[Cooking Mastery] leans towards business, [Fishing Mastery] leans towards sports.

The next day.

Shen Nian got up early as usual, though this time he spent a bit of time making breakfast.

It was egg congee this time, specially packed in a small plastic bowl so Xia Yanchun could have it as soon as she stepped out.

It was packed a bit too early; by the time Xia Yanchun left the house, the congee was only lukewarm.

"You made this?" Xia Yanchun tilted her head. "So early?"

"Had to sacrifice a bit of exercise time."

"Huh... You're not getting into cooking, are you? Planning to be a chef later?"

"Why do you care so much? Just eat it, stop asking so many questions." Shen Nian tugged at her little ponytail, his tone not exactly friendly.

Xia Yanchun pouted and went to press the elevator button. Only after descending to the residential complex did she leisurely scoop a spoonful of the egg congee into her mouth with a disposable spoon.

It was lukewarm. Soy sauce had been added to the congee, perfectly seasoned—not too salty, not too bland. The scrambled egg stirred in elevated the texture of the porridge to another level. Surprisingly good.

"How is it?"

"Not bad."

"Eat more if it's good. I put aphrodisiac in it."

"Ugh, I'm gonna puke."

Because she had to catch the ride, Xia Yanchun had to speed up eating. It was only a small bowl anyway; she finished it just before they reached the bike shed.

Shen Nian wheeled out his bike and they set off together.

There was a bit of wind and morning mist, the air cool and crisp. Even though Xia Yanchun was bundled up thickly, the cold wind still needled through like thread, making her instinctively shrink behind Shen Nian.

She wrapped both arms around Shen Nian's waist. Though the wind was unpleasant, it didn't feel all that cold.

"Cold?"

"Not too bad, mostly it's just windy."

"Then I'll ride slower. The wind stings my eyes."

"Mhm!"

Shen Nian steered with one hand and grabbed the girl's delicate hands, which were clasped around his abdomen, pulling them into his coat pocket like a bandit.

They weren't cold; instead, they were a bit warm.

Today's egg congee only had eggs in it, yet it still had a certain warming effect. It allowed Xia Yanchun, whose hands and feet would still be icy even curled under the blankets, to have warm hands while riding.

Well, that was truly idealistic.

Because when he was making breakfast, he was thinking about whether this bowl of congee could warm her up.

It seemed the effect was limited. Game-like effects such as boosting intelligence or stamina were out of the question.

But effects like warming the body or alleviating menstrual cramps were no problem, as such foods inherently exist. In the future, if Haki Chun or his elder sister had their period, he could also make a bowl of ginger brown sugar water... No, even if he just cooked plain congee, as long as he wanted it to have the effect of easing menstrual pain, it would.

But the effect might not be as strong as ginger brown sugar water.

Today's egg congee was an example. It did have a warming effect, but clearly not as potent as yesterday's pork congee. The little hand in his pocket wasn't as warm as before; her fingertips were starting to feel cool. He had to hold them to keep Xia Yanchun's hands from getting too cold.

Hmm...

Being able to bestow upon a dish an effect it shouldn't naturally have, albeit slightly weaker, and also amplify an effect a dish already possesses... 【Cooking Mastery】 was still quite powerful.

【Cooking Mastery】 leaned towards the practical, while 【Fishing Mastery】 leaned towards sport.

For some reason, it got colder, and Xia Yanchun's other hand also wormed its way into Shen Nian's coat pocket.

The temperature was only in the single digits today, but Shen Nian still felt so, so hot.

It was most obvious when lying in the same bed with Shen Nian, both only wearing pajamas or T-shirts.

She quite liked the feeling of slipping her hands into Shen Nian's clothes to warm up, like a cuckoo taking over a nest, completely occupying his large pockets.

Arriving at school, Xia Yanchun got off the bike but didn't leave first. While Shen Nian was locking it up, she reached out and pressed her hand against the back of his neck.

"Ah! What the hell!"

"Hehehe."

Shen Nian hunched his shoulders, thoroughly unsettled.

If Xia Yanchun had sneakily moved behind him, his +3 agility might have let him react. But she had been standing there, motionless. Short of becoming intangible, he couldn't think of a way to dodge.

"How did your hands get so cold so fast? You really need to buy gloves."

"It's fine, it's fine. I'll fetch some hot water in a bit, and they won't be cold anymore."

Shen Nian bent down, meeting the girl's gaze at eye level. He glanced around, then suddenly took her hands in his, breathed a warm puff of air onto them, and rubbed them gently.

There were no familiar classmates outside the school gate. Xia Yanchun just stared at him blankly, somewhat enjoying it, accepting his warmth, a little pink flower quietly blooming in her heart.

A gentle breeze lifted the girl's hair. Xia Yanchun looked up; pure white clouds drifted leisurely, sometimes curling, sometimes stretching, reflected in her eyes along with the blue sky.

She withdrew her now-warm hands and bumped her forehead against Shen Nian's chest. "Doing this right at the school gate... shameless...!"

"Then what does what we do in the classroom count as?"

"What classroom? I don't understand, I don't know anything. Gotta go, gotta go."

Xia Yanchun turned and trotted into the school gate.

Her little ponytail swayed back and forth.

·

In the blink of an eye, it's 9.2 points, wow!

Yan Xi reminds you: Due to Tomato's request for over three million daily visits causing excessive server pressure, it is now recommended that you use sources from other big names.