Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Growth
Called out by the teacher and told to stand in the back, Pan Dongzi shot Zhang Wenda a resentful look. He walked to the back of the classroom under the snickering gazes of the other students.
Seeing the old man on the podium glaring at him, his head looking several sizes too big, Zhang Wenda didn’t want to push his luck. He gave an awkward smile, picked up his book, and also walked to the back.
Now that he was being punished, Zhang Wenda couldn’t ask his questions anymore. Luckily, class would be over in ten minutes, so all he could do was wait patiently.
As the bell signaling the end of class rang, the teacher left with his textbook tucked under his arm. Pan Dongzi immediately started complaining, "This is all your fault. My feet are sore from standing for so long."
Zhang Wenda knew this guy’s weak spot. He immediately slung his schoolbag over his shoulder. "Let’s go. I’ll treat you to something good."
Pan Dongzi, whose face had been scrunched up like a steamed bun just a moment ago, immediately beamed. "Alright! If you’re treating me, then you’re still my best bud! What are you getting me?"
Soon, outside the school’s white walls, they stood before a vendor with a stainless steel pot full of snacks. The vendor dipped two sticks into some crystal-clear malt sugar, stirred them until they formed a small ball of candy, and popped it into Pan Dongzi’s mouth.
The soft, chewy malt sugar melted in his mouth, stretching into threads and filling it with a warm, grainy sweetness.
"Mmm! This is so sweet! And so good!" His eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but exclaim.
Zhang Wenda watched his friend’s over-the-top performance with some embarrassment.
"Sweet, right? Now can you tell me where Teacher Ouyang lives?" Zhang Wenda returned to the topic they hadn’t finished during class.
Pan Dongzi pointed to some small clam soup served in clear disposable cups on a nearby bicycle. "I had to stand in the back because of you. I want some of this, too. I’ll tell you after I eat."
When Zhang Wenda saw that a serving was only three cents, he said magnanimously, "Eat up. My treat."
When Zhang Wenda pulled a whole one-yuan coin from his pocket like a true big shot, he instantly became the envy of the other students nearby, who all cast admiring glances his way.
Zhang Wenda bought two cups of the clam soup, one for Fatty and one for himself. He was hungry too. Maybe because he was going through a growth spurt, he got hungry especially fast these days.
The clams in the soup were only the size of a pinky fingernail and the meat was just as small, but it was incredibly tender. The broth was exceptionally savory, far more delicious than any soup Zhang Wenda had ever had in those high-end restaurants from his past.
"This... This tastes incredible," Zhang Wenda said, looking at the clam shell in his hand with some surprise.
"Right? Don’t worry, I’ve got good taste. I might be careless about other things, but never about food," Pan Dongzi said, filled with pride.
As the two of them were gulping down their soup, Zhang Wenda suddenly noticed a little girl in patched clothes deliberately walking slowly nearby, swallowing her saliva as she secretly watched them.
When Zhang Wenda saw the longing in her eyes and her overall appearance, he froze. In that instant, it was as if he was seeing his former self.
He had almost forgotten that once upon a time, he had been just like her, secretly drooling while watching others buy and eat food.
The memory was too blurry. He only remembered that he had been very, very young back then—so young that he’d almost forgotten the craving he’d felt.
"Do you... want some?" Zhang Wenda offered her his soup. The girl was clearly startled.
When she saw that Zhang Wenda was serious and showed no sign of disdain, she took it gleefully. She started walking home, sipping the clam broth as she went.
Seeing how happy she was, Zhang Wenda suddenly smiled softly. He didn’t know what he was smiling about, but he suddenly felt very happy, as if he had just drunk liquid joy.
"Haozi, why’d you give it to her? Aren’t you going to eat? If you’re not eating, give it to me," Pan Dongzi complained from the side.
Fatty’s words pulled Zhang Wenda back to the present. He looked at the street vendors lined up against the school’s outer wall. Every stall displayed all sorts of food that were tempting to students’ eyes: top cakes, fried rice cakes, preserved vegetable pancakes, sour plum powder, seasoned soy snacks, and plum candy pellets.
Previously, he had just seen these things as roadside snacks, and unsanitary ones at that.
But right now, these foods were gradually becoming more vivid in his eyes, growing more and more enticing, taking on a brilliant sheen.
It was as if their very appearance had completely transformed before his eyes.
"Come on, I’ll treat you to everything on this street!" Zhang Wenda grabbed Fatty and started walking toward the nearby vendors. The food was cheap, perhaps even unsanitary, but Zhang Wenda had never tasted anything so delicious.
Zhang Wenda tried all kinds of snacks, one by one. It wasn’t that he hadn’t eaten good food after he started working, but he now realized that none of it could compare to these roadside stalls.
When he stuffed a handful of seasoned soy snacks mixed with sour plum powder into his mouth, Zhang Wenda felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him.
Little Fatty, beside him, was also in foodie heaven. "This is awesome! This is so damn good! Haozi, you’re like a real brother to me!"
Zhang Wenda ignored him, quietly savoring the feeling of satisfaction in his heart.
Suddenly, he felt that sense of satisfaction transferring toward his wrist.
Then, he saw his Yellow Core slowly expanding, growing by about a tenth of its size.
Zhang Wenda gradually came back from that state of satisfaction and stared in amazement at the Yellow Core on his arm. At that very moment, he realized he might have just found a way to increase his power.
’Is it by satisfying my own desires? Or something else?’
"Haozi, let’s go! I’ll take you to Teacher Ouyang! You’re the best!" Pan Dongzi, his mouth full, was about to pull Zhang Wenda along but found he couldn’t move him.
"You go on ahead. I don’t think I need to find Teacher Ouyang anymore," Zhang Wenda said, walking over to the other food stalls and starting to eat with gusto again.
It was an unexpected discovery; he realized he had already found what he was looking for.
The growth of the Yellow Core was definitely a huge boost to his power. He needed to experiment more.
He tried every single thing he hadn’t eaten before, continuing until he was almost stuffed.
But this time was different. Even though Zhang Wenda was still eating foods he’d never tried before, the Yellow Core didn’t change at all, as if his earlier experience had been an illusion.
’What’s going on?’ Zhang Wenda stared blankly at the Yellow Core. ’Does it only work if I’m genuinely satisfied? Why is the method for growing this Yellow Core so weird?’
With no teacher to guide him, all he could do was keep trying different things to understand how to use the Yellow Core.
Zhang Wenda sat down on a nearby step and began to think. ’Hmm... so what do I need to do now to satisfy my heart and grow the Yellow Core?’
Comments