Another bowl!!!

"Grandpa Sword, come over for dinner tonight!"

Before she even entered the courtyard, Ning Rongrong's voice had already carried inside.

Chen Xin was sitting in the courtyard. Seeing the two little ones walk in one after another, he smiled.

"What made you think of inviting Grandpa to dinner today?"

"Brother Chen An made some really delicious fried rice. I'll save you a bowl."

Hearing this, Chen Xin glanced at Chen An without giving it too much thought. He naturally knew the boy liked visiting the kitchen, and he had tasted plenty of the snacks he usually cooked up.

They tasted good, but judging by Rongrong's expression, today's meal must have particularly suited her tastes.

"All right, Grandpa will come tonight."

Only after he agreed did Ning Rongrong nod in satisfaction and find herself a stool.

Chen An went over to Chen Xin and dutifully greeted him as Grandpa Sword.

"Did you try out your Martial Soul at noon?"

"Yes, I made a pot of rice with the Dragon-Transforming Pot."

"Did you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

"No, I just got a little tired after using it for a while."

Chen Xin nodded, had him sit down in front of him, and began teaching him the most basic meditation method.

His Martial Soul had awakened, but Chen An had to learn from scratch how to control his Soul Power and recover it after using it up. He could hardly let his wok disappear halfway through frying every time he cooked. That would be quite a spectacle.

As for a Soul Ring, they naturally had to prepare for that too.

"Once you're familiar with using Soul Power, Grandpa will take you to hunt for a Soul Ring. Your Martial Soul is unusual, so we must carefully consider which Soul Beast to choose."

"Understood, Grandpa Sword."

Chen An agreed readily. Following the old man's instructions, he closed his eyes, slowly adjusted his breathing, and sensed the Soul Power within him.

Having a Titled Douluo teach him personally was something countless people could only dream of, so naturally, he would not slack off now. Although he had no Soul Ring yet and could not advance beyond rank ten for the time being, his Soul Power could still accumulate. Practicing certainly would not be a waste.

Besides, having a system did not mean he could do nothing at all. Surely he ought to make time to cultivate for a while each day.

He was a little unfamiliar with it at first, but fortunately, Chen Xin was right beside him, ready to correct anything he did wrong. Before long, Chen An gradually got the hang of it, and the Soul Power he had expended at noon began recovering bit by bit.

While he practiced diligently, however, Ning Rongrong was growing restless beside him.

At first, the little girl had propped up her chin and obediently watched, but after watching for a while and finding that Chen An merely sat there motionless, she gradually lost interest.

She looked at Chen An, then at Chen Xin, wanting to say something, but the old man had just warned her not to make any noise and disturb him.

With no other choice, she could only keep waiting.

That wait lasted most of the afternoon.

When Chen An opened his eyes again, Chen Xin was about to have him try out his recovered Soul Power, but Ning Rongrong came over first.

"Grandpa Sword, shouldn't Brother Chen An take a break?"

Hearing this, Chen Xin looked at her in amusement.

"What, feeling sorry for him?"

"He's been cultivating for so long."

That was true enough, but watching her glance toward the courtyard gate now and then, Chen An kept feeling that concern for him was not the only thing on her mind.

After thinking it over, Chen An went along with her.

"I am a little tired. I'll go back and sleep, then head to the kitchen later."

At these words, Ning Rongrong immediately grew anxious.

"You can't sleep first!"

Once the words were out and she saw both the old man and the boy looking at her, the little girl hurriedly added something.

"It's bad to sleep on an empty stomach. You have to eat first."

The corner of Chen An's mouth twitched.

So cultivating called for a break, but cooking didn't?

I'd thought she really felt sorry for me. After all that, she was just afraid her dinner would be delayed.

Chen Xin naturally saw what was going on too. He smiled and shook his head, but still spoke to Chen An.

"Try it first. Learning this much today will be enough."

Hearing this, Ning Rongrong finally stopped urging him, though her eyes remained fixed on Chen An, afraid he would close his eyes again and sit there until dark.

Following Chen Xin's instructions, Chen An summoned the Dragon-Transforming Pot again and once more turned it into a wok.

This time, instead of pouring his Soul Power into it all at once as he had at noon, he tried slowing the flow to keep the wok stable.

He was not quite used to it at first, but after several attempts, he made some progress.

He had summoned the same wok, yet it consumed less Soul Power than at noon.

Noticing this, Chen An felt a burst of delight. The afternoon's lessons had not been wasted. He could not help asking,

"Grandpa Sword, does this mean I can fry two more batches of rice?"

Chen Xin froze for a moment at his words, then looked at him in amusement.

"I taught you to use Soul Power, and all you're thinking about is fried rice?"

"Isn't that practicing my Martial Soul too?"

He said it with such perfect confidence that Chen Xin did not know what to say. It was not wrong, but after an entire afternoon of teaching, the first thing this boy thought of was being able to fry two more batches of rice that evening.

Shaking his head, Chen Xin did not argue with him further.

