Chapter 45

The next day, Mom got up early and headed to the office.

Sure enough, Aunt didn’t disappoint me. She had dark circles under her eyes and her hair was a mess, clearly indicating that she had tossed and turned in bed all night.

Around noon, I considered ordering some takeout to get by, wondering if I could rely on Aunt to cook.

However, Aunt was determined to prove herself and insisted on showing me her skills.

She immediately rolled up her sleeves and started cooking, but ended up burning a big hole in the non-stick pan Mom had just bought. I was puzzled, wondering how she managed this feat on an induction cooker with intelligent protection settings. Was this some legendary “passive skill”?

Aunt looked embarrassed but didn’t give up. She tried steaming some rice, only to forget to add water while answering a phone call. Surprisingly, I ended up with a passable meal of crispy rice crust.

Eventually, Aunt had a change of heart and didn’t ruin all the kitchenware in the house. After a busy morning, she finally served two bowls of steaming instant noodles.

To my surprise, Aunt’s “passive skill” was so terrifying that she managed to half-cook the instant noodles, a product refined and improved by companies over decades.

I didn’t want to risk my health just to spare Aunt’s pride, so I headed downstairs to “Shaxian Delicacies.”

Aunt, trying to save face, insisted that this was the most popular way to eat instant noodles nowadays and that I, as an “unrefined person,” didn’t know anything.

Ignoring her persistent advice to let the noodles soak for a while longer, I forced down the two bowls of undercooked noodles. As a result, Aunt spent the entire afternoon with an upset stomach, suffering the consequences of her own actions. I didn’t bother with her and went back to my room to search for information about tomorrow’s destination online.

There was little information about Qiuling Village online. The few scattered posts, though attention-grabbing in their titles, basically contained the same information we analyzed yesterday. After browsing through them, I found no valuable reference. So, I started playing games instead. Although I still had doubts, I was mostly convinced that it was just a gimmick by the villagers to promote their village and boost the local economy.

Besides, I was somewhat of a “gaming expert.” How could a mere three-dimensional village pose any threat to me? If there were really anything strange about the place, it might even stimulate my gaming system. The system had been on strike for so long without producing any item cards. If I had somewhere to vent my frustration, I would definitely lodge a complaint so expensive that you couldn’t afford the repair costs!

Mom had to work late, indicating that the project handover wasn’t going smoothly. She didn’t return until after seven, but the vacation was successfully arranged.

Mom is too honest, directly saying that the boss wouldn’t let her go. In fact, she could have just skipped the trip to that creepy place. I was afraid Aunt would use her “money power” again.

Aunt, who had been shuttling between the bathroom and bedroom all afternoon, lay in bed starving and barely alive. If Mom had returned any later, we might have needed to call a mourning band for Aunt.

Seeing Aunt in such a pitiful state, Mom, being deeply attached to her sister, couldn’t bring herself to hold a grudge over the pots and pans. She silently noted it down in her little notebook, and I vaguely saw Mom add an extra zero after the amount.

After running to the bathroom all afternoon and being hungry for most of the day, Aunt looked weak and exhausted, like someone who had indulged excessively. I doubted whether Aunt could endure the several-hour journey the next day.

Turns out Aunt did have the resilience of a “cockroach.” Although she hadn’t fully recovered after a night’s sleep, she had regained at least 70-80% of her energy. Besides a slightly pale complexion, she felt no discomfort. Years of exercise were clearly paying off.

After breakfast, the coach bus arrived at the entrance of our neighborhood just in time. Aunt’s eyes lit up after receiving a call from Mi Mingcheng, and even her pale face seemed to flush with color. I really couldn’t understand why Aunt was so excited.

Mom checked the doors and windows, locked them, and came out. Naturally, I was responsible for the luggage of the two ladies. There wasn’t much; just two suitcases—one for Aunt and one shared by Mom and me. I only had a few pieces of clothing, so it would suffice.

Finally, we caught the elevator during the morning rush hour, which was already occupied by several aunties who had entered from the ground floor to save spots. Pulling two large suitcases, I consciously stood in the corner to avoid blocking others, using my body to lean the suitcases against the wall.

Mom and Aunt stood in the middle. Originally, the elevator was spacious, but four or five people poured in every time a floor was reached, gradually making the elevator crowded.

When the elevator reached the seventeenth floor, someone actually rode an electric bike backwards inside. A young man sat on it, wearing headphones, and regardless of the people standing in the middle of the elevator, he forcibly squeezed the electric bike in. Everyone scrambled to avoid it, causing chaos in the cabin.

Those aunties who always love to mingle with commuters during the morning rush hour cursed loudly. The elevator was packed with people, but the corner where I stood was relatively calm.

The aunties who became fragile as soon as they got on the bus were vigorous and energetic at other times. Aunt, shoved by the robust figures of the aunties, was squeezed in front of me.