To be precise, it wasn’t fixed in place, but rather ‘poked’ in mid-air by a strand of green hair. More accurately, it wasn’t hair, but a green vine with tiny thorns. Qi Huan blinked twice to make sure he wasn’t seeing things—it was indeed a vine. Lin Jian’s green hair was floating horizontally against gravity, turning into a lively, restless vine.

“Want more?” Lin Jian calmly glanced at Wei Jin, who was sitting diagonally across from him. Wei Jin nodded. The thin vine extended forward, delivering the fish ball it was holding to Wei Jin. Wei Jin nonchalantly picked up the fish ball, and the vine reverted to hair. Lin Jian took out a handkerchief and leisurely wiped one of the strands.

“Ahem…” Qi Huan cleared his throat, trying to ignore the bizarre scene he just witnessed. “Fish balls are quite slippery; I suggest everyone use a spoon.”

“These fish balls are pretty tasty,” Lin Jian nodded affirmatively at Qi Huan. Huh? Qi Huan was taken aback. Wasn’t Lin Jian busy wiping his hair the whole time? The fish ball soup in front of him still had three pieces, clearly untouched. Could it be… He subconsciously glanced at Lin Jian’s freshly wiped hair, feeling a slight crack in his worldview.

“We have red rice, Chunfeng Bilu, and braised beast foot noodles as main courses. Anyone interested in the braised beast foot noodles?” Qi Huan tried to maintain a smile, mechanically calculating the time needed to prepare the boiled meat slices and pear shrimp in his mind.

Everyone seemed a bit hesitant about the beast foot as an ingredient, but eventually, a crew-cut young man at Qin Huai’s table timidly requested a small portion, saying he wanted to try it. When the main course was served, Qi Huan added a braised egg to the crew-cut young man’s unique braised bone noodles.

The young man was initially worried, but the rich aroma dispelled much of his concern. It smelled almost as good as the braised pork served earlier. He tentatively picked up a piece of beast bone, lightly sucked on it, and the tender beast meat fell into his mouth, its flavor fresh and delightful.

“Mm!” The young man couldn’t speak with his mouth full, so he nodded vigorously at Qi Huan, indicating it was delicious! The rich aroma of the braised meat made others around stretch their necks in curiosity. Xue Ke sniffed, suddenly finding the bolo on his plate less appealing.

“Little Star Chef, why don’t you give me a small portion to try as well?” He couldn’t help but swallow. Whether it was psychological or not, Qi Huan felt his actions had a bit of a bear-like clumsiness to them.

“Add one for me too,” Wei Jin couldn’t sit still anymore.

“I want one too.”

“Me too!”

Small portions of braised bone noodles, +7!

By the time seven portions of braised bone noodles were served, everyone had been tantalized by the aroma for quite a while, devouring them in no time and ordering eight more bowls. The refreshing and sweet pear shrimp was particularly favored by Lin Jian, who was so satisfied that he generously paid three hundred for a meal that cost just over two hundred.

After the busy period, Qi Huan urged Quan Hai to go home and deliver food to Quan Yu. Besides the prepared braised bone noodles and pear shrimp, he also made a special limited edition sugar-coated red fruit with sesame seeds for Quan Yu.

After sending off a room full of people, Qi Huan was tidying up the dining hall when he suddenly noticed the little fellow peeking from the stairs.

“Hungry?” Qi Huan waved him over. The little fellow nodded and ran down the stairs.

“Sit for a bit, I’ll get you something to eat.” Indicating for him to sit at the empty table nearby, Qi Huan wiped his hands and headed to the kitchen.

The fish ball soup and braised bone noodles were already prepared. Qi Huan took out two sets of utensils and was serving the soup when a sudden clatter came from outside.

Holding the ladle, he rushed out to see a basin of utensils overturned by the bench, with cups, plates, and bowls scattered all over the floor.

“I just wanted to help,” Tuan Tuan stood nearby with an empty plate, looking bewildered.

