Chapter 42: A Warm and Happy Lunch
As a veteran criminal investigator and an experienced Awakened One, even though the Seer’s words were nonsensical, Liu Songyi had still included them in his investigation.
“So… there aren’t any?”
“There are.”
Grandma nodded and returned from the kitchen with a bag of dried mushrooms.
“…That’s probably not what she meant.”
Luo Ling’s eye twitched as she looked at the bag. These were just ordinary mushrooms.
They couldn’t be the man-eating mushrooms the Seer had described…
“Not big enough, is it? That’s what the police officers said too,” Grandma muttered. “You city folk are so strange, even picking mushrooms by size…”
“…”
Luo Ling couldn’t really say anything. After all, the talk about mushrooms came from a mental patient.
Just then, the back door opened, and An Yu, covered in the stench of chicken blood, rushed in, carrying two freshly slaughtered chickens. Grandpa followed slowly, carrying a sack.
“Grandma, let’s cook! Grandpa’s cooking isn’t as good as yours!”
An Yu shouted, and Grandpa looked at her with mock offense.
“Alright, alright…”
Hearing her granddaughter’s praise, a proud smile appeared on Grandma’s wrinkled face. She straightened up, like a triumphant general, and walked towards the kitchen.
“Xiao Bai, A Qian, wait a moment, lunch will be ready soon!”
An Yu poked her head out from the kitchen and said with a grin.
“Mm.”
Luo Ling replied and looked at Elsa, who was still pale but looked slightly better.
Bella, the teddy bear, remained silent in Elsa’s lap, like an ordinary stuffed toy.
Seeming to sense Luo Ling’s gaze, Elsa looked up and forced a smile, indicating that Luo Ling shouldn’t worry too much.
Soon, an enticing aroma drifted from the kitchen. An Yu bustled back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, placing the dishes Grandma had prepared on the table.
“Come and eat!”
An Yu’s voice echoed from the dining room, along with the clatter of bowls and chopsticks.
When Luo Ling pushed Elsa to the dining table, Grandpa, Grandma, and An Yu were already seated, having left two seats closest to the door for Luo Ling and Elsa.
The meal was quite a feast: several chicken dishes, stir-fried meat, vegetables, and even a pot of soup.
After they were seated, An Yu diligently served Luo Ling and Elsa a bowl of soup each.
“Try it, this is a local specialty! …Right, Grandpa?”
“Yes,” Grandpa nodded proudly. “We grew these ourselves. They’re nutritious! Eat more so you can grow taller.”
Luo Ling looked at the soup. It was slightly yellowish, and besides a few pieces of chicken, there were some white chunks floating in it.
Wait, was this…
“Mushroom soup?”
Luo Ling paused.
“Little girl, you don’t recognize this?” Grandpa said proudly. “This isn’t just any mushroom, it’s white reishi.
“When I was young, only grown men could have a bowl of this soup during festivals. Look at us now, we can grow it ourselves and eat it whenever we want!”
“Try it, it’s delicious and flavorful.”
An Yu said, picking up her bowl and taking a large gulp.
Luo Ling looked troubled. After a moment of hesitation, she pushed the bowl back.
“Sorry, but I don’t really like mushrooms.”
This wasn’t a deliberate excuse. Luo Ling genuinely disliked mushrooms and was picky about them.
Plus, with the Seer’s ramblings about mushrooms echoing in her mind, she felt a sense of aversion towards them now.
Elsa also pushed her bowl back and shook her head.
Her reason was different from Luo Ling’s. Luo Ling simply disliked mushrooms, while Elsa couldn’t bring herself to eat anything right now.
“Huh?”
An Yu was taken aback, and Grandpa and Grandma also looked embarrassed.
They hadn’t realized their guests had dietary restrictions, and the simple couple felt they had been impolite.
“I can eat more of the other dishes, I like those,” Luo Ling quickly added, easing the awkward atmosphere.
“Yes, yes, eat more meat and vegetables, those are good too,” Grandma quickly chimed in. “We raised and grew them ourselves, they’re very healthy.
“Especially the vegetables, they have lots of chlorophyll. Eat more so you can grow taller.”
“It’s okay, if you don’t want it, I’ll eat it!” An Yu declared, taking both bowls of soup. “I love everything Grandma makes!”
Luo Ling picked up her chopsticks and started eating slowly.
After lunch, An Yu, who had eaten her fill, leaned back on the sofa, rubbing her slightly bulging belly, and sighed contentedly.
“It’s been so long since I had Grandma’s cooking. It still tastes the same… so much better than the pig slop they serve in the school cafeteria.”
“School… is the food in your school cafeteria that bad?”
Luo Ling asked curiously. She couldn’t afford to eat in the cafeteria and always brought her own lunch.
After awakening, she had lost her sense of hunger and stopped eating altogether, saving some money.
“It’s terrible,” An Yu complained. “They scramble eggs with whole tomatoes and hard-boiled eggs! They even have stir-fried eggs with spicy strips and mooncakes! What do they think eggs are?! If eggs had feelings, they would regret being born!”
“Pfft.”
Elsa couldn’t help but laugh, but remembering the effect of her voice, she quickly stifled it.
“When are we going out to investigate?” Luo Ling asked. “We can’t just ask a few villagers, can we?”
“I’m ready anytime. I just ate, a walk would be nice.”
An Yu shrugged. She didn’t mind.
Luo Ling pondered for a moment, looking at the still-pale Elsa.
“Should we let Xiao Qian rest here for a while?”
“No!”
An Yu immediately objected, and Elsa also shook her head resolutely.
“Although I don’t think anything will happen, when we’re on a mission, the entire team has to be present. We can’t just leave someone behind,” An Yu said. “This is the Group Leader’s iron rule, and every team on a mission must obey.”
Elsa nodded slightly, confirming this.
“…Alright.”
Luo Ling didn’t press further. She wasn’t familiar with their rules.
Ji Shinian’s purpose in having her participate in this simple commission was to show her how the group members cooperated… Now it seemed quite necessary.
So, just like the scruffy man had said, this mission… was practically babysitting.
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