Revisit Azur Lane

The cement pavement they bought is 1.5 meters wide and 10 meters long. It can be used for main roads, but it's not very suitable for branches. Zhou He plans to study it further.

……

After passing through the command post and arriving at the back, Zhou He first looked at the road he had dug and paved, and then looked all the way to the planned hot spring site. After the hot spring was placed, it would definitely have its own foundation, just like the road. In other words, this road, which had been dug deep, would be lower than the entrance, so that rainwater would not flow into the hot spring area after rain.

His efforts were not in vain. Later, he could exchange a few more pavilions to cover the path leading to the hot spring pool, and with some tidying up of the ground, it would have an ancient charm.

"Well, not bad."

Zhou He touched it with satisfaction. There were quite a few things to consider in civil engineering. Fortunately, his choice was not wrong.

"What is the commander saying?"

There were people sunbathing here, and Zhou He's recliner had already been taken over by Yuudachi. At this moment, she was kneeling on it backwards, propping herself up with her hands to observe Zhou He's strange behavior.

"Speaking of this road, I'm quite satisfied with it."

Sitting next to me, Zuikaku ran her toes over the pavement. The quality was indeed very high, and I no longer had to worry about getting my shoes dirty when I went out.

The two whispered to Zhou He, who then looked over. Yuudachi and Zuikaku were sitting close together, while Tosa was a little further away. Tosa had his sword resting on his lap and his eyes closed, seemingly in meditation. The Hood he was looking for wasn't here.

Instead of leaving immediately, he beckoned to Zhou He, whose ears perked up instantly. With a miraculous kneeling leap, he jumped off the recliner and approached Zhou He, looking up at him: "Commander, do you have any instructions?"

"Yes, let me hug you."

Looking at Yuudachi, Zhou He couldn't help but smile. He bent down and opened his arms. Yuudachi's eyes suddenly lit up, and she even jumped up and hugged Zhou He's neck with both hands. Zhou He seized the opportunity and hugged Yuudachi's waist and back with both hands.

The impact of Yuudachi made it difficult for Zhou He to stand. He subconsciously took two steps back and spun around before steadily picking Yuudachi up. He naturally smelled the mixed scent of her hair and a milky fragrance. However, he didn't have enough strength, and her neck was being held a little too tightly. After a while, he put Yuudachi down and patted her arm to indicate that he could let go.

"Ugh?"

Zuikaku tilted his head as he looked at the two of them, wondering what was going on. Yuudachi herself was also curious, but her joy overwhelmed her curiosity. After landing, she snuggled into Zhou He's arms and rubbed against his chest, her eyes narrowed as if she had been healed.

"It's lighter than I expected."

Zhou He gently stroked Yuudachi's hair, and his doubts were answered. Yuudachi was a few pounds heavier than a girl of this size, but considering that Yuudachi had a healthy, chubby figure, the actual weight difference was not much, maybe only ten pounds more.

However, it's also possible that because Yuudachi is a destroyer, other ship types would be heavier.

He looked at Zuikaku, who leaned back tactically, gripped the backrest, and widened her eyes: "Commander, have you lost your mind?"

"What you're saying will only give you an upset stomach no matter what."

Zhou He's eyelids twitched, and he complained irritably.

"Yeah, hahaha."

Zuikaku, who had been corrected, chuckled and touched his hair. A sudden thought struck him: "Did the Commander suffer a setback with Hood and come to us for comfort?"

"You have a really strong imagination. I was just curious about how much your weight differs from that of a normal human, so that you can be more careful in the future."

Zhou He didn't want to talk about girls' weight, but the three people in front of him, although girls, were all martial arts practitioners and probably wouldn't care as much as the others, so he just brought it up.

"Oh dear, Commander, you're really oblivious. But it's true, although there are many reserved ship girls like us, there are bound to be a few strange ones. Commander, you have to be careful not to break them."

As expected, Zuikaku only made a half-complaint and then stopped talking. Instead, she earnestly gave Zhou He some instructions, and pointed to Tosa behind her with her thumb: "Especially someone as heavy as this. If you even slightly touch him, Commander, you're in big trouble."

"..."

Zhou He looked at Tosa and found that Tosa was also looking over. However, her gaze fell on Zuikaku's fingers. She raised her eyebrows slightly, seemingly not expecting Zuikaku to be so unethical. She silently stood up, gripping her sword. After thinking about it, she realized that what Zuikaku said was true. As weak as Zhou He was, she estimated that she could send him away in a moment. So she sat back down.

