Humans Shrunk 100 Times

Chapter 34: Instant Noodles

"Your movements are quite skilled."

Zhao Xiaoyan stood on the side, watching Wei Dalei's exaggerated actions and said with a cheerful smile. It is said that from an evolutionary perspective, the movements of men performing physical labor naturally have a certain attractiveness to women.

Chen Mu didn't provide her with tools because it was evident that Zhao Xiaoyan's labor was almost negligible compared to Wei Dalei's. So he simply assigned her to keep watch and be ready to alert them of any potential threats.

"When I was a child, I did this kind of work at my dad's construction site." Wei Dalei grinned, greatly pleased by Zhao Xiaoyan's praise.

In order to save time, Chen Mu also joined them in shoveling flour. Although his strength was far inferior to Wei Dalei, he was more skillful than the experienced Old Wei, and his speed wasn't much slower.

"Boss, you're really something. You can handle anything, haha."

"I've done this kind of work in many places, probably including your dad's site." Chen Mu chuckled.

Wei Dalei knew about Chen Mu's experiences and had no doubt about it.

Working together, the plastic square barrels on the cart were quickly filled.

Chen Mu sealed the opening.

He rolled the celery leaves into a bundle and stuffed them into the gaps between the square barrels and the cart's railing to prevent them from being blown away by the wind.

"All set. Shall we head back?"

"If there's no salt, we'll have to look elsewhere." Chen Mu looked up at the containers of condiments in a high place and ultimately decided to temporarily give up on this spot.

Generally, condiments are placed in higher spots to prevent moisture. Initially, Tang Jing suggested they come to the steaming room, as she remembered there were some bags of salt placed there. However, obviously, she either remembered wrong or the staff had moved them away. After all, Tang Jing couldn't frequently run to the canteen's kitchen to play with her uncle.

Chen Mu had originally thought of coming back another time.

But then he reconsidered. The longer they waited, the higher the risks in the canteen. Moreover, returning next time would still leave them directionless, and it would waste a lot of time going back and forth.

"Are you that desperate for salt?" Zhao Xiaoyan asked.

"Of course, a person can't go without salt; they'll start to feel weak after 10 to 15 days. I don't know how different our current bodies are compared to before, but once we discover a problem, it'll be too late."

"But, I remember my mom used to eat vegetables without oil and salt for the sake of losing weight," Zhao Xiaoyan recalled.

"It depends on the situation. Some people's bodies can tolerate a longer time without salt, but the main point is that we don't necessarily have to supplement salt solely through table salt. Our regular food, to some extent, contains some amount of salt, like a small amount in animal blood and meat. Moreover, other things like sauces, pickled foods, and even snacks and beverages naturally have high salt content."

"So, if we don't feel like we're eating a lot of salt on a regular basis, it won't cause significant issues. But in our current situation, only eating rice, flour, and a little celery leaves without any meat, it definitely won't work."

"So, where should we look for it then?" Zhao Xiaoyan asked.

"Let's first go to the kitchen and check."

The three of them returned to the corridor they had been in earlier. On both sides were rows of rooms, most of which had their doors open. However, the problem was that they had no idea what was inside each room, and searching through them one by one would probably take several days.

"Zhao Xiaoyan, try to smell and see if there's any scent of pepper or something similar."

"Why pepper?" Zhao Xiaoyan was puzzled.

"Because salt itself doesn't have a smell, but seasoning is usually kept together. If we can smell one of them, the chances of finding it will greatly increase. Pepper has a stronger scent, so I guess it might be relatively easier to find."

"Alright, I'll do my best."

Afterward, the three of them set out once again.

When they came, they were already prepared to spend the night outside. Now, it was barely noon, so they still had plenty of time.

Sure enough, Zhao Xiaoyan acted like a little dog, constantly sniffing in the air. Wei Dalei wanted to laugh a few times, but Chen Mu slapped him back every time he tried.

However, the canteen was filled with various smells, especially after shrinking, the amount of air they could access was limited. Additionally, Zhao Xiaoyan had never consciously trained her ability, so she didn't achieve much on this journey.

"Wait."

Just as Chen Mu was already preparing to find a place to stay for the night, Zhao Xiaoyan suddenly called a halt. She sniffed the air and furrowed her brows for a moment before saying, "It seems like there's really a scent of pepper... No, it's some kind of sauce... No, that's not right. This smell is very familiar, but I just can't remember it right away."

"Are you sure it's some kind of seasoning?" Chen Mu asked.

"Absolutely!"

"Then let's go over and take a look."

In fact, in this environment, the fact that Zhao Xiaoyan could smell it clearly indicated that they weren't far from it. Otherwise, even strong smells would be masked by other things.

Chen Mu calculated the time, and if things went smoothly, they might be able to return before or after it gets dark.

As Zhao Xiaoyan followed the scent, she guided the two of them.

Soon enough, the three of them arrived at a room.

Inside the canteen, many rooms had doorsteps, but considering that the staff often carried trays and such in and out, the doorsteps were not set too high for safety reasons.

Taking the example of the steaming room they encountered earlier, there was actually just a layer of plastic boards mainly used to prevent water from spreading on the floor.

But this room in front of them was clearly different from the other rooms in the canteen.

It was very dry inside.

As they walked in, the sticky and greasy feeling underfoot was much less pronounced.

"Is this the place?"

"Yes."

This is an interior room not adjacent to the outer wall, so it has no windows. Luckily, it's noon, and with the door open, they can roughly see what's inside.

There were rows of cardboard boxes, some even stacked up to the height of the ceiling.

It looked like a storage room of some sort.

The three of them didn't dare to rush in immediately. They took a moment at the doorway to adjust to the dim environment before proceeding cautiously, step by step.

"The smell is getting stronger... Ah, I know what it is!" Zhao Xiaoyan's excited voice came, "It's instant noodles."

"You can't remember instant noodles?" Wei Dalei was puzzled.

"I rarely eat instant noodles. No, I should say since the one time I sneakily ate them as a child, I never had them again. My mom said instant noodles are unhealthy, and not only does she never eat them herself, but she also doesn't allow the whole family to eat them. When she caught me eating them that one time, she gave me a good spanking. After that, I didn't dare to eat them again, but that smell really brings back memories."

During high school, students were still mostly under their parents' supervision, especially girls like Zhao Xiaoyan, who were well-behaved and hadn't even tried instant noodles. It was understandable.

Thinking about her mom, who never used oil or salt when cooking vegetables, Chen Mu suddenly felt that his own childhood wasn't so bad after all.

While Zhao Xiaoyan was speaking, Chen Mu also saw the large lettering on top of the cardboard boxes in front of them.

"Master Kang Braised Beef Instant Noodles."

"More quantity, same price."

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