By the time Uncle Zhou arrived at the Kitchen, the courtyard lamps were already lit.
Fang Ming sat before a basin, holding a shrimp in one hand and deveining it with the other. Half a basin of shrimp shells lay by his feet. Hearing the door, he simply dropped the peeled shrimp into a bowl without looking up.
"Uncle Zhou, was the food we saved last night enough?"
"You certainly got here early."
Uncle Zhou pushed the door open. The shrimp in the bowl had been washed clean and deveined. Clearly, Fang Ming was not sitting there just for show.
"Xiao An only agreed last night to give you extra shrimp, and here you are this morning, snatching up the work."
"I feel more at ease eating shrimp I peeled myself."
Fang Ming spoke with perfect seriousness, making Uncle Zhou chuckle.
Feeling at ease was just an excuse. He was really afraid Xiao An would forget those two extra shrimp, wasn't he?
By the time Chen An entered the courtyard, Fang Ming had already peeled a bowlful. He even made a point of lifting the bowl for Chen An to see.
"I wasn't slacking. I deveined them all."
"I see that. Since you're sitting there, how about heating the wok for me too?"
"That I can do."
Fang Ming stood as he spoke. Before Chen An could say anything else, he was already helping Uncle Zhou feed wood into the stove.
He had originally come just for a shrimp breakfast, but now that he was halfway through the work, he hardly had time to quibble.
Chen An washed his hands, then spread out the overnight rice. The grains had dried nicely and would not easily clump during frying. He drained the shrimp and mixed in a little salt, beat the eggs in a bowl, diced the ham, and set the white parts of the scallions aside.
Most of these ingredients had been prepared yesterday. All he needed to do this morning was put them in the wok.
Once the wok was hot, oil spread around its sides. He poured in the beaten eggs, and just as tender golden edges formed, Chen An broke them up with his spatula and added the diced ham and shrimp.
As the shrimp met the hot oil, they slowly turned from translucent to white. Only once their savory aroma had been brought out did the rice follow them into the wok. The spatula swept up from the bottom, gradually breaking apart the clumps of rice and coating them in a thin layer of egg fragrance.
Fang Ming had still been feeding the fire, but when he heard the spatula strike the rim, even his hands slowed over the wood.
Only when that aroma rose did he realize that getting up early to peel shrimp had been worth it.
"Don't build the fire too high." Chen An glanced at him. "If the rice burns, it won't matter how many shrimp you peeled."
"Got it."
Fang Ming quickly removed two sticks of wood, then peered into the wok again.
"That scoop's mine, right?"
"I haven't even served it, and you've already recognized yours?"
"I peeled those shrimp. Of course I recognize them."
Chen An could not be bothered to answer. He tossed the rice a few final times, sprinkled in chopped scallions, and emptied it into a large basin. When Fang Ming's turn came, he deliberately gave him an extra scoop, then picked out two whole shrimp from the basin and added them.
Fang Ming looked down. Nestled among the rice grains, the white shrimp really were more plentiful than yesterday.
"Now that's generous."
He had barely finished speaking when someone beside him reached out with his own bowl.
"Xiao An, I helped Uncle Zhou carry firewood yesterday."
"That was yesterday's firewood."
"Then I'll carry more today."
"Eat your breakfast first."
These fellows had certainly been quick to learn Fang Ming's tricks.
Shao Heng arrived a little later. He had just accepted his rice when Fang Ming brought his bowl over.
"Look at these shrimp."
"I know you peeled them."
"I haven't even said anything yet."
"I heard you from outside the courtyard gate."
Fang Ming lowered his head and shoveled in his rice, not bothering to argue further. After all, the mouthful he had was truly delicious. Every rice grain was distinct, the shrimp were springy and tender, and the diced ham added another savory, salty note. By the time he finished, not a single grain remained in his bowl.
After breakfast, Shao Heng was calling the others to the training grounds when Chen An remembered what he had seen at the academy yesterday and stopped him.
"Senior Brother, what time do you start training today? Do you take a break partway through?"
"We're heading over now. After the first session, we have to wait for Fang Ming's Soul Power to recover before we can continue."
"Why single me out?" Still holding his empty bowl, Fang Ming turned to look at him. "Who were we waiting for last time, until lunch nearly went cold?"
Shao Heng did not take the bait. Chen An, however, understood. He had been thinking about this ever since seeing people sitting beside the training grounds regulating their breathing at the academy yesterday.
"Don't leave yet. I'll make you a bowl of popcorn. You usually eat it at mealtimes, but today we'll move it to before training. Maybe you won't have to wait as long during your break."
"Good. It'll come in handy during our first break." Shao Heng handed his empty bowl to Uncle Zhou, then turned to call the others. "Come back, everyone. Eat this before you go."
"Will we really make it in time for lunch?"
"If you don't, I'll save you some," Chen An said. "But let's be clear: I'm only saving the food. No extra shrimp for anyone."
Fang Ming had just walked back. Hearing the second half, he immediately felt that Chen An's words were plainly aimed at him.