For some reason, Zhou He felt offended and knew he couldn't discuss this topic further. He gently patted Xi Li's shoulder to separate them and then smiled, "I'll pay attention later. Do you have any desserts you'd like to eat at the tea party? I'll ask Hu De; she should know a lot about how to make desserts."

"Oh? Marshmallow?"

Zuikaku rocked the little chair she was sitting in: "It looks delicious."

"Uh, I know that, but it requires equipment, which we don't have at home yet."

Zhou He looked a little embarrassed, but Zuikaku didn't seem to care. He smiled and waved, "Commander, you can get ready. We're in charge of the food, so we're not allowed to be picky."

"I'll just eat cake, cream cake!"

Yuudachi raised her hand earnestly, even standing on tiptoe, which made Zhou He chuckle and pat his head: "Okay, I'll go make you a cream cake right now."

"Great!"

Yuudachi's good mood was really contagious. Even Zhou He, who was a bit of a taciturn person before his transmigration, was infected and became eloquent. After saying a few words, Zhou He said goodbye to the others and returned to the house, where he ran into Hood and Hermione coming down the stairs.

Hermione was dressed as a cute maid as always, but Hood was wearing a white chef's uniform, her hair was tied up and mostly covered by a hat, leaving only a few wavy bangs, exuding an indescribable youthful and capable aura. Zhou He stared wide-eyed as if he had seen a ghost.

“Commander, it is very impolite to stare at a lady like that.”

Hu De walked downstairs, his gentle smile seemingly concealing a deeper emotion. Zhou He immediately narrowed his eyes and agreed, avoiding any detection of his pupil tremors, and lightly followed the two into the kitchen.

“I heard from Hermione that the Commander doesn’t seem to know much about the Royal Tea Party, so let me personally give the Commander some pointers this time.”

As soon as he entered the kitchen, Hu De began his speech, his fingers sliding across the table as he moved, eventually stopping directly opposite Zhou He. His ocean-blue eyes reflected Zhou He's standing figure, and his tone was indescribably relaxed and carefree.

"Please give me more advice."

Zhou He composed himself and looked at Hu De seriously.

He may never make desserts himself in the future, but since someone is willing to pass on their knowledge and skills to him, he should take it seriously, at least for this moment.

“Very well, let’s begin, Hermione.”

Zhou He's attitude made a glint of light flash in Hood's eyes. He casually handed the topic to Hermione and turned his back to check the ingredients. It looked like that, but he actually took out a piece of paper from his sleeve. It had been written by Hermione, showing her the steps to make fruit mousse. There were nine more such pieces of paper, which was enough to convince Zhou He of her status as a dessert connoisseur.

“Commander, I think I just heard Yuudachi want to eat cake, so let’s make a cake first.”

Hermione naturally started the conversation, shielding Hood from view and guiding Zhou He to the arranged equipment. She began explaining the ingredients and procedures needed for making a chiffon cake. At just the right moment, Hood handed Zhou He the eggs, flour, sugar, milk, and other ingredients, her eyes gleaming with professionalism. Her stern gaze made Zhou He's scalp tingle. Imitating Hermione's method and following Hood's explanation, Zhou He began to make his own cake step by step.

Outside the kitchen, Yuudachi and Zuikaku, who heard the commotion, peeked out to observe. Seeing the chaotic atmosphere inside, they covered their mouths and dared not utter a sound. After exchanging a glance, they slipped out.

"what happened?"

Tosa frowned and asked, watching the two men rushing around like thieves.

Zuikaku pondered for a moment: "Perhaps we have all underestimated the tea ceremony."

"..."

Tosa glanced at Yuudachi, who was nodding incessantly, and instead of going through the main entrance, he looked into the kitchen through the side window before silently returning to the open space behind the kitchen to sit down.

"How about it?"

Zuikaku asked, and Tosa glanced at her and Yuudachi: "What do you think of that Hood teaching?"

"Huh? It's fine, isn't it?"

Ruihe thought for a moment, "A strict teacher produces outstanding students?"

"Humph."

Tosa didn't want to say anything more and closed his eyes.

Chapter Thirty-Four, Part One Two Three

"Is this okay?"

