"Pumpkin stir-fry with lily bulbs, crispy cod fillet, and a serving of sour green beans fried rice."
"Pair it with some tender tofu."
"Seems like he prefers sour food?"
Yú xiǎo xiǎo stands in her own kitchen, looking at the almost empty fridge. She needs to go to the nearby supermarket to buy some things, and also get canned food for the cream.
With some extra money in hand, she no longer feels as heavy-hearted as before.
She opens the door, the potted plants in the yard are flourishing.
Beside them, the flower beds have also bloomed with splendid little yellow flowers. Yú xiǎo xiǎo squats down and waters them.
"Xiǎo xiǎo, are you going out?"
"Aunt Liu, good morning."
"Do you have free time tomorrow afternoon? My colleague's family is looking for a tutor, the child is in the first year of middle school."
"Yes, what time?" Yú xiǎo xiǎo stops.
Even though she has found a "high-paying" job at the moment, she's not busy every day anyway, and she can also make some extra money from other jobs.
"At four o'clock, go and try it out, prepare well. I'll send you the address on WeChat later."
"Okay, thanks Aunt Liu."
"You're welcome."
Yú xiǎo xiǎo enters the chain supermarket, she pauses in front of the shelves with a trolley, and selects a few salmon canned foods.
She also buys some fruits and vegetables, milk, and bread, and after returning home, she stores the ingredients in the fridge.
"Cream." She calls.
The orange cat emerges from under the table. It stops in front of the girl, meowing.
She opens a can of salmon and puts it on the ground.
"Eat."
The orange cat sniffs it, immediately lets out a happy meow, spins around the can, and then starts sampling this unexpected meal.
Yú xiǎo xiǎo squats on the ground, pets its head, and looks at the clock on the wall. It's almost nine o'clock.
"I have to go now, see you later."
She returns to her bedroom, changes into white sneakers, and opens the cupboard.
Yú xiǎo xiǎo holds the small lamp, and as soon as she comes down the stairs, she feels a violent tremor under her feet.
She grabs the small yellow car with one hand, feeling the ground split in both directions, with a deep crack appearing beside the track.
Slime's round head pops out from the small yellow car: "Don't be afraid, it's just an ordinary earthquake, anyway this crack will be filled up by the rocks falling from above in no time."
Yú xiǎo xiǎo: "..."
The light of the lamp allows her to see the surrounding environment, but doesn't reach very high. Just thinking about a meteorite falling halfway there...
She quietly hunches her shoulders, trying to hide in this small car as much as possible.
"Are there no other people living here?" Yú xiǎo xiǎo curiously asks.
The long track leads to the only bright place.
The slime leaned against the seat and squinted, saying, "For humans, no. If you're talking about other species..."
It lowered its voice mysteriously, "Xiaoxiao, this planet is different from yours, you know."
"Your world is a non-magical plane."
"Non-magical?"
"Non-magical means there's no magic, spiritual energy, or any supernatural power. Everything is so routine, dull and uninteresting." The slime looked proud, "But here, it's different! We're a high-magic plane! We create a civilization with magic, pass down history, and besides humans, many other races have been born."
"Magic...!" A difficult-to-suppress excitement flashed through Xiaoxiao's heart.
Although she knew this world must be very wonderful when she first saw the soft and sticky slime. But all she had been exposed to was this underground city.
"The master never cared about these things, but I'm very worried," the slime bit its "hand," and continued, "Xiaoxiao, you need to know that as the lord of the territory, without your own subordinates, your status is at risk. Of course, his royal highness the king loves the third prince very much, and this is known throughout the entire empire."
Xiaoxiao blinked.
This...
She wasn't sure about that.
She had read some western magic books when she was young, but she couldn't remember the long names in the books, so she started reading local works when she grew up.
"Other creatures are also hidden in the underground city, but they all stay in the dark and won't come out. If they are seen, they will definitely be killed."
"Because the third prince likes it quiet, there is no knight's order here."
"So, at the end of every month, a team of mages comes to the underground city to clear obstacles."
"If you're curious, you can watch."
There are four days left this month.
Xiaoxiao nodded, "Okay, will you accompany me then?"
"I'm at your service," the slime jumped off the car.
Xiaoxiao placed the package on the kitchen table, filled with a small jar of pickled mustard tubers.
According to the prepared recipe, she prepared two dishes and a soup, and rice, while the slime was responsible for delivering the meals, and she could relax on the sofa.
About half an hour later, the slime came back.
The food on the dining car remained untouched.
It handed a red communicator to Xiaoxiao, saying, "The master has something to tell you."
Xiaoxiao looked at the small device, similar to an ancient handheld gaming console, showing a few words on the screen—
(My body is fine and doesn't need dietary adjustment.)
(Prepare a whole roasted lamb for me.)
(Pickled mustard tubers.)
(And deep-fried pancakes.)
This is...
Placing an order? Xiaoxiao exclaimed, "Do you have deep-fried pancakes here too?"
"No, the third prince looked through some Chinese recipes from Earth and will probably order more dishes later."
Xiaoxiao scratched her face, saying, "I can try making the pancakes, but I don't know how to roast a whole lamb. If I don't get the timing right, it will be difficult to eat."
"Hehe." Xiaoxiao suddenly laughed, "Can I order takeout?"
BIBI—
The red communicator suddenly rang.
Xiaoxiao lowered her head, and on the screen, there were two words.
(No, you can't.)
The slime said with a smile, "Xiaoxiao, the master rarely has an appetite, so I'll leave this dinner to you. You have all the equipment and ingredients, just go ahead and cook."
"I'm just worried that the food I make will be difficult to eat," Xiaoxiao said.
"It's okay, as long as it's cooked."
The master isn't actually picky about food.
The taste?
In fact, for him, they all taste the same.
But he is most picky about food, and the former chef spent a lot of effort recording his preferences, never knowing that his tastes were never fixed.
His culinary preferences change with the seasons. It's just a shame that the longest-serving chef stayed for only three months.
I hope this Earth girl can stay forever.
It took four hours to prepare this dinner.
Xiaoxiao took off the barbecue gloves, wiped the sweat off her forehead. The slime pushed the dining car away. She looked at the untouched food from earlier, and packed it in a bento box.
Cannot waste.
Bring it back and heat it in the microwave, it can be used for dinner.
Seems like there are no problems.
Yu Xiaoxiao picked up the bag and got ready to return. The yellow little car was parked outside the stone gate, she placed the crystal lamp on it, and sat on the soft cushion, immediately feeling sleepy.
Cooking is also physically demanding...
The car drove slowly.
She found a comfortable sitting posture, closed her eyes for a brief rest.
On the other side.
Sleem stood by the stone wall, quietly watching his master cut through the roast, the juicy fat flowing out, and it eagerly swallowed its saliva.
"Is it delicious?" it said, wiping the corner of its mouth.
"Not delicious."
"Then, can you leave me a bite?"
"Can't."
Sleem lowered its head in dismay.
But soon, it noticed the unusually exhausted look of the third prince. It must have been hard during this time.
Because it was so tired, its appetite increased.
Sleem seemed to have something else to say.
It hesitated for a long time, trying to open its mouth and said, "Master, I have something to tell you, but I'm afraid you'll be angry."
"It's okay, go ahead. I've been wanting to eat vinegar stir-fried slime lately."
"...."
"Alright, it's actually about the underground city construction."
"His Majesty the King thinks, after all, this is the royal territory, we can't just let it go to waste."
"He hopes that the recruitment of the officials of the underground city will be put on the agenda as soon as possible..."
"No recruitment." There was a hint of disgust in the man's voice. "Have you forgotten what happened before?"