Cultivating Immortality by Raising a Cat (GL) Chapter 33

Although Yuan Zhaoyang had been worn down by A-Bai until she had no choice but to cook, she still felt that eating too much food from the mortal world was not very useful. So when she prepared the ingredients, she only planned for three normal portions. Yuan Zhaoyang had always been very skilled at controlling A-Bai’s diet. But now, feeling Lin Mianmian secretly glance over from the side with a bit of sadness in her eyes, Yuan Zhaoyang could not help wondering if she had truly made too little…
If she had known, she would have put a little more into Lin Mianmian’s bowl when serving.
Yuan Zhaoyang lowered her head and looked at the half bowl of noodles left in her own bowl. At perfect Foundation Establishment, she did not really need to eat at every meal anymore.
“I do not mind you.” A-Bai pushed an empty bowl toward Yuan Zhaoyang. It was so clean it looked as if it had never held that huge bowl of mixed noodles at all.
“…” Yuan Zhaoyang looked at the little white rabbit with shock and indescribable feelings. Then she lowered her head and quickly finished all the noodles in her bowl.
The little white rabbit tucked in her front paws, pressed them to her chest, and fell over on the spot. She even sobbed softly, “What a waste of fine food!”
Lin Mianmian used her chopsticks to scrape at the bottom of her bowl, which was already extremely clean. Then she put down the bowl and chopsticks, holding herself back from copying A-Bai and licking up the sauce at the bottom. Although she really, really wanted to…
If only A-Bai had been there, Lin Mianmian might truly have done it. Even if she did not lick the bowl clean, she would have taken out a piece of dry bun and wiped up the sauce at the bottom before eating it. The problem was that someone else was present too. Yuan Zhaoyang.
Yuan Zhaoyang, who had cooked a meal without getting a single bit of flour or water on the edge of her clothes, without even a strand of hair out of place. Yuan Zhaoyang, who cooked as gracefully as flowing clouds and moving water, and who ate this rare earthly delicacy without the slightest reaction, as if she were eating plain boiled cabbage.
With such a person beside her, someone as beautiful as a painting, refined like a noble young lady, and full of immortal air, how could Lin Mianmian lick the bottom of her bowl? Well, if she was going to do it, she would have to wait until Yuan Zhaoyang left…
A-Bai had none of Lin Mianmian’s strange worries. She lay directly on the ground, complaining that such wonderful food was wasted in Yuan Zhaoyang’s mouth, and bit by bit, she crunched and swallowed the chicken bone that belonged to her.
Without anyone noticing, the courtyard was left with only the cracking sounds of A-Bai biting through the chicken bone.
Yuan Zhaoyang could sense that while they ate, Lin Mianmian never stopped praising the noodles and roast chicken legs. Yet her brief, respectful replies were nothing like the way she spoke to the little calico in daily life, so talkative and pleasing, so careful and incredibly gentle. This polite Lin Mianmian, respectful to the point of distance, made Yuan Zhaoyang uncomfortable. So after eating, she sat only a little while before getting up and saying farewell.
A-Bai, who had not eaten enough but had at least satisfied her craving, was very good at reading the room. She hopped up at once and followed her away.
The courtyard truly quieted down all at once.
For some reason, when Yuan Zhaoyang had been there, Lin Mianmian had felt stiff and a little embarrassed about eating and drinking for free. But now that Yuan Zhaoyang had left, the place felt somewhat cold and empty.
As expected, beautiful things always made people want them to stay a little longer.
Lin Mianmian did not think too deeply about it. To her, Yuan Zhaoyang completely fit her idea and longing for an immortal. At the same time, she also gave Lin Mianmian some pressure. Mm… it felt a little like facing a teacher at school. Someone worthy of respect, but not closeness. Someone you could admire from afar, yet did not dare approach.
The little calico was better!
