Chapter 148: Rice

Since there has been a breakthrough in the biological aspect, Chen Mu couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if his ability could be used on the human body.

This idea actually occurred to him long ago.

But on the one hand, there were no test subjects for him to try on; he couldn't very well ask someone to sacrifice a bit of their flesh for his experiment.

Chen Mu had indeed thought of trying it on himself, such as using the ability on his right hand with his left hand.

But he hesitated for a long time and finally gave up the idea.

If he lost control, at best he'd break bones and tear tendons; at worst, he could trigger a full-body reaction that might cost him his life.

On the other hand, altering the human body's shape currently seems to have little practical significance.

In combat, if he could touch an opponent's skin and have enough time to activate his ability, simply stabbing them might be more effective.

Conversely, if he could use it on himself to freely stretch and flatten his body without harming bodily functions, that might be more meaningful.

The first thing Chen Mu thought of was Luffy from One Piece.

But he still dared not try it.

……

The change in that tomato was actually not big; it merely developed some wrinkles on its originally smooth skin, as if it had aged several years out of nowhere.

But the mental energy Chen Mu consumed was shockingly large, nearly half of what he normally uses in a whole day.

Consuming so much in a short time made him feel slightly uneasy.

Chen Mu instinctively picked up the tomato and took a bite.

When the sweet-and-sour juice slid down his throat, he suddenly paused.

This thing won't cause any genetic mutation, will it? Could it kill someone if eaten?

Although after the first bite everything was normal and his body felt no discomfort, Chen Mu still threw the remaining tomato into the trash can.

Anyway, there are plenty of tomatoes.

The trash can was only recently made.

Before, they ate flatbread every day, which produced no kitchen waste, but now it's different—tomato stems, potato peels, all need somewhere to go.

Chen Mu's plastic trash cans are basically disposable items; once full, they're sealed, and after accumulating a few, Wei Dalei pushes a flatbed cart to take them outside together.

……

The breakthrough in his ability was a pleasant matter; Chen Mu took the opportunity to discuss a few extension issues with Tang Jing, and soon it was lunchtime.

After several days of tomato feasts, everyone finally couldn't take it anymore and strongly demanded to stop this inhumane menu.

The original plan was that potatoes, carrots, and rice could be stored longer, so while tomatoes and such were still edible, they should be stored as much as possible first.

But now it seems everyone can barely hold out.

Interestingly, when food was even scarcer before, they managed to endure without complaint; now, despite having eggplant, green peppers, and tomatoes, they find it intolerable.

Especially rice— the fear of being dominated by rice cakes seems to have been forgotten; now even raw rice makes them want to gnaw a few bites.

Staple food really is amazing.

It clearly has little flavor and isn't particularly tasty.

But after a few meals without it, people feel awful all over, lacking energy, and even eating meat at every meal does no good.

Therefore, with everyone's unanimous agreement, starting today Qiming's menu is no longer limited to just tomatoes, green peppers, and eggplants.

And regarding the cooking of rice, there has also been a new breakthrough.

Dong Junwei had, from a few days ago, begun deliberately training her control over heating metal.

The goal, as she had said before, was to become proficient enough to cook a pot of rice.

This is actually not easy.

Because she lacked a means to measure temperature, Dong Junwei found it hard to gauge the extent of each heating, so she could only use tomatoes as test subjects, trying over and over.

But now the conditions are ripe.

Chen Mu first made an iron box, then placed the washed rice and water inside at a ratio of 1:0.8, and carefully sealed it.

Sealing is very important.

Because once heated, the internal pressure would become unimaginably large.

In a normal electric rice cooker, the rice-to-water ratio is 1:1;

if using a stove, the water amount can be increased appropriately.

In this situation, because moisture cannot escape at all, the water amount can be reduced by another twenty percent.

In the morning, just after waking up, Dong Junwei heated the iron box to a moderate temperature, as she had done in previous practices, and then left it alone.

The principle of this device is essentially that of a pressure cooker, except it lacks a pressure-release valve.

Five hours later, the iron box's temperature had dropped considerably, but it was still warm; at least it could now be touched.

When Chen Mu opened the iron box, everyone gathered around excitedly.

Instantly, the aroma of the rice spread out.

Everyone collectively inhaled a breath.

"I haven't smelled this in a long time."

"Even without any side dishes, I could eat two big bowls of it."

"If I could pour a spoonful of potato beef over it..."

"……"

There was no potato beef, but the braised potatoes and carrots with added sauce still elevated this meal.

The beef bits in the instant noodle vegetable packets were now almost gone, and the meat shortage problem gradually became apparent.

Even Dong Junwei and Tang Jing, who had originally advocated throwing away the frogs, now felt a bit regretful.

Even that little bit of beef bits should be given priority to Du Jia Jia; although letting Little Yellow bring some mice and frogs now doesn't seem like a bad thing, given the current food supply is still fairly ample, Dong Junwei and Chen Mu discussed it and decided to temporarily refrain from using that bottom-of-the-box skill.

After all, Du Jia Jia still couldn't skillfully have the cat drag away the remaining corpses, and each time letting Wei Dalei or Cao Zishan go dump them was an adventure.

After lunch.

Tang Jing ran over to find Chen Mu and asked him to help make another notebook.

"That previous one, you used it up so quickly?"

"Hmm." Tang Jing nodded: "Also, please make a few more pens for me."

"What on earth are you writing that consumes so much paper and pens?"

"It'll be ready soon; then I'll show it to you."

"All right."

Chen Mu, helpless, made a notebook that flips upward per Tang Jing's request, and also made several pencils, sharpening each one.

After his proficiency improved, the speed of making pencils increased greatly.

He even became a bit overconfident, firmly vowing to make a pencil sharpener.

But after several attempts, none succeeded.

Its structure is simple, but it demands high precision in assembly; if the blade angle is slightly off, it cannot be used.

If he spent more effort, it could be done, but obviously it's not worth wasting so much time on this, after all Chen Mu still has many other things to do.

The third day.

After lunch.

Everyone was about to disperse.

Tang Jing called everyone to stop.

"I've finished writing it; everyone take a look and see if anything needs revision."

"Finally done?"

Not only Chen Mu, but everyone these days has been eagerly anticipating Tang Jing's major work.

Only saw Tang Jing produce two thick notebooks.

Placed them on the table.

The one placed on top is an ordinary left‑flipping notebook; Chen Mu remembers it as the first notebook he made for her.

On its white cover, printed in block letters were five neat characters.

"Qiming Chronicle."