Chapter 99 (1/2)

translator: xiin

editors: apricot & Juurensha

The fragrance of food inside the apartment could be smelled from all the way outside the door. Wu Guoan sniffed, looked at the luncheon meat and bread in his hands, and quietly hid those things behind him.

He naturally couldn't hide his actions from Xu Feng, who slanted a glance at him, the contempt in his eyes obvious. Xu Feng shoved past Wu Guoan and strode into the room, shouting excitedly at the door, ”Brother S!”

“You haven't died yet.” Xiao Sa came out of the kitchen with a dark expression on his face, a spatula in one hand, chopsticks in the other, and wearing an ap.r.o.n decorated with small flowers around his waist.

The three men were startled and dumbfounded, their chins falling to the ground. They hadn't seen each other in a long time, and their hearts were still unsteady, but after seeing this scene, their tense feelings immediately dispersed.

Xu Feng straightened up and was brave and full of mettle as he asked, “Brother Sa, how could you do such common work?”

Xiao Sa raised his eyebrows, his cool expression showing no trace of embarra.s.sment. He simply asked, “Then, you'll do it?”

Xu Feng choked. He muttered, unable to form words. He only had enough kitchen skills to make sure things were cooked; it was better if he didn't cook in case he spoiled the food.

“I'll do it. I can cook. You can relax and hand it over to me.” Li Ran was quick to respond. He was full of joy right now; regardless of whether it was Brother Sa himself or Young Master Jing who could help him find his elder brother, he still hoped that he could be of some use to them.

Xiao Sa also didn't make a big deal out of it, taking off his ap.r.o.n and giving it directly to the child. Looking at Li Ran carefully, he found him somewhat familiar and asked, ”Whose child are you?”

Li Ran's eyes were bright. He answered crisply, “My brother is Li Liang.”

Xiao Sa nodded and didn't ask further. Since Li Liang had not appeared here, it more or less meant that something ominous had happened to him. Although Xiao Sa was rather sad, that was all. At first, he had been optimistic about Li Liang, but unfortunately, he was cousins with Li Qiang and had ultimately chosen his cousin when they left. Although the biggest reason for his decision had been his younger brother, no matter what, choices were choices, and everyone should be held responsible for their actions.

After putting down the chopsticks, Xiao Sa handed Li Ran the spatula in his hand. He wasn't tangled up at all in Li Liang's problem and spoke calmly, ”I cooked some porridge in the pot. Pay attention to the heat. If you guys haven't eaten, there's things in the kitchen. You guys can do as you like.”

“Yessir!” Li Ran headed into the kitchen after responding happily and subsequently ended up shocked by the chaos in the kitchen. He wiped at the non-existent sweat on his head and felt a little more relieved in his heart. He just knew it; how could a person like Brother Sa know his way around a kitchen? Him knowing how to kill people made much more sense. However, when he saw the food that had been thrown out in the trash can, such thoughts flew out of his head, and he immediately became distressed. How much food did he need to waste just to cook a pot of porridge?

In fact, Xiao Sa also intended to stir-fry some vegetables, but unfortunately his craftsmans.h.i.+p was really bad. Fortunately, Bai Jing had stocked up the kitchen as soon as they had moved in yesterday; otherwise, there really wouldn't be enough food for him to waste.

Li Ran's distress skyrocketed as he looked around the kitchen, his heart contracting painfully. Only now, when he saw the vegetable basket on the floor, the rice bucket beside it, as well as the perfectly still edible food that Xiao Sa had poured out, thrown away, and wasted, did he finally truly realize what Brother Feng had meant back then when he said that ”Brother Sa doesn't lack these things.”

Wasting food was really shameful. There were children who didn't even have enough to eat or warm clothing to wear every day; Li Ran almost cracked a tooth from gritting his teeth too hard. He rolled up his sleeves and unhesitatingly began to make use of his skills.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” The noise coming from the kitchen was too loud, causing Xu Feng to stretch out his neck to look inside, worried. Li Ran should be fine, right?

Xiao Sa sat steadily on the sofa, unconcerned about the child's mood. He was only worried that the noise would disturb Little Jing and calmly ordered, ”Shut the door.” Wu Guoan immediately went to do so.

With the door to the kitchen closed, the house became quiet. Xu Feng and Wu Guoan seated themselves separately. Xiao Sa brought out half a packet of Yuxi Cigarettes from his trouser pocket and placed it on the coffee table, pus.h.i.+ng it in front of Xu Feng. ”I remember that you're an old hand at smoking. Have one!” His gentle tone was like someone who had just met an old friend they hadn't seen for a long time.

Xu Feng was sitting in a tense position, his back ramrod straight, but he was actually very excited. He hadn't expected that Brother Sa would still remember small details like this. Even before he could make any other moves, Wu Guoan lit a cigarette first, took a deep breath, and spoke with a laugh, “Brother Sa, you probably don't know, but that old man has quit smoking.”

“You're full of s.h.i.+t!” Xu Feng shouted, “Lao Tzu just didn't have any cigarettes to smoke.”

The atmosphere in the room relaxed, and Xiao Sa's face also carried a faint smile, “Enough. Today, you can smoke to your heart's content. This half-pack of cigarettes is for you.”

Xiao Sa had said 'today', and not 'in the future', but unfortunately Xu Feng did not understand at all. There were benefits to being coa.r.s.e and insensitive; Xu Feng excitedly s.n.a.t.c.hed up the cigarettes that were in front of Wu Guoan, his actions quick, as though fearing they'd be s.n.a.t.c.hed away, ”Thank you, Brother Sa!”

Xu Feng counted the cigarettes. There were more than a dozen cigarettes left in the box, making him feel extremely happy. The smile that spread over his face almost reached his ears as he took out a cigarette and carefully put away the rest. He held out the cigarette in front of his nose and sniffed it vigorously - it was really fragrant!

Wu Guoan and Xu Feng did not see eye to eye and were often at odds with each other. However, even if that was the case, when Wu Guoan saw Xu Feng's current hopeless appearance, he was also a little exasperated that iron couldn't become steel. He coughed dryly and asked, ”What are your plans for the future?”

Xu Feng rolled his eyes at Wu Guoan. Was it still necessary to ask this? Of course he was going to join up with Brother Sa in the future!