My Apocalypse System Arrives 10 Years Early

"Godfather, look! Isn’t it pretty?" Yukigiri flashed a grin at Li Xiang and said sweetly.

"It’s beautiful. But you’re even more beautiful than the flowers."

"You’re very handsome too, Godfather." Yukigiri pushed the celadon bowl in front of Li Xiang. In it, a preserved plum spun as the spoon stirred the broth. It was a bowl of rice soup with a distinct Japanese character.

"Godfather, try the botan shrimp I grilled." Asatsuyu picked up a large shrimp with her chopsticks and fed it to Li Xiang.

"Delicious! You’re a great cook, Asatsuyu!" Li Xiang praised her. Although Asatsuyu had only pretended to grill it for a moment at the end, that didn’t stop him from complimenting her. Children needed encouragement from a young age, not to be broken down by criticism.

Sure enough, Chiba Asatsuyu immediately flushed with excitement, thinking to herself, ’When I grow up, I’ll be just like Mom and make delicious food for Godfather every day.’

Chiba Yuki rolled up her furisode sleeves, revealing her snow-white wrists. She filled a gold-lacquered sake cup with Juyondai Ryusen, smiled gracefully, and said in a soft voice, "Master, please try this. It was brewed in the 23rd year of the Heisei era, using snowmelt from Mount Fuji..."

Aoi Monshou floated in from the veranda carrying a black-lacquered square tray. Her single eye was covered with a silk cloth embroidered with sutras, and the scent of sandalwood wafted out as she knelt. On a jade-colored porcelain plate lay three pieces of blowfish milt, the milky-white paste wrapped in kombu as thin as a cicada’s wing, trembling slightly with the golden light emanating from the sutras on her neck.

"Please enjoy our special marbled beef." Red Wisdom’s Folding Fan lifted the rising steam. Thinly sliced wagyu beef curled into the shape of a rose on the volcanic rock plate, its marbling so translucent it was indistinguishable from the cherry blossom petals at the corner of the table.

"Dig in, everyone," Li Xiang said to the group. After all, he was the host.

"Time to eat~" The Twin Gouyu raised their maple chopsticks in unison. Flames and Ice Crystals burst into a fine shower of light above the unagi rice bowl. Chiba Yuki, meanwhile, chuckled softly as she served Li Xiang. The steam from the matsutake dobin mushi blurred the beauty mark near her eye. The hem of her twelve-layered robe cascaded over the edge of the cushion, like a Kyoto sunset spread out before them.

A crispy fried scallop crunched in Li Xiang’s mouth, the fresh, oceanic flavor mingling with the plum wine Asatsuyu had offered him. Yukigiri then took the opportunity to feed him a piece of vinegared squid.

The mother and her two daughters served Li Xiang together. It was a completely different experience from eating back home.

Eating at home was never like this, of course. Even when he dined alone with Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, and Lei Xiaohui, they all just focused on their own meals. Things would get lively, but with the other two women present, none of the three would ever dare to make such an intimate gesture.

For example, Yao Yao had once tried to link arms with Li Xiang for a drink, only to be immediately "sabotaged" by Zhao Xueqing and Lei Xiaohui.

Aoi Monshou and Red Wisdom were Shikigami and did not partake of mortal food, so they simply stood to the side, setting the mood.

Aoi Monshou, the beautiful nun, poured the wine. She secretly chanted the Buddhist Heart Sutra, which materialized as scripture that wrapped around the sake pot. Every time Red Wisdom waved her Folding Fan, a few flakes of gold foil would drift down onto the Truffle rice. It had to be said, they were doing an excellent job of building the atmosphere.

The final course was a crystal-like, eight-layered cherry blossom yōkan, served in a celadon cup. Each layer was made with cherry blossom honey from a different year. Asatsuyu used her flames to create a caramelized, crispy shell on top, while Yukigiri’s Ice Cone carved it into the shape of Mount Fuji’s snowy peak. The two little girls had come up with a creative way to use their Superpowers for culinary arts.

Chiba Yuki said, "They practiced that dish for a long time."

Before she had even finished speaking, the two little girls had already poked their honey-covered fingers at Li Xiang’s lips, letting out peals of silvery laughter.

A little after eight in the evening, Chiba Yuki put her two daughters to bed early. Then, after changing into a nightgown, she went to the "Underground Secret Bath" where Li Xiang was staying.

This was the most luxurious hot spring suite in "Xue Xun’s House." The price used to be 2,200 RMB per day (about 46,000 yen). Later, as "Xue Xun’s House" became wildly popular, Chiba Yuki raised the price. It was now nearly 3,000 RMB per day, and even more expensive during peak tourist season—around 6,000 RMB per day.

Even so, there was no shortage of tourists willing to pay for the experience.

With Li Xiang arriving, Chiba Yuki naturally arranged this best suite for him. All the furnishings inside had been replaced with new ones, and the hot spring water was constantly flowing, so there were no concerns about hygiene.

Most importantly, because it was deep underground, it was completely private and the soundproofing was excellent. Even if something were to happen down there, you could scream your lungs out and almost nothing would be heard on the surface—short of a massive explosion.

When Chiba Yuki entered, her heart was pounding with nervousness, but also with a hint of excitement. Her whole body trembled slightly, as if in anticipation of something.

Li Xiang’s mind, however, was immersed in his system’s warehouse, organizing the supplies he had acquired on his trip to Japan by sorting and rearranging them into categories.

When he was looting before, efficiency was key, so he had just shoved everything he saw inside without taking the time to organize it. As a result, the items were a jumbled, chaotic mess.

It was a meticulous job, and a rather time-consuming one. But once everything was organized, it would be much more convenient to retrieve things later. This was all part of warehouse management.

Life is full of lessons.

The supplies looted from Japan this time included tens of thousands of different items, including food, clothing, fabrics, alcohol, medicine... The list was endless, simply too much to count. Li Xiang had made a point of targeting certain things, such as gold and jewelry, wagyu beef, Shizuoka gyokuro tea, Shiseido products, and deer antlers from Nara, among others.

It was worth mentioning that Li Xiang had practically plundered all of Japan’s sika deer, robbing the country of a beautiful part of its scenery. Since then, the once-abundant sika deer were almost never seen in Japan, and the public missed them dearly. Now, if even a few wild sika deer appeared, people treated them like precious treasures.