城市猎人：系统升级之王

Chapter 16: A Touch of Warmth

As the dawn broke and roosters crowed, people rose from their soft beds to start the day's work, except for students on summer break, who were the only ones entitled to a lazy morning. After a semester of intense study, they deserved a good sleep; waking up early would make life unbearable. For them, the morning sun was but a fleeting cloud, and they only wished to be roused at noon for meals.
Two sisters embodied this tradition, refusing to stir even as the knocks on their door grew louder.
"What is it? We finally have summer break, can't we get some decent sleep?" Yuexi grumbled groggily.
Li Nianlong, face darkening, pounded harder on the door. "Knock-knock-knock—it's way past waking time! Get up and cook breakfast!"
Yuexi, annoyed by the relentless knocking, buried her head in a pillow and groaned, "Please, just let me sleep in peace! Don't you know lack of sleep is a woman's worst enemy?"
"Enemy...enemy..." Yuecháng, in contrast to Yuexi's irritation, slept soundly, but whether by subconscious reaction or purposefully, she echoed Yuexi's words in a whisper.
Perhaps due to his recent two-level jump, Li Nianlong found his hearing had sharpened several folds. Despite the closed door and Yuechang's faint voice, he heard her clearly as if she were right beside him.
Li Nianlong nearly choked. These sisters certainly didn't treat him like an outsider.
A gentle fragrance wafted over as Lan Ruyue approached, dressed in a flowing white dress like a celestial maiden. She handed Li Nianlong her phone, which displayed a message: "They must be really tired. Let them sleep. I'll make breakfast."
Lan Ruyue smiled softly and gestured, spelling out each word in sign language, teaching him the signs for her message.
Li Nianlong's newfound intellectual agility, now at 29 points, allowed him to grasp the signs almost instantly, bordering on photographic memory. Delighted by this discovery, he focused on learning sign language from Lan Ruyue while she cooked. In just an hour, he mastered hundreds of gestures, progressing rapidly.
Observing Li Nianlong's rapid progress and smoother communication through sign language, Lan Ruyue was elated and taught with greater enthusiasm. For her, finding someone to communicate fluently with was rare, and Li Nianlong's progress gave her hope for seamless interaction. Her gaze toward him softened with growing affection.
Indeed, Lan Ruyue was skilled in the kitchen. A bowl of lean meat porridge, a scallion pancake, and a small plate of pickles made for a simple yet well-balanced and delicious breakfast, imbued with the warmth of home.
During the meal, Li Nianlong ate silently, occasionally meeting Lan Ruyue's eyes and exchanging smiles before returning to his food. He hadn't enjoyed a meal so comfortably in ages, and he felt a surge of emotion.
Setting down his empty bowl and wiping his mouth, Li Nianlong saw Lan Ruyue looking at him expectantly. He smiled. "Delicious."
"Fuh..." Lan Ruyue placed her hand on her chest, relieved, then beamed, signing: "I can cook many dishes. Can I cook for you every day?"
Li Nianlong's heart skipped a beat. His fists clenched momentarily before relaxing, and he nodded. "Okay."
Lan Ruyue noticed the fleeting change in him but chose to ignore it, her smile brightening.
Gazing at her radiant face, Li Nianlong's eyes blurred, and he mused, "Why... are you so much like Mom... Only Mom would say such things to me..."
After breakfast, as Li Nianlong sat sipping tea, Lan Ruyue approached with a first-aid kit, signing, "Time to change your dressing."
Change the dressing?
Li Nianlong only then noticed his bandaged right hand, which he hadn't removed even during the night's activities, opting to wear a glove over it. He'd forgotten to remove it during his bath and laundry.
But...
Frowning, Li Nianlong remembered that after the system's midnight 'refresh', his hand had stopped hurting, implying the system had healed his injury along with the reset.
However, medically, a palm injury from yesterday wouldn't heal overnight. If Lan Ruyue saw his unscathed palm, it might raise questions.
Fortunately...
"It's fine." Li Nianlong waved his hand, unwrapping the bandage. "I learned some internal arts; my healing is fast. It didn't hurt when I woke up, so it's probably healed."
China had a long martial history, birthing thousands of sects and countless internal arts. While many were lost to war, hundreds still existed. Besides advanced arts held by prominent families, many basic ones were shared online, practiced by billions across the country, mostly for health with little combat value.
But even the most basic health cultivation offered one advantage—swift external wound recovery.
Using internal arts as an excuse was flawless. When Lan Ruyue saw his unmarked palm, she wasn't overly surprised, seemingly relieved. She signed, "Good that you're okay. But don't hurt yourself again, okay?"
She had said something similar yesterday.
Looking at Lan Ruyue, Li Nianlong felt warmed by her genuine concern. He nodded lightly, finishing his tea, and stood. "It's late. I'll go job hunting now and be back before lunch. If I can't, I'll call ahead."
Lan Ruyue hastily straightened his collar, stepped back to admire him, and nodded with a smile, signing, "Very handsome, you'll surely be hired."
Li Nianlong pursed his lips, stepped out with long strides, and said, "I'm off."
Just as he was about to drive out of the garage, his phone beeped with a text. It was from Lan Ruyue: "Safe travels."
Tightening his grip on the phone, he read the message for a long moment before exhaling deeply. He put away his phone and drove off smoothly.
While vowing to find a job, Li Nianlong had no specific plan but aimed to activate a Life Profession and gain rewards and EXP through its advancement.
Which profession was easiest to start, upgraded fastest, and could earn money quickly?
Thinking it over, Li Nianlong decided a chef seemed the most straightforward choice. He could start the profession by cooking and gradually level it up for financial gain.
However, he had never cooked in his life. Attempting it would likely yield something closer to a chemical concoction than a meal. Imagine green-tinted liquid as egg soup?
The bigger issue was that restaurants wouldn't hire inexperienced chefs, leaving him no way to practice and level up.
Thus, Li Nianlong temporarily discarded the chef idea and pondered other professions but found none that matched his short-term earning requirement.
With funds enough for only a couple of months, he would need a stable job soon, or he'd resort to 'monster hunting' for money. But the gang clash from last night wasn't a daily occurrence, making earning through this method challenging.
Amidst his quandary, Li Nianlong drove past a construction site. Witnessing the laborers sweating under the sun, an idea struck him.