Chen Mo simmered a huge pot of goat's milk, used some of it to make plenty of cheese to ferment in the Secret Realm, and baked a batch of bread. Next, he stewed a large pot of braised pork belly, followed by a variety of vegetables. It seemed Chen Mo had gotten hooked on cooking and simply couldn't stop.
He made a huge pile of every dish, and as soon as they were finished, he stored them away in the Secret Realm Warehouse.
He had prepared over twenty kinds of dishes recorded in the butcher knife technique manual. Whenever he wanted to eat in the future, he could just dish out a plate of each directly, since they would still be hot anyway.
After watching him, Xiao Qiao also grew interested in cooking and joined in.
Since she had to eat every day—and usually only cooked right at mealtime—now, prompted by Chen Mo and being inside the magical Secret Realm, she could easily cook dishes and store them directly in the Secret Realm Warehouse, taking them out to eat whenever she felt like it.
If not for the shortage of ingredients—lack of seafood, river fish, and rare mountain delicacies—Chen Mo could have made even more.
There was no seafood for now, and it was rarely seen at the vegetable market anyway. Besides, the seafood at the market was mostly frozen dead, making it impossible to breed in the Secret Realm.
However, river fish were manageable. For instance, he could catch a few fish and set up a few ponds in the Secret Realm specifically for fish farming.
Chen Mo figured today would be a good day to go fishing.
By half-past six, Chen Mo felt he had done enough.
He took a few mutton buns, a few pork buns, a few boiled eggs, some goat's milk, and digua porridge, storing everything else in the Secret Realm Warehouse. He told Xiao Qiao that if she didn't feel like cooking, she could just go straight to the warehouse to get her meals.
Then, with a flash, Chen Mo returned to his home in the Courtyard and placed the food on the dining table. Before long, He Yushui woke up, washed up, and came right over to Chen Mo's place.
Chen Mo opened the door and welcomed He Yushui inside. Seeing that Chen Mo had already prepared breakfast, He Yushui felt a wave of pure happiness.
"Brother Chen Mo, did you get up so early?"
"Yeah, I made buns and dumplings—both pork and mutton fillings—along with digua porridge and boiled eggs. Oh, and don't forget to drink your goat's milk. You're still growing, and you are what you eat, right? You need to drink more milk." Chen Mo said with a smile, glancing at He Yushui's chest.
Blushing fiercely, He Yushui gave a coy pout and scolded, "Oh, Brother Chen Mo, you're so bad."
"I'm serious. My goat's milk is packed with nutrients. After breakfast, your brother will give you a massage for a bit, and before long, your figure will get even better," Chen Mo said.
"Really? Brother Chen Mo, are you lying to me?" He Yushui was half-convinced, though she wondered if anyone else would find out once Chen Mo started massaging her.
"Of course not. When has your brother ever lied to you?" Chen Mo said with a smile.
"Mhm, I know Brother Chen Mo treats me the best."
"Cluck," He Yushui pecked Chen Mo on the cheek, then eagerly dug into her breakfast.
"Mm, so delicious! Brother Chen Mo, your culinary skills are truly amazing, way better than my brother's."
He Yushui meant every word. Her brother actually relied on ancestral Sichuan and Tan cuisine recipes to have decent culinary skills, but Chen Mo was different—his mastery was a pure, crushing superiority over Shazhu.
"Where should we go play later?" Chen Mo asked.
"Wherever you say, Brother Chen Mo. I'll listen to you," He Yushui replied obediently.
"Alright, then let's go fishing later. I'll make some fish bait that's guaranteed to catch big fish. After fishing, your brother will take you to buy some new clothes. Look how faded your clothes have gotten from so many washes."
Seeing her own clothes, washed to a pale, faded hue, He Yushui felt a bit embarrassed.
Just how long had it been since she wore new clothes? The last time she bought clothes, she had to save up the money herself.
He Yushui's heart melted into a mess of emotion. Brother Chen Mo was simply the best person in the entire world to her.
