To Rise Again In The Apocalypse

In the kitchen, Li XinWen started regretting his decision. 'How long has it been since I last cooked?' He thought to himself. Being a cultivator, he didn't need to eat at all unless it was to indulge in food. Consulting the original's memories once more, he finally decided to make something simple - sunny side up eggs!

He went to the refrigerator and took out several eggs. He was just about to grab the frying pan when Sun Xiao came in, "Xin-gege, good morning... what are you going to cook?"

"Morning, Ah'Xiao. I was just about to cook sunny side up eggs," Li XinWen answered.

"Oh..." Sun Xiao looked down dejectedly. Li XinWen noticed the disappointed tone that came from Sun Xiao, so he paused and asked: "Is there anything that Ah'Xiao would like for breakfast?"

"...Scrambled... Eggs..." the younger boy answered.

Li XinWen went through the memories and noted that scrambled eggs was even easier to make than sunny side up eggs. "Alright. Go and wait at the dining table, your brother will make it for breakfast."

Sun Xiao's eyes lit up when Li XinWen agreed to make scrambled eggs. "Thank you, Xin-gege."

After sun Xiao left the kitchen, Li XinWen grabbed a bigger frying pan and placed it on the stove. He began cracking the eggs into a mixing bowl until all seven eggs were cracked open. Then whisked the yolks and the whites together, carefully checking that he did not overbeat them. He added a pinch of salt and a splash of milk, poured the egg mixture into the pan and stirred slowly. And just before the eggs were cooked he added some chopped mint leaves and a sprinkling of freshly cracked pepper. The fragrance of the mint leaves incorporated into the egg wafted throughout the kitchen. "Smells delectable." thought Li XinWen.

It was a first for Li XinWen. After living for centuries in Long Xing, today was the first time he had cooked something. Although this was the case, everything felt natural. 'Perhaps it was because of this body's muscle memory or maybe I actually have talent for cooking?' Li XinWen chuckled at the thought.

Madam Li, having been roused by the sound of cooking from the kitchen walked into Li XinWen chuckling to himself.

"Ah'Wen…you're cooking?!?" Madam Li asked in astonishment. "Are you well enough to be up and about? Where is Ah'Hua?" she asked as she fussed over her son.

"I'm feeling better mom," he said as he planted a kiss on her forehead. "Now go join Ah'Xiao in the dining hall and wait until I serve you this special breakfast," and he slowly pushed madam Li out to the dining hall.

After he finished cooking the eggs, he felt more confident in cooking. So he went to the freezer and looked for something that would complement the scrambled eggs. He saw bacon. But Li XinWen didn't like it so he instinctively ignored it. If he were to eat meat, he preferred that it did not come from a swine. Swine meat contains high concentration of impurities so most cultivators avoided it.

Seeing nothing else, he sighed and closed the freezer. He looked through the memories again and saw that toast complemented scrambled eggs really well, so he looked around for bread.

"Bread, bread, hmmm, where is the bread?" he hummed happily.

The people waiting at the dining table for breakfast had been sitting down for ten minutes. When Sun Xiao announced that Li XinWen was making scrambled eggs, they assumed that they wouldn't have to wait long. But ten minutes had already passed and Li XinWen still had not come out of the kitchen.

"Ah'Hua... Can you check on Ah'Wen? Maybe he passed out?" Li mother said worriedly.

"Mom, if Ah'Wen passed out, then there won't be any sounds coming from the kitchen," Li JingHua replied in a gentle tone, trying to assure her mother that nothing has happened to her brother. "But if it'll make you feel better, I will go take a look."

With that, Li JingHua stood up and walked towards the kitchen. "Ah'Wen! Are you cooking those eggs or are you waiting for them to hatch?" Li JingHua asked jokingly.

"Hua-jie... I can't find bread to make toast..." Li XinWen responded. "The scrambled eggs were done a while ago, but I just can't find the bread."

"Oh... Ah'Wen had only returned yesterday so you didn't know. We ran out of bread and I forgot to buy yesterday," Li JingHua advised apologetically.

Li XinWen who had spent the last couple of minutes scrambling around the kitchen searching for bread stared at Li JingHua not saying anything, one hand on his forehead and the other on his left hip. His expression a mix of annoyance and restraint.

"Sorry Ah'Wen" Li JingHua said as she chained her arm around Li XinWen's left arm and leaned on his shoulder, smiling. "Now, if you're done cooking let's head to the dining table. Mom was getting worried," Li JingHua said as she unchained herself from Li XinWen's arm.

Li XinWen was not appeased and continued to look at her as if blaming her for his wasted time.

"Alright, alright. Your sister will treat you later, alright?" she asked Li XinWen as affectionately as she could to have her brother forgive her.

"I want milk chocolate!" Li XinWen declared, pretending to be annoyed still.

"Pffft…alright I promise to bring you milk chocolate when I get home from work," Li JingHua responded and together they walked to the dining hall giggling like children. Li XinWen carrying a serving plate of the fluffiest scrambled eggs.

After an uneventful breakfast, everyone went on their way. Sun Xiao to school, Li JingHua and Xue Rui to work, while Li mother stayed at home with Li XinWen.

Madam Li was already 63, so she only wanted to spend the rest of her days relaxing. That left Li XinWen with nothing to do. He could continue his cultivation, but he had just broken through the 4th stage and needed to allow the spiritual energy he absorbed to stabilize, otherwise, he might experience some problems in the future.

Li XinWen felt restless. He needed something to do to keep him occupied while waiting for Xue Rui for their supposed 'date' in the afternoon. In his previous life, other than cultivating, he also practiced pill refining. But where can he find a pill cauldron here? Even if he did manage to find one, would there even be ingredients for pill refining in this new world?

'Ugh... I'm really bored, ah!' he complained in his heart. He glanced at Madam Li who seemed content just watching a cooking show on TV. "Mom... How about we go out?" Li XinWen suddenly asked.

"Out? But Ah'Wen, you were only discharged yesterday. Shouldn't you rest for a few more days?" his mother said in a worried tone.

"Mom... I have been resting all that time I was in the hospital. Your son needs a bit of exercise. Plus, I haven't been filial to you in the past few months especially since the accident. I've also been busy with work and haven't been able to spend time with you. And since I am on vacation, let me compensate for all those times that we missed," Li XinWen said with a smile as he coaxed her.

"Alright... I do need to buy some grocery. Ah'Hua had forgotten about it yesterday," Li Mother finally replied after a while.

"Great! I will go and get dressed!" Li XinWen said excitedly as he ran up the stairs.

Madam Li, who just saw his supposed injured son run up the stairs rubbed her eyes, wondering if it was just her imagination. "Did Ah'Wen just ran up...? Was he not injured not too long ago?"

***

In a small theatre:

Xue Rui: My dear XinWen is cooking breakfast just for me...

Li XinWen: I'm cooking breakfast for everyone! And who are you calling 'dear XinWen'?!

Xue Rui: Of course, my future wife.

Li XinWen: Who is your future wife?! Even if we are to marry, it will be you marrying into my family! You're the wife!

Xue Rui: En. Okay. I'll marry into your family! Shall we go and register now?

Li XinWen: #[email protected]!^@$!!!