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墨書 Inktalez
The night was deep, and Lin's house was quiet. In the corner, there was a desk that Lin hadn't sat at for many years.
But at this moment, Lin was sitting upright at the desk, studying late into the night!
The dim yellow light illuminated the surface of the desk, where a notebook lay. Lin furrowed his brow, writing and drawing on the paper.
He occasionally bit the end of his pen, his brow tightly knitted, his expression extremely focused, resembling a middle school student doing homework, recalling how assignments seemed never-ending back then, often stretching into the late hours.
After sitting like this for a long time, Lin still hadn't put pen to paper. The blank sheet in front of him was filled with various notes and sketches, except for one last empty spot that remained unwritten.
Lin closed his eyes, his brow furrowing tighter as if he had encountered some difficulty. Unconsciously, he bit down hard on the pen, leaving an imprint on it.
"Right! From Minggu Star's Deep Creek Beach, the Willow Leaf Turtle... This creature is extremely precious; it can only be caught during summer when it crawls onto the riverbank in intense heat. It moves incredibly fast and cannot be captured by anyone below Thirty Levels of Interstellar Warrior..."
"Yes, its nature is extremely yang, invigorating blood circulation and promoting Inner Qi. It is highly nourishing and has exceptional restorative effects that ordinary people cannot withstand... This is it!"
Lin mumbled to himself, a smile gradually spreading across his face as if he had solved a difficult math problem, feeling very pleased.
Seizing the clarity of his thoughts, he quickly wrote down Willow Leaf Turtle, then flipped to the next page and wrote several hundred words detailing his ideal method.
After finishing these notes, Lin stretched contentedly, twisted his neck, and carefully placed the notebook in the drawer before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
"Cough cough cough..."
Just after completing all this, Lin's eyes widened in shock as he quickly covered his mouth with his hand. His neck stiffened as a violent coughing fit took hold!
The intensity of the cough bent Lin over; one hand braced against the edge of the desk while his body shook uncontrollably. He feared he might cough himself into suffocation!
Slowly, the coughing stopped. Lin was still bent over, his body wracked with pain everywhere; this was the aftermath of the "Weakened State," which had finally erupted.
Lin's body was already extremely weak, and he had just pushed himself to do some tasks while in this weakened state, followed by the mentally taxing work of writing the "Herbal Cuisine" recipe.
The accumulated fatigue became the trigger for the outbreak of his symptoms, finally allowing Lin to experience the pain of the "Weakened State."
Strictly speaking, Lin was a patient at this moment, much like those frail scholars in history who had been bedridden for years.
After a while, Lin straightened up. He raised his hand to look and saw a pool of thick brown blood in his palm. Frowning, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"This is so disgusting... I can't take it!"
What a bizarre remark! How surprising!
Lin Zhen was quite a carefree guy! Upon seeing himself cough up blood, he didn't first think about his health but rather found the mixture of old blood and saliva more repulsive...
In a hurry, he rushed to the bathroom, washing his hands several times and even brushing his teeth!
He had a bit of a cleanliness obsession; it was quite strange. He wouldn't care too much about his surroundings, but he absolutely couldn't stand having a dirty body!
After washing up, Lin emerged with a towel draped over his shoulder, still exhaling with laughter as he checked if there was any lingering taste in his mouth...
Did he really not care about his health?
Not at all. Before he reached the pinnacle of his culinary journey, Lin valued his life more than anyone else. He couldn't let himself die because he had a very reasonable justification—he hadn't yet reached the peak of "Martial Arts" cooking.
If he were to die, that wouldn't do! He must live and perfect his Martial Arts cooking before he can die!
However, worrying about his body was of no use now. All Lin could do was take out a can of Super Red Bull and drink it down in big gulps.
Although this drink was not as gentle as Herbal Cuisine in terms of nourishment, it could replenish his energy and alleviate his weakness to some extent.
The pain in his body persisted, always accompanied by a sensation akin to being pricked by needles, appearing in various parts of his body.
Lin Lian did not furrow his brow at these pains.
Anyone who had experienced the torment of Divine Residue would find ordinary pain to be insignificant; those were pains that felt more like mere itches...
After finishing a can of Super Red Bull, Lin felt much better. This energy drink was miraculous; its effects were immediate, banishing the fatigue from his body.
He twisted his neck a couple of times and walked toward the kitchen.
Upon entering the kitchen, he saw a Clay Pot simmering on the Gas Stove. The steam rising from the pot caused the lid to lift slightly, creating a crisp clinking sound.
Wearing gloves, Lin lifted the hot lid off the Clay Pot. The soup inside was bubbling vigorously, and a fragrant aroma wafted out.
It was the smell of chicken soup! This scent was incredibly tender and made one's mouth water...
Inside the Clay Pot lay a whole Hen, with a knife incision about two fingers wide at its belly, through which the innards had been removed.
The fresh aroma of the chicken soup instantly filled the entire room, evoking memories of his childhood and the smell of meat stewed by his mother...
Lin Qing lightly sniffed and nodded in satisfaction before picking up a handful of supplementary ingredients from the side.
