Yan Chi heard footsteps outside and knew that Shen Chang Le and the others had returned. He pushed away Shen Mingsu, who was resting his head on his shoulder, and went out to greet them.
Shen Mingsu sighed, lamenting how quickly happy times always pass, and followed Yan Chi.
As soon as Yan Chi stepped outside, he was met with a black giant as large as a small mountain.
The black giants, their faces devoid of features, made a staring motion. Their slender arms reached around Yan Chi, placing the items they were carrying into the living room. Having completed their task, these black giants vanished into thin air, like mist dispersed by the sun.
Yan Chi turned to Xie Tao, bewildered, and asked, "What were those just now?"
"They were created by your student Tan Mo. They helped us carry things; they were quite useful. We can call them next time we go shopping."
Xie Tao took out a small tangerine and offered it to Yan Chi. "Try it, it's quite sweet. We bought a lot."
So it was Tan Mo's shadowy form. Yan Chi had seen it once before, but not in this form.
He peeled the tangerine and took a bite. It was sweet and refreshing, the juice plentiful; it was indeed delicious. He broke off half and gave it to Shen Mingsu. "It's very good."
Shen Mingsu took it. "Thank you, Teacher Xiao Chi."
Xie Tao, observing without expression, watched Shen Mingsu and Yan Chi, then popped the remaining tangerine slice into his mouth, no longer commenting on how sweet the tangerine was. They had bought quite a few things. Shen Chang Le put Shen Changyao in his walker and then began distributing the gifts he had bought. Yan Chi received a new coat, scarf, and a vase of winter plum blossoms.
Shen Mingsu only had a coat of the same style, followed by Shen Changyao's hat, Xie Tao's scarf and gloves…
Everyone in the family received something, even the newly arrived headmistress; Shen Chang Le had prepared a gift for her. Yan Chi had to admit his thoughtfulness.
The next morning, Yan Chi took Shen Chang Le to give the headmistress her New Year's gift. The headmistress's eyes instantly welled up with tears when she saw the brand-new cashmere sweater she had given her. She hugged Shen Chang Le and stroked his head, saying, "Good boy."
Shen Chang Le stood there like a statue, letting the headmistress hold him.
The headmistress looked at him with loving eyes and brought out all the snacks she had, letting him choose. In the end, Shen Chang Le only took a piece of candy, shyly clinging to Yan Chi.
Yan Chi smiled and patted his shoulder, then said to the headmistress, "Let's have New Year's Eve dinner together."
The headmistress instinctively declined, not wanting to trouble him, but Yan Chi clung to her arm, pleading, and Shen Chang Le nodded repeatedly beside her.
Shen Chang Le: "Let's go together."
The headmistress, worn down by their persistence, finally nodded. "Have you prepared everything for the New Year?"
Yan Chi nodded proudly. "Everything's ready."
He had specially made a spreadsheet, writing down everything that needed to be prepared, and had done it one by one; now everything was ready.
"Have you made the meatballs yet?" asked the headmistress.
Yan Chi hesitated. "What meatballs?"
"Meatballs, mung bean balls, fish balls..." the headmistress rattled off several kinds. Seeing Yan Chi's blank look, she knew he'd forgotten. "There'll be meatball soup for New Year's Eve dinner, symbolizing family reunion."
Yan Chi: "...I've never seen this dish on TV."
Actually, this was Yan Chi's first real New Year's celebration. He usually worked part-time during this time because he got triple pay for the holiday.
Therefore, Yan Chi's limited knowledge of New Year's Eve dinner came entirely from television dramas.
“Customs vary from place to place,” the headmistress said affectionately. “Of course, our little Chi is the head of the household now. You decide what’s on the table.”
A sense of pride rose in Yan Chi’s heart. His lips curved upwards, and his amber eyes shone with joy. “Yes, yes, I’m the head of the household.”
Head of the household… Yan Chi murmured those four words, savoring their meaning.
Yan Chi made a decisive statement, “I’ll go back and make meatballs.”
“You…you two know how to make meatballs?” Although the headmistress had witnessed Shen Mingsu’s skill, she was still worried about the two children. “If you have any difficulties, come to me.”
Yan Chi: “Okay, thank you, Headmistress.”
So that noon, Yan Chi and Shen Mingsu began watching a tutorial. Shen Chang Le, holding Shen Changyao, looked up and saw the two of them, heads close together, intently listening to the teacher’s instructions in the video.
