Cao's Rice Bowl

Carried along by Zhang Lexuan, Huo Yuhao gradually moved faster and faster. Perhaps because of the protection of her soul power, he could look down clearly at the earth from the sky, taking in all its beautiful scenery.

Waves rippled through the golden wheat fields with the wind. At that moment, the invisible wind took on a shape of its own.

The hillsides were planted with countless fruit trees, their branches laden with fruit, reflecting a bountiful harvest.

Caravans of horse-drawn wagons occasionally passed along the official roads that stretched in every direction. Looking down from high above, they resembled ants.

Cooking smoke rose from the villages scattered all around. Every house stood sheltered beneath a large tree, and sometimes groups of people could be seen sitting together, seemingly chatting.

Mountains swept beneath his feet, birds flew alongside them, and brilliant sunlight glittered over winding, rugged rivers and the solid, weighty earth.

Huo Yuhao took it all in, dispelling a little of the grief in his heart. He had seen scenery like this when he first saw Huo Yun.

But those images had only flashed past back then. Only now did he truly experience the beauty of this world, looking down upon heaven and earth, with all the mountains dwarfed below.

Five days later, as the sky turned dusky yellow, an incomparably vast city finally appeared before Huo Yuhao.

It was even larger than Star Luo City, the largest city Huo Yuhao had ever seen from afar. Walls that stretched beyond sight enclosed it, with buildings scattered within like stars across the sky and pieces across a chessboard. Viewed from above, the city resembled a fierce beast crouching upon the earth.

But suddenly, Huo Yuhao felt himself begin to descend. Just as he wondered why, Zhang Lexuan's gentle voice rang out. "Within ten li of Shrek City, no one is permitted to fly around using a Flying Soul Tool without reporting it beforehand. Otherwise, the city defense troops will treat them as invading enemies and eliminate them."

In the end, the group descended several kilometers from Shrek City, landing on an official road.

"All right, we'll enter through the south gate," Zhang Lexuan said.

The others nodded in agreement, treating it as a stroll.

"Speaking of which, Strawberry, I remember your family runs a restaurant in Shrek City. Could Yuhao try staying at your place first?" As they walked, Zhang Lexuan began sorting out Huo Yuhao's accommodation.

After all, Huo Yuhao was not a student of Shrek Academy. They could not take him inside.

"Of course. Little Yuhao can stay as long as he likes." Strawberry did not refuse. On the contrary, she was very welcoming.

After spending these past few days together, Huo Yuhao had learned that despite her sweet smile, she loved cracking jokes now and then and was very mischievous.

Huo Yuhao in particular was her favorite target for teasing-a poor child who had seen little of the world, and who, despite being a duke's son, could just as accurately be called a maid's son.

She teased him with knowledge about Soul Masters that he did not possess, and Huo Yuhao never tired of it. Since he did not know these things, he could use this opportunity to fill the gaps in his understanding of the Soul Master World.

Strawberry was more than happy to have Huo Yuhao move into her home. That way, she could tease him from time to time.

"What about you, Yuhao? How about trying your Sister Strawberry's place first?" Zhang Lexuan then looked at Huo Yuhao and asked his opinion.

"I'd be happy to." Huo Yuhao nodded. He did not mind where he stayed.

The group chatted casually as they followed the official road toward Shrek's south gate.

As they walked, Zhang Lexuan continued telling Huo Yuhao about things he needed to bear in mind in Shrek City.

When they reached the south gate, the first thing that greeted them was a broad, clean avenue, wide enough for eight horse-drawn carriages to travel abreast.

Looking into the distance, they could see many people moving about. People came and went, and the clamor of voices spread out from the city gate.

As they moved forward, they saw that the tall, thick city walls were densely lined with dark Soul Cannons. Their pitch-black muzzles, together with the weathered walls, gave off an air of deadly severity.

At least two hundred fully armed city defense soldiers constantly patrolled the walls. The gate stood open, and entering required only a simple inspection.

That, however, applied to ordinary people. For Huo Yuhao's group, Zhang Lexuan merely took out a token and showed it to a city defense soldier standing guard on the other side. Under his reverent gaze, they were immediately allowed through.