Uncle Zhou had already scrubbed the wok on the stove. The Dragon-Transforming Pot appeared in Chen An's palm, his First Soul Ring flashed, and a golden kernel of BB Corn fell into the pot, which had taken the shape of a wok.
He had made it many times before and was thoroughly familiar with controlling the heat now. As the wok warmed, the corn rolled along the bottom, its golden skin slowly tightening until it finally split with a pop.
The next pop followed immediately.
White popcorn burst open one piece after another, as though a light snowfall had suddenly filled the wok. In the blink of an eye, there was enough to fill a bowl. Steam carried its sweet aroma beyond the courtyard, and the people who had just stepped outside all backed in again.
Chen An handed the bowl to Shao Heng.
"Share it while it's hot. Eat before you leave."
Shao Heng accepted it, took some for himself, and divided the rest among Fang Ming and their companions. Fang Ming had just eaten his fill at breakfast, but his hand was not slow in the least when he saw the popcorn.
"Didn't you say you were full?" Shao Heng asked.
"A meal is a meal. This isn't a meal."
Well, that actually sounded rather reasonable.
After finishing, they went to the training grounds. Chen An put away the wok and followed to watch.
Today, Shao Heng did not have everyone practice individually. Instead, he placed three wooden posts beside the grounds and had the others try switching positions between them. When the person in front fell back, the one at the side had to move in, while the last person also had to watch the open space behind them.
The first run went fairly well. At the third post, Fang Ming let his companion move ahead a step but failed to fill the gap in time. Naturally, a wooden post could not attack anyone, but Shao Heng still tapped the ground with his toe.
"Against a real opponent, you'd leave an opening here."
"I see it." Fang Ming wiped his forehead. "Let's go again."
They went through the three posts once more. The space was the same, but running back and forth and changing positions consumed no less Soul Power than burying themselves in individual practice.
By the end of the round, sweat shone on their foreheads. Less than an hour had passed since they ate the popcorn when Shao Heng called everyone to sit down and regulate their breathing. Fang Ming plopped onto the stone steps and tipped his head back to gulp water.
Usually, the hardest part at this point was waiting. Until their Soul Power recovered, the next round had to be delayed. If it dragged on long enough, they ran into lunchtime, leaving the entire morning's training in scattered pieces.
Today, after they had sat quietly for a while, Shao Heng opened his eyes first, stretched his shoulders, and stood. Fang Ming had been about to linger a little longer, but after trying to circulate his Soul Power, he swallowed those words.
"On your feet."
"Got it."
Standing before the posts for the second round, Fang Ming watched more carefully than before. When he reached the third post, he darted into the opening as soon as his companion withdrew. Shao Heng moved in from the other side as well. This time, they did not leave that position empty.
"That works," Shao Heng said, then shifted the posts again. "Now switch sides."
Chen An sat beside the grounds for a while. After watching them finish the second round, he returned to the Kitchen. Lunch was still waiting for him to light the stove.
As mealtime approached, Fang Ming and the others finished the run with switched sides too. Usually, they practiced individually, and by the final exercise, lunchtime often hurried them into wrapping up. Today, with less waiting during the break, they actually had time left to reset the posts and complete a full run back and forth. As Shao Heng put the posts away, he spotted Chen An coming from the Kitchen to call them to lunch and raised a hand to him.
"We finished everything we needed to practice. Any later, and we'd have had to move that side-switching run to the afternoon."
Fang Ming was bracing his hands on his knees, panting. At those words, he immediately chimed in, "Then do we eat it at the same time tomorrow?"
"Ask whether I'm free first."
"I'll wash the vegetables."
"Didn't you get enough shrimp this morning?"
"The shrimp were this morning. Tomorrow is tomorrow."
That answer certainly came quickly. Seeing him so exhausted that he had yet to catch his breath, Chen An found it rather amusing. The next time he made it, he would still have to see whether he could shift his own cultivation schedule. But today's bowl really had been worth the effort.
Back in the Kitchen, he ate and cleaned up as usual, then set aside time for his own cultivation that afternoon. Making a bowl of popcorn did not take all day, but the Soul Power did ultimately come from him. He would have to think through future arrangements gradually.
Later, Ning Rongrong came running to the Kitchen. The moment she entered, she said, "I want to go to the training grounds tomorrow too."
"Want to watch the fun again?"
"I want to practice." She held the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in her palm, remembering the little flag at the academy yesterday. "They didn't use their Soul Skills right at the start then. I want to try giving my companion a boost only when he needs it too."
Chen An was putting away the bowls by the stove. Hearing how serious she sounded, he smiled and said, "Then you'll need Grandpa Bone to go with you. You practice, and I'll have your food ready."
"It's a promise!"
Ning Rongrong put away her little pagoda, turned, and headed for Gu Rong's residence. Even as she ran out through the courtyard gate, she remembered to look back and remind Chen An, afraid that after agreeing, he would get tied up with tomorrow's cooking again.
Chen An waved to her.
Today's shrimp had already been peeled, and he had no other plans tomorrow. He really could free up that little bit of time.
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