Lin Mianmian quickly gave up on chasing down her thoughts about Yuan Zhaoyang. She closed the courtyard gate, took a small bowl from the firewood pile, and entered the room.
Did you have to be this quick? You care so much about raising a cat, so why are you cultivating immortality at all?
Yuan Zhaoyang had just changed back into cat form and jumped through the window into the room. Before she could stand steady, the door opened and startled her.
Lin Mianmian had just entered with the bowl when she saw the little calico standing by the bed. The kitten looked back at her, then with a soft thump, as if her paws had slipped, fell flat on the bed.
“Pfft… cough, cough…”
Too cute! Like a little flower-patterned rug!
Lin Mianmian could not help laughing out loud. But in the next moment, she clearly read deep shame and anger on the kitten’s milky little face, so she quickly used a cough to press down her smile.
This is terrifying. What kind of strange ability is it that I can read emotions from little animals’ furry faces more and more clearly?
So angry! Does this mean I have to release my divine sense even in this tiny courtyard from now on?
Yuan Zhaoyang held back the urge to flick out a hundred little fireballs. She lay still and waited for Lin Mianmian to come over on her own.
Cultivation. Cultivation. Cultivation…
Yuan Zhaoyang silently recited the purpose of this trip and tried hard to ignore the person beside her whose face had gone red from holding back laughter.
“Rice Ball, come eat… pfft… come have your meal.” Lin Mianmian brought the small bowl closer to the little calico. “Look what you get to eat today. It is wonderful.”
Other than roasted crushed bun and soaked crushed bun, what else could there be? Oh, there was also the flour mud on the board that could not be saved no matter how much flour was added…
Yuan Zhaoyang narrowed her eyes and complained in her heart while flicking her little tail. It was time to undo the restriction and cultivate. All of these people only knew how to eat!
Hm?
This smell…
Yuan Zhaoyang got up and reached toward the small bowl on her own.
“This is called shredded-chicken cold noodles. Mixed with the sauce, it is very, very delicious. It is the best shredded-chicken cold noodles I have ever eaten. But little cats cannot eat sauce that salty, so I rinsed it in warm boiled water for you. It should not have much flavor now. The weather is getting cooler, and my little Rice Ball is so tiny, so warm food is better.” Lin Mianmian chattered as she scooped the little calico into her arms. Holding the bowl, she entered serious feeding mode.
Yuan Zhaoyang turned her face away. Her feelings were very complicated.
Earlier, after Lin Mianmian received her bowl, she had indeed gone to the side and fiddled with something. Yuan Zhaoyang had been busy knocking away A-Bai’s paw when the rabbit tried to steal a chicken leg, so she had not paid much attention. So it turned out… Lin Mianmian had set some aside to feed the cat?
A perfect Foundation Establishment cultivator had worked so hard to make noodles for her, and she used them to feed a cat?
Fine… this cat was also Yuan Zhaoyang.
Yuan Zhaoyang no longer knew whether to complain that Lin Mianmian was too foolish, or that she was… too good to her.
The small bowl held a little clump of noodles, covered with a full layer of shredded chicken. It was enough for a little cat to eat until full.
Ingredients and seasonings from the mortal world were easy to find, and the cooking methods and recipes had spread widely there. Yuan Zhaoyang did not think there was anything impressive about making mortal food taste good. After all, compared with the true delicacies of the cultivation world, mortal delicacies were not worth mentioning. The first only satisfied the tongue and belly. The second could feel like spiritual energy filling the body, comfortable from head to toe. The best dishes could even improve one’s cultivation. There was no comparison at all.
It was just that ingredients and seasonings from the cultivation world were hard to find, and because the five elements had to support and restrain each other, matching them was even harder. Also, boiling them plainly in water could draw out the spiritual energy and essence inside the ingredients. So even fewer people studied how to make cultivation-world food more delicious.
