Chapter 32 Part 3: The First Love and the Big Brother’s Secret (3)

The next morning, Xu Hengzhou overslept.

Having stayed up late for most of the night, and with his current body still undeveloped and not as resilient, he naturally slept in.

When Song Wenbin returned from his run, he found that neither of the children was awake. His eldest nephew was usually self-disciplined; by this time, he would typically have already washed up and be having breakfast with his younger brother.

He opened the bedroom door and peeked in. The two children were curled up together, heads touching, sleeping soundly.

Song Wenbin smiled, then backed out and closed the door. The children were still young; a little extra sleep wouldn’t hurt.

After he finished eating, he checked the time. It was getting late, and they would be tardy if they didn’t wake up soon. Only then did he reopen the bedroom door and call the children.

Xu Hengzhou woke immediately when called. Seeing Song Wenbin standing by the bed, he quickly sat up. “Uncle, did I oversleep?”

“No, it’s fine, not late yet,” Song Wenbin reassured him. “I’ll bike you both to school later; you won’t be late.”

Xu Hengzhou nodded. “Okay.”

He was awake, but Xiang Chen wasn’t so easy to rouse.

A child’s body needed ample sleep. Xiang Chen had spent all day playing yesterday and then talked with him for half the night. His emotions had fluctuated wildly, a mix of joy and sorrow that was utterly exhausting. Now, he was sleeping incredibly soundly.

Song Wenbin called out several times but couldn’t wake him. The child’s eyes remained closed, but his brows were already furrowed.

Xu Hengzhou felt a pang of pity. He quickly said, “Uncle, Chenchen had a nightmare last night and cried for a while. Let him sleep.”

Song Wenbin looked and saw that Xiang Chen’s eyes indeed seemed a bit red and swollen. He exclaimed, “Why didn’t you call me? I slept so soundly, truly… How about he sleeps with me tonight?”

“No, no need,” Xu Hengzhou quickly refused. “It wasn’t a big deal; I comforted him, and he fell asleep.”

“Alright then, let him sleep,” Song Wenbin said. “I’ll go downstairs and find Little Tiger to get him a leave of absence.”

He turned to leave, then twisted back to ask Xu Hengzhou, who was covering Xiang Chen with a blanket, “How about I get you a leave of absence too? You probably didn’t sleep well last night either.”

“That works,” Xu Hengzhou nodded. “I wouldn’t be at ease leaving Chenchen home alone.”

Song Wenbin heard this and said, “Alright then, I’ll just go to your school and arrange for both of your leaves.” With that, Song Wenbin tidied up and rode off on his bicycle.

Since he was already up, Xu Hengzhou had no intention of going back to sleep. After washing up, he ate breakfast. It was corn porridge that Song Wenbin had cooked, and he also took out a bottle of pickled vegetables to accompany it.

Finally, he munched on an apple, and breakfast was done.

After breakfast, Xu Hengzhou returned to the bedroom, pulled out a cookbook, and sat by the bed, slowly flipping through it.

Unsurprisingly, for a long time to come, only two people would be cooking in the house: him and Song Wenbin. Song Wenbin’s cooking skill was limited to merely cooking food through.

To ensure a better life for himself, Xu Hengzhou intended to be self-reliant.

When Xiang Chen woke up, this was the scene he beheld.

A handsome youth leaned by the bed, holding a book, his gaze focused. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a halo around his face.

Xiang Chen blinked, then suddenly broke into a happy smile. How wonderful, this was his brother.

“Little fool,” Xu Hengzhou had noticed Xiang Chen the moment he looked over. Turning his head, he saw Xiang Chen lying on the bed, grinning foolishly.

“Wake up now, aren’t you hungry?” Xu Hengzhou went over, pulled Xiang Chen up, and helped him put on his clothes. Xiang Chen, with his short arms and legs, always took a long time with such tasks.

Xiang Chen continued to smile at him, seemingly delighted for no particular reason.

“Brother,” Xiang Chen suddenly called out.

The old-fashioned wooden bed was high, and Xiang Chen’s legs couldn’t reach the floor. Xu Hengzhou picked him up. “What is it?”

Xiang Chen giggled. “Brother, I like you the most.”

Xu Hengzhou was amused by him, and said exasperatedly, “Hurry and wash up. Tell me what you want to eat later.”

Xiang Chen rushed over and hugged Xu Hengzhou, then pattered off to wash his face and brush his teeth.

After tidying up, Xiang Chen sidled up to Xu Hengzhou, looking at him expectantly.

Xu Hengzhou asked, “What do you want to eat?”

Xiang Chen’s eyes lit up, and he announced the delicacy he had longed for. “Instant noodles!”

Xu Hengzhou: “…Is that all you aspire to?”

Xiang Chen looked aggrieved. “But I really want to eat it…”

Xu Hengzhou sighed, resigned. “What flavor do you want?”

Xiang Chen immediately became indecisive. “I like rattan pepper the most, spicy beef is good too, aged sauerkraut is delicious, and braised beef is a classic…”

He scratched his head and timidly suggested, “Can we rotate them?”

Xu Hengzhou: “…No, choose one.”

“Alright,” Xiang Chen retreated timidly. After much deliberation, he finally decided, “Then I want rattan pepper. I like rattan pepper the most!”

