Chapter 15: Braised Pork
Time: 7:57 PM. Looking at the gradually quieting faculty courtyard outside the window, Nanling Yaohua suddenly felt that Luxianbei might need her.
Of course, she might also need Luxianbei, but that wasn’t important; her style was to do whatever came to mind.
“Old man, is there any of the pork belly we bought the day before yesterday left?”
The old man, dozing in front of the TV in the living room, opened his eyes just a slit when he heard his granddaughter’s shout and vaguely responded, “Hmm, it’s in the second compartment of the fridge…”
“Got it.”
Nanling Yaohua smiled, humming a little tune through her nose as she walked to the kitchen, expertly tying on an apron, looking just like a wife enjoying the sweetness of love.
Soon, the kitchen was filled with the clinking sound of a kn*fe and chopping board.
Making braised pork was meticulous work.
Blanching, caramelizing, slow-cooking, reducing the sauce, and finally adding just a little love—almost two hours would be spent from start to finish.
Two hours later, Nanling Yaohua brought the braised pork she made herself to the fifth floor. Using the spare key given to her by Luxianbei, she unlocked his door and told a little lie.
“Xiao Bei, are you up? You haven’t had dinner yet, right? My grandpa made some braised pork, and I heated it up for you.”
Even though the heroine liked to be straightforward, she could still feel shy.
【I suddenly wanted to see you, so I made you the braised pork you love.】
Such words could never be spoken aloud.
————
Being “caught in the act,” Luxianbei’s experience was still at the level of being caught playing on the computer when he didn’t finish his homework as a child while Mrs. Wang Meili was out.
So, before he could do anything, Nanling Yaohua walked in with the braised pork.
He was even still in the middle of feeding Gu Qiqi a chicken leg.
When Nanling Yaohua entered his home holding the steaming braised pork, the three people in the room froze.
Luxianbei discreetly studied the expression on Nanling Yaohua’s face, feeling increasingly uneasy—he hadn’t been this nervous since the night he received his college entrance examination results.
He casually glanced at Gu Qiqi from the corner of his eye, his eyes widening slightly.
She seemed completely oblivious to the atmosphere, stretching her tongue as if it had come alive, trying to touch the chicken leg in front of her.
Luxianbei, “…”
Nanling Yaohua stood at a distance neither far nor near from Luxianbei, holding the braised pork and looking at the piles of takeout containers from KFC stacked like a small mountain on the coffee table.
Then she observed Luxianbei’s strange behavior.
Finally, she looked at the “empty” chair in front of Luxianbei, pausing for a moment, frowning in thought.
Why was there a chair in front of Xiao Bei?
Gu Qiqi shifted her gaze from the chicken leg, which was 0.1 centimeters away from her lips, to the braised pork, swallowing nervously.
Braised pork, so fragrant, I want to eat it!
For a moment, no one in the living room moved or made a sound, creating an oddly eerie atmosphere.
After a while, it was finally Nanling Yaohua who broke the silence.
She walked to the dining table with the braised pork, and as she turned around, she smiled at Luxianbei, her eyes landing on the hand holding the chicken leg, tilting her head slightly.
“What are you…doing?”
Luxianbei glanced at Nanling Yaohua, then followed her gaze to his own oddly manicured right hand. His eyelid twitched, and whether it was an epiphany or a brain freeze, he blurted out.
“I’m practicing magic… yes, magic! We’re supposed to go to a graduation dinner this weekend, so I thought I’d practice a couple of little tricks to show everyone then.”
“Magic?” Nanling Yaohua tilted her head, her eyes full of skepticism.
“Yes, magic! Look…” Luxianbei said as he abruptly extended the chicken leg towards her.
To avoid raising suspicions with his girlfriend, he had to sacrifice Gu Qiqi!
You may not know, but I often go to great lengths for my girlfriend, so…
Here comes my big chicken leg!
Thinking this, Luxianbei forcefully stuffed a piece of chicken into Gu Qiqi’s mouth while her guard was down.
In that instant, he already prepared an excuse for what might happen next.
If the chicken leg disappeared, it would be the magic trick of making the chicken leg vanish.
If it didn’t disappear, but instead hung from Gu Qiqi’s lips, it would be the magic of the chicken leg floating.
If Gu Qiqi revealed herself because of this action…
That would be a live transformation! Surprised? Unforeseen?
As Luxianbei shoved the chicken leg into Gu Qiqi’s mouth, both girls’ eyes widened in unison.
One was astonished to see the chicken leg mysteriously vanish before her, while the other was choked as the chicken leg roughly lodged deep in her throat.
The situation was quite delicate, so much that it left the living room in complete silence.
