A dense hissing sound of water vapor evaporating rang out, and white steam suddenly rose up, almost smearing Zhang Shaozhong's face.
The moisture on the surface of the dishes disappeared at a visible speed, becoming incredibly dry, even... a little too dry.
Before Zhang Shaozhong could even shout "Good!", he smelled a burnt smell!
"Holy crap! Stop! Stop it now!"
He rushed over, completely terrified.
The edges of the plastic lunchboxes were deformed and blackened by the high temperature, emitting a pungent smell.
A wooden spatula was even emitting wisps of blue smoke!
Even ceramic bowls developed tiny cracks on their surface due to uneven heating!
Ye Meier was startled and quickly put away the small flame. Looking at her "masterpiece," she said somewhat embarrassedly, "Uh... how come this thing from later generations burns so easily? I only used less than ten percent of the power of my 'Netherworld Ghost Fire'..."
"One-tenth?! Ma'am, are you trying to set the whole building on fire?!"
Zhang Shaozhong was on the verge of tears. He hurriedly turned off her small flame and threw the deformed lunchbox and smoking spatula into the trash can.
"This is washing dishes! Not forging weapons! The bowls will break! The plastic will melt! The wood will catch fire!"
Ye Meier, hands on her hips, retorted defiantly, "How was I supposed to know they were so fragile! Where we're from, it's common to temper magical artifacts with true fire! Who knew your bowl was so delicate!"
Ling Qingxue added coldly from the side: "More brute force than control. The demonic path is indeed crude."
"What nonsense are you spouting! Go ahead and try! You washed those dishes for ages, and they're still greasy!"
"It's better than you destroying the object."
"I made a mistake!"
"Out of control is out of control; there are no excuses."
Seeing that the two big shots were about to escalate their "discussion on housework techniques" into a "battle of righteous and demonic ideologies," Zhang Shaozhong was at his wits' end and quickly stepped in the middle to separate them.
"Stop! Stop it all!" He took a deep breath, feeling like a desperate old father with two unruly children.
"My two ancestors! I was wrong! I was really wrong! I shouldn't have let you do any work in the kitchen!"
He pointed to the "victims" in the trash can, heartbroken: "See? This is what happens when you don't follow the rules! In this world, there are basic principles to follow! To wash dishes, you have to use dish soap and water!"
Dry it with a clean cloth or let it air dry! No more magic or spells! Understand?!
Ling Qingxue and Ye Meier exchanged a glance, then simultaneously turned their heads away in disgust.
Ye Meier pouted: "So many rules... Fine, fine, I'll just use a cloth next time."
But then she rolled her eyes and leaned closer to Zhang Shaozhong with a grin, "But kid, look, washing dishes is dirty and tiring, and it's easy to hurt your hands... How about you give me another chore?"
For example... spending money on you? I saw online that "shopping sprees" is also a kind of housework, called "financial management"!
Zhang Shaozhong looked at her expressionlessly: "...You wish."
Ling Qingxue sighed slightly, looking at her hands. She seemed somewhat resistant to the primitive method of "wiping with a cloth," but in the end, she nodded coolly: "As you wish."
A vigorous reform of household chores distribution ultimately ended with the introduction of a mandatory regulation "prohibiting the use of supernatural powers".
Zhang Shaozhong resignedly rolled up his sleeves and washed the remaining bowls himself.
Ling Qingxue and Ye Meier, on the other hand, went back to study the mysteries of the universe, while Ye Meier threw herself back into the battle in the King's Canyon, as if the chaos in the kitchen had never happened.
As Zhang Shaozhong washed the dishes, he listened to the game sound effects and the sound of turning pages behind him, and shook his head helplessly.
Sigh, helping these two big shots adapt to modern life is a long and arduous task.
It seems this job of being both "nanny" and "safety officer" is going to continue indefinitely.
However, looking at the warm sunlight outside the window and his two "roommates" who were noisy but full of life inside, a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.
The pain was real; but this unique "joy" seemed hard to find anywhere else.
"Hey kid!" Ye Meier suddenly shouted, "Have you finished washing the dishes? Hurry up and come help me! That little Lu Ban tricked me again!"
Ling Qingxue also spoke calmly: "This book mentions 'dark matter' and 'dark energy,' which seem to have a similar meaning to the primordial chaos. Do you understand? Come and discuss it with me."
Zhang Shaozhong: "...Coming, coming! Almost done!"
Alright, the dishes can be washed slowly, but these two big shots can't be neglected for even a moment!
Since the "dishwashing incident" ended with minor damage to the kitchen, Zhang Shaozhong has come to a profound realization:
Having Ling Qingxue and Ye Meier do housework that involves direct contact with the physical world carries a risk level comparable to defusing a bomb.
Therefore, doing it yourself and being self-sufficient has become the safest option at present.
But even the most skilled cook can't cook without rice. After the two bigwigs tried all sorts of things, the refrigerator was so empty that mice could run through it.
Purchasing ingredients became an urgent task.
Looking at the two ladies who were engrossed in their own worlds, Zhang Shaozhong took a deep breath and announced a difficult decision:
"Um... we've run out of food at home. We need to go to... the market."
"Market?"
Ye Meier was the first to put down her phone, her eyes lighting up instantly.
"You mean those places with lots of stalls selling all sorts of delicious food and fun things? Like in TV dramas! And maybe they have acrobatics and opera performances too?"
What came to mind were the bustling streets of period dramas.
Ling Qingxue also raised her head, looking slightly puzzled:
"Are there markets in this world? I've seen in the news that most transactions between ordinary people take place in places called 'the internet' or in fixed shops."
Zhang Shaozhong quickly explained, "Uh, calling it a market isn't quite accurate. The place we went to is called a 'supermarket.' It's... a very big building filled with all sorts of goods, food, household items, and clothing. You take what you need and then pay at a central place."
"Take it yourself?"
Ling Qingxue caught the key words, her brows furrowing slightly.
"Unattended? Wouldn't it be extremely easy for theft to occur?"
"There's surveillance! It's... a kind of magic... uh, no, it's technology! It can record everyone's actions!"
Zhang Shaozhong felt himself sweating from explaining so much. "Anyway, just follow me and watch what I do. Remember three things:"
First, avoid touching things indiscriminately, especially those with packaging;
Second, don't leave my sight;
Third, and most importantly, no matter what strange things you see, don't panic, and don't use force! I'll take care of everything!
The two bigwigs exchanged a glance. Although they felt that Zhang Shaozhong was being a bit long-winded, they still nodded.
After all, they were still a little curious about the unknown "supermarket".
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