BYBOTE Chapter 18: First-time Work

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When Luo Fei opened his eyes, he was met with a field of white. He was momentarily dazed, wondering what it was. Instinctively, he reached out and poked it. To his shock, it moved! It was alive!

It was a living Xi Yanqing!

Luo Fei was so startled that he immediately shoved him away. "You! Why are you in my bed?!"

Xi Yanqing rubbed his eyes as he turned over. "Am I not?" He looked around with an innocent expression and said, "Isn't this my bed?"

Luo Fei gaped and took a closer look. Damn, wasn't that the truth! His own bed was still properly made on the side, waiting for its owner, but said owner had never actually gone to sleep in it!

Even when Luo Fei had logic on his side, he wasn’t always able to argue with Xi Yanqing, let alone when he was in the wrong. His face flushed red. "M-Maybe it's because back home, Sibao always steals my blanket, so I instinctively reached to the left for one to cover myself… Ahem, what time is it?"

"It's just about dawn, the sky outside is getting bright." Xi Yanqing got up and started putting on his outer robe naturally before stepping down from the heated brick bed. "If you're still tired, you can sleep a bit longer. I'll go start boiling some water first."

"Oh, uh, I'll come help you in a bit." Luo Fei responded guiltily, not daring to look at Xi Yanqing. The moment Xi Yanqing left, he immediately grabbed his head and shook it frantically in silent screams: Oh my god, Luo Fei, are you trying to touch the sun with your bare hands?! You actually hugged the tiger's back? Are you asking for death?!

Next time, you better be careful, got it?!

Got it.

That’s more like it!

Luo Fei nodded in satisfaction, dismissing his award-winning performance as a severely deranged individual. He then seriously started changing his clothes—his wedding robes were still on from yesterday. It was fine then, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to wear them while doing chores today.

Taking advantage of Xi Yanqing's absence, Luo Fei switched into his usual coarse fabric clothes. Then, after neatly folding the bedding, he dawdled his way out of the room.

Xi Yanqing had already brought in a bundle of chopped firewood.

"The water in the pot is still warm. Wash your face first," Xi Yanqing said, pointing to a large wooden basin. "Use that one. We use it for daily washing, and this smaller one is for washing vegetables and cooking…" He gestured toward another basin. "I'll go fetch two more buckets of water. Call me if you need anything."

"Alright. What are we having for breakfast?" Luo Fei asked, thinking about the leftover fish from last night. He wasn’t sure if Xi Yanqing would be willing to eat something he had already started on.

"There’s still some fish left from yesterday," Xi Yanqing said nonchalantly. "There’s also some steamed buns. I’ll make some porridge to go with it, and we’ll eat that for breakfast."

"Got it." Luo Fei watched Xi Yanqing leave, then lifted the pot lid to check inside.

The Xi household had two main stoves. One was a double-stove setup, with a large pot for boiling water and keeping food warm, and a smaller pot for stir-frying or cooking rice and porridge. There was also a medium-sized stove on the side connected to the small room, which wasn’t used often—just every few days to heat water. If left unheated, the small room would get too cold. Even though no one lived there regularly, it was used for storage, and its temperature affected the overall warmth of the house. So, every few days, they would fire it up.

Seeing that the kitchen's water vat still had some water, Luo Fei emptied the remaining water from the small pot, rinsed a handful of rice, and added fresh water before setting it on the small stove to simmer into porridge.

In his past life, he had never known how to do these things. He had to thank his body's original owner for these memories.

Xi Yanqing soon returned with two freshly drawn buckets of water, pouring one into the water vat and the other directly into the large pot. After that, he lit the firewood and occasionally added more to keep the flames steady. This way, they would have hot water available throughout the day.

"What’s on the agenda for today?" Luo Fei asked. When he had first arrived, he had taken advantage of his poor health to avoid work. Later, after agreeing to the marriage, he had been busy with sewing every day. Since coming here, he hadn’t done any actual farm work. But judging by what Xi Yanqing had said yesterday, it seemed like today was a workday.

"Today, we need to fix up the back vegetable garden. There are several big holes in the fence. The old hens from Aunt Zhou’s house next door keep wandering in. If we wait until our vegetables sprout, they’ll probably all end up in those hens’ stomachs before we can eat any."

