Chapter 37: A Fight
When Li Xin heard that both Old Master Li and Old Master Zhao were staying, he was so happy he stamped his feet. Because they'd had lunch early, dinner at Guan Yuan's place was served before the sky even darkened.
Old Master Li had been craving that hotpot ever since he first tried it, so they had hotpot again that night. Fresh vegetables, plump slices of pork and beef, with pork ribs as the base—the rising steam carried a rich, mouthwatering aroma. To enhance the flavor, Guan Yuan had added Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers, filling the whole room with that spicy, numbing fragrance.
Li Xin sniffed the air, his eyes fixed on the bubbling pot as he swallowed his saliva and kept asking if it was ready yet. Old Master Zhao and Old Master Li were also holding their chopsticks, waiting to grab the first bite the moment it was cooked.
Zhao Shenggu, worried that Guan Yuan might get tired of eating too much meat, specially blanched some vegetables for him first. Old Master Li teased, "You kid, got eyes only for your little brother, huh?"
Zhao Shenggu just smiled. "How could that be? The vegetables are for everyone, you know."
Old Master Li huffed. "I'll wait for the meat, then."
Guan Yuan's heart felt like it was filled with honey as he finished all the vegetables in his bowl. Li Xin watched him eat and swallowed hard, but he still wanted meat. Old Master Li had told him from the very beginning that if he filled up on vegetables first, he wouldn't have any room left for meat. So even though it was torture, he just sat there with his little mouth hanging open, waiting for the meat to finish cooking.
Just then, Xiao Zhang showed up. The moment he caught the aroma, his eyes lit up. "Oh, something smells delicious!"
Old Master Li asked, "What are you here for?"
Xiao Zhang chuckled. "The county chief saw that you hadn't come back even as it was getting dark, so he sent me to check on you." He swallowed. "Didn't expect to show up right at mealtime!"
Guan Yuan noticed his eyes were practically glued to the pot, so he patted his brother's hand. Zhao Shenggu brought out an extra set of bowls and chopsticks from the kitchen and invited Xiao Zhang to join them.
Xiao Zhang scratched his head. "This... this isn't really appropriate, is it? The county chief is still waiting for my report."
"What are you worried about? Lao Li's right here!" Old Master Zhao said.
Xiao Zhang was just waiting for Old Master Li's word. He looked at Old Master Li with hopeful eyes, and Old Master Li snorted. "Just eat here. That kid won't give you any trouble."
"Heh heh, great!" With that, Xiao Zhang darted over and sat down at the table.
Guan Yuan was worried the spice might be too much for Li Xin, so he'd specially prepared a smaller pot with milder seasoning for him. But surprisingly, the little guy preferred the spicy flavors. Tears streamed down his face from the numbing spice, but his chopsticks kept reaching for the big pot nonstop.
By the time the meal was over, all the extra food Zhao Shenggu had prepared was completely gone. Xiao Zhang sprawled in his chair for a while before finally getting up, patting his bloated, protruding belly with lingering satisfaction. "I should get going. Still need to report back to the county chief."
Zhao Shenggu had gotten along well with him, and before he left, he packed up some dried beef for him to take. Xiao Zhang beamed. "This is great! My dad's definitely going to praise me today."
After seeing Xiao Zhang off, the sky was completely dark. Zhao Shenggu lit the kerosene lamp. The county town had electricity, but Li Xin found the kerosene lamp fascinating—he kept circling around it with wide, curious eyes.
Old Master Zhao and Old Master Li sat cross-legged on the kang, chatting. Zhao Shenggu held Guan Yuan in his arms and gently rubbed his belly.
The two old men talked about all sorts of things, and Zhao Shenggu listened intently, occasionally chiming in. Guan Yuan watched Zhao Shenggu's face shift from hearty laughter to a thoughtful frown, and let out a contented sigh. The gentle rubbing of Zhao Shenggu's slightly calloused hands made him drowsy, and he couldn't help but yawn. The moment he stirred, Zhao Shenggu noticed and asked softly, "Xiao Yuan, do you want to sleep?"
