Chapter 13: An Old Photograph
“Smack smack...”
“Wow, this fried rice smells amazing.”
*Glug glug~*
“Hey, little guy, stop trying to steal from me!”
“Smack smack...”
In a daze, Qin Lang thought he heard a somewhat familiar male voice nearby, accompanied by the sound of smacking lips.
His consciousness swiftly returned from the darkness, and he opened his eyes.
“Who’s smacking their lips?”
Instinctively, Qin Lang spoke while struggling to sit up.
The smacking abruptly stopped. Zhao Chuan’s slightly muffled voice came from beside him, “Little Qin, you’re awake?”
“Grandpa Zhao?” Qin Lang turned sharply and saw Zhao Chuan happily digging into a plate of egg fried rice. He was momentarily stunned.
“Uh...” Zhao Chuan noticed Qin Lang’s gaze and quickly explained, “I came to check on your furniture, but after knocking for a long time with no answer, I got worried and used the spare key to come in.”
“Oh...” Qin Lang nodded. “This fried rice...”
“Ahaha, fried rice!” Zhao Chuan chuckled awkwardly. “It tastes best hot; it’s no good once it cools down.”
With that, he hurriedly swallowed the last bite as if afraid Qin Lang would take it back at any moment.
*Glug glug~*
A roughly soccer-ball-sized creature bumped Zhao Chuan’s arm, wearing a displeased expression.
Qin Lang finally noticed the third presence in the room.
It was a peculiar little being with a milky translucent spherical body, a yolk-like face nestled inside, two fluffy yellow ears, and a large elliptical tail hanging behind it.
“Grandpa Zhao, is this your Food Spirit?”
“My Food Spirit?” Zhao Chuan wiped his mouth and smiled warmly.
“No, this is your Food Spirit.”
Qin Lang was puzzled.
As memories from before his faint gradually returned, he recalled sensing turbulence in the Celestial Star Vein just before losing consciousness.
At that moment, he had just finished plating the egg fried rice.
Wait...
Egg fried rice?!
Watching the Food Spirit leisurely float closer with an affectionate expression, Qin Lang’s eyes lit up instantly.
He remembered that transforming a spirit embryo into a Food Spirit required the Soul Chef’s full concentration during cooking and active communication with the star vein’s embryo; it wasn’t something any random dish could achieve.
How could this be...
Thinking back on how he had cooked the fried rice, Qin Lang grew silent.
Could it be that he had unknowingly reached a similar harmony?
A soft touch on his cheek jolted him back to reality. Turning his head, he saw the newly born Food Spirit gazing at him with closeness.
Through the star vein, Qin Lang clearly felt an inseparable bond between them.
Well, egg fried rice it is.
Carefully cradling the little Food Spirit, Qin Lang’s eyes shone with curiosity and joy, as if holding his own child.
“Let me give you a name.”
The Food Spirit nodded emphatically.
*Glug! (≧‿≦)*
Due to its form, only the yolk-like face inside moved up and down while nodding; the outer body remained still.
A strange yet fitting sight.
Looking at its egg-like shape and recalling that it originated from egg fried rice, Qin Lang smiled. “How about Eggy?”
*Glug doo~*
Recognizing the approval and delight in Eggy’s voice, Qin Lang’s smile deepened.
Just as he was about to speak, a *glug* interrupted him.
Not Eggy’s sound, but his own stomach’s.
Rubbing his belly, Qin Lang suddenly remembered he hadn’t eaten dinner yet.
He had fainted earlier due to the immense physical exertion required to birth a Food Spirit, compounded by his already poor nutrition.
Already somewhat hungry, waking from unconsciousness left him feeling quite uncomfortable.
Seeing this, Zhao Chuan felt a bit embarrassed.
After discovering Qin Lang unconscious, he and Eggy had helped him onto the sofa. While watching the plate of fried rice during the vigil, Zhao Chuan simply couldn’t resist.
Originally planning to just taste a bite, then a second, a third...
In the end, he had eaten all of Qin Lang’s dinner.
Fortunately, Zhao Chuan quickly thought of a solution.
“Little Qin, Grandpa Zhao ate your dinner, so come eat at my place tonight,” Zhao Chuan said with a smile. “Grandma Liu probably already made a meal, so eat plenty later.”
“That’s fine.” Hunger made it impossible for Qin Lang to refuse.
If he tried cooking again himself, he was afraid he’d faint from hunger before finishing.
-----------------
“You old rascal, even stealing the kid’s dinner!”
Back at home, Zhao Chuan unsurprisingly received a severe scolding from Liu Suyun, who knew the whole story.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Zhao Chuan sat sheepishly at the dining table.
With a light hum, Liu Suyun turned to Qin Lang, her face softening from anger to warmth in an instant.
“Little Qin, eat more.”
As she spoke, she kept piling dishes onto Qin Lang’s bowl until it overflowed.
“Is it enough? If not, I can make a couple more dishes.”
“That’s plenty!” Qin Lang hurriedly stopped her. “Grandma Liu, your cooking is delicious and more than enough to fill me up.”
“That’s good.” Liu Suyun nodded with a smile, then glanced at Eggy, who had just poked its head out of its body to show off.
“How wonderful, Little Qin has become a Soul Chef too.”
“My granddaughter just became a Soul Chef recently as well. She said she wanted to visit us soon.”
“When that happens, you two can meet.”
Qin Lang paused mid-bite. “Grandma Liu, your granddaughter?”
“That’s right.” Liu Suyun nodded.
Qin Lang understood.
He recalled that Zhao Chuan and his wife had a son working elsewhere, and the granddaughter was about the same age, though Qin Lang had never met her.
“Alright.” Qin Lang nodded cooperatively. Under Liu Suyun’s increasingly kind smile, he quickly finished his bowl of rice.
“Grandma will clean up the dishes. You two have a chat,” Liu Suyun stopped Qin Lang from helping and shot a glance at Zhao Chuan, then efficiently tidied the table and returned to the kitchen.
Making himself at home, Qin Lang held Eggy and chatted with Zhao Chuan.
Though he had rented the place for years, Qin Lang hadn’t visited Zhao Chuan’s home often.
As they talked, Qin Lang’s curiosity led his eyes around the room until they settled on a shelf near the television.
On it rested an old photo frame.
“Grandpa Zhao, what’s that photo?”
“That’s a picture of me and your Grandma Liu from many years ago,” Zhao Chuan said cheerfully as he took it down and handed it to Qin Lang. “That was where we first met.”
Qin Lang looked at the photo, his pupils narrowing slightly.
In the corner of the background, he noticed a stone statue of a carrier pigeon.