The ninth kid complains that he's so skinny that he can't even eat anymore. He's got a saying in the stove-house that says, "better starve to death, in the fire, than to fight out of the gate" . He tells the ninth kid to eat the meat with the lever on the main lever instead of touching it with the knife. He also tells the kid to add a little water to the soup to make it taste better. The kid notices that the bottom of the soup bowl is thinner than the top. He slaps the kid and tells him that this is a great idea and that it will benefit generations to come. He gives the kid a grain of rice to eat and the kid starts making bowls of the grain. He asks the kid why he turned dirty, and he says that it's because of the impurities in his body. He says that he won't have to work with the kid for a while, so he tells him to take the days to practice.