A few seconds later, seeing Gu Qiqi’s face turn from pale to red, then purple, and her eyes rolling white as she was on the verge of choking to d*ath, Luxianbei snapped back to reality and quickly pulled the chicken leg out of her mouth.
With a “pop!” like the opening of champagne, a light sound echoed in the living room.
“……”
How could the system lie to me again? I clearly said I loved him… Gu Qiqi thought.
“Phew!” Nanling Yaohua sighed, her brows gradually relaxing. “So it really is magic?”
The chicken piece disappearing and then reappearing in front of her would indeed be considered magic in the eyes of an ordinary person, and a pretty impressive one at that.
She glanced at the KFC bucket on the table, and her tone found the rhythm of a heroine. “So all these buckets were for you to practice magic with?”
“Of course!” Luxianbei replied confidently.
“Well…” Nanling Yaohua looked around the living room, a sly glimmer flashing in her eyes.
“Xiao Bei, can you change anything other than chicken legs?”
Luxianbei secretly glanced at Gu Qiqi’s mouth, speaking with less confidence, “I guess I could?”
If Gu Qiqi’s mouth could fit it…
Nanling Yaohua pointed at the humidifier in the corner of the living room, smiling brightly. “Can we try that?”
Luxianbei, “…”
Gu Qiqi looked at Nanling Yaohua, then at the humidifier, which was about half a meter tall and thirty centimeters in diameter, her eyes widening.
“No way! That’s too big to fit in a mouth!”
Watching Luxianbei carry the humidifier, step by step coming towards her, Gu Qiqi’s eyes widened, and she tightly closed her mouth, shaking her head vigorously.
Then…
Luxianbei returned to his previous position, placing the humidifier on the coffee table. Seizing the moment he turned around, he shot Gu Qiqi a glare before dancing around the humidifier like a magician, hopping around it twice. “Bang!” He clapped his hands on top of the humidifier.
One, two, three…
Counting silently in his mind, he looked at Nanling Yaohua, shrugging helplessly. “Unfortunately, it seems my magic skills are still not up to par; I can’t make something this big disappear.”
“Pfft—!”
Seeing Luxianbei solemnly trying to make the humidifier disappear, Nanling Yaohua couldn’t help but burst out laughing, waving her hand. “Alright, enough of that. Come over and eat!”
She hadn’t expected Luxianbei to actually make the humidifier disappear; after all, he wasn’t a professional magician, and having the chicken leg vanish was already quite impressive.
Upon hearing this, Gu Qiqi silently let out a long breath, feeling a sense of relief.
————
In the end, Luxianbei was forced to sit down at the dining table, with Nanling Yaohua sitting opposite him, her hands resting on the table, chin in her palms, smiling at him as he ate, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, her dimples as sweet as a bowl of rice wine.
Meanwhile, Gu Qiqi could only look at Luxianbei from a distance, feeling aggrieved as he cleaned up a whole bowl, about one and a half pounds, of braised pork.
Jealousy mixed with a hint of resentment—only a hint, not too much, afraid of being discovered.
Unlike Gu Qiqi’s deep love for braised pork, Luxianbei actually didn’t enjoy eating it.
After forcing more than a pound of pork belly into his stomach, he felt as if his bl**d was turning into lard.
Looking at Luxianbei’s “satisfied” expression, Nanling Yaohua raised an eyebrow. “So, how was it? My grandpa’s skills haven’t declined, right?”
Although she had cooked the braised pork, the true craftsmanship belonged to her grandpa; it was not wrong to attribute the skill to him.
Luxianbei gave a thumbs up, nodding confidently. “Absolutely no decline; it’s even tastier! Perhaps it’s the accumulation of time that has honed the old man’s skills to perfection.”
“Hmm, it’s slightly below state banquet standards, but not by much.”
Though the braised pork was overly sweet on entry and somewhat bitter in aftertaste—some pieces even had a few pig hairs left intentionally, suggesting they hadn’t come from Nanling’s grandpa.
However, he had to eat whatever his girlfriend made, even if it were from a nuclear reactor, and then praise it extravagantly.
————
Nanling Yaohua remembered correctly; Luxianbei indeed liked eating braised pork.
To this day, she recalled the first time she went to her grandpa’s house. During a family meal, the young Luxianbei pulled the bowl of braised pork towards himself and declared loudly, “Braised pork is my favorite dish! No one can steal it from me today!”
Back then, he appeared like a radiant savior.
But memories can deceive.
In reality, Luxianbei had never liked eating braised pork.
If it weren’t for the day he first met Nanling Yaohua and saw her nearly being served the braised pork by Mrs. Wang Meili, he wouldn’t have proudly declared ownership over it.
Moreover, over time, Luxianbei inadvertently turned all the foods that Nanling Yaohua didn’t like into his “favorite delicacies.”