Xu Hengzhou silently pulled out a large box of mushroom stewed chicken from his inventory, preparing to cook it for him.

Xiang Chen saw it and immediately panicked. Getting a smaller portion was one thing, but how could the flavor be wrong?! He hurriedly grabbed Xu Hengzhou’s hand. “Brother, you took the wrong one! This isn’t rattan pepper.”

“I know,” Xu Hengzhou said, his expression unchanged. “Have you forgotten how old you are now? Eating rattan pepper, do you want to ruin your stomach?”

Xiang Chen pouted. “But you still told me to choose…”

Xu Hengzhou: “Oh, I was just saying.”

Xiang Chen: “…”

Seeing the child’s lowered head, Xu Hengzhou’s heart softened again. “How about I add an egg?”

“Yes!” Xiang Chen instantly cheered up. “Make it a ‘country bumpkin’ egg.”

Xu Hengzhou had originally intended to make him a poached egg. Hearing his request, he thought for a moment and realized he was probably referring to a brand of braised egg.

He rummaged around and, indeed, found one. He took it out and gave it to him. “You’ll put it in yourself later?”

Xiang Chen nodded repeatedly. “Okay.”

Watching Xu Hengzhou light the stove to boil the noodles, Xiang Chen couldn’t help but speak again. “Brother…”

Xu Hengzhou: “What is it?”

Xiang Chen quietly requested, “Add another sausage, please…”

Xu Hengzhou gave him a look. Xiang Chen immediately offered his face obediently, with an expression that said, ‘pinch me as you wish.’

Xu Hengzhou casually gave his cheek a pinch, then took out a box of luncheon meat, washed some small greens, and ultimately, still fried him a sunny-side-up egg.

When the bowl of noodles was finally served, it looked quite presentable. Xiang Chen sat before the small table, gazing at the noodles, almost unable to believe it was instant ramen.

“Have you eaten, Brother?” Xiang Chen didn’t rush to pick up his chopsticks, asking Xu Hengzhou first.

Xu Hengzhou: “I’ve eaten.”

“Brother, you’re amazing!” Xiang Chen never stinted on praising Xu Hengzhou. He poked a piece of luncheon meat and offered it to Xu Hengzhou. “Brother, have another piece of meat.”

After Xu Hengzhou ate it, Xiang Chen finally picked up his chopsticks, his face beaming with happiness, and began to eat his noodles.

The fried egg was fragrant and tender, the small greens crisp and fresh, and the luncheon meat had a rich, mellow texture—a mouthful of pure meat, doubling the pleasure.

Coupled with the smooth noodles, boiled instant noodles were ten times tastier than simply soaked ones!

Xiang Chen ate without lifting his head. The small chopsticks were too long and awkward to use, so Xiang Chen simply used them to twirl the noodles. He’d make a neat coil, then gobble it down in one gulp.

He ate that bowl of instant noodles with the vigor of someone devouring mountains and rivers.

When he finished, Xu Hengzhou collected the dishes to wash. He looked at Xiang Chen, who was sprawled on the stool, utterly content. “Are you full?”

Xiang Chen nodded. “I’m full! Brother, the noodles you cooked are so delicious, a hundred times better than when I cook them myself.”

Xu Hengzhou felt pleased after feeding Xiang Chen, and hearing the praise made him even happier. Yet, his expression remained nonchalant. “Don’t flatter me.”

“I’m telling the truth!” Xiang Chen quickly assured him. “Really, it was exceptionally delicious.”

Xu Hengzhou smiled reservedly and said, “It was just alright, not my best. If you’re a good boy, I’ll make it for you again sometime.”

He had always been a quick learner, picking things up easily and executing them proficiently. Cooking a meal was no different; he was confident he could do it better than most.

“Okay!” With something to look forward to, Xiang Chen immediately became overjoyed. He ran around helping Xu Hengzhou, though due to his physical limitations, he often caused more trouble than help. Still, his intentions were good.

After the two finished tidying up, Xu Hengzhou found a book for Xiang Chen, and they both sat at the desk, reading quietly. Occasionally, they would share interesting passages they found, and when they grew tired, they would put down their books and chat for a bit.

Thanks to their conversation last night, many things had been cleared between them, and they felt closer to each other.

Spending such a leisurely morning, Xiang Chen even wished he didn’t have to go to school. This kind of life was truly comfortable.

Of course, it was just a thought. Even if he didn’t go now, he would still have to attend when he reached the age in a couple of years, otherwise Song Wenbin wouldn’t agree.

Besides, his brother would be going to school, and without someone to accompany him, reading alone at home would be meaningless.

Around noon, Xu Hengzhou saw that it was almost time, so he first grabbed a few steamed buns and put them in the pot to warm up. These were already cooked; they just needed reheating.

When Song Wenbin returned, lunch was already prepared. Song Wenbin smiled as he ate with the two children, finding them utterly delightful to watch.

After eating, Song Wenbin gave Xiang Chen some good news. “Chenchen, don’t you want to eat meat? We’ll have meat tomorrow!”

Although he had already indulged this morning, in this era, one could never have too much meat. Xiang Chen happily asked, “Are they distributing meat tomorrow?”

Song Wenbin nodded. “Yes, I asked today. They’ll be distributing it tomorrow afternoon, after the workers finish their shift. I’ll pick you both up from school then, and we’ll go buy meat together.”

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