Chapter 60: Who Would Quibble Over a Meal?

Cheng Shuili had been especially obsessed with outdoor sports for a period in her previous life; she never expected that the knowledge she learned then would still be useful now.

She wrapped a rope around the toilet base, first tying a bowline, then used a fisherman's knot as a finishing touch to prevent slipping.

Only then was it secure.

She gave it a tug, and after seeing the knot tighten, she satisfiedly found the other end of the rope and tied it around her waist.

With everything ready, Cheng Shuili raised her hand and smoothly opened the car door.

She had expected the wind and snow to rush in, and had prepared for it, but after opening the car door, she felt nothing at all.

It turned out that even with the car door open, as long as she remained inside the vehicle, she could not feel the outside wind and snow.

No wonder that person would walk out year after year completely unaware.

Cheng Shuili thought, but still went outside to feel it; the wind blowing against a person was exactly as expected.

Cheng Shuili gripped the rope at her waist tightly, and the rope that was about to lengthen instantly stopped changing.

Cheng Shuili was like someone hanging in midair rock climbing; she pulled the rope with both hands, step by step against tremendous resistance, using hands and feet to climb back into the vehicle.

Embarrassing.

So embarrassing!

Cheng Shuili thought, yet she genuinely let out a sigh of relief.

First, let's finish today's mileage; with this visibility, whether we can spot supply boxes on the road is still uncertain.

As for road merging, there's no need to even think about it—no one would court death in such conditions!

Everyone is battling today's extreme harsh weather.

Struggling against heaven! Endless joy!

Cheng Shuili made the best of a bad situation, yet she did not loosen the rope around her waist; she climbed into the driver's cabin wearing her full gear.

After the upgrade, the driver's cabin also became a bit larger; the main change is the seat, which now has a latex cushion, and the backrest has a small pillow, making driving much more comfortable.

Cheng Shuili turned on the wipers, pressed the accelerator, and began to move forward.

The shopping cart's speed increased, but she dared not go too fast—safety first.

Although the probability of fighting over road merging has decreased, the likelihood of accidents has risen linearly.

Cheng Shuili only had one vehicle repair card in hand, and she did not want to use it so early.

As she had thought, throughout the whole morning, Cheng Shuili did not see a single supply box.

She had originally thought she just couldn't tell them apart, but after opening the regional channel she learned that no one had opened any supply boxes all morning, and the regional channel was filled with sighs and complaints.

【Full Moon】: I'm doomed—it's been a whole morning and I haven't seen a single supply box; my wood is about to run out. I was hoping to find some wood today.

【Ye Ye】: What can we do? If there are never any supply boxes, some will freeze to death, some will starve to death, and those who can't level up will be bitten to death by monsters. I flipped through the system's log; every crooked page read "Endless Survival." I couldn't sleep either way, and after staring at it half the night, I finally made out from the gaps that every page said the same two words: "Go die."

【User 2131】: What the person above said is really scary.

【Full Moon in the Sky】: Keep a calm mindset. Actually I also don't understand why the system brought us here, but living one day is a day; it's better to scrape by than to die well. As the saying goes, "Living is my fortune, not living is my fate."

【Beside the Sunken Boat】: What are we doing here? Maybe we're just the system's playthings, a whimsical game by higher-dimensional beings. It's like us putting fish in a tank into a pen, then opening the fence to watch which can swim farther.

【Far Away】: To them we're probably just an insignificant little bug; would you go to such trouble for a bug? At most you'd just swat it dead.

As the regional channel chat grew more gloomy, Cheng Shuili saw the corners of her mouth droop.

The weather is bad.

There are also no supplies, so there's no need to stop or get out of the car.

Cheng Shuili initially thought this wasn't bad, but as time went on she increasingly felt that the wind and snow outside seemed to have separated into a new world.

She also couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness, as if she were the only person left between heaven and earth.

At noon today, Wan Yi steamed a pot of fragrant rice.

She usually doesn't go far; supplies and such are obtained by trading for help processing food. Of course, seasonings are generally not withheld.

This weather has no effect on her.

Wan Yi finished today's mileage, then eagerly stopped the car and started cooking.

She hummed a little tune, took two pieces of pork belly from the storage box, and neatly divided them into two portions on the cutting board.

Yesterday Wu Ya told her there would be guests.

Today she will make two dishes!

One sweet and sour pork tenderloin, one twice-cooked pork!

Wan Yi cut one portion into thumb-thick strips, lightly pounded them with the back of the knife, placed them in a bowl, and added salt, cooking wine, and ginger slices to marinate.

The other piece she put directly into the pot as a whole with cold water; when the water boiled she skimmed off the foam, then added scallion knots and star anise.

These items were all given by Wu Ya; if Wan Yi weren't somewhat restrained, she really would want to hug Wu Ya's thigh and shout "Boss!"

The meat aroma soon spread with the bubbling sound.

While the meat was cooking, she quickly prepared the sweet and sour sauce.

Three spoonfuls of white sugar were simmered over low heat until amber; when poured into the vinegar it made a crackling sound and released a sweet‑sour mist, then two spoonfuls of tomato paste were stirred in to create a clear sauce.

The marinated meat strips were coated in starch and dropped into the hot oil; fried until golden, they were lifted out and double‑fried, then tossed in the sweet and sour sauce, sprinkled with white sesame, and the sweet and sour pork tenderloin emerged glistening with tempting oil.

The cooked pork belly had cooled and been sliced; Wan Yi slid the slices into the hot pan to stir‑fry, and after the fat rendered she pushed them aside, at which point she should add broad bean paste to fry out red oil.

But those conditions aren't available now, so she had to substitute something else.

Sections of scallion and the meat pieces flew in the pan; she flicked her wrist to drizzle in her homemade sweet bean sauce, then scattered fried oil crumbs on top.

Dish out!

First she presented half a bowl of rice in Wu Ya's golden rice bowl as a base, with the twice‑cooked pork on one side and the sweet and sour pork tenderloin on the other, completely covering the rice.

Cheng Shuili was staring blankly at the white‑blurred wind and snow outside the window when she suddenly heard a soft "thud."

A steaming golden rice bowl appeared out of nowhere on the passenger seat; the sweet aroma of the sweet and sour pork tenderloin and the fragrant sauce of the twice‑cooked pork instantly exploded in the cramped cabin.

She stared blankly at this suddenly appearing bowl of food; the sweet and sour pork tenderloin coated in clear sauce glimmered amber under the cabin light.

The twice-cooked pork had fatty and lean pieces intermingled, with crispy oil scraps stuck to the glossy meat slices.

Two distinctly different aromas intertwined, aggressively invading her nasal passages.

Cheng Shuili's throat involuntarily twitched.

Loneliness?

I'll really feel it later.

Feeling down?

Let's not talk anymore, it's time to eat!

The wind and snow still howled outside the window, but the cabin was filled with a comforting food aroma.

Cheng Shuili ate bite by bite earnestly; even looking out at the white expanse now felt nothing else.

In a better mood, she even had the leisure to recite a poem:

A thousand mountains, no bird in flight; ten thousand paths, no human trace.

The wind and snow sting my face, but the food warms my heart!

Good poem!

Cheng Shuili picked up a chopstickful of rice and swallowed it down with the sweet and sour sauce.