I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 19
In my impression, yesterday at the seafood section of the market, I probably bought the smallest fish, but when I ate it last night, I still had a lot left.
However, one advantage of steamed fish is that the leftover broth can be used as a base for noodles.
Early in the morning, amid the clatter of pots and pans, I quickly removed the fish bones from the fish I took out of the fridge, poured water into the pot, and then added the fish meat and the broth.
I simmered it over low heat, and when the temperature seemed about right, I added the noodles.
For someone who’s been single for a long time and is frugal like me, cooking is no longer a big issue, especially when it comes to boiling noodles.
In my opinion, making noodles is about as difficult as making instant noodles.
I flipped the steaming fish and noodles on the induction stove for a bit, estimated that it was almost done, and set the noodles aside. Then I cleaned the pot and replaced it with another large pot used for steaming, where I placed a piece of corn and an egg.
The fish and noodles provided plenty of protein and starch, the corn added dietary fiber and vitamins, and with an all-around egg, this breakfast was close to perfection.
I covered the steamer, knowing that the corn and egg still needed some time to cook. I returned to the soft cushions in the living room and started the set of exercises I did last night, consisting of warm-ups, waist, belly, and leg exercises all in one.
Exercising before breakfast has been a habit of mine for many years.
The body of this little girl is clearly not accustomed to this kind of exercise yet. I only did a little bit last night and I was exhausted. Now my belly and legs are a bit sore, and the soft flesh on my belly is slightly firmer than it was at noon yesterday.
But this feeling isn’t bad at all. Although it’s the body of a little girl, in case, as the grim reaper said, I look like this for the rest of my life, I must take good care of her from now on.
In any case, exercising daily and doing shaping exercises is definitely a good idea.
Russian twists, mountain climbers, mermaid swimming…
Bouncing around, lying down for lower body exercises, moving my legs, twisting my abdomen, making sure my entire waist gets a thorough workout, until my body feels warm… and it’s over.
More than ten minutes later, I stood up from the cushion, drenched in sweat, and took a while to catch my breath.
Ah… I remember that when I was still a man, it would take me only seven or eight minutes to complete this set of exercises, and I wouldn’t be this exhausted at all.
Darn it, a girl’s body is still a bit weaker.
After resting for a while, I turned and walked to the kitchen. The corn and the egg in the pot had just finished cooking. I turned off the microwave, lifted the lid, and a rush of hot steam hit my face.
I placed the bowl of fish and noodle soup, along with the corn and egg, on the dining table. Watching the steam rising from them, I estimated that it would take a little while for this nutritious breakfast to cool down to an edible temperature. I took out my keys, put on the hat from the table, and walked out of the house, taking a deep breath of the early morning air, which instantly cleared my mind.
“Wow!”
It seemed that this time was right in the middle of the rush hour for the apartment building’s working professionals. As I stepped out, a young couple was coming down the stairs, hand in hand. When they saw me, the young woman was quite surprised, “When did such a cute little sister move in here? Wasn’t it supposed to be people in their twenties?”
“Maybe a cousin, staying here for a few days?”
The young man on the left must have noticed the shoes I had placed at the door and said, “I remember that a middle-aged single man lives in apartment 301. He occasionally shares some emojis in the group chat. I invited him for a drink a while back, but he didn’t show up.”
Oh… in that case, I think I know who you are.
Listening to this young man’s words, I finally recalled that about six months ago, someone added me as a WeChat friend late at night and invited me for a drink.
In this apartment building, there are quite a few people who like to drink. They either gather at the nearby convenience store to drink all night or go to the KTV or nightclubs next door and stay out late.
Personally, I’ve never had the habit of smoking or drinking, and I’ve never been to bars or nightclubs. So, when this person invited me, I politely declined.
This is also why, despite living in this apartment for so long, I have very little interaction with the people around me – we have very few common interests.
The young people here like smoking and drinking, and in the evening, they either find a place to drink and chat, or they go to nearby bars to dance. Some of the girls even work as service staff in the bars, and the social interactions between people are quite complex and messy.