"That's enough. Put it away. From now on, practice the way I taught you today. Rest when you're tired; there's no need to rush."

"All right."

Having finally heard those words, Ning Rongrong was even happier than Chen An. She tugged his sleeve and headed outside.

"Grandpa Sword, we'll go cook first. Come over in a little while!"

Watching the two children leave, Chen Xin shook his head with a chuckle.

It was only a bowl of fried rice. How had she spent an entire afternoon thinking about it?

When Chen An returned to the kitchen and stepped into the back courtyard, he saw Uncle Zhou already waiting.

The stove had been wiped spotless, the rice steamed, and the shrimp prepared. Eggs and side ingredients stood nearby, and even the firewood for the evening had been stacked neatly beside the stove.

"You're back, Xiao An. Come see if anything's missing!"

Seeing Chen An, Uncle Zhou hurriedly beckoned, looking even more energetic than he usually did when waiting to start work.

Chen An looked at everything set out beside him, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

"Uncle Zhou, you prepared all of this?"

"It was no trouble. Once I finished out front, I had nothing else to do anyway."

He spoke casually, but the moment Chen An stepped onto the little wooden stool, he had already brought over the basin of rice and even passed the spatula right to his hand.

Good grief, all that was missing was me doing the frying.

"I prepared some extra rice. Make sure you fry plenty tonight."

"I know. Give me some room first. I haven't even chopped the vegetables."

Only then did Uncle Zhou realize. He hurriedly set the rice aside and brought over the plate of side ingredients instead.

Chen An felt rather helpless at the sight. Usually, this elder taught him what to do, but today, before he had even spoken, Uncle Zhou had already started acting as his assistant.

After chopping the side ingredients and beating the eggs, Chen An turned the Dragon-Transforming Pot into a wok and began preparing dinner.

With more people this time, he naturally could not fry just one small batch as he had at noon. But fried rice was not something that improved the more you crammed into the wok. With too much rice, it would be difficult to toss, and the heat would be hard to control.

So Chen An planned to cook it in separate batches. He would rather fry two extra batches than ruin his own reputation.

As for washing vegetables and adding firewood, he truly did not need to worry about those things.

No sooner had he set down an empty plate than Uncle Zhou took it away to wash. When the fire in the stove weakened a little, more wood went in before Chen An even had to speak.

It left Chen An feeling a little embarrassed.

"Uncle Zhou, just sit and wait. I can do these things myself."

"It's fine. You keep frying."

Wait? As if he could bear waiting.

The taste of that bowl of fried rice from noon still seemed to linger in his mouth. In any case, Uncle Zhou had spent much of the afternoon looking toward the back courtyard.

The sooner they finished, the sooner they could eat. He understood that much.

Ning Rongrong was not idle either. She had set out several bowls early on and even deliberately fetched an extra one.

"Brother Chen An, don't forget Grandpa Bone's portion."

"I won't. I'll save some for him."

Only after he agreed did Ning Rongrong relax and turn her attention back to the fried rice in the wok.

Soon, that familiar aroma drifted through the courtyard again.

Watching the rice continually tumble in the wok, Ning Rongrong and Uncle Zhou stood on either side. Neither spoke again, but their gazes were remarkably alike.

Anyone who did not know better might have thought they were looking at some rare treasure.

Chen An felt nothing in particular. He tossed and seasoned the rice as usual, then served the first batch once the fragrance of chopped scallions spread.

Just then, Chen Xin entered the courtyard.

Before reaching the stove, the old man caught the aroma, and his steps involuntarily paused.

He had eaten Chen An's cooking before, but today's aroma did indeed seem a little different.

No wonder that girl Rongrong had talked about it all afternoon.

"Grandpa Sword, come over! Dinner's just ready."

Ning Rongrong hurriedly waved. Seeing Chen Xin approach, Uncle Zhou also withdrew his gaze from the fried rice and bowed respectfully.

Chen Xin waved to indicate that there was no need for ceremony, then came beside Chen An, who readily handed him a filled bowl.

"Grandpa Sword, have a taste."

Looking at the fried rice before him, Chen Xin accepted it with a smile. Without saying anything, he scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth.

The next moment, the old man's movements paused slightly.

The rice was soft and fluffy in his mouth, rich with the fragrance of egg. As he chewed, the savory flavor of ham and the sweet freshness of shrimp emerged. Those flavors mingled together, making him want another mouthful as soon as he finished the first.

Chen Xin scooped up another spoonful before looking up at Chen An.

"Your cooking has improved quite a bit."

"It's delicious, isn't it?"

Before Chen An could speak, Ning Rongrong eagerly asked, looking as though she had fried the rice herself.

"It is."

"I ate two bowls at noon."

"One and a half."

Beside the stove, Chen An casually corrected her. Ning Rongrong pretended not to hear and picked up her own bowl in complete satisfaction.

Chen Xin laughed at the sight too, but after a few more mouthfuls, his smile gradually faded, and his gaze returned to his bowl.

At first, he had merely found it delicious, but after the rice entered his stomach, there was actually an extremely faint trace of warmth.