Fortunately, most of the utensils used today were made of metal similar to stainless steel. Though the noise was loud, there weren’t many broken pieces. After a quick check to ensure the little fellow wasn’t hurt, Qi Huan gently reassured him, “It’s okay, as long as you’re not hurt.”

During this rare dinner time together, Qi Huan tried to bond with Tuan Tuan, attempting to find topics to discuss.

“Try the fish balls, are they good?”

“Mm.”

“How about the braised meat? I used eighteen spices as the base.”

“Delicious.”

“How was your day at home?”

“Pretty good.”

Every topic Tuan Tuan answered with just two words, leaving no room for further conversation. Qi Huan, feeling a bit defeated, took a big bite of noodles, then suddenly thought of something that might interest the little fellow.

“Is your little uncle really that amazing?”

“Of course, he’s the strongest in the entire alliance star domain,” Tuan Tuan proudly lifted his chubby little chin.

“When I was your age, I also thought my sister was the smartest in the world,” Qi Huan smiled, realizing that mentioning the little uncle made the kid light up. This kid must be a little uncle fanboy, right?

“Do you not think so anymore?” The little fellow asked for the first time.

Qi Huan paused with his chopsticks, tilting his head slightly, “Not exactly, it’s just that later on, I happened to meet many other incredibly smart people. We humans have a saying, ‘In literature, there’s no first place; in martial arts, there’s no second.’ They each excel in different fields, and I’m the most ordinary among them, with limited potential, so I can’t really tell who’s smarter.”

The little fellow’s eyes lit up, “I get it, it’s like those ordinary power value meters that can only measure up to S-level. Whether you’re S or super S, the result is just S, unable to recognize anything higher.”

“You sure know a lot,” Qi Huan chuckled dryly, not even knowing what a power value meter was, only guessing it might measure mental power or physical strength based on the super S level.

“It’s you who knows too little,” the little fellow said mercilessly.

“Can’t help it, I suffered a serious injury a while back and lost my memory, forgetting a lot of things,” Qi Huan waved his chopsticks, shamelessly blaming it on ‘amnesia.’

“Sorry,” the little dumpling looked guilty, as if realizing his previous comment was a bit rude, then tried hard to think of a compliment, “But your cooking is really good.”

“Thank you,” Qi Huan patted his head, and Tuan Tuan didn’t shy away.

The little fellow was a meat lover too. Although he liked the fish balls, he clearly preferred the braised bone noodles. After finishing a portion, he blinked his bright eyes, looking expectantly at Qi Huan.

“Want more?” Qi Huan chuckled, getting up to serve him a second bowl. “Your expression reminds me of a friend of mine. Speaking of which, I learned to make this braised beast foot dish for him. Back then, to follow a therapeutic diet and help him eat more to strengthen his body, I really put in a lot of effort.”

“Strengthen the body?”

“Don’t be fooled by his tall and handsome appearance; his health was actually quite poor. He’d end up in the hospital at the slightest mishap, the literal ‘gold and jade on the outside, rotten inside.’ I used to joke that if a mosquito landed on his face, I’d worry it might hurt him.”

“Is he your partner?”

“Cough! Cough! Cough!” Qi Huan choked, waving his hands, “Of course not, just a good friend.”

“Then why do you take such good care of him?”

“Isn’t it normal for friends to look out for each other? He takes care of me too,” Qi Huan twirled the spoon, “He’s the kind of person who might miss the small details but is incredibly reliable when it comes to big things. Let me put it this way, even if you make a mess of things, he can help you sort it all out and even gather the mess to make you a pillow. Plus, he’s very patient with friends, unlike my sister, who’d hit you if you didn’t understand after two explanations.”

“My little uncle is the same, hitting people really hurts,” the little fellow’s dumpling face scrunched up, looking empathetic.

“My sister’s not too bad, her hits don’t hurt,” Qi Huan ‘gleefully’ winked at the little fellow.

