Chapter 40

Seeing Xu Zeqing so easily frightened, Huo Wen’an found it uninteresting.

He put away the gun and walked into the yard, standing there for a while before hearing the sound of a car horn frantically speeding away.

Shaking his head disdainfully, Huo Wen’an muttered under his breath, "Idiotic thing." After cursing, he looked up and saw Xu Xingguang standing on the balcony of the house next door, staring back at him from afar.

Xu Xingguang beamed at him and whistled, saying, "Boss Huo, the toy is really lifelike." Not only lifelike, even from a distance, Xu Xingguang could feel the chill emanating from that gun.

That wasn’t any toy, it was a real weapon.

Except, no one knew what modification Boss Huo had done to that gun, disguising it as a replica water gun.

Huo Wen’an nodded towards Xu Xingguang, about to head inside, when he heard Xu Xingguang say, "If you’re free, come over to my place for lunch to celebrate the move."

Huo Wen’an hesitated before saying, "I’m quite picky with food." He hoped Xu Xingguang would take the hint and decline.

Xu Xingguang replied, "What a coincidence, I’m also very selective with guests."

As a top chef in the Food World, countless people wanted to taste Xu Xingguang’s culinary skills. However, she was extremely picky when choosing guests, to the point of perfectionism, and those in the Food World felt honored to eat a meal she personally cooked.

Having said that, Huo Wen’an couldn’t refuse anymore.

Nodding, he said, "Then I’ll bother you."

Xu Xingguang went to town to buy some groceries. The ingredients were ordinary, but through her ingenious cooking, they transformed into dishes full of color, fragrance, and taste.

Huo Wen’an was resting in the lounge with his eyes closed when he smelled the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen next door, suddenly finding the medicinal scent in his own house too pungent.

Huo Wen’an actually felt somewhat hungry.

He slowly stood up, walked into the bedroom, glanced around, and took the clay-colored vase on the table by the window. He casually picked a few protruding red plum branches from the empty yard next door and headed to his neighbor’s house.

Upon hearing the knock, Xu Xingguang opened the gate to find Boss Huo standing outside holding a vase with red plums.

In front of her, Boss Huo was wearing a black sweater, with skin whiter than snow and lips redder than the plums in the vase.

Xu Xingguang instinctively pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

Such an alluring Boss Huo.

"Congratulations on the move." Boss Huo handed the vase to Xu Xingguang.

Xu Xingguang took the vase, "Come in. I still have some things to do, feel free to look around."

"Alright."

Xu Xingguang returned to the kitchen to continue cooking, while Huo Wen’an stood for a while in the empty yard before heading inside.

The old furniture in the small building had been moved out, replaced by brand-new furniture that clashed with the outdated decor of the living room. The main wall for the TV was blank, and the wallpaper was fraying, with childish drawings from Xu Xingguang’s childhood hanging there.

Looking at the drawing that resembled a Ghost Talisman, Huo Wen’an couldn’t make sense of it.

Noticing the elderly person’s cloth shoes on the corner shoe rack, Huo Wen’an realized Xu Xingguang was not living alone. "Is there an elder at home?"

"Yes, my grandfather." Xu Xingguang pointed upstairs and explained, "He’s paralyzed and unable to meet guests."

Huo Wen’an understood well.

"Help me shell these beans," Xu Xingguang suddenly tossed him a bag of green beans.

Huo Wen’an caught the beans, momentarily dazed, then headed to the kitchen, sitting on a small stool in front of the trash can.

The retro-style kitchen was a blend of Chinese and Western, but spacious. With two people in it, it never felt crowded.

Solving the beans diligently, Huo Wen’an looked up and saw the array of delicacies on the stove.

That hunger intensified. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Turning off the stove, Xu Xingguang picked up the casserole and headed to the dining room, saying, "Boss Huo, help me carry the dishes." She was completely straightforward, treating Huo Wen’an like a helper rather than a guest.

Huo Wen’an hadn’t been ordered around for a long time; it felt novel to him, but he complied.

Xu Xingguang had prepared four dishes.

A plate of sautéed lettuce strips, cut evenly in thickness and length, cooked to a crisp tenderness with a green hue, garnished with seven to eight rings of red chili peppers, tantalizing the taste buds.

A bowl of clam steamed egg custard, smooth and fine on the surface, emitting a fresh aroma of clams and the distinctive scent of eggs. A plate of spicy pig’s trotters, oily but not greasy, perfectly balanced between fat and lean, adorned with a few mint leaves.

Lastly, a pot of chicken soup stewed to a slightly yellow hue, with goji berries maintaining their original color, soft but not mushy, with a palate-pleasing broth.

Gazing at the table full of dishes, Huo Wen’an felt the urge to swallow down saliva, but he held back. He did not rush to eat but politely asked, "Don’t you need to leave some food for your grandfather?"