————
After Nanling Yaohua “supervised” Luxianbei finishing the braised pork, they shared some amusing stories from high school before she stood up to adjust her skirt.
“I should probably head back. If I don’t, my grandpa will start to worry.”
“You’re at my place. What’s there for the old man to worry about? Why don’t you just stay here tonight?” Luxianbei said, his words dripping with enticement.
He knew Nanling Yaohua wouldn’t stay; as they grew older, she hadn’t spent the night at his house in a long time after all. Nanling’s grandpa was uneasy and didn’t want potential accidents disturbing his peaceful life dedicated to research.
“You’re dreaming!” Nanling Yaohua rolled her eyes, then pointed at the empty bowl on the table. “I’m off! Remember to wash the dishes later.”
With that, she turned toward the door.
However, just as she was about to leave, her steps paused slightly, her gaze casually sweeping over the “empty” chair in the living room, furrowing her brows for a moment.
Luxianbei noticed her lingering gaze, which had been on Gu Qiqi for a long time, and silently cursed himself for being careless. Swiftly, he stepped up and blocked her view.
“Xiao Hua, is there something else?” Luxianbei asked affectionately. “You wouldn’t actually want to stay, would you? My grandpa would definitely break all my legs by morning.”
Nanling Yaohua withdrew her gaze, placing one hand on her hip while the other playfully tugged at Luxianbei’s ear, pretending to be angry. “You should know better!”
“I certainly do.” Luxianbei escaped from Nanling Yaohua’s grip, rubbing his ear. “So, let me walk you down?”
“No need!” Nanling Yaohua lightly punched Luxianbei’s chest. “It’s just two flights of stairs; I can go down myself.”
After taking a few steps, she suddenly seemed to remember something, stopping in her tracks and turning back. “By the way, are you free tomorrow?”
“Let’s go and book a place for the graduation dinner together!”
“Tomorrow…” Luxianbei scratched his head. “I’m actually busy! I’ve got a basketball game scheduled, then I’m heading to the internet café after that.”
“What about the day after? Aren’t you practicing your dance the day after? I could pick you up early, and we’d go together then.”
“Alright then! It’s a deal!” Nanling Yaohua, unaware of anything amiss, flashed Luxianbei a sweet smile and hurriedly skipped down the stairs.
“It’s a deal!”
Watching her leave, Luxianbei let out a silent sigh.
Sorry, Xiao Hua…
————
“Bang!”
The door closed.
Nanling Yaohua reached the landing on the fourth floor and paused.
Looking back at Luxianbei’s door, she hesitated before proceeding.
Time trickled by, and as the motion-sensor light went out, darkness swallowed her figure.
“Ah—!”
After a long moment, a long sigh escaped her lips, activating the light once more.
Regaining her composure, Nanling Yaohua set off down the stairs.
————
Not long after Nanling Yaohua left.
Luxianbei slouched on the sofa, resembling an old cat that had just undergone neutering, devoid of any worldly desires.
While Luxianbei was lost in thought, Gu Qiqi stared bitterly at the bowl of braised pork, which only had a little sauce left, a frown on her face.
How could it have been eaten so cleanly? Even a bit of meat residue would’ve been nice!
Braised pork was one of her top three hundred and sixty-five favorite dishes.
Back when she worked part-time at a restaurant washing dishes, she could eat three pounds of rice mixed with leftover bits of braised pork.
“Um, can I have a taste?” Drawn by the temptation of the food, Gu Qiqi finally mustered all her courage to ask Luxianbei.
Luxianbei lifted his eyelids and followed Gu Qiqi’s gaze to the empty bowl of braised pork juice on the table, wearily saying, “I advise you not to try it; you’ll regret it.”
“If you won’t let me taste it, how will I know whether I will regret it?” Gu Qiqi retorted angrily.
Luxianbei shot her a glare, too lazy to argue with her. He stood up and brought over the bowl that contained the braised pork, lightly dipping his chopsticks into the sauce, looking at her with an expression that seemed to say “You’re already dead,” bringing the chopsticks to her lips.
“Hey!” Gu Qiqi leaned forward, her lips sucking the chopsticks.
“Slurp~!”
In an instant, her eyes began to lose their light, her pupils shaking.
As the sauce entered her mouth, a bizarre taste erupted violently between her lips and teeth.
It felt as if countless sharp teeth, claws, and foul flavors had spontaneously materialized inside her mouth, coated with burnt caramel and greasy oils, ravaging her throat all the way down to her stomach.
Finally, it felt like a large bomb exploded in her stomach, releasing a splendid nightmare.
“YUE—YUE—!”
She dry-heaved twice, almost throwing up three-quarters of the entire KFC bucket she had eaten.
If I did something wrong, I could let calamity punish me…
Oh wait, she is the calamity! Gu Qiqi thought.
