Chapter 17 — ILK Chapter 17

Stir-fried Cabbage with Minced Pork and Tomato Egg Fried Rice

At the Snow Mountain Base.

Wu Huansheng was surprised to find that several of her outgoing emails had actually been sent successfully. Normally, the Snow Mountain was almost entirely cut off from external communications.

However... she looked up at the gloomy but snowless sky and the scorched earth around her. His Highness's power seemed to have achieved another breakthrough, even managing to influence the radiation of the ore veins.

A Guide was one in a hundred thousand, but top-tier Sentinels were equally rare. The gap between mental power levels was wider than galaxies; it wasn't something that could be bridged simply by hard work. If he didn't suffer from mental riots, such powerful mental strength could surely expand the Empire’s territory by dozens or even hundreds of systems, perhaps even crushing the Zerg entirely.

If that were the case, it would be hard to say who would ultimately inherit the throne. Wu Huansheng recalled the royal secrets she had heard from her mother and pondered silently.

Wu Huansheng’s email to Sang Ye was concise. She stated that the instant noodles were a massive hit with the Sentinels and asked her to produce more to be sent over. She would apply for funding from the base, but warned Sang Ye not to hold high expectations for a large payment, as performing mental channeling for Sentinels was part of a Guide’s duty. However, she added that if the Sentinels could stabilize their mental states through Sang Ye’s "mental channeling," she would continue to fight for further sentence reductions.

Wu Huansheng also mentioned that she had sent the same message to her adjutant. If Sang Ye could receive this email, the adjutant would as well. Sang Ye only needed to hand the goods to the adjutant, who would arrange the transport vehicles.

Though framed as a discussion, the tone held little in the way of a request; it was as if she were certain Sang Ye would not refuse. Sang Ye indeed wouldn't. It was a chance to earn money and a sentence reduction—why wouldn't she do it?

If she was determined to leave, she couldn't dodge her massive debt forever. Once she left Black Tower, the outside world would be unpredictable. As for whether the base would pay the bill, Sang Ye believed in playing the long game.

Channeling the Sentinels on Black Tower might be considered "obligatory service," but the Empire had countless Sentinels in desperate need of help. For every Guide, there was a line of Sentinels waiting months for an appointment. If her food could be mass-produced and open up worldwide like the Shifang Grotto restaurants of old, she wouldn't have to worry about money.

The key was that she was the only one who could produce the raw materials. But Sang Ye couldn't mass-produce anything yet; even if she were a tireless machine, making it all took time. Furthermore, some foods required time for fermentation; they weren't made overnight. Even a single ham took two days and a night to cure even with high-tech assistance.

Robots. A firework went off in Sang Ye’s mind.

She turned sharply toward the domestic robot standing obediently to the side. Exactly! If the robot could help her whisk eggs, why couldn't it try kneading dough?

Sang Ye pulled out a pile of cabbages for Wu Jianing to peel for fun while she began training the robot. The robot had a simple embedded autonomous learning module. Sang Ye attached sensors to her own arms and receivers to the robot. After only a few demonstrations, the robot could replicate Sang Ye’s strength and angles. Even so, there was a slight difference compared to Sang Ye’s own handiwork.

The robot was a bit stiff and literal; Sang Ye had to set exact ratios for flour and water, for if they varied even slightly, the result was unsatisfactory. Domestic robots usually weren't equipped with high-end learning modules; they were just tools to assist human life. Learning modules could be replaced, but they were expensive.

Sang Ye searched online; the best learning module a commoner could buy cost 500,000 star-credits. Sang Ye’s salary as a Guide was only 15,000 a month—with bonuses, she barely cleared 200,000 a year! And that was already considered high income in the Empire! Truly elite modules were out of the question; they were reserved for the front lines and research labs.

Still, it was already much more productive than working alone. Sang Ye even recruited Wu Jianing’s robot to help knead. Learning modules could be copied and transferred, so she didn't have to re-teach it from scratch. The robots learned quickly, but they got stuck at the frying stage because they constantly misjudged the oil temperature—too low and the noodles wouldn't set, too high and they would burn. It wasn't until Sang Ye installed oil thermometers on them that they finally behaved.

This whole ordeal was more exhausting than doing it herself. But once the robots were running smoothly, it would save a massive amount of labor.

Over on Wu Jianing’s side, she had already torn dozens of cabbages into pieces. The island counter and dining table were covered in bowls full of cabbage. Cabbage is a layered sphere; tearing it by hand ensures the pieces don't stick together. Wu Jianing treated it as a novel game and couldn't stop.

We'll have Stir-fried Cabbage with Minced Pork tonight then.

