Instant Noodles

Cicadas chirped incessantly in the old locust tree outside the window, announcing the arrival of summer.

Another half year had passed, and summer vacation was here.

Chen Zhi sat cross-legged on the bamboo mat, remote control in hand, flipping through the channels out of sheer boredom.

On the TV screen, Black Cat Detective was holding a pistol, in hot pursuit of One-Ear.

"Sigh."

Chen Zhi sighed and tossed the remote aside.

It had been four years since he was reborn, and this body was already four years old.

Aside from being forced to go to kindergarten every day to play dumb, his greatest agony was the lack of smartphones and the internet.

For a time-traveler who had experienced the rich entertainment and internet videos of the future, current TV programs were as dry as dust.

He sighed, lay back on the bamboo mat, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

His dad, Chen Jun, and mom, Zhang Guifang, had both gone to work, leaving him home alone to watch the house.

They called it watching the house, but really they were just afraid he would run out to play on his own.

After all, in this day and age, rumors of child abductors ran rampant in the neighborhoods.

Knock, knock, knock!

An urgent knocking suddenly sounded, breaking the dullness in the room.

Chen Zhi didn't even bat an eyelid.

With this rhythm and force, it could be no one else but the little childhood sweetheart from next door.

He slowly climbed up from the mat, shuffled over to the door in his slippers.

He pulled up a stool and took a look outside through the peephole.

Sure enough.

A delicate, rosy little face was almost pressed flat against the door, struggling on tiptoes.

Chen Zhi unlocked the door.

With a creak, the door opened.

A giant colorful sphere was the first thing to catch his eye.

Right behind it was Lin Wanwan, who was hugging the sphere.

The sphere was an oversized lollipop, as big across as a basketball, making Lin Wanwan's head look a size smaller by comparison.

"Zhizhi!"

As soon as Lin Wanwan saw Chen Zhi, her eyes instantly curved into two happy crescents.

She offered the giant lollipop forward like a treasure, almost shoving it into Chen Zhi's face.

"Look! Isn't it huge!"

Chen Zhi stepped aside to make way.

"Come in, it's hot outside."

Lin Wanwan hugged the massive thing and squeezed through the door with great effort, like a little hamster carrying its winter food.

She familiarly kicked off her slippers, stepped onto the bamboo mat barefoot, and plunked the giant lollipop down onto the coffee table.

"Phew... it's so heavy."

The little girl wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead, her cheeks as red as a ripe apple.

"My mom and dad went to work too. I'm all alone at home, it's so boring."

Lin Wanwan sat cross-legged and patted the spot next to her.

"Zhizhi, hurry up, let's eat candy!"

Chen Zhi walked over, sat opposite her, and examined the giant lollipop.

This thing was a rarity in these times.

Usually, you could only see them in amusement parks or large shopping malls.

"Uncle Lin bought it for you?"

Chen Zhi asked casually.

"Uh-huh!"

Lin Wanwan nodded vigorously, her ponytail bobbing with the motion.

"Dad said this is a reward for being a good girl yesterday."

As she spoke, she impatiently began tearing at the wrapper.

The giant lollipop was wrapped in several layers of colorful plastic film, and the gold ribbon tying it shut was knotted tight.

Lin Wanwan's little hands picked at it for ages but simply couldn't get it open.

She puffed out her cheeks in frustration and looked at Chen Zhi for help.

"Zhizhi, help me..."

Chen Zhi shook his head helplessly.

This girl was more eager than anyone when it came to eating, but her practical skills were basically zero.

He took the lollipop, undid the gold ribbon in a few quick moves, and tore off the outer wrapper.

"Wow—"

Lin Wanwan let out a gasp of amazement, practically drooling.

However.

When the final layer of plastic casing was opened, the air suddenly went quiet.

The smile on Lin Wanwan's face froze.

She had thought it was a solid giant ball of candy, but it turned out to be empty inside.

There were only a dozen or so ordinary small lollipops lying lonely at the bottom of the plastic shell.

"Liar!"

Lin Wanwan pouted, her eyes instantly turning red.

"Dad is a liar! This isn't a giant candy at all!"

She grabbed the huge empty plastic shell, so angry she wanted to smash it on the floor, but she couldn't bear to part with the little candies inside.

Chen Zhi looked at her devastated expression and almost couldn't hold back a laugh.

This was just a merchant's trick.

They were selling the packaging and the concept.

It only fooled naive little brats like her.

"Alright, stop wailing."

Chen Zhi took out a strawberry-flavored small lollipop, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it into her mouth.

"Think about it. If there really was a solid candy this big, how long would it take you to finish it?"

With the candy in her mouth, Lin Wanwan blinked her big teary eyes, mumbling as she tried to speak.

"A candy that huge is bigger than your head."

Chen Zhi gestured with his hands.

