Immortal Takeout - Chapter 31

Finally having finished a laborious task, Luo Xiang seemed to be in a rather good mood. He asked Ta Nuo what he planned to do next. It was still relatively early; if he hurried, Ta Nuo could make it back to Baiye Forest before dinner.

Ta Nuo said he needed to deliver the tomato thick omelet to Yun Ge. “We agreed on it,” Ta Nuo said. “I told Yun Ge yesterday that I would definitely be able to buy the thick omelet for him today.” He thought for a moment, then added in a very bootlicking manner, “Because I knew you, Little Boss, would definitely succeed.”

Luo Xiang was disdainful of such clumsy flattery. He laughed lightly and, pointing his chin at the lunchbox in Ta Nuo’s hand, said, “By the time you slowly crawl back, the thick omelet will be cold. Cold eggs taste awful.”

Ta Nuo was taken aback and looked down at the thermal lunchbox in his hand. He had never considered the issue of taste. At this stage, successfully delivering the order to the customer was his greatest victory. The thermal lunchbox gifted by Mr. Song Shi seemed high quality; Ta Nuo secretly slipped a finger inside and could still feel waves of rising heat.

“Then what should I do?” He looked up, his brows furrowed in distress. Although order quality wasn’t currently on the customer’s requirement list, striving for the best, pursuing flavor over mere satiety, was the quality a conscientious takeout shop owner should possess.

Luo Xiang didn’t directly answer his question. Holding the little white umbrella, Luo Pangpang, in one hand, he swung it. The metal tip traced a sharp line in the air. He stopped and pointed the umbrella tip at a mass of dark clouds in the sky, asking, “Look at that cloud. What does it look like?”

Puzzled, Ta Nuo looked up, following the direction of the umbrella tip. The mass of dark clouds churned, like living cotton, its soft body morphing into different shapes—sometimes dense, sometimes light—finally settling into a strange, elongated form.

Ta Nuo’s mouth fell open in surprise, and he answered honestly, “It looks like a small dried fish.” A giant small dried fish, looking very crispy and delicious. Ta Nuo instinctively smacked his lips.

Luo Xiang nodded with satisfaction. He looked at Ta Nuo and said, “Head back early.”

It was rare for the Little Boss to offer a soft word of advice when in a good mood. He gently patted the lunchbox in Ta Nuo’s hand, pressed his lips together, and smiled.

Ta Nuo seemed to understand, yet still seemed dazed. He nodded foolishly.

Ta Nuo and Luo Xiang parted ways halfway. The rain gradually weakened and finally slowly stopped. Ta Nuo, carrying the thermal lunchbox filled with tomato thick omelet, walked with a pat-pat sound on the muddy road, striving to quicken his pace as he headed back towards Baiye Forest. He needed to deliver the thick omelet to Yun Ge while it was still hot as soon as possible.

Baiye Forest was like a sponge soaked in water, dripping wet everywhere. Ta Nuo, covered in water droplets, pushed through the branches with difficulty as he walked forward. He was somewhat worried about the thick omelet in his hand, as he could no longer feel any warmth from inside it.

When Ta Nuo arrived at the open grassy area in the southern part of Baiye Forest, Yun Ge was practicing a new song. It was a completely new piece Ta Nuo had never heard before. Not wanting to interrupt Yun Ge’s enraptured rehearsal, Ta Nuo squatted in the nearby grass, holding the lunchbox, chin in hands, and listened quietly.

Yun Ge was singing very immersively, completely unaware of the new audience member. He fluttered his wings, seemingly performing a peculiar dance, his body spinning like a small top, hovering in mid-air. His song was sweet and melodious, the melody tinkling like water, with low hums and high notes, graceful and tender, even more moving than the sound of the first flowing spring water in the season.

Ta Nuo marveled in his heart, his face showing a fascinated expression.

After finishing the song, Yun Ge didn’t stop his dance immediately but remained hovering in mid-air for a long time, seemingly still fully immersed in his own singing.

Ta Nuo squatted and waited for a while, until his legs went numb. Remembering the thick omelet in his embrace, he decided not to wait any longer. He stood up slowly, carefully considering his wording, wanting to attract Yun Ge’s attention as politely as possible. Before he could decide, he absentmindedly took a step forward, accidentally stepped on a loose stone, his foot slipped, and with an “Aiya!” he fell flat on the ground.

Yun Ge snapped out of it, got a huge fright, the gray crest on his head shot straight up with a whoosh, and he stared in terror at the newcomer with round, beady eyes.