Guan Yuan shook his head. With Old Master Li and Old Master Zhao still here, Zhao Shenggu definitely wouldn't leave them to go to bed. It was much more comfortable staying in Zhao Shenggu's arms.
"No, keep talking. I find it really interesting."
Zhao Shenggu adjusted Guan Yuan into a more comfortable position and casually pulled a blanket over him. "If you get sleepy, just go ahead and sleep."
Guan Yuan hummed in response, feeling warm all over. Listening to Zhao Shenggu's voice mingling with the two old men's conversation, he felt his heart melt into a puddle of warmth. Before he knew it, he'd drifted off.
The next morning, the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Zhao Shenggu's tall nose bridge. Sensing Guan Yuan shift beside him, Zhao Shenggu didn't even bother to open his eyes—he just pulled Guan Yuan closer into his arms, his voice still laced with drowsiness: "It's still early. Stay in bed with me a little longer."
Guan Yuan didn't know how late they'd stayed up, but he guessed Zhao Shenggu and the two old men had talked well into the night. He lay in Zhao Shenggu's arms in a daze for a while before falling asleep again.
The next time he came to, warm breath was brushing his face. He opened his eyes to find Li Xin's little face hovering just inches from his own.
Seeing Guan Yuan awake, Li Xin scratched his cheek with a finger and teased, "Shame on you, Brother Yuan is being a sleepyhead."
Guan Yuan couldn't resist reaching out to pinch his rosy cheeks. "Alright, I'm getting up now." He could already smell food—Zhao Shenggu must have made breakfast.
Zhao Shenggu walked into the room and, seeing Guan Yuan awake, brought over the clothes that had been warming by the stove overnight. He was about to help him get dressed, but Guan Yuan felt it would be embarrassing to have Zhao Shenggu dress him in front of Li Xin. "Brother, I can do it myself."
Zhao Shenggu handed him the clothes. "Alright, do it yourself. But don't dawdle under the covers—you'll catch a cold."
"Okay, okay, you go out first." After shooing away the fussy Zhao Shenggu, Guan Yuan got dressed in no time and walked out holding Li Xin's hand.
Zhao Shenggu usually liked to make noodles for breakfast. By the time Guan Yuan came out, Old Master Li and Old Master Zhao were already seated at the table, waiting. The noodles were topped with a minced beef sauce and sprinkled with chopped green onions—a bowl of pure fragrance that had everyone’s mouth watering.
Zhao Shenggu brought the noodles to the table, and the two old men dug in immediately, slurping noisily with gusto. Even Li Xin didn't need to be fed—he used a spoon to shovel noodles into his mouth all by himself.
They'd barely finished breakfast when Xiao Zhang arrived to pick them up.
Old Master Li shot him a glare. "What, you think I can't find my way home or something?"
Xiao Zhang grimaced. "The county chief sent me to get you. Today's your check-up day—the doctor was already there when I came."
Old Master Li had no choice but to go, grumbling curses at the county chief the whole way out.
Not long after seeing off the two old men, Guan Guo showed up with Guan Shitou. "Good thing you're back—otherwise we'd be out of stock tomorrow. I saw you had guests yesterday, so I didn't come in."
Zhao Shenggu laughed. "Why not? They're not strangers."
Guan Guo rubbed his hands together. "Just wasn't sure if we were on the same page, that's all."
Guan Shitou called out "Boss" to Guan Yuan, who waved him inside. Guan Yuan pulled out a toy car from his bag. "Here, this is for you." He twisted the button on the side a few times, set it on the ground, and the little car zoomed off.
Guan Shitou had never seen a toy like that before. He let out a delighted shout, jumping and bouncing around like he'd lost his mind, chasing the car back and forth across the room.
