The entire morning passed quickly in the game.
As it was nearing noon, Shen Jie was contemplating whether to order takeout.
Then he saw Brother Jiang stand up.
While tying his apron, he walked towards the kitchen:
“Do you have any dietary restrictions?”
“Brother Jiang, you can cook?!” Shen Jie blurted out in surprise,
“I can eat anything except kelp!”
“Alright, play by yourself for a while.”
After speaking, Jiang Lin entered the kitchen.
In his opinion, Shen Jie was a guest while playing at his place.
When it was mealtime, he was naturally responsible for lunch.
It was the same when he used to visit Xu Shuzi’s house.
They would be chatting until mealtime, and then his sister-in-law would pull him in to eat.
Soon, Jiang Lin was busy in the kitchen.
The cleaver fell on the cutting board, making a fast and rhythmic sound.
Deng deng deng—
Deng deng deng—
Shen Jie was originally in the living room looking at his phone.
Hearing the sound, he couldn’t help but curiously run to the kitchen door to peek.
He saw Jiang Lin with one hand pressing half a winter melon and the other holding a cleaver.
When the cleaver fell, there was no hesitation.
It was fast and accurate, almost becoming a blur.
In just a moment, a pile of sliced winter melon lay on the cutting board.
The slices were of uniform thickness, faintly shimmering under the light.
Shen Jie’s mouth fell open, his face full of shock.
Could Brother Jiang have actually been a chef before?
And then went to the mountains???
He was just too talented…
At this moment, the winter melon was cut.
Jiang Lin stopped the cleaver in his hand and looked at Shen Jie at the door:
“What’s wrong? If you want a drink, there are beverages in the fridge.”
Considering Shen Jie was human, he did not use his ghost energy to operate.
“No, no… I was just looking.”
Shen Jie swallowed and asked, “Brother Jiang, where did you learn your knife skills?”
He had only seen this scene in TV shows and anime before.
This was his first time seeing it in reality.
Jiang Lin didn’t think much of it and casually replied, “Learned it from short videos.”
“I wasn’t good at it at first, but I practiced for a while and got used to it.”
“Oh…”
Shen Jie nodded, half-confused.
He became this skilled after practicing for a while?
But Brother Jiang practices martial arts, so this chopping speed seemed normal?
Was it normal?
Shen Jie was not in the culinary profession, so he had no standard for comparison.
Next,
Shen Jie stood there, watching Jiang Lin skillfully chop vegetables, meat slices, and tofu…
Then he heated oil and put the ingredients in the pan.
Sizzle—
The dishes gradually turned golden.
A wave of fragrance began to fill the entire house.
The color, the uniform knife work, was exactly like in the short videos.
Wait?
Exactly the same?
Shen Jie, who was watching intently, suddenly jolted.
He opened his phone, clicked on a short video to watch, and then looked at Brother Jiang who was cooking.
Suddenly, a terrifying and incredibly unbelievable thought occurred to him:
Brother Jiang might not know…
That current short videos have the functions of filters and speed adjustments, right?
…
An hour later.
Rumble—
Rumble rumble—
It started to rain heavily outside, with thunderous roars.
The light inside the room grew dimmer.
At the same time, Jiang Lin’s meal was ready.
The living room lights were turned on.
Plates of hot dishes were served, and waves of tempting aroma lingered in the air.
Shen Jie looked on with envy and ate three large bowls of rice.
Then, patting his round belly, he leaned back on the sofa.
While lying there in satisfaction, he couldn’t help but sigh:
“Brother Jiang, you’re simply god-tier!”
To learn cooking to this extent just by watching short videos.
Definitely god-tier!
Jiang Lin was considering whether to bring a cleaning ghost to clear the dishes.
Upon hearing this, he looked up at Shen Jie on the sofa, his eyes filled with confusion.
“?”
What was that about?
Had he exposed something just now?
…
…
Rumble rumble—
The heavy rain continued for two days, leaving many puddles on the ground.
The scent of grass and trees lingered in the air.
The funeral for the old lady on the second floor concluded on the third day.
After the old lady passed away, her children did not live there.
They packed up the old lady’s belongings and, when they left, they took the two dogs with them.
A few days later, Jiang Lin opened the underworld passage one night.
And returned to the Underworld.
Before leaving, Jiang Lin sent a message to Shen Jie.
Just as he was about to place his phone on the bedside table, he saw the screen light up.
A news alert popped up:
[Man Kills Wife, Dismembers Body, Sentenced to Death!]
…
After returning to the Underworld, Jiang Lin first settled the cabinet ghost he had captured from the haunted house.
Then he went to the mission center.
On the way, he ran into Qin Zhouzhou, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
“What a coincidence.”
Qin Zhouzhou looked at Jiang Lin, her tone as calm as ever:
“Your vacation is over already?”
Jiang Lin nodded: “Yes, there are some things I need to resolve.”
It was inconvenient to undertake the drift bottle mission while still on vacation.
“It’s good that you’re back, quite a few ghosts from Squad 18 have been asking me about you.”
Qin Zhouzhou paused as she spoke.
She tilted her head, her long bangs slanting with it, subtly revealing a pair of eyes beneath.
“Have you really been affected during this time…?”
Jiang Lin was slightly taken aback and murmured, “Perhaps.”
He didn’t give a definitive answer.
But Qin Zhouzhou saw a sense of release in his eyes.
And her heart found its answer.
“I’m leaving, let’s grab a meal sometime.”
She waved and left like the wind.
Jiang Lin watched her leave, then turned and went to the mission center.
He found a staff member and submitted the mission in a private room.
“You can come out now.”
Jiang Lin opened the exit of the maze and said to the [Spirit] in his mind.
Looking at the suddenly bright sky, ‘Happiness’ was immediately overjoyed.
Without a single wasted word, it rushed out.
In the blink of an eye, it appeared in the room.
Looking at its surroundings, it felt an urge to cry tears of joy.
Nearly three months! It was finally out!
It no longer had to face those winding mazes every day!
It wasn’t easy!
It was too difficult!
‘Happiness’ almost wanted to sing loudly: Freedom!
Beside them, the mission center staff member was holding a wooden house-like ornament, preparing to collect this [Spirit].
Suddenly, Jiang Lin looked at the [Spirit] and asked,
“Are you happy now?”
‘Happiness’, who was about to jump with joy, froze. The staff member beside them also paused.
They didn’t understand why Jiang Lin suddenly started asking questions.
Should they still collect the [Spirit] now?
“Do you feel happy now?”
Jiang Lin asked again.
Ever since this [Spirit] had infected him, it had been persistently asking him:
‘Do you want happiness?’
‘What is the happiness you desire?’
‘Are you happy now?’
In these past days, as this [Spirit] walked deeper into the maze and lingered longer,
Those questions gradually faded.
Replaced by new questions:
‘What is happiness?’
‘How can everyone be happy forever?’
After nearly three months, Jiang Lin could finally provide an answer.
…