Restart Arc — Chapter 229: A Cat Came to the Dormitory
“I...”
Mo Xing was momentarily at a loss for words. He glanced at the cat named Moonshadow, then turned toward the kitchen.
Opening the cabinet, he found some green vegetables, potatoes, carrots, and a few jars. The labels indicated that the jars contained beef.
The food in this other world wasn’t much different from what he was used to before. The cabinet itself was a product of technology, equipped with ice-element refrigeration—in other words, a re-skinned ‘refrigerator.’
Next to the pot was what looked like a flint stone, but it wasn’t really that. You just needed to place it into the large slot beside it, and the stone slab beneath the wok would heat up. Nearby were several buttons to adjust the temperature and switch modes. This was the other world’s version of an ‘induction cooker.’
In this world, besides elemental magic and the presence of dragon gods, the level of technology was also top-notch, although sometimes a bit cumbersome to operate.
Having gained experience cooking in the kitchen last time, Mo Xing handled the induction cooker much more skillfully this time.
Two eggplants, two portions of meat, a touch of scallions mixed with ginger, a small spoonful of sugar, a sprinkle of salt, some starch and broad bean paste, a dash of soy sauce, and a hint of vinegar—soon a delightful aroma filled the air.
After some effort, Mo Xing prepared his signature dish and found two small plates: one filled with plain boiled water, the other holding the dish. He then brought the plates to the cat.
“Little kitty, try the dish I made,” Mo Xing squatted down and offered the plate.
“Meow—”
The little cat meowed again but stared at the food hesitantly without moving forward.
“This dish is called Fish-Fragrant Eggplant. Although there’s no fish in it, the taste is definitely great. I hope you enjoy it!” Mo Xing smiled.
“Meow—”
This time, the meow sounded a bit low and unusual. Mo Xing sensed something was off and quickly stepped back.
“Maybe you’re a bit shy. Well... I’ll step back further, you eat at your own pace!” Mo Xing said.
“Meow—”
The kitten shook its head.
“Doesn’t suit your taste?” Mo Xing frowned. “Looks like no fish means no soul!”
The kitten ignored him and lowered its head to eat the fish-fragrant eggplant.
Watching it eat, Mo Xing breathed a little easier, thinking that although he really liked cats, raising one was quite a challenge.
Suddenly, Mo Xing heard the sound of crying and realized the little kitten was actually shedding tears.
It was crying?
“Did I add chili by mistake?” Mo Xing scratched his head, wondering why the cat was crying.
“I’m back!”
A voice came from the corridor outside. Senior Brother Mianhua pushed open the door, carrying a shoulder bag as he entered.
“Junior Brother Mo Xing, what are you cooking? It smells so good! I could even smell it in the hallway!” Mianhua said with a grin.
“Well...”
Before Mo Xing could finish, Mianhua’s gaze flicked down to the fish-fragrant eggplant on the floor—and then—
A cat?!
“Ahhh!”
Mianhua completely lost it, stepping back two paces and stumbling to the ground.
“Meow?”
The little cat raised its head and looked at this ‘weird person’ in front of it.
“W-why is there a cat here?!”
Mianhua was terrified, his face a mixture of fear as his whole body trembled.
“This... this is Senior Brother Cai Hong’s cat, entrusted to be fostered in the dorm,” Mo Xing explained.
“How long will it stay?” Mianhua asked nervously.
“About two days, I think.” Mo Xing replied.
“What? Two days? Forty-eight hours! Over two thousand eight hundred minutes!” Mianhua roared. “That’s a death sentence for me!”
“Maybe not that long, probably just a little over one day,” Mo Xing quickly clarified.
“What? Just over one day? I can’t even stand two seconds! Throw the cat out now!” Mianhua wailed, holding his head.
“Meow—”
The kitten finished the fish-fragrant eggplant, shook its little head, and then walked toward Mianhua.
“Ahhh!”
Mianhua was terrified, crawling desperately toward the door.
At that moment, a familiar figure appeared at the doorway. Mo Xing looked up and saw it was the great Zhang Zhihao.
“Zhang... Zhang Zhihao! Save me!” Mianhua clung to Zhang’s leg, crying loudly.
“Please let go of my leg first,” Zhang Zhihao said calmly. “Otherwise, I can’t help you shoo the cat away.”
“Okay, okay!”
Mianhua hurriedly nodded and released Zhang’s leg, then quickly shrank into a corner, looking as if he wanted to burrow into the ground.
“Little kitty,”
Zhang Zhihao clapped his hands, and the kitten immediately looked up at him.
“Please come with me.”
Zhang Zhihao circled around, and the kitten followed him obediently.
They walked from the living room to the balcony, where the kitten jumped onto the small lawn.
“This is amazing,” Mo Xing said, surprised.
“Phew, you scared me to death,” Mianhua wiped the sweat from his forehead, his pale face finally regaining some color. It was clear he was truly afraid of cats.
“This is your little house.”