Guan Yuan had prepared gifts for both Guan Shitou and Guan Mumu. He'd noticed that Guan Mumu could get completely lost in the music playing from the school broadcasts, so he'd picked out a music box from his space. In the future, these things could connect to the internet and have every song imaginable, but without a network right now, it only had a handful of tunes stored.
After a little while, Guan Shitou brought Guan Mumu over. When Guan Yuan gave him the music box and Guan Mumu heard the songs playing from it, his face flushed with excitement.
"Thank you," Guan Mumu said, his face red. Guan Shitou thought the music box was fun too and tried to snatch it from Guan Mumu's hands. The moment he reached for it, Guan Mumu's eyes reddened.
Guan Shitou's grabbing hand froze mid-air.
Guan Yuan let them play around and went to the backyard. Zhao Shenggu was making the braising spices, and Guan Guo tactfully kept his distance, washing the meat on the side. Before long, Zhao Shenggu finished the spice mix and packed it in a basin.
Only then did Guan Guo come over. "Shenggu, from now on, just leave everything except the spice mix to me. I've got plenty of strength—braising this much meat is no problem at all."
Guan Yuan thought that was a great arrangement. It would free up their time to focus on other things.
Zhao Shenggu agreed. "Alright, Uncle Guan Guo. But if that's the case, you'll have more work. I'll raise your pay by another five yuan."
Guan Guo shook his head vigorously like a rattle-drum. "How can I take more money? The pay you're giving me is already high enough. If you insist, you're looking down on your Uncle Guan Guo."
Seeing how firm he was, Zhao Shenggu didn't push further—he'd make sure Guan Guo wasn't shortchanged one way or another. "Alright, we'll leave it as it is for now."
Guan Guo was happy once he agreed, and got to work braising the pork with gusto.
Guan Guo was quick and efficient. Under Zhao Shenggu's guidance, he finished braising the meat in no time. He didn't need Zhao Shenggu or Guan Yuan to worry about a thing—he just loaded up his cart and left on his own.
Guan Yuan said to Zhao Shenggu, "Later, we can have Uncle Guan Guo braise the meat right in the shop's back room. He'd just need to come here to pick up the spice mix. That way, the meat is braised fresh the same day it's sold—more convenient and fresher too."
Zhao Shenggu nodded, thinking it was a solid idea. "Good idea. I'll talk to Uncle Guan Guo tonight."
School started tomorrow, and neither of them had done their homework yet. After tidying up the house, they sat in the yard to catch up on their homework. For Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu, first-grade work was far too easy—they finished everything in no time.
The autumn sun was warm but not scorching. Guan Yuan lay lazily in Zhao Shenggu's arms, soaking up the sunlight. "Brother, what do you think about skipping a grade? What we're learning now is way too simple for us."
Zhao Shenggu didn't really mind either way. "Whatever Xiao Yuan thinks is best."
Guan Yuan felt pleased. "Aren't you afraid I might make the wrong choice?"
Zhao Shenggu smiled. "It doesn't matter if you make a mistake. No matter what you do wrong, I'll take responsibility for it."
Guan Yuan's eyes reddened, and he buried his face in Zhao Shenggu's chest. "Brother..."
"Yeah?"
"No matter what happens in the future, you have to stay with me. Otherwise..."
Guan Yuan couldn't imagine what he'd do if Zhao Shenggu ever truly left him. Maybe he'd go crazy. Maybe he'd shamelessly cling to Zhao Shenggu. But more likely than not, he'd drag Zhao Shenggu down to hell with him.
Feeling Guan Yuan's body tremble, Zhao Shenggu immediately patted his back soothingly. "How could I ever leave? Of course I'll stay with Xiao Yuan forever. I'm the one who should be worried—when I get old, you won't abandon me, will you?"
Guan Yuan held Zhao Shenggu even tighter. "Never!" How could I ever leave you? You've long since become a part of me—woven into my very bones and blood. Even a moment without you leaves me restless and uneasy. If you truly walked away, it would feel no different than having my tendons ripped out and my skin flayed off.
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