"If you hugged it and gnawed on it every day, all your teeth would fall out before you finished it, and you'd turn into a toothless little old lady."

Lin Wanwan imagined herself with no teeth and hiccuped in fright.

"Besides, if a candy that big melted, you'd get stuck in the sticky syrup."

Chen Zhi continued to bluff her.

"Then the ants would smell it, come over, and carry you back to their nest to raise you as their queen ant."

Lin Wanwan was thoroughly terrified.

She looked at the small lollipop in her hand, then looked at the giant plastic shell.

Suddenly, she felt that maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

"Then... then I'll just eat the small ones."

Lin Wanwan slurped up some drool, her emotions coming and going quickly.

With the sugar intake, her mood visibly improved.

"Zhizhi, I actually brought some good stuff too."

Lin Wanwan looked left and right, acting all mysterious.

She took off her little backpack and unzipped it.

She dumped everything inside onto the bamboo mat all at once.

Aside from a few rag dolls, the most conspicuous item was a red paper bowl.

Master Kong Braised Beef Noodles.

To kids, this stuff was strictly forbidden junk food.

"I hid this secretly."

Lin Wanwan lowered her voice, her face full of mystery.

"I saw Xiaopang from next door eating it, and it smelled so, so good!"

She swallowed hard, her eyes sparkling with a craving for the unknown delicacy.

"Mom won't let me eat it, she says eating it will make me stupid."

Lin Wanwan felt a bit conflicted, but she was quickly defeated by her gluttony.

"I'm not smart right now anyway, so getting a little bit stupider won't matter, right?"

This logic was unassailable.

Chen Zhi looked at the bowl of instant noodles, his mouth twitching.

It was really tough on her.

She was willing to sacrifice her IQ just for a bite to eat.

"You want to eat it dry?"

Chen Zhi raised an eyebrow.

"Can't I?"

Lin Wanwan had already torn open the lid, revealing the dry noodle block inside.

She leaned in and sniffed it.

Her brows furrowed.

"Why doesn't it smell good?"

She looked at Chen Zhi in confusion.

"When Xiaopang ate it, I could smell it all the way from downstairs."

"Why does this only smell like... a cardboard box?"

She poked the noodle block with her finger; it was rock hard.

This was completely different from the soft, chewy noodles she had imagined.

"Idiot."

Chen Zhi sighed and reached out to flick her forehead.

"These are instant noodles. You have to soak them in boiling water before you can eat them."

"And you have to put in the seasoning packets, otherwise where would the smell come from?"

Lin Wanwan covered her forehead, suddenly realizing the truth.

"Then let's make them right now!"

She pushed the instant noodle cup in front of Chen Zhi, her face full of expectation.

"I don't have any boiling water at home. Do you know how to boil water?"

Looking at her trusting eyes, Chen Zhi felt that sense of responsibility as a "guardian" bubbling up again.

"Wait here."

He stood up, picked up the instant noodle cup, and walked toward the kitchen.

Lin Wanwan trotted after him like a little tail.

In the kitchen, the stove was spotlessly clean.

Zhang Guifang was a hardworking woman; all the bottles and jars were neatly arranged.

Chen Zhi placed the instant noodle cup on the counter.

Then came the problem.

The counter was too high. With his current height, only his head stuck out above it.

To do anything, he had to stand on his tiptoes.

He turned around, went to the dining room, and brought in a square wooden stool.

"Zhizhi, what are you doing?"

Lin Wanwan watched curiously as he placed the stool in front of the stove.

"Cooking."

Chen Zhi was concise.

He climbed onto the stool and instantly gained a bird's-eye view of the stove.

He picked up the electric kettle and walked to the faucet to fill it.

The water hit the bottom of the kettle, making a splashing sound.

Lin Wanwan stood below, looking up with a face full of admiration.

"Zhizhi is so amazing, you even know how to cook!"

In her mind, anyone who went into the kitchen to mess with these pots and pans was an adult, like her mom and dad.

Chen Zhi filled the kettle halfway and struggled to place it back on its base.

This body's strength was still too weak.

Even with just half a kettle of water, his wrists ached from lifting it.

"Click."

He expertly flipped the switch.

The kettle began to hiss.

Chen Zhi closed the lid and clapped his hands.

"Alright, just wait."

Lin Wanwan leaned against the edge of the counter, standing on her tiptoes to peek over.

"How long do we have to wait?"

"Until the water boils."

Chen Zhi looked at the solitary cup of instant noodles and suddenly felt it was a bit shabby.

It was supposed to be a "feast" for his childhood sweetheart; just eating noodles wouldn't do.

This body was in its growing phase and needed protein.

"Wanwan, do you want an egg?"

Chen Zhi turned around and asked.

"Yes!"

Lin Wanwan answered without hesitation, her voice loud and clear.

As long as it was food, she wanted it.

"Wait here, let your big brother show you how it's done."