jdhmnovel Chapter 11 Treating guests to dinner
Chapter 11 Treating guests to dinner
A pound of rice costs thirty demon crystals, and meat is even more outrageously expensive. A pound of pork costs fifty demon crystals, and that's for low-grade pork. If it were higher grade, it would cost over a hundred demon crystals per pound. Even a bunch of green vegetables costs ten demon crystals. Luckily, Aunt Chun saved her a lot of money, otherwise she would really be starving.
Looking at the balance in her pocket, Lu Jinyan fell into deep thought. It seemed she needed to make some money quickly!
Otherwise, with the two hundred or so demon crystals she had left, she might not even be able to pay her rent for three months from now. Living off her savings wasn't her style. But right now, her priority was to settle things first.
While it was still early, she hurried home and began cleaning and arranging. Although the house was quite clean, it had been uninhabited for a long time, so it was still a bit dusty. Lu Jinyan drew a bucket of water from the well in the yard and then tidied up the room she was going to stay in.
It took two hours to clean and tidy up the room, then lay out the sheets and blankets. They also cleaned up the room next door for Chu Chu to use. Although she hasn't taken human form yet, you never know, so it's always good to be prepared.
Aunt Chun gave her three or four sets of bedding, enough for the two of them to change into. After tidying up the two bedrooms, she turned around and went into the kitchen. She cleaned the kitchen, then took in the pots, pans and other utensils and arranged them neatly. Finally, she took out all the seasonings and grains she had bought that day and put them away. She had bought very little meat.
The main reason was that the price of demon meat was too high, so she didn't buy too much. She was also afraid that it would spoil if she put it out. The storage bag was temperature-controlled, so the things she put in would be the same as when she put them in, no matter how long they had been stored.
So she put it in the storage bag. By the time everything was packed up, it was already dark. After a whole day of fussing, Lu Jinyan was exhausted and her stomach had been protesting for a long time.
At this point, she was too exhausted to cook, so she went to the kitchen and boiled two eggs to fill her stomach. She then fetched some water to wash up and put Chu Chu in the next room before lying down on the bed without moving.
After a long day of work, she always slept very soundly. Lu Jinyan almost never woke up and slept until dawn.
If she hadn't been so hungry, she wouldn't have gotten up at all. She couldn't understand why she couldn't cultivate, but the system had told her that completing tasks would improve her cultivation level.
Logically, since she has cultivation level, she shouldn't be hungry anymore. Why is she still hungry? Could it be because her cultivation level is too low? Come to think of it, a cultivation level of 1 is basically negligible.
The system, however, said it was because her cultivation wasn't achieved through proper self-cultivation. Therefore, her situation was different from other demons. Lu Jinyan rolled her eyes. What do you mean, not proper cultivation? She wanted to cultivate properly, but it wasn't possible!
For the sake of her unborn child, Lu Jinyan finally steeled herself and left her warm bed. After washing up, she first moved Chu Chu to the courtyard so that it would be easier for her to cultivate. She then went to the kitchen to prepare something to eat.
Lu Jinyan learned her cooking skills from her grandmother, and they were quite good. She remembered that when she was little, her grandmother often told her that girls must learn to cook so that they would never go hungry, no matter where they went. Her grandmother also taught her to do housework, saying that this way she wouldn't be bullied in the future.
At that time, Grandpa would always mutter to himself, saying that a child's job is to play, what chores are they supposed to do? They can finish them in the time it takes to pee, why make a child do them? But Grandpa didn't dare say this to Grandma's face, he could only mutter it in secret.
Lu Jinyan fetched water, scooped out some rice, washed it clean, and started cooking the rice. Fortunately, she grew up in the countryside and didn't have an electric rice cooker at home, so she learned to cook rice in an iron pot.
She can also start a fire, but she gets a little flustered trying to cook while starting the fire by herself. It's been a long time since she's used this skill, so she's not very proficient.
After nearly two hours of tinkering, she finally managed to cook two dishes and a soup, one meat and one vegetable, plus a bowl of white rice. Lu Jinyan looked at the food on the table, which didn't look very appetizing, and sighed.
It's been so long since I've cooked, I'm a bit rusty now!
Although the presentation wasn't great, the taste was absolutely amazing. After wolfing down the meal, he tidied up the kitchen before moving a recliner into the house and placing it under the grape trellis to sunbathe with Chu Chu.
Chu Chu was cultivating, and Lu Jinyan didn't disturb her. They just lay together with their eyes closed, thinking about how to proceed.
Today she changed into a light green dress. Chu Chu saw that she had changed her clothes, but did not ask her where she came from, just as she wondered why a little demon who had just transformed would have demon crystals to rent a house.
