Just as Nana's hand grasped the thin motor shaft, Chen Hao slapped her on the shoulder.
"Let's eat first."
She looked up, her eye indicator light flashed, but she didn't move or say anything.
“If you squat any lower, your butt will touch the ground.” Chen Hao put the empty plate aside. “The kid can still ask you to make a robot for him tomorrow, but the food can’t be reheated once it’s cold.”
Susan walked over, still holding the handicrafts in her hands. "The food area just opened, and I see there are a few small tables that are still empty."
Carl stood still, his gaze fixed on the mainframes of the technology exhibition area in the distance. The thermometer in his hand read steadily, but his brow remained furrowed.
“Let’s go.” Susan gently pushed him. “You can’t eat while watching the machine, you don’t have three hands.”
Carl hesitated for two seconds, then nodded.
The four of them made their way through the crowd, the aroma growing stronger with each passing moment. The sizzling of oil dripping from the grill onto the heating plate, the bubbling of a stew pot, and the laughter of someone shouting "Add chili!" mingled together. One stall emitted the scent of caramel, while another released the savory aroma of soup.
There was a round table in the corner, with only a few people around. The chair was askew, and there were still oil stains and crumbs left by the previous group of customers on the table.
"I'll wipe it." Susan took a cloth out of her bag and wiped the table twice.
Carl straightened the chair with a swift movement. Chen Hao plopped down and stretched.
"At least I have a place to stay," he said.
Nana was the last to sit down, her toolbox beside her feet. Her fingers were still twitching slightly, as if she hadn't completely stopped assembling the tools.
"Is your head full of circuit diagrams right now?" Chen Hao laughed.
“I’m calculating the match between the motor torque and the micro-joints,” she said, “but it’s also possible to switch to other modes.”
"Then let's switch to 'foodie mode'." Chen Hao waved to a waiter, "Bring four special platters, and some drinks, the kind that cuts through the richness."
The menu was handwritten, and the paper was crumpled. It contained pictures of several dishes with fancy names: "Stardust Roll," "Earth Core Roast," and "Cloud Mist Jelly."
"Who came up with these names?" Chen Hao shook his head after reading them aloud. "It's like making up answers during an exam."
“The namer wanted to add a sense of mystery,” Nana said. “Data shows that the stranger the name, the higher the order rate is by 12 percent.”
"So everyone's eating it just because of the name?" Susan laughed. "Then let's change all the announcements from now on to 'Dark Night Order: Please complete irrigation before dawn'."
“I think it can work,” Chen Hao nodded. “It sounds urgent.”
The platter arrived quickly, a vibrant display of colors: golden biscuits, deep purple strips, translucent gel, and a sprinkle of green powder on top.
"What's this green thing?" Chen Hao poked at it with his chopsticks.
“Star moss powder.” Nana glanced at it. “It grows on the north-facing rock face in the shade, is rich in trace elements, and is often used to supplement minerals.”
"Sounds like medicine." Chen Hao picked up a little and tasted it. "Hey, it smells pretty good."
"The bitterness is removed through fermentation," Nana said. "It was originally an emergency ration, but later someone found it tasted good with flatbread, so it became a condiment."
"Adversity breeds delicious food." Susan picked up a "Stardust Roll," its outer layer crispy, revealing fibrous strands inside. "What about this one?"
"The pastry is made from star-patterned sweet potatoes," Nana replied. "The original variety can only survive in rock crevices and has extremely low yields. After the third improvement, it became a staple food substitute, and now it's made into a dessert, symbolizing the base's transformation from struggle to stability."
"You're quite the talker." Chen Hao swallowed. "Don't just talk, eat too."
“I don’t need to eat,” Nana said.
“But you can try it.” Susan pushed a small piece of jelly in front of her. “Try this, it’s made of blue vine, the kind Carl saved.”
Nana looked at the blue, semi-transparent object and lightly touched its surface with her fingertips.
"The temperature is 19 degrees Celsius, and the elasticity is just right." She took a small piece, put it in her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and said, "The sweetness is noticeable, and the texture is smooth."
"What's the evaluation?" Chen Hao asked.
"It meets the human definition of 'delicious'," she said, adding, "and has a high emotional feedback value."
“That’s what liking someone means,” Susan smiled.
Chen Hao picked up a golden-brown fried strip of food and smelled it. "This thing is called 'Earth Core Burn,' which sounds like it can burn through your stomach."
