I awakened the cultivation panel.

Chapter 112 Is the flower prettier or am I prettier?

While Chen Jingle was tidying up the ingredients in the kitchen, Li Shiming took out her phone, searched for a while, and found a whistling version of "Childhood" for the parrot to learn.

Who would have thought they would learn so quickly?

I've only listened to it twice, and although I haven't fully mastered it yet, I can already hear part of the tune, which is quite impressive.

This surprised and delighted her.

"Listen to it one more time, and then do it again."

"Wait a minute, the pitch here should be higher. Let me play it back for you."

"Yes, yes, that's it! Great job! Here's a reward~"

"..."

Chen Jingle was in the kitchen, listening intently to the sounds coming from the living room.

Okay, looks like we don't need to worry about her getting bored.

It's amazing that I can have so much fun playing with two parrots; I'm not picky at all.

Li Shiming is so engrossed in teaching parrots to sing that she can't tear herself away.

She then discovered that the two parrots were even smarter than she had imagined!
I thought I had overestimated their intelligence, but it turns out I still underestimated it.

Whose parrot learns things so quickly?
Logically speaking, an animal's intelligence is often directly related to the size of its brain.

For example, in the parrot species, large parrots like grey parrots and macaws are definitely smarter than smaller parrots.

"How can such a small budgie be so intelligent?" Li Shiming exclaimed in amazement.

It's unbelievable.

That's almost the intelligence of a five or six-year-old child.

That's outrageous!

They are truly no different from five or six-year-old children. When you talk to them, they can understand what you want to express.

Li Shiming had only seen this with many large animals, such as dogs, killer whales, and elephants, and it often took a long time to train them to understand their keepers.

Unlike Chen Jingle's two parrots, who can communicate with anyone who comes over.

That's really amazing!

She was very curious about Chen Jingle's bird training methods. How exactly did he manage to train the two parrots to be so smart?

It's understandable for kittens to have long fur, since cats are actually quite intelligent, but to be able to train even birds is truly admirable.

……

Li Shiming saw Chen Jingle finish processing the beef, wash his hands, and come out of the kitchen.

He immediately took credit.

"Come on, perform the new tune you've learned for your master. I'll count to 3, 2, 1, and then you can begin."

The two parrots stood obediently together, listening attentively to her commands.

"3, 2, 1, start singing!"

The two parrots immediately started whistling, playing the tune of "Childhood".

You know what, you really have to admit, that's quite a good boast.

Li Shiming proudly boasted, "How about that? Impressive, right?"

Chen Jingle chuckled: "They're the ones who are powerful, what are you so proud of?"

“They are smart, but I taught them just as well,” Li Shiming said stubbornly.

"Yes Yes Yes."

Chen Jingle smiled and didn't argue with her to the end.

Li Shiming gave him a soft snort and rolled her eyes at him before turning back to tease the little bird, like a child who had just received a new toy.

As for Longhair, he's already an old hag.

Chen Jingle ruffled the long-haired head that came over seeking comfort and said, "Since you like them so much, I'll get you two to take home and raise later?"

Li Shiming quickly waved her hand: "No, no, it's fine to come over occasionally to play with them. I can't really take care of them. I can't even take care of myself."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "Besides, my parents probably wouldn't agree. Although they're not allergic to birds, parrots will inevitably fly around if they're let out, and I don't have your ability to keep them here. Plus, bird droppings are a problem. Keeping them in cages just doesn't feel right."

"Ok."

Chen Jingle did not force him.

If Li Shiming really wants to raise one or two pets, as a friend, he would definitely be willing to help.

They're just two parrots; they're not worth much.

The valuable thing is the Moon Dew, which is diluted well; a mere parrot doesn't need to consume too much of it.

Being only slightly smarter than a regular parrot is quite easy to achieve.

……

After Li Shiming taught the two parrots to sing a whistling version of "Childhood," they became even more enthusiastic.

Next, she actually started teaching the parrot ancient poems.

From the simplest numerical poem, "Ode to a Mountain Village," which is about a village of four or five houses a mile away, to "Goose, goose, goose, with its neck bent towards the sky, singing."

Chen Jingle blinked.

Could she be trying to train these two parrots to take the college entrance exam?

Stop making trouble!

Although you are a Chinese language teacher, and although we advocate education for all, this is going too far.

The pronunciation they taught was quite standard; they could easily pass a Level A Mandarin proficiency test.

"So what!" Chen Jingle thought to himself with a snort.

Even someone as intelligent as him stumbled on high school math. How could two mere parrots possibly pass the national unified entrance examination for regular institutions of higher learning?

impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
Of course, having dreams is a good thing, and Chen Jingle didn't stop her. He let her do whatever she wanted, as long as she didn't kill the little bird.

After checking the time, I decided to go back into the kitchen to continue preparing the ingredients.

As for what to eat for lunch, he had already made a plan.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

Li Shiming stopped teaching at some point and followed him into the kitchen.

Chen Jingle glanced back at her and saw her blinking her big eyes with a faint smile on her lips. He shook his head and said, "No, I've prepared everything. We can start cooking right away. Just wash your hands and sit there and wait to eat."

"But you don't seem to be finished yet."

Li Shiming looked at the work in his hands.

