Survival in the Ruins: I can make everything evolve infinitely

“Without salt, it really has no flavour.”
Mu Liang tasted the tomato and meat soup.
He found the light broth, with its mix of tomato sweetness and sourness, to be a highly appetising dish.
Mu Liang placed the soup on the table, then brought the large roasted meat on a wooden platter to the table.
He turned to the two girls and called out, “Go wash your hands. It’s time for dinner.”
“Wash our hands?” Li Yue was momentarily stunned.
It was the first time she’d heard of such a luxurious thing.
The white-haired girl flipped her hands over, glancing at her pitch-black palms.
Indeed… they looked like they could use some washing.
“Huh? Do we really need to wash our hands?” Mino wiped the sweat from her forehead, leaving five black streaks on her face.
“No excuses. We only skipped it before because there was no other option.”
Mu Liang shook his head, speaking earnestly, “Now that things have improved, we can’t live like we used to.”
“But isn’t it a waste of water?” Mino pouted.
“It’s just rainwater. What’s there to waste?” Mu Liang cast the bunny-eared girl a sidelong glance.
Ever since obtaining the crystal fish, he no longer valued rainwater, not even bothering to filter it.
“All right.” Seeing Mu Liang’s serious expression…
“I’ll go wash my hands.”
The bunny-eared girl muttered to herself and obediently went to wash her hands without daring to argue back.
“You’d better wash up too, or there’ll be no dinner for you,” Mu Liang turned and squinted at the white-haired girl.
“…” Li Yue opened her mouth to speak but fell silent under Mu Liang’s gaze.
“Fine.” The white-haired girl obediently followed the bunny-eared girl to wash her hands.
“Honestly, am I raising two daughters here?”
Mu Liang held his head in his hand and complained, “I’m only a few years older than them, so why does it feel like I’ve aged?”
Sometimes, having more life experience makes one naturally take on a mature and responsible role when dealing with less experienced individuals.
Perhaps this was the innate talent of a leader.
“All done!” Mino approached like a child, holding out her hands for inspection.
“Well done. They’re very clean.” Mu Liang nodded in satisfaction.
He glanced at the white-haired girl, who also held out her hands, and said softly, “Take a seat. You can eat now.”
“???” Li Yue suddenly realised what she was doing and looked blankly at her outstretched hands.
Why had she done something so childish?
After all, she was already sixteen years old.
“Oh! Today’s soup is red.” Mino exclaimed in surprise as she stared at the wooden bowl.
“Li Yue, what are you standing there for? Come and eat dinner.” Mu Liang called out with a smile.
He naturally understood why the white-haired girl had been caught off guard. Humans were, after all, social creatures.
Having been away from group life for so long, Li Yue was subconsciously mimicking others, though it made her feel a little uncomfortable.
One word: habit.
“Coming.” Li Yue patted her cheeks and shook off unnecessary thoughts.
She sat at the table, curiously eyeing the red-tinted broth in her wooden bowl.
“You’ve worked hard today. Let’s eat,” Mu Liang said as he took the first sip of soup.
“Wow!” Mino exclaimed after just one sip, “What’s with this soup? It’s so good!”
Her blue eyes sparkled, filled with an undisguised love for the meat soup.
The sweet and sour flavour was utterly irresistible.
Mu Liang chuckled. “I added tomatoes. You can learn how to make it next time.”
“What’s a tomato?” Mino asked, blinking in confusion.
“A tomato is a red fruit. Some aren’t ripe yet, but I’ll teach you when they are.”
Mu Liang glanced at Mino’s twitching bunny ears. She truly loved this soup.
“Mm-hmm.”
Mino nodded enthusiastically, waving her arms and exclaiming, “Tomato meat soup is the best soup I’ve ever had in my life!”
“Then have some more.” Mu Liang served another ladle of soup for the bunny-eared girl.
Having his soup so enthusiastically praised by the girl brought him immense joy.
“Hehe…” Mino narrowed her eyes in delight and drank the tomato meat soup in big gulps.
“Is it really that good?” Li Yue murmured doubtfully.
The bunny-eared girl’s reaction seemed exaggerated, leaving her a little sceptical.
The white-haired girl’s eyes flickered with anticipation as she took a sip of the tomato soup.
“…” Li Yue raised her white eyebrows, then couldn’t stop herself.
She blew on the soup to cool it down and finished the entire bowl.
“Here’s another serving.” Mu Liang poured another ladle of tomato meat soup for the white-haired girl.
The metal pot wasn’t very big, holding about four bowls of soup, with each bowl requiring two ladles.
“No, no more for me,” Li Yue stammered, her face reddening in embarrassment.
“Quick, drink it, or Mino will steal it from you,” Mu Liang teased.
“…” Li Yue instinctively protected her bowl, only to realise a moment later what she’d done. Her face flushed deeply in embarrassment.
“I wouldn’t steal it!” Mino pouted.
The bunny-eared girl tugged gently at Mu Liang’s arm to express her dissatisfaction.
In truth, it wasn’t so much dissatisfaction as it was playful teasing.
“Eat the roasted meat before it gets cold,” Mu Liang said, smiling as he divided the meat between the two girls.
“Nom…”
Mino frowned as she chewed the meat, muttering softly, “Why does it taste different?”
The dried meat, though fragrant and chewy, had a heavy gamey flavour.
The two girls suddenly found the roasted meat less delicious than before.
After dinner, Mu Liang stirred the fire pit and glanced at the bunny-eared girl as she cleaned the dishes.
He asked curiously, “Mino, how’s the dress coming along?”
“It’s finished. I even added sleeves to two of the robes,” Mino said enthusiastically, her bunny ears twitching.
Last night, the bunny-eared girl had sewn a dress using fabric cut by Mu Liang.
However, she hadn’t had time to sew shorts.
“Later, you’ll go take a bath.” Mu Liang added stones to the fire pit.
Before the bunny-eared girl could protest, he continued, “Take one of the robes for Li Yue to wear.”
“A bath? Didn’t we bathe yesterday?” Mino asked dumbly.
“You ate yesterday. Why are you eating again today?” Mu Liang retorted flatly.
“Uh…” Mino was at a loss for words, unable to refute.
“I…” Li Yue began, only to be interrupted.
“Can’t you smell yourself?”
Mu Liang’s black eyes fixed on the white-haired girl as he wrinkled his nose in distaste. “You smell. I can smell it, so just go take a bath.”
“I-I-I don’t smell!” Li Yue’s face turned crimson with embarrassment, her ears reddening too.
“I don’t smell at all!”
She bit her lip in shame and anger, resisting the urge to bite Mu Liang.
For the first time in her life, someone had called her smelly to her face—and looked down on her for it.
Mu Liang shook his hand disdainfully. “…”
“Hehe…” Mino covered her mouth, laughing. The familiar scene amused her greatly.
“Fine, I’ll bathe!” Li Yue stomped her foot in frustration and stormed towards the bathroom.
“Wait, I’ll heat the water for you.”
“No need, I’ll finish quickly.”
“Cold water won’t clean you properly.”
“You’re lying!”
“…”
“So, you were lying about me smelling too, weren’t you?”
“No. It’s true when I say you stink.”