PSW - Chapter 55
Chapter 55
Blood rushed to his head, washing away his reason. The tightly wound string in his mind snapped, and a long, sharp blade instantly materialized in his hand. Yu Yaozu's expression turned vicious as he lunged at Yu Yinan's back.
The turn of events was so sudden that no one expected someone would actually dare to cause trouble inside the shelter. Nor could anyone have imagined that the man who had been kneeling and begging his "dear sister" just a second ago would suddenly reveal the face of a wolf.
Chu Yi had even turned to leave and didn't have time to react.
Just as he lunged forward, Yu Yaozu felt something tug at his foot for a split second. The assassination attempt ended in an embarrassing failure before it could even begin. He fell hard to the ground, but he managed to keep a death grip on the sharp blade in his hand.
But in that same instant, Yu Yinan had already reacted. A blast of heat erupted as flames instantly enveloped Yu Yaozu, and a churning wall of fire trapped him completely.
It was a display of precise and rapid ability control. Water had been condensed between Yu Yaozu's shoes and the ground, then instantly turned to ice. The moment the freezing force took effect, the ice dissipated, leaving no trace behind.
The fall sent a chill through Yu Yaozu's heart. The wall of fire around him burned hot, and he knew that if killing weren't forbidden in the shelter, he might not be sitting here in one piece. It was as if he had been possessed a moment ago, but now he was wide awake. Terrified, he dispelled the blade in his hand, looked up at Yu Yinan, and slapped himself hard across the face several times. "Jiejie! Jiejie, listen to me, let me explain…"
"Was it after that last time? Did your parents say something else to you? Or did they give you ideas after you offended Lian Langxi while I wasn't in the shelter?" Yu Yinan lowered her gaze. "Or perhaps… after your father turned into a zombie, your 'sick' mother used her knowledge and 'care' for me from my childhood to share a few methods with you?"
Yu Yinan raised her hand, and the wall of fire surged in an instant. The scorching flames terrified Yu Yaozu into stillness, but the intense heat around him was already causing minor burns on his skin.
"You'd better not step foot outside this shelter for the rest of your life."
"I will burn you to ashes and send them to your dear mother, so she can see her precious son's final resting place." At this, Yu Yinan suddenly smiled. "Of course, if she wants to become one with you, she can eat a spoonful of you every day~"
"…" Yu Yaozu's mouth hung open, the slap marks and various smudges on his face starkly visible. He looked stupefied, then forced a smile that was uglier than a sob. "Jiejie, Jiejie, you're… you're joking, right?"
"Of course," Yu Yinan sneered. "I look forward to the day you step out of the shelter."
"…" Yu Yaozu was completely stunned. Despair, regret, resentment… all sorts of emotions warred on his face. He lowered his head, feeling the curious gazes of the onlookers all around him.
The moment Yu Yinan dispelled the wall of fire, he scrambled away.
Seeing that Yu Yaozu had left and confirming there would be no further incidents, Chu Yi hurried off to her duties.
The crowd of spectating ability users gradually dispersed. Yu Yinan paid no mind to the others who had gathered around and ran to Zheng Yi. "Sorry, that took some time…"
"Thank you for just now."
"You knew it was me?" Zheng Yi thought she had been quite discreet.
"I guessed." Hearing this answer, Yu Yinan smiled, her happiness visible to the naked eye. She glanced at the container of white porridge Zheng Yi was holding, took it from her, and then held out her now-free hand. "Can I hold your hand?"
Zheng Yi glanced at her, took her hand, and led her toward a roadside stall.
Frozen pork was one hundred contribution points per jin, and vegetables were sold by the bunch for one hundred contribution points, non-negotiable. Besides these, there were also other vacuum-sealed preserved foods for sale, but the prices were frighteningly high. A 400g package of salted duck cost 80 contribution points, while a spicy pressed duck, with a net weight of only 320g, cost 96 points!
This must be the luxury goods store of the post-apocalyptic shelter.
But on second thought, it made sense. Once the stockpiled frozen meat was gone, there was no telling when they would eat meat again. As for vegetables… they were harvested in limited batches, and no one knew when the next crop would be ready. These prices were specifically for ability users with plenty of contribution points.
In comparison, the all-you-can-eat white porridge in the cafeteria for three contribution points was practically a charity.
However, there was something cheaper on the menu: a spicy pressed fish for only 50 contribution points, though its net weight was just 120g.
With such exorbitant prices, very few ability users would spend so many contribution points just to satisfy their cravings.
The shop owner clearly had some sort of arrangement with the shelter; these items weren't his main business. So when he saw Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan approach and look over his goods, he didn't move much. That is, until Yu Yinan glanced at the price list and said to him, "One jin of pork and a bunch of cabbage. We'll also take one of each: the salted duck, the pressed duck, and the pressed fish."
"Paying now?"
"Ah?! Okay, one moment, I'll pack that up for you right away." He quickly took out a pre-packaged jin of frozen pork and gathered the other items. "That's 426 contribution points in total. Let's just call it 420."
Yu Yinan paid without hesitation, took the items, and headed back with Zheng Yi. The owner seemed reluctant to see them go, calling out enthusiastically, "Please come again!"
Even after this splurge, Yu Yinan still had 1196 contribution points left.
As soon as the two returned to their room, Yu Yinan tactfully lit the small alcohol block in the stove, prepared the pots, pans, and bowls for Zheng Yi, and used her ability to thaw the frozen meat.
