Chapter 147

Chapter 147

◎The cozy smell of home cooking.◎

But Meng Qi held back his laughter, curious to see how Ren Suiyi would light the fire.

This was something Meng Qi had done since childhood with ease, yet it left the young master Ren flustered, revealing a clumsiness totally opposite to his usual calm, determined self.

Ridiculous, laughable, but adorable!

It instantly stirred a prying curiosity deep in Meng Qi's heart. At that moment, Meng Qi finally understood the true charm of contrast cuteness—how it could hit you right in the feels. It seemed his classmates, who had been obsessed with CEO comics and novels during the ten-minute breaks, weren't wrong after all. He apologized for his earlier silent mockery of their over-the-top enthusiasm.

Having cleared out the firewood, Ren Suiyi pondered for a few seconds, grabbed a large handful of dry grass from behind him, and stuffed it all into the firebox. He paused to think again, apparently feeling the amount was too little, and added another four or five handfuls, much to Meng Qi's astonishment, packing the firebox to the brim.

From the day it was built until now, "Mr. Firebox" had probably never been so full of food.

Meng Qi turned his head aside, biting his lip to suppress a silent laugh. Once he had his fill of amusement, he pretended nothing had happened and looked back at Ren Suiyi.

He had a feeling the ignition process would be even more entertaining. He couldn't miss it, nor could he give himself away.

With a crisp click, a sky-blue lighter flickered to life, its orange-red flame casting a brief warmth through the low-ceilinged kitchen. Meng Qi instinctively closed his eyes for a moment, then quickly reopened them to focus on Ren Suiyi.

Lighting the fire of hope brought a slight curl to both corners of Ren Suiyi's lips, softening the sharp lines of his face several times over. He swiftly inserted the dancing flame into the pile of dry grass. As a wisp of smoke curled out of the firebox, he abruptly withdrew his right hand and let out a gentle sigh, as if relaxing after completing some task. But his upper body remained still, his head tilted as he stared intently at the dry grass, looking as though he was on high alert.

Meng Qi thought that at this moment, Young Master Ren must have been brimming with confidence in his fire-starting skills.

But things didn't go as planned. Meng Qi had expected that.

Ren Suiyi had stuffed the firebox too full, leaving no air holes. Once the limited oxygen was used up, the dry grass wouldn't catch fire—it would simply belch out thick smoke.

That was too embarrassing. Ren Suiyi's face was etched with frustration.

Meng Qi pressed his lips together even tighter, afraid a hint of laughter might slip out.

Ren Suiyi frowned, wrestling with his own failure for a while—perhaps trying to brush off the awkwardness, perhaps contemplating a remedy. During this time, his head seemed fixed, not turning even a millimeter toward Meng Qi. Meng Qi wisely slowed his breathing, trying to minimize his presence. Then, after a dozen seconds, Ren Suiyi suddenly puffed out his cheeks, lowered his head, and blew fiercely into the firebox.

Meng Qi: ...

Too late, young master. The fire's already out, and you only think of supplying oxygen now—like patching the bottom of a boat after it's already in the middle of the river. All for nothing. Unsurprisingly, the dry grass didn't ignite, and Ren Suiyi ended up with a face full of ash.

Meng Qi scratched his brow and slowly averted his gaze.

So when Ren Suiyi turned to look at Meng Qi, their eyes didn't meet. The embarrassment in Ren Suiyi's eyes was quickly replaced by a faint smile. He wiped his face casually and shoved the lighter with its orange-red flame back into the firebox.

No big deal; he'd just try again.

After several attempts, the kitchen was filled with smoke and dust, like a fairyland—within arm's length, Meng Qi could barely make out Ren Suiyi's face... and coughs rose in turns between them.

It seemed relying solely on Ren Suiyi to get this meal done was a stretch. Meng Qi thought with a mix of helplessness and amusement. He pressed down hard on the armrest of his chair, pushed himself up, and shuffled over to Ren Suiyi with unsteady steps. Bending down, he asked with a smile, "It's been fifteen minutes now... Who was it that said I'd only have to wait a few minutes for a delicious bowl of clear noodle soup?"