A few minutes later, Shen Mingsu confidently stood up. "I got it! It's simple, watch me."
Shen Mingsu picked up the meat and put it into the meat grinder, exuding a relaxed air of complete control. Yan Chi was surprised that his cooking skills had reached an expert level and immediately became his little helper, preparing scallion and ginger water for him.
The two bustled around in the kitchen, while Shen Chang Le stood at the kitchen door watching them.
Yan Chi: "How much salt should I add?"
Shen Mingsu: "The video said 'appropriate amount,' so add a little more, considering there's so much meat."
"What about starch? Is this enough?"
"Enough."
"..."
Seemingly quite reliable, Shen Chang Le was already ready to taste the delicious food. He held Shen Changyao on the sofa, affectionately squeezing his little fist. "We'll be eating meatballs soon."
Shen Changyao looked at his silly older brother, hesitant to speak, wanting to tell him not to get his hopes up.
Shen Changyao glanced at the food earlier; the ratio of starch to salt was wrong, so what he made was definitely not going to be any good.
Half an hour later, Yan Chi and Shen Mingsu stared at the meatballs in the oil, which had fallen apart during cooking, and both fell silent. Yan Chi pursed his lips. "I remember, meatballs are round."
Shen Mingsu: "...I know."
This batch was unusable, so the two started over, adding more starch and even more salt. This time, the meatballs finally had a basic shape and looked quite good.
Yan Chi: "I'll try."
Shen Mingsu, however, frowned. He stopped Yan Chi's outstretched hand and turned to call out, "Chang Le, come and have one."
Shen Chang Le put Shen Changyao on the sofa, walked into the kitchen with a happy expression, glanced at the golden meatballs, and picked one up without hesitation, taking a bite.
The overwhelming saltiness instantly assaulted his taste buds. His face contorted slightly as he swallowed with difficulty. "Very salty, extremely salty."
It was unbearably salty.
"Looks like we put in too much salt," Shen Mingsu said thankfully to Yan Chi. "Luckily you didn't eat any."
Shen Chang Le: "..."
Yan Chi handed Shen Chang Le a glass of water, saying guiltily, "Let's make another batch."
Shen Chang Le sat on the sofa with the water, gulping down the whole bottle. The salty taste still lingered in his mouth. Shen Changyao looked at his silly brother with a pained expression, climbed to his side, and, holding a small tangerine in each hand, placed it in his.
Shen Chang Le hugged him: "Thank you, Yao Yao."
It wasn't until around three in the afternoon that Shen Mingsu and Yan Chi's dumpling-making project finally got on track. After Shen Chang Le's tasting and Shen Mingsu's continuous improvements, the dumplings could finally be considered "delicious."
Shen Mingsu's face was covered in flour. He was only wearing a thin shirt, sleeves rolled up. He glanced at the fried meatballs and, feeling proud, said, "I told you I could manage without the headmistress."
As for the various failures he had experienced, Shen Mingsu didn't mention them at all.
Yan Chi coaxed him, "Yes, yes, your skills are the best. These meatballs are fried to perfection, very delicious."
Hearing Yan Chi's praise, Shen Mingsu became even more proud and self-satisfied, adding a philosophical remark, "Learn a skill, and you'll never starve."
Yan Chi nodded repeatedly.
While cooking the fish balls, Yan Chi heard voices coming from the living room. Then Shen Chang Le came to call him, "Uncle, Teacher Qiu is here."
Qiu Yunshu? What's he doing here at this time?
Yan Chi took off his apron and heard Shen Mingsu snort, his face showing displeasure at being interrupted. Yan Chi said, "Perhaps he needs to see us. I'll go out and check. Chang Le, you help your uncle."
Shen Chang Le agreed and took over Yan Chi's task.
In the living room, Shen Changyao sat on the sofa, his delicately sculpted face tense, his bright green eyes filled with undisguised hostility towards Qiu Yunshu.
Qiu Yunshu, seeing Shen Changyao's good looks, tried to reach out and pat his head, but the latter unceremoniously brushed his hand away.
Rejected by the infant, Qiu Yunshu felt incredibly embarrassed. As he fidgeted, Yan Chi emerged from the kitchen, and he immediately stood up. "Teacher Yan Chi."
Yan Chi nodded. "Happy New Year, Teacher Qiu."
"Happy New Year."
Yan Chi's tone was polite and impeccable. "You've come to see us at this hour, is there something you need?"