Ta Nuo had fallen face-first, landing solidly. The hard lunchbox pressed painfully against his chest. He climbed up with difficulty, rubbed his cheeks, his eyes red.

Only then did Yun Ge recognize his friend and hurriedly flew over, chirping and asking if Ta Nuo was alright.

Ta Nuo plopped down in the wet pile of grass, calmed himself for a moment, and then lifted his face. It was covered in mud and water. As he hissed, sucking in air from the pain, he comforted Yun Ge.

“I brought you the thick omelet,” Ta Nuo said, vigorously wiping his hands on his jacket. Once sure they weren’t muddy, he reached out and offered the thermal box from his embrace. “It’s just… I fell just now. I don’t know if the tomato thick omelet inside is still okay.” Ta Nuo was very worried. The thick omelet was probably cold already, just as the Little Boss had said, and cold eggs didn’t taste good. And with this fall, maybe it was all broken up inside, completely unrecognizable from its original form.

He felt rather sad. If only I hadn’t been so reckless.

Yun Ge, however, didn’t mind at all. He was immensely grateful that Ta Nuo had fulfilled his promise and delivered the thick omelet in such a short time. “It’s all my fault. I was the one who placed the order, causing you to fall. No matter what state the thick omelet is in, I believe it will still be delicious.”

To assess the damage, the two good friends selected a relatively dry patch of ground, sat down on the grass, huddled together, and carefully opened the lunchbox lid.

Mr. Song Shi’s packaging was substantial; even after knocking against rough, hard stones, the lunchbox showed no damage. What astonished Ta Nuo was that after opening it, the tomato thick omelet was actually perfectly intact. The golden egg roll faintly revealed a pink hue, fresh tomato juice had slowly seeped out, and it was even still steaming, smelling as delicious as a thick omelet straight from the pan.

Yun Ge cried out in delighted surprise, “This is it! It’s exactly like I remember. Thank you so much, Ta Nuo!” He gently patted Ta Nuo’s shoulder with his wing, expressing his gratitude.

Ta Nuo still hadn’t quite recovered his senses. When he had peeked earlier, he was sure the thick omelet had started to cool and its shape had begun to deflate over time, nothing like the plump state it was in now. What was going on? After so much more time had passed, not only was the thick omelet not cold, it was as fresh as if just cooked?

He thought hard for a long time, and vaguely felt that maybe he was just lucky.

Yun Ge was very happy, hopping around on the lunchbox. “This way I can deliver it perfectly intact to my friend.” His face showed an expression full of happiness. He lifted his small head and emitted clear, pleasant chirps.

Setting aside his confusion, Ta Nuo soon grew curious again. “Earlier I heard you say your friend is a shrike?”

Yun Ge lowered his head, fluttered his wings, and nodded gently, seeming somewhat embarrassed.

A skylark and a shrike becoming friends was not ordinary. All the spirits and animals in the forest knew that shrikes were quite irritable birds. Although not large in size, they had the temperament of birds of prey, enthusiastic about slaughter and hunting like falcons. Humans called them ‘butcher birds.’

Ta Nuo had once seen with his own eyes a fierce shrike impaling a large, bloody wild rabbit on a sharp tree branch as stored food. That bloody scene was so vivid it made him worry and fear for a long time. When sleeping at night, he always felt a shrike might break down the door, grab him, skin him, and eat him.

Skylarks, however, were completely different. Although their appearance seemed drab and unremarkable, their songs were enough to heal all living beings, bringing lively notes to the earth. They were a quite gentle bird species.

Ta Nuo couldn’t help but show a puzzled expression.

As if seeing through Ta Nuo’s unspoken bewilderment, Yun Ge hesitated for a long time before slowly speaking, sharing his story with Ta Nuo.

Yun Ge’s shrike friend was named Kong, was already sentient, lived in the western part of Baiye Forest, and was a fierce and capable great grey shrike. They met in a certain enchanting spring, on a day drizzling with fine rain just like today.

“We had both just returned from migrating south. Most birds like us were busy building nests, preparing for the intense breeding season ahead. I wasn’t sentient yet, and neither was Kong back then. I met Kong right here in this grassy patch.”

Yun Ge’s friends were all hiding in unknown corners, practicing hard while seizing the time. They needed, in a short period, to polish the most beautiful song to show off their singing voices at the matchmaking gathering, shine brilliantly, and attract the most enchanting member of the opposite sex to form a happy union with them. The skylark with the most beautiful song often had the priority to produce offspring, allowing their superior genes to be passed on.