"The main ingredient is a deep-rooted plant," Nana continued. "It is drought-resistant and cold-resistant, and can survive in barren soil. In the past, it was a winter food reserve. Now, it is fried with spices and has become a festive food, representing perseverance."
"No wonder it's so spicy." Chen Hao took a bite, his face immediately contorting. "Who could stand this?"
“The adaptation period is an average of three days,” Nana said. “Of those who try it for the first time, 68 percent will drink the water within five seconds.”
Chen Hao indeed grabbed the cup and took a big gulp.
"You know what, the spicier it is, the more I want to eat it." He put down his cup. "It's just like the feeling on the day I fail an exam—it's painful, but I still have to grit my teeth and bear it."
Susan burst out laughing, and even Carl's lips twitched.
“Don’t just sit there,” Chen Hao said, turning to Karl. “You pick one too.”
Carl looked at it and picked up a piece of light yellow stew.
“This is ‘Warm Rock Soup’,” Nana said. “It’s made by boiling fungi collected near the crater. It releases heat slowly when heated and was once used to keep workers in low-temperature environments warm. Now it symbolizes warmth and continuity.”
Carl finished eating slowly, put down his spoon, and didn't say anything.
"How is it?" Chen Hao asked.
"The flavor is consistent," Carl said. "The cooking time is well controlled."
"Should we praise the chef or the dish?" Susan laughed.
“Both are the same.” Carlton paused. “If the cooking time is off by even one degree, the structure of the fungus will be damaged, and the taste will be affected.”
“Look, he’s started analyzing again,” Chen Hao said to Nana. “Can’t we make him shut up for five minutes and focus on his meal?”
“The suggestion is not feasible,” Nana said. “Carl’s cognitive patterns are highly synchronized with his language output, and suppressing expression will lead to a loss of attention.”
"Then you might as well not say anything." Chen Hao rolled his eyes.
Susan laid out the handicrafts she had brought on the table: a blue vine wrapped in wire, a small spaceship, and a crooked robot.
“As decoration,” she said.
"This robot looks pretty good," Chen Hao said, pointing to the short-legged, round-headed one. "Wait, isn't that me?"
"The child made it," Susan laughed. "He said he'd been observing you for a long time."
"His observation skills are pretty good." Chen Hao patted his stomach. "It's just that he didn't draw me eating."
Nana reached out and touched the metal flower, her fingertips sliding down the stem to the edge of the petals.
“The resin sheet has a refractive index of 1.48,” she said. “When combined with the angle of morning light, it can produce a slight iridescent effect.”
"Can't you just say it's beautiful?" Susan said helplessly.
"Beautiful." Nana paused for two seconds. "The scoring criteria are: color coordination, structural integrity, and intensity of emotional projection."
“Alright,” Susan shook her head. “At least they didn’t mention the data this time.”
Chen Hao picked up the last piece of "cloud-mist jelly," its translucent gelatinous texture trembling.
"Is this stuff really edible? It looks like lab waste."
“It’s made from extracts of high-altitude dew,” Nana said. “Initially used for monitoring air humidity, it was later discovered that it forms a gel when cooled and is edible, symbolizing the recycling of resources.”
"Sounds environmentally friendly." Chen Hao took a bite. "Wow, it melted."
"It will dissolve naturally at a body temperature of 37 degrees Celsius," Nana said.
"So it's gone as soon as you put it in your mouth?" Chen Hao smacked his lips. "Then did I eat it for nothing?"
“The nutrients have been absorbed,” Nana said. “The waste rate is zero.”
"You really do take it to heart." Chen Hao laughed.
The plates on the table gradually emptied. The grease stains remained, but no one paid any attention. Laughter drifted from afar; someone was dancing with colorful drinks in hand, and children chased after people blowing bubbles.
Susan straightened the last small sculpture, the robot with the crooked arm.
“It’s quite special,” she said.
“Because it’s not perfect,” Nana said, “but the functionality is unaffected.”
"That sounds like you're trying to comfort me." Chen Hao leaned back in his chair, holding an empty skewer in his hand. "Actually, these things used to be life-saving food. The fact that they're delicious now means we've really survived."
No one responded.
A gust of wind blew by, carrying away a few scraps of paper.
Carl suddenly reached out, picked up a piece of the freshly served spicy root, and put it in his mouth.
I chewed it twice.
He didn't frown, nor did he drink any water.
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