When I got to the kitchen, I saw that the stove was clean, the floor had been swept, there was hot water in the pot at the back, but the stove in front was empty.
"I don't know the master's taste, so I dare not prepare it on my own. My cooking skills... are not very good." Cen Xiaoshan quickly added, "But I learn quickly. Just give me a day or two and I will be able to learn it."
He said this with great confidence, making people feel that as long as he tried the kitchen twice, he would be able to do it.
"No, no, I'll do it myself." Mu Xue rolled up her sleeves. "I don't eat much, so it's okay to eat once every few days."
Although her need for food was not great, the child was a mortal and needed three meals a day. Mu Xue reminded herself not to forget.
I have actually brought him home, so I will have to work hard until his leg gets better.
She was multitasking, controlling objects in mid-air, washing the magical rice with both hands, while the sharp knife on the chopping board beside her was chopping meat out of thin air, at the same time, the oil in the pan was sizzling, and a spatula was flying up and down on its own, frying the fragrant poached eggs.
Finally, add a little onion oil and soon a pot of colorful rice and meatball porridge is ready.
Mu Xue used a spell to make the hot pot of porridge hang in the air, moving with her steps. She held two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks in her hands and called Cen Xiaoshan, "Let's go eat."
The simple dining table was also in the main house. Mu Xue gave Cen Xiaoshan a bowl to serve porridge.
Just after a meatball was beaten out, a voice from the other side whispered: "I... I don't eat meat."
Mu Xue said, "Oh!" It's common for some people in this world to like to eat vegetarian food and some to like to eat meat. She put aside the meatballs and scooped up a golden poached egg.
The man added, "I don't need to eat eggs either."
"You don't need to have too much porridge. I eat very little."
Mu Xue raised her head and finally understood that it was not that she didn't eat meat, but that she didn't need to eat meat; it was not that she didn't like eggs and porridge, but that she was afraid that if she ate too much, she would not like herself.
The boy standing by the table, wearing a loose and ragged coat, looked empty on his lonely body. At the same time, his stomach was rumbling with hunger.
Cen Xiaoshan pursed his lips and turned his head away awkwardly.
Mu Xue filled the bowl with meatballs again, topped it with two browned eggs, and placed it in front of him.
"Sit down and eat. I'm not rich, but my family is well-off. Eat as much as you want."
She served the porridge to the boy and herself, then casually opened a book called "The Essence of Metallurgical Fire Control" on the table and read while eating.
She was so absorbed in watching that she didn't notice when the boy next to her sat down and when he lowered his head and slowly finished his meal.
It was not until a long time later that someone called her softly and Mu Xue came back to her senses from the book.
There was still half a bowl of porridge left in his bowl, which had already gone cold, while Xiaoshan's bowl had long been eaten clean and was placed neatly beside the chopsticks.
"Master, if you don't want to eat it, I will clean it up?" the boy asked her cautiously.
Mu Xue's mind had not yet drifted away from the book, and she uttered "hmm" in confusion.
The dishes and chopsticks were quietly taken away, and a moment later someone brought her a cup of hot tea, placed it in a convenient place for her, and reminded her softly.
Mu Xue picked it up and took a sip.
The cup contained snow chrysanthemum tea, with four or five small blooming chrysanthemums, a red date pressed in it, and perhaps one or two pieces of rock sugar. It had just the right sweetness, which was exactly Mu Xue's favorite taste.
Mu Xue looked up with some confusion and met Cen Xiaoshan's inquiring gaze.
"Strange, how do you know I like to drink this?"
Cen Xiaoshan pondered for a moment and told the truth: "The teapots in the kitchen are all covered with dust, except Xueju's. When the master was making meatballs this morning, he added some sugar and boiled onion oil. So, I thought the master might prefer sweet taste. I dared to give it a try, but I don't know if it will be good?"
"It has a pleasant fragrance, a sweet taste in the throat, and removes greasiness and oil. It's very good." Mu Xue praised the child.
Why did I think smart kids were annoying before
It is obviously a very comfortable thing to have such a considerate little guy carefully figure out your preferences and take care of your daily life in every possible way.
In the afternoon, Mu Xue was busy at the workbench for a long time. Suddenly, she turned around and looked around for a long time. Then she asked Cen Xiaoshan who was sitting in the Toad Light Array,
"Have you seen..." She gestured, "a small jar filled with blue scale powder?"
