The commotion finally woke Miltank and Bounsweet on the bed. Still groggy from sleep, the two Pokémon were startled by the sight of everyone covered in muddy water.
"Sorry, Minccino. We got the floor dirty..." Tong Hua stood awkwardly in the doorway, muddy water dripping down his trouser legs and forming a small puddle on the floor.
"Min, min..."
A cleanliness-loving Minccino quietly fell to pieces.
Jessica, however, didn't mind at all. She simply took off her mud-covered jacket and boots, stepped barefoot onto the floor, and said with a grin,
"It's fine. We can clean it up together later. But Tong Hua, do you have any clothes I can change into? I can't stay like this."
Tong Hua nodded. "Yes, I'll get you some."
He hurried over to the wardrobe, dug out a clean T-shirt and a pair of trousers, then found a fresh towel and handed them all to Jessica.
"They might be a little small. You'll have to make do."
Jessica took the clothes and grinned. "Thanks!"
She was about to go change in the bathroom after Tong Hua pointed it out, but suddenly stopped and turned back to him. "Oh, right. Do you have hot water here?"
"Huh?" Tong Hua froze. "No. This cabin has neither running water nor electricity. I usually fetch water myself to wash up."
Looking incredulous, Jessica strode into the inner room.
There was only a small space partitioned off with wooden planks, with a wooden bucket full of clean water on the floor and a few towels hanging beside it. Apart from that, it was empty.
"How can you get used to living like this?" She turned back, gesturing dramatically. "You don't even have a proper place to bathe. Shouldn't you rebuild the house first?"
Tong Hua scratched his head sheepishly. "I've actually been thinking about that too, but I definitely don't have enough saved up to build a house yet.
"So I'll just have to make do for now.
"Besides, building Miltank's Pokémon Cottage comes before fixing up my own place."
Miltank, who was helping dry off Turtwig and Minccino nearby, heard this, and tears instantly misted those round eyes.
"Moo!"
Miltank hugged Tong Hua's muddy trouser legs, looking deeply moved.
"Hey, hey, hey! Stop that!"
Tong Hua clutched his trousers tightly while Jessica couldn't help laughing at the sight.
A little over ten minutes later, everyone was finally clean, and all the muddy marks on the floor had been removed.
Minccino stood in the middle of the room, little paws on hips, surveying the tidy cabin with satisfaction.
It was already four in the afternoon, and the rain outside showed no sign of stopping. Jessica sat on Tong Hua's bed, idly leafing through her own planting notes.
Tong Hua went into the kitchen and sorted through the ingredients Pelipper had delivered.
"Home delivery really is nice. What great service."
There was a bag of rice, some fresh vegetables, and some dried goods.
Among them were a bag of wood ear mushrooms and some dried shiitakes, ingredients Tong Hua had been looking forward to for a long time.
"The weather today really is perfect for hot pot, but I've been having it a little too often lately.
"I'll make rice with toppings instead."
Having decided, Tong Hua tied on his apron and started washing rice and preparing the ingredients.
With the Bibarel family, Tong Hua and his six Pokémon, plus Jessica's unexpected visit, today's dinner table would certainly be lively.
"I'd better prepare two basins, or there might not be enough."
This kind of rice dish was actually quite simple to make. It was hardly any different from steaming rice; all he had to do was arrange the chopped vegetables on top and add the seasonings before steaming.
He washed the rice and added water to let it soak. Then he julienned a Carrot and arranged it neatly on top.
Next, he sliced the wood ear mushrooms and shiitakes into strips. After arranging all the prepared ingredients over the rice, he added white sesame seeds, salt, and a little oil to the wooden basin for seasoning.
"Vegetables alone seem a little unbalanced nutritionally. Oh no, I forgot to buy meat this time because I don't have a freezer... Right, there's still fish."
Tong Hua left the kitchen and picked up an umbrella, ready to head out again.
"I'm going to get a few fish from the Pond at the Ranch. I'll be right back."
Jessica, who had been lost in her memories, finally snapped out of it. She looked a little surprised as Tong Hua untied his apron.
"Tong Hua, you can cook too?"
Tong Hua was speechless.
A little over ten minutes later, Tong Hua returned carrying a bucket of fish.
The Bibarel family followed behind him in a neat line, each carefully drying off at the door.
"Min, min."
Minccino stood at the doorway and inspected them one by one, making sure they were completely dry before letting them inside.
"Doof, doof!" Once inside, the Bidoof's eyes lit up at the sight of the cabin built entirely out of wood.
They did their best to restrain the urge to gnaw on it and, under Bibarel's guidance, gathered in the living room and sat down.
"Bib, bib." Bibarel lectured them, essentially telling them to mind their manners when visiting someone else's home and not behave like little brats.
Tong Hua carried the fish bucket into the kitchen, and Jessica followed, watching him prepare the ingredients with interest.
"Need any help?" she asked, stepping closer.
"Then please get the fire going for me. Sorry for the trouble." Without looking up, Tong Hua gripped his kitchen knife and switched his class to Cook.
With one clean stroke, he put an end to the fish's suffering.
This is a good chance to test High-Speed Craft... As the thought crossed Tong Hua's mind, his hands suddenly began moving with effortless fluidity.
Fish scales fluttered down like snowflakes, and the knife traced silver arcs over the cutting board. In the blink of an eye, the entire fish had been perfectly cut into paper-thin slices.
Jessica had just pushed the firewood into the stove when she looked up and froze. "That's some fast knife work! Wait... weren't your movements a little too fast just now? I think I saw afterimages!"
"Practice makes perfect." Tong Hua smiled mysteriously, his eyes fixed on the raw fish slices before him.
[Raw fish slices: quality B. Fresh ingredients prepared with exquisite skill. Quality will continuously decline over time; immediate processing is recommended. Recommended processing methods (cooking/alchemy).]
The grass carp had originally only been quality C, but after he used High-Speed Craft, it had actually become a quality B ingredient!
It was just as Tong Hua had suspected. After using the corresponding class's Crafting Skills, the finished product had broken through the ingredients'
quality ceiling!
However, using the skill had indeed taken a considerable toll. Tong Hua suddenly felt hungry and quickly pulled a Berry from his pocket to fill his stomach.
If he continued cooking with this quality B ingredient, he should be able to make a quality B dish, or perhaps something even better!
"Quality E only has an item's most basic function, with no special effects.
"Quality D adds some minor, time-limited effects to an item's original function, such as fullness or recovery.
"Quality C can already produce very strange effects, such as visual illusions.
"I wonder what new changes a quality B dish will bring!"
Filled with anticipation, Tong Hua uncovered the half-steamed rice. Most of the water he had added to the basin had already evaporated.
A rich aroma instantly filled the entire kitchen.
Jessica couldn't help taking a deep breath, her eyes lighting up. "Oh my goodness, what is that? How does it smell so good?"
Tong Hua didn't answer. Completely focused, he used a spoon to turn and mix the rice and chopped vegetables. With each turn, more fragrance wafted out!
"Min, min!" "Turt!" "Boun!"
Every Pokémon in the cabin caught the aroma. They all gathered at the kitchen doorway, craning their necks to peer inside.
Tong Hua laid the sliced fish over the rice, then put the lid back on.
"Just fifteen more minutes of steaming, and it'll be done!"
Tong Hua wiped the sweat from his forehead, an expectant smile spreading across his face.
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