Chapter 15: An Unreliable Impression

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Xiao Ningxue raised her wrist terminal and gave it a little wave. “Everything’s taken care of. I just need to go back to the dorm and make my bed!”

Feng Jingxuan was astonished. “That fast? Sorry! I had something to deal with this morning, otherwise I should have gone with Zang Zexin to pick you up. I happened to bring back some edible plants. Would you like to eat together?”

Zang Zexin seemed to get along rather well with his roommate, for he offered an explanation. “When we went there, her counselor happened to be present. There was no need to queue for the remaining procedures, so things naturally went faster.”

Feng Jingxuan suddenly understood.

When he had registered, the place had been packed with people. It had taken him the entire day to complete the process, and he had still needed to finish some additional formalities the next day.

That was why he found Xiao Ningxue’s speed so surprising.

Xiao Ningxue glanced at the time. It was eleven fifty-two in the morning.

She had eaten cooked food from her spatial pocket that morning, and after a whole morning of activity, she had almost finished digesting it.

“Sure! Thank you!” Xiao Ningxue had originally intended to take out some vegetables so they could eat together, but then she remembered the bottle of nutrient solution Zang Zexin had given her that morning. She worried that this roommate, who was cold on the outside but warm-hearted beneath, might not be able to produce many vegetables himself.

Still, she could always take some out to share with her roommates in the future.

A plant master with slightly greater talent being able to produce a little more vegetables was not too conspicuous, right?

Besides...

Xiao Ningxue fell into thought. She had to control her output carefully. Otherwise, when her secret was exposed, she would have no way to explain the enormous vine.

“Xiao Qingyu? Xiao Qingyu?”

Feng Jingxuan’s voice brought her back to herself.

“Sorry.” Xiao Ningxue noticed that the two men had already reached the elevator outside the dormitory. They were looking at her in confusion. “I was thinking about something and lost track of where I was.”

Zang Zexin said nothing. Feng Jingxuan merely chuckled. “Were you thinking about what plants to grow once classes begin?”

At those words, even Zang Zexin turned to look at her.

Xiao Ningxue walked over and pretended to look troubled. “Exactly. I suppose I’ll grow whatever the teacher gives us then. There’s no point thinking about it now.”

The three of them lived on the twentieth floor, in dormitory 2093.

At the sight of that number, Xiao Ningxue’s heart gave a violent lurch.

The year she had died seemed to have been 2093.

What a coincidence.

She entered the dormitory with complicated feelings. What greeted her was not the three familiar beds she had expected, but a room resembling a living room. Each of its three walls had a door. Signs of habitation were clearly visible on both the left and right sides.

Had the two of them left the middle room for her?

Feng Jingxuan entered first. “Zang Zexin’s room is on the left, and mine is on the right. The middle room gets the best light. Go in and see if you like it. If you don’t, you can switch with either of us.”

Xiao Ningxue instinctively glanced at Zang Zexin. His expression was perfectly normal, without the slightest hint of surprise. Clearly, the two of them had discussed this beforehand.

“Any room is fine with me. The middle one is very good.” What kind of place had she not lived in during the apocalypse?

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Back then, even finding somewhere clean to stay had been an extravagant wish.

In today’s interstellar society, hygiene was practically beyond reproach. Her room even came with a cleaning robot.

Zang Zexin and Feng Jingxuan’s rooms, however, had no such robots. They had to tidy everything themselves, and the inspection standards were exceptionally strict, nearly identical to those of the military in her previous life.

At the slightest mistake, their blankets might end up anywhere.

Xiao Ningxue suddenly felt fortunate that the ability she had revealed was wood-based.

She had grown accustomed to being careless and untidy in the apocalypse. There was no way she could suddenly become so disciplined and obedient to regulations. She had complete confidence that she would never manage it.

“How do you want to prepare these edible plants?” Feng Jingxuan took out what he had brought. Curious, Xiao Ningxue went over and rummaged through them.

Rice, endive, and a banana.

There were only three items in all, and their total weight was probably less than three pounds.

Xiao Ningxue said, “I’m not entirely sure. Why don’t you decide? I have some things here too. We could cook them all together.”

She had forgotten that nutrient solution was the staple food of this society. Even if Feng Jingxuan had brought vegetables, he could not have brought very many.

Besides, a banana was considered an edible plant?

Well...

Why not?

“How are you supposed to prepare this?” Xiao Ningxue pointed at the banana.

Feng Jingxuan looked at it. “This is called a banana. You can stir-fry it, but I don’t particularly like the taste when it’s cooked that way.”

A banana? Stir-fried?

Xiao Ningxue was filled with question marks.

“This...” She hesitated, then stopped hesitating and began to speak again. Her mouth opened and closed, but she had no idea what to say.

Seeing her strange expression, Feng Jingxuan asked, “Am I handling it incorrectly?”

Xiao Ningxue was torn over whether she should take out the vegetables in her spatial pocket.

She was afraid that if she brought them out, they would be ruined as well.

Zang Zexin said, “Just say what you mean.”

She wanted to speak plainly, but where was she supposed to begin?

“Well... I know how to prepare these edible plants. Why don’t I do it?” Her cooking could not compare with that of the chefs who had specialized in serving the upper echelons during the apocalypse, but the taste was still quite decent.

It was more than good enough for everyday meals.

Feng Jingxuan hesitated. “But you’re a plant master...”

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The corner of Xiao Ningxue’s mouth twitched. “Can’t a plant master cook?”

Feng Jingxuan looked bewildered. “What does cook mean?”

Zang Zexin had returned briefly to his room. He came back just in time to hear the last exchange between them. Even his usually impassive face revealed unmistakable confusion.

He did not know either.

Xiao Ningxue let out a small cry and stammered, “It means... um... preparing food? The edible plants.”

She had used one word they did not understand to explain another.

Feng Jingxuan burst out laughing. “Forget it! I really have no idea where you came from. I can’t understand half the things you say. Still, if you’re willing, I’ll leave this to you!”

With great generosity, he handed the 150,000 over to Xiao Ningxue.

Fortunately, Xiao Ningxue could grow edible plants herself. Otherwise, she dared not imagine how miserable her life would have been.

Zang Zexin said, “I have some things as well. Could you prepare them together?”

Xiao Ningxue was surprised. It seemed that both her roommates were quite wealthy.

“No problem!” Cooking for one was still cooking, and cooking for two was no different. As long as she did not have to cook for long periods every day, she could accept it.

The kitchen was built against the wall on Feng Jingxuan’s side. It appeared to have been added later, for its style clashed severely with the rest of the dormitory.

Carrying the ingredients, Xiao Ningxue walked over to the kitchen. It was an open-plan design.

She examined its layout, scratched her head, and looked at Feng Jingxuan.

“Feng Jingxuan, could you teach me how this kitchen works?”

Everything above the counter was unfamiliar to her. She had no idea where to begin.

Feng Jingxuan hesitated. “You know how to stir-fry these edible plants?”

She did not even recognize the kitchen utensils. Was she really certain she could cook?

Xiao Ningxue had never imagined that she would stumble at the very first step.

“I’m sure. The place I came from was rather remote, and the utensils you use to prepare edible plants look somewhat different from ours...”

Zang Zexin watched Xiao Ningxue suspiciously from the side.

Helpless, Xiao Ningxue stepped aside. “Why don’t one of you take over?”

Feng Jingxuan rolled up his sleeves. “I’ll do it!”

She had never imagined that she would give her roommates such an unreliable first impression on her very first day.