Chapter 16: Jazzy Delivering Meals, Grass Soup
"Squeak, squeak, squeak?"
"Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak..."
Mouse Bro burst out from under the chair in a panic, hoisting a piece of cheese on his shoulder. He scrambled desperately to avoid the Wisdom Grass scattered all over the floor, but still brushed against it. Instantly, his entire leg was dyed a bright red as he let out a piercing, agonized shriek.
"Squeak!!!"
"A mouse?" Hearing the rat twitching on the ground, Slow Goat slowed his movements, and the Wisdom Grass on his head stopped growing. Frowning deeply, he cast a long, blank-faced look at Weslie standing beside him, then halted his work.
Grabbing a few test tubes, Slow Goat led Weslie out of the laboratory.
*Click!*
As the sound of the cane faded further and further away until it was completely inaudible, Lin Yu stepped out from behind the chair, his eyes brimming with sheer relief. If he hadn't shooed Mouse Bro out just moments ago, he'd be entirely finished by now.
Gazing at the lifeless body of Mouse Bro on the floor, Lin Yu felt a deep wave of emotion. He squatted down and began drawing a cross in the air.
"Rat Bro, I never expected you to be so fiercely loyal. Watching those cartoons in the past, I was way too shallow."
"On behalf of Paddi, I unilaterally declare that all the snacks you used to steal are officially written off. If any of your kin come by in the future, I will personally host and treat you all to the finest food and drink."
Lin Yu wore an expression of absolute sincerity, a golden glow radiating from his whole body, his eyes holding just the right hint of sorrow. It was as if every single word he uttered came straight from the heart.
Having finished mourning his benefactor's remains, Lin Yu didn't dare linger, terrified that Slow Goat might double back. Peering through the crack in the door for a moment and confirming that Slow Goat and Weslie were nowhere to be seen, Lin Yu bolted from the laboratory.
Because of Slow Goat's sudden appearance, Lin Yu remained thoroughly on edge the entire way back, terrified of running into any other surprises. Fortunately, his luck wasn't that abysmal; nothing else went wrong on the trip.
Pushing open his bedroom door, Lin Yu stepped safely inside and finally let out the breath he'd been holding.
"To run into this kind of emergency while acting strictly within the rules—do you really have to dial the thrill up this high?"
Physically and mentally exhausted, Lin Yu flopped spread-eagled onto the bed, slipping the notes he'd collected underneath the mattress.
"Slow Goat took Weslie to the lab alone; there has to be a reason for it."
"The Wisdom Grass changed color, and the mouse kicked the bucket just from brushing against it. The danger goes without saying."
"Now that Slow Goat is undergoing anomaly transformation, the discolored Wisdom Grass is off-limits—that definitely counts as extra intel."
"I just wonder... earlier, when Weslie kept staring in my direction, did he notice me all along?"
After pondering for a long time, Lin Yu sorted through the information piece by piece. All in all, although this trip to the lab hadn't yielded the expected rules and had gone sideways, the harvest was far from small. He could say he'd basically secured his ticket to completing the foundational task.
Armed with this information and a deeper understanding of Weslie and the others' respective abilities, Lin Yu had a clearer starting point for his next moves. Lost in thought, he eventually succumbed to a crushing wave of drowsiness, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
***
Evening.
*Tap, tap, tap.*
"Paddi, are you home? I brought you dinner."
Hearing the knock at the door, Lin Yu groggily opened his eyes and forced himself out of bed despite his lingering fatigue. Checking the peephole, he unlocked the door.
Jazzy stood there holding a red insulated lunch box, a look of warm concern on her face. Before Lin Yu could even speak, she thrust the lunch box toward him, asking solicitously, "Paddi, is your foot feeling better? Village Chief and the others were all really worried about you."
"Tibby actually wanted to ask you for a favor today, but since you weren't around, she had no choice but to get Sparky to do it instead."