These items were all prepared before Lin wrote the recipe for Turtle Soup. What he was about to make was a simple Herbal Cuisine, Four-Flavor Blood Nourishing Porridge.
Four-Flavor Blood Nourishing Porridge was the first Herbal Cuisine Lin encountered on Earth, and he was quite skilled at making it.
There were two layers of meaning in preparing this dish. Firstly, it served as practice to review the process of making Herbal Cuisine. After all, he would only have one chance to make Turtle Soup; if he failed, he might not have the financial means to buy the ingredients again.
Secondly, it was meant to nourish his body. Lin's health was currently too weak, and drinking the Turtle Soup rashly might be overwhelming. It would be better to first consume a few ordinary Herbal Cuisines to strengthen himself slightly before eating that dish, minimizing the risk.
Four-Flavor Blood Nourishing Porridge utilized Japonica Rice as its main ingredient, supplemented with medicinal herbs: Angelica Sinensis, Safflower, Chuanxiong, and Astragalus, simmered into a nourishing porridge.
Its properties were slightly warming and mild, promoting blood circulation and alleviating blood stasis. It shared similarities with the Turtle Soup in Lin Xin's mind but was less potent and could only serve as an introduction to the main dish.
Old Hen Soup served as the broth for this porridge. The chicken soup simmered overnight could enhance the medicinal properties of the porridge, improving its flavor and making it smoother and more delicious with a lingering aftertaste.
A peak Four-Flavor Blood Nourishing Porridge could make one break into a sweat after eating, accelerating blood circulation and driving away the morning chill—truly a great choice for a nourishing breakfast.
Most importantly, everything Chef Lin made could leave people praising it endlessly; they could never get enough.
Once this breakfast was ready, it would undoubtedly be a porridge that excelled in color, aroma, and flavor—a rare delicacy!
However, this dish still needed some time to take shape. It required an overnight infusion; chicken soup had to be simmered in the first half of the night and then added to the porridge in the morning to complete it.
The preliminary step for this dish was the chicken soup, which was nearly done—only the final step remained: adding in the powdered mixture of four flavors for seasoning.
Lin twisted the powder in his hands, his expression extremely focused as he picked out the unsatisfactory particles. Only then did he take the cloth bag beside him, put the herbs inside, and tie it tightly with a fine hemp rope before placing it into the Clay Pot.
He adjusted the heat to a slow simmer, picked up a bowl of water, and poured it into the chicken soup. A light yellow ripple spread across the pot, enhancing the aroma even more...
"Almost done. If I wake up at five o'clock and simmer it for another hour, it will be ready."
Lin was quite satisfied with this dish, as he was familiar with it and found it easy to prepare. The process was simple; as long as he controlled the heat and simmering time well, he wouldn't mess it up.
The chicken soup was already simmering. Lin turned around and looked at the Japonica Rice soaking in the sink. He pinched some and felt pleased; it was indeed high quality, worthy of his Craftsmanship.
This Japonica Rice needed to be soaked twice to taste good—this was Lin's secret. Before cooking the chicken soup, he would soak it once, then drain the water. Just before putting it into the pot, he would soak it for another ten minutes, making the Japonica Rice smooth and exceptionally sweet.
After preparing the Japonica Rice, Lin turned around. Behind him was a porcelain jar, a high-quality Blue and White Porcelain Jar containing his special Pickled Cucumbers.
In the early morning, a bowl of congee paired with crisp and tasty pickled cucumbers was one of life's greatest pleasures.
However, the pickling time for these cucumbers still needed some work; they required another half month to reach their best state—crisp yet flavorful.
"Ah, cucumbers, it's a pity you're not flavorful enough yet; otherwise, tomorrow morning's sunshine would surely be exceptionally bright."
With a light sigh, Lin shook his head in lament.
His obsession with food was significant; he could endure not eating but would never settle for subpar Edible products when he did eat.
People are often contradictory; in extremely harsh conditions, one might eat anything Edible. Yet once conditions improve, they will inevitably seek out only the best.
The contradictions of human nature are vividly embodied in Lin.
For example, his special cleanliness means that as long as he is clean, he does not care how messy the outside world is. He can drink cold milk while swallowing hard bread, but if he wants to enjoy a meal and the dish does not suit his taste, he will smash the plate and leave without paying.
This may stem from his childhood experiences, which have shaped a reclusive and peculiar personality. Many of his actions hide a fundamental essence: selfishness, extreme selfishness.
Beneath his indifferent expression lies a heart that is equally cold yet longs for warmth.
Just like us in life, we deeply desire care but often wrap ourselves in a prickly exterior, unwilling to let others see our vulnerable side easily.
When faced with danger, we instinctively curl up, becoming like hedgehogs, keeping everyone at bay.
Lin is such a hedgehog, an extremely sensitive one; at the slightest disturbance, he curls up into a hard ball of spikes.
Just like now, under the dim light, he curls up in the corner of the bed.
He always needs some light to fall asleep and prefers to sleep in narrow corners; perhaps this way, he feels a bit more secure inside.
In this changed world, Lin remains as lonely as ever... When will he be able to open his heart to others?
Will there ever be such a moment?
He is also looking forward to that moment.
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