“This will be quick, there’s only a little left.” Chen Jingle chuckled, then thought for a moment, “If you really want to help, then you can pass me the plates and serve the dishes later. The plates are all in the sterilizer.”

"okay!"

Li Shiming smiled broadly, genuinely happy that she could be of help.

When she visits relatives or friends, they usually don't ask her to help with anything, but Chen Jingle would never say that she doesn't need any help at all; instead, she would ask if she needed anything.

Don't underestimate the simple task of helping pass plates. Sometimes, sitting there doing nothing but playing on your phone can be quite awkward.

……

Chen Jingle didn't hold back today, once again using his alchemist-level materials and heat control skills to arrange a top-notch meal for Li Shiming.

In addition to the high-quality beef tenderloin brought by Li Shiming, which was made into stir-fried beef with scallions, he also prepared a lot of good ingredients himself.

They were all the best he could get within his capabilities.

The rest depends on the cooking techniques.

You know what, the higher the alchemy level, the higher the cooking level also becomes. Some dishes that I used to find difficult can now be mastered after just a couple of simple attempts.

His talent is so exceptional that even the most renowned chefs at state banquets would be eager to take him on as an apprentice and impart all their knowledge to him.

Unfortunately, he had no interest in cooking; he cooked purely to satisfy his own appetite.

Finally, the dishes served included sweet and sour pork, Mao-style braised pork, typhoon shelter-style stir-fried prawns, squirrel fish, stir-fried water spinach, and a chicken soup with cordyceps.

It encompasses cuisines from all over the country.

In addition, there were cooked meats and roasted meats that Li Shiming bought, including braised pork knuckle, crispy roast goose, and honey-glazed char siu.

A table full of food, incredibly lavish.

"Let's eat, let's eat!"

Chen Jingle breathed a sigh of relief.

These two food lovers were absolutely ecstatic.

Moreover, this is at home, not in a restaurant, so you don't even need to worry about table manners; you can eat however you like.

Even Li Shiming, who was used to eating Chef Wang's cooking at home, was still amazed by Chen Jingle's culinary skills. Add to that the fragrant rice that made you want to eat a second and third bowl after just one, it was simply divine.

"tasty!!"

Chen Jingle did not waste the ingredients she brought; his handling of the ingredients, cooking time, and seasoning were all excellent.

It's hard to imagine that in such a short time, his cooking skills have improved even more than before.

They had agreed to take turns treating each other to meals, but the places she treated others to, while seemingly high-end, were actually not as good as what Chen Jingle cooked herself.

Who dares to believe it?

So much so that the way she looked at Chen Jingle became strange.

"what happened?"

Chen Jingle was puzzled.

Li Shiming looked away and shook her head: "I'm just curious how your cooking skills have improved so quickly?"

"Just learn it, watch more instructional videos, and do it a few more times, and you'll get it." Chen Jingle said dismissively.

"It's that simple?"

"Yes, it's that simple."

"..."

Believe it or not!

Li Shiming pouted.

It can only be attributed to the fact that the other party is indeed exceptionally talented in this area.

Then she thought, next time it's her turn to treat everyone to a meal, she should find a place where the cooking skills are no worse than Chen Jingle's.

The question is, are there any places like this in Jiangbei?

It seems we need to think of a solution.

……

The two were eating when it suddenly started to rain outside, but it was just a light drizzle and didn't last long.

After the rain, the weather was a bit gloomy and cool, perfect for sleeping.

Especially if you move a rocking chair to the doorway and enjoy the cool breeze, it's quite comfortable, if you don't mind the earthy smell in the air.

Li Shiming was feeling sleepy again. She had eaten so well and was quite satisfied that she had accidentally eaten a little too much, and now she felt a bit dizzy from the carbohydrates.

However, he didn't lie down immediately.

Sleeping right after eating makes it easy to gain weight.

Instead, she mustered her spirits, tiptoed, and carefully avoided the puddles on the cement ground in the yard, and ran to take photos with the flowers in the yard.

It had just rained, and the flowers and leaves still had water droplets clinging to them, giving it a unique feel.

Moreover, compared to before, both bougainvillea and roses are now in full bloom, covering the branches and looking quite beautiful.

"How did you grow these flowers? In a tropical region like Jiangbei, they're blooming so profusely. It's unbelievable."

Li Shiming exclaimed in amazement.

Chen Jingle chuckled and replied, "I don't know either. I just planted it randomly and didn't take care of it much. It just grew like this on its own."

Is that even human language?
Li Shiming wanted to punch him after hearing that.

That's too smug!

Unable to bear his arrogance, I promptly grabbed him to help take photos.

Although there was no sun, the distant sky was a deep, clear blue, making for very photogenic scenes.

Chen Jingle didn't know much about photography techniques, but fortunately the model herself met the most basic requirements of photography. As long as it wasn't too outrageous, it was hard to not see anything wrong with it.

Li Shiming took the phone and began filtering.

"How's this one?" she asked Chen Jingle.

Chen Jingle peeked out and said, "It's fine."

"Hmm? What do you mean by 'pretty good'?"

"nice."

Chen Jingle blinked.

It's just one answer, what's the difference?

Li Shiming tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a slight smile playing on her lips, her cheeks flushed slightly: "Are the flowers prettier, or am I prettier?"

(End of this chapter)