NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10: 10.
Ye Yinchuan pulled out his phone and ordered a roasted clay-baked chicken.
"Delivery prices these days are getting out of control!"
Even for a single whole chicken, the lowest price was 50 yuan and up.
As someone used to being broke, Ye Yinchuan felt a twinge of pain in his wallet.
After hesitating, he settled for half a chicken—26 yuan.
Adding two bowls of rice for 4 yuan, plus packaging and delivery fees, the total came to 34.5 yuan.
Still, the delicious meal was more than enough to reward himself and his little Munchlax.
Though Ye Yinchuan believed in his ability to make money, life had taught him a harsh truth—
Only the money in your pocket truly belongs to you.
Right now, he had just barely earned over 1,000 yuan. If he started spending recklessly, what would he do in case of unexpected expenses?
He never wanted to go back to those days—
The days where he had to count pennies just to afford a steamed bun.
Looking ahead, he had big goals—
He wanted to train his Munchlax properly. He wanted to buy his own home.
Renting? That was just living in someone else's house.
If the landlord suddenly kicked him out, he'd have to pack up and leave.
But if he owned his place, he could renovate it however he wanted—
A real home, a place that truly belonged to him.
"If I do well, I'll get a big house for Munchlax—a villa would be perfect."
After all, once Munchlax evolves into Snorlax, there's no way a tiny apartment would fit him.
"I'll even customize the doorframe to be wide and tall enough for Snorlax to walk through without getting stuck or having to duck."
For Ye Yinchuan, Munchlax was family—so of course, he included him in all his future plans.
Raising Munchlax—A Financial Nightmare
"Alright, let's get him some Pokémon food."
For a Munchlax, he needed mid-tier, omnivore Pokémon food—something not too cheap, but still affordable.
Looking online, he picked the 'Gold Crown' brand.
Pokémon food was divided into three levels:
Basic (Low-tier) – For unevolved Pokémon. Intermediate (Mid-tier) – For Pokémon with high energy needs. Advanced (High-tier) – For fully evolved Pokémon.
Normally, unevolved Pokémon could survive on basic food.
But Munchlax was a walking stomach—he needed higher-tier food to stay well-fed.
One kilogram of Gold Crown's mid-tier food cost 25 yuan.
Now, here was the real problem—
Munchlax eats its body weight in food daily.
That meant…
200 kg of food per day.
Even with high-energy Pokémon food, he still needed at least 50 kg per day.
At 25 yuan per kg, that totaled…
1,250 yuan PER DAY.
"Uh…"
Ye Yinchuan froze.
He had never done the math before—now that he had, it was downright terrifying.
His entire livestream earnings…
Couldn't even feed Munchlax for ONE day.
Suddenly, his earlier decision to spend wisely seemed very smart.
Sure, Munchlax could survive on leftovers and scraps…
But that would lead to malnutrition, or worse—digestive issues.
Though Munchlax could eat almost anything, eating trash every day still risked food poisoning.
And most importantly—
Munchlax was family.
No way in hell was he going to let his family go hungry or eat garbage just because he had a big appetite.
Desperate Budget Cuts
"Forget it… Let's go for the cheaper brand."
Ye Yinchuan had wanted to buy Munchlax high-quality food.
But reality slapped him hard—he simply couldn't afford it.
Thankfully, Gold Crown had a cheaper sub-brand called Silver Crown.
The same mid-tier omnivore food cost only 13 yuan per kg—nearly half the price.
The lower cost was because it used cheaper ingredients and food scraps.
Still, as long as it was safe and nutritious, it would do for now.
With Silver Crown, Munchlax's daily food cost dropped to 650 yuan.
If he could maintain his current livestream income, Munchlax could eat properly, and he could still save money.
Finally, a workable solution!
Now, onto another problem—Munchlax was already hungry.
Even with same-day delivery, Pokémon food would take at least a day to arrive.
"Can't let him go hungry again tonight…"
Checking local delivery services, he found that the same food cost 15 yuan per kg—2 yuan more per kilogram.
At that rate, he didn't have enough money left.
"...Do I really have to let Munchlax go to bed hungry?"
Looking at his sleeping Munchlax, Ye Yinchuan heard his stomach growl.
His Pokémon had been malnourished for a long time—he could see it in his slightly thinner frame.
He couldn't take it anymore.
Then, he remembered something.
"Wait! Even though I got kicked from my old job, I should still have half a month's salary left!"
Opening his WeChat, he saw a bank transfer from Hu Yue.
800 yuan.
It seemed she had even rounded up the amount.
She had left him a message:
"Xiao Chuan, this situation was unfair to you. Take this 800 yuan. If you plan to continue streaming, let me know—I might have some jobs for you.
Life is full of struggles. If you can share your burdens with just a few people, you're already lucky. Keep pushing forward—I believe in you!"
Reading those words, Ye Yinchuan felt a warmth in his heart.
In this world, very few people cared about him.
He had only met Hu Yue online—she was just a recruiter helping him find work.
They had never even met in person.
Yet, she was one of the rare people who showed kindness to him.
He replied:
"Thanks, sis. I've decided to go solo from now on."
With the 800 yuan, he immediately ordered 50 kg of same-day Pokémon food.
Looking at his balance… he was down to just 500 yuan.
"...Raising a Snorlax is freaking impossible."
Who else has a Pokémon that eats 50 kg of food in one sitting?!
He had just earned a decent paycheck, and before his clay-baked chicken even arrived, he was already back to square one.
Still, this was his choice.
He just had to work harder.
Because taking care of his family—or his child, in a way—was his responsibility.
Munchlax—The Cutest Companion
After handling everything, Ye Yinchuan turned to his Munchlax.
Even though he had ignored him all evening, Munchlax didn't cry or complain—he just slept quietly.
Watching his gentle breathing, Ye Yinchuan felt an indescribable sense of peace.
"...No wonder young people don't want kids anymore."
"Raising a baby can drive you insane… but raising a Pokémon?"
"That's just pure happiness."
He reached out, gently stroking Munchlax's soft, fluffy ears.
Even though his fame level had increased, unlocking the exclusive 'Super Influence' skill, Ye Yinchuan didn't rush to use it.
There was no hurry.
He'd wait until Munchlax woke up.
Attempting to move Munchlax onto the bed, Ye Yinchuan quickly realized—
This guy was HEAVY.
Munchlax's average weight was 105 kg.
Even though his Munchlax was slightly malnourished, it still weighed at least 80 kg.
And Ye Yinchuan himself was weak from years of poverty—so of course, he couldn't lift him.
Instead, he simply covered Munchlax with a blanket and lay beside him.
With this big, soft Pokémon beside him, breathing steadily, it felt like…
Everything would be okay.
His eyelids grew heavy.
Before long—
Sleep took him.