Chapter 59

After several trips back and forth, the red fox saw that the otter had almost finished eating and even tried to steal its food. Only then did the otter grab the stainless steel bowl and dart away to its den to eat.

After finishing its meal, the otter seemed unsatisfied. It tilted its head back and whimpered twice at Qing Mengzhu and the others, then without hesitation, it ducked into the red fox's den, trying to mooch some food from the fox.

Immediately afterwards, the otter was beaten out.

The otter, its head covered in welts, was extremely indignant. It clung to the entrance of the red fox's burrow and howled at the fox inside, "Awooo!"

The red fox also emitted a threatening low growl from inside, implying that it would beat it up if it dared to go in.

Qing Mengzhu, and Zhu watched the excitement from outside; it was much more fun than watching TV.

After watching for a while and waiting for the two little ones to finish eating, Qing Mengzhu made sure they hadn't choked on any bones before taking the stainless steel bowl back home to wash it.

These two stainless steel bowls are obviously not for any other purpose, but they will come in handy the next time we feed the red fox and the otter.

After lunch, everyone was feeling sleepy, so they decided to go back to their rooms for a nap.

They all had things to do in the afternoon and planned to take a short nap of about half an hour. Unexpectedly, they all woke up late. They originally planned to get up at around 2 p. m., but when they got up, it was already past 5 p. m.

Zhao Hexi stretched, feeling refreshed. "I don't know if it's because the weather is particularly nice today, and the breeze outside is so pleasant, but I slept really soundly."

Qing Mengzhu looked at Ming Chunxi, "I think it might be the effect of the lotus seed and hazelnut chicken soup. I even set an alarm, but I don't know when it was turned off."

Ming Chunxi nodded. "Me too."

Zhao Hexi touched his throat. "If you're going to say that, I guess I feel the same way. I feel much more energetic after getting up, especially my throat. Before, I always felt like there was something stuck in my throat when I woke up, but today it seems completely gone."

Qing Mengzhu was skeptical. "This must be just my imagination, right?"

Zhao Hexi: "Really! I have to cough every time I get up to feel better in my throat. Do you think it's because of the lotus seeds, like they're good for clearing heat from the heart and moisturizing the lungs, that's why my throat feels better?"

Qing Mengzhu didn't seem to feel much of a difference. "It could also be a placebo effect; lotus seeds don't seem to have that effect."

He scanned it, and the lotus seeds so far are only of "Fine Grade" quality and should not have any medicinal effects.

Zhao Hexi retorted, "How could that be? I'm very sensitive to changes in my body. God Ming, what about you? Don't you feel that your upper chest feels lighter after a good night's sleep?"

After carefully sensing it for a moment, Ming Chunxi said, "Not for now."

Zhao Hexi sighed, "Am I the only one who's been in a sub-healthy state for a long time, which is why I feel it so strongly?"

Zhao Hexi spoke very seriously, Qing Mengzhu was somewhat convinced.

After thinking for a moment, Qing Mengzhu said, "In that case, how about we have lotus seed and hazelnut chicken soup again tomorrow? It'll be a good way to replenish our energy."

Zhao Hexi was a little uneasy. "You don't have many hazelnuts left, do you? If you drink any more, the hazelnuts will probably be all gone."

Qing Mengzhu: "It's alright, the hazel grouse should be laying eggs soon. If the lotus seed and hazel grouse soup is really that good, we won't eat the fertilized hazel eggs; we'll just hatch the next batch of hazel grouse."

Zhao Hexi had no objections. "I really felt refreshed after drinking the soup. You'll see for yourselves tomorrow."

Chapter 59

Qing Mengzhu's family quickly made a second batch of lotus seed and hazelnut chicken soup.

Zhao Hexi took a sip and exclaimed, "That's exactly how it feels! After drinking it, I feel completely relaxed."

Qing Mengzhu still didn't feel much of a difference. He looked at Ming Chunxi, "Did you feel it?"

Ming Chunxi: "Not at the moment."

Zhao Hexi: "You guys exercise regularly, go to bed early and get up early, eat a balanced diet with meat and vegetables, and use organic vegetables you grow yourself. What difference would it make? If you asked Auntie Ming or Grandpa Qing Guozhi, they would definitely understand."

Qing Mengzhu thought it made sense, so she said to Ming Chunxi, "Could you bring Auntie a bowl of soup later?"