"How do we fix it? What can I do to help?" Luo Fei hadn’t forgotten that he had been 'hired' by the man in front of him just yesterday.

"When I went up the mountain to cut wood before, I already prepared some replacement planks. I just haven’t had time to sharpen them yet. I’ll do that first. Once I’m done, you can move them over and lay them out in order. After I finish sharpening, we’ll stake them into the ground according to your arrangement." Xi Yanqing looked at Luo Fei. "Got it?"

"Are you questioning my intelligence?!" Luo Fei was indignant. "Isn’t it just patching up holes?! How could I not understand something so simple?!"

"Alright, alright, I admit I said something wrong, okay?" Xi Yanqing chuckled. "You little donkey, you're so stubborn."

Luo Fei clenched his fists and made a face at Xi Yanqing. Before the porridge was ready, he went to wash his face and tied his hair up again. When he returned, he saw that the porridge was nearly done, so he scooped it all out and set it aside before adding the fish to a small pot to reheat.

Xi Yanqing noticed how skillfully Luo Fei handled everything and commented, "How about you take over cooking from now on? You seem to be much better at it than I am."

Luo Fei thought about it and said, "Sure. How about we divide the work?"

Even though he was just a hired worker, that didn’t mean he had to do everything. Especially since there was no overtime pay.

Xi Yanqing wasn’t keen on making Luo Fei do all the heavy work, but he was curious about how Luo Fei planned to split the tasks, so he smiled and asked, "How do you want to divide it?"

"I'll cook, clean the house, and take care of whatever needs to be done at home. But I won’t work in the fields—no farm work at all. Do you know that there are leeches in the fields around here? Once they latch on, they won’t let go, and they suck blood! So scary!" Luo Fei shuddered at the memory. "At most, I'll bring you lunch."

"Alright, so basically, you handle everything inside while I take care of the outside. That works for me," Xi Yanqing readily agreed. "But once we've divided the work, no changing it later. Are you sure this is what you want? You'll handle anything I need help with at home?"

"Yes! I keep my word!" Luo Fei patted his chest confidently.

So after breakfast, Xi Yanqing went to find suitable wood and trim the branches, while Luo Fei stayed inside to wash the dishes and clear the table. By the time Xi Yanqing finished trimming the branches and started sharpening the wood, Luo Fei was in the yard washing Xi Yanqing's underwear—the pair he'd changed out of the night before. As he held it in his hands, he had the overwhelming urge to poke a few holes in it!

Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that one day he would be washing Xi Yanqing’s underwear! Damn, this was driving him crazy!

As for why he was washing outside? Wasn’t it obvious? The lighting inside was too dim—he wouldn’t be able to get things properly clean!

Luo Fei was using warm water, and there weren’t many clothes to wash. Besides Xi Yanqing’s underwear, there was his own, plus a pair of socks for each of them—only four items in total. They didn’t have a lot of clothes, and with the cool weather, laundry dried slowly. If they didn’t keep up with it, they’d soon run out of clean clothes.

Xi Yanqing, while sharpening wood, saw Luo Fei scrubbing his underwear like he was waging war against it. Worried that if he didn’t intervene, Luo Fei might actually tear holes in it, he chuckled and said, "You mentioned wanting to raise chickens earlier. I’ll build a chicken coop for you later. How many do you want to raise? Let me know so I can size the coop appropriately."

"Twenty. Is that okay?" Farm chickens were usually free-range, pecking at sand and greens, but too many would be hard to feed, as they still needed some grain from time to time.

"That’s fine. Do you want to raise anything else?" Xi Yanqing asked. "If we can finish fixing up the vegetable garden today, I’ll see if we have enough old planks to make a few more pens."

"Ducks would be good too. Oh, and can you replace the kitchen cupboard? That thing is ancient. We keep food in it, but it’s so old and broken—it’s an eyesore no matter how neatly I arrange things."

"Sure. After you’re done with the laundry, take a good look around and see what else we need. Once you’ve figured it out, let me know. If we can fix or replace things now, we will. If not, we’ll find a way later."

