Free Web NovelChapter 7: Chapter 7: Improving His Food
After Shi Lan left, Yan Huoshui suddenly let out a few laughs. "This new Prison Director is quite interesting. Mu Tangfeng, you and Jiang Xia had better not torment her into leaving so soon."
Once Shi Lan was gone, Jiang Xia resumed his posture of stuffing his face with meat. His face was covered in grease, the fur on his cheeks slick and matted, but he still glared viciously at Yan Huoshui. "You just worry about yourself. Don’t go using your foxy tricks on a female."
Fox Beastmen possessed a natural charm Skill. When they activated it, they could send people into a daze, turning them into puppets at their beck and call.
Yan Huoshui had indeed used it on the female, but she had snapped out of it in just a few seconds, which was completely unexpected. Even the powerful He Hanshi had taken more than ten seconds to break free back then.
At this thought, his laughter grew more unrestrained. He murmured under his breath, "’Truly interesting.’"
—
Perhaps because the two most boisterous inmates, Mu Tangfeng and Jiang Xia, had already had their fun, the Emergency Bell didn’t ring again.
As lunchtime approached, Shi Lan went to the kitchen ahead of time to take a look.
The kitchen robots were still working in an orderly fashion. Every procedure was strictly controlled, and the food was very hygienic, but the flavor was too monotonous. Plus, it was all meat, without exception.
Shi Lan tasted a few types of meat and quickly found it overwhelming.
However, having just transmigrated and spent a few days on Capital Star, she had gotten a rough idea of the cost of living. The meat from Gugu Beasts, which tasted similar to chicken, was very expensive.
In this world, females received a monthly subsidy of about 2,000 Star Coins. If Shi Lan didn’t work, this money would be enough to get by, but there’s a difference between just surviving and living well. Judging by the price of Gugu Beast meat, she couldn’t quite afford to support herself properly.
Currently, vegetables were cheap, but meat was expensive. Much of it was tough and hard to chew; the Gugu Beast meat was the most palatable to her.
Unfortunately, a pound of Gugu Beast meat cost two hundred Star Coins. She couldn’t afford it.
And now, the Black Ming Star Prison cafeteria was full of Gugu Beast meat. She tasted some, and there was also meat from a Gaga Beast, which was slightly tougher than pork but still quite good.
But she could guess it wasn’t cheap.
All this meat was being prepared by the robots in a single, uniform way—stewed, with no seasonings other than salt. Even Shi Lan found it far too bland.
She searched around the kitchen on her own and found a refrigerated storeroom that had all sorts of seasonings, vegetables, and side dishes. Her eyes lit up, and she happily took some ingredients out.
Shi Lan checked the time and decided to make stir-fried Gugu Beast with green peppers, and to brew a Gaga Beast soup with some nourishing medicinal herbs and a few red dates for a rich, sweet, and savory flavor.
The robots packed up the lunch boxes for the inmates on schedule. Shi Lan grabbed two extra containers for her food—one for herself, and one to give to He Hanshi later.
Since it was her first time cooking for him, she was worried He Hanshi might not like it, so she hadn’t made a large amount. The two containers were just enough to hold it all.
Pleased, Shi Lan placed the lunch boxes into her Space Bag and went to deliver the meals to the inmates on schedule.
The healing pods in this world were incredibly effective. After just two or three hours, He Hanshi reappeared in his cell, completely unscathed. freewēbnoveℓ.com
He looked like he had just taken a bath. His fur, not long dry, was clean and fluffy, with every hair distinct. It made one want to comb it smooth.
He didn’t seem to have changed, but Shi Lan noticed that the fur on his two front paws was much sparser, so much so that she could see the pink flesh underneath.
But at least he was okay. This time, He Hanshi was still alive.
Shi Lan offered a smile and asked with concern, "Lord He, are you all right?"
He Hanshi rarely heard such a title. Everyone was more accustomed to calling him Major General, even the previous Prison Director.
For a moment, it gave him a surreal feeling, as if from a different lifetime. He was no longer that Major General on the battlefield...
His ice-blue eyes landed on her. His White Lion form naturally exuded a cold aura, but his actual demeanor was like a gentle water lily—mild and soft. Even though he had just gone through such a major incident, his eyes held no trace of self-pity.
Accepting and calm, like the vast ocean.
He nodded lightly. "Thank you for your concern, Prison Director. I’m fine now."
"That’s good."
Shi Lan let out an imperceptible sigh of relief, then took out two lunch boxes—one packed by the robots, and one she had made herself.
She placed the lunch boxes at the window slot. "Well, I was thinking, since you were just injured, I made you some nutritious soup. It’s a little something to improve your meal. You can give it a try. I don’t know if it’ll suit your taste."
"If you don’t like it, I brought the regular cafeteria food as well."
A hint of surprise appeared in He Hanshi’s eyes. He studied Shi Lan carefully. Through the blue light screen of his cell, her expression wasn’t perfectly clear, but her eyes radiated genuine sincerity, unlike any of the previous prison directors.
They were very pure eyes, without any hint of ulterior motive.
His gaze grew even gentler. "Thank you."
After speaking, he had a robot bring the two lunch boxes over, even specifically instructing it to be careful.
They had special spoons for eating, which could be automatically secured to their paws. Although it was still inconvenient to eat this way, they were far more reluctant to be fed by robots. free𝑤ebnovel.com
He Hanshi carefully opened the lunch box she had given him with his paw. Seeing the green peppers and the unusual style of cooking—things he had never seen here before—his pink nose twitched slightly. "It smells wonderful. I like it very much."
His voice seemed even gentler than before, like a beautiful piano melody—magnetic, with a calming quality that put one at ease, like being bathed in a spring breeze.
For some reason, Shi Lan’s face turned a little red.
She couldn’t help but think of the photo of He Hanshi she had seen on the Star Network earlier that day. He was dressed in an Onyx military uniform, his features handsome, his ice-blue eyes focused, exuding a majesty that was both stern and steady—a stark contrast to his current gentleness.
She’d thought it was fine at the time, but seeing the contrast now, it was a kind of adorable gap that tugged at her heartstrings.
Perhaps unable to stand the sight of the two acting as if they were the only ones there, Mu Tangfeng, feeling ignored from across the hall, slammed his wings against his door. "Enough with the chit-chat! Are you trying to starve us to death?"
Shi Lan snapped back to her senses. Hearing Mu Tangfeng, her brow twitched instinctively. She took a deep breath, quickly placed his meal at the window slot, and moved on to the next cell in the very next second.
When he saw Mu Tangfeng open his lunch box, He Hanshi’s gaze drifted over for some reason. Seeing him angrily smack his bowl while muttering, "This crap again," He Hanshi silently lowered his eyelids.
’So... I’m the only one who got it.’
Of course, the inmate Shi Lan had the best impression of was still He Hanshi. The others were like demanding lords who were hard to please. Cooking wasn’t an easy task, and she had no desire to ask for trouble, only to be met with another round of criticism.
When she delivered the meals this time, no one said much. Only Jiang Xia seemed somewhat aggrieved as he pushed his morning bowl, which he had licked clean, forward with his paw for the robot to pass to Shi Lan.
He had kept his promise and hadn’t rung the bell to bother her again.
However, after Shi Lan took it, he glanced at her a few more times, as if expecting something. Then, after a moment, he strangely bared his teeth at her in a rage before turning his back, leaving her with only the view of his round rump.
They say a woman’s heart is a needle at the bottom of the ocean.
’Turns out a male’s mood is just as unpredictable...’ Shi Lan thought.