It had been a while since Sang Ye had eaten rice. She missed the texture of Simiao Rice, which was perfect for fried rice. Many people like to use overnight rice for fried rice because the moisture loss makes the grains separate and more resilient. But Simiao rice was born for fried rice and clay-pot rice. It was a type of Indica rice—long and oval-shaped. Grown in the Lingnan region and nourished by mountain springs, it possessed an inherent sweetness. Its water content was naturally low; by adding two fewer spoons of water during steaming, it could be stir-fried immediately.

Wu Jianing let out a yawn. Her robot saw this and immediately dropped its work to come over and carry her to sleep. In its programming, protecting and accompanying Wu Jianing was the highest priority.

Jianing was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open, yet she mumbles, "Go help Sister knead the dough..."

Sang Ye patted her gently. "No need, no need. Go to sleep. You can eat fried rice when you wake up."

"What is fly-rice..." Before she could finish, the girl fell into a deep sleep.

Children were always sleepers. Her Junior Sisters back in Shifang Grotto were the same. When the sect gathered at the spiritual vein, the adults would be drinking and composing poetry, while the children would be collapsed in various adorable poses, snoring away.

Sang Ye washed and steamed the Simiao rice, purposefully using less water so the rice would be firm rather than sticky. She finely diced some slightly fatty pork—but not too small, as it would shrink during frying. She mixed it with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and a hint of oyster sauce, then added starch to marinate it, ensuring the meat would stay tender.

She trimmed the cabbage, rinsed it three times, and sliced it into thin strips, letting them drain. She seasoned the wok with oil; once it smoked, she added minced garlic and half a chili. After they were aromatic, she added the marinated pork. Once the pork changed color and smelled delicious, she added the cabbage. This step didn't take long; cabbage should be eaten while it's still crisp. Overcooked cabbage becomes fibrous and tastes like chewing hay. No other seasoning was needed. The variety Sang Ye chose was Ox-heart Cabbage, which was naturally sweet. The juices from the marinated pork provided enough salt.

She took out the steamed rice. Unlike glutinous rice, Indica rice has low stickiness, and each grain was distinct. Sang Ye pinched a grain; it didn't stick to her fingers much. This was perfect for fried rice.

She took four tomatoes, cut a cross into the skins, and boiled them. Boiled tomatoes peel easily. She put them directly into the wok without slicing, pressing them as she stir-fried to squeeze out the juice. She added a bit of tomato paste to boost the umami. Once the sauce was cooked, she scooped it out.

She gave the wok a quick rinse to remove residues so no black bits would appear in the eggs. She whisked four eggs, taking extra time to make sure they were completely smooth so no large chunks would form during frying. Both robots were busy, so she did it herself. Once the egg wash flowed like a thin thread, it was ready.

The rice went into the wok first. After tossing it with oil several times, she added the egg wash, stir-frying over a high flame so the egg coated every single grain. Once the rice was a brilliant golden color, she poured in the tomato sauce. The red sauce coated the golden rice, turning it a vibrant orange-red, accompanied by a sweet and sour aroma. Finally, she tossed in a handful of scallions and turned off the heat.

Knowing Wu Jianing had a huge appetite for a little girl, Sang Ye added an extra half-bowl of rice. She gently woke the girl, who sat up without any morning grumpiness, merely rubbing her eyes as the robot helped her.

"Dinner is ready." Sang Ye served the cabbage with minced pork and the tomato egg fried rice, along with two glasses of plain water.

The cabbage had retained its crunch even after sitting for a bit. The two of them ate like a pair of rabbits, looking at each other and smiling. A large spoonful of the cabbage and pork combined the crispness with the savory fat of the meat, making it anything but greasy.

Then came the tomato egg fried rice. The grains were locked in tomato sauce. Every time the spoon dug in, the sauce flowed between the gaps of the rice until a shallow layer of rich gravy formed at the bottom of the bowl. That final spoonful, where every grain was thoroughly soaked, was unimaginably delicious.

Jianing took bite after bite, ignoring Sang Ye’s occasional "slow down" warnings. Soon she was at the last spoonful. She opened her mouth wide, shoveled it all in, and chewed with pure enjoyment. Sang Ye watched with amusement; the girl certainly had a taste for bold flavors.

After the meal, Sang Ye instinctively piled the dishes in the sink for the robot, only to realize she had sent it to make instant noodles.

I need to apply for more robots from the base. Just then, the adjutant arrived to pick up Wu Jianing. She greeted Sang Ye, no longer surprised by the constant overflow of mental energy in the room. The adjutant carefully checked Jianing’s mental state. Since her spiritual form awakened, the girl's spirit had been improving daily, and as a Guide, her own mental power production was becoming more abundant. But after eating Sang Ye’s meals, the recovery speed had clearly accelerated.

Just as the adjutant was about to thank Sang Ye, she noticed a rare look of eagerness in Sang Ye’s eyes as she stared at her, as if she were looking at a treasure fallen from the sky.