Chapter 241
“Lang Ze, wait for me!”
The little wolf cub turned his head and saw Lu Li chasing after him. Slowing down, he waited for Lu Li to catch up before they both ran into the kitchen.
Naturally, the kitchen was empty. At this hour, even the robotic housekeeper wouldn’t come by.
“Are we going to find Wen Wen and Mommy Yan Ya?”
Lu Li glanced around the kitchen. It looked completely different from before. Once a barren space with just a few automated cooking machines, it now had proper countertops and an assortment of small appliances.
Some of these appliances were purchased through orders placed with the logistics department, but others were handcrafted by Zheng Xing. His mechanical manipulation talent was nothing short of a cheat code when it came to creating modern devices.
In addition, there was a pile of ingredients stacked neatly in a corner.
Hearing Lu Li’s question, Lang Ze shook his head. Then, with practiced ease, he began rummaging through the ingredients and jars of spices in the kitchen.
“We’ll cook for ourselves,” Lang Ze said confidently.
“You know how to cook?” Lu Li asked in surprise.
“You’ll see once we try!” Lang Ze replied, brimming with confidence.
Lang Ze had always been particularly interested in food. His literacy lessons used interstellar cuisine as teaching materials, and after months of study, he could now understand many recipes!
More importantly, in his spare time, he loved watching Wen Yan and Yan Ya cook in the kitchen.
With Wei Ming, Zhuang Shisong, the recently arrived Mu family, and the determined Planter Trainees from Base 24, the cubs were no longer needed in farming.
As a result, aside from studying agricultural knowledge, the cubs had more free time.
During this time before meals, Lang Ze liked sneaking into the kitchen. Occasionally, he would lend a helping hand, though he had never actually tried cooking himself.
Seeing Lang Ze’s confident demeanor, Lu Li felt a little unsure.
“Oh, relax!” Lang Ze patted him on the back. “I’m not cooking alone. We have Xing Xing to help!”
As he spoke, Lang Ze reached out and lightly tapped his spirit pouch.
Drawn by the movement, Lu Li looked down and saw the pouch hanging at Lang Ze’s side begin to stir. Moments later, a tiny cat head popped out under his watchful gaze.
The small black cat lay lazily at the pouch’s opening, yawning as if it had just woken up.
Lang Ze’s spirit pouch was a recent treasure discovered by Zheng Xing—it could hold living beings. When Zheng Xing transformed into his beast form, he could fit into the pouch effortlessly.
The space inside the pouch was quiet and secluded, perfect for hiding. Packed with trinkets to play with, it had quickly become his favorite place, even overtaking his childhood room.
After their meal, Zheng Xing had tucked himself inside for a nap. Now, woken by Lang Ze, he crawled out groggily, looking slightly disoriented.
“Xing Xing, wake up! Let’s make some fish for lunch!”
Fish?
Hearing the word, Zheng Xing perked up slightly. But… hadn’t they just finished lunch? Why were they cooking fish again?
He climbed slowly out of the spirit pouch, jumped onto the countertop, and replayed Lang Ze’s earlier words in his head. Only then did he realize Lang Ze hadn’t said they’d cook Little Fish but rather cook for Little Fish.
“With Xing Xing here, we’ve got this for sure!” Lang Ze continued encouraging Lu Li.
Knowing Zheng Xing’s abilities, Lu Li didn’t argue further. While Lang Ze inspected the ingredients and brainstormed what dishes they could make, Lu Li mentioned the foods he had learned Ika liked.
Although a beautiful sea mermaid, Ika was a carnivore, one of the fierce beasts of the ocean. He ate meat—whether fish or other types—as his main food source. Of course, being human at his core, he also needed vegetables and fruits to balance his nutrition.
“Let’s make roasted meat, then!” Lang Ze exclaimed.
Roasted meat had been one of the first delicious dishes Lang Ze tasted at the nursery, apart from chips. As his debut recipe, it felt meaningful. Plus, they had no shortage of meat to roast these days.
Over the past month, they had been venturing out daily to battle monsters. Whenever they encountered edible giant insects, they would find a way to bring them back to the nursery.
The spirit pouch was too small to hold such large creatures, but that’s where Xue Wei came in.
Though reluctant at first, Xue Wei eventually gave in to Lang Ze’s pleading. This led to a peculiar scene at the nursery:
A gentle, adorable rabbit-eared girl, her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment, using her small, delicate hands to drag around giant insect limbs several times her size.
Because the quantity was often too much for the nursery alone, they would distribute the extra meat to other departments in the base.
At first, the adults were stunned by this sight. Over time, it became routine, and even Xue Wei grew confident, leaving behind her initial shyness.
Processed and cooked, the insect meat became a staple protein for the nursery. As they consumed more, they began identifying differences in texture among the various insects.
According to Wen Yan and Yan Ya, most insect meat resembled seafood. For example, the meat of giant spiders tasted like crab, while one particularly surprising discovery was an insect whose meat was remarkably similar to beef.
Though not as chewy as actual beef, it served as a good substitute in times of scarcity.
Aside from roasted meat, Lang Ze decided to make steamed taro with meat, paired with lotus root soup. If that wasn’t enough, they’d add two Starlink spirit fruits for good measure.