It sounded like an offhand remark, but it made Lin Yu's heart skip a beat, shaking the fog right out of his brain.
*Damn it!*
*Not again?*
*Thank goodness I skipped class today!*
Why did Tibby have so many damn favors to ask him? Was Sparky suddenly useless, or was Weslie not smart enough? He was just an ordinary, unremarkable Paddi who found walking even a few steps exhausting! Why did they keep bothering him?
"Then... please say sorry to her for me."
Lin Yu took the lunch box, and an exotic aroma wafted over him, instantly waking up his sleepy head. Opening the lid, he saw two portions of food sitting side by side.
One was the Grass Cake he was familiar with, and the other was a bowl of green soup.
Boiling green bubbles rotted on the surface of the soup, where a thick vegetable mash drifted while a few unidentifiable plants sank to the bottom, drifting back and forth... The rich aroma was radiating entirely from this bowl of soup.
"This is..."
"How is it, Paddi? I picked out all your favorites."
Jazzy's eyes held eager anticipation, and her face still wore that warm smile. "That was the very last piece of Grass Cake, but we have Grass Soup today too. Isn't this your favorite food?"
"Uncle Black Goat actually wanted to keep a bowl for himself, but I spotted it and managed to squeeze it out of him."
"Drink it while it's hot. Once it goes cold, it won't taste good anymore."
"..."
Even though Jazzy's expression didn't change at all—maintaining that same goody-two-shoes look—Lin Yu felt a chill run down his spine. Staring at the fragrant bowl of Grass Soup in his hands, he swallowed hard.
The cafeteria... since when did it serve Grass Soup?
Meeting Jazzy's gaze, Lin Yu felt intensely conflicted, while harboring a deep, instinctive aversion to this so-called "Grass Soup." Heaven knew what the consequences of drinking it would be!
Seeing Jazzy's expression showing signs of shifting, Lin Yu felt entirely helpless. He had no choice but to invite her inside to buy some time.
"The Sheep Village rules clearly state that the cafeteria doesn't serve meat or Grass Soup."
"Even though it doesn't spell out whether the consequences of drinking it are good or bad, given this appearance, the odds are probably a fifty-fifty split at best..."
Lin Yu picked up the Grass Cake, eating slowly while trying to brainstorm a countermeasure. In truth, resolving the current crisis was simple. For instance, if he "accidentally" knocked the bowl over, he wouldn't have to drink the Grass Soup at all.
However, after a moment of reflection, Lin Yu realized something else. The bowl of Grass Soup Jazzy had brought might not necessarily be a crisis; on the contrary, it could very well be a "rare opportunity."
Just imagine: what if he had encountered this bowl of Grass Soup alone at the restaurant instead? What would he have done then?
*“Food in the restaurant must not be wasted.”*
*“You cannot refuse the dishes recommended by Auntie White Sheep.”*
...
The restrictions inside the restaurant were far too numerous, and Lin Yu didn't expect Weslie to be around every time to help him bluff his way through.
Therefore, while he still had room to maneuver, figuring out the properties of the Grass Soup and preparing defenses for the next few days was by far the best option.
"Right now, the key is how to test the effects of the Grass Soup..."
Lin Yu ate very slowly, his mind racing without a single pause. But a piece of cake was only so big; no matter how slowly he ate, it would eventually be finished. As time ticked away, the Grass Cake was already down to its last crumbs.
Once time ran out and he still hadn't come up with a countermeasure, he would be forced to smash the Grass Soup bowl just to avoid arousing Jazzy's suspicions. And that would mean this opportunity vanished for good.
"Paddi, aren't you going to drink it? It's going to get cold soon." Jazzy tilted her head, a hint of deeper concern flashing in her eyes.
Faced with Jazzy's repeated urging, Lin Yu sighed inwardly, having thought of no solution. His hand slowly reached toward the Grass Soup.
It looked like he had no choice but to give the Grass Soup a...