59-60

Chapter 59: Holiday Attributes 

Laba Porridge originated in the Song Dynasty. On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, major temples in Tokyo would simmer Porridge with "Seven Treasures and Five Flavors" mixed with glutinous rice, and households would follow suit. 

Rice, beans, walnuts, pine nuts, milk cap mushrooms, persimmons, and millet – these were the seven ingredients, called "Seven Treasures," in the earliest version of Laba Porridge. Aside from the rice and beans, the other five fruits added the "Five Flavors" to the Porridge. 

Of course, the Porridge Cody was making wasn't quite so refined or fancy. 

Regular rice, millet, glutinous rice, corn, Job's tears, creamy kidney beans, mung beans, adzuki beans, red kidney beans, red dates, deseeded lotus seeds, peanuts, longan... he even threw in a bag of dried fruit. 

Basically, it was all about being mixed; he just put in whatever he had. 

Right then, Cody was silently grateful for the system store's thoughtfulness. It even had an ingredient processing function. For just a few asset points (like dollars), he could process bags of grains, beans, and fruits – peeling, shelling, drying, and even shortening an overnight soak to mere seconds. 

Jason watched, wide-eyed, as he added all sorts of weird-looking ingredients, some he knew and some he didn't, into the pot. He instinctively swallowed. 

He wouldn't know if it tasted good until he tried it, but at least this pot of Porridge looked colorful and smelled amazing. 

As he added water while cooking and stirred with a big ladle, the cook's clothes, which had been soaked with snowmelt earlier, were now drying by the fire. He was humming a tune nobody understood. 

"Little kid, little kid, don't be greedy, the New Year is right after Laba; Laba Porridge, drink it for days, rambling and buzzing 'til the twenty-third..." 

Jason didn't understand what he was humming either, but he just felt like, in that moment, the guy was just like Santa Claus from a fairy tale. Riding a reindeer, in a sleigh, flying down the chimney to give kids presents – and he even sang nursery rhymes. 

He swallowed and swallowed, the big ladle stirred and stirred. The peanuts, beans, lotus seeds, and other stuff in the pot finally started getting soft from the high heat, blending together. It was gradually turning into a dark reddish, thick Porridge liquid. The grain aroma grew stronger, making Jason almost unable to resist trying a bite. 

"Hold up, don't reach in, this Porridge is super hot." Cody saw the kids around him getting antsy, looking like they couldn't wait any longer, and had to remind them. "The Porridge's not ready yet, don't rush. If you burn yourselves, you won't be able to eat it." 

So the kids had to pull their hands back, turning instead to stare at the Porridge in the pot, imagining how it tasted. 

Cody could hear the sounds of kids swallowing around the pot, one after another. He couldn't help but smile, but then he sighed right after. 

He just didn't know how many other homeless kids in Gotham were in the same boat as the ones in this little shack – or even worse off. 

Speaking of which, he got the task from reading a newspaper, which meant the odd job probably had to be done at the rescue center. This pot of Porridge likely wouldn't count towards the task progress. Of course, he wasn't too bummed about it, just thought it was a bit of a shame. He originally wanted to see what the 'Holiday Attribute' of food was. 

But now, he was thinking maybe the rescue center thing could wait. The task was optional anyway, so what if he did it later? He wasn't planning on maxing out the progress anyway. 

"Alright, alright, the Porridge's almost ready to serve! Don't worry, you guys won't be allergic to anything in it. Now, go grab spoons and bowls from my truck." 

The second benefit of the Horn of Abundance was that the healing effect of the food it produced could counteract any negative reactions it might cause itself, including widespread nut allergies common in the States – a problem just as common in Gotham. Cody wasn't sure how many of the over thirty kids in the room had nut allergies, so all his ingredients came from the Horn of Abundance. 

The older kids cheered and grabbed a bundle of wooden spoons and bowls from the truck, handing them out one by one. Everyone gathered around the fire, watching the big cook lift his large ladle and start serving the Porridge into the bowls, filling each one generously. 

Jason eagerly held up his bowl. He felt like he really was a kid waiting for Santa to hand out presents, like when his parents were still around. They used to sing to him on Christmas and even make a small Christmas tree. 

"Hold on –" 

Before Cody could even finish his sentence, dozens of spoons were already dipping into the bowls. They'd waited a full half-hour, and now that they could finally have hot Porridge, how could these kids possibly hold back? 