Ming Chunxi: "Okay."

Qing Mengzhu then looked at Zhao Hexi: "Why don't you bring two bowls for your uncle and aunt too? Ask them to taste them and give me their feedback."

Zhao Hexi readily agreed, "No problem. I won't tell them it's soup made by your family, nor will I mention any effects after they drink it. I'll just see their reaction tomorrow and then give you feedback."

Qing Mengzhu: "Okay. Chunxi, don't tell Auntie. Let's see if she has any particular feelings about it?"

Qing Mengzhu rarely called Ming Chunxi by her name like that. After hearing it, Ming Chunxi's tone softened. "I won't tell her this is your soup."

Qing Mengzhu: "Then shall we split up and proceed separately?"

Zhao Hexi: "Alright, just wait for my good news! My parents will definitely have a special reaction after drinking it!"

After Ming Chunxi and Zhao Hexi went back separately, Qing Mengzhu went to the kitchen to fetch the last thermos container to Qing Guozhi.

Before leaving, Qing Mengzhu looked at the thermos in his hand and suddenly remembered that he had taken the thermos back to the restaurant, opened it, and used the Mall Assistant to scan the lotus seed and hazelnut chicken soup inside.

Since Zhao Hexi keeps saying that she feels much better after drinking the lotus seed and hazelnut chicken soup, surely that will be reflected in the data, right?

If there's anything unusual inside, the Mall Assistant should be able to detect it.

Thinking this, Qing Mengzhu scanned the sample lightly, and to his surprise, the quality of this lotus seed and hazelnut chicken soup was actually "Fine Grade+"!

The combination of "Fine Grade" quality lotus seeds and "Good Grade+" hazelnut chicken elevates the overall quality of the soup.

What's the logic behind this?

Could it be because they are a perfect match, achieving a result where one plus one is greater than two?

Looking at the scan results, Qing Mengzhu was filled with disbelief.

This goes against the objective understanding of most people.

Qing Mengzhu suspected that the Mall Assistant might be malfunctioning, so she scanned it again, but the result was still "Fine Grade+". The notoriously stingy Interstellar Mall was even willing to pay 18.5 Star Coins to buy the soup in the thermos.

If he hadn't made a soup, the total value of this bucket of ingredients wouldn't have exceeded 10 Star Coins.

After browsing the Interstellar Mall for a while, Qing Mengzhu decided to deliver the soup to the old man first and see if he would have any special feelings about it.

Qing Guozhi been staying in the city for some time, Qing Mengzhu hasn't had time to go to the city, so she asked a deliveryman to help deliver the goods.

The old man was deeply moved upon receiving the hard-earned pot of soup and made a special call to Qing Mengzhu, "I drank it, it's very fragrant, your hazel grouse are very well raised!"

Qing Mengzhu: "That's really good. I plan to raise another batch."

The old man was eager to try. "Would you like me to help you get hazel grouse chicks?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Didn't you give me your WeChat? I can contact you directly. Besides finding the lotus seed and hazelnut chicken soup very fragrant, what else do you feel while drinking it?"

The old man. "It tastes good?"

Qing Mengzhu wasn't looking for this answer, and was a little disappointed after hearing it. Perhaps the old man wasn't as perceptive as Zhao Hexi and hadn't tasted the difference. "I'm glad you like it. Next time there's good soup, I'll have someone send it to you."

The old man chuckled, "Thank you for your trouble. My son sent me some dried abalone; I'll have someone send you some too. Abalone and hazelnut chicken stew should be delicious too."

The villagers value reciprocity in their dealings, so Qing Mengzhu didn't refuse. "Okay, I'll try next time."

The next day, Qing Mengzhu waited at home for Zhao Hexi's feedback.

Before Zhao Hexi could call, Ming Lexin made a call first.

When Qing Mengzhu saw the caller ID, her heart started racing, and she felt like her phone had become a hot potato.

He composed himself before answering the phone: "Auntie--"

Ming Lexin interrupted him impatiently, "Mengzhu! The soup you made is so good! My face is so rosy and smooth after drinking it!"

"Huh?" Qing Mengzhu hadn't expected the lotus seed and hazelnut chicken soup to have this effect. Her scalp no longer tingled, and she asked seriously, "Neither lotus seeds nor hazelnut chicken seem to have a similar effect. Could it be just your imagination?"