When it comes to adult male “friendship,” it’s quite straightforward. After work, if they have some free time, they might set up a barbecue and see who can drink the most, or they’ll pass each other cigarettes and talk about which bars and karaoke places are worth a visit. Since I’m not interested in these activities, I usually just share a few emojis in the group chat to familiarize myself with others.
I believe there are quite a few tenants in the community who, like me, don’t enjoy this kind of socializing. However, because the dominant form of social interaction in the group chat is sending a message like “Let’s go for a drink,” which attracts a large group of people, those with similar lifestyles and habits might not know what to say and end up choosing to be more reserved.
As for the person who claimed to have invited me for a drink, he lives on the fifth floor of this apartment, in unit 502. If I remember correctly, he’s had at least three different girlfriends in the past two months, and this is the fourth one.
“Good morning, little sister,” he greeted me as he passed by. “Heading to class?”
“Um…” I responded casually, shuffled my shoes, and continued down the stairs.
“That guy in 301 is probably the stereotypical otaku, especially in the last two months. I haven’t seen him leave his apartment at all,” he continued talking to his girlfriend as they walked downstairs. “I have no idea how someone of that type is going to find a wife in the future.”
“…”
As I listened to this, I felt like the hair on the top of my head was standing on end.
What does it have to do with you whether I get married or not?
“Hehe, well, being an otaku is okay,” the young man’s girlfriend replied casually. “I’ve heard that otaku guys are less likely to cheat these days.”
“But be careful, the cheating rate for otaku guys is quite high now. Why else do they have such a bad reputation online? They almost fall in love with every girl they see, and they even call the anime characters their ‘wives.’ Do you really think they won’t cheat?” the young man responded anxiously. “Am I not a good guy, like me? I’m willing to spend money on women and I have plenty of time to go out with you… Xiao Qian, do you think I’m not good enough for you?”
“Hmm, hard to say…”
Ah… When I have enough money in the future, I must leave this place.
Definitely!
After leaving the apartment building, I thought to myself in frustration.
If it weren’t for the fact that this place had good property management, was technologically advanced, and had convenient payment options, and that there were rules against making noise at night, making it suitable for writing late into the night, I might have terminated my lease on the day it expired.
The root of all problems is just not having enough money.
Hmm… I wonder if I’ll ever be able to buy my own place in this lifetime.
My requirements are quite low… there’s no trash scattered around like in urban villages, and at night, I won’t have big rats crawling in through the windows. During my afternoon nap, I won’t be disturbed by nearby loudspeakers, and as long as I can see the sunlight when it’s out, that’s good enough.
In terms of the layout… having a living room, a small room of my own, and a private bathroom would be just fine.
Oh, and if possible, it would be great to have a balcony. I could plant some small flowers and grass there, or lay out a small mat on the balcony. After working all day, I could take a bath and then sit on the mat, gaze at the moon and count the stars.
But such houses are probably quite expensive, right?
Considering the current property prices in Shenzhen City, combined with my current salary… buying a house is nearly impossible.
Oh, wait, forget about buying a house, it’s uncertain whether I can even find a job in the future.
Having turned into a little girl with no identification, how can I survive in this society?
As for a girlfriend, my current body is female. As an honest middle-aged man, asking me to find a man is like asking me to kill myself. My dark history is off-limits to anyone. That’s my bottom line.
So should I go look for a girl? Do girls love other girls? Is this a yuri love affair? Would any girl be willing to accept me like this?
For some reason, when I think of “love,” the image of a certain grim reaper comes to mind.
Her? No, no, no. That person, because I teased her and made her angry, is the one responsible for turning me into this form. She knows I used to be a middle-aged man, so it’s impossible.
Moreover, she comes from a world I’ve never even interacted with, and she’s always busy. She probably won’t have time to care about a regular person like me.
Oh well, enough of these wild thoughts. I should focus on living one day at a time. The “me” from the past is already gone. I don’t even know how the grim reaper will deal with my current self in three days. It’s unbelievable that I’m already thinking about buying a house and getting a girlfriend.
“Huff, huff…”
Taking a deep breath again outside the apartment building, I stretched my slender legs a bit. I’ll do a bit of exercise and then go back to have breakfast. After that, it’s time to deal with my salary.