"Hiss, hah, hah, hah –" 

The next second, the sound of kids exhaling loudly filled the room, one after another. A bunch of little ones tilted their heads back, blowing hot air from their mouths towards the ceiling to quickly cool down the piping hot Porridge. 

"It's hot! Don't rush..." 

The cook watched the kids tilting their heads back, puffing air after getting burned, and smirked mischievously. "Heh heh, I told you not to rush, but you wouldn't listen." 

Jason, quick with his hands, grabbed a wooden spoon, scooped a little Porridge from the pot, and shoved it right into his wide-open mouth. 

"Hiss, hah, hah, hah –" 

Suddenly, there was one more mouth in the little shack tilted back and puffing air. 

Cody had to take several deep breaths of cool air before he recovered. Good thing Jason only scooped a little; otherwise, it would have been really tough to handle. 

"Not learning good habits at a young age, being so spiteful! Next time, I'm putting lotus seed cores in your Porridge!" 

The cook wasn't exactly the picture of generosity either... 

But nobody had time to argue with him. Everyone was focused on drinking the Porridge in their bowls, or more accurately, wolfing it down. 

This was the first time they'd had Porridge that tasted this good. Even though they didn't know what was in it, the Porridge was really thick and sweet. Every mouthful of hot Porridge that went down brought a real feeling of fullness. 

The raisins were sweet and sour, the peanuts were crunchy, the red beans were soft and mushy, the red dates looked nice. As they ate the Porridge, a warm feeling spread from their bellies throughout their bodies. Their cold hands and feet gradually warmed up, regaining a healthy reddish color. Even the chilblains they'd had on their hands and feet gradually smoothed out into healthy skin. 

Horn of Abundance: A Horn of Abundance that can continuously produce food. Relying on it allows one to survive in the most extreme environments. The food it produces can even provide a certain amount of life recovery and lifesteal against enemies. 

Cody had chased Jason for several blocks and was feeling a bit hungry himself. He also scooped a bowl of Porridge and slowly started eating. He hadn't had more than a few bites when a system prompt suddenly popped up in front of him. 

"Winter in Gotham City Status: Ongoing (0.037%) Reward Activated 'Holiday' attribute effect activated. Cooked holiday food 'Laba Porridge', gained attributes 'Balancing and Nourishing' and 'Warming and Dispelling Cold'. 

Balancing and Nourishing: Mixed grains, mixed Porridge, balancing and nourishing. Enhances the nutritional supplement effect of Laba Porridge on consumers. 

Warming the Stomach and Dispelling Cold: Ingredients are warm in nature, warming the body and dispelling cold. Enhances the cold resistance effect of Laba Porridge on consumers. 

Currently gained attribute enhancement: 0.037% 

Note: The task didn't specify a location to advance progress. Why are you getting so imaginative?" 

Cody couldn't help but give the system AI a thumbs-up. 

Chapter 60: Santa Claus is Cooking Laba Congee – How Could I Dream Something Like That? 

Jason held his bowl and drank three full bowls, completely filling his empty stomach with the thick, rich congee. By this time, his other companions were already letting out satisfied burps. 

Just then, the chef patted him on the shoulder and asked, "I heard them call you Jason?" 

"Yes, sir, I'm Jason." 

"My name is Cody. What's your full name?" 

"Jason Todd." 

"Hey," a smile spread across the chef's face. "Is your name inspired by that movie? The big guy Jason with the hockey mask?" 

"Sir..." Jason hesitated, not quite daring to look Cody in the eye, and didn't answer his question. Instead, he asked carefully, "Why... why are you helping me?" 

"Well..." Cody thought for a moment before replying, "I wanted to help, and I could help, so I did. And I bet I'm not the only one who's helped you guys out." 

Jason immediately thought of a woman who looked a lot like a cat burglar and a man who looked very much like a bat. His crew of kids had indeed received help from them. The woman had given them some money, and the man had dealt with a lot of criminals who wanted to mess with them. 

"I guess what you really want to ask is, why aren't I holding you accountable?" 

Jason still kept his head down and nodded silently. 

"Because you haven't done anything worse just to survive, Jason." 

