Chapter 77: Chapter 36: Sixth Grade
In the midnight wind, Fang Rui aired out the stench of blood on him and returned home.
He led Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Fang Ling out of the cellar.
"Brother, look! Look!"
Fang Ling cupped her hands together. Through a small crack, a flickering, greenish-blue glow could be seen.
"Fireflies?!"
Fang Rui crouched down, peered through the crack in her hands, and asked with a smile, "How about I make you a small paper lantern to put them in?"
"Oh, yes! Yes!" Fang Ling’s big eyes sparkled.
"You two siblings, honestly..."
Seeing Fang Rui so full of childlike spirit, indulging Fang Ling’s antics, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family shook her head and chided, "Ling’Er, those things are stinky. Let them go now!"
"Okay..."
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family still held a great deal of authority. Hearing her, Fang Ling stuck out her tongue, opened her hands, and two fireflies rose from her palm, flickering as they vanished into the night sky.
All three of them watched.
They went inside.
The oil lamp was lit, filling the small room with light.
Fang Rui glanced at the darkness outside the window, and when his gaze fell back inside the room, it softened considerably.
’This is my haven, my anchor,’ he thought to himself.
"Brother Rui," Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family asked, "why are there still so many medicine packets left over today?"
"Well... it’s a long story..."
Fang Rui rubbed his nose. He certainly wasn’t going to tell the truth and worry Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, so he just claimed that business had been slow today and he hadn’t sold them all.
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family glanced at Fang Rui. It was unclear if she believed him, but she didn’t press the matter.
They each washed up and went to bed.
...
Back in their room.
By now, Fang Ling had gotten into the habit of sleeping with Fang Rui.
He told her a story, as usual.
He’d been telling stories for quite a while today, but Fang Ling was still awake.
GRUMBLE!
The little girl rubbed her stomach. "Brother, I’m so hungry!"
’She stayed up late waiting for me and got hungry.’
Fang Rui smiled. "Why don’t we get up and heat up a couple of buns?"
"Oh, yes! Yes!"
Fang Ling rolled right over and scrambled out of bed. Her big eyes sparkled in the dim light as if she were about to get into some mischief.
Fang Rui hadn’t even gotten up yet, but the little girl had already put on her shoes. "Brother, hurry up!"
"Alright, alright!"
The moment Fang Rui put on his shoes, Fang Ling dragged him away.
CREAK!
They opened the door and went out.
"Brother, be quieter!" Fang Ling whispered.
"Right, right. I get it. We go in silent..." Fang Rui smiled, playing along.
The two siblings hunched over, lightened their steps, and crept quietly to the kitchen.
They added water and started a fire.
Fang Rui took two cold buns, intending to steam them, but Fang Ling said, "Brother, let’s roast the buns instead. It’ll be faster."
Fang Rui was about to say that wasn’t necessarily true, but after a moment’s thought, his own playful mood took over, and he agreed. "Alright!"
And so,
The two buns were placed on the edge of the stove to be toasted by the low fire. A faint, fragrant aroma began to spread, and Fang Rui would turn them over with his hands from time to time.
Meanwhile, the little girl, Fang Ling, directed from the side.
"Brother, it’s ready, it’s ready! It’s going to burn!"
"It tastes better when it’s a little burnt!"
"You’re lying, Brother!"
"Nonsense, I never lie!"
...
Fang Rui bickered playfully with Fang Ling.
If the deceased Gao Yao could see this, his jaw would have dropped to the floor, his eyes popping out of their sockets.
Was this still the same Lord Fang?
The man who could scheme and plot against others was also capable of such childish acts?
He who possessed a ruthlessness like the autumn wind scattering fallen leaves could also have such a pure smile?
The hands that could kill and cut down enemies could also, on a night like this, tend a fire to roast buns for his little sister?
The contrast was perhaps extreme, but it was no lie. This was all Fang Rui.
SIZZLE!
Only when the buns’ outer skin was roasted black, slightly burnt, with oil sizzling and bubbling out, did Fang Rui finally take them off the fire.
"Let me try it first." Fang Rui took a bite with a CRUNCH.
And the taste?
First, there was a crispiness like scorched rice, but with a faintly charred aroma that scorched rice lacked. Then came the wild vegetables and bean sprouts, wrapped in hot oil. The flavor was like a crackling spark, dancing on his taste buds.
It was absolutely delicious!
The look on Fang Rui’s face was one of utter amazement, as if he were savoring a rare delicacy.
"Brother, I want some too! I want to eat!" The little girl shook Fang Rui’s arm, her eyes fixed on the bun.
"Alright, alright." Fang Rui stopped teasing Fang Ling and handed it over.
Another CRUNCH, and Fang Ling’s big eyes narrowed into smiling crescents.
"See? I told you it tastes better a little burnt, didn’t I?"
"Mmhmm!" The little girl’s mouth was too full to speak.
Bright moonlight streamed in through the kitchen window, illuminating two figures, one large and one small, crouching by the stove and secretly eating roasted buns.
From time to time, Fang Ling would peek outside like a nervous cat, terrified that Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family would come out and catch them.
In her memory, the roasted buns from that night were incredibly delicious.
"So good!"
Fang Rui sighed in contentment, looking at Fang Ling. ’Maybe she’s like me. Maybe she’ll remember this night for a long, long time...’
’Perhaps one day, she’ll feel nostalgic for the taste of these roasted buns and try to make them again... but even then, it will never taste the same as it did tonight.’
The flavor of many things isn’t just about the food itself, but when and with whom you eat it—like Brother Xun in "Community Opera," who never again tasted broad beans as delicious as the ones from that night.
One roasted bun for each of them.
Fang Ling was full, but for Fang Rui, it was just enough to tide him over.
They rinsed their mouths and returned to their room.
Having eaten, Fang Ling was overcome with drowsiness and soon fell fast asleep.
"This kid..."
Fang Rui pulled the blanket over her little tummy, closed his eyes, and opened his panel.
[Tribulation Points: 481].
’My points jumped by almost two hundred from what happened today. That just goes to show how dangerous it really was!’
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