The System is Abstract, Luckily, So Am I

Chapter 189 : Of Course I'll Consider My Own Problems

Shanting was still too close to Nansang, so the specialty dishes weren't particularly special in comparison, but the taste was okay, and it was considered delicious and inexpensive.

"Boss, I'm paying with cash, and it's not convenient to give change. Can you round down the total?" Bai Bufan stepped forward and said.

"Let me see. The total is 101. Sure, I'll round it down for you. Just give me a hundred," the boss looked at the receipt and, seeing that Bai Bufan was preparing to pay with cash, nodded generously.

"You're so generous, Boss!" Bai Bufan praised.

"Giving up a little money for a good reputation, it's what I should do."

The boss said with a smile. Then, watching Bai Bufan touchingly pull out a handful of cash that was entirely small change from his pocket, his smile became less sincere.

You're paying entirely in small change?!

And you still asked me to round it down? Isn't that a bit much?

"If the bill was one hundred and four, could you round that down too?" Lin Li, standing to the side, asked upon hearing this.

"Sure, I can round it down," the boss decided to be polite.

"Boss, grab another bottle of cola and put it on this tab. Thanks. That makes it exactly 104." Lin Li opened the beverage cooler and took out a bottle of ice-cold cola.

Boss: "..."

Damn it.

These two stinky out-of-towners came here to beg.

"Then again..."

As soon as the boss said "then again," Lin Li put the beverage back.

"A moment of boldness exchanged for a lifetime of introversion. The boss will probably never round down a bill for a customer again. You two really are something," Ding Sihan complained on the way to the nearby supermarket.

Lin Li and Bai Bufan high-fived. Two bitches combining forces, invincible under heaven.

"Are we awesome?" Lin Li didn't forget to ask Ding Sihan.

"Awesome."

He didn't even need the system to verify it. Just looking at Ding Sihan's expression, he knew it was a compliment against her will.

They arrived at the supermarket.

The sign above the supermarket entrance read: [Supermarket—Your Best Friend]

The girls didn't notice anything unusual and walked straight into the supermarket, while Lin Li and Bai Bufan looked at each other.

"Now?"

"Not appropriate, right?"

"Another day."

"Okay."

After making a rather abnormal agreement, the two finally caught up with the three girls ahead.

Lin Li and Bai Bufan each pushed a shopping cart.

For some reason, supermarket shopping carts always have one wheel that doesn't work smoothly, lagging behind the other three when rolling.

"Why are there dumbbells in the snack aisle?" While buying snacks, Ding Sihan saw a pair of dumbbells on the shelf and said in surprise.

"That proves someone made an important decision here. He put down his suffering and picked up happiness," Lin Li commented, feeling a bit nostalgic for Baowei. He wondered if he was dead yet.

Ding Sihan: "..."

That's actually true.

They bought a lot of things. Fortunately, there used to be only one mule, but now there were two, so carrying it all back wouldn't be too difficult.

"Hello, do you have a membership?" the cashier asked habitually during checkout.

"No," Lin Li naturally wouldn't have a membership for this local supermarket.

"Would you like to sign up for one? If you recharge, you get..." the cashier immediately tried to upsell.

"No need, thank you."

Membership systems are not a good thing.

Damn it, Two Girls One Cup and membership systems. The guy who recommended these to me really deserves to die.

...

Although starting to prepare dinner right after lunch was a bit too early, for a group of novices, it seemed just right.

Considering this was a great opportunity to get everyone's heartfelt praise, Lin Li took it 120% seriously.

However, Lin Li didn't plan to stir-fry dishes. For a novice with zero experience, even with a guide, making a satisfactory dish on the first try was very difficult.

He set his sights on sweets, which were easier to make people feel satisfied and happy.

And relatively speaking, they were also simpler to make.

"You guys cook the dishes. I'll make some candied fruit as a post-meal dessert for everyone," Lin Li said when they started assigning tasks.

"Didn't we buy a lot of candy and cake with the snacks? Here, Lin Li, do you want a lollipop? If you do, I'll grab one for you."

A poor student has many stationery items. Ding Sihan, who had already tied her apron and was fully armed just to wash vegetables, spoke indistinctly with a lollipop stick in her mouth.

"How can a lollipop compare to my candied fruit? Also, Ding Sihan, don't you think lollipops are weird? Eating a lollipop is like flavoring your own saliva and then drinking it," Lin Li retorted.

Ding Sihan: "?"

Swallowing a mouthful of sweet saliva, Ding Sihan fell silent.

She wanted to speak but stopped, wanted to stop but spoke, wanted to speak but stopped again.

"Lin Li! Today was supposed to be a beautiful day! Because of what you said, my beautiful day is ruined! What do you mean drinking flavored saliva?!" Ding Sihan gritted her teeth.