Once the menu was decided, they got to work under Zheng Xing’s direction, bustling around the kitchen.
Halfway through, Lu Jiao and Xue Wei joined them.
Most of the other cubs were napping in their rooms and hadn’t yet discovered the arrival of a new cub.
About 40 to 50 minutes later, Lang Ze’s two-meat-and-one-soup meal for Ika was finally ready. The aroma alone was enough to stir the appetite of even the cubs who hadn’t been hungry before.
With Zheng Xing’s help, the little wolf cub’s first cooking attempt was a success!
As Lang Ze and his friends carried the dishes out of the kitchen, they spotted Ran Lie walking over from the direction of the elevator. For some reason, he was still in his Crimson Flame Tiger form and hadn’t shifted back.
“Lie Lie!”
The group greeted him enthusiastically. The Crimson Flame Tiger, who appeared a bit downcast, paused briefly, confused as he watched them rush past him and out the front door.
Just as he was about to head toward the storage room, a sudden loud cry from 4583 came from the direction of the kitchen.
“Oh no!”
Ran Lie hurriedly ran over to see what was happening, only to find the round robot spinning angrily in circles on the floor. The once pristine kitchen was now a chaotic mess.
Despite its post-modification state, 4583 still insisted it was a “nanny robot (upgraded version)” and not a cleaning robot. However, the responsibility for overseeing cleanliness at the nursery had naturally fallen to it.
After all, there wasn’t much traditional nanny work left to do at the nursery anymore.
At this moment, looking at the disaster that was the kitchen, 4583 displayed a rare emotional outburst.
“Too dirty, too dirty! Must clean! Must clean!”
“Major clean-up, major clean-up!”
As 4583 began directing the cleaning robots to get to work, Ran Lie quietly backed out of the kitchen and continued walking toward the storage room.
Wen Wen had mentioned making new clothes for them—he wondered if they were ready yet…
Meanwhile, by the pond, Ika lay lazily near the water, watching Rong Heng polish his small sword.
While waiting for food, Rong Heng had given Ika some snacks to tide him over.
Rong Heng had already learned the basics of his and Ika’s relationship from Li Sinian, confirming that the vague memories flashing through his mind were indeed real. He and Ika had been close childhood playmates.
Still, it had been a long time, and the details were fuzzy. Ika couldn’t communicate yet, so after settling the little mermaid, Rong Heng turned to his own tasks.
As he wiped the blade, he reviewed and reflected on the morning’s monster-hunting experience. When he came back to himself, he realized the little mermaid was resting his chin in his hands, his beautiful blue eyes staring at him unblinkingly. It was impossible to tell how long he had been watching.
“…”
Rong Heng’s train of thought was suddenly derailed.
He decided to put the sword away and asked Ika, “Are you hungry again?”
The little mermaid smiled at him. After gesturing a few times, Rong Heng finally understood what he meant—he both wasn’t hungry and was.
Rong Heng frowned slightly, checking the time. Just as he considered whether to go and hurry things along, he heard approaching footsteps. Looking up, he saw Lang Ze and the others arriving.
Ika also frowned, his gaze toward Lang Ze and the group filled with caution. However, thanks to Rong Heng’s repeated assurances, he no longer displayed his earlier fierceness.
“Delicious roasted meat is here!”
Lang Ze set the tray down in front of Rong Heng and couldn’t resist sneaking a glance at Ika. When their eyes met, Lang Ze wagged his big tail proudly and said, “I made this!”
Ika didn’t understand what Lang Ze said and simply stared at him for a moment before suddenly reaching out to press his hand onto the little wolf cub’s head, giving his furry ears a vigorous ruffle.
Lang Ze, who had been proudly holding his tail high, froze in shock at the unexpected ambush.
To make matters worse, Ika seemed to enjoy the sensation, ruffling his ears twice more before withdrawing his hand. When he noticed Lang Ze glaring at him angrily, Ika merely smiled brightly, clearly amused.
“You…”
Lang Ze wanted to say, How could you do that? My ears aren’t something you can just touch! But before he could get the words out, he noticed Rong Heng, who, after a brief pause, reached into the spirit pouch and pulled out a handful of candies.
Rong Heng didn’t care much for sweets himself, but since he often needed to placate his little sister, he always carried some. Thanks to Yan Ya and Li Sinian, his supply was abundant.
“Lang Ze,” Rong Heng said, handing the candies to the wolf cub. “Don’t be mad. Ika doesn’t understand.”
The sulking Lang Ze immediately brightened at the sight of the candy.
To help Xing Xing with his eyes, Lang Ze had traded all his snacks to Su Su. Once a snack hoarder, he was now in short supply. This handful of candy—at least a dozen pieces—would last him a long time!
“Okay, okay, I’m not mad anymore.”
Meanwhile, Ika had already been drawn in by the aroma of the roasted meat. Swallowing his saliva, he reached out to grab a piece of the steaming hot meat on the platter.
“Wait.”
Noticing his action, Rong Heng quickly grabbed his wrist, frowning as he said, “You can’t just grab food with your hands like that. What if you burn yourself?”
But when he saw Ika’s pitiful, aggrieved expression, Rong Heng softened his tone and sighed. “Fine. I’ll feed you.”
