The Cannon Fodder Male Insect Refuses the Crematorium - Chapter 5

“Do you take disciples? Can you teach me how to cook?”

The young Male’s eyes were wide and round as he stared anxiously at Lu Qing’s face. What slipped out of his mouth was something unexpectedly ordinary.

Lu Qing paused and looked back at the Male. “Are you referring to me?”

“Yes, yes.”

Under the gaze of those calm, bottomless eyes, the brash energy An Feiyu had used to pose as a receptionist and reveal the truth vanished instantly. He began to stammer for no reason, his fingers nervously tugging at the hem of his clothes, appearing even more tense than before.

An Feiyu sniffed and wondered what was happening. This seemingly mild-tempered Male suddenly exerted an indescribable pressure on him.

Lu Qing’s expression remained unchanged. He fell silent for a moment as a memory flashed through his mind. He remembered the Book crying and shouting before he left, “We must expand our Hundred Flavors Sect!”

Thinking of the bombardment he would face if he returned empty-handed, he said, “I can do that.”

An Feiyu, who was mentally rehearsing how to beg if he were rejected, was stunned by the affirmative answer. “Really? Truly?”

He followed up quickly: “Do you not find me troublesome? After what I did before?”

Lu Qing replied, “Medicinal cuisine is not difficult. It is easy to learn and will not take long.”

“No, wait, you really… you are really going to teach me?”

Lu Qing’s lips moved to speak, but An Feiyu turned his head away, holding a hand up between them and shaking his head like a rattle. “Do not say anything yet. I need a moment to process this. Let me breathe. Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap.”

Lu Qing remained silent for a moment.

“Brother, brother, I have realized you are a truly great person.”

In an instant, An Feiyu’s eyes welled with tears as he tried to grab Lu Qing’s hand. Even though Lu Qing gently avoided the contact, An Feiyu did not mind, catching his sleeve instead. “I am serious. Thank you! I realized you are a good bug, not a fraud. I am sorry. I was out of line. You are so generous to forgive me and teach me to cook. I am literally crying right now.”

“Lierfu likes Males who can cook. You are definitely better than me. Your dishes are novel. The moment I ate that porridge, I felt so comfortable. Maybe it really does heal the stomach. But because you look a bit like Lierfu’s ex-husband, and he was watching your videos so intently, I got jealous. I was such a bad bug for making things difficult for you. I, I, I!”

Lu Qing said helplessly, “It is fine. It was just a meal. The Vice President does not need to take it to heart.” Lu Qing thought for a second and added, “You did not make things difficult. Your attitude was always polite.”

An Feiyu covered his face and wailed even louder. “You are too good! I want to call you brother. We have to exchange contact information!”

Lu Qing wondered, “?”

An Feiyu’s thoughts jumped rapidly, constantly steering the conversation in bizarre directions. In a way, he was quite similar to the ten-year-old Book. Lu Qing found such individuals somewhat difficult to handle.

The two bugs added each other. A new name appeared in Lu Qing’s mostly empty contact list: Prome An Feiyu.

The young Male patted his chest confidently. “We will keep in touch. If you need anything, just ask. I will protect you. Brother, your personality is too gentle. How does a bug as good as you have so few contacts? Do not worry, I will introduce you to more people and expand your circle.”

Almost every bug Lu Qing met wanted to introduce him to others. In reality, Lu Qing did not wish to know many people. If it were not for the medicinal cookbook, which he considered his grandfather’s legacy, he likely would not be livestreaming at all.

Lu Qing declined the offers. Seeing that An Feiyu was still restless, he told him that promoting the recipes would be the greatest help.

That evening, the Book received nearly a hundred notifications.

【Promotion Level +89】

The Book’s tiny black eyes widened. “Lulu, what did you do? Did you finally listen to me and use your beauty to lure in innocent new disciples?”

“Disciples” was the Book’s new term for bugs who learned medicinal cuisine. It claimed its dream was to start a sect where countless followers would listen to it and its host preach and teach.

Lu Qing said, “It was likely an introduction from Vice President Prome.”

The Book was even more shocked. “What? That little brat who was causing you trouble?”

