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Chapter 4: Food for You

Gao Yiye's forehead pressed against the ground, her bent knees touching her chest. She lay prostrate, curled into a ball like a helpless small animal, quietly awaiting the Heavenly Lord's grace.

Yet, after a long wait, nothing happened.

She finally lifted her head, only to find that the man's face in the clouds had vanished without a trace.

Is the Heavenly Lord unwilling to help me?

Gao Yiye bit her lower lip hard, leaving a row of white teeth marks on it.

Perhaps the Heavenly Lord’s help in eliminating those heinous bandits yesterday was just a momentary whim. If he granted every wish, what suffering would remain in the world?

Then again, I've never offered anything to the Heavenly Lord. Have I built him a temple? Burned incense? Lit candles? Why should he, in his venerable wisdom, help me?

Clenching her teeth, she decided to continue searching for roots.

Dragging her listless body, she pressed on through the yellow sands, searching for a glimmer of hope.

Li Daoxuan hadn't given up on her; he was just pondering how best to help.

He had heard every word of the girl's plea. Though her voice was no louder than an ant's whisper, if he pricked up his ears and listened carefully when there were no other sounds, he could hear her perfectly.

She needs food!

But how can I give her food?

Li Daoxuan rose from beside the Diorama Box and walked into his kitchen.

A fire crackled on the stove, and water boiled in the pot. The two eggs he’d just dropped in were nearly cooked.

Li Daoxuan’s eyes lit up. "Hmm? If I place an egg in front of her, will she be able to pick it up?"

There’s only one way to find out!

He quickly turned off the stove, retrieved the two boiled eggs from the pot, and rinsed them with cold water to cool them down. Then, holding one egg in his hand, he returned to the Diorama Box.

Inside the box, the miniature girl was still toiling, searching the yellow sands...

Li Daoxuan murmured softly, "Girl, I'll try to give you some food."

The miniature girl froze, then lifted her head to the sky, her eyes filled with joyful surprise.

Li Daoxuan slowly lowered an egg into the box, placing it directly in front of the girl.

——————-

Gao Yiye had believed the Heavenly Lord was unwilling to help her. But as she continued her search, that gentle yet majestic voice echoed in her ears once more. She abruptly looked up, meeting the Heavenly Lord's gaze again, and saw his eyes filled with tenderness and pity.

Then, the clouds parted, and a colossal hand descended, placing an enormous egg on the yellow sands before her.

Gao Yiye gaped, staring in astonishment at the egg before her.

It was a monstrously huge, terrifyingly massive egg.

It was over ten meters long and more than six meters high. Lying before Gao Yiye, it looked like the egg of some ancient beast, terrifying her so much that she stumbled back several steps.

"Th-this... is... an egg?"

Gao Yiye stammered, disbelief etched on her face.

Li Daoxuan replied, "Yes, an egg, for you to eat."

Gao Yiye stuttered, looking up again, "Th-this is for me to eat?"

Li Daoxuan explained, "I've already boiled it. You can eat it directly."

Hearing the Heavenly Lord's gentle words, Gao Yiye finally mustered her courage. She walked to the egg and reached out to tap its shell. The shell emitted a dull thud, as if she were knocking on a colossal rock.

She picked up a stone and, with all her might, slammed it against the eggshell.

"Wham!"

The stone bounced off, but the eggshell remained entirely unharmed.

Gao Yiye was knocked flat on her bottom by the rebound, left panting on the ground.

Li Daoxuan realized the egg was too much of a burden for the girl. She simply didn't have the strength to crack its shell. She was so tiny, barely a centimeter tall, and before this five-centimeter-long egg, she appeared incredibly diminutive.

Li Daoxuan said gently, "I'll peel the shell for you."

He reached into the box again, took out the egg, tapped it against the nearby wall, and in a flash, peeled the shell clean. Then he placed it back before the miniature girl.

The girl’s eyes were wide. Before it was peeled, she hadn't been entirely sure, but now, with the shell gone, she recognized it: it truly was an egg, a plain boiled egg. Only, it was too massive—over ten meters long.

This... is really for me to eat?

Li Daoxuan urged, "Eat!"

Gao Yiye, still hesitant, asked, "Is it... truly... a gift for me to eat?"

Li Daoxuan sighed deeply. "Eat, my poor girl."

Gao Yiye lunged forward, immediately sinking her teeth into the snowy white boiled egg.

Delicious, truly fragrant.

This was the kind of delicacy only a landlord's young master would ever be allowed to taste, yet now there was one so immense, she could eat her fill.

In just a few bites, Gao Yiye carved a large crater into the boiled egg. She gnawed through the white, revealing the yolk within, then plunged her entire head inside the egg, devouring mouthful after mouthful of the yolk, emitting contented grunts and muffled sounds.

Her joy in eating brought joy to Li Daoxuan as well. He had finally managed to help this poor girl.

However...

Might the egg I provided be a bit too large?

This girl from the miniature world was barely a centimeter tall, yet my egg was five centimeters long. She couldn’t possibly finish it all, could she? And it was July; if left overnight, the egg would spoil and become inedible.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, he saw the miniature girl look up, her voice timid. "C-can I call the villagers to eat with me? I... I can't finish it alone... and it'll spoil by tomorrow..."

Li Daoxuan replied in the gentlest possible tone, "Of course, call all the villagers to eat."

Gao Yiye bowed her head again, touching it to the ground. "Th-thank you... Heavenly Lord..."

With her belly full, she felt a surge of strength. She bolted towards the village, but as she ran, a new worry gnawed at her. Yesterday, when the Heavenly Lord helped them kill the bandits, only she had been able to see his hand; none of the other villagers had.

What if only I could see, and thus eat, that colossal egg? If I called the villagers to share it, and they couldn't see it, wouldn't they think I was a liar?

A thought struck her, and she sprinted back to the egg. With effort, she broke off a piece of yolk the size of her fist from the colossal egg, then cupped it in both hands and raced back to the village. She yelled to the first villager she encountered, "Big Brother Chuwu, can you see what's in my hands?"

The man, also named Gao, was Gao Chuwu. He fixed his gaze on it, and his entire body stiffened. "Th-this... such a large piece of yolk? Where did you get something so wonderful?"

Gao Yiye was overjoyed. "You can see it? You can see it! Oh, this is wonderful, truly wonderful! Take a bite and see."

Gao Chuwu was bewildered. Such a precious thing, offered to him? Little Sister Yiye herself often went without food, so what was happening today?

But he was starving, so hungry that he forgot all about politeness or deference. He took the yolk, bit into it, and a wave of bliss and satisfaction spread through his mouth. "Ah, truly fragrant! It's been so long since I've eaten anything this good."

Gao Yiye ripped a cry from her throat, shouting loudly toward the village: "Uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters, everyone! Quickly, come with me! There's delicious food, enough for all of us to fill our bellies!"