Chapter 10 (1/2)

The tomato brisket sizzled in the casserole, the bamboo shoots moved up and down in the clear soup, the squid in the pot cooked in the hot oil, the braised pork had an attractive caramel colour… the entire kitchen was filled with the aroma of hot food.

Xiao Hei rode around the living room and dining room on the vacuuming robot. He was quite satisfied with the new ‘mount’ despite it being a bit slow, having a weak IQ and it had to be struck hard to turn.

Shen Shian had a light grey apron tied around him and his sleeves were rolled up. His movements were skilled and he was busy in front of the table. Occasionally, he would turn around and sweep his gaze towards the kitchen door. Xiao Hei immediately turned his head, eyes cold and narrowed, as he struck the claws to his ‘mount’ and left, resolutely not looking at Shen Shian.

This man dared to do such a thing to himself. They had been mortal enemies ever since!

The so-called vendetta was because Shen Shian slapped Xiao Hei twice on the butt after finding him bullying Ruibao.

He came back in time with Yun Feiyang. Ruibao wasn’t injured but he was obviously scared enough. As long as Xiao Hei approached, he would flap his wings and shout ‘Goodbye.’ Now he could only be placed in the second bedroom and separated from Xiao Hei.

Shen Shian was sorry and cut a small dish of tomatoes for Ruibao. He also quietly changed the water to the spiritual spring water. Now Ruibao’s mood was stable and he had fallen asleep.

Yun Feiyang sat on the chair next to the cooking bench, peeling peas and staring at Xiao Hei. “Hey An An, isn’t the dog in your house too smart? It is the first time I’ve seen a puppy with such human emotions. Didn’t you just hit it twice? Look, it still has a grudge against you now.”

Shen Shian turned to look as Xiao Hei rode the robot back into the kitchen. He saw Shen Shian looking and instantly turned his head in an arrogant and indifferent manner. However, the actions were so big that he almost threw himself off the robot.

“It isn’t a grudge.” Fan Guoping was pickling chicken wings as he watched Xiao Hei move away. He smiled and whispered, “I think this little thing is probably jealous.”

“Jealous?” Shen Shian was puzzled.

“It is possible.” Fan Guoping placed the chicken wings on the baking tray into the oven and then took off the disposable gloves. “Animals are essentially the same as people. Mr Shen, think about it. You have only picked him up for more than a week and he still isn’t completely familiar with the environment. The family suddenly got another pet and you also hit him for this pet. You aren’t worried about him and treat other pets as more precious than him. Not only is he jealous, he is probably afraid you wouldn’t want him after getting a new pet. This little thing is sensitive to people’s emotions. During the time when my daughter raised a stray dog, she would go out and get the smell of other cats and dogs on her. Then the dog at home would be worried for a long time. To put it bluntly, there is no sense of security.”

Then he elbowed his colleague, Mo Feng. “Isn’t that right, Old Mo?”

Mo Feng was peeling peas together with Yun Feiyang when his arm was hit by Fan Guoping. A few peeled peas immediately rolled down the palm of his hand. His expression didn’t change as he leaned forward and caught them before they fell. Then he glanced at Yun Feiyang and replied, “Yes.”

Was this really the case?

Shen Shian was full of thoughts.

The four people worked together and a sumptuous New Year’s Eve meal was soon ready. The bamboo shoots were stewed with ribs, the garlic squid was fried golden on both sides, the tender peas were fried with the shrimp and the cola chicken wings came out of the oven.

The delicious dishes were placed on the table and the time that Xiao Hei and his mount wandered around the dining room became significantly longer. Shen Shian took out Xiao Hei’s usual bowl, filled it with two spoons of rice and called out, “Come and eat.”

Xiao Hei’s head twisted and he acted like he didn’t hear.

Shen Shian poured a large about of braised pork and soup on the rice. “You really won’t eat?”

Xiao Hei’s ears moved but he kept sitting on the robot without looking over.

Shen Shian peeled a few shrimps and placed them next to the braised pork. He also took out two small bowls, filling one with tomato brisket and the other with ribs soup. He placed them with rice on the ground next to the table. “If you don’t eat then I will feed them to Ruibao.”

He hadn’t finished speaking when Xiao Hei rushed forward like a gust of wind. He poked out his tongue and licked all the food while squinting aggressively at Shen Shian.

Shen Shian’s lips curved slightly as he raised his hand and rubbed the dog’s head. “Eat slowly. There is enough.”

“Come on.” Yun Feiyang opened a bottle of red wine and poured half of it into four glasses in turn. “An An, quickly sit down. We are waiting for you.”