“Come, come, tell me everything.” The Book vanished and reappeared seconds later holding flower cakes and melon seeds Lu Qing had made to coax it into staying. It pulled up a tiny paper stool and sat down.

Lu Qing recounted the events. Seeing that it was late, he went to the small courtyard to harvest mature vegetables. The Book listened intently, stroking its non-existent chin. “Lulu’s charisma is truly something else.”

The cool autumn breeze brought a rain of falling flowers. The neighbor’s house had Lin-date trees which produced greenish-brown fruits in the winter after blooming in autumn.

When Lu Qing was young, before his father passed away, his father would bring him to his grandfather’s house during the winter. The neighbor was a gentle Sub-male who would give them a basket of Lin-dates after they ripened. His grandfather and father loved the dates, washing them to make honeyed dates soaked in syrup. They were soft, chewy, and fragrant.

His grandfather’s house had been empty for a long time. He heard the neighbor had moved after getting married, leaving the two trees to endure the changing seasons alone. Before leaving, the Sub-male had told Lu Qing’s grandfather that if they ever stayed there, they could pick the dates and flowers whenever they liked. Otherwise, it would be a pity for them to rot on the ground.

In two days, the Tiger-head Cabbage had grown significantly. Its green cap atop a white round body marked its successful journey out of the soil. Lu Qing did not wear gloves this time. He used a small trowel to dig deep trenches two centimeters away from the cabbage. He pushed the trowel toward the center until he hit something hard and mesh-like.

That was the root of the Tiger-head Cabbage.

Lu Qing estimated the position of the root hairs, reached into the soil, and carefully used his fingers to disconnect the area linking the roots to the large bulb. Soon, a complete Tiger-head Cabbage was in his hand. Many bugs nowadays did not care about replanting or sustainable growth. Lu Qing wanted to grow new cabbage from the same soil without using extra seeds, so he had to be careful with the roots.

In the afternoon, it was time for the second livestream. With a total promotion level of 143, the first page of the cookbook was fully illuminated.

Lu Qing reviewed the recipes. To his surprise, most of the dishes on the first page, including Tomato Sauce Beetle Slices, Braised Ginseng Fish, and Cucumber with Phantom Mushrooms, were things his grandfather and father had made before.

The only entirely new dish was Braised Bug-Snake.

The Bug-Snake was a long, thin, black creature resembling an eel. It was larger and longer than an earthworm. Because of its ugly appearance, no bug considered it food; it was seen as a pest that stole crops. Consequently, Bug-Snakes were not sold in markets. However, the nectar of Crystal Flowers was their favorite food. One could use it as bait to catch them.

Since no Bug-Snakes had appeared recently, Lu Qing did not plan to cook on stream. Realizing that Lin-date trees were becoming rare, he decided to livestream the harvesting of Lin-date flowers and the process of making honey-flower nectar.

【Data Connection: Success!】

【Chat Connection: Success!】

A virtual blue screen hovered in the air. As soon as the broadcast started, dozens of viewers joined. The chat grew from a few scattered messages into a floating stream of text.

[RottingBug]: It started! It started! [WhenCanIFindAHusband]: Wife, wife! I am here! [HungryNow]: What is the delicious food today? I want to see and eat. [OnePunchOneMale]: What are you streaming today?

Parson managed many Male streamers and was often overwhelmed with various issues. Recently, one Male had accidentally expressed contempt for Sub-male rights during a stream, causing a massive backlash. Parson was still dealing with the fallout.

Lu Qing had a good personality, was meticulous, and could cook; he did not require much management. However, Parson was still a bit worried about how the second stream would go, so he opened the broadcast while working.

In the center of the video, the slender Male wore a black hoodie. Stray hairs were tucked casually behind his ear. Beneath a full forehead, his handsome profile appeared somewhat cold and aloof. Parson was dazed for a moment.

Then, Lu Qing turned to face the camera. The curve of his eyes erased the previous coldness; he looked as warm as jade, like a spring breeze.

“Good evening,” Lu Qing said softly. “Today we are not cooking. We are going to harvest some Lin-date flowers.”

Parson mused that Lin-date flowers sounded like a familiar name. Before he could think further, the fruit tree on screen made him widen his eyes in surprise. He realized it was a Lin-date tree. Parson could not help but stare at the tall tree covered in tiny yellow flowers. He felt nostalgic.

