Chapter 14 – Big Parrot
Although surprised that Tang Yu’an even brought a pressure cooker, one couldn’t deny that it was much more efficient than the earthen pot, significantly reducing the cooking time.
So, Zhou Qi transferred the water and rice from the earthen pot into the pressure cooker. After securing the lid, he placed it back on the fire to cook.
Watching the flames crackling in the stove, Tang Yu’an quietly shared the good news with Zhou Qi.
“Brother Qi, that blue stone just now was worth 200 credits!”
Tang Yu’an’s face was full of excitement.
After all, 200 credits could be exchanged for 40 jin (about 20 kg) of brown rice!
While Zhou Qi had guessed that the crystal was unusual, he hadn’t expected it to bring them so many credits.
Combined with what they’d earned from Wang Cai and Granny Guo, they now had over 300 credits. For the time being, they wouldn’t go hungry and even had the luxury of waiting for the seven-day special sale to refresh, allowing them to exchange for more potions or special items.
“That’s great,” Zhou Qi said, patting Tang Yu’an’s head, a smile appearing on his face. However…
Recalling his uncontrollable reaction when the crystal appeared, Zhou Qi subtly furrowed his brow. Could it be related to that foreign object that had entered his body?
Perhaps the crystal was useful to that entity?
Regardless of the reason, this situation made him feel insecure, but for now, he couldn’t think of a solution.
Would Old Li or Granny Guo know anything about it?
“Grandpa Li still has some meat here.”
While Zhou Qi was deep in thought, Tang Yu’an curiously explored the simple kitchen and discovered several pieces of hard, dried meat.
Judging by the size of the meat chunks, they were probably cut from the hind legs of small animals and had become hard after drying.
“It seems that besides mutant creatures, there are normal-sized small animals in this world,” Tang Yu’an murmured softly as he poked the meat.
Zhou Qi nodded. “Grandpa Li likely makes a living by hunting.”
This was easy to deduce; Old Li’s house contained bows, arrows, and other weapons. In the corner, there were also some animal hides waiting to be processed.
“Grandpa Li is amazing. We can trade with him for fresh meat in the future!”
Tang Yu’an was full of anticipation. They didn’t have much meat left in their refrigerator, and if they could get fresh meat, he’d definitely prefer that.
“Shhh—shhh—shhh—”
In just a few minutes, steam began to push open the pressure valve of the cooker, making a hissing noise.
Tang Yu’an quickly looked outside.
Despite the noise, Old Li remained asleep and wasn’t disturbed.
Zhou Qi adjusted the firewood, reducing the flame.
Tang Yu’an crouched beside him, eyes sparkling as he watched Zhou Qi work. He felt that Brother Qi was impressive, even knowing how to use such an earthen stove.
As steam escaped from the pressure valve, a faint aroma of rice began to fill the kitchen, making Tang Yu’an feel hungry.
“Brother Qi, shall we eat too?”
“Alright.”
So, Tang Yu’an took out two cups of instant noodles, added the seasoning packets and some sausages, and then poured in hot water they had prepared before leaving home in the morning from his portable warehouse.
After covering the cups, he took out a loaf of bread, tore open the packaging, and split it in half.
“Here you go, Brother Qi!”
“You have it; I’ll just eat the noodles.”
“The noodles won’t be enough; take it.”
In the end, Zhou Qi accepted the smaller half of the bread. Sitting next to Tang Yu’an, they nibbled on their bread while watching the flames dance on the stove.
“Brother Qi, I’ve never had such delicious bread before!” Tang Yu’an said with his cheeks bulging.
He used to dislike this kind of bread because it didn’t taste as good as freshly made ones, and the cream inside was overly rich. But now, it tasted unbelievably good.
“That’s because you’re too hungry.”
“Hehe.”
Tang Yu’an chuckled, then glanced at the system panel and smiled even wider. “Brother Qi, do you know how many credits we have now?”
“How many?”
“396 points!” Tang Yu’an grinned.
Today was a bountiful harvest! They could exchange for a lot of supplies.
Zhou Qi was a bit surprised; he had estimated they had just over 300 points. He realized that completing the weekly tasks had added a significant amount of credits.
Seeing Tang Yu’an’s little miser expression, Zhou Qi couldn’t help but smile too. Finally, he reached out and ruffled his hair.
“Not bad. Keep it up.”
“Mm!”
The bread wasn’t big, and the two of them finished their halves quickly. They then took out the sweet fruits they had obtained that morning, washed them, and began to eat.
They were sweet and juicy, a variety they hadn’t tasted before. Each bite was filled with fruit juice—refreshing and thirst-quenching.
Absolutely delicious!