To him, that sensation was almost negligible, yet it was not simply the result of eating hot food.

"Xiao An, did you add anything besides these ingredients?"

Hearing this, Chen An shook his head.

"No. Just rice, eggs, and those side ingredients."

Uncle Zhou nodded along beside him. He had prepared all the ingredients, so no one knew better than he did what had gone into it.

"After eating at noon, my arms felt a little better too. They'd already recovered quite a bit before you taught me to cultivate."

Chen An added this as well. Since the old man had already noticed it through eating, there was nothing to hide. As for the system, naturally, he could not mention that.

Chen Xin pondered for a moment and carefully assessed the sensation again before nodding.

"It has some effect in restoring stamina and nourishing the body. It's not much use to Grandpa, but it does have some benefits for children your age."

At these words, Uncle Zhou's eyes widened.

He too had felt comfortable after eating at noon, but he had only attributed it to having a filling meal after working for half the day. How could he have imagined it had benefits like these?

This rice was already delicious enough, and now it was actually good for the body too?

Looking at the basin of fried rice beside him, Uncle Zhou involuntarily swallowed again.

Chen Xin looked toward the jade-colored wok on the stove. The ingredients were all ordinary. If anything was different from before, it was this Martial Soul that had awakened today.

Whether it was truly responsible remained to be seen, but having benefits like these was a good thing regardless.

"How much Soul Power does cooking this way consume?"

"Less than at noon. Using the method you taught me this afternoon, I could fry another two batches without any problem."

Chen An carefully checked before answering. After hearing him, Chen Xin nodded in satisfaction. The boy had truly put the afternoon's lessons to use.

"Good. If anything changes when you cook in the future, remember to tell Grandpa."

"All right."

Only after Chen An agreed did Chen Xin set his mind at ease and lower his head to resume eating.

Beside them, Uncle Zhou had long since reached the limits of his patience. Bowl in hand, he sat on the stone steps and began eating in big mouthfuls.

For a while, no one in the courtyard chatted. Only the sounds of the spatula turning and occasional remarks about how delicious it was remained.

After Chen An finished frying the remaining portions and deliberately set aside a bowl for Gu Rong, he finally withdrew his Martial Soul and prepared to sit down to his own meal.

But before he had settled into his seat, an empty bowl appeared in front of him.

"Xiao An, serve me some more."

Chen An instinctively reached for it, assuming it was Uncle Zhou, but when he looked up, he froze.

It was actually Grandpa Sword.

The old man's expression was perfectly normal. Seeing Chen An looking at him, he simply pushed the bowl a little farther forward.

"Fill it up."

Chen An looked at the empty bowl, then at the basin of fried rice, which had visibly dwindled, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

He had thought Uncle Zhou had prepared too much for tonight. Now it seemed he had been too naive. Every last one of them stopped standing on ceremony once they had tasted it.

Still, seeing Chen Xin enjoying his meal made Chen An happy too. He took the bowl and filled it to the brim, then gave Uncle Zhou another serving before finally getting to eat his own dinner.

The sky gradually darkened. Once everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Uncle Zhou began clearing away the bowls and chopsticks, and Chen An's system notifications rang out.

[Ding, received one positive review from Ning Rongrong. Reward: 1 physique point.]

[Ding, received one positive review from Uncle Zhou. Reward: 1 physique point.]

[Ding, received one positive review from Chen Xin. Reward: 1 physique point.]

[Yangzhou fried rice positive review progress: 5/100.]

Another three physique points. Feeling the changes in his body, Chen An nodded in satisfaction.

He had only awakened his Martial Soul that morning, yet over the course of the day, he had not only learned to meditate but also gained five physique points. Although there were not many people eating here at present, there was no rush. He could take it slowly.

At that moment, Chen Xin also set down his bowl and said to Chen An.

"From now on, save a portion of dinner for your grandpa, too."

"Sure."

Why would he refuse? Quite apart from the fact that he ought to show filial respect to the old man anyway, he could not have been happier to get another positive review.

But just as the two finished speaking, a voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Well, well, so you're all here."

Looking toward the voice, they saw the tall, imposing Gu Rong already standing at the courtyard gate. His gaze swept over them before finally settling on the empty bowl in front of Chen Xin that had yet to be cleared away.

Then he looked at Chen An, and the old man spoke in a wistful tone.

"Xiao An, your Grandpa Sword really is the lucky one when it comes to good food."

Why did that sound a little sour? Chen An was just about to speak when Ning Rongrong beat him to it, pointing toward the stove.

"Grandpa Bone, we saved some for you, too!"

Hearing this, Gu Rong's smile immediately broadened. The two little ones had a conscience after all. He had not doted on them for nothing.

But when he turned to Chen Xin again, the old man's expression was far less pleasant.

"You old geezer, didn't you say you were going to teach Xiao An to cultivate this afternoon?"

At this, Chen Xin's expression remained unchanged as he pointed toward the stove.

"I was teaching him to use his Martial Soul. What's wrong with that?"