Xi Yanqing had by then sharpened six or seven wooden stakes, each as thick as an adult's wrist. He didn’t ask Luo Fei to carry them, just kept working on them. Only after Luo Fei finished washing and hanging the laundry did Xi Yanqing call him over to help.

Xi Yanqing carried the sharpened stakes to the backyard garden, then began removing the old, rotten planks from the fence. He was strong—he pulled out most of them with ease. The stubborn ones he loosened with a shovel before yanking them out. Luo Fei watched him, then glanced at his own skinny arms and legs, clicking his tongue. Thirty copper coins with room and board? If he were the boss, he wouldn’t pay Xi Yanqing a single cent!

While Luo Fei followed behind, filling in the gaps with new planks, Xi Yanqing fetched a hammer and drove the stakes deep into the ground—about forty or fifty centimeters each—making sure they were sturdy and wouldn’t topple easily.

Next door, Aunt Zhou was also working in her vegetable garden. The two plots were separated by only a meter, so she could see everything clearly. Watching the two of them work together, she chuckled and said, "Oh my, Xi boy, you and your little wife sure are hardworking. Newlyweds usually rest for a couple of days, but you’re already planting vegetables?"

"That’s right, Aunt Zhou," Xi Yanqing said. "If we don’t plant soon, we might miss the season." When he first arrived, he’d been busy clearing weeds, fixing up the courtyard, and sorting out what was usable. After that, wedding preparations took over, leaving little time for planting. Now that the weather was warming up, they had to hurry.

"Hard work is good. As long as you two keep busy, even the heavens will look after you. But be careful, especially you, Erbao. Don’t strain yourself." Aunt Zhou liked hardworking young people. Since she’d watched Xi Yanqing grow up and was their neighbor, she naturally showed some extra concern. "You’re still young, and it’s easy to get pregnant. So avoid heavy lifting, okay?"

"Uh… hahaha…" Luo Fei forced a laugh. "Thank you, Aunt Zhou, I’ll be careful."

"Then go rest. I’ll handle the rest." Xi Yanqing, suppressing a laugh, lightly poked Luo Fei’s stomach. "What if you’re already pregnant?"

"Pregnant my ass!" Luo Fei hissed through gritted teeth, making sure Aunt Zhou couldn't hear. "I told you—we have a strictly professional employer-employee relationship! No jokes like that!"

"Alright, alright, no more jokes. Go rest. Or, if you don’t want to rest, bring me some water." Xi Yanqing wiped his sweat. The morning had been fine, but now with the sun overhead and all the work, he was hot and thirsty.

"Wait right here!" Luo Fei glared at him before striding toward the front yard. He drank a bowl of water first, then poured another for Xi Yanqing. Just as he was about to take it outside, someone arrived at their house.

Han Xu, Luo Fei’s close friend, had come to visit. Since Luo Fei had just gotten married, Han Xu wanted to check in. Plus, he had something to discuss with him. Seeing Luo Fei wearing a wedding veil had given Han Xu the idea to make one too, but he was struggling with the embroidery design.

Luo Fei handed him a bowl of water and said, "Wait inside. I’ll take this to—uh, to Xi Yanqing."

Han Xu waved him off. "Go on."

When Luo Fei returned, Han Xu asked, "Why are you calling your husband by his full name?"

Luo Fei blinked. "What else should I call him?"

Han Xu thought for a moment. "Husband? Xi Lang? Xi-ge? Haha, anything’s better than calling him by his full name! You’re a married couple now—why be so formal?" Then, more seriously, he added, "Erbao, it might seem like a small thing, but if someone with a bad heart starts gossiping, it won’t be good. I think you should change that."

Luo Fei considered this. Han Xu had a point. But those names were way too mushy!

He really had to think it through.

Han Xu shared a few initial embroidery designs with Luo Fei, wanting to hear his opinion. Luo Fei suggested embroidering a phoenix flying through a cluster of silk tree flowers, as it had a beautiful and auspicious meaning. Back in the modern world, Luo Fei had seen plenty of embroidery patterns at his grandmother’s place, so he quickly described a classic design to Han Xu. Han Xu was immediately pleased and said, “That works! Let’s go with your idea. But if I get stuck, you’ll have to teach me.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry! What’s ours is ours, right? If you get stuck, just bring your wedding veil over anytime.” Luo Fei said, rubbing his ears before adding, “Hey, do you think it’s okay if I call him ‘Big Tiger’?”

