"Oh, husband, aren't you supposed to be at work? And who is this young man?"
Molly, Goodman's wife, opened the door. She had curly black hair, delicate features, and was wearing an apron, suggesting she was busy with housework.
"This is young Tatsuya and his cat, Tom. I'll explain everything later, but for now, please get them something to eat." Goodman urged.
Molly nodded, letting Goodman and Zhang Daya in. She poured two cups of tea and prepared a small dish of water for Tom.
"Have some water first; the food will be ready soon."
"Thank you, Sister Molly." Zhang Daya couldn't remember who told him, but he always called unfamiliar women older than himself "sister," setting aside any concerns about generational hierarchy for the moment.
In fact, Molly was 37 years old this year. For women in this world, this age was when their figures were at their most striking.
After they turned forty, they had a high probability of contracting a virus called the 'Oda Curse,' which would gradually alter their figures and appearances, making them look like entirely different people. At that point, Zhang Daya wondered if he would still be able to call her 'sister.'
"Oh, the young man is so sweet!" Molly covered her face, a joyful expression on her face, and went to the kitchen.
Zhang Daya sipped his hot tea, and Tom also drank water in small sips, a rare display of him acting like a normal cat.
"Well, isn't Molly as wonderful as I said?" Goodman seized the opportunity to recount his heroic tale of how his handsome self had made Molly fall in love at first sight.
Less than ten minutes later, Molly came out carrying two plates, one large and one small, and placed them in front of Zhang Daya and Tom.
"Still bragging to people, are we?" Molly ruthlessly exposed Uncle Goodman, then smiled at Zhang Daya and said,
"You can probably believe about one-tenth of what he says! Come on, try this seafood fried rice."
"How can you say that…" Goodman grumbled, then muttered softly about "when I was young" and how things used to be.
Zhang Daya calmly thanked her and picked up his spoon, ready to eat. In a short time, he had grown accustomed to Goodman's personality; he was probably just a warm-hearted uncle who liked to brag.
"It smells so good!" With one bite of the fried rice, Zhang Daya couldn't help but praise it. Fortunately, he hadn't made any rash pronouncements, so he wasn't about to become a hypocrite.
Tom also picked up a small spoon, took a taste, and his eyes lit up.
"I'm glad you like it." Molly smiled, curiously watching Tom use a spoon, but she wasn't overly surprised.
Zhang Daya had eaten sashimi for several days in a row, so eating a plate of fried rice now felt like a gourmet delicacy. He ate spoonful after spoonful, unable to stop.
Tom's eating habits were actually very similar to humans. Even though he had a preference for fish and birds, he still preferred cooked food.
While the two of them were eating, Goodman told Molly how he had met Zhang Daya.
He had actually gone to the shore to relieve himself after finishing his work, and then he saw Zhang Daya and Tom paddling over on a wooden board.
Goodman didn't think Zhang Daya looked like a bad person, so he kindly reminded him of the landing spot, and seeing that he wasn't in good health, he brought him back.
"Thank you for the meal. I haven't had such delicious food in a long time. Uncle Goodman said Sister Molly's cooking was good, and he really meant it." Zhang Daya finished his last bite of rice, leaving not a single grain on the plate.
Tom licked off the grains of rice clinging to his whiskers, then slumped on the table, rubbing his little belly with a contented expression.
"Oh, young man, you're exaggerating!" Molly covered her mouth, laughing happily.
"I'm just telling the truth." Zhang Daya stood up, feeling his strength return after eating his fill. "I've bothered you for so long; I should take my leave now. Thank you, Uncle Goodman and Sister Molly, for your care."
"So soon?" Molly asked. "Goodman just said you were looking for a place to work, didn't he?"
Zhang Daya nodded: "Yes, at least I need to solve the food problem first before considering anything else."
Goodman stroked his buzz cut and said with a smile, "In that case, I actually have a job here that might suit you."
Zhang Daya thought he was going to take him to work at the shipyard and shook his head, "I can't be a shipwright. If I don't know carpentry, I'll only cause trouble for you, Uncle, won't I?"
"Haha, don't worry, I'm not asking you to be a shipwright. A physique like yours can't do it." Goodman burst out laughing. Zhang Daya's small frame truly looked as weak as a little chick in his eyes.
I'm sorry for being so weak… Zhang Daya silently complained in his heart. Even a fitness enthusiast from his original world would probably be one-punching crybabies in front of this shipwright uncle.
Seemingly realizing that it was impolite to tease others like that, Goodman cleared his throat and continued, "Well, it's like this. Looking at you, young man, I get the feeling you've received a good education, haven't you?"
Zhang Daya nodded: "Before coming here, I was still a student."
Goodman looked at him expectantly and said, "That's wonderful! Actually, I'd like to ask you to tutor my mischievous son for a while."
"Me? My level might not be as high as you imagine…" Zhang Daya didn't know what to teach; he wasn't very familiar with the knowledge of this world.
Goodman said indifferently, "It doesn't matter, as long as you teach him to read and do simple arithmetic."
You might not believe it, but I just learned the writing of this world… Zhang Daya thought to himself that teaching only literacy and arithmetic shouldn't be a problem, and the Goodman family seemed quite reliable. If he went outside to find a new job, he might encounter a ruthless boss.
"In that case, I'll impose on you for a while longer." Zhang Daya agreed. At least this way, he had a temporary place to stay.
As for living off others, he didn't have money to stay in a hotel right now, did he?
...Splash splash splash... Zhang Daya was taking a shower in Uncle Goodman's bathroom.
After agreeing to be a tutor there, Molly immediately tidied up a guest room and prepared a change of clothes and toiletries for Zhang Daya.
When asked about their son, Molly said that Bayer had gone to play at Old Bob's place, and told Zhang Daya to take a good shower and rest first, and classes would start tomorrow.
Goodman had to go back to work, and before he left, he said he would inquire about the salary for a private tutor and that he would definitely not treat Zhang Daya unfairly.
Zhang Daya could only be grateful that he had met good people, and then he simply went with the flow.
After applying shampoo to himself, Zhang Daya also lathered Tom with bubbles. The entire cat was covered in white foam, with only his two eyes peeking out.
He had heard that using human shampoo on cats wasn't good, but… Tom wasn't just any ordinary cat.
At this moment, Tom was sitting on a small stool, propping his chin with one paw, leisurely enjoying Zhang Daya's scrubbing service.
After rinsing the foam off Tom, Tom shook off the water, and in an instant, he was a brand new cat again.
Next, it was Zhang Daya's turn to squat down. Tom stepped onto the small stool, holding a towel, and scrubbed Zhang Daya's back. Despite Tom's small size, the strength in his paws was quite impressive.
As Zhang Daya enjoyed Tom's back-scrubbing service, he looked at his sunken cheeks in the mirror.
"Can just five days of not eating enough really make someone this skinny?"
Since he hadn't had such an experience, Zhang Daya couldn't judge, but he felt that such a big change was a bit exaggerated.
"But since Tom has also gotten thinner, it should be normal for me to be like this…"
Zhang Daya suddenly noticed something amiss and turned to ask, "Tom, how did you recover so quickly?"
The timing in the previous chapter was a bit off; I secretly corrected it. Thank you for pointing it out.