Chapter 72: Food is Ready.
Sunnie smiled as she shook the rattle. It made its noise. She did it again and again, softly and rhythmically, as the little baby suddenly stopped crying.
The little one was intrigued by the sound of the rattle as it looked up at it, staring in amusement and curiosity. Sunnie smiled as she played it for some time.
The mother was surprised to see how Sunnie had managed to stop the kid from crying. She followed her kid’s eyes that were stuck on Sunnie playing the rattle.
"Want it?" Sunnie asked with a smile.
The little one stared as Sunnie handed it to her. She accepted it and began randomly shaking it as it produced sounds.
The little baby was impressed at how it made sound, and the sound she was producing seemed to amaze her with joy. Before long, the baby began laughing softly at the noise she was making.
Sunnie smiled as she said, "That’s it... isn’t it fun?" Sunnie felt good watching the baby play with her new toy.
The mother stared, shocked, as Sunnie made her kid laugh. She couldn’t hide how impressed she was.
Sunnie smiled at her as she said, "Let her keep the toy. She can play with it at times like this. Okay?"
She smiled as she slowly got up to her feet and went back to check on her water that was already boiling.
The others stared, impressed.
"Wow... she’s good with babies too..." Luka blinked.
"I think she’s good at everything..." Zukka was impressed yet again.
The mice women couldn’t stop smiling as they stared at the scene.
---
Sunnie had cleansed the water, leaving Zukka and Zuna impressed along with the women. They had quickly learned of this new method of making such water usable.
"That’s impressive..." one of the women expressed as they watched Sunnie proceed with her cooking. "I never knew of such methods."
"Me too," another explained.
Sunnie smiled as she summoned her system for the remaining ingredients she couldn’t get because of the night, along with the flour needed for the noodles.
She had spent about 2,000 coins in total as she purchased more modern, luxurious ingredients in bigger quantities for the meal. She planned on making it a memorable one, so she was using all the best!
They all stared in confusion, amusement, and shock. They didn’t know which to feel as they watched Sunnie flatten the flour and then begin slicing it into long pieces.
"What’s she doing?" one of the women asked in utmost shock as they stared.
"She’s making a nudus. It’s delicious!" Little Black smiled, watching.
"It’s called nodu," Luka corrected.
"No, you’re wrong. It’s nudus."
"No, you are."
Sunnie smiled as she sliced them, listening to them bicker over its name.
"Where did you learn this impressive style?" Zuna was curious.
Sunnie smiled. "My homeland."
"Oh, I’d like to visit your homeland soon! It must be somewhere flowing with endless delicious meals to try!" Zuna was excited as she spoke.
Sunnie smiled. "I guess we can bring that homeland here to us if we try," she smiled.
Sunnie was done cutting as she put the noodles into the boiling water in the pot. They all stared in amusement as she stirred them with the ingredients she poured inside.
It smelled so nice that they couldn’t take their eyes off it.
"What are those ingredients?" one woman asked.
"It’s a special ingredient," she explained. "Rare as well."
They nodded as they observed.
---
Sunnie took her time making a masterpiece out of the meal. She was bent on making one that could satisfy everyone. And so she took her time deciding the ingredients and their chances of affecting anyone here.
After making her considerations, she had picked the best and had now brought them together to prepare the noodles.
The meal was soon ready in commercial quality—enough for them for another day, Sunnie believed. And then they helped Sunnie put the meals into plates for all to eat outside.
They all gathered outside, sitting on the ground around the fire as the meals were presented before them.
All but Zayn, Karl, and Eris were sitting around. Karl and Zayn sat away at a distance, watching as the others gathered to eat.
"Where is Eris...?" Sunnie asked, looking around. "I don’t think I’ve seen him around anywhere... What happened to him?"
Everyone was silent as they stared at her.
"Don’t you remember?" Luka asked.
"Remember what?" Sunnie raised an eyebrow.
They stared at each other and then shook their heads.
"Nothing," Azure said. "Nothing."
Sunnie felt there was something they weren’t telling her, but before she could ask them, Eris came out.
Eris was following his nostrils. He could perceive the aroma that woke him from his state of unconsciousness. He had been sleeping in the inner cave room after that slam on his face.
And now he walked out, one hand scratching his hair, the other massaging his neck while his nose followed the aroma.
He arrived where the others were as he looked around. "What’s that....? It smells so good..." He wanted to take a good look at the meal, but his eyes met Sunnie.
He recalled what happened earlier and immediately staggered backwards, covering his face. "Don’t hurt the pretty face again! Don’t you dare hurt it! It’s sensitive!"
He was alert.
Sunnie raised her eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"
Little Black smiled. "You basically smashed him hard on his face, and he fell down and never woke up till now." He laughed.
Eris cast him a cold glare. "I can eat you, you little bunny, you know that, right?"
Little Black stuck out his tongue. "Try it. Sister Sunnie will beat you up again."
Eris rolled his eyes and looked at Sunnie.
Sunnie blinked.
"Just stay away from my pretty face," he said as he walked around and found a spot to sit down beside Luka. "So, where’s my portion?"
Luka pointed to Sunnie. "Ask her. She’s the one in charge of feeding."
Eris looked up at Sunnie, blinking. Sunnie smiled.