Qiu Yunshu nervously twisted his fingers. "Teacher Yan Chi, the New Year is almost here, and I wanted to ask if my brother could come to school to stay with me this year. We won't be a burden on the school; he'll stay with me."
"Of course." Yan Chi readily agreed. The New Year is a time for family reunions, and he certainly wouldn't stop Qiu Yunshu's brother from coming to school.
Qiu Yunshu's face lit up with joy, his whole being radiating happiness. He bowed repeatedly to Yan Chi, thanking him profusely. "Thank you, Teacher Chi! Thank you so much! When my brother arrives, I'll bring him to wish you a Happy New Year."
Qiu Yunshu seemed to be someone who hated troubling others. Having received even a little help from Yan Chi, he didn't know what to do, thanking him profusely and praising him as a good person.
Yan Chi, having received the "good guy" card, chuckled, "It's nothing, no need to thank me."
Shen Changyao's shifting gaze darted between Qiu Yunshu and Yan Chi. He seemed to dislike Qiu Yunshu's attitude and simply tossed him an orange peel.
The orange peel lightly hit Qiu Yunshu. Startled, his eyes dimmed, and he forced a smile, "Sorry to bother you. Well, I'll be going now."
Before Yan Chi could say anything, Qiu Yunshu turned and left. Yan Chi sighed helplessly, glancing at the indifferent Shen Changyao.
"Yao Yao." Yan Chi squatted down beside him, grabbed his two small hands, and told him seriously, "Teacher Qiu is a guest. Your behavior of throwing orange peels at him just now was very impolite and wrong, do you know that?"
Shen Changyao turned his head to look towards the kitchen, and seeing that Shen Chang Le was focused on being Shen Mingsu's assistant and hadn't noticed him, he spoke directly, "He has a system on him, how polite should I be to him?"
Yan Chi: "..."
What is he saying?!
"A system?" Yan Chi grabbed Shen Changyao's shoulders, pressing urgently, "Are you sure he has a system? Then what is he... a player?"
Shen Changyao raised his round chin, "Of course, I couldn't be wrong, he has a system."
But the next second, he frowned slightly, "But the system signal on him is sometimes strong, sometimes weak, sometimes completely absent. Has he been exiled by the system?"
Yan Chi felt a wave of dizziness. How could Qiu Yunshu be a player? He was clearly just a mountain spirit, and he acted normally every day, even helping to take care of the children.
"Shen Mingsu!" Yan Chi ran up to Shen Mingsu in a panic, grabbing his arm and muttering, "What do we do? Qiu Yunshu is a player! He's an undercover agent in our school!"
"That's outrageous! I was so good to him before, thinking about how he came all this way to work at the school, and I even felt sorry for him..." Yan Chi's face was flushed with anger, but he kept repeating his condemnation of Qiu Yunshu's outrageous behavior.
Forgive him, he really wasn't good at swearing.
Shen Mingsu had never seen Yan Chi so angry before. He had Shen Chang Le stir the fish balls in the pot with chopsticks, then pulled Yan Chi aside and gave him a reassuring hug. "Yes, he really went too far. Don't worry, he'll pay the price."
Seeing that Shen Mingsu wasn't surprised at all, his lips pressed into a straight line, "Tell me the truth, did you already know Qiu Yunshu was involved?"
"Yes..."
"Then why didn't you tell me sooner?" Yan Chi's anger shifted to something else. "If you had told me sooner, I wouldn't have been so nice to Qiu Yunshu. I would have... ignored him."
Shen Mingsu, seeing him like a ruffled kitten, quickly tried to soothe him. "I wanted to tell you too, but your acting wasn't very good... Like you said, you would have ignored him. If Qiu Yunshu had noticed anything amiss, he would have run away long ago."
Shen Mingsu's words made a lot of sense. Yan Chi's frustration gradually dissipated. He sensed something was wrong and asked, "But before he entered the school, Mingcai's mother saw him and said he had no problems."
"At the time, there were indeed no problems. His memories show he was just an ordinary mountain spirit." Shen Mingsu's tone changed. "Do you remember his brother, whom he often mentioned?"
"Yes, I remember. He came here this time because of his brother."
"According to our investigation, his brother is dead." At this point, Shen Mingsu's tone held a hint of amusement, "A dead man, why would he want him in school? Or... is his brother someone else?"
Shen Mingsu leaned closer to Yan Chi, "So aren't you curious?"
"His brother is already dead..." Yan Chi's face darkened, "Bringing a dead man to school during the New Year, how unlucky!"
