Chapter 16: Finally got to eat meat!
Back home, I cooked the meat slices, added an egg, vegetable leaves, and tomato slices, and paired them with bread to make a simple but hearty sandwich.
Staring at my makeshift sandwich, I couldn’t help but drool. Without hesitation, I grabbed it with both hands and took a big bite.
The savory meat, fresh sweet veggies, and tangy tomato mixed with the bread, spreading flavor across my mouth. For a moment, I felt pure bliss—
Finally, meat!
Though I’ve only been awake a few days, Su Mengmeng hadn’t eaten meat in ages. Last month, she could still afford some veggies, but this month, before I woke, she survived on tiny bits of bread daily.
No wonder she was so frail—no money for meat or vegetables.
It’s a miracle this body could barely manage ten push-ups.
What comforted me most was that, despite her desperate life and even starving herself to death, Su Mengmeng held onto a shred of noble dignity.
She never sold her body.
That makes this body easier to accept… It was only defiled once, drugged by some unknown man. I can pretend he doesn’t exist.
If this body had been used multiple times… ugh, I couldn’t stomach it.
Of course, Su Mengmeng tried finding work—maid, dishwashing—but she couldn’t handle those jobs. So, she drifted aimlessly, her belly growing, waiting to die in this moldy room.
Maybe she hoped to find the kids’ father after giving birth? The banquet she attended was full of powerful people… But now, this body is mine. Whatever remnants of Su Mengmeng’s thoughts or soul linger, I’m me now.
Savoring my sandwich, relishing the long-lost taste of meat, I felt elated, even licking my fingers reluctantly after finishing.
Back in the living room, I looked at the two egg babies in the backpack, gently stroking them.
“Hey, good thing you two cuties got me, or you’d be starving—don’t worry, Mommy will get you a magic crystal in three weeks, tops.”
Fed and content, I knew the egg babies were still hungry… I wasn’t sure what they felt, but to avoid seeming like a neglectful mom, I patted them and spoke softly.
They trembled slightly in response, then went quiet.
“Alright, full and ready—time to work.”
I moved my still-sore body, barefoot, pattering back to my “workstation” to start another round of potion-making.
The apartment was still a mess—only the kitchen, the table cluttered with herbs and tools, and the bed area were cleaned for convenience. I hadn’t the energy to tackle the moldy parts.
My plan was to make basic healing potions for myself first, saving the high-value ones for tomorrow—I’d mapped out my schedule clearly.
Morning: make potions, sell them, buy supplies. After lunch, while herbs settle, train my body, drink a potion, sleep until evening, then make more potions. Seven hours of sleep daily.
With this body’s state, I should rest and recover, sleeping over nine hours, but I’m sticking to seven, plus intense exercise…
Though my situation’s less dire, I can’t stop to rest.
To afford adventuring gear and magic crystals for the kids, I have to keep working.
…As a Phoenix, an Immortal Bird, even if I drop dead, I’ll revive…
I’ve planned my future: make potions for a living while training my body and mental energy. When the time’s right, buy a crystal to ease the kids’ needs, then hunt beasts and non-humans for bigger profits.
My future won’t be easy…
I thought while working. When my mental energy ran low and fatigue hit, I followed my body’s instincts and went to bed.
As always, I hugged my two egg babies as I slept.
Somehow, in this filthy, chaotic place, holding them was the only way I felt safe…