"I’ve already saved some; it’s kept warm in the kitchen. Let’s eat first." Xu Xingguang asked whether he would drink wine. Huo Wen’an shook his head, "Better not drink for health reasons."

"Let’s eat then."

Huo Wen’an did not stand on ceremony, he served himself a bowl of chicken soup first and drank it in silence. Unable to resist, he helped himself to another bowl.

"The other dishes are also quite good." Seeing him focused on the pot of chicken soup, Xu Xingguang scooped a spoonful of steamed egg into a small bowl next to Huo Wen’an’s soup bowl.

"Thank you." Huo Wen’an did not refuse Xu Xingguang’s offer of food.

Over the years, Huo Wen’an had a poor appetite and ate very little, even his stomach had shrunk. But today’s meal was especially to his liking, and he felt an urge to overeat.

Yet he managed to restrain himself.

Putting down his chopsticks, Huo Wen’an sincerely praised, "The taste is really good, Miss Xu, your cooking skills impressed me."

Xu Xingguang’s appetite wasn’t small either. After finishing all the dishes except for the chicken soup, she placed the mint leaves used to garnish the pig’s trotters into Huo Wen’an’s bowl. "Try this, it will surprise you."

Huo Wen’an frowned, "I don’t like mint." In fact, previously he didn’t like to eat chicken or pig trotters, but he made exceptions today.

However, mint was something Huo Wen’an really couldn’t bring himself to like.

Xu Xingguang clicked her tongue, telling Huo Wen’an, "It’s not mint, try it."

With some doubt, Huo Wen’an placed the mint leaf into his mouth.

As the mint entered his mouth, a rush of coldness surged to Huo Wen’an’s head, making even the nerves in his teeth tremble.

Huo Wen’an’s eyes widened slightly, and instinctively he wanted to spit out the mint leaf, but Xu Xingguang was watching him intently, so he had to swallow it.

This meal was thoroughly enjoyed by both host and guest.

After eating, Huo Wen’an took his leave.

Typically, about an hour after Huo Wen’an ate, when his body had absorbed the new energy, the blood in his body would begin to boil furiously.

In those moments, it felt as if a small volcano was hidden inside him, causing him to break out in a painful sweat.

These days, Huo Wen’an had been enduring for three to four years, and he had long since grown used to it.

Returning to the rest room, Huo Wen’an sat in a recliner, quietly waiting for the ailment to flare up. Around two o’clock, the temperature within Huo Wen’an’s body gradually began to rise, and the veins under his thin, fair skin started to swell.

But to his bewilderment, the expected turmoil and intense pain did not occur; the blood in his body surged for only a few minutes before slowly calming down.

Huo Wen’an’s gaze shifted from confusion to astonishment.

Why was it like this?

Perplexed, Huo Wen’an got up and walked out of the room, standing in the corridor under the eaves watching the sunset, when he suddenly heard footsteps from next door.

Turning his head, he saw through the iron fence Xu Xingguang carrying a large ceramic basin out.

Xu Xingguang placed the basin by the edge of the courtyard wall and crouched down to plant something.

Huo Wen’an walked over to the corner of the wall, and watched the busy Xu Xingguang, asking her, "What are you planting?"

"Mint," Xu Xingguang replied.

After observing for a while, Huo Wen’an noticed that Xu Xingguang’s method of planting mint was completely different from that of professional gardeners. Gardeners usually propagated mint through cuttings or seeds.

By planting a sprig of mint with roots into the soil, it would quickly sprout. Alternatively, just scattering mint seeds would suffice.

However, Xu Xingguang’s mint seeds were not individual grains, but root-like fibers, with frost attached to them. She buried the fibers in the soil, and then sprinkled something white on top.

"What is that? Fertilizer?" Huo Wen’an was utterly puzzled.

Xu Xingguang dusted off her hands, stood up, and winked at him, saying, "Salt."

Huo Wen’an just assumed Xu Xingguang was joking. "When will you move the packages you placed in my yard?"

"I’ll move them over later."

Huo Wen’an had seen the outer packages of those deliveries and found Xu Xingguang had bought all sorts of tools, both agricultural and electrical, as well as repair tools.

All kinds of things, everything imaginable.

"Why did you buy so many tools?" Huo Wen’an could never quite figure out all of Xu Xingguang’s actions.

Xu Xingguang pointed to the empty courtyard behind her, and said, "I plan to remodel the house and the courtyard, and start a live-streaming account for broadcasting."

Huo Wen’an knew live-streaming could make money. He looked at Xu Xingguang’s delicate and beautiful hands, finding it hard to believe she would renovate a house and design a garden.

But one shouldn’t judge by appearances; earlier, he didn’t believe Xu Xingguang could cook, either.

"It’s a good plan." Yet thinking about how short his own life expectancy was, not having much time left, while the girl next door was energetically embarking on live-streaming to make money, Huo Wen’an suddenly felt a bit complicated.