Hearing his concerns, Shen Mingsu couldn't help but chuckle, "Then you won't let them in?"
"Let's forget about it then." Yan Chi didn't want to delay anything important, "Let them in."
That way, they'd be trapped like turtles in a jar. Once they were in school, they wouldn't have to run away. Yan Chi already imagined giving Qiu Yunshu a good scolding to calm him down.
Shen Mingsu: "Then how did you know Qiu Yunshu was a player?"
"Yao Yao told me."
"How did he know?"
Yan Chi said bluntly, "Yao Yao said he sensed a system signal on Qiu Yunshu."
As soon as he said it, Yan Chi's expression changed. He realized something was wrong. Shen Changyao wasn't a signal receiver; could he automatically distinguish signal frequencies?
Shen Mingsu frowned. He went straight to the living room, picked up Shen Changyao who was peeling an orange, and scrutinized the half-grown child, lowering his voice, "What exactly are you?"
Shen Changyao, suspended in the air, kicked his legs uncomfortably, "Go ask your sister! She's the one who brought me here."
Shen Mingsu: "My sister's already in her grave. How can I ask her?"
Seeing that he wouldn't work, Shen Changyao looked pitifully at Yan Chi, his voice soft, "Uncle, save me."
Yan Chi had just experienced Qiu Yunshu's betrayal... He was now quite paranoid, his eyes filled with wariness and distrust. "Yao Yao, you're not a player too, are you?"
Shen Changyao: "...No."
Seeing the boy's lack of cooperation, Shen Mingsu threatened, "If you don't tell, this house won't tolerate you anymore. Go sleep on the streets."
Shen Changyao's eyelashes trembled. He hesitated for a moment, "I'll tell you in the room. Don't let my brother know."
Shen Mingsu and Yan Chi agreed to this small request. The two went upstairs. Shen Chang Le heard the commotion and came out of the kitchen worriedly to check.
Things should be alright, right?
After entering the room, Shen Mingsu casually tossed Shen Changyao onto the bed, and Yan Chi locked the door.
Shen Changyao shook his head and got up. Looking at Shen Mingsu and Yan Chi standing side by side in front of him, he inexplicably felt like a criminal being interrogated.
Before speaking, Shen Changyao carefully chose his words, "You know I'm not actually a baby, right?"
Shen Mingsu: "Ruoqin said you're a mechanical doll."
"I'm not!" Shen Changyao huffed, "Don't associate me with such low-class things! I'm high-class, don't insult me."
Shen Mingsu impatiently said, "I don't care if you're high-class or not, tell me what you are first."
"Actually, my original name wasn't Shen Changyao." Shen Changyao looked somewhat nostalgic, "My name is Fu Qin."
Shen Mingsu and Yan Chi: "..."
Father? What kind of weird name is that?
Shen Mingsu scoffed, "Your name is quite opportunistic."
"I quite like it." Shen Changyao said smugly, but seeing that the two of them only seemed confused by his name, he exploded again, "Don't you two find this name familiar?"
Yan Chi was puzzled, "Isn't it a homonym for 'father'? Does it have some other meaning?"
"Of course!" Shen Changyao was like someone who had proudly gone out in a designer outfit, only to be asked by a passerby where they bought it from a street stall, and he was instantly consumed by a helpless rage.
"Fu Qin, it's me, Fu Qin!" Shen Changyao pointed at himself. "I made the player system, and you don't even know me?"
The atmosphere froze at these words. Shen Changyao felt a sudden, inexplicable pounding in his chest. He shrank back, glancing tentatively at Yan Chi and Shen Mingsu.
Yan Chi stared at him in shock, clearly still reeling from the shock.
Shen Mingsu, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes dangerously, his fingers cracking as he raised his hand to slap him.
This time, Yan Chi didn't stop him.
As the slap was about to land on his face, Shen Changyao hurriedly explained, "But I only designed the system program, I didn't do anything else before I died! And then...and after waking up, Shen Ruoqin turned me into a doll, and I've been maintaining this form ever since."
"Heaven and earth bear witness, I really didn't do anything bad."
Hearing this, Shen Mingsu finally stopped, sneered, and pinched Shen Changyao's face. "You'll have to wait until you've done something wrong. If you dare to do anything in the future, I'll hang you up and whip you."
"Oh, no, I'll have Chang Le whip you himself."
Shen Changyao sobbed, "I'll be very good."
Comments
Post a Comment