Are you suggesting I take care of my cousin?

An astonishing figure for Xiaoxin came through the phone.

—”…What?”

—”That’s from your cousin’s father. He said you’re working alone and it’s not easy, so he wanted to give you some money as a gesture. I originally told him, ‘We’re family, no need,’ but your cousin’s father insisted on giving some. I couldn’t argue with him, so that’s how it is now.”

‘Good heavens, my own dad cares less about me than my cousin’s father, huh!’

Feeling quite helpless, though somewhat unwilling, 12,000 (currency) was simply too much. After all, this was 12,000! What a concept! Four times his salary! Eight times his rent! With so much money, forget supporting a person! Even a pig could spiral to heaven with luxury!

“I’ll do it!”

He agreed wholeheartedly, filled with motivation. At this moment, Xiaoxin’s mind was entirely focused on the 12,000 income. He thought, it’s just a cousin, after all, merely a girl. He himself spent a maximum of 1600 (currency) a month on food, with two meat dishes and one vegetable, which would definitely be satisfying. Even soup might not be necessary. At an ideal price, 3500 (currency) would be enough to eat happily.

Then he discovered the immense gap between reality and ideal.

Look at the names of these ingredients—Divine Land Great Lobster! Dragon-Transformed Golden Carp! Peerless Emperor Crab! Six-Heavens Demon King Wagyu Beef! Coral Shaman Caviar!

What outrageous names these were! But at least he knew what species these materials were. Even more perplexing were the dishes he had to make; the names here were even more nonsensical.

“Climbing Higher Step by Step! Soaring Through Clouds! Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Auspiciousness! Five Blessings at the Door! Seventy-Two Transformations! Stirring the Soul!”

They were utterly random names, requiring him to use his creativity based on the dish name, then prepare a dish using the specified ingredients that matched the name for his cousin. Moreover, whether his salary would be deducted depended on her satisfaction, and it was also explicitly stated that the portions must be large and filling, with a direct fine if he dared to make French cuisine.

This wasn’t cooking for a cousin; this was cooking for the Empress Dowager!

The more he thought, the more his head ached. According to the figures, the portion size for one meal was typically 4-5 times that of a normal person! He’d probably need to make an iron pot stew’s worth for every meal just to barely fill her up!

Following the main ingredients listed, he discovered at the market that they were all top-grade, expensive ingredients. His father probably never considered how much Xiaoxin’s salary was or if he could afford it. If he truly used the listed ingredients to make such enormous quantities of gourmet food, forget 12,000 (currency); even 120,000 (currency) might not be enough to cover the cost!

But since he had already agreed, there was no turning back. Although he didn’t know which relative’s cousin’s father it was, or which cousin from his memories, he could only grit his teeth and push through, using expensive ingredients as the ‘dragon’s eyes’ and cheap ingredients as the ‘dragon’s body,’ trying his best to save money while ensuring every meal looked and tasted acceptable.

This was no simple task. After buying the ingredients, he realized that a mere two days’ worth of food couldn’t be carried in a few large bags; it had to be transported in barrels, like old-era sea voyages.

“Heave-ho, good heavens, my back…”

Exhausted to death, the full barrels were half his size. It seemed his cousin alone had the combat power of an entire squad.

He used plenty of cheap ham and luncheon meat, and considering flour’s expanding capability, there would naturally be no shortage of it. To fill the tonnage, there were also large quantities of vegetables, and the core expensive ingredients were certainly present, but their proportion was less than 10% of the total area.

Calculating the price, such a barrel for two days cost over 1000 (currency), with more than half of that price coming from the less than 10% of expensive ingredients.

“This won’t do, I can’t sustain this! Even if I could make such dishes every time, that’s over 15,000 (currency) in expenses per month! This might even eat into my own salary!”

Regret and indignation now surged in his mind. 1500 (currency) for rent, utility bills were also an issue, plus bus fare… his life was already so tight that he had to use every spare moment to earn extra money just to support himself.

‘Should I increase the cost of my cooking service?’

If he were to slightly increase the fee for each meal, those who were unwilling to go out or were constantly exhausted from work probably wouldn’t give up over a small price hike.

But if that were the case…

[A good person like you will surely be rewarded with good fortune.]

Recalling the old woman’s words, she had it tough too, didn’t she? If he deliberately raised meal prices to earn a little more, she would be very sad… And if he tried to make an exception, keeping the old woman’s fee unchanged, then—

‘What do you mean! Why does that old woman get it so cheap!’