Ren Suiyi, too busy to even sit on the small wooden stool, was crouched in front of the firebox, locked in a battle with the heap of dry grass. Hearing Meng Qi's voice, he coughed and looked up sideways at Meng Qi. After a few seconds' pause, he let out a self-deprecating laugh and humbly asked, "...Is there a manual? I can't handle this thing."

Meng Qi couldn't help laughing out loud. "No manual, but there's a helper. Want one?"

Ren Suiyi pretended to think it over reluctantly, then shook his head and refused. "Better you teach me. You talk, I'll do."

"By the time I teach you, I'll be starving to death. Forget it, forget it. You handle the cooking, I'll handle the fire. Let's split the work and get this bowl of noodles done. I don't want to wait another fifteen minutes." With that, Meng Qi pulled Ren Suiyi up. Once he was steady, Meng Qi pushed him firmly toward the stove, muttering, "I'm really hungry and sleepy. Can't spare another second."

Ren Suiyi didn't insist on crouching back down. Instead, he stood by the stove, intently watching Meng Qi's fire-starting process.

To get the fire going, the first thing was to take at least half the dry grass out of the firebox to create a front-to-back passage for air circulation.

Next, grab a small handful of dry grass with the left hand and light it with the lighter in the right.

Once the flame on that small handful grew, stuff it into the firebox—that's the kindling.

After the dry grass in the firebox is fully burning, slowly add firewood.

The movements were natural and smooth, clearly showing a lot of experience.

Ren Suiyi's gaze shifted several times—from confusion to shock to heartache...

After all, in Young Master Ren's eyes, Meng Qi was also a pampered rich boy. Seeing him so deftly light a fire... How much hardship must he have endured to learn these survival skills? How much suffering to adapt to a life where everything had to be done by himself?

And even then, after all that effort, he might still go hungry...

So when Meng Qi lifted his smiling face to show off his successful fire to Ren Suiyi, Ren Suiyi rubbed his hand vigorously over Meng Qi's head and said in a hoarse voice, making a promise: "You've worked hard, but this is where it ends. From now on, Brother Yiyi will never let you suffer like this again."

Never again?

The smile on Meng Qi's face froze at the corners, and a bittersweet, warm current suddenly swept through his heart.

It was searing hot. And utterly unfamiliar.

The heat made Meng Qi abruptly lower his head and frantically stuff firewood into the firebox. When the flames started to wane, he puffed out his cheeks and blew hard into the firebox a few times.

He didn't dare to keep staring at Ren Suiyi, afraid his tears would betray him.

He had to admit, after enduring so much fear and unease, hearing a sentence like that out of the blue was like a dying person encountering a miraculous herb that could revive the dead. His whole being was wrapped in burning hope, and his heart was filled with a luxury of warmth.

At that moment, he wanted to accept that promise.

He even couldn't help looking forward to a future where he would no longer have to suffer.

But how could that be? And how dared he?

Seeing Meng Qi avoid him in silence, Ren Suiyi let out a sigh, probably feeling once again that his warmth had been met with cold indifference. But his sigh was light, like a feather brushing against Meng Qi's eardrums, and it quickly vanished in the sizzle of scallions, ginger, and garlic hitting the hot oil.

So fragrant.

Tonight's clear noodle soup would surely be delicious. Meng Qi swallowed quietly, thinking that once Ren Suiyi finished making it, he could probably down three large bowls.

"Eat slowly, no one's snatching it from you. The pot's all yours. If it's not enough, I'll make you more."

Ren Suiyi used his chopsticks to lift the noodles in his own bowl, cooling them, while his eyes stayed fixed on Meng Qi, afraid he might wolf down the whole bowl, chopsticks and all.

Meng Qi's mouth was stuffed full; he couldn't speak, so he replied with a nod. When he finished the noodles in his bowl, he rubbed his stomach contentedly and pushed the empty bowl aside generously, wanting to praise Ren Suiyi. But Ren Suiyi had already slid the cooled bowl of noodles in front of him. He paused for a moment, then began wolfing them down again.

