Luo Jun might not be in love with Dried Tangerine Peel Tea, Qin Huai didn’t know, but he surely loved baked buns.
He first devoured a plain, hollow bun, shook the flaky crust off himself, then ate a Dream Come True Sesame Bun stuffed with filling, slightly frowning to express his disdain for the meat filling, and without taking a sip of Dried Tangerine Peel Tea, he directly commented.
"The meat filling in your Dream Come True Sesame Bun is cooked terribly," Luo Jun criticized, "It’s way worse than what I had sixty years ago."
"How about... you try the Dried Tangerine Peel Tea?"
Only then did Luo Jun look at the Dried Tangerine Peel Tea in front of him, his expression a mix of complexity, homesickness, and hesitation.
After hesitating for a while, Luo Jun gnawed on another hollow bun.
Perhaps if he didn’t drink the Dried Tangerine Peel Tea now, he wouldn’t be able to eat anymore. Luo Jun hesitated again, wanting to continue hesitating, but Chen Huixi didn’t give him the chance.
Chen Huixi finished off the remaining buns.
With no choice left, Luo Jun picked up a spoon, scooped some Dried Tangerine Peel Tea, and put it into his mouth.
Almost simultaneously with Luo Jun’s swallowing, a game notification rang in Qin Huai’s mind.
"Congratulations on completing the side quest [Luo Jun’s Wish], and earning task rewards ［Luo Jun’s Approval］, ［Luo Jun’s Appreciation］."
"Congratulations, player, on unlocking a new illustration."
［Luo Jun’s Approval］ was already listed as a task reward, but why was ［Luo Jun’s Appreciation］ unexpectedly revealed?
Appreciation for what?
Appreciation for admitting that this bowl of Dried Tangerine Peel, White Fungus, and Lotus Seed Soup was Dried Tangerine Peel Tea?
Everyone present was an insider, so Qin Huai directly opened the game panel to check the rewards.
［Luo Jun’s Approval］: Approval from the grumpy neighbor Mr. Luo, getting this title significantly increases the chances of gaining his favor and help, since beneath our grumpy neighbor Mr. Luo’s tough exterior lies a secretly warm heart.
［Luo Jun’s Appreciation］: Appreciation from the kind-hearted neighbor Mr. Luo, earning this title gives a chance to receive his guidance and might even open up his heart to tell you stories he prefers not to recount.
Qin Huai felt like scratching his head again.
He sensed that ever since the system activated, the frequency with which he wanted to scratch his head exceeded that of the last 20 years combined.
Luo Jun, the kind-hearted neighbor.
"Have you completed the task?" Luo Jun asked while expressionlessly eating the Dried Tangerine Peel Tea.
"Completed, thank you for your guidance," Qin Huai replied, "I’m looking at the rewards now."
"Did you get the dream?" Chen Huixi asked curiously.
Qin Huai shook his head: "No, but it seems I’ve unlocked an illustration. I’ll take a look now."
Luo Jun sneered: "You want to see my memories? Don’t even think about it."
Qin Huai swiped the game panel, found the illustration section, clicked open, scrolled down, and was taken aback.
"How is my illustration written? Read it to me." Luo Jun one second said seeing his memory was impossible, the next second honestly wanted to know how Qin Huai’s system described him.
Qin Huai remained silent, still reading.
Luo Jun waited a while, seeing Qin Huai hadn’t spoken, grew impatient: "Finished reading or not?"
"Oh, finished," Qin Huai nodded, "I’ll read it to you verbatim."
Status: About to lose memory
"Is that all?" Luo Jun asked.
"What kind of lousy status is ’About to lose memory’, your system doesn’t understand, don’t spout nonsense. And you, how can you be so slow at reading at such a young age, do you have that whatever reading disability mentioned online? No wonder you haven’t finished the Classic of Mountains and Seas."
Qin Huai chuckled: "I am indeed slow at reading."
"You don’t have any other tasks related to me, do you?" Luo Jun asked.