‘She has it tough! Do we have it easy? Are you looking down on us workers! Do we, who work ourselves to death, not deserve a cheap and delicious meal!’

‘Don’t hit Xiaoxin! He has it tough too! I’ll pay! I’ll pay the extra part!’

Imagining a forceful, dramatic scene, he felt quite guilty. While reality wouldn’t unfold exactly as in his mind, he was already disliked at work. If possible, he still hoped to leave a good impression on his neighbors where he lived, as everyone truly had it hard.

Moreover, just imagining such a scene made his heart ache, not from being beaten himself, but from the image of the old woman possibly weeping and pleading for him.

So, Plan A seemed unfeasible.

‘Then what else do I have that I can use to make money?’

He looked at his body, touching himself.

‘Ah… could there really be a brother in this world who sells his kidney just to cook for a rich cousin? Not even a siscon would go that far.’

He rummaged through his belongings. Most of his clothes had been sold, and he only had two pairs of shoes left; even if he sold them, beggars probably wouldn’t want them. He checked his wardrobe and realized he hadn’t even prepared a winter sweater or padded jacket.

“Pat, pat.” The cold wind blew into the room, and leaves rustled.

Xiaoxin, startled, turned his head, his gaze locking onto the small orange tree in his home. In the dim room, it monopolized the only light source, shining brightly, like a divine sacred object.

‘Speaking of which, orange trees symbolize good luck, auspiciousness, and harmonious reunion in many places. So, a small sapling like this should be worth some money, right?’

Money-grubbing thoughts emerged, but his restless heart quickly suppressed them.

‘No, that’s not right! How could I even think of ‘Little Orange’ that way! This is wrong! Absolutely not!’

He felt immense self-reproach. Everyone had an inner pillar and belief, be it family, friends, or other important people. Lonely individuals would adopt certain things as companions, deeming them important.

For Xiaoxin, it was naturally this small orange tree, accompanying him through his lonely years—watering it, talking to it, sleeping with it. He recalled how, during high school, he had cherished his tablet computer, ‘Little Ji,’ always handling it with extreme care. Yet, even though it wasn’t valuable, it was eventually stolen during a school-organized extracurricular activity, and all he received was a symbolic 1000 (currency) from the school… And even that 1000 (currency) was taken by his parents, under the guise of comforting Xiaoxin, to buy a family meal that came with a new gift package (the gifts were also taken by them).

One could say he chose to live alone to avoid losing more things, but now he was once again forced into a corner.

Standing before the stovetop, Xiaoxin began busying himself with the meals, contemplating ways to survive. Borrowing money was definitely out of the question; given his unlucky constitution, he would surely run into loan sharks or be tricked into some shady place and drained dry.

[Hercules Pork Chop! Charge forward with unstoppable might!]

Looking at the smiling idol hero on the packaging, though plump, his innocent demeanor was somewhat endearing. He didn’t know who they were, but Xiaoxin envied them immensely.

Perhaps their survival in the market competition wasn’t easy, but they surely wouldn’t be troubled over a meal.

Though he disliked it, he had once considered using Magical Girl Xiaoxin’s identity to earn money. But under normal circumstances, without a special need to transform, he couldn’t even last three minutes.

Recalling it, both his transformation time and his abilities as a magical girl seemed related to his subjective will. Yet, no matter how much he subjectively yearned for wealth, it always ended up being a three-minute passion.

“Alas, if only I had asked that mascot more about how to control my powers back then.”

After all, his enthusiasm for being a magical girl was very low to begin with. Helping others and fighting monsters was merely a small effort. Because at that time, he genuinely wanted that legendary ‘Hero Recommendation’ that could get him a job in any company, so he had to work according to the contract’s requirements.

Now, thinking back, if he had truly understood his magical girl system abilities, he might have been able to leverage this second identity to reach the peak of his life.

‘But… if I really use Magical Girl Xiaoxin’s identity to make money, would I still be myself?’

[Sizzle—!] Hot oil boiled, and he dropped the pork chops in to fry. The intense sizzling and aroma interrupted Xiaoxin’s thoughts.

Cooking for others every day, there were always some fish and meat. Watching them, preparing them, smelling their aroma, yet never getting a single bite himself. He felt that after such days, his heart had become much more detached.

Perhaps it didn’t need to be so complicated. If he couldn’t think of a solution, then he only had to face the problem.

“It’s decided. I’ll go find that cousin and straightforwardly refuse this job! As compensation, I’ll at most help wash her clothes!”

Well, it was still quite unfair, but there was no better option.