At noon, Midnight's Snack
Corner announced it would be closing early.
Excitedly, Morris and Clara rushed upstairs to count the money they had earned that
day. A single bowl of Supreme Chicken Noodle Soup was $7, and Aiden estimated they
had earned at least $2,000 that morning alone. After he finished tidying up the dining
room, Aiden brought out the last two bowls of Chicken Noodle Soup from the kitchen.
He silently compiled the ingredients for the soup and gave one bowl to Viola and the
other bowl to Mia as a show of gratitude. He even added two extra poached eggs to each
bowl. Ladies, thank you so much for all your hard work today.
To show my appreciation, I'd like to offer you a taste of my cooking. The girls both rolled
their eyes at Aiden and took a bite of the soup. Their eyes widened as they savored the
rich, complex flavor of the noodles and broth.
They began eating faster, and soon they were messily slurping up their last remaining
noodles. Naturally, the soup received high praise from the girls. Sometimes, I wish I
could open up Aiden's skull just to see what's going on up there.
I know, right? It's normal to be a good student or a good athlete, but to be an amazing
cook on top of that? Viola sighed. Life is so unfair. Some people are just born perfect.
Listening to the girls talk, Aiden didn't know whether he should laugh or cry. Soon the
store was filled with the sounds of birds chirping as the day wore on and the sun warmed
the streets outside. After agreeing to help out again tomorrow, Viola and Mia said
goodbye to Aiden.
Morris and Clara came downstairs to see them off. Clara sighed as she watched the two
young girls disappear into the distance. I always worried he wouldn't be able to find
anyone.
Morris nodded, adding, Now we might get the chance to wonder which girl will become
our daughter-in-law instead of wondering whether we'll have a daughter-in-law at all. I
like the girl in the yellow dress. She has a good personality.
The other girl is a bit cold. No, I think she'd be perfectly fine. They both would.
Well, if anyone is interested in my opinion... Aiden met his parents' eyes, looking
annoyed. Although he had interrupted them, he knew he didn't want any part of this
conversation, so he shook his head and retreated to his room upstairs. There, a recipe
was laying on his desk.
It was the pastry recipe that Aiden had been working on. On it was a list of the
ingredients he would need to make the pastries. The next step is to buy the ingredients
and start experimenting.
Since it was still early in the afternoon, he would have time today to buy the things he
needed at the grocery store. Usually on the weekends, he would either help out at the
restaurant or hang out with his best friends, Jacob and Zach. He rarely walked the
streets by himself.
Aiden went into the bathroom and looked at the mirror. There, right in the middle of his
rather ordinary face, a large pimple had taken root and appeared to be dangerously
close to surfacing. Annoyed, Aiden turned on the tap and splashed cold water onto his
face.
Ding! Detecting the host. Washing his face once. Facial appearance.
Plus one. Looking back at the mirror, he was satisfied to see that the pimple had
disappeared without a trace. This was something Aiden had discovered about the system
just a few days ago.
Although it did not improve his facial appearance by much, it was still useful for
removing pimples, which for Aiden was a big improvement by itself. Like most healthy
teenage boys, he struggled with acne and hated to see new pimples appear. How
fantastic, he thought, that the system could solve such an irritating problem with just a
simple splash of water.
Aiden whistled happily and got ready to take a shower, eager to wash off the stench of
oil and meat that still clung to his body after his long hours in the kitchen. He showered
quickly, changed into a casual white t-shirt, and prepared to leave for the grocery store.
He was in a good mood, so he took extra care with his appearance, even borrowing his father's hair gel to add a bit of polish to his frequently disheveled mane.
Taking some money from the cash register, Aiden then proceeded to head to the grocery
store. His destination was the largest grocery store in the area, Megamart, located in the
southern suburbs of the county.
Since there weren't
any buses that ran through the southern suburbs, and since he knew he'd have a lot to
carry home, Aiden borrowed an electric tricycle from his neighbor, Old Joe.
Old Joe was the owner of Joe's BBQ next door. He had a round, chubby face that was
always smiling, and he somewhat reminded Aiden of a sharp-tongued Santa Claus. Every
morning, Old Joe rode his tricycle to the grocery store to buy the ingredients for his
restaurant.
They first met Old Joe when they opened their restaurant next to his, and had gotten to
know him quite well in the intervening years. In contrast to Old Joe, Barbara, Old Joe's
wife, always had a mean, unhappy look on her face. Hearing that Aiden wanted to
borrow their tricycle, Old Joe agreed to lend it to him without hesitation.
Barbara, however, looked livid, and Aiden heard her whisper to Old Joe, Although
Barbara whispered softly, thanks to Aiden's enhanced hearing, he could discern every
word she said. He frowned and said to Old Joe, I don't think it's right for me to borrow
your tricycle for free. Old Joe, caught off guard, glared at Barbara and laughed heartily.
You little devil! How can you ask me a question like this after we've been neighbors for
all these years? Stop talking about money! If you mention it again, Uncle Joe won't lend
you anything ever again! Barbara hadn't meant for Aiden to hear what she'd said. She
laughed awkwardly, not daring to utter another word. Aiden's worries were instantly
dispelled by Old Joe's kind, easygoing attitude.
Aiden could not help but smile and said with genuine gratitude, Thank you, Uncle Joe!
Having ridden his grandfather's electric tricycle before, Aiden did not have any trouble
driving it on the road. Now that he was able to take a closer look, he saw that the tricycle
was probably about the same age as Old Joe. The rusted body of the electric tricycle
rumbled continuously, as though it might fall apart at any moment.
Pedestrians, motorists, and fellow cyclists of all kinds pointed at the shabby old tricycle
and laughed at it. Since when are you allowed to bring a pile of scrap like that on the
road? Bro, you're taking your life and your hands riding in that piece of junk! Hey,
garbage boy over there! Stop looking around! He's talking about you! Embarrassed half
to death, Aiden barely resisted the urge to hide his face with his hands as he drove.
Ding! Riding on an electric tricycle.
Driving ability, plus one. Current progress, one out of ten. Current level, beginner level.
After the longest 20 minutes of his life, Aiden finally arrived at the Mega Mart in the southern suburbs. Ding! Continuing the ride on the electric tricycle. Driving ability, plus
one.
Current progress, eight out of ten. Aiden chained the tricycle to a bike rack near the
entrance of the store, then took out the list of ingredients and began his shopping trip.
First thing on the list is glutinous rice.
Aiden wandered up and down the aisles of the busy store with the list in his hands.
Gradually, he filled his shopping cart with packages of varying sizes. Ding! Carrying
heavy weight.
Lifting ability, plus one. Current progress, one out of ten. Current level, beginner level.
Ding! Handheld weight. Arm strength, plus one. Current progress, one out of ten.
Current level, beginner level. After he'd been in the store for some time, an old man
entered the building with a little girl. The old man was wearing an expensive black
windbreaker and an expensive-looking pair of gold-rimmed glasses.
He exuded a scholarly, intellectual vibe. Walking beside him was a cute little girl, around
four or five years old, who wore a pink dress that made her look like an adorable china
doll. Grandpa! The grocery store is so busy and loud! The little girl was jumping up and
down in excitement.
The old man smiled lovingly. Dora, you must remember to hold tightly onto Grandpa's
hand, he said gently. Grandpa doesn't want his little princess to be kidnapped by the bad
guys, okay? Somewhere in the bustling crowd, a pair of icy-cold eyes silently watched
the grandfather and granddaughter.