Jiang Jiang's compliment made Zhou Yong think she was teasing him at first.
But he quickly dismissed the thought, realizing Jiang Jiang was genuinely praising him.
In return for Jiang Jiang's kindness, Zhou Yong gave her a big smile. "Hearing you say that instantly boosted my confidence. Luckily, my ability isn't useless and can be put to good use later."
"It has plenty of use," Jiang Jiang said, patting Zhou Yong's shoulder. "No need to pay for the chicken leg. Consider it my welcome gift."
Before the apocalypse, if someone had told Zhou Yong this, he would have thought they were looking down on him.
A chicken leg as a welcome gift? How stingy and undignified.
But in this post-apocalyptic world, where supplies, especially food, were scarce, Zhou Yong felt a chicken leg was a very generous gift.
He recalled his time at the pharmaceutical factory; the most abundant meals consisted of a stir-fried dish of vegetables and a pot of porridge.
The stir-fried vegetables were practically boiled, and the porridge was watery with very little rice.
Therefore, to Zhou Yong, a chicken leg as a welcome gift was truly precious.
Even if this chicken leg was insignificant to people like Jiang Jiang who had ample supplies, Zhou Yong still felt the weight of the gift.
Zhou Yong didn't feel looked down upon by Jiang Jiang. He knew that even for those who weren't short on supplies, scarce resources like food were still highly valuable to people in Jiang Jiang's base.
Zhou Yong's mind raced, and he looked at Jiang Jiang with gratitude. "I accept this welcome gift."
Jiang Jiang smiled without a word, picked up a braised chicken leg, and continued to eat heartily.
The chicken legs in the mess hall were braised with a secret recipe, cooked for a long time, and were very flavorful.
Jiang Jiang poured the soup over her rice. She ate a bite of chicken, then a bite of rice coated in the chicken broth, her cheeks bulging. She then enthusiastically recommended the eating method to Zhou Yong: "Try pouring the soup over your rice. Every grain will be coated in the broth. It's unbelievably delicious!"
Zhou Yong, prompted by Jiang Jiang, nodded repeatedly and used his spoon to scoop all the soup from his tray onto his rice.
After mixing the rice with the soup, Zhou Yong scooped a large spoonful into his mouth, his mouth completely full.
For Zhou Yong, who hadn't eaten so satisfyingly in a long time, this mouthful of rice was so fulfilling he wanted to scream.
If they hadn't been in the mess hall with so many people watching, he would have definitely screamed and danced.
Jiang Jiang waited for Zhou Yong to try it, then eagerly asked, "How is it? Isn't it delicious?"
Zhou Yong nodded vigorously, wholeheartedly agreeing with the eating method and giving Jiang Jiang a thumbs-up.
While Jiang Jiang and Zhou Yong were interacting, Su Ling and Shang Qi had already finished their meal.
Shang Qi took away the dishes, while Su Ling stood up and went to Qin Yun and Li Yang's table.
Qin Yun had finished his food and was drinking soup.
Seeing Su Ling approach, he quickly finished his soup, put down his bowl, and stood up.
Su Ling stopped at the table and looked at Qin Yun, her voice calm. "It's time to test your ability. Are you ready?"
Upon hearing Su Ling's words, Qin Yun nodded eagerly. "I am ready. I await your command at any time."
Since leaving Hai Dao, this group of people's admiration and obedience towards Su Ling and Shang Qi had grown daily.
Especially for Qin Yun, whose ability was the same as Su Ling's, he was even more impressed and devoted to her.
He had been diligently practicing his ability, hoping that one day Su Ling would instruct him to construct a mobile castle!