I started by watching videos, and I chose 10,000 combat power.

Only when the engine noise completely faded away did Luo Fei let out a soft sigh of relief.

Back in the room, I put on a pair of underwear; the original ones had been blown to ash in the explosion.

He then rolled up his shirt sleeves and headed to the kitchen.

It's time to try out the "Culinary Mastery" skill that the system rewarded you with.

He doesn't even need to consciously recall; his body automatically provides the optimal solution based on the ingredients and seasonings within his sight and the knives and cookware his hands touch.

In the corner of the kitchen, there were fresh vegetables that my mother had picked from the garden that morning: bright green cabbages, plump tomatoes, a few potatoes, and a handful of green peppers.

There was a small piece of cured meat and half a tray of eggs in the cupboard, a few small dried fish frozen in the refrigerator, and the rice container was full.

enough.

Luo Fei tied on his apron and began to work.

He picked up the cleaver, ran his fingers along the blade, and slightly adjusted his grip.

Then, pick up a potato and place it on the cutting board.

With a slight flick of the wrist, the cleaver transformed into a silver blur.

"Knock knock knock knock..."

The sound of fine, even chopping vegetables rang out, so fast it was almost continuous.

His movements were fluid and graceful, without a single unnecessary movement.

Washing vegetables, chopping, starting the fire, heating the pan, pouring oil...

Every step is seamlessly connected, with precise control over the heat, oil temperature, and the amount of seasonings down to the millimeter.

An enticing aroma gradually filled the kitchen.

He cooked four dishes and a soup.

Stir-fried seasonal vegetables, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, green peppers with cured pork, and dry-fried dried anchovies.

Finally, there was a large bowl of simple seaweed and egg drop soup, clear and delicious.

These are all very common dishes, without any delicacies or complicated preparations.

But with the help of "culinary expertise", they present themselves in perfect condition.

Its color and aroma are impeccable.

Luo Fei brought the food to the table and covered it with a gauze.

Looking at the time, it was only a little past five in the afternoon.

He took off his apron, hung it back up, walked into the yard, sat on the old bamboo chair, and waited quietly.

The setting sun painted the horizon a warm orange-red, and the faint sounds of voices and cows mooing could be heard from the distant fields.

This ordinary rural evening allowed his tense nerves to gradually relax.

About half an hour later, footsteps and voices could be heard outside the courtyard gate.

"This plot of land is finally finished today, tomorrow..." Father Luo Weidong's voice came first.

"Huh? Why is the door open? Is Xiaofei back?" Mother Li Xiulan noticed the half-closed courtyard gate.

The three of them pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in.

They saw Luo Fei sitting in a bamboo chair, and the food covered on the table inside the house.

All three of them were stunned.

"Xiaofei? You're back?" Li Xiulan was the first to react, a surprised smile spreading across her face, followed by a questioning look, "This meal...did you make it?"

Luo Weidong also looked at his son, sizing him up. He could smell the lingering aroma of food in the air.

Luo Ying's eyes lit up, and she quickly walked to the dining table and lifted a corner of the gauze.

"Wow!" she couldn't help but exclaim softly.

Four dishes and a soup, all with appealing colors and aromas, were quietly placed on the table, and they actually looked delicious.

"Dad, Mom, Xiaoying, you're back." Luo Fei stood up, smiled, and said, "Did you finish working in the fields? I had nothing to do, so I tried cooking a meal."

"You made this?" Luo Weidong walked to the table, looked at the dishes carefully, and his eyes were full of disbelief. "When did you learn to cook? And you can even cook so well."

In his memory, his son would at most cook noodles when he was at home, and he would often burn the rice when he fried it.

"I live alone in Jiangcheng, and I'm learning slowly," Luo Fei said casually. "I'll try it and see if it suits my taste. It might not be as good as my mom's cooking."

Li Xiulan had already washed her hands and walked over. She picked up her chopsticks and carefully took a bite of green vegetables and put it in her mouth.

chew.

Her eyes slowly widened.

Fresh, tender, and crisp, with just the right seasoning and cooking time that surprised even someone like her who has been cooking for decades.

"Delicious!" she exclaimed, her eyes filled with surprise as she looked at her son. "Xiaofei, your cooking... is amazing!"

Luo Weidong and Luo Ying quickly sat down and started to try it.

The tomato and egg stir-fry has a perfect balance of sweet and sour, and the eggs are tender and smooth; the green peppers and cured pork are savory and have a wok hei (wok aroma); the dried anchovies are crispy; the soup is refreshing...