She chose to believe, so she didn't ask a single question. She just worked even harder to cultivate, hoping to transform into human form soon so that she could stay by Yan Yan's side.
Lu Jinyan closed her eyes and thought for a long time, but she still didn't know what to do. In this vast sea of demons, she didn't have a map or any coordinates. How could she find her target? Did she have to search the entire demon realm?
How big is this demon realm? By the time she finishes exploring it, she'll probably be crippled!
The system was also clueless, only telling her that if a potential romantic interest appeared within a five-mile radius, it would alert her.
As for anything else, she didn't know, which gave Lu Jinyan a bit of a headache. She couldn't just wander around the streets every day, could she? The demon realm was so vast. She didn't know where her target would appear.
"Host, there's no need to worry too much. As long as we find a target and complete the mission, the system will level up. Then I can see a wider area. Actually, you don't need to travel all over the demon realm. As long as the system level is high enough, you won't need to go to so many places..." The system felt a little sorry for Lu Jinyan, who was frowning.
"Easy for you to say, but where am I going to find a target to pursue? Forget it, I'll wait until Chu Chu transforms into human form! Let me just laze around for a while!"
Her head was throbbing, and she decided to stop thinking about things she couldn't understand. After all, demons had very long lifespans. She wasn't in a hurry; she'd deal with it after Chu Chu successfully transformed into human form.
After figuring it out, Lu Jinyan stopped worrying about it. She got up and looked at Chu Chu, and seeing that she was still cultivating, she didn't bother her. She then got up and went to the back of the house.
There's a vacant lot behind her house that she plans to use to grow some vegetables or something. The main problem is that things here are too expensive, and she can't afford them. Anyway, there's such a large vacant lot, so she might as well make use of it.
So I contacted the system to exchange some hoes and shovels, and also exchanged some vegetable seeds that are easier to grow.
Then she cleared the weeds from the open space, turned over the soil, and sowed the seeds. Luckily, she had grown a lot of vegetables with her grandparents before, otherwise she would have been helpless.
This system shop is really ridiculous! It only had a tiny amount of stuff, yet it cost her 200 points. But thankfully, the system guarantees the quality. Everything bought from the system shop is top-notch.
These vegetable seeds have a germination rate of up to 80%. When Lu Jinyan, who was initially a little angry, heard about this germination rate, she immediately felt that the air was more pleasant.
After a whole afternoon of tinkering, I finally managed to plant all the seeds, water them, and now I'm just waiting for them to sprout.
She seemed to already be envisioning the lush green seedlings growing, and just thinking about it made her feel wonderful.
After planting the vegetables, Lu Jinyan returned to the front yard. Chu Chu had also finished her cultivation by then. Lu Jinyan simply cooked a bowl of egg noodles and ate them. After eating, she took Chu Chu out for a stroll.
Since she was going to be living here for a while, she naturally wanted to get familiar with the surroundings. She also wanted to buy some more groceries to cook a meal tomorrow and invite Aunt Chun and Uncle Mu over for a meal.
After all, she was able to rent a house at such a cheap price entirely because of Aunt Chun and Uncle Mu. She had promised to invite them over for dinner that day, and now that she had tidied up the house these past two days, she finally had some free time.
It was still early, and the market was still open, so it was a good time to go for a stroll. Chu Chu had been cooped up at home for two days, and she was very happy to finally be able to go out. She chattered nonstop the whole way.
They bought some vegetables and fruits, some meat, and a few snacks. The two of them were satisfied and went home. When they got home, they ran into Aunt Chun, who had also returned. She invited them to stay.
"Aunt Chun, you're back! I was just saying I'd come to your house later to visit you!"
"Yan'er, is something the matter?" Aunt Chun greeted her with a smile as soon as she saw her.
"It's nothing serious, I just wanted to invite you and Uncle Mu to my house for dinner tomorrow night, and also to thank you for your help." Lu Jinyan waved the pile of things she was carrying.
"Why are you wasting money like this? This house was empty anyway. We're already charging you for renting it to us. Why are you being so polite? It's not easy for a young girl like you to live on your own. You need to be more frugal!"
Aunt Chun shook her head helplessly as she looked at the large and small bags in Lu Jinyan's hands.
"It's alright, Aunt Chun, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. These things didn't cost much, so don't worry. Please tell Uncle Mu for me that he can come over for dinner tomorrow night and try my cooking." Lu Jinyan looked up, her heart filled with warmth.
"Okay, okay, I'll remember. I'll tell him when he gets back later! Yan'er, you're so thoughtful!"
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two went back to their respective rooms. Lu Jinyan put the things she bought into the kitchen and then went to boil water to wash up and rest.