It seemed she was truly provoked, because she was already chewing the lollipop instead of slowly letting it melt.

Lin Li responded with a grimace.

Tasks assigned, Bai Bufan was responsible for deveining the shrimp. Everyone in the kitchen quickly got busy, though Qu Wanqiu was actually the main pillar.

Lin Li went next to Ding Sihan, who was washing vegetables, and started washing his fruit and skewers.

After washing for a while, Lin Li stared at Ding Sihan.

"What's wrong? Why are you staring at me?" Ding Sihan immediately went on high alert.

"Ding Sihan, do you know what it means to be uncomfortable?" Lin Li, with an evil smile on his face, stepped forward, grabbed Ding Sihan's hair, wiped it across her face, and then said word by word:

"When you're wearing wet, dirty gloves, and your nose suddenly itches."

Ding Sihan, whose nose was itching after being tickled by her hair: "..."

Animal.

"Lin Li, do you know what it means to be uncomfortable?" Ding Sihan, who had tried to rub her nose with her arm several times but still couldn't stop the itch, let out a long sigh, smiled in relief, stared at Lin Li, and said.

"Tell me," Lin Li was very curious.

"Watching yourself being chopped into minced meat." Ding Sihan took off her gloves, rubbed her nose comfortably, and reached for the kitchen knife.

Lin Li: "?"

"I'm sorry, Little Ding Ding. I offer you my sincerest apologies," Lin Li slid to his knees at lightspeed, then added: "Also, be careful when playing with knives. Uncle was right, safety is the most important thing."

"You'd better be saying that because you think safety is important."

"Of course."

"Take your syrup and fruit and leave the kitchen!" Ding Sihan ordered.

"Alrighty."

...

Half an hour later.

"Why do I smell something weird?" Chen Yuying wrinkled her nose and asked in confusion.

"It seems you're right," Qu Wanqiu nodded.

Everyone turned their heads. It turned out Lin Li had returned at some point, his face heavy.

"What's wrong?" Chen Yuying asked with concern.

Lin Li slowly brought out a black ball from behind his back.

It was the source of the smell.

"What is this?"

"Candied tangerine," Lin Li explained.

The kitchen was silent for a moment, then everyone put down what they were doing and gathered around.

"You call this briquette a candied tangerine?" Ding Sihan couldn't believe it.

"Be respectful, it's not a briquette, it really is a candied tangerine." Seeing that everyone didn't believe him, Lin Li pressed a fruit knife into it. Beneath the pitch-black exterior—it was actually still pitch-black.

Fuck.

Lin Li: "..."

"I'm sorry, it might not be a tangerine."

Lin Li couldn't even convince himself.

Scratching his head awkwardly, Lin Li looked at Qu Wanqiu, who had the most kitchen experience: "Little Qiuqiu, take a look. I made my candied fruit like this. Is it a problem with the syrup, the tangerine, or the pot?"

Afraid Qu Wanqiu wouldn't be able to analyze it well, Lin Li also brought over the non-stick pan, which was covered in black.

Qu Wanqiu: "..."

"Are you not going to mention yourself at all?" Qu Wanqiu bit her lip, her voice trembling with laughter as she asked back.

"Oh, oh, Little Qiuqiu, is this a problem with my syrup, my tangerine, or my pot?" Lin Li asked again.

"I didn't mean for you to mention yourself like that!! I meant it's a problem with you as a person!" Qu Wanqiu scolded with a laugh.

"That's impossible, absolutely impossible," Lin Li firmly denied.

How could a cultivator fail to do such a small thing well?

It must be a problem with the ingredients.

Realizing that the candied tangerine wasn't hot, Qu Wanqiu didn't care if it was dirty and picked it up directly. It even made a crisp sound when squeezed.

Seeing this, Ding Sihan laughed first.

"Hahahahaha—" Laughter is contagious. Qu Wanqiu could no longer restrain herself and squatted on the ground, laughing loudly.

She didn't forget to squeeze the candied tangerine.

Crunch, crunch.

A stress-relief toy.

"Stop laughing, Qu Wanqiu. It's one thing for them to laugh, but you, I'm discussing with you how to save it," Lin Li was very serious.

"Lin Li, haha, how exactly did you do it? To make candied fruit look like this, haha—" However, Lin Li's seriousness only made Qu Wanqiu find it even funnier. "You, you—"

"Although it's hard to make perfect candied fruit, making it like this is even harder, right?"

"Lin Li, I have to say, you, you, hahaha—you really have some skills. I'm truly impressed."

[During this squad experiential learning process, obtain heartfelt recognition and praise from other squad members (1/4)]

Lin Li: "..."

I don't want this kind of thing.

(End of Chapter)