“Actually, my little uncle’s hits don’t hurt much either,” Tuan Tuan quietly added, then looked up at Qi Huan, “Did eating more make your friend’s health better?”

“Of course, food therapy is better than medicine. Plus, delicious food can lift your spirits, and when you’re in a good mood, your brain releases…” Qi Huan furrowed his brows, unable to recall the term Song Ci mentioned, so he vaguely skipped over it, “beneficial components for the body, making it healthier. In the short term, for example, when you’re tired and lacking energy from staying up late, you can make something salty to replenish your vitality. If you can’t wake up in the morning, eat something bitter to refresh and regain energy. When you’re overly excited, eat something sour to help focus your attention. When you’re feeling down, eat something spicy to lift your spirits. When you’re irritable and can’t control your anger, eat something sweet to improve your mood.”

Tuan Tuan nodded thoughtfully and resumed eating with gusto.

Qi Huan frowned slightly. Could it be that the little fellow, like Song Ci, spent most of his time sleeping because of poor health?

After coaxing him to bed, Qi Huan returned to the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to complete his final task: rendering lard and cooking meat.

The dodo beast Lin Jian and the others brought today had thick fat, very similar to pork lard. He asked Wan Lao Er for a piece of belly fat, planning to render it himself to see if it was edible. He also got a small piece of striped beast meat to test the so-called ‘unboilable’ effect.

The meat of stone beasts is said to be toxic to beast tribes, similar to the innards of long-faced beasts. If he accidentally mixed it into a dish while cooking, it would be bad, so he waited until the end to handle it separately.

Toxic ingredients are quite common on Earth, like certain mushrooms, pufferfish, and green beans, some even deadly. But with enough caution, proper handling, and the right cooking methods, you can enjoy many top-tier delicacies. While lard alone isn’t top-tier, it’s an excellent ingredient for enhancing flavors.

So even if he couldn’t sell it in the store and could only eat it himself, he thought it was worth trying.

Rendering lard is actually quite simple. Clean the belly fat, cut it into small pieces, and put it in a pot with a little water. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Once the water evaporates and the fat starts to render, reduce to low heat, stirring slowly until the oil is clear and only golden-brown cracklings remain. Then, remove it from the pot and let it cool to solidify into lard.

The filtered cracklings were golden and aromatic, making one’s mouth water. However, the striped beast meat, after being stewed, didn’t soften but became tougher, too hard to bite.

Qi Huan opened his personal terminal, confirmed there was a signal on the star network, and cautiously picked up a small piece of crackling to taste. In case he felt unwell after eating, he could immediately call for medical assistance from the base. After all, just because something is harmful to beast tribes doesn’t mean it’s harmless to humans, right?

The crispy crackling burst in his mouth, the rich aroma of the fat quickly filling his entire mouth, enveloping and overwhelming all his taste buds. At that moment, Qi Huan’s mind was filled with just four words: deliciously dazed.

After waiting for about ten minutes without any adverse effects, he breathed a sigh of relief. The data said beast tribes would feel unwell immediately after eating it, so it seemed humans wouldn’t.

He then sprinkled some pepper salt and ate four or five more spoonfuls. On one hand, the taste was so good he couldn’t stop, and on the other, his sister and the dorm leader often talked about dosage when doing experiments. What was that saying? Discussing toxicity without considering dosage is nonsense. So, he wanted to try increasing the ‘dosage.’

Twenty minutes later, Qi Huan still felt fine, just a bit sleepy, so he planned to wash up and sleep, intending to see if there were any delayed adverse reactions in the coming days.

He had just stepped one foot into the washroom when a shadow suddenly leaped down from the attic via the stairs.

The wind made the back of Qi Huan’s neck feel slightly cool. Startled, he turned to see it was the little dumpling.

“You…” Before Qi Huan could finish, the little fellow anxiously grabbed his sleeve, “A stone beast has broken into the base.”

“Are you sure?”

Before the little fellow could answer, a sharp alarm sounded outside.