Thawing meat like this was a test of ability control; the temperature couldn't be too high, and no flames could be visible.
Meanwhile, Zheng Yi spent a few Saint Points to buy two jin of green peppers. She would have preferred to buy them individually, but the system store didn't offer that option. Zheng Yi had no intention of saving the frozen meat for another meal.
She sliced the entire jin of frozen meat and marinated it. She julienned some of the green peppers, diced others, and left five thin-skinned ones whole after removing their seeds and stems. Zheng Yi planned to make a plate of stir-fried pork with green peppers, a green pepper and egg pancake, and a plate of tiger-skin peppers. After all, she wasn't short on seasonings.
As for the baby bok choy, nothing fancy was needed; a simple stir-fry over high heat would suffice.
The salted duck and other items could wait for another time. They could be served as a dish or eaten as a snack—though, of course, no one in the apocalypse would likely be so extravagant.
They started with the two bowls of white porridge to tide them over. With so many dishes, not having white rice was out of the question. Yu Yinan skillfully began to wash the rice and cook it, her coordination with Zheng Yi growing more and more seamless.
As the dishes started coming out of the wok, Yu Yinan used her ability to carefully control their temperature, keeping them from getting cold.
Zero One was no longer surprised by Zheng Yi's omnipotence, but when it saw the plates of fragrant, colorful, and delicious-looking food appear one after another, it couldn't help but remark: [If I were Yu Yinan, I wouldn't want to leave you either, just for the food alone.]
After saying this, Zero One vaguely heard Zheng Yi scoff at it but received no further response. That didn't stop Zero One from quickly taking a screenshot of all the dishes once they were on the table, saving the images.
[Host, can you cook any dish?] Zero One was very curious. It was also curious where Zheng Yi had learned all this. The original novel's background… better not to mention it. It didn't contain anything useful anyway. [How did you learn?]
'My dear Zero One, you're a system. The internet was so advanced before the apocalypse. All I had to do was watch a few videos.' Zheng Yi clearly found Zero One's question tedious.
[…I see.] Zero One fell silent for a moment. As far as it knew… if its data was correct, most people couldn't learn to cook a dish perfectly just by watching a video, right? Ah, it almost forgot. Its host was not most people!
The steaming hot rice was ready now, too. Unafraid of the heat, Yu Yinan lifted the lid of the steamer and served Zheng Yi a bowl.
"Do you want soup?" Zheng Yi asked as she accepted the slightly heaping bowl of white rice, looking at the four dishes.
"This is more than enough." Yu Yinan didn't want to trouble Zheng Yi any further, but she quickly realized and asked, "Do you want some?" Making soup… she had tried it herself before and hadn't messed it up. But it didn't seem like they had the ingredients here.
"Then let's eat." Zheng Yi tapped her chopsticks lightly on the table, then picked a little from each dish and placed it in her bowl. She tasted them one by one, her expression unchanging, before lowering her head and starting to eat quickly. "Don't save any."
"Okay," Yu Yinan replied. This whole table of food… the 200 contribution points were already spent. And although she didn't know how Zheng Yi had produced the green peppers, judging by their freshness, she wondered if using that ability had any negative effects on her. With that thought, Yu Yinan also began to eat quickly. The very first bite of stir-fried pork with green peppers won her over.
It was truly delicious! While she wasn't a picky eater, she hadn't been particularly fond of green peppers before. Yu Yinan's eyes lit up. She then tried a piece of the green pepper and egg pancake. This was delicious too?
The tiger-skin peppers were even better with rice. Yu Yinan didn't know what seasonings Zheng Yi had used, but the peppers were savory and fragrant. The skin was pan-fried until it had a few dark, "tiger-skin" spots, giving it a unique texture.
Zheng Yi… she was truly amazing.
The stir-fried baby bok choy wasn't as special or mind-blowing, but it was on par with what you'd get in a restaurant before the apocalypse.
Zheng Yi was younger than her, yet she was so capable, so outstanding.
Thinking of this, Yu Yinan sighed inwardly. The gap between her and Zheng Yi… it was truly vast.
Was this what talent looked like?
"The water's in the bucket. Wash the dishes when you're done." Having eaten her fill, Zheng Yi put down her chopsticks. She glanced at Yu Yinan and, seeing that she had snapped out of her daze, added, "There's dish soap in the kitchen."
"O-Okay! The food you made was delicious." Yu Yinan came back to her senses. Afraid Zheng Yi might misunderstand, she offered a slightly nervous compliment before picking up her bowl and, without further thought, began to eat earnestly in big mouthfuls.
"Then finish it all," Zheng Yi said, stretching. "I'm going for a walk. Do as you please."
"Mhm, don't mind me." Although Zheng Yi didn't call her "Jiejie" sweetly or speak to her in a coquettish way, Yu Yinan was perfectly content with these simple, ordinary exchanges. Not to mention, Zheng Yi had even taken the initiative to tell her she was going out for a walk.
She watched Zheng Yi leave before continuing to eat.
Zero One watched Zheng Yi descend the stairs slowly, step by lazy step, and asked curiously: [Why the sudden walk? Are you too full?]
'Ah~ Zero One, are your questions multiplying lately?' Zheng Yi took out a hard candy, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth. One cheek bulged slightly, but she quickly moved the candy under her teeth and crunched down on it hard.
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