Cultivators should place cultivation first. A-Bai, who was so greedy for taste, was one of the few exceptions. Yuan Zhaoyang had always been self-controlled and had not eaten mortal-world food for a long time. Today, because she felt it would be unfriendly to cook and leave, she had stayed and eaten a portion. The taste was, as always, acceptable. But to Yuan Zhaoyang, that was all.
What had surprised her was the joy and enjoyment Lin Mianmian could barely hide while eating.
Freshly made and freshly eaten mixed noodles, seasoned just right, were only ordinary food in Yuan Zhaoyang’s eyes. Now, after the noodles in the little bowl had been washed in warm water and clearly lost their flavor, the plain-water noodles and plain-water chicken were simply…
How were they different from yesterday’s water-soaked bun?
Yuan Zhaoyang remembered that Lin Mianmian had clearly wanted more during the meal. Then she looked at the full bowl of shredded chicken. She had to admit… fine. There was a difference.
“Why are you not eating? Try it. It is very good. It really is very good.” Lin Mianmian protected the little calico in her arms and gently touched the kitten’s small head with one finger.
Lin Mianmian only felt the little calico twist in her arms. Then the furry little head turned and looked straight at her.
That quiet, thoughtful gaze…
For one moment, Lin Mianmian almost felt that in the little calico’s deep pupils, she saw a shining sea of stars.
It was only for a moment. Before the slightly dazed Lin Mianmian could take a closer look, the little calico in her arms had already buried her head in the small bowl and begun eating noisily.
“Right? Right? It is good, is it not?” Lin Mianmian looked blissful, as if her recommendation had succeeded. She held the small bowl steady and kept the little calico securely in her arms.
It was only plain-water noodles and plain-water meat…
Yuan Zhaoyang had not eaten in cat form for a very long time and was a little out of practice. She wanted to eat quietly, but she kept making noises by accident, which embarrassed her in secret. Yet when she heard Lin Mianmian’s bright voice, she seemed to taste something different in that plain-water meal.
“Senior Sister Yuan looks rather serious, but her cooking is truly first-class. Sadly, I probably will not get the chance to eat it again. As for you, from now on you can only eat the plain-water dough balls I make. Since you have eaten Senior Sister Yuan’s cooking, you cannot be picky about mine later. But I will work hard too. I will work hard to feed my little Rice Ball until you are white and plump! Do not worry. If I eat meat, I definitely will not give you only soup!” Seeing the little calico eat so happily, and feeling those soft little paws step on her legs, Lin Mianmian’s heart almost melted.
No matter how hard the road of cultivation was, at this moment, Lin Mianmian truly felt happiness. Happiness from her calico Rice Ball.
Where am I serious? Why make me plump? Please, just give me soup!
Yuan Zhaoyang kept a stern little face and worked hard to empty the bowl. She almost wanted to stamp a row of paw prints on the face of the person talking to herself.
At this moment, Yuan Zhaoyang did not know that this brief softness, this time she went along with Lin Mianmian and emptied the food bowl, would bring trouble later.
After finally dealing with two meals in a row and solving the noon food problem, Yuan Zhaoyang smoothly undid the bracelet’s restriction in the afternoon. She and Lin Mianmian curled up on the bed and cultivated properly for the whole afternoon.
This was the right way to spend a cultivation life!
At dusk, Yuan Zhaoyang finished a great cycle of spiritual energy and looked at the sky. She considered whether she should go out for a while during dinner time, then return after the meal so Lin Mianmian would not stuff her with another bowl of bun soup.
But Yuan Zhaoyang had not expected that she would not wait for bun soup. Instead, she waited for another “surprise.”
“Good Rice Ball, you cannot keep not going potty.” Lin Mianmian held a wet cloth with a worried face and moved closer to the little calico, who had shrunk into the corner of the bed. “Without a cat mother to lick you clean, I can use a warm wet cloth to wipe you. That should work too.”
This! Truly! Could not be endured!
The little calico in the bed corner widened her eyes, arched her back, and her fur nearly stood on end.