“Huh? Big Tiger who?” Han Xu was still thinking about embroidery and didn’t catch on immediately.

“Xi Yanqing, of course. Can I call him ‘Big Tiger’?”

“Pfft! Why would you call him that?”

“Look at him—he’s tall and strong. And do you know how powerful he is? He swings that heavy hammer like it’s nothing! If it were me, I’d struggle just to lift it.”

“Well, an ox is strong too. Why don’t you call him ‘Big Ox’ instead? Haha! What exactly is going on in that head of yours?” Han Xu chuckled. “But now that you mention it, it does sound kind of fun. You could use it occasionally. I call my Hua Zhang ‘Carpenter Brother’—no one else calls him that, and he likes that only I do.”

“Oh wow, aren’t you special.”

“Of course! He’s an amazing carpenter. He made a whole new set of furniture for our new house. I’ll take you to see it later—it’s beautiful.” Han Xu beamed at the thought. “Oh, right! I almost forgot to tell you something important. Five years ago, my Carpenter Brother stocked up on a bunch of wood. Now that he’s finished the furniture, there’s some leftover. He asked me to check if you and Brother Xi need anything. If you do, he can make it for you—for free. But probably nothing too big, maybe two small pieces like a table or chairs.”

“There are indeed a few things we need, but I have to ask Xi Yanqing first. Besides, we can’t just let your Carpenter Brother work for free.” Luo Fei valued his friendship with Han Xu, but fair was fair. Furniture was no small matter, especially in ancient times when there were no modern tools like electric drills or expansion bolts. Everything was handmade, which made the process much more labor-intensive.

“I don’t like hearing that. What did you just say? What’s ours is ours, right?”

“Fine, fine. I’ll ask Xi Yanqing what we need first.” After all, Xi Yanqing was the boss here—he had the final say.

Han Xu stayed a little longer, saying he would draw up the embroidery design before bringing it to Luo Fei. Then he left. Luo Fei, now with new information, had to quickly go find his “boss” to discuss it.

Xi Yanqing had just finished repairing the vegetable garden fence and was now walking toward the front yard, a shovel resting on his right shoulder and a hammer in his left hand. As a former soldier, his steps were steady and firm.

Luo Fei, viewing him from an admirer’s perspective, thought to himself: Actually… this guy does look pretty good.

“What are you staring at?” Xi Yanqing walked over, casually setting down the hammer and shovel. He lowered his voice and asked, “Realized your husband is quite handsome, huh?”

“Get lost, you idiot! Hey, I have something serious to tell you. Just now, Han Xu said his husband has some leftover wood from making wedding furniture. He can make us two small pieces for free, like a table or chairs. I told him I’d ask you.”

“We can get something made. I’ve seen Chen Huazhang’s craftsmanship—it’s excellent. But getting it for free doesn’t feel right. And if we’re going to have something made, we should consider all our needs and invite him over for some advice.”

“...Do we have enough money for that?” Luo Fei hesitated.

“We’ll check the price first. If it’s too much, we can start with the essentials. Didn’t you say this morning that you wanted a bigger dish rack? We can replace it and get a kang table made. Oh, and I should get you a small stool—you always squat when washing clothes, which can’t be comfortable.” There was a small wooden stool at home, but it was too high. Sitting on it was fine, but working while seated was inconvenient.

“I’ll talk to Han Xu about it later.” Luo Fei said, but he lingered. He had initially wanted to mention the “Big Tiger” nickname, but after thinking it over, he decided against it. Having a special name that others didn’t use felt a bit too intimate—he didn’t want Xi Yanqing to overthink it.

The next morning, only one last bowl of braised pork with soy sauce eggs and six steamed buns were left from their wedding feast. Luo Fei heated them up and ate them with plain water before heading out with Xi Yanqing to work in the fields. Xi Yanqing said they had to plant potatoes and cabbage that day.