Zhang Zhihao pulled a small, square house from his storage bracelet. Made of redwood, it measured about fifty centimeters in length, width, and height.
“Meow—”
The kitten responded obediently.
Zhang Zhihao placed the little house at the far right of the balcony, stood up, and said,
“You can go play now.”
“Meow—”
The kitten nodded understandingly and ran across the lawn chasing butterflies.
“No wonder you’re a great master—you even know how to take care of cats!” Mo Xing remarked admiringly.
“Actually, you can do it too, once you master the method,” Zhang Zhihao smiled.
“Phew, my heart almost couldn’t take it. Luckily you came back, Zhang Zhihao,” Mianhua slowly got up and patted his chest.
“By the way, great master! Did you buy that pet house yourself?” Mo Xing pointed at the redwood house.
“No, it was a gift from a friend,” Zhang Zhihao replied. “She said it would come in handy someday, and today it really did.”
“I’m back!”
Mo Xing turned to see Senior Brother Cai Hong standing at the door, panting, his right hand bracing against the wall.
“The shopkeeper said that cat is special and doesn’t eat cat food, so I’m supposed to cook for it.”
“You, Cai Hong! Bringing a cat here and making trouble for me!” Mianhua shouted.
“It didn’t steal your rice, so why are you yelling?” Cai Hong shot back.
“Enough!”
Hearing Zhang Zhihao’s voice, Cai Hong and Mianhua immediately fell silent, though their eyes still gleamed with hostility.
“Mo Xing has already fed it,” Zhang Zhihao said after a pause.
“Uh-huh.” Mo Xing nodded, not knowing how the great master knew but decided to agree anyway.
“Let’s eat.”
Zhang Zhihao took four packed lunches from his storage bracelet and placed them on the table.
“Wow, Zhang Zhihao, you’re so thoughtful!” Mianhua exclaimed.
“Not quite right—Zhang Zhihao has always been thoughtful!” Cai Hong took the lunch boxes.
“Alright, alright, I won’t argue this time,” Mianhua waved his hand.
“Mo Xing, here’s your lunch.” Zhang Zhihao handed a box to Mo Xing.
“Thank you, great master!” Mo Xing expressed gratitude and accepted the lunch.
“You’re welcome,” Zhang Zhihao paused, then added, “Since everyone’s free, after lunch—”
“Let’s have a dorm meeting!”
...
After finishing the lunch, the four sat around the table.
Opposite Mo Xing was Zhang Zhihao, who had been staring at him since earlier.
“First, let’s congratulate Mo Xing for successfully passing the freshman assessment!” Zhang Zhihao suddenly announced.
“Congratulations, junior brother!” Mianhua and Cai Hong applauded.
“Huh? Great master, how did you know?” Mo Xing was shocked; he hadn’t told his roommates yet!
“Intuition,” Zhang Zhihao smiled.
“Usually, those who fail the assessment come back to the dorm with sour faces, pack their bags, and prepare to leave. They don’t have the mood for anything else,” Cai Hong explained. “Since you still have time to cook and feed a cat, you probably passed.”
“Now that you mention it, I remember my three former roommates—they didn’t pass,” Mianhua shook his head. “So I had a dorm room all to myself until Zhang Zhihao and the others enrolled last year, and that’s when I was assigned here.”
“By the way, junior brother, what was your freshman assessment score?” Cai Hong asked.
“I got six hundred and sixty-six points,” Mo Xing shrugged.
“Not bad—that’s a lucky number, haha,” Mianhua laughed heartily.
“The passing score this year was six hundred and fifty, so I barely made it,” Mo Xing muttered.
“It’s okay, you did well. Your senior brother Mianhua only scored six hundred and forty, just barely passing,” Cai Hong smiled.
“That’s not true!” Mianhua pouted, lowering his voice. “Besides, you only got seven hundred, still a B-level student.”
“Sorry, I was promoted to A-level this semester,” Cai Hong said with narrowed eyes.
“What are A-level and B-level students? Different ranks, right?” Mo Xing scratched his head, confused.
“Priority levels,” Zhang Zhihao explained.
“Like getting in line first for meals?” Mo Xing asked.
“Hahaha—”
Mianhua and Cai Hong burst out laughing, while Zhang Zhihao remained composed.
He was always composed.
“You can think of it that way. After the freshman assessment, you receive an initial priority level. Those who pass are B-level students; the top one hundred are A-level students. A-level students get priority in choosing mentors and courses, accessing school facilities and aid, and receiving assignments,” Zhang Zhihao said. “It also serves as an important criterion for selecting positions and scholarships.”
“Oh, I see,” Mo Xing said, suddenly enlightened. So A-level students are like honor students—the brightest stars among the student body!
“Is there a way to be promoted to A-level, like Senior Brother Cai Hong?” Mo Xing asked.
“Grades.”
“Your regular scores, theory classes, and practical lessons all need to meet standards,” Zhang Zhihao paused. “That’s the baseline. The most important thing is to take on assignments.”
“Assignments?” Mo Xing asked, puzzled.