“If we chilled them in the fridge, they’d taste even better,” Tang Yu’an remarked.
By this time, the instant noodles were ready.
They ate, alternating between bites of fruit and noodles, experiencing another delightful flavor combination.
The two teenagers ate heartily, and the rich aroma of the noodles filled the room. On the bed, Old Li, still asleep with his eyes closed, furrowed his brows slightly.
What was that smell? It seemed familiar…
Instant noodles!
Yes, instant noodles! Something he hadn’t eaten in decades!
It smelled so good…
He really wanted to have a taste, just one bite…
Believing he was dreaming, Old Li wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and soon drifted back into a deep sleep.
*
After eating their fill, Tang Yu’an leaned against Zhou Qi, dozing off like a little cat.
Zhou Qi took off his jacket and draped it over him.
About twenty minutes later, Tang Yu’an woke up groggily. He rubbed his eyes and softly called out, “Brother Qi.”
“Do you want to sleep a bit more?”
“No.”
Zhou Qi handed him a cup of water, and then got up to open the pressure cooker. He placed it back on the stove to simmer for a while, added a few slices of Old Li’s homemade dried meat to the congee, and sprinkled in some salt to let it stew.
Once the meat was tender, he transferred the entire pot of congee into the earthen pot. After cleaning the pressure cooker, he had Tang Yu’an put it back into the portable warehouse.
Feeling refreshed, Tang Yu’an volunteered to carry the earthen pot out and placed it on the table.
They moved the table next to the bed so Old Li could easily reach it when he woke up. Then they prepared to leave.
“Brother Qi, should we let Granny Guo know?” Tang Yu’an suggested. If Old Li’s wound became infected or he developed a fever, having someone nearby would be helpful.
But before Zhou Qi could answer, they heard an unusual noise outside.
Startled, Tang Yu’an quickly opened the map to check. Seeing that it was a small green dot, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“It’s a stranger,” he whispered.
In other words… a new potential customer!
Tang Yu’an’s eyes lit up.
His experience bar was already at 17/20. Just three more experience points, and he’d level up to Lv2. If he could make a transaction with this newcomer, he could level up today.
Zhou Qi had thought of this too.
However, neither of them acted rashly. Both had experienced the ferocity of the natives in this world and didn’t dare to rush out blindly.
They didn’t know if the newcomer was a friend of Old Li or a bad person.
Holding their breaths, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi stood ready at the entrance where the rope ladder was. However, the person didn’t appear there.
Instead, a slender figure silently appeared at the window, then nimbly pushed it open and slipped inside.
As the person landed lightly and looked up, she found herself face-to-face with the two boys. For a moment, they all stared at each other in surprise.
“Who are you?”
It was a sharp-dressed woman in her early twenties. Sensing strangers in the room, she instantly drew a dagger from her waist and assumed a defensive stance.
“Please don’t misunderstand, sister! We’re not bad people!”
Tang Yu’an quickly raised his hands. Zhou Qi, however, stepped forward to shield him, warily watching the suddenly appearing woman.
Their youthful and nervous demeanor made the woman relax slightly. She then noticed Old Li lying on the bed, clearly having been cared for, and guessed what might have happened.
“Did you save him?”
Zhou Qi didn’t answer, but Tang Yu’an peeked out from behind him.
“Yes, we saved Grandpa Li!”
The woman scrutinized them for a moment before nodding. “I’m Lin Zhen, a friend of Old Li.”
Both sides confirmed each other’s identities through their references to Old Li.
Lin Zhen slowly sheathed her dagger.
At that moment, a blue-green parrot flew in from outside the window, landing on her shoulder.
The parrot hopped and said, “Big lizard, gone! Big lizard, gone!”
Lin Zhen was taken aback, looking at Old Li on the bed with surprise.
She knew that Old Li had recently been eyeing that mutant giant lizard. After seeing his crossbow discarded by the roadside, she realized something must have happened.
She had tracked him, only finding sporadic bloodstains and the lizard’s tracks. When she reached the rooftop of an abandoned building, the trail abruptly ended.
Old Li seemed to have vanished into thin air.
With no other options, she came to check his home.
Unexpectedly, she found two unarmed, unfamiliar children taking care of Old Li, and her parrot brought such news.
The giant lizard disappeared? Could Old Li have taken it down? How was that possible?!
While Lin Zhen was shocked and puzzled, Tang Yu’an couldn’t stop staring at the parrot on her shoulder.
The parrot resembled a macaw he had seen on TV in his previous life—quite large, covered in blue-green feathers, making it look plump.
So, such a big parrot…
Could it hatch chicks?
He still had lots of chicken and duck eggs in his warehouse! If they could hatch into chicks and ducklings, they’d never run out of eggs and meat!