Luo Fei wasn’t very skilled at farm work, and Xi Yanqing’s method differed from their neighbors’. The others planted first and then watered, but Xi Yanqing watered first, covered it with a thin layer of soil, and then planted. His planting depth was also different. It wasn’t even the same as Luo Fei’s own family’s method. But after watching for a while, Luo Fei figured he could handle it and took over, letting Xi Yanqing do other tasks.

Xi Yanqing decided to build a chicken coop. Seeing that Luo Fei was planting well, he carried over some old planks. He had borrowed a planer from the Luo family, leaving one behind, so now he carefully selected usable planks, planing them down for repurposing.

Their front yard was much smaller than the backyard—about 40-50 square meters in the front, while the backyard was around 300-400 square meters. After discussing it, they decided to place the chicken coop near the entrance to the vegetable garden. That way, weeds and thinned-out vegetables could be fed directly to the chickens without having to carry them to the front yard. Plus, visitors would see the front yard first, and keeping it clean would leave a good impression.

Xi Yanqing worked quickly. After some hammering and banging, he had a chicken coop ready. However, they ran out of usable planks—if they needed anything else, they’d have to find more wood.

Luo Fei finished planting the potatoes and cabbage as instructed. He noticed an empty patch of land left in the middle and asked, “What’s this for?”

Xi Yanqing mysteriously replied, “Nothing for now. I’ll tell you later.”

Luo Fei rolled his eyes. “Fine, whatever.”

Xi Yanqing chuckled at his little temper and said nothing more.

They had worked hard all day, and by nightfall, Xi Yanqing was covered in sweat and could hardly stand the smell himself. Luckily, they had plenty of hot water, so bathing was easy. After eating Luo Fei’s congee and a rock-hard homemade bun that nearly cracked his teeth, he carried the bathtub to the kitchen, filled it with hot water, and called out before undressing and soaking inside.

Luo Fei, lying in bed, heard the splashing water but couldn’t sleep. His stomach was also uncomfortable from that hard bun, so he sat by the lamp, patching a pillowcase he hadn’t finished sewing.

After a while, as the water cooled, Xi Yanqing called, “Luo Fei, can you bring me a set of clean clothes?”

He had genuinely forgotten this time—he was used to bathing alone and just walking out naked afterward. But now that Luo Fei was here, he couldn’t exactly walk out like that.

However, Luo Fei was at a critical part of his sewing project—and he had just made a mistake. The dim light made him misalign a piece, ruining his intended geometric pattern. Annoyed, he shouted back, “Why didn’t you get it yourself? Not my problem! Come out naked if you dare!”

Hearing that, Xi Yanqing smirked. Oh? You think I won’t?

He silently stood up, moving stealthily so Luo Fei wouldn’t realize he was out of the tub. Then, dripping wet and barefoot, he stepped into the room.

Luo Fei suddenly noticed the dim light getting even darker, as if something was blocking it. He looked up—and froze.

“Xi Yanqing! Y-you—you shameless scoundrel!”

"I'm a rogue? Clearly, you were the one who told me to come out like this." Xi Yanqing felt a tiny bit uncomfortable inside. After all, this was the first time in his life he had been naked in front of someone. But he did his best to keep a straight face. He opened the cabinet, took out his clothes, and said, "Nice body, huh?"

"Nice my ass! I-I-I... I'm leaving! You take your time getting dressed!" Luo Fei was truly startled. He didn’t even care whether he should continue unwrapping what he was holding. He tossed it aside and dashed out in a hurry.

"Tsk, such thin skin." Xi Yanqing leisurely got dressed. Once he was done, he vaguely recalled that when Luo Fei ran out, he had been dressed rather lightly. So, he grabbed a coat and followed outside to see if his little "wife" was really embarrassed.

The air outside was indeed chilly, and the heat on Luo Fei's face cooled down a bit. But he made a terrible mistake—he absentmindedly poked at the fence and muttered, "Damn! The boss's bird seems thicker than this!"

Xi Yanqing, holding the coat: "Pfft, what did you just say?"

Luo Fei: "!!!"

This was so freaking awkward!