[DoNotBeAngry]: There are still Lin-date trees on the Imperial Planet?

Campis had changed his name. DoNotBeAngry was a literal reminder to control his temper. He stared at the screen, also very familiar with this tree. The Lin-date tree was common on outer planets but almost non-existent on the Imperial Planet. It was cheap and had a long growth cycle. On the Imperial Planet, where land was worth its weight in gold, no bug would think to plant Lin-dates.

Campis’s hometown was on Planet Robu, which produced Lin-dates year-round. For them, it was an essential agricultural specialty and a staple snack. Other agricultural planets like Planet Kenny, Planet Tuyan, and Planet Akiba also grew them because they were easy to maintain and very filling. However, he had not seen one since coming to the Imperial Planet.

Many viewers expressed similar sentiments. Many of them were bugs who had left their hometowns to work or study on the Imperial Planet. This was especially true for Sub-males; the Imperial Planet was mostly inhabited by noble or pampered Males, and few Males would choose to live on a poor, rural agricultural planet.

Of course, some viewers did not recognize the tree. They watched curiously and turned on the Sense Sync system to smell the sweet, heart-cleansing floral fragrance. The scent was fresh, not too strong, yet not too light. They watched intently, eager to see what could be made from these tiny five-petaled flowers.

“Lin-date flowers are small, but they have many thorns. It is best to use scissors to cut at the base of the flower. This way, you do not damage the branch and can harvest the flower whole.”

As Lu Qing spoke, he stepped onto a tall ladder. His climbing movements were fluid and quick, as if he had done this countless times. Within seconds, he reached the top.

“Look, do you see the green circular base beneath the petals?” Lu Qing held a flower gently by the stem for the viewers. Then, with a click of the scissors, the flower fell into the basket on his arm. “That is the base.”

[RegretAfterAbandonment]: Serious and knowledgeable Males are the most handsome! [DoNotBeAngry]: The host is very meticulous. Back home, I just grabbed them with my bare hands. [ServeTheCountry]: I am new. What is happening? Why is the Male Highness so high up? It is dangerous. [HungryNow]: Great one, I am hungry. Food, food, eat, eat.

[asdfgh12345]: Replying to the person above, the Male is picking Lin-date flowers.

Lu Qing had experience picking these flowers and soon filled a whole basket. When he came down, he did not climb step-by-step as before. Instead, he leaped lightly from the last few rungs, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

“Lin-date flowers cannot be eaten directly. They must be processed to remove the sharp prickles in the center, as those are harmful to the body.”

Lu Qing carried the basket into the kitchen. He found a small stool and placed the basket on the floor. With scissors in hand, he began quickly snipping away the slight protrusions in the centers of the flowers.

“Be careful not to cut the stamen. That is where the sweetness of the nectar comes from. Without the stamen, the honey loses its natural sweetness.”

The blades of the scissors snapped precisely into the center of each flower. Lu Qing flicked them gently, and the sharp-tipped, round-bottomed prickles flew into a waste bin. One by one, the yellow flowers piled up. A whole basket of flowers had their poisonous fangs removed and was ready for soaking.

Lu Qing filled a basin with cold water and put the flowers in. After soaking for a while, he scooped them out and placed them in a mesh to drain. He used a giant iron pot. He poured sugar and water in a one-to-one ratio into the pot, lit a small fire, and pushed the mixture with a spatula, slowly simmering it into a thick, stringy syrup.

The fragrance of the flowers and the sweetness of the syrup collided in the air, releasing a light, honeyed scent. Within minutes, a viewer sent a gift, expressing an urgent desire to eat. Lu Qing only checked the chat during breaks in stirring.

The screen was full of gifts, mostly between levels one and four. Lu Qing did not prioritize gifts and only glanced at them briefly. However, that one glance caught a sudden, massive golden light jumping into the center of the screen.

[System]: User Lu7in sent the streamer Lu Qing ten Cosmic Carriers. Entering Screen Domination mode.

[Lu7in]: Biu, biu! These ten carriers represent my feelings for you. May you soar to the sky, accompanied by honor!

Support