Chapter 173

Chapter 173: Dinner

"Ah? Ajin's back?" Grandfather asked as he entered the house.

Ajin's arrival was silent and unassuming. He had excellent control over his magical aura, making it impossible for anyone to sense the presence of a powerful monster when he didn't wish to be detected.

The only reason Grandfather knew was due to an extra pair of shoes by the door.

Finely crafted black leather shoes, exuding an air of great expense. Upon seeing them, the sheep-horned monster immediately recognized who had arrived.

"He's back," Ji Huan casually said, not noticing the stiffness in his tone.

"Oh! Perfect timing then. There's still some meat left from the monster he hunted last time. We can make dumplings with it! We even have flour at home today!" Grandfather said joyfully. "Didn't everyone rave about how delicious those dumplings were last time?"

The meat from the monster Ajin had hunted previously had indeed been incredibly tasty. They consumed it daily and shared some with friends, so it was quickly finished, leaving only a single piece of meat. However, Grandfather always insisted they not touch it. With an abundance of food at home and other options available, Ji Huan hadn't inquired further.

Little did he know that Grandfather had been saving it for this moment – the meat was meant for Ajin.

"Something happened outside again today. Was the journey here alright?" Ji Huan asked.

"No worries, no worries. Mr. Awen was kind enough to send us back. What a good person," the sheep-horned creature chuckled, placing the remaining items for sale on the dining table. Finally, it reached into its bosom and pulled out Hei Dan, who was snugly wrapped in a small cloak.

Ji Huan hurried over to help the little creature remove the cloak. Grandfather wasn't skilled at handling cloaks and always tied them haphazardly. As Ji Huan took the cloak off Hei Dan, the little monster let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Sigh..."

Without the cloak's concealment, the tiny monster with skin as cracked and mottled as a quail egg was now exposed on the dining table.

Unaware of how terrifying his appearance might be, the little monster was delighted to see his uncle. He opened his tiny paws, revealing a row of increasingly neat baby teeth as he smiled.

He laughed.

Ji Huan hugged him and then set him down. "Hei Dan, stay with Grandfather while I cook. If you're not tired, help count the chopsticks."

Pausing here, Ji Huan added, "We'll count one extra pair today. Ajin is coming over."

The calf-skin little monster wore a confused expression.

Every time Ajin's name was mentioned, the little monster's expression would become incredibly varied.

On one hand, he was terrified of the other, but on the other, he adored him and would instinctively imitate his actions.

Every time he saw Hei Dan like this, even Ji Huan couldn't help but tease him unkindly at times. Now, he somewhat understood why Ajin enjoyed teasing Hei Dan deliberately.

But...

Who else wasn't emotionally conflicted about Ajin?

Upon reflecting on himself, the rare hint of a smile on Ji Huan's face faded. Gently stroking Hei Dan's braid, he turned to return to the kitchen and continue his chores.

Hei Dan sat at the table with an expression that seemed to say he had lost all will to live (?). He was in a daze, resembling a calf deep in thought about life.

Well, to be able to view a spotted, nearly skinless little monster as an adorable calf, Ajin truly had a broad mindset.

Completely oblivious to his great-grandson's delicate inner world, the horned demon smiled and patted the little monster's head before heading upstairs to change clothes. He needed to hurry up and get dressed because he still had to help his grandson prepare dinner!

Although he wasn't skilled in making dumplings, he was excellent at laborious tasks like mincing meat!

After resting with his head down for a while, accompanying Grandpa Ajin for a drink of water, Hei Dan sighed and crawled towards the chopstick holder to grab a pair.

A pair for Jiujiu, a pair for Grandpa, and Black Egg used his tiny fork. Then...

came the terrifyingly yet elegantly (?) Ajin's.

The little monster counted the chopsticks with great seriousness. He didn't just randomly grab two; he would pick them up, hold them with his small hands, and poke the table twice to ensure they were aligned evenly before carefully placing them at their designated spot.

Yes, there was a designated spot.

In Ji Huan's household, they shared chopsticks, but each person had a fixed place to eat. Grandpa and Uncle sat on one side, while Black Egg perched on Jiujiu's lap. Then—

after arranging Grandpa and Uncle's chopsticks, Black Egg scanned the table intently. Finally, he crawled swiftly to place the last pair, belonging to Ajin, at the farthest end of the table from both Grandpa and Uncle.

The scruffy little monster even let out a triumphant hoot.

Next, he extended his tiny paw to cover his mouth.

A delightful aroma wafted from the kitchen, and the little monster looked longingly in that direction. From where he sat, he could just make out Grandpa and Uncle bustling about.

This was precisely why Ji Huan had placed him here: the kitchen was too dangerous, so he didn't want to take Black Egg inside. However, he was also worried that the little one might be scared or unable to call for help if left alone, which could lead to trouble. Placing him on the dining table was ideal – Black Egg could see the adults at all times, and if anything happened, he could cry out, and Ji Huan would hear him.

On the dining table sat an outdated fashion magazine, also prepared for Hei Dan. As they waited for the meal, Hei Dan flipped through its pages, endeavoring to distract his growling stomach with the visually appealing illustrations.

Tonight's dinner at Ji Huan's home was abundant: a large basin of braised pork, soy-braised bones, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, pumpkin salad, and the highlight, dumplings.

Hei Dan's mouth watered uncontrollably.

However, upstairs, Ajin was still engaged in conversation, and the Ji Huan family sat around the table, none of them daring to start eating first.

"Grandfather, should you and Hei Dan begin?" After another half-hour of waiting, the food on the table was almost cold. Ji Huan looked up at his grandfather, suggesting they proceed without Ajin.

