Chapter 24: Tomato and Egg Noodles

"Is this your friend?"

Ruan Mian raised an eyebrow as she looked at Ji Jialin, probing indirectly, but the wariness in her eyes still could not escape Huo Junze's gaze.

He knew that he must have found her.

"Not at all!" Ji Jialin hurriedly waved her hands. "At first, I thought he was your friend too. He's just like me when I first came here, looking for things, sigh."

As she spoke, she thought of her own "good-for-nothing" mother.

She was determined to become a perfect housewife.

She was always tidying away things that were "important" to her.

"But he must have come to the wrong place; Number Three Planet is where the trash is dumped nowadays."

"I see."

After Ruan Mian finished speaking, when she looked over toward him, Huo Junze still had no expression on his face, but he nodded as if in agreement.

She stopped paying him any mind and welcomed Ji Jialin inside.

"Wait!"

The moment before the door was about to be closed, he spoke up.

Although he had tried his best to soften his tone, his long-standing authority as a superior meant his tone could not sound very relaxed.

Ruan Mian, however, furrowed her brows tightly, her light-colored pupils narrowed, and the hand at her side quietly clenched a little tighter.

"Do you have any other business?"

"Do you have food here? I'm a bit hungry. Don't worry, I can pay for it; I would never take advantage of you!"

She couldn't help but become a bit guarded.

Her voice became much more serious, "How do you know I have food here?!"

It seemed that if he didn't give the right answer, she would take action the very next second.

However, she did not know that her appearance at this moment had absolutely no threatening quality at all.

The clothes she wore had no aggressive nature, she had no weapons or equipment, and one could even peek at the scenery inside from the door he had opened.

Inside was just a house built of sheet metal.

It looked like it even lacked defensive capabilities!

A hint of helplessness appeared in Huo Junze's eyes, and he pointed his fingertip at Ji Jialin behind her.

"She said so just now."

Now it was Ruan Mian's turn to feel a bit embarrassed; she had been too nervous and had even forgotten what she had just said.

Since that was the case, only a fool would turn down money!

Ruan Mian's expression finally softened a little, "We just make whatever food we have. If you're hungry, then come in."

She felt she had been quite farsighted; she had fenced in the yard filled with fruits and vegetables, and used a crude sheet metal house at the very front to act as a partition.

Because Ji Jialin would often come over and she didn't want to lose this customer, she had set up this crude sheet metal room.

Even this sheet metal room was something she had spent money to buy from the Light Brain!

The furnishings inside were also very simple: just one larger table and two chairs, all made by 917.

Without him, what would she ever do~

"It's a bit crude, just sit anywhere. I'll go make you something to eat."

On one side of the sheet metal room, a long sheet metal counter served as a partition, where two stoves were installed and two large pots were set up.

Thankfully, she hadn't put out any obvious plants or vegetables.

"Shall I cook noodles for you? It just so happens that the chickens I'm raising laid eggs today."

It wasn't that the chickens hadn't laid eggs before; they had laid eggs the very day she bought them, but those eggs were still foul-smelling and completely inedible.

After feeding them grain for two days, the chickens stopped laying eggs, and the chickens themselves looked much healthier.

She didn't expect them to give her a surprise today; she had found four eggs in the chicken coop.

Compared to the whole nest of eggs they used to lay at once, this was just so much more normal!

In the morning, she had taken a huge risk and boiled one to taste it.

It was edible, just with a slightly stronger poultry flavor than the eggs she had eaten back on Earth.

She estimated that after raising them for a while longer, the eggs laid by these hens should taste normal.

But if she fried them, added seasonings and side dishes, there shouldn't be any problem.

"Ah? Is that egg the same kind of egg I know?" Ji Jialin was truly stunned, feeling quite incredulous, "That egg... is it edible?"

In her impression, those types of eggs were all used to feed other animals.

In other words, used to make some kind of pet feed.

Huo Junze was also incredulous in his heart, once again doubting whether he had come to the right place.

If he had found the wrong person and the food she made turned out to be "dark cuisine," he...

"Don't worry, the ones I raise are absolutely delicious! If it weren't for you coming, I wouldn't even be willing to take them out for you to eat!"

Without giving them a chance to hesitate, Ruan Mian had already lit the fire and put oil in the hot pan.

"917, go get some noodles~"

As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of a door opening came from behind the piled-up clutter on the side, and in just an instant, it opened again.

A Simulation Human walked out, holding something in its hand.

In that brief moment, Huo Junze smelled a different scent, a very crisp and clear aroma.

He had never smelled this scent before and could not describe it.

His gaze fell on the girl busy in front of the stove; she was smiling and talking to the Simulation Human, looking full of vitality.

But, for no reason, it made him feel that she had many secrets.

With a sizzling sound, a burst of oily smoke rose from the pot, and the smell instantly filled the entire room, pulling his thoughts back.

"Is the smoke a bit too heavy?" She smiled a little awkwardly, then hurriedly asked 917 to open the door, initiating manual smoke extraction mode.

It was manual in the true sense of the word.

There was no help for it; the nostalgia here was far too primitive, and it was fortunate they were not in modern society, otherwise, given her current conditions, opening a shop would only lead to bankruptcy.

But soon, the eggs were scooped out, and the pot once again erupted in a cloud of smoke as the chopped tomatoes were added.

It was also fortunate that it wasn't any pungent food, otherwise they would really have had a hard time.

The tomatoes were sautéed until pulpy, then Tomato Sauce was added, followed by water, and after simmering for a while, the scrambled eggs were put back in with a pinch of salt for seasoning.

Once scooped out, it became tomato and egg sauce.

The water in the other large pot had also boiled, so she folded the thinly rolled dough over and over, cut it into fine noodles, shook them loose, and dropped them into the boiling water.

Once the noodles floated to the surface, they were done.

She ladled a large, full spoonful of tomato and egg sauce into each of the three bowls, sprinkled a small pinch of chopped green onions on top, and it was a complete success!

"Come on, tomato and egg noodles, make sure to stir them well before you eat!"

To make sure they knew, she even demonstrated by helping them stir a little.

She was simply a thoughtful, good boss~

"My goodness, is this really made from the eggs I know?"

Ji Jialin's mouth was practically watering, "Fragrant, so fragrant!!!"

Huo Junze was likewise stunned by the red and yellow food in front of him; it was truly fragrant, far too fragrant.

Witnessing it with his own eyes was even more impactful, and besides, were these tomatoes the same tomatoes as the Tomato Sauce???