Every dish exceeded their expectations; they were so delicious that they couldn't help but want to immediately shovel a few mouthfuls of rice into their mouths.

"Brother! You're amazing!" Luo Ying exclaimed, her mouth full of food, her eyes crinkling into crescents with laughter. "It's a hundred times better than our school cafeteria food! No, a thousand times better!"

Luo Weidong didn't say anything, but he ate much faster with his chopsticks.

Watching his family enjoy their meal, Luo Fei's heart was gradually filled with a warm sense of satisfaction.

This is what he wants to protect.

An ordinary, simple life.

When they had almost finished eating, Luo Weidong put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, looked at Luo Fei, and his expression returned to its usual seriousness.

"Xiaofei, how many days will you stay this time? Did you get leave from work?"

Luo Fei also put down his chopsticks and sat up straighter.

"Dad, Mom," he paused, his voice calm, "I resigned."

"What?" Li Xiulan looked up in surprise.

Luo Weidong frowned.

Luo Ying's hand, which was holding a chopstick, froze in mid-air. The smile on her face solidified, slowly turning into unease and guilt.

"Brother... is it because of me...?" she whispered, her eyes reddening. She felt that her brother must have missed work because he was trying to save her.

"Don't overthink it," Luo Fei interrupted her immediately, his tone gentle. "It has nothing to do with you. It's my own decision. That job didn't offer much career advancement anyway, and it was exhausting. I want to take a break for a while, and spend more time at home with you all."

Luo Weidong remained silent for a moment, seemingly processing the news.

My son graduated from university and got a job in Jiangcheng, which was considered a respectable city job by the villagers. Then he suddenly quit…

"Have you thought it through?" In the end, that was all he asked.

"I've thought it through." Luo Fei nodded. "I don't have any financial pressure for now, so don't worry."

Li Xiulan opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed her words and just sighed softly.

At this moment, Luo Ying seemed to remember something and quickly said, "By the way, brother, Chen Yu, Zhang Yue, and Liu Qian sent messages in the group this afternoon."

Luo Fei looked at her.

"They told their families... they told them that you saved them, brother." Luo Ying's tone was somewhat proud. "After their parents found out, they insisted on bringing them to your door in person to thank you. They said... they'll set off tomorrow."

Luo Fei frowned slightly.

Thanks? That wasn't why he saved people.

But I can understand how those parents feel.

After experiencing such a nightmare and being rescued, the daughter's gratitude to her benefactor is heartfelt.

"Come on over," Luo Fei nodded. "It's been a while since we've had any guests. Mom, I'll have to trouble you to prepare a bit more food tomorrow."

"No trouble at all!" Li Xiulan quickly replied, "It's our pleasure. They've come all this way to express their gratitude, so we should treat them well."

Luo Fei suddenly remembered something and asked, "Xiao Ying, did any of my packages arrive at home today? It might be a file folder or a small box."

"A package?" Luo Ying thought for a moment. "Oh! There was one! The postman delivered it this afternoon, and I put it behind your room door. It was a rather thick file folder."

Luo Fei got up and went back to his room.

Sure enough, a thick brown paper document bag was lying on the ground behind the door.

He picked up the bag and went back to the main room.

Under the curious gaze of his family, he opened the file bag, pulled out a stack of documents, and on top of it was a set of brand-new keys.

He quickly glanced at the file titles and key content.

Real estate ownership certificate.

House sale and purchase contract.

Property handover list for Building 08, Block B, "Shanshui Impression" residential community.

He knew that "Shanshui Impression" was a newly developed high-end villa community in the suburbs of Qingyang County, about ten kilometers away from Liuxi Village, and was considered one of the best properties in the county.

The documents show that the property owner is Luo Fei. It's a detached villa with a garden, approximately 500 square meters in floor area. It's fully furnished and ready to move in.

"Brother, what is this?" Luo Ying leaned closer to look.

Luo Weidong and Li Xiulan also cast questioning glances at them.

Luo Fei placed the documents and keys on the table and said calmly, "It's a villa in the 'Shanshui Impression' residential complex in the county town. The property rights have been finalized. It's fully furnished."

The main room fell silent instantly.

Three pairs of eyes stared at the stack of documents and the bunch of keys, then turned to Luo Fei, filled with shock.

