In order to live a few more years, I walked into the kitchen without hesitation. Looking at the two beautiful women washing vegetables, I said, âIf you canât cook, you should have told me soonerâlet me handle it!â
Wang Ziyan and Sister Lin were both stunned.
Wang Ziyan asked incredulously, âYou can cook?â
âOf course! Xia Tian can cook. Back then, whenever there wasnât any food, Iâd always go to his place for a meal!â Sister Lin replied cheerfully.
I smiled helplessly and said, âYou two, go outâIâll cook.â
âThen itâs in your hands. Iâm off to wait for the food!â Sister Lin said as she bounced out the door.
Seeing that, Wang Ziyan looked at me and asked, âShould I give you a hand?â
âNo, thanks,â I replied with a smile. If I hadnât overheard your conversation with Sister Lin earlier, I might have considered itâbut now I definitely donât have the mood.
After Sister Lin and Wang Ziyan left, I glanced at the vegetables Wang Ziyan had boughtâcucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, and the like. Thereâd be enough to make quite a few dishes.
As I was selecting the vegetables, Qin Mengdie suddenly walked in. Looking at me, she asked, âNeed any help?â
I was momentarily taken aback, then smiled and said, âNo, thanks.â After all, Qin Mengdie is a high-born lady, so itâs unlikely sheâd know her way around the kitchen.
âWhat, donât you trust me?â Qin Mengdie asked, frowning as she looked at me.
Seeing how serious she was, I laughed helplessly, âAlright, help me chop the tomatoes, will you?â
I took out a bowl and began cracking eggs while watching to see if Qin Mengdie really knew how to cook.
To my surprise, her knife skills were excellentâevery slice was nearly identical in size.
Suddenly, I found myself developing a bit of fondness for this young lady of the Qin family. If she could just adjust her temper a little, sheâd make a great marriage prospectâthe ideal wife and mother type.
While she was slicing the tomatoes, Qin Mengdie suddenly looked at me and asked, âAre you cooking, or are you just watching me?â
Quickly diverting my gaze, I replied with a smile, âCooking, cooking!â
Tang Shuyao looked at the table full of food and said with a laugh, âThe dishes are pretty plentifulâyou donât look like just a narcissist, youâve got some skills!â
I loved hearing that. With a hint of modesty, I said, âNot too bad, not too badâthird best in the country!â
âTsk!â Tang Shuyao snorted dismissively, then picked up her chopsticks and started eating.
Sister Lin immediately began eating without a word, and Mei’er seemed to need to devour a lot of food every time she broke through her seals to replenish her energy.
Wang Ziyan didnât seem to have much of an appetite; she just shoved vegetables into her mouth and kept chewing.
In terms of eating, Qin Mengdieâs style was probably the most impeccableâneither rushed nor slow. Even while eating, she exuded a refined grace. No wonder sheâs a young lady of the Qin family.
âUh⌠why do I feel like someoneâs missing?â Just as I was about to pick up my chopsticks, I suddenly realized that ever since going upstairs, Xu Xin hadnât come down.
Before Sister Lin could even swallow what was in her mouth, she said, âThatâs rightâwhereâs Xu Xin?â
Oh my gosh, can we be a bit more ladylike? I really have no way of handling Sister Lin.
I said to the group of beautiful women, âCan one of you go upstairs and call her?â But apart from Mei’er, not one of them bothered to respondâdamn it!
âMei’er, go ahead!â Mei’er said with a smile.
I shook my head, âForget it, Iâll go up and call her myself.â
Since Mei’er and Xu Xin arenât very close, after thinking it over, it seemed best that I go myself. Besides, I might get a good view.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
I pounded on the door while calling Xu Xinâs name, but there was no response from inside. Could something have happened?
That was unlikelyâshe was fine just a moment ago. There shouldnât be anything wrong, right?
After knocking a few more times and receiving no reply, I thought for a moment and decided to push the door open.
There lay Xu Xin on the bed, covered by a blanket and lying on her side. Her face was very flushed, she was trembling all over, and faint moans could be heard from her mouth.
Fuck! Did I come in at the wrong time? Could it be that sheâs⌠in the middle of something? Uh⌠I hadnât noticed before, but I didnât expect this girl to be so open.
Wait, no! Sheâs trembling, but donât girls usually only shiver a bit? Why is she still tremblingâand the trembling isnât very intense? Did I misunderstand something?
âXu Xin?â I called tentatively, but she didnât respond at all, just kept trembling.
I stepped closer to take a look. Xu Xinâs complexion was extremely off. I reached out to feel her foreheadâdamn! It was so hot.
âXu Xin! Xu Xin!â I called out again, but she still didnât respond, merely trembling.
This was serious. She must have gotten caught in the rain earlier and caught a coldâit didnât look mild at all.
