soul Coin in Huo Yuhao's palm.

He closed his hand around Huo Yuhao's, trapping the coin firmly in his palm.

Huo Yuhao struggled a few times before giving up.

"Thank you, class monitor. I'll work hard to pay you back."

"Don't just stand there. Hurry up and grill the fish."

With that, Zhang Lan let go.

The others then sat down at a table that had already been set up nearby.

Before long, four grilled fish were ready.

The golden fish skin glistened with oil, and a rich aroma kept wafting from their bellies.

Huo Yuhao put the fish on an iron platter and personally brought it over to their table.

Zhang Lan picked up a fish and took a bite.

The instant his teeth met the skin, it gave a faint crunch.

The skin was grilled crisp, without any burnt taste.

It really did taste good-far better than the takeout he had ordered in his previous life.

Customers at the surrounding stalls caught the aroma and turned to look.

Someone couldn't help asking,

"Student, how much is your grilled fish?"

Huo Yuhao called out as he grilled,

"Five Copper Soul Coins each!"

The man immediately paid for one and took a bite.

His eyes lit up after tasting it.

"Delicious!!!"

Once someone had tasted the fish and praised it, more people began coming over to buy some.

Before long, a long line had formed in front of Huo Yuhao's stall.

Some had been drawn by the aroma.

Others saw the long line and figured that since they were already here, they might as well join it.

Zhang Lan and the others sat nearby, leisurely enjoying their grilled fish and the snacks they had bought earlier.

After a while longer, Zhang Lan and the others had eaten their fill.

At the same time, the crowd in front of Huo Yuhao's stall began to thin.

Only a few of the black carp he had prepared remained.

Just then, several female students in purple uniforms approached from a distance.

The moment the girl at the front appeared, she drew every gaze around her.

She looked only fourteen or fifteen, with a slender, well-proportioned figure and long golden hair falling down her back in broad waves.

Her skin was whiter than snow, and her eyes were like pools of clear water.

Her neatly tailored purple uniform further accentuated her upright bearing and elegant grace.

Her arrival seemed to dim everything around her.