Chapter 20: Flatbread

If using heated metal solved the current problem of cooking, the method of turning stones into explosives greatly enhanced the team's combat capabilities.

This particular ability appeared in Dong Junwei, who had always been the team's leader.

Although they were all the same age, Dong Junwei, who served as the class monitor for three years in high school, was highly respected in the class. Perhaps it might seem a bit self-congratulatory for a teenager at the age of sixteen or seventeen to talk about respect, but the fact was that Dong Junwei was more mature in all aspects than her peers. She never acted superior because of her family background, treating everyone in the class equally and taking care of each and every one of them, be it in academics or daily life.

Chen Mu even felt that she was treating the class as a rehearsal for her future workplace.

Regardless, Dong Junwei's character and abilities were evident to all.

However, their joy didn't last long.

Suddenly, Dong Junwei swayed and then slowly squatted down.

Tang Jing happened to be by her side and quickly reached out to support her, preventing her from falling.

"What's wrong?"

"Feeling unwell?"

Everyone gathered around.

Chen Mu thought about his own experience and quickly understood Dong Junwei's situation. He explained, "It should be due to using her ability too frequently, causing mental exhaustion. Are you feeling dizzy?"

Dong Junwei nodded, but she couldn't speak a word.

"But the monitor didn't do much, just a piece of iron ore and a stone."

"She just awakened not long ago, so she's probably relatively weaker for now. She should gradually grow stronger in the future," Chen Mu explained.

Dong Junwei felt slightly better at this point and asked Chen Mu, "How long do I need to rest for my mental strength to fully recover?"

Chen Mu replied, "I'm not entirely sure, but this should be similar to physical strength. Rest a little longer, and you'll recover a bit more. Sleeping should fully restore it."

"I understand."

Originally, Dong Junwei wanted to experiment with some other things, but her current condition made her not dare to overdo it.

Feeling dizzy was really uncomfortable.

After letting Dong Junwei rest, Chen Mu turned his gaze back to the iron block that had been heated earlier, as it was still half of his weapon.

However, when he tried to touch the iron block, he found that it hadn't cooled down at all.

"How about using it to pop some popcorn?" someone suggested.

"Or I can make an iron pot and cook some rice with water?" Chen Mu proposed.

His words were met with unanimous approval from everyone. Although they didn't usually have any special feelings about rice, after eating only cakes for two days, they were starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. As long as they had steaming hot rice, they could eat it three big bowls full and be content.

However, Tang Jing poured cold water on the idea, saying, "If you really want to cook rice with water, the amount of water we brought wouldn't be enough."

"Why? It's just a grain of rice."

"This might be where you're assuming too much. Normally, when cooking rice, you use about two bowls of water for one bowl of rice, but trying to cook one grain of rice with twice the amount of water won't work. That small amount of water will evaporate in no time, and it will end up becoming popcorn."

Tang Jing shrugged, "I told you, many things can't be simply scaled proportionally."

This phenomenon was actually easy to understand. However, most people still tended to perceive the world based on their current size. They still thought that a piece of wood thicker than their arm would burn for a long time and that a pot of water the same size as their head could cook rice.

"What should we do then?"

"While we can't cook rice, we can make flatbreads."

"Flatbreads?"

"Yes, grind the rice into flour, add some water, and cook it on the heated iron block to make flatbreads. Though I guess they won't taste great, it's better than eating them raw."

At first, Chen Mu had the same assumptions as everyone else, but after Tang Jing's explanation, he quickly understood.

"I'll go get some stainless steel."

If they wanted to grind the rice into flour, they would need some tools.

It's best to make a few flatbreads, and for someone like Chen Mu, who doesn't require high precision in shaping objects, it's not difficult at all.

He needs to replenish his weapon, as he has already given away half of his original paperclip.

Actually, the original paperclip had already lost its nickel coating and was showing signs of rust. Chen Mu could change objects, but he couldn't prevent iron from rusting. Although iron oxide has a lower density, it's still uncomfortable when it sticks to his hands.

It's time to switch to a new weapon.

Fortunately, there are plenty of stainless steel tableware in the storage room, almost an endless supply.

...

Making flatbreads is a skill.

These days, among high school students, those who can cook are already a rare sight, with many only capable of boiling water.

Among the people present, including Dong Junwei, none of them have ever held a spatula.

In this aspect, Chen Mu, who has been independent since childhood, can confidently say that everyone present is unskilled.

He knocks off a small piece from the large grain of rice and uses his improvised tool to grind it into powder.

It must be said that rice flour is different from wheat flour. After adding water, it cannot be kneaded like wheat flour but instead becomes a sticky mass. Rice flour is even more challenging to work with than glutinous rice flour.

Finally, everything is ready.

Fortunately, the iron block is still quite hot, so they don't need Dong Junwei, who is already resting, to use her ability again.

Considering that the iron block has started to rust, Chen Mu adds a thin layer of stainless steel on top.

However, when it comes to making flatbreads, there are still many problems.

First, they have no oil, so the rice batter quickly sticks to the stainless steel, and the edges turn charred black.

Second, they can't control the temperature very well.

Without rice, it's hard to make porridge.

When Chen Mu lifts up the first "flatbread," which looks disastrous, everyone has lost their appetite.

"I'll give it a try."

Wei Dalei, who has never been picky about food quality, was the first to come over. Ignoring the heat, he grabbed one of the flatbreads and started munching on it without hesitation.

"It's okay, quite fragrant, just a bit dry, a bit burnt, a bit bland, a bit coarse, and a bit rough on the mouth," Wei Dalei wiped his mouth and continued chewing.

Is this considered "okay"?

Everyone was speechless.

But they had no choice but to eat it.

After all, it was the only food they had now.

Fortunately, Chen Mu's second flatbread turned out better, as he gained some experience from the first attempt.

Tang Jing took it in her hand and had everyone break off a piece to fill their stomachs.

"Indeed, it's okay."

"Better than I imagined."

"It's like eating two-day-old sponge cake."

"Not bad considering the circumstances."

...

Amidst the chatter of the group, they finished the whole flatbread.

Chen Mu, who was both a blacksmith and a cook, savored the third flatbread alone.

Honestly speaking, it wasn't tasty.

But it was passable.

It must be said that when you lower your expectations infinitely, life can still be bearable.

At last, the students of Class 4 in their senior year finally had their first proper meal.