Unsurprisingly, this drew envious looks from quite a few people nearby.

They passed through the broad city gateway, whose age was unknown. Only a few dim Soul Guidance Lamps lit the passage, but at its far end shone a brilliance like countless lights.

The instant he stepped into Shrek City, Huo Yuhao was truly stunned. At a glance, the world had come alive. Clean, spacious streets stretched before him, filled with horse-drawn carriages of various shapes and sizes. Many carried passengers through Shrek City's streets and alleys.

For Huo Yuhao, who had grown up in the Duke's Mansion without seeing the outside world, the impact was immense.

Like a child who had never seen anything grand, he looked around in every direction as he followed Zhang Lexuan and the others farther inside.

The streets were filled with people preparing to enjoy the nightlife. Some had brought their families, while others were couples. Noisy voices rose and fell, but most carried laughter.

"Yuhao, it's time for us to part ways. Go home with your Sister Strawberry. I'll come see you in a couple of days when I have time." After walking for roughly a dozen minutes, they reached a fork in the road. Zhang Lexuan stopped and turned to Huo Yuhao.

"All right." Huo Yuhao nodded.

"Don't worry, Sister Lexuan. With me looking after Yuhao, who would dare bully him?" Strawberry smiled and patted her chest in assurance.

"Would anyone besides you bully him?" The fat man traveling with them neatly undercut her.

"What do you mean, 'anyone besides me'? You make me sound like some wicked woman who loves bullying people! You damn fatty, are you asking for a beating?" Strawberry demanded, glaring at him.

"Only you know whether that's true." Though fat, he was extremely nimble. The moment he finished speaking, he turned and ran.

Strawberry had only just summoned a strawberry and was about to throw it when the fat man was already far away.

"All right, let's go." Zhang Lexuan smiled at the scene, said nothing more about it, and turned to the others.

Everyone then said goodbye to Huo Yuhao and Strawberry. Before long, they disappeared from the pair's sight.

"Come with me, Yuhao. I'll take you home." Only after they were out of sight did Strawberry take Huo Yuhao's hand and head down the other branch of the road.

After walking a little over four hundred meters, they emerged from the small lane and joined the crowds on a food street lined with countless restaurants. The street was a sea of people, and the aromas of all kinds of food mingled in the air, making mouths water.

Strawberry's home stood right in the middle of the street. In terms of size, its three stories made it one of the more impressive establishments along the entire street. Its sign read: Cao's Rice Bowl!

Though it called itself a rice bowl restaurant, it offered plenty of dishes, including rice, barbecue, and spicy hot pot!

Its business actually ranked in the upper-middle range on this street.

"This is my home. Come in." Strawberry led Huo Yuhao straight inside with long strides.

The layout was simple. Various drinks and alcoholic beverages stood on the shelves behind the cashier's counter, and there were a dozen or so tables downstairs.

"Strawberry, you're back?" Seeing Strawberry return, the cashier seated by the entrance greeted her. The two seemed quite close.

"I'm back, Sister Lin. Where are my parents?" Strawberry greeted her and asked.

"They're helping prepare ingredients in the kitchen," Sister Lin said, pointing toward the kitchen.

"Okay, I'll go say hello to them first." With that, Strawberry led Huo Yuhao toward the kitchen.

"Who's this child?" Sister Lin now noticed Huo Yuhao.

"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce you. His name is Huo Yuhao. Just call him Yuhao. Yuhao, this is Lin Yu. You can call her Sister Lin." Strawberry introduced them.

"Hello, Sister Lin," Huo Yuhao greeted her politely.

"Hello there, little fellow." Sister Lin waved at Huo Yuhao.

"I'll take him to meet my parents first. We can chat later." With that, Strawberry led Huo Yuhao farther inside.

They reached the kitchen. Business was good, and five or six chefs were busy working there, visibly struggling to keep up. That was why the owner and his wife had come to help as well.

"Dad, I'm back." Strawberry greeted a man who was stir-frying a dish. He looked to be in his forties, with a square face, a sturdy build around two meters tall, and a spotless white chef's uniform.