She even felt like giving herself to him right this instant.
"Alright, hurry up and eat," Chen Mo said with a smile.
"There's so much, I can't finish it all," He Yushui said, feeling her stomach was already full, yet the table was still laden with food.
"It's fine. We'll pack it in lunchboxes later so we can still eat it after fishing at noon," Chen Mo said with a smile.
"Mhm." He Yushui nodded happily.
Chen Mo fetched a few lunchboxes, packed several buns and dumplings inside, and then filled two bottles with goat's milk, placing them into a net bag that he tucked into his satchel—though in reality, he slipped them into the Secret Realm Warehouse.
Otherwise, they would all be cold by noon.
Next, Chen Mo retrieved some herbs from the Secret Realm, mashed them up, mixed them with some flour to knead into dough balls, and wrapped them in kraft paper.
These flour dough balls were made using a fish bait formula passed down in the Immortal Medical Canon, which possessed an extremely strong attraction to fish.
The two of them happily stepped out together.
Upon reaching the middle courtyard, Shazhu was laughing and chatting with Qin Huiru, who was doing laundry. Seeing Chen Mo and He Yushui walking out of the back courtyard together, chatting and laughing, Shazhu's fury instantly flared up.
"Yushui, where are you going? How many times have I told you to stay away from that bad seed?" Shazhu yelled angrily.
He Yushui stayed silent, while Chen Mo sneered, "Shazhu, you sure like sticking your nose into other people's business."
"Chen Mo, I'm disciplining my sister. What does that have to do with you? Stay away from my sister."
"Heh, as if you're even fit to be Yushui's brother. Every time you bring home a lunchbox, has your sister ever gotten a single bite? When your sister needed money for school, did you ever give it to her? Tell me, do you deserve to be a brother? And here you are, laughing and chatting with another man's wife—what right do you have to lecture Yushui?" Chen Mo sneered.
Shazhu had no way to refute this because everything Chen Mo said was true. Filled with extreme agitation, he snapped, "That's our family's business! What does it have to do with you?"
"It has everything to do with me. Yushui is my partner now, so Yushui's business is my business. If you bully her, you're bullying me," Chen Mo said.
Swoosh! The moment they heard that Chen Mo and He Yushui were in a relationship, the entire Courtyard erupted in uproar.
"Brother Chen Mo." He Yushui looked at Chen Mo, her eyes turning slightly red. This was the first time Chen Mo had called her his partner, and at that moment, He Yushui felt like the happiest person in the world.
Chen Mo took He Yushui's hand and said, "Don't be afraid. With me here, no one can bully you—not even if Shazhu tries."
"Mhm." He Yushui felt an unprecedented wave of security. Furious, Shazhu yelled, "I don't agree!"
"Your agreement isn't worth a damn. This is the new society, understand? Free love! You idiot, do you even know what a relationship is? Do you? If you've got the guts, go find yourself a partner too," Chen Mo sneered.
"You bastard!" Grabbing the laundry club Qin Huiru had been using, Shazhu charged straight at Chen Mo.
"Come on then, looking for a fight, are you? Let's see if I won't beat you to death in self-defense," Chen Mo said with a look of utter disdain.
"You... Yushui, come home with me!" Shazhu lost his nerve. He had already experienced Chen Mo's physical prowess firsthand, but he absolutely refused to let He Yushui date Chen Mo.
"I won't," He Yushui said with a resolute expression.
"You ungrateful wretch! Grown a backbone, have you? Raised you for nothing, you little ingrate!" Shazhu roared in anger.
"You call me an ingrate? Have I ever eaten a single bite of the food you bring back from the cafeteria? When I asked you for money for school tuition, you listened to Qin Huiru's instigation and preferred giving the money to Qin Huiru rather than paying for my tuition! Did you ever treat me like your sister? You pamper another man's wife until she's plump and well-fed, yet you leave your own flesh-and-blood sister starving for days on end! Is that how you act like a brother?"
He Yushui finally vented the grievances she had bottled up inside for so long.