Luo Fei turned around, his face shifting between green and red. "I-I meant... this piece of wood is quite thick."

Xi Yanqing nodded seriously, "Mmm, seems just a bit thinner than mine."

Luo Fei: "..."

So you did hear it! You definitely heard it!

Xi Yanqing draped the coat over Luo Fei. "Let's go inside, it's cold out here."

It was only then that Luo Fei realized—Xi Yanqing had come out to bring him clothes when his hair wasn’t even dry yet. He knew he should say thank you, but... ahhhhhh, could this situation be any more embarrassing?! At this moment, Luo Fei wished he could tie himself to a tree and beat himself up. How could he be so stupid?! That was not something he should have blurted out!

Once inside, Luo Fei didn't even think twice before activating his inner Best Actor mode—he decided to play mute for the next few days.

After Xi Yanqing finished cleaning the bath basin, he returned inside and saw Luo Fei sprawled on the heated brick bed, already asleep. He didn’t wake him up. "Guess we'll leave it at that for today. The little donkey probably got quite the shock."

Thinking back, Xi Yanqing realized he had been a bit impulsive. He shouldn’t have let the little donkey see that so soon. What if it scared him and made his "chasing wife" journey even harder?

"I really shot myself in the foot here!"

The more he thought about it, the more regretful he felt. But he knew regret was useless—Luo Fei would have to come to terms with it on his own.

However, by the next morning, Xi Yanqing was faced with an unexpected problem: Luo Fei actually stopped talking to him.

"Is this really necessary?" Xi Yanqing said, half amused, "You’re seriously giving me the silent treatment just because you saw something you were bound to see sooner or later?"

"Mmm." Luo Fei's face turned slightly red as he pointed outside, signaling that he was going to do the laundry.

"Fine, don't talk if you don't want to." Xi Yanqing sighed. "Go ahead and wash the clothes. I have to head into the mountains today. I'll probably be back late. If you get hungry, just eat first." He picked up his axe and added, "Oh, and once I leave, make sure to lock the door and take care of yourself."

"Got it, naggy old man!" Luo Fei muttered under his breath, glaring at him before launching into battle mode with the laundry.

Xi Yanqing left and, sure enough, didn’t return the entire day.

In the morning, Luo Fei washed the clothes and hung them up to dry. But when he draped them over the fence, he was suddenly reminded of something he shouldn’t have thought about.

There were no drying racks in the countryside, and clotheslines weren’t common back then, so people just hung their laundry over the fence. But that wasn’t the point. The point was—every time Luo Fei looked at the fence, he thought of that thing belonging to Xi Yanqing!

So big! If he didn’t hold it in his hand, he could probably chop it up and stir-fry a dish with it!

Wait, what the hell was he thinking?! Luo Fei, get your mind out of the gutter!

His face flushed with embarrassment. He shook his head and decided to do something else to distract himself.

Luo Fei had always wanted to earn money to support himself. But life passed by like running water, and before he could achieve anything, he was already married. That wouldn’t do—he needed to hurry up and take action!

His mother had always taught him: "A person must have the ability to support themselves! Not because they might be abandoned one day, but because they should strive to live better."

Although he hadn’t been great at following this advice in his past life, now that he was in this era, he couldn’t afford to slack off.

Taking advantage of the daylight, Luo Fei quickly pieced together the remaining fabric scraps and made a pillowcase. He then planned to design a few sachets—perhaps he could sell them in town. But while looking for supplies in the storage room (which was really just a small hut), he accidentally spotted a half-bag of dried corn kernels.

How about… making popcorn for dinner instead of cooking?

He had oil and sugar at home, after all.

Excited, Luo Fei scooped out two large bowls of corn. He remembered watching his grandmother make it before: just add a little oil to the pan, toss in the corn, cover the lid, and let the heat do the work. When it started popping, he’d coat it with caramel. It’d be delicious and nutritious!

He eagerly washed the corn, carefully dried it with a clean cloth (knowing that oil and water don’t mix well), and got ready. After cleaning the pan earlier, it was good to go. He poured in some oil, added the corn, and covered the lid.

Fire lit, wood added—now all that was left was to wait!

