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Remember, there are no such inherently simple-minded little foxes in this world.
You are not a Ruihu, but a disaster star that brings calamity to the world.
If things continue this way, the devil will sooner or later sense something is amiss, and by then...
Jiuyue woke up from her dream, the reminder from the person in the mirror still echoing in her ears, becoming more ethereal until it was no longer clear.
The dawn's early light entered the bedroom, and the sinister stench had vanished. Jiuyue hadn't slept as soundly as she had last night in a long time. She stretched, pushed the warning from her dream to the back of her mind, and excitedly pulled out a small booklet from under her pillow.
Auspicious Fox Cultivation Notes.
This was one of the few relics left by her parents, and another reason why she had rushed back to her place overnight. Before today, she had never thought of opening this handwritten book by her father. Why would she, a great calamity-bringing monster, ever need something designed to please humans?
But the past is past, and now is now, and since she had boldly claimed to Mr. Mingyuan, she at least had to learn one or two Ruihu skills.
Moreover, Jiuyue's identity was not entirely fabricated. Indeed, her body contained a part of the Ruihu bloodline.
She flipped to the first page with relish. The handwriting was crooked and twisted, with "Egg Vegetable Toast Secret Recipe·Part One" written on it.
The person who wrote this seemed to have anticipated that one day his daughter would need this notebook and specially marked the title with a conspicuous color: "Little Jiuyue, you must remember this recipe well. It's your mother's favorite dish."
Jiuyue had almost no memories of her parents, but the elders on the mountain said her father had chosen the name Jiuyue because she was born at the end of September, hence the name Jiuyue.
Although the father was not skilled in writing, he was good at drawing.
Aside from the detailed recipes, he also drew a cartoon fox next to the notes. She could imagine the painter's smug expression while writing down the recipes through the cartoon style. In her mind, a voice emerged, distant yet within reach, boasting to her that mastering the content of the notes would allow her to enter anyone's heart.
Even the heart of a steadfast monster was no exception.
The recipes recorded the most common ingredients, starting by placing a slice of toast on the cutting board, then drawing a diamond pattern on the surface...
.........
Perhaps due to resigning or because of pulling two consecutive all-nighters, Duan Mingyuan woke up very late today. When he stepped out of the bedroom, the numbers on his phone screen had already switched to 10:05.
As soon as he left his room, he saw a fiery red little bundle squatting at the doorway of the kitchen. He was startled for a moment before he remembered that there was a new guest in the house.
Jiuyue was squatting on the ground, with her tail covering most of her body.
On the table, there were plates with several golden egg toasts, and their appetizing aroma was tantalizing.
"What are you doing?"
"Growing garlic sprouts."
Jiuyue responded without looking up, concentrating on the glass at the kitchen door. She scooped half a cup of water, then soaked the garlic in it, according to the notebook, it wouldn't take many days for the garlic to sprout and grow fresh green shoots.
Since she bought plenty of garlic yesterday, she decided to practice what was written in the notes.
Eating was secondary, her father said watching the garlic sprouts grow daily would bring a sense of healing.
"Not bad."
This was a pretty good hobby, reserved and quiet, much better than those that caused havoc. He asked again, "Have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet, I'm waiting for you so we can eat together."
Duan Mingyuan nodded, not saying anything but speeding up his pace.
After washing up, Jiuyue was already sitting at the other end of the table, leaning on the table with her elbows, hands propping her chin, eyes full of anticipation, appearing quite well-behaved.
"Why aren't you eating? Why are you just watching me?"
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Duan Mingyuan felt his stress multiply.
"Mr. Mingyuan, please start your meal first."
The cozy atmosphere suddenly became somewhat eerie, and Duan Mingyuan tentatively took a bite. The crunchy texture, the balance of the egg with the tanginess of the cherry tomatoes, was delightful. Apart from being slightly cold from sitting out too long, there was nothing to fault.
He was starting to agree with Jiuyue's philosophy.
It was essential to have someone in the house who could cook.
"...Is it delicious?"
Jiuyue cautiously inquired, cooking was not new to her, but she had never been as nervous as she was today because this was a breakfast with impure motives. She had poisoned the eggs and vegetable toast.
First, she placed a piece of toast on the cutting board, carved a diamond shape onto its surface, placed it in the pan, cracked an egg into the diamond-shaped hollow, added chopped cherry tomatoes and green pepper rings, stirred them together, and seasoned them with salt and pepper until the eggs and vegetables solidified with the pan's heat.
But if she stopped there, it would be no different from the usual egg and vegetable toast.
The reason it was called a secret recipe was that in the end, she added another ingredient.
A poison named love.
That was the original phrase from the notes, at the end of the recipe, her father said that was how he had entered her mother's heart.
What about Mr. Mingyuan?
Jiuyue stared at the man across the table, suddenly very curious about what kind of scenery lay within the man's inner world.
Mr. Mingyuan ate quickly, apparently, years of work had conditioned him to shorten his breakfast time considerably, and in the blink of an eye, the toast on the plate was gone, the man across from him reached for a napkin to wipe the corners of his mouth.
"Very good, it's the best breakfast I've had in the past few months."
Duan Mingyuan gave it high praise.
He remembered the bakery he frequented near the company. The deliciousness was on par with the bakery's, but for some reason, today's toast seemed to contain something else, something his taste buds couldn't quite discern, yet it inexplicably relaxed him, shining along with the morning's first light, as if the whole day ahead was filled with hope.
Jiuyue also felt this invisible strength, and as soon as she heard the word "best" used to describe the meal, a peculiar emotion surged in her heart.
This ineffable joy was much stronger than when she had eaten two chickens in one meal.
What had she said again?
Mr. Mingyuan surely liked her!
Even without entering Mr. Mingyuan's heart, she knew what he was thinking at that moment.
As long as she stayed by his side, he could have the "best" egg and vegetable toast every day.
Jiuyue watched Duan Mingyuan for a long time, observing him take out the monocular that Fu Ling had given them the day before, putting it on only to see a faint shadow of gloom crossing his brow.
Was it the thought of them possibly separating in the future that made him melancholic?
No need to be sad.
The so-called bond-living Monster was meant to stay by the side of their fated one forever...
"Jiuyue, you are a zero."
"Ah, Mr. Mingyuan, you're mean!"
Jiuyue's hair instantly stood on end, her face blushing all the way to the base of her neck, "I'm a girl, girls don't have that kind of..."
"I'm asking why your energy is zero, what are you talking about?"