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Chapter 140

The tables in Canteen 3 were only half the size of those in Canteen 1. In contrast, it could accommodate more inmates dining at the same time.

Canteen 1 was mostly for inmates from Building 1 and their protectors, or inmates from other buildings. Occasionally, there would also be killing ceremonies that Shen Yue first saw in Canteen 1. That was an area that only a few people in the prison could access.

Canteen 3 was more inclusive. Also because it was the closest to Building 6, it would often prepare some light-tasting meals for sick inmates.

It was currently the peak dinner time, with long lines in front of every window.

But Si Chengyou didn\'t line up at the windows. He just waved Shen Yue over to find a seat, and soon someone came over to hand them each a menu to order food.

Si Chengyou simply ordered one meat, one vegetable dish and a bowl of rice, while Shen Yue ordered a bowl of eight treasures porridge and a serving of spicy sauce.

Si Chengyou watched Shen Yue order without saying anything or interfering.

But after Shen Yue finished ordering, he seemed to casually ask, "Do you know the origin of eight treasures porridge?"

Shen Yue shook her head. No one had ever told her about this before, and even if she knew, it would be meaningless.

Seeing Shen Yue shake her head, Si Chengyou went on to say, "Eight treasures porridge is also called Laba porridge. There is a legend about it: When Zhu Yuanzhang was young, he begged for food. One year on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, he hadn\'t eaten for days and was starving and freezing. Suddenly he saw a mouse burrow into a hole, and he wanted to catch the mouse to eat. So he dug open the mouse hole, but inside he found some rice, beans and other grains. Then he cooked a pot of porridge to eat, saving himself from freezing or starving to death. After he became emperor, on every eighth day of the twelfth month, he would cook porridge and eat it to commemorate that, and it also contained the meaning of recalling the hardships and thinking sweetly."

Shen Yue listened to Si Chengyou tell this story without much reaction, just staring blankly at the table, not knowing what she was thinking.

Si Chengyou asked again, "What do you think about this story?"

Shen Yue answered honestly, "Nothing."

"Do you feel like it\'s a meaningless story?"

"Yes."

Si Chengyou chuckled lightly and said in a tone that could make people unconsciously relax, "Not every story needs meaning, nor does everything need purpose. Sometimes doing something doesn\'t necessarily have to achieve something, it\'s just because you want to do it."

Shen Yue didn\'t understand why Si Chengyou was saying this to her, but she didn\'t sense any malice or scheme from his words, so she nodded.

Soon, Shen Yue\'s eight treasures porridge and spicy sauce were brought to the table.

The eight treasures porridge was sweet, while the spicy sauce was spicy. This combination seemed strange no matter how you looked at it.

But Shen Yue was expressionlessly eating spoonfuls of porridge followed by bites of spicy sauce.

Sweetness was a taste that Shen Yue didn\'t know she liked before. It was Ma Sha who helped her discover her liking for sweet flavors.

Spiciness was a kind of pain. At first, Shen Yue couldn\'t tolerate spicy food, so Ma Sha often used chili peppers to tease her. Over time, Shen Yue found that her tolerance for chili peppers had also increased.

The chili peppers that once made her extremely uncomfortable with just a tiny touch were now eaten without the slightest discomfort. On the contrary, she thoroughly enjoyed the pain lingering in her mouth.

Si Chengyou quietly observed Shen Yue for a while before speaking up, "There should be other side dishes to go with the porridge. Why did you only order spicy sauce?"

Shen Yue swallowed her mouthful and parroted back, "I just wanted to do it this way."

Si Chengyou\'s chopsticks paused and he naturally continued, "You sure learn fast."

Shen Yue gave a hum. After finishing her porridge, she stared motionless at Si Chengyou.

Being stared at like this, Si Chengyou was not flustered at all. He continued to elegantly eat his meal, as if he was not in a prison canteen but rather at the highest class banquet.

Shen Yue felt gazes falling on her from all around, but there were few on Si Chengyou, not knowing if it was because they didn\'t dare or didn\'t want to.

She also discovered that ever since Si Chengyou sat here, only inmates from Building 5 passed by her. Inmates from other buildings mostly chose to avoid Si Chengyou.

That meant at least for the inmates of Building 5, Si Chengyou was not someone to be feared.

However, after staring at Si Chengyou for so long, another question popped up in Shen Yue\'s mind that she was even more curious about.

She asked, "Si Chengyou, why is your number of chews per mouthful always the same?"

Shen Yue had been watching Si Chengyou\'s every move closely, including which inmate he made eye contact with, what part of his facial expression changed at what instant. She kept it all in mind.

From all the feedback Si Chengyou\'s body had shown, what Shen Yue found most interesting was his chewing speed and frequency.

To keep it exactly the same every time must require precise control. Shen Yue wanted to know why.

Just like Si Chengyou said, she had to know why before she could judge when to do what.

Si Chengyou was somewhat surprised Shen Yue discovered his deliberately controlled chewing frequency so quickly. But what surprised him even more was that Shen Yue was showing curiosity.

From mechanical memorization to actively asking why, such a change had occurred in just half a day.

As expected, Shen Yue had immense potential. As long as he guided her properly...

Si Chengyou put down his chopsticks and wiped the corners of his mouth before looking seriously at Shen Yue and said, "The normal chewing frequency is 70-80 chews/minute. The average time needed for one chewing cycle is 0.875 seconds, and the average tooth contact time is 0.2 seconds.

The position of missing teeth, functional occlusal contact area, periodontal tissue, temporomandibular joint disease, loss of oral soft tissue, inflammation, trauma sequela, systemic disease or frail person - all these factors can lead to degenerative changes in muscles, thus affecting chewing efficiency. Excessive fatigue, mental tension and poor chewing habits can also have an impact.

From a person\'s chewing speed and habits I can judge their physical characteristics. For myself, I also avoid revealing personal information because of this, so I control my chewing speed and frequency."

Shen Yue\'s eyes flashed. Although she had always felt Si Chengyou was a dangerous man, at this moment, it was the first time she intuitively sensed how frightening Si Chengyou was.

She could remember what Si Chengyou said, but she couldn\'t analyze like him, let alone use it to restrain herself.

Seeing Shen Yue\'s expression, Si Chengyou seemed to know what she was thinking. He tapped the table lightly to regain Shen Yue\'s attention and said, "This kind of thing is not difficult. For you, you just need to memorize enough details first, then practice."

"Do you want to learn?"

"Yes."

But Si Chengyou asked again, "Is it out of your own will?"

Shen Yue was startled. It was the first time someone had emphasized her own will to her.

That\'s right, she listened to her sister, she listened to Ma Sha, so was she listening to Si Chengyou this time?

No, this time, she was listening to herself.

"Yes, I want to learn."

*It\'s almost time to write a climax. I\'ll have to ponder the plot over the next couple days to fill in the missing chapters.