Luo Fei squatted by the stove, listening carefully. A few minutes later, there was a muffled "pop!"

Yes! It's working! His grandma’s popcorn had sounded just like that.

Excited, he fed the fire more wood and fanned it vigorously. Then, "pop! pop! pop!" Three more in a row!

But after that… silence.

Weird. Maybe the rest of the kernels have thicker skins?

Hesitant to lose the heat, he kept the lid on and added more wood. But something felt off. Finally, he decided to lift the lid and take a peek—

"Psshh! Psshh!" Steam dripped onto the pan, and—"Crap!" The once golden corn kernels were now black and stuck to the bottom!

Burnt. Completely burnt.

"What the hell?!" Luo Fei panicked and quickly dumped a ladle of water into the pan.

"Sizzle—!" A thick, choking smoke burst out.

"Cough, cough, cough!" Luo Fei stumbled back, covering his nose and mouth. "Ugh! Are you kidding me?! Grandma did it exactly this way!"

Meanwhile, Xi Yanqing returned at dusk, just in time to see smoke billowing from the chimney.

"Huh, he's got the fire going at the perfect time. Looks like I’ll get a hot meal when I walk in."

After a whole day in the mountains without finding anything easy to eat, he was starving.

Luo Fei didn't know what he had made, but hopefully, it wasn't another batch of rock-hard "virgin biscuits."

Xi Yanqing chuckled as he pushed open the door. "Erbao, I'm back!"

Hearing the noise, Luo Fei quickly shouted, "Don't come in yet!"

This was way too embarrassing! He had to destroy the evidence first!

Luo Fei hurriedly grabbed a scrubbing brush and started scraping off the burnt corn, but while the loose pieces came off easily, the ones stuck to the pot were practically welded on. No matter how hard he scrubbed, they wouldn't budge!

"Ah!" He accidentally scraped his hand!

"What happened?!" Xi Yanqing had been waiting to see what Luo Fei was up to, but hearing this, he couldn't wait any longer. He quickly shook off the water on his hands and walked inside. One look at the mess, and he was speechless. "Did you try making 'virgin biscuits' again?! No, wait, this is even worse. What on earth is this?"

"Virgin popcorn," Luo Fei admitted weakly. "But it was a total failure."

"What happened to your hand?" Xi Yanqing noticed Luo Fei blowing on his fingers and grabbed his hand to check. "It's scratched. Wash it later and put some medicine on it. You still have the powder I gave you last time, right?"

"Yeah." Luo Fei quickly pulled his hand back. Thinking about where that medicine had been used last time made him even more embarrassed. "I swear I saw my grandma make popcorn like this before! She used a regular pan, but the process was the same. Why did it all burn? The pot must be too big!"

"It's not the pot." Xi Yanqing fetched some clean water for Luo Fei to wash his wound and took a glance inside the pot. "You used the corn from the storage room, right? That type isn't suitable for making popcorn. The kind you see at home that pops easily is special popping corn—small and designed for this. The corn here is different and hard to pop."

"How was I supposed to know?" Luo Fei sighed. "Now what? We have nothing to eat for dinner. And this pot is going to take forever to soak clean."

"Don't worry. I'll make something." Xi Yanqing grabbed some flour and mixed it with a bit of water, stirring until it formed small dough crumbs. He added a bit more water and kept stirring until he had plenty of dough pieces.

Meanwhile, the pot had been soaking in hot water, making the burnt bits easier to clean. After testing the water temperature, Xi Yanqing added some cool water, quickly scrubbed the pot clean, and filled it with fresh water to bring to a boil.

As the water heated up, he slowly sprinkled in the dough crumbs, letting them spread out. Then, as if performing a magic trick, he cracked in a few quail eggs! Who knew where he had gotten them from?

Five minutes later, a steaming bowl of quail egg dumpling soup was ready. Or, as a fancier name, "Pearl White Jade Soup."

Xi Yanqing added a pinch of salt, served two bowls, and set them on the table. When Luo Fei came out after applying the medicine, he noticed that all five quail eggs were in his bowl.

The eggs weren't very big, but at that moment, Luo Fei felt an unexpected warmth fill his heart.

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Tl Notes:

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