Chapter 3: Learning New Skills (Third Update; Please Recommend and Bookmark)

What? Food?

If Stana had been feeling complicated before, now she was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Only then did she notice that the man’s gaze had never been on her at all; he had plainly been staring at the bread in her arms.

At that instant, a laugh almost rose in Stana’s heart, but before it could bloom, a tide of disappointment from deep inside her pressed it down.

Li Yian did not notice the subtle change in Stana’s mood.

“Madam, would that be all right?”

As the words fell, his stomach let out a loud rumble.

“Of course.”

The sound from the man’s stomach made Stana smile helplessly.

“But exchanging only for this piece of bread is obviously not fair. I live in the building ahead. If you don’t mind, you can come to my place. Besides bread, I can also make you some soup.”

Mind? How could he mind?

When one is starving and thirsty, a cup of hot soup is nothing short of heavenly.

What is wrong with me?

More than ten minutes later, Stana, still slicing potatoes in the kitchen, remained full of confusion: what was wrong with her today?

Why had she主动 invited a strange man into her home?

While cutting the potatoes, she listened to the sounds from the living room. It seemed very quiet there. Unable to help herself, she paused, and her eyes unconsciously fell on the man in the living room.

The man seated on the sofa, whom she had invited into her house, seemed to be examining her home.

Li Yian truly was looking around the house. The furnishings were quite luxurious, and it was clear the woman came from a well-off family, or at least had once been well-off. On either side of the fireplace stood bookcases, one filled with books, while on the other side was a piano. Dust had already settled thickly over the instrument, long since untouched by human hands.

Several photographs also sat atop the mantel. They were two-person portraits, and the woman in them was precisely the one who had invited him inside. The man beside her, dressed in military uniform, should have been her husband.

“Her husband is actually an officer?”

Still, that made sense. During the Second World War, just about any able-bodied man served in the military.

After looking around, his curiosity was quickly overwhelmed by his growling stomach. His whole mind was on when the meal would be ready.

Food was certainly the first priority, but there was one matter he absolutely could not afford to neglect.

That was his identity.

Right now he was in wartime London. As an undocumented foreigner, he could very likely be mistaken for a spy, arrested, and shot.

If that happened, he would be finished.

His journey through time would end there.

So what should he do next?

How should he explain where he came from?

Or rather, how was he supposed to obtain legitimate identification?

These were urgent problems.

“Same old story with time travel. At the very least, you should pick a better place and a better time… one wrong step and you’re done for.”

Li Yian complained inwardly as he began to think carefully about the many problems ahead.

When one was deep in thought, time passed quickly. After who knew how long, when darkness had fully fallen, the woman brought out several plates and said, “Sir, dinner is ready.”

“Thank you, madam.”

The eagerness written all over the man’s face made Stana smile, but once again a strange ache of disappointment welled up in her heart.

So what he truly cared about was food after all.

When he picked up the bread, a faint wheat fragrance rushed toward him, and there was even bacon inside, rich and savory. After one bite, Li Yian felt for the first time that bread could be so delicious.

In truth, if one went hungry for a few meals, anything would taste wonderful.

There was mashed potatoes too, and also… in fact, the meal was not lavish, after all the ingredients were limited.

As the man ate dinner, Stana asked, “Sir, you should be Chinese, shouldn’t you?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

“Before the war, I lived in Southeast Asia for two years. The Japanese are very short, and the people of Southeast Asia have very dark skin and rather unpleasant features, so I guessed you must be Chinese,” Stana explained.

“Madam, you are truly brilliant. You guessed right at once.”

Li Yian flattered her.

“But why would you be willing to exchange such expensive perfume for a mere dinner?”

At last, she had asked the real question. In truth, Stana also harbored some expectation in her heart.

“I only just arrived in Britain.”

Li Yian had long since known this question would come.

“You just arrived in Britain?”

Stana asked.

“From China? At a time like this?”

“No. I escaped here from France.”

Li Yian sighed helplessly.

Stana froze upon hearing this, her expression turning a little strange.

“Escaped from France? How could that be possible?”

she asked curiously.

“A few years ago, to avoid the chaos of war, I left China with my family and went to Saigon. Before the war broke out, I took a ship to France to study. But to my utter surprise, war erupted as soon as I arrived in France. France was defeated and surrendered, and as a foreigner, life there was really beyond words. Only a few months ago did I finally find a chance to escape to Spain, then came to Britain aboard a Spanish fishing boat…”

As Li Yian spun one tall tale after another, he thought of the perfume in his pocket and smiled as he changed the subject.

“By God’s grace, I met such a kind lady the moment I arrived in London. Otherwise I fear I would still be going hungry. This perfume was a gift from a friend of mine in France. Thank you very much for your dinner.”

As he spoke, he placed the perfume on the table.

“Now it belongs to you.”

“Are you really willing to trade it?”

Stana asked joyfully.

“Of course. Thank you for your warm hospitality.”

Stana picked up the perfume at once and hid it in her hand as though it were a treasure.

“Thank you.”

At that moment, the light screen appeared again out of nowhere.

[Second transaction detected. Assessment complete.]

The system again?

Does this count as a transaction?

Am I about to gain experience again?

As Li Yian’s mood rose with anticipation, the light screen indeed flashed with his reward.

[This transaction was an initiative on your part, involving the search for a suitable business opportunity. You may learn the skill: Psychology. Learn it?]

“Learn it, learn it!”

Another new skill as a reward. This system really is excellent!

Seeing the words that indicated psychology had been learned, Li Yian had not yet even fully felt the joy in his heart.

So even this can teach a new skill. Though it is psychology, the more skills one has, the better. What other skills might I be able to learn in the future?

Though he had only just crossed over, Li Yian could not help but feel full of anticipation for the future ahead.