————
The turmoil in her stomach gradually calmed down, and as Gu Qiqi awoke from her nightmare, she looked up at Luxianbei but only saw his towering back as he walked toward his bedroom.
No wonder he was one of the factors that could destroy the world; he actually managed to eat that kind of food! Gu Qiqi thought.
Moments later, as Luxianbei left, he turned back, holding a blanket.
With a blank expression, he moved Gu Qiqi along with her chair next to the sofa, laid her down gently, covered her with the blanket, and then casually dropped a “Good night!” as he left.
“Bang!”
As the remote control clicked, the living room was plunged into darkness.
————
“Click!”
After closing the bedroom door and locking it, Luxianbei immediately began to take action.
Locking the door, moving the bedside table to block it, hanging a cup on the doorknob… a series of operations flowed smoothly.
He had done tasks like this countless times in his dream memories and was very skillful at it.
Though it felt somewhat like he was a mental patient, he thought…
I™ have a split personality with nineteen years of extra memories in my head—do you think you can call me crazy?
Luxianbei thought as he positioned the toilet plunger within reach, climbed onto the bed, pulled the quilt over him, and then pulled out a spare phone from under his pillow. He sent a text message to one of his few friends—Su Mi.
Luxianbei: “Xiao Mi, are you asleep?”
Su Mi: “What time is it? Of course not! I’m having a blast! Get online and take me to the king!”
Looking at Su Mi’s reply, Luxianbei nodded slightly. This was the Su Mi he knew, a carefree gaming addict, completely different from the memories in his dreams.
Imagining him trying to do hand embroidery with his bear-like figure was an odd picture indeed.
Luxianbei: “I’m a bit busy today; I’ll definitely catch up with you next time! I need your help—emergency!”
Su Mi: “Say it! [Good friend in a blanket.JPG]”
Luxianbei: “I remember your dad works at a law firm, right? I have someone’s ID number. Could you ask him to help me check their basic information?”
Su Mi: “This… Old Lu, do you realize this is illegal?”
Luxianbei: “Of course, I know it’s not proper to check someone’s personal information without a reason, but can’t I just sue her?”
This was the purpose behind Luxianbei extracting Gu Qiqi’s ID number; he wanted to confirm whether “Gu Qiqi” was a real person or merely a figment of his dream-influenced imagination.
Su Mi: “???”
It was true that when suing someone, if the information of the other party wasn’t known, one could authorize a lawyer with a lawyer’s practicing certificate, inquiry letter from the law firm, or recommendation letter, to request a check from the relevant department.
Of course, this was limited to name, gender, birth date, place of birth, residential address, and family members, whereas personal financial, loan, and communication information wouldn’t be available.
Su Mi: “What’s this? Without reason, what are you suing her for?”
Luxianbei: “For breaking into my home! I’m telling you, a girl climbed in through the window and barged into my house. I think something’s off about her! I just want to confirm if she’s a living person.”
Su Mi: “[Terror.JPG] If she’s not alive, is she a ghost? Old Lu, don’t scare me like that!”
Luxianbei: “To be honest, I might have actually met a ghost.”
Sympathizing with her pitiful appearance was one thing, but keeping one’s guard up was another.
Although she was only spending one night, it didn’t hurt to be cautious! Luxianbei thought prudently.
Time quietly passed while waiting for a reply.
A few minutes later, Luxianbei finally received a new message from Su Mi.
Su Mi: “Old Lu, I just asked my dad, and he said he’ll help you with it at work tomorrow.”
Luxianbei: “Thank you for passing on my thanks to your dad! And please don’t tell Xiao Hua about this! [Kiss.JPG]”
Su Mi: “Don’t gross me out! I’m not done! My dad just scolded me, telling me to hang out less with you, and also suggested you see a psychiatrist when you get the chance.”
Luxianbei: “You might not believe it, but I just went to the hospital today for a check-up.”
Su Mi: “What was the result?”
Luxianbei: “The doctor said I have a split personality and might be a latent serial killer.”
Su Mi: “???”
A long moment passed.
Su Mi: “Old Lu, take care of yourself. I’ll come see you once you’re better. [Fist.JPG]”
Luxianbei, “…”
Friendship could be fragile; the boat was capsizing, waves crashing in his ears.
“Buzz buzz—!”
The phone vibrated a couple of times, emitting a soft hum.
Luxianbei picked it up to check; it was a message from Su Mi.
Su Mi: “Just kidding, Old Lu! How about I sneak out tomorrow to keep you company?”
The boat of friendship has flipped over once… hey! It’s surfacing again.
Luxianbei: “Let’s do it the day after. I’m booking the graduation dinner location with Xiao Hua then; I’ll invite you along.”
Su Mi: “OKK!”
