Free Web NovelChapter 449: Chapter 449: Adina 2
"Tan You? You’re here so early today?" Just as Tan You was lost in thought, a man in his forties pushing a food cart to serve breakfast greeted her.
Tan You snapped out of her daze. "Uncle Qian, good morning. I woke up early and didn’t want to disturb anyone, so I came down to the cafeteria to wait."
Uncle Qian tapped the side of a stainless steel container, making a CLANGING sound. "Today’s breakfast is rice porridge and steamed buns. Your aunt made plenty of buns; I’ll get you two."
Tan You thanked him for his kindness. "Thank you, Uncle Qian. Let me help. It’s too much for one person to handle."
Of course, Uncle Qian didn’t refuse her offer. "Alright. That way, your aunt can take a little break."
The cafeteria was run by Uncle Qian and his wife. Tan You had seen Uncle Qian’s wife, Aunt Mei, a few times—a plump, middle-aged woman who looked very kind and approachable. And indeed, she was always very nice to Tan You.
When Tan You came early, Aunt Mei would sometimes give her an extra egg or steamed bun. Tan You kept every one of these small favors in her heart; after all, such gestures were a sign of their bond.
After helping Uncle Qian distribute the bowls and plates to the tables, Tan You picked up a pair of tongs and began placing steamed buns on each tray. She took advantage of the mechanical task to mull over her mission. ’An intermediate mission, huh? It’s really something else. It threw me for a loop right from the start.’
At 5:45, people started trickling into the cafeteria. Tan You sat at a table, eating her breakfast unhurriedly. After she finished, she packed up all the steamed buns, pickled vegetables, and rice porridge from her table and the one next to it to take with her.
This wasn’t the first time she’d done this. There were always a few in her dorm room who couldn’t get up in the morning. By bringing breakfast back, Tan You saved them a trip to the cafeteria. The most they had to do in return was wash their own bowls.
Sure enough, when Tan You returned with breakfast, Yin Xiu was the only one awake in their room. The others were still sleeping soundly.
Yin Xiu whispered, "They’re awake. They saw you were gone and figured you’d gone to the cafeteria. They decided to sleep for a few more minutes, since you always bring breakfast back anyway."
Tan You smiled and set the food on the table. "Breakfast is here."
"I’m getting up!" Cao Haiyan scrambled out of bed, sniffing the air. "Is it steamed buns today? I don’t like the meat ones."
Tan You knew this was coming. "I know you don’t like meat buns, so I made sure to get the vegetable and shredded radish ones. Uncle Qian gave me an extra. One isn’t enough for Qiuxia, so I’m giving you mine, too."
Gu Qiuxia, who was stretching on the lower bunk, immediately tried to wrap herself around Tan You. "Tan You, why are you so good to me?"
Tan You pushed her face away, creased with marks from the sleeping mat. "Go get ready. Come eat when you’re done."
Thanks to Tan You bringing back breakfast, Room 201 was especially relaxed compared to the other hectic dorm rooms. Listening to the hurried footsteps and voices in the hallway, the girls eating in their room felt an even greater sense of contentment.
Although Gu Qiuxia was skinny, she had a surprisingly large appetite. After finishing her vegetable bun, she licked her lips. "Tan You, I want a shredded radish one. Which one is it?"
Tan You pointed at one through the plastic bag. "This one. Eat slowly. Eating too fast is bad for your stomach."
The other girls in the room knew one bun was never enough for Gu Qiuxia. Of course, the rest of them ate like birds; some didn’t even eat the buns, opting only for plain rice porridge and pickled vegetables.
In the end, Gu Qiuxia ate three steamed buns and two bowls of porridge, and even then, she still seemed to want more.
No one was surprised by this anymore. After all, Tan You had mentioned before that Gu Qiuxia was still growing, and it wasn’t good for her to not eat her fill. Besides, they all remembered the time she had been too hungry to even walk properly. Some people just naturally burned more calories.
After breakfast, everyone wiped their mouths and headed to the training grounds to assemble. Truth be told, the school’s military training wasn’t difficult at all, aside from the sun. There were no laps to run, no weighted exercises, and long-distance marches were out of the question.
Each day consisted of standing at attention on the field, practicing left and right turns, or marching in step. In reality, even the instructors couldn’t stand the heat. They weren’t keen on spending any more time in the sun than necessary, especially when it was at its peak.
Tan You used this dull, repetitive training to ponder her first intermediate mission. She thought it over and over but couldn’t come up with a single lead. ’The problem is, this little girl named Adina provided far too little information.’
’She had no knowledge of her surroundings, which left me completely in the dark about that world. I’m also worried because the little girl was abandoned in a forest by her own relatives. What if I’m dropped into the mission at that exact moment, already abandoned? What will I do?’
’How am I supposed to survive in a forest teeming with hidden dangers, let alone get through a bitter winter? Even if I manage to scrape by through sheer luck, I still know nothing about that unknown Western Fantasy World. All of these are problems.’
Just as Tan You was mulling things over, the Beauty System returned from its tour of asking for help. A single glance at its drooping ears told Tan You the result. "What’s there to worry about? Fortune favors the bold. No matter what difficulties we face, we’ll find a way to get through them."
The Beauty System burst into tears. "WAAAH! Host, I can’t help with anything! I heard very few people make it through Hell Mode..."
Tan You said, "You’re crying as if I’m already dead. Tears are useless. I’ve already got a few ideas, so stop crying. The last thing I need is to comfort you while I’m trying to plan the mission."
The Beauty System’s wails cut off instantly. "I... I won’t cry. Host, what are you going to do?"
"Of course I need your help. In fact, you’re essential," Tan You said, narrowing her eyes. "The client is so young. She has no connections and no information network of her own, so we’ll have to find a way ourselves."
"It’s a good thing I have you. It allows me to be more ambitious with my plans."
The Beauty System was so touched that it looked like it was about to start wailing again. Tan You’s brow twitched. "Don’t you dare cry. Shut your mouth!"
The Beauty System immediately clamped its mouth shut. It hovered beside Tan You’s head. "Just tell me, Host. I’ll do whatever you say."
Tan You paused. "There’s no rush. Let me think it over a little more. We just need to leave before the school year starts."
’With this level of difficulty, how could I spend so little time preparing? That would be disrespectful to Hell Mode.’
Tan You said she would prepare, and she continued her preparations right up until the end of the military training. During that time, she went to see the teacher’s dormitory that Li Fugui had found for her. It was near Li Fugui and his wife’s place, with just one other high school teacher living in between them.
Tan Lin had already gone to see it too. While Tan You was busy with military training, he and Tan Yue went over to help clean and tidy up the place. They also stocked it with plenty of supplies—staples like rice, flour, and cooking oil, as well as a gas stove and a rice cooker—so it would be easy for Tan You to make a late-night snack after her evening self-study sessions.
