Deep Space Wandering Fleet

Chapter 122: Chapter 123 Beyond Light Years

Many were simple foods, akin to skewered ingredients cooked in a pot of broth, as well as some ethnic dishes. However, under the current conditions, such food was already delicious enough.

Zhang Yuan swallowed a meatball he didn’t usually care for, and its spiciness hit the back of his throat so directly that it almost brought tears to his eyes.

Perhaps it was because the chili oil from the Facing Heaven pepper was a bit too fiery or perhaps for some other reason…

When had he last tasted this flavor?

“How is it, my cooking skills aren’t bad, right? I made these fish balls myself,” Lin Xuanyuan asked with a smile, her eyes spinning round as they fixed on him.

Zhang Yuan didn’t know what to say. The taste was actually quite ordinary and no matter what you did with the balls, they remained just that.

But homemade food, plus being cooked in spicy water, seemed to carry a slightly different sensation, altering the flavor a bit.

That feeling was simply…

Soulful!

“Very good, just a bit spicy!” he said, unable to help himself from wiping the sweat from his face.

The spiciness was so intense that he could not distinguish any other flavors.

Or rather, what he was eating was not so much about the taste as it was about longing for his hometown…

People from different regions each had their own flavors. The northwest had lamb and sliced noodles, Shandong was about buns and dumplings stuffed with pork, Sichuan boasted pots of churning red oil, and the south offered the sweet sophistication of lotus roots stuffed with glutinous rice.

Although the spiciness was not the true flavor of his actual hometown, it was enough to evoke nostalgia. Because all of Earth had become one big hometown, even eating pasta… could be considered a taste of home.

“That Facing Heaven pepper is really too hot; we should plant more of it in the botanical garden, a single cultivation could last many years… By the way, are you a Sichuan girl, carrying a bottle of chili oil onto the spaceship?”

“You guess, you guess…” Lin Xuanyuan’s face was flush from the heat of the spice, her condition clearly affected.

“I don’t think so. You are too scared of the heat!”

“Don’t I seem like I can handle spicy food? Ha!”

After a while, the main group arrived.

Hearing that the “generous and hospitable” Mr. Zhang Yuan was hosting a meal for everyone, all were in high spirits. Especially upon entering the dining hall, many of the former Xia Country people caught the scent of something familiar and showed interested expressions.

The entire dinner was served buffet-style, though one could also choose to cook for themselves, to eat their fill.

At this moment, what nearly everyone thought of was not a dish from some fancy hotel or by some famous chef, but the smells of their childhood hometown.

Many people ate while chatting together, creating a very pleasant atmosphere.

“It’s too spicy, too spicy. I really don’t understand why you guys do this to yourselves. According to scientific research, spice is actually a toxin!” John came over, his face covered in sweat, and exclaimed.

“I need some sugar. Is there any sugar?”

His entire face was swollen from the spice, his tongue sticking out, unable to retract.

“Who says food is just for health? We eat for the flavors,” Zhang Yuan said with a smile. “John, you should really enjoy the cuisine… Xia Country’s variety of foods is much richer than what you have back home.”

“That black rice is really good indeed; it would be even better with a bit of curry. It’s a pity there’s no curry, what a shame.”

“Curry rice?”

“Yes!”

Zhang Yuan truly could not agree with this guy’s taste in life.

The mood grew warmer and more lively, as if it had been a long time since they had experienced such a bustling scene. Even those who usually disliked noisy environments seemed to enjoy themselves.

“Quiet, everyone quiet down!”

A young man suddenly shouted excitedly, “Next, please welcome… Miss Anfeifei to perform a program for us all.”

A girl who seemed to have lost at a game of “Truth or Dare” mustered her courage and took the stage, her face flushed as she sang an ancient song.

“Feel the fingertips that stop at the end of my hair, like time frozen in an instant.

Remember looking into my resolute eyes, perhaps there is no tomorrow.

Facing the vast starry sea, we are as insignificant as dust…”

There was no accompaniment, just her singing a cappella.

The singer’s level was quite good, and her ethereal voice echoed in everyone’s hearts, silencing all conversations.

Zhang Yuan looked up.

Gathered light-years away, the majority of his kind were in slumber, perhaps tomorrow would be a dream from which they could not awaken.

Three thousand years too short, merely a fleeting moment in the universe.

Three thousand years too long, it’s possible that upon waking up, even the civilization of humanity behind them would be gone.

For some reason, Zhang Yuan felt a faint sense of sorrow in his heart.

If he counted his age in the virtual sense, he was over two hundred years old, and by his real age, he was also 27, having experienced enough to no longer be the naive student fresh out of graduation.

But now, a little bit of food, a gathering, could make him feel a taste called happiness, something unimaginable in the past.

Perhaps, drifting in the vast universe, depending on this Mother Ship for survival, unsure of his ultimate fate or the direction of the future.

1.2 light-years away, although there were more of his kind, they were no longer of the same era.

Never again could he return to that beautiful yet rough world.

This sense of loneliness, without having experienced it personally, one might never truly understand.

When the singer finished her song, she bowed and stepped down.

Clap, clap, clap!

The applause was thunderous.

Next, someone spontaneously took the stage and played a tune on the harmonica titled “Childhood Memories.”

Memories of younger days surged in his heart, remembering how his father used to play some instrumental music at home.

Now, in this isolated little environment, hearing this song all of a sudden really brought back many memories buried deep in his mind, bringing feelings of happiness and sadness…

Following that, another young man took the stage and showcased his basketball skills.

“Shh!” A chorus of whistles rose from the audience.

To be honest, due to a long absence from playing basketball, the young man’s skills were a bit poor, but his somewhat comical performance brought a joyful atmosphere.

All of these performers were volunteers, and Zhang Yuan felt his palms getting a bit red from clapping.

Three hours later, the dinner ended in a jovial atmosphere.

Overall, the dinner was rather pleasant, and nothing went wrong.

Many who always wore stern faces also showed their smiles. After all, gathering more and making more friends doesn’t hurt…