"In what world does that happen? You feed Hei Dan a dumpling first, and we'll wait our turn." Having lived in the human world for many years, albeit not directly among people, Grandfather was quite fond of watching television. He had picked up on numerous peculiar human etiquettes, simply because he had two grandsons, monsters as innocent as blank slates, to educate!

Ji Huan picked up a dumpling to offer it to Hei Dan, but to his surprise, the little one firmly refused.

Hei Dan had grown a bit and started mimicking adult behaviors. If the adults didn't eat, he wanted to wait too, even if he didn't understand why.

In a way, this was a rudimentary form of teaching by example.

The family waited hungrily, reheating all the dishes and steaming the dumplings once more. When they noticed the unappealing appearance, Ji Huan decided to fry them all.

If it dragged on any longer, they'd have to give them to Big Bai. Just as Ji Huan thought this, a figure silently descended from upstairs.

It was Kelvin, indicating that Ajin's conversation with him had finally concluded.

"Is this… ready for dinner?" Kelvin inhaled deeply, trying to catch a whiff of the food.

"Mm-hmm." Ji Huan stood up, his position conveniently blocking Hei Dan from view on the table.

Hei Dan had undergone new changes, and until he knew the outcome, he instinctively wanted to protect him from being seen by others.

"Would Awen like some?" The horned demon also rose and, since arriving here, had become increasingly hospitable.

"No, no." The tall demon smiled after glimpsing the array of food on the table. He approached the door, turned to face Ji Huan's family inside, and bowed slightly. "I'll bring a gift for Hei Dan another time." With that, he left.

He had come down alone; Ajin didn't accompany him. It made sense, as Ajin wasn't one to see guests off.

Closing the door, Ji Huan ascended the stairs and gently knocked on Ajin's door. Hearing "come in," he pushed it open.

Upon entering, he saw Ajin seemingly in a meditative state on the sofa.

"Um... dinner is ready," Ji Huan said, feeling a bit uneasy being alone with Ajin again.

Unexpectedly, Ajin replied, "I'm not hungry."

Ji Huan: =-=

Remembering his grandfather and Hei Dan downstairs, enduring their hunger in anticipation, and the repeatedly reheated food, Ji Huan suddenly felt stifled.

But...

Right, Ajin hadn't specifically asked for dinner to be prepared. Perhaps he had already eaten before coming over.

How thoughtless of him to let both Hei Dan and his grandfather wait hungrily...

Nodding solemnly, Ji Huan descended the stairs with a darkened face.

Descending the stairs, he was just about to announce that Ajin needn't join them for dinner, allowing his family to proceed with their meal, when Grandfather cheerfully hailed him from afar:

"Ajin, must be hungry, right? Come, have your meal now! We've prepared a feast especially for you!"

Ji Huan turned abruptly, only to find the very monster who had declared he wouldn't eat standing behind him, his steps so silent and unobtrusive that Ji Huan hadn't noticed him following at all!

Raising his gaze, Ji Huan gave him a brief look before resuming his way to the dining table and seating himself at his designated spot.

The black-haired monster, in turn, surveyed the table and eventually spotted a pair of chopsticks at the farthest position from everyone else.

Without hesitation, he took the chopsticks and sat down directly opposite Ji Huan.

Hei Dan: =O=!!!

Turns out you can do that too!!

Despite his refined demeanor, as a carnivorous monster, faced with an array of dishes, Ajin's first choice was a piece of braised pork.

"This meat is very flavorful," he praised.

"That's because this pot of meat has been reheated three times just for waiting for you." Ji Huan said without lifting his head as he picked up a piece of meat and fed it to Hei Dan.

Horned Monster: Eh?

The black-haired monster was taken aback before remarking, "That Kelvin can really talk."

"I'm quite hungry too." He maintained his calm expression.

Liar! You just said you weren't hungry a moment ago—Ji Huan also took a piece of meat for himself.

"Perhaps Mr. Awen had a lot on his mind? He's a wonderful monster, particularly fond of Hei Dan. He keeps sending gifts to Hei Dan every day…" The horned monster spoke well of the other party, "Just now when I saw him leaving, I offered him some food but was rejected. I guess he must be starving too…."

That wasn't the case—

As a monster who had made some connections within the organization, Kelvin obviously had certain standards for living quality. The reheated dishes on Ji Huan's table were likely something he would avoid at all costs.

Monsters had far more sensitive taste and smell than humans. The slightest hint of staleness would be magnified several or even dozens of times. Ajin could easily imagine Kelvin's thoughts just now—probably something along the lines of making a hasty retreat?

While monsters in Ye Falar would eat anything, including rotten flesh when hungry, they preferred fresh ingredients when given a choice.

"What's this?" The black-haired demon hesitated with his chopsticks over the least fresh-smelling pan-fried dumplings.

"It's dumplings! Ajin, you've never had dumplings before?" The ram-horned demon's eyes sparkled as it said, "It's that monster you left behind a few days ago. Its meat is especially delicious when used for dumplings. We wanted you to try it, so we saved a piece of meat just for you."

Eight days after death...rotten flesh...?

The black-haired demon paused, then finally picked up a dumpling. He dipped it elegantly in the condiments and then placed it in his mouth, chewing carefully.

A small smile appeared on the black-haired demon's face. "It's really delicious."

"See? We've had them before, but these are specially made for you. Little Hua, Hei Dan, and I won't have any. This whole pot is yours; eat more!" Praised, the enthusiastic ram-horned demon promptly placed the entire pot of dumplings in front of Ajin.

Eating rotten flesh...that seemed like an incredibly long time ago.

Struggling to recall those times, the black-haired demon was surprised to find that they no longer caused him distress.

One by one, he devoured the entire pot of pan-fried dumplings.

Author's Note: Grandfather: Next time, let's get Ajin to try stinky tofu?

Ajin: =-=