"A villa? Shanshui Impression?" Luo Weidong's voice was a little hoarse. "That place... I heard it costs several thousand yuan per square meter? This... where did this come from?"

Li Xiulan also became anxious: "Xiaofei, you...you can't do something foolish! Where will you get the money to buy a villa? Or..."

She worried that her son might have done something illegal for money.

Luo Fei knew he had to give a reasonable explanation.

"Dad, Mom, don't worry." He slowed his pace, organizing his thoughts. "This isn't something I bought with my own money. It's a reward and resettlement from the relevant departments for helping the country handle some thorny issues this time."

His words were vague, but pointing to the government as the source was the most reassuring explanation he could give his parents.

"Meritorious service? Reward?" Luo Weidong stared at his son's eyes with skepticism. "What kind of merit could earn a villa as a reward?" He simply couldn't imagine it.

"Dad, there are some things that need to be kept secret, so I can't go into details." Luo Fei met his father's gaze with a frank look. "But you have to believe that the source of this house is absolutely legal and legitimate. It didn't cost our family a single penny, and it wasn't obtained through any crooked means."

Your son will not do anything illegal or disorderly.

His tone was confident.

Luo Weidong and Li Xiulan exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and uncertainty in each other's eyes, but their son had never told a big lie since he was a child, and his eyes were calm.

"A national...reward?" Li Xiulan murmured repeatedly, still somewhat incredulous.

"Yes." Luo Fei nodded affirmatively. "The paperwork is all in order, and we can move in anytime. I think it might be inconvenient for my sister's classmates and their parents to come over tomorrow, since our place is small. How about we go and take a look at this house together tomorrow morning? If we think it's alright, we can entertain our guests there; it'll seem more formal."

This suggestion surprised Luo Weidong and Li Xiulan once again.

Are we going to the villa to entertain guests tomorrow?

The change was too fast; their thinking couldn't keep up.

Luo Ying's eyes grew brighter as she looked at the bunch of keys, then at her brother, her face full of curiosity and excitement. Being young, she was more quick to learn.

"Dad, Mom, let's go take a look!" Luo Ying shook her mother's arm. "Brother said it's a reward, let's go see! If it's true, we'll entertain Yu and the others there tomorrow, otherwise our house is so small..."

Luo Weidong remained silent for a long while before finally letting out a long sigh.

"Alright." His eyes were complicated. "Tomorrow... let's go take a look."

Night deepened.

The countryside is exceptionally quiet at night, with only the occasional barking of dogs and chirping of insects.

Luo Fei lay on his bed, feeling a long-lost sense of relaxation.

"bite."

A soft text message notification sounded particularly clear in the silence.

He picked up his phone, which was charging on the bedside table.

The screen lit up with a text message from the bank notifying them of a deposit.

【您尾号4399的储蓄卡帐户7月11日22时20分转入人民币270,000,000.00元，余额270，012，345.33元。（人民银行）。】

A long string of zeros.

Luo Fei's gaze lingered on the numbers for a few seconds.

2.7 million.

Director Zhou Mingyu is indeed very efficient.

He was looking at the text message when his phone screen suddenly changed; Director Zhou's number was calling.

Luo Fei pressed the answer button.

"Hello, Comrade Luo Fei? This is Zhou Mingyu." Zhou Mingyu's voice came from the other end of the phone, and the background was very quiet.

"Director Zhou, hello." Luo Fei sat up.

"Sorry to bother you so late. The funds should have arrived in your account by now, right? Please confirm the amount."

"Received, 2.7 million. Thank you, Director Zhou," Luo Fei said.

"All the formalities have been completed, and the bank has been notified," Zhou Mingyu explained simply.

Zhou Mingyu paused, then lowered his voice, "Comrade Luo Fei, I've seen the preliminary test report from Brigade Commander Yang today."

Luo Fei didn't reply, but listened quietly.

"The report... is quite shocking." Zhou Mingyu seemed to take a slight breath. "The higher-ups are taking this very seriously. There may be further discussions regarding you, your abilities, and your future."

"But don't worry. Just rest well at home and spend more time with your family. If you need anything or encounter any problems, you can contact me directly. This number is available 24 hours a day."

"I understand, thank you, Director Zhou." Luo Fei understood the other party's implication and assurance.

"That's settled then. Get some rest."

Goodbye, Director Zhou.

The phone hangs up.

The room fell into darkness and silence once again.

Luo Fei put down his phone, lay back down, and fell asleep soon after.