And Yun Ge was undoubtedly the most notable one among his peers. Even as a nestling, Yun Ge had displayed exceptional talent. His song could make the clouds in the sky pause, make the swimming fish in the water linger. The skylarks all spread the word that Yun Ge would surely defeat all opponents at the matchmaking gathering and marry the most beautiful skylark bride.

Yun Ge, however, wasn’t very interested in this. He loved singing, but never saw singing as a means to attract attention or stand out. He simply purely enjoyed the pure and beautiful freedom that came with singing. As for the most beautiful bride, Yun Ge didn’t care much either, because…

“I’m face-blind,” Yun Ge hopped, saying somewhat embarrassedly.

“Ah?” Ta Nuo frowned, not quite understanding.

Yun Ge patiently explained, “Simply put, I can’t easily tell the differences between different birds. For example, other birds can easily determine beauty and ugliness, but I can’t. For me, everyone is the same. You and I are alike. As long as you’re a bird, we all have a pair of wings and a pair of eyes. There’s no difference in appearance.”

This “defect” had once caused Yun Ge great trouble. He had to expend great effort to find his friends among a bunch of gray fluff. He could also never join his companions’ conversations. His lack of judgment regarding beauty and ugliness left him isolated from his peers, making it hard to find a sense of participation. He had also suffered from malicious mockery because of it.

So what if he can sing? Yun Ge is an idiot, they mocked like this.

Yun Ge couldn’t refute this. Being drawn to beauty and avoiding ugliness seemed to be the nature of birds, just as skylarks revered beautiful songs. This instinct helped them produce more excellent offspring. But deep down, Yun Ge didn’t agree with this principle. Perhaps bird populations did indeed continue and strengthen better because of it. But should those birds who fell outside the norm be eliminated? If they didn’t care about continuing their lineage, and just wanted to live their own lives freely and easily, neither hindering other birds nor blaming heaven or other birds, it didn’t seem to cause any harm, right? In a sense, Mother Nature was just choosing a gentler way to phase him out.

Yun Ge, with these strange thoughts, didn’t indulge in the matchmaking games like his companions. He wasn’t invested enough in group life; practicing his song daily was just to make himself happy. Living in this carefree and self-sufficient manner, he calmly accepted the fate that he would eventually depart this world alone.

Until that day, the fated day, he encountered the destined connection of his life.

He saw a bird, an incredibly beautiful bird—yes, beauty. For the first time in his life, through his own eyes and not the judgment of others, Yun Ge became aware of beauty.

Ta Nuo widened his eyes and asked quietly, “Was it your friend?”

Yun Ge lifted a wing, brushing away a non-existent blush on his cheek. He nodded gently, his throat emitting a series of pleasant gurgling sounds. Just recalling the scene from that day made him feel happy.

Ta Nuo also felt happy for him. “Is that so?” he said. “That’s really wonderful!”

However, Yun Ge’s expression soon darkened, completely lacking the vitality and spirit from moments before. He seemed to have something troubling him, hopping restlessly on the lunchbox, unable to settle down.

Ta Nuo felt sad for his friend. He didn’t know what had happened and didn’t dare ask further. “It’s alright. You’re giving Kong this delicious thick omelet. Everything will get better,” he said, patting his own long-deflated belly.

There’s no relationship that can’t be salvaged with good food, he thought.

Yun Ge was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly laughed. Humming a cheerful tune, he quickly circled in the air and returned to Ta Nuo’s side. “You’re right,” he said loudly. “My friend, thank you! It’s a pity we can’t continue chatting today. It will be dark soon, and I must hurry to deliver this thick omelet to my friend before it gets completely cold. Another day, after I succeed, I will return and share my story with you again.”

Ta Nuo nodded vigorously.

Yun Ge picked up the lunchbox, beat his wings, and flew swiftly towards the western part of the forest. His small figure soon disappeared into the distance.

Ta Nuo rubbed his eyes and walked home through the lightless night. He inadvertently looked up and discovered that the strange cloud from the daytime was actually still following him. Against the ink-black night sky, this cloud looked like a gray small dried fish, swimming through the vast firmament.

Whoosh… whoosh...

Ta Nuo stared blankly, looking up at the cloud. A long time later, he lowered his head, rubbed his neck, and muttered, “I get it. I’ll go deliver the small dried fish tomorrow.”

Lots and lots of small dried fish.