Ch102 Shen Que, Do You Believe in Light?
Soft cushions had been placed on Meng Ci's sofa.
Shen Que carefully set Meng Ci down upon them.
Meng Ci shifted his hips slightly.
Hmm, much more comfortable than sitting on the bed.
"Is there anything you'd like to eat?" Shen Que held Meng Ci's hand, allowing him to see the items within the space clearly.
Meng Ci's eyes lit up.
The meal Shen Que had cooked earlier, though delicious, was too bland.
Even though his stomach was full now, his mouth felt empty.
"I want latiao, spicy chicken feet, super-hot crispy rice crust..."
Meng Ci saw the snacks in Shen Que's space and rattled off a long list in one breath.
"And cola!"
Meng Ci added. How could he forget the joy of food?!
Meng Ci was completely absorbed in Shen Que's space, oblivious to Shen Que's darkening expression.
"Hurry up and get it out!" Meng Ci couldn't help but urge Shen Que when he saw no immediate action.
Thump thump thump!
As soon as Meng Ci finished speaking, he heard the sound of items being placed on the stove.
"Wh-what is this?"
Meng Ci stared at the item in her hand. The packaging was simply red-nothing resembling latiao.
"I want latiao, not Looloo Plums!" Meng Ci protested.
He even recalled the Looloo Plums commercial in his mind.
Shen Que, are you okay? Are you okay?
If you're okay, then eat Looloo Plums.
The characters for latiao and Looloo Plums were so different-Shen Que couldn't possibly have misheard that badly.
Or maybe Shen Que hadn't cleaned his ears in ages and they were all clogged up?
Meng Ci couldn't help but glance at Shen Que's ears.
Shen Que explained, "You're not feeling well right now. You shouldn't eat spicy food."
"I'm fine!" Meng Ci insisted stubbornly.
"Your butt..." Shen Que stared at Meng Ci's rear.
Meng Ci suddenly recalled
yesterday's events and slammed the items down on the table in frustration.
He'd been too excited earlier and forgotten his butt still stung a bit.
Plus, Meng Ci remembered
reading in a novel before that you really shouldn't eat spicy food afterward-otherwise, you'd be the one suffering.
So, Meng Ci could only sigh.
Then he shot Shen Que a resentful look.
It was all this guy's fault. If he hadn't eaten me yesterday, I
wouldn't be suffering like this.
He can't even eat spicy snacks.
Meng Ci had completely forgotten his earlier secret desire to be eaten by Shen Que. Shen Que placed some plain potato chips, popcorn, and a row of other drinks on the table...
"Have these."
Seeing Meng Ci calm down, Shen Que opened a bag of chips and handed it to him.
Meng Ci took it grudgingly, still hesitating.
"Can't I have a different flavor of chips?"
Shen Que replied, "Better to be cautious."
But seeing Meng Ci's pitiful expression, Shen Que reconsidered. He pulled out a bottle of Coke, prepared half a cup for Meng Ci, then stowed the rest in his spatial pocket.
Meng Ci's eyes lit up at the sight of the Coke!
Thankfully, this guy wasn't the type to take advantage and then show no gratitude.
Otherwise, Meng Ci would've pulled out a grenade for mutual destruction.
The bedding and clothes soiled last night still needed to be washed by Shen Que, so after keeping Meng Ci company for a while, Shen Que headed back.
After Shen Que left, Meng Ci, clutching his waist, went to lock the door from the inside. He hurried into the spatial pocket to take a hot shower.
Although Shen Que had wiped him down last night, nothing compared to the relief of a proper bath.
On the second floor, Meng Ci had previously installed a bathtub.
Gripping his waist, he laboriously filled the tub before grimacing as he stepped inside.
Once settled, he pressed a button beside him.
"Ahh..."
He sighed in relief as the soothing massage massaged his back.
Money really does make a difference.
Before being transported into this book, Meng Ci couldn't even dream of lying in a massage tub -even a regular bath was a luxury.
Feeling drowsiness creeping in, Meng Ci set the alarm for half an hour before closing his eyes.
"Ring ring ring!"
The alarm went off.
Meng Ci reached out and forcefully shut it off, rolling over in the tub.
Woken from a deep sleep when he was utterly exhausted, Meng Ci was naturally annoyed.
But fearing Shen Que had finished washing the clothes and would come looking for him, Meng Ci reluctantly climbed out of the tub and began dressing.
Ah!
Meng Ci suddenly bounced up and down in place. His aching back and sore waist were gone!
He even wiggled his butt. Hmm.
His butt didn't hurt anymore either.
Who would've thought this purified water made from acid rain had such benefits?
Looks like he could soak in it more often now!
Stepping out of the space, Meng Ci opened the door and plopped down on the sofa.
Now that his butt was fine, could he eat latiao?
But fearing Shen Que's nagging, he only grabbed a pack of mildly numbing and spicy snacks, finishing it in two bites.
Then, smacking his lips, he downed half a bottle of cola before contentedly flopping back onto the sofa.
The lingering scent of spicy snacks still hung in the air. Meng Ci quickly stuffed the wrapper into the stove to destroy the evidence, stashing the remaining half-bottle of cola in his spatial pocket.
Only then did he return to the sofa and quickly drift off to sleep.
When Meng Ci awoke again, it was the aroma of cooking that roused him.
Upon rising, he found himself covered by a quilt, while Shen Que bustled about the stove.
Shen Que's kitchen hadn't been used in ages. Worried about disturbing Meng Ci, he'd decided to make braised rice with cured pork.
He chopped green beans, potatoes, cured pork, and shiitake mushrooms in his own room before bringing them over.
He placed the rinsed rice in a clay pot, arranged the chopped vegetables on top, then set it on the stove to simmer.
He also mixed a sauce.
Salt, light soy sauce, chicken bouillon, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce...
After stirring the sauce well, Shen Que poured it over the rice once it was done steaming, then began mixing everything together.
Seeing Meng Ci wake up, Shen Que brought over a bowl and served each of them a portion.
Shen Que then pulled out three packets of braised chicken legs and handed them to Meng Ci, along with a packet of pickled mustard greens. He also warmed up the leftover cola from earlier.
Meng Ci's eyes lit up at the sight of the cola.
"Your cooking skills are getting better and better!" Meng Ci said, cheeks puffed out as he shoveled a large spoonful into his mouth.
Shen Que remained silent, but the slight lift of his lips betrayed his good mood.
After eating, Meng Ci settled contentedly on the sofa.
Restricted from going out by Shen Que, Meng Ci could only sit idly on the couch.
Remembering the LEGO sets he'd left in the room, he directed Shen Que to fetch them.
With thick carpets covering the floor, the two sat down and began assembling.
Among them was a set of five palm-sized pandas. When Meng CI first saw them, he thought they were adorable.
Holding the instruction manual, Meng Ci assembled them one by one.
Shen Que picked out an Ultraman LEGO set and started building as well.
Meng Ci glanced at Shen Que and shook his head.
Sure enough, men remain boys until the day they die.
"Shen Que!" Meng Ci suddenly called out, his little face turning serious.
Shen Que's hand paused mid-assembly. "What's wrong?" he asked, puzzled.
Meng Ci blinked and asked, "Do you believe in light?"
Shen Que was speechless.