"Strawberry, my darling daughter, you're finally back! You were gone for a month. Your dad missed you to death!" Strawberry's father was overjoyed to see her. He put down his work and gave her a great big hug.

"I missed you too, Dad." Strawberry hugged her father before they separated. Hearing the commotion, the others all looked over.

A full-figured mature woman who looked around thirty had been washing vegetables nearby. Seeing Strawberry, she too came forward in delight and wrapped her in a hug.

This was clearly Strawberry's mother. After exchanging greetings, Strawberry pushed Huo Yuhao in front of her parents and introduced him.

Mr. and Mrs. Cao looked Huo Yuhao up and down. He was dressed in coarse cloth, with even a few patches on his clothes. Although Strawberry had not told them what had happened to him, they could make out a thing or two, and their gazes softened considerably.

For their daughter to bring him home, and in such a state, there really was no need to say more.

"You're Yuhao, right? Just call me Uncle Cao from now on. This is my wife, your Aunt Lan. This will be your home from now on. You can stay as long as you like," Mr. Cao said first.

"That's right, child. Please don't stand on ceremony," Aunt Lan said gently.

"Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Cao, Aunt Lan." Despite their words, Huo Yuhao knew that he was an outsider, after all, and could not neglect proper courtesy. He bowed to them.

"What trouble? Darling, take Yuhao to get settled first. Leave this to me." As Uncle Cao spoke, he had not forgotten that he had been stir-frying a dish.

"All right." Aunt Lan nodded gently and left with Huo Yuhao and Strawberry, heading farther inside.

Behind the restaurant was a small courtyard. Compared with the restaurant's lavish, antique-style decor out front, the rear looked a little simpler.

But it was only the decoration that was simpler and less magnificent. Everything else, whether the materials or the furnishings, was clearly worth a considerable sum.

Aunt Lan led Huo Yuhao and Strawberry to a small room beside a window in a two-story building in the rear courtyard.

The room was not very large, only a little bigger than where Huo Yuhao had lived in the Duke's Mansion. But it had every living necessity, even a private bathroom. It was on an entirely different level from the woodshed where he had lived before.

"Yuhao, you can stay here. I'll have Strawberry bring you some bedding in a moment." Aunt Lan led Huo Yuhao and Strawberry inside. With three people in it, the room felt somewhat cramped.

"All right."

Afterward, Aunt Lan and Strawberry said little else. They merely patted Huo Yuhao's shoulders before going downstairs.

Only once they had left did Huo Yuhao begin examining the room, setting down the backpack he had been carrying all along.

He would be staying here for a long time before Huo Yun woke up, so he found some cleaning tools and began cleaning the room.

Since the room had not been particularly messy to begin with, Huo Yuhao finished cleaning before Strawberry returned.

"Oh, you've already finished cleaning?" When Strawberry entered, she looked in surprise at the spotless room.

Although this was a guest room meant for people to stay in, its cleaning was usually somewhat neglected. She had only been gone for ten minutes or so, yet he had cleaned it so quickly. He really was efficient.

Huo Yuhao scratched his head and smiled. "I figured I had nothing to do anyway, so I tidied up a bit. I cleaned the second-floor hallway too."

Strawberry's gaze shifted slightly, and she praised him. "Not bad, not bad. Oh, right, here's your bedding."

As she spoke, Strawberry handed the bedding in her arms to Huo Yuhao.

"Thank you." Huo Yuhao took it and set it on the bed he had tidied.

"I was planning to help you clean when I came back, but you finished so quickly. In that case, let's eat," Strawberry said.

"Aren't they busy out front right now?" Huo Yuhao asked, looking toward the nearby restaurant, where calls could still be heard.

"They're busy, sure, but that doesn't stop us from eating. Just tell my parents what you want," Strawberry said with a grin.

"Wouldn't that be a bit improper? We could wait until Uncle and Auntie finish, then eat with everyone else." Huo Yuhao felt this was not quite right. They could simply wait a little.

"It'll be the middle of the night by the time they finish. Sister Lexuan is reporting my return for me when she goes back tonight, but I still have to report to school tomorrow. I need to get to bed early. I don't have time to wait for them." Strawberry spoke with utter conviction.