His eating manner looked like he hadn't eaten in days.

Ren Suiyi reminded Meng Qi to eat slowly while getting up to ladle a fresh bowl and continued cooling the noodles with his chopsticks.

This was the fourth bowl he had served Meng Qi. He only reminded him to eat slowly, never once to eat less, as if the person who had previously insisted Meng Qi go on a diet had nothing to do with him.

A piece of scallion leaf accidentally stuck to Meng Qi's right cheek. He was too busy swallowing noodles to notice. Ren Suiyi reached out and wiped it off, then brought his finger to his lips and sucked it.

Meng Qi's chewing motion paused. His face felt like it was on fire. He pretended not to see and continued eating with his head down.

Who would have thought that the pampered young master Ren's culinary skills could rival even Elder Gu's, perhaps even surpass them?

Elder Gu is older and likes his food heavy—either too salty or too oily. In contrast, Meng Qi's taste has become much milder compared to before pregnancy.

So even though Elder Gu's cooking is delicious, Meng Qi isn't entirely satisfied. Ren Suiyi, on the other hand, made this clear noodle soup perfectly seasoned—neither too salty nor too bland, refreshing and tasty, completely matching Meng Qi's palate. Meng Qi thoroughly enjoys it!

As he eats with gusto, he even considers asking Ren Suiyi if he could make him a bowl every day—no, make that five bowls of clear noodle soup.

But that's like a monkey seeing itself in a mirror—getting carried away with pride. This isn't reality; this is inside a book.

Luckily, his mouth is stuffed full, so he can't say a word. Snapping back to reality, Meng Qi secretly thanks his lucky stars.

"How does it compare to Uncle Gu's cooking?" Ren Suiyi asks Meng Qi.

Meng Qi smiles and gives Ren Suiyi a thumbs-up.

In his opinion, Ren Suiyi's noodles are indeed better than Elder Gu's. There's no reason not to admit it—he's an honest person and gives credit where it's due.

Ren Suiyi looks really pleased. He brings the cooled noodle soup to Meng Qi's lips, signaling him not to just eat the noodles but also to take a sip to clear his throat. Meng Qi takes two sips from Ren Suiyi's hand, then stops and lowers his head to continue eating noodles.

The noodles are still more tempting. His stomach is still clamoring: I want noodles, I want noodles, I don't want soup, I want noodles...

Setting down the soup bowl, Ren Suiyi wipes the sweat from Meng Qi's forehead with his palm, then unexpectedly asks, "How about I make this for you every day from now on?"

Of course, that would be good... but no!

He still needs to get rid of Ren Suiyi!

As the saying goes, you can't be too harsh with the hand that feeds you. Besides, what if he gets hooked? Then how would he ever get rid of Ren Suiyi?

Meng Qi shakes his head with regret. "No need. I prefer Uncle Gu's cooking. Today is a special case. I won't be sneaking out for midnight snacks anymore."

Ren Suiyi stays silent for a good long while.

Meng Qi slows down eating his noodles, listening intently for any sound from Ren Suiyi.

Soon Ren Suiyi speaks again.

He tells Meng Qi, "Don't you like fish? Starting tomorrow, I'll go fishing every day. I'll make sure you get to eat the freshest fish every day."

It's a decision, not a request.

"If you take over Liang Wenkai's job, what will he do?" Meng Qi asks.

Ren Suiyi says bluntly, "Let him return to the capital. I can arrange a job for him at Ren Corporation."

Meng Qi: ...

"Author's Note"

This is the last draft; the next update is even more up in the air.

These past couple of days, while watching the little baby, I kept my eyes glued to her without looking away, but an accident still happened [crying]. She hit her forehead while crawling around the room... The little baby can't walk yet, only crawls, but she's not slow at all [crying]—it's like she has a built-in speed buff...

In the end, I was ready to be scolded, but her mother ended up comforting me instead [crying]. I feel even more guilty... Forgive me for babbling on and on.

May there be no more injuries in this world, of any kind.

I've had several new ideas during this time, but short stories require intense concentration, and I just can't do it... Corrected typos on August 28, 2025.