Under intense guidance, Zhou He gradually became more skilled. He piped buttercream frosting onto the cake he had made, took two steps back, exhaled softly, and looked at Hu De. Hu De's eyes flashed with admiration: "That's it. Commander, you have a strong learning ability."

"I think so."

Zhou He wasn't being modest; he considered his only advantage to be that "as long as you learn and experience it personally, you can quickly grasp the key points."

Unfortunately, writing novels is not just about physical writing; it requires more mental effort and tests one's life experience. He was destined to fail, or he continued to fail.

"Yes, I like it very much. Commander, you... keep up the good work in the future."

Hu De didn't dislike capable people. She initially wanted Zhou He to learn how to command battles from her, but she quickly abandoned the idea. Zhou He's learning ability was not weak, and considering his own abilities and the needs of this port area, letting Zhou He explore and progress on his own, while she selectively guided him from the side, was more suitable for Zhou He's all-round growth.

With a hint of regret, Hood encouraged Zhou He and turned to leave the kitchen, leaving a somewhat bewildered Zhou He watching her go. He then looked at Hermione in confusion and asked, "Hood, what do you mean by that?"

"Don't worry about it, Commander did a good job. Ms. Hood is probably changing."

Hermione understood Hood's unspoken meaning but didn't elaborate. After spending the last two days with her, she roughly understood Hood's current state: because the Hood battlecruiser had existed for too long and experienced too many events, even though the battleship itself did not have subjective thoughts, it still affected Hood, who inherited the memories, making her naturally want to maintain that glory.

It's a very tough situation.

"Um…"

Zhou He himself wasn't good at figuring out women's thoughts, so he gave up when he couldn't figure it out and turned around to help Hermione plate the cookies she had copied. What struck him as the most outrageous thing was that, in addition to the usual black tea, Hermione had also prepared roasted milk tea, coffee, and the tea he usually drank.

He was a little proud when he taught Hermione how to cook before, because he had some outstanding skills to show off. But now that he's in Hermione's area of ​​expertise, he realizes that he is really far behind the professionals.

'You definitely need to work harder.'

Zhou He thought to himself that he had considered the possibility of being turned into a mascot by the excellent ship girls in the future, but to be honest, he did not want to become a mascot so early.

He doesn't yet have the thick skin to accept being kept by girls.

……

"Woo~"

Zhou He pushed a cart full of desserts through the corridor to the back door. Yuudachi had been waiting for a long time and jumped over to watch Zhou He tinker with the round cake for almost an hour. The double layer was too difficult for Zhou He, so there was only one layer, and it wasn't particularly big, just the size of a slice for each person.

"Lift it up a bit."

There was a difference in elevation between the back door and the road outside. Zhou He gestured for Yuudachi to help, and the latter cooperated by making the car land smoothly. Zuikaku also came over, resting his chin on his hand and clicking his tongue in amazement: "Is there a masterpiece of the Commander in here?"

"this."

Zhou He pointed to the cake, which had too much cream and didn't look very nice, but that wasn't a problem. He glanced at Ruihe and said, "Shouldn't you guys lend a hand? Like with tables and chairs?"

"Oh! Commander, I had forgotten about it if you hadn't mentioned it."

Reminded, Zuikaku quickly pulled Yuudachi up and ran into the house. Only after entering did she realize and turn back to greet Tosa. The latter just opened his eyes and glanced at her, then got up and leaned over to take a biscuit from the tray and put it in his mouth: "It tastes pretty good. Will the Commander say anything at the tea party?"

"Tomorrow's attack plan?"

Zhou He's plan was this: Kursk definitely wouldn't attend the tea party, so he would have to make a video call or wait for Kursk to return in the evening.

Given the choice between the two options, Zhou He thought for a moment and chose option two. He wasn't sure if Kursk would object to option one, so he decided to ask her first before meeting her to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Upon hearing the explanation of the attack plan, Tosa abandoned his lazy demeanor and followed Zuikaku and the other two into the room.

A short while later, a square table appeared in the open space behind the house, with a chair on each of the four sides and plates of pastries that had cooled down.

In theory, royal tea parties should use round tables, but the system here didn't provide round tables, only square tables. As Zhou He set them up, they felt increasingly familiar. He walked a little further away and looked back to confirm his suspicions—this was exactly the setup they used to entertain guests during the Lunar New Year.