The sound of crutches tapping was immediately heard in the room. Cen Xiaoshan, leaning on the crutches, took out a small jar from the corner of the floor and showed it to Mu Xue.
"Yes, that's it. Great."
Cen Xiaoshan handed the jar over and asked tentatively, "If the master allows, can I sort out the refining materials in the house?"
Mu Xue nodded. She had so many different types of refining materials that sometimes she couldn't even remember what she had bought.
Not only are there things on the shelves in this room, there are also a dozen or so Qiankun bags of different sizes. In total, there are at least tens of thousands of categories. Although they have been simply classified, they are still not easy to find.
It is really a blessing that someone is willing to organize it.
By the time the day passed and Mu Xue stopped her work, the whole house had completely changed.
There was no more unnecessary clutter on the floor, and all kinds of refining materials were clearly arranged in categories on the shelves several meters high around the walls.
There are even signs next to the stairs of each shelf with major categories, detailed outlines and index lists.
There was a layer of dark circles under Xiaoshan's eyes. He pointed to the two attics and showed them to Mu Xue with an apologetic look, "These are materials I don't recognize. I'll put them here for now. I'll need your guidance. The materials for refining sea beasts and birds haven't been divided into categories yet, and the same goes for minerals. But as long as I have three to five days, I should be able to sort them out in detail."
"This is already..." Mu Xue was stunned, "It's already much better, you don't have to be so anxious. You are a mortal, you must sleep for a while every day, don't follow my schedule, ascetics have abundant essence and don't need too much sleep. So I sleep very little. But as long as you feel sleepy, go to bed by yourself."
In order to praise Cen Xiaoshan, she sent out her little puppet "Qianji". The puppet ran away after receiving the command, and soon came back with large and small bags held high in its thin arms.
The package contained clothes, bedding, gauze, medicine and various fruits, vegetables and meat.
"I'm sorry. I'm not a good master. I was so busy that I almost forgot about it. It took me a whole day to buy these for you." Mu Xue handed Cen Xiaoshan's clothes to him and pointed at his legs. "Are you feeling better? Can I apply some medicine for you?"
Cen Xiaoshan used his crutch to slightly block his right leg and took the clothes that Mu Xue handed to him: "Thank you, Master. It's much better now. I can take care of it myself."
Seeing that he was fine and his right leg was no longer bleeding, Mu Xue didn't take the matter to heart.
She hurried to the kitchen and cooked some greasy dishes, thinking that the important thing was to fatten up this skinny little guy.
"Xiaoshan, do you know where the bone meal of Fuhao fish is?"
After the sound of "da da da", the dark green glass tube was quickly placed on Mu Xue's workbench.
"Xiaoshan, where is my eight-headed ghost face oil bath pot?"
"Here, I'll go clean you up."
"Can you handle the thorns of Linglong Flower? Can you help me deal with it?"
"Master, show me once, I can give it a try."
In just two or three days, this room, which was always dull and silent, seemed to be very different just because of the appearance of a little man.
This child used a crutch and was always busy and diligent. In a short period of time, Mu Xue felt that it would be very inconvenient if she lost him.
He also began to try to express his little wishes to Mu Xue.
"I have only read the "Comprehensive Study of Monsters and Beasts". I cannot tell many of the materials here, and you have to take the trouble to sort them out. I am so ashamed."
"Ah, I have here 'Monster Records', 'Grimoires' and 'A Close Reading of the Complete History of Stone Mines'. You can take a look at them if you like."
"The other books on the shelf..."
"Whatever, you can watch it if you want."
"Thank you very much, Master."
It turns out that this child has a desire to learn.
Indeed, he is an excellent child in all aspects. He is extremely smart, and he can master everything as long as he is told and demonstrated once, and he has never made any mistakes.
If I accept him as my disciple and lead him on the path of spiritual practice, he will definitely achieve something and can become a better helper to me.
Mu Xue thought so in her heart and decided to observe him for a while.
The day of observation had not yet begun when an unexpected change occurred.
That was the fourth day since Xiaoshan arrived home.
The room was unusually quiet.
When Mu Xue came to her senses, she realized that the occasional sound of the cane seemed to have disappeared for a long time. The teacup beside her was also rarely empty.
Mu Xue turned her head and saw that the door was wide open. It was quiet outside, the night sky was dark, and heavy snow was falling in the yard.
"Xiaoshan?" Mu Xue called out curiously.