Cody patted his head. "Most people seem normal day-to-day, they follow the rules, work for a living, don't commit crimes. But when things get tough, they're just regular folks, with their weaknesses. They might cross their own lines. The harder the situation, the tougher it is to stick to them." 

"Jason, when you're facing life-or-death situations, the worst thing you did was steal, and even that was to save your friends. Honestly, you're very kind and incredibly brave. Or rather, you're all very kind." 

"If I were in your shoes, I might not have your kindness and bravery." 

Jason still had his head bowed. His nose stung, and he felt like crying, so he didn't want to look up. Ever since his mother died young and his father went to jail for dealing drugs, making him practically an orphan, he rarely heard any affirmation from adults. It was mostly yelling, being ignored, or being tricked. 

He stayed silent, and Cody didn't interrupt his thoughts. Instead, he turned to the other kids and asked, "Are there any other kids like you guys around here?" 

The kids from the 'Car Crew' exchanged glances, guessing what Cody was getting at. One kid mumbled, "Yeah, there are three other gangs, over at..." 

"Zebby!" A slightly sharper-looking kid suddenly yelled, cutting him off. 

"Colin, don't," Jason, having gotten his emotions under control, looked up again. "They're having a tough time too." 

"But, Jason, they always pick on us!" 

"They've worked with us before too. It's really cold now, we can't just watch them freeze to death. Besides, who else would we team up with later?" 

Smart, Cody thought. Kids this smart aren't that common, even in Gotham. Wait, he's called Jason? 

Jason Todd? 

Holy cow! Jason Todd! Batman's second Robin! The future Red Hood! 

He had multiple origin stories, but Cody vaguely remembered that in one version, he had a terrible temper, genuinely awful – impulsive, easily angered, hot-headed, and stubborn. But this version of Jason was also incredibly skilled. He single-handedly took off two tires from the Batmobile. In Cody's mind, that achievement was unprecedented; none of Gotham's super-criminals had ever managed it. 

Could this be that version standing right here? But his temper doesn't seem that volatile. Or maybe he hasn't developed that "takes on all comers" personality he'll have in the future yet? 

A person's character is shaped by their life experiences. Jason might not have been hot-tempered from the start. Right now, he honestly seems like a good kid, just like Tim. 

But there's a high probability he'll become Batman's Robin in the future... Getting too involved with him, or having too close a relationship, wouldn't that go against his principle of seeking advantage and avoiding trouble? 

"... " Cody shook his head. Regardless, abandoning kids wasn't his style. Future problems could be dealt with in the future. For now, the priority was helping them get through this winter. 

That night, the winged bat soared over Gotham City once more. 

The cold front brought by the winter snow barely affected him. The Batsuit, a creation of Wayne Tech, combined with Batman's own superhuman physique, gave him incredible environmental adaptability. 

And tonight, he felt better than ever before. He'd had a check-up at the hospital today. Seven of the old injuries among his more than ten fractures had completely healed, and the newer fractures were also recovering well. According to the doctor, he just needed two months of rest to return to normal. 

But he couldn't rest. Batman didn't take vacations, and couldn't. 

While patrolling the area where the street kids hung out in the East End, something caught his attention. 

Firelight, a large group of homeless kids gathered together. Something isn't right. I haven't seen this kind of situation in Gotham before, not even when these kids were having a gang fight. 

He slightly drew in his cape, his glide instantly turning into a dive towards the gathering spot. 

The closer he got, the more he could smell a rich aroma, like... porridge? 

Someone was cooking porridge here? 

Who would do something like that? 

Seeing that he was about to land, he spread his cape again, sharply slowing his dive. With a light roll, Batman landed silently on the roof of a low building. 

He looked up and saw, in an open-air makeshift shelter, a man wearing a red padded coat, black boots, and a Santa hat, stirring a huge pot with a spoon. The sweet, fragrant smell of congee was wafting from that very pot. 

This guy... what is he up to now? 

Batman was a master of disguise and impersonation; of course, he could see through the "Santa Claus's" true identity in an instant. Even though the person was wearing a funny white long beard, he was almost 100% sure it was Cody, the guy whose house burned down just yesterday, leaving him homeless. 

What does he want now? Is there a conspiracy involved in this? 

Batman's thought process always started in that direction. 

Or, does he not have any agenda? Is he just simply... wanting to help the street kids in the East End? 

Batman fell into thought.