I carefully tucked the blanket back over Xu Xin and hurried downstairs, saying, âXu Xinâs fever is really bad. Iâm off to the hospital to get some medicine. Can one of you stay with her?â
âSister, Iâm fullâIâll go!â Sister Lin said while still eating, raising her hand. But honestly, she didnât look full to me at all.
Mei’er added, âIâm not hungry either.â
Tang Shuyao joined in, âCount me in as well!â
âAlright, Iâll go upstairs to check too!â Wang Ziyan even spoke up in surprise.
Now, except for Qin Mengdie, everyone else agreed. Just a moment ago when I asked them to go upstairs and call Xu Xin, none of them was willing to goâand now theyâre all so proactive. I really canât figure out how women think.
The only one who didnât say a word, Qin Mengdie, went straight upstairs. I thought she was heading back to her room. All the good impressions Iâd had of her from her cooking skills vanished in an instantâhow can this girl be so cold-blooded!
I turned back to the group of beautiful women and said, âYou all come upstairs with meâremember to bring a basin and a towel.â
With that, I went upstairs toward Xu Xinâs room. As soon as I entered, I found Qin Mengdie already there, standing and feeling Xu Xinâs wrist. Could this be what they call pulse-taking?
Noticing me, Qin Mengdie gently set Xu Xinâs hand and said, âSheâs been on her period these past few days. Now that she got caught in the rain and has a high fever, itâs quite serious. Hurry up and go buy her some medicine.â
I was stunned for a moment, and after a long pause, I said, âOkayâŚâ I had originally thought Qin Mengdie was as aloof as everyone else on the outside, but it turns out sheâs warm on the inside.
âIâve brought the basin and towel!â Sister Lin ran over, saying.
Sighing, Qin Mengdie said, âFirst, wet the towelâthen use it to wipe her face.â
âAh! I almost forgot to fetch water!â Sister Lin shouted.
F*ck! What kind of joke is this.
âEarlier, Xu Xin ran too fast and I couldnât catch her, so I got another basin,â Tang Shuyao said as she ran over.
âWhat are you still standing there for? Hurry and go buy the medicine!â Qin Mengdie, frowning, shouted at me. I was taken aback for a moment, then dashed downstairs.
Outside, it was still raining heavily; the raindrops pounded on me, making me shiver.
Xu Xinâs condition wasnât looking good, so I had to hurry to the school hospital to get her some medicine. Catching a high fever during your period is definitely serious. Suddenly, I felt that being a woman might not be as great as I had imaginedânext time, I should just be a man, as tiring as that might be.
I dashed through the rainâit might have looked really ridiculous, but I had no choice, after all, Iâm Pan Ke Huai Daoâand there were some busybodies snapping photos.
Click! Click! Click! Click!
D*mn it!
While I was grumbling to myself, my phone suddenly rang. Could Xu Xinâs condition have worsened?
The rain was so heavy I couldnât see who was calling, so I answered right away. It looked like my phone was about to be ruined in this lousy weather.
âIs that Xia Tian?â a voice asked from the other endâsomewhat familiar, though I couldnât immediately place it. âItâs me. Whatâs up?â
Then, a burst of manic laughter came through: âIâm Zhao Gao!â
Zhao Gao?! I stopped running and said into the phone, âSo itâs Zhao Gaoâthe second of the Zhao family? What do you want from me?â
Hearing my tone, Zhao Gao didnât get angry at all. Instead, he laughed and said, âEven now you dare to be so arrogant? Your brothers are all in my hands. Are you thinking of coming over?â
âBrothers?!â I was stunned for a moment, then shouted at Zhao Gao, âWhat have you done to Lu Sen and the others?!â
âWhat do you mean? Theyâre fineâonly that their clothes got a bit of extra color. If you donât believe it, just listen to their voices.â No sooner had Zhao Gao finished speaking than Lu Senâs voice came through: âBoss, please donât come overâweâre not⌠ah!!!â
âZhao Gao!â I yelled as Lu Sen screamed pitifully.
âHahahaâŚâ Zhao Gaoâs delighted laughter came through, âWhatâs wrong, feeling a pang of pain? If you want to save your brothers, come to the warehouse in the schoolâs backyard. Iâll be waiting for you there!â
âBoss, there are hundreds of people hereâplease, donât come over! Ah!!!â
âGo on, beat him up for me!â
âB-Boss, please donât come overâplease⌠ah!!! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!â Finally, amid Lu Senâs wailing, Zhao Gao hung up the phone.
âZhao Gao!â I shouted angrily, then turned and ran toward the warehouse behind the school.
If any one of those three gets into trouble, I, Xia Tian will definitely not let him off!
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Check out my other projects: Roughly an Isekai Hypnosis Story (er0-novel đ
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