"Better not have," Luo Jun said dismissively, "If you want to see memories go see Qu Jing’s, mine you shouldn’t even think about. If you can actually help Qu Jing like you helped Chen Huixi wake up, she might even thank you for seeing her memories."
Luo Jun’s words packed a punch.
Chen Huixi wasn’t surprised: "I’ve been asking you for so long whether Xiao Qu is a spirit or not, you didn’t say a word, how come you’re so straightforward with Xiao Qin now."
Luo Jun took another bite of white fungus: "What’s the point of telling you, do you have the... system? You woke up all muddled yourself, Qu Jing is on her last cycle, just let her be, save your enthusiasm for those who can actually help."
Qin Huai processed the massive amount of information and asked, "So, did you actually go to the hospital to register, only to find out Dr. Qu is also a spirit, and only then insist she must come for regular check-ups because it’s her last cycle?"
Luo Jun’s face turned a bit red, he said loudly: "What’s with the insistence on hospital disputes? If it weren’t for the last cycle muddleheads attracting each other, I wouldn’t have encountered Qu Jing after Chen Huixi came over."
"It’s rare to chance upon completely amnesic muddleheads, encountering one is enough, but having a buy-one-get-one, I’m interested, wanting to see more before you completely fade away, what’s wrong with that?"
Qin Huai suddenly realized that the description under ［Luo Jun’s Approval］ wasn’t wrong either, beneath the grumpy exterior was genuinely a heart filled with warmth.
The explanation sounded so far-fetched yet he stubbornly insisted on it, being the kind-hearted neighbor Mr. Luo wasn’t easy either.
"Alright, you’ve asked everything, and completed your task, right? If there’s nothing else, you can leave and take the trash down with you," Luo Jun began to usher them out.
Qin Huai walked out with the trash alongside Chen Huixi.
As soon as he entered the elevator, Qin Huai proactively asked, "Sister Hong, can I ask you a favor?"
"Asking a favor feels too formal, just tell me, what do you want?" Chen Huixi replied briskly.
"On Northern Little New Year, can you bring Huihui to the store to have a bowl of Chicken Soup Noodles?"
Chen Huixi fell silent.
After a long pause, Chen Huixi spoke: "Actually, I asked Luo Jun while you were making snacks in the kitchen."
"He said, people are different from us."
"Before we completely dissipate, no matter how many times we reincarnate, I am still me, because there’s always a chance I will recall past memories before complete dissipation. But humans... as memories fade, even if they look similar, they’re not the same person."
"Huiniang is Huiniang, Huihui is Huihui, no matter how similar they look, they’re not the same person."
"Perhaps Huihui is truly heaven’s last chance for me, just that I’m incredibly lucky to have met... you, with the system."
"I mean nothing else," Qin Huai said, "I just hope... Huihui can have a bowl of Longevity Noodles that day, carrying both Huiniang’s health and peace, to live a happy life together."
"Though I’m probably not capable of making a qualified A-level Longevity Noodles this year, it doesn’t necessarily have to be this year, as long as it’s before Huihui turns 15."
The two walked out of the elevator, Chen Huixi silently thinking all the way, finally nodded.
"For now, I’ll accept your blessing on behalf of Huihui."
They parted ways, Qin Huai didn’t return to the cafeteria, instead turned back home.
More important things needed his attention than going to the cafeteria for a meal.
Because just now, when he opened up the illustration book to view Luo Jun’s illustration, he was shocked to find that Luo Jun wasn’t the second illustration he unlocked.
The second illustration he unlocked was from a person he never expected.
Surname: Chen Huiniang/Chen Huixi
Dreamscape: 0/0 (Click to view text version)
Gift: Blessing of the Luan Bird
When the Blessing of the Luan Bird opened, there was a message.
［Blessing of the Luan Bird: The God of Spring’s envoy appreciates you for saving Chen Huixi, and the Luan bird will use its last Divine Power to bless you, wish fulfillment, peace and joy.
And, Huihui will always love her mother.］
Perhaps Chen Huixi was right.
Huihui was indeed her last chance.
The final straw thrown down by heaven to save her.