The tomato brisket sizzled in the casserole, the bamboo shoots moved up and down in the clear soup, the squid in the pot cooked in the hot oil, the braised pork had an attractive caramel colour… the entire kitchen was filled with the aroma of hot food.
Xiao Hei rode around the living room and dining room on the vacuuming robot. He was quite satisfied with the new ‘mount’ despite it being a bit slow, having a weak IQ and it had to be struck hard to turn.
Shen Shian had a light grey apron tied around him and his sleeves were rolled up. His movements were skilled and he was busy in front of the table. Occasionally, he would turn around and sweep his gaze towards the kitchen door. Xiao Hei immediately turned his head, eyes cold and narrowed, as he struck the claws to his ‘mount’ and left, resolutely not looking at Shen Shian.
This man dared to do such a thing to himself. They had been mortal enemies ever since!
The so-called vendetta was because Shen Shian slapped Xiao Hei twice on the butt after finding him bullying Ruibao.
He came back in time with Yun Feiyang. Ruibao wasn’t injured but he was obviously scared enough. As long as Xiao Hei approached, he would flap his wings and shout ‘Goodbye.’ Now he could only be placed in the second bedroom and separated from Xiao Hei.
Shen Shian was sorry and cut a small dish of tomatoes for Ruibao. He also quietly changed the water to the spiritual spring water. Now Ruibao’s mood was stable and he had fallen asleep.
Yun Feiyang sat on the chair next to the cooking bench, peeling peas and staring at Xiao Hei. “Hey An An, isn’t the dog in your house too smart? It is the first time I’ve seen a puppy with such human emotions. Didn’t you just hit it twice? Look, it still has a grudge against you now.”
Shen Shian turned to look as Xiao Hei rode the robot back into the kitchen. He saw Shen Shian looking and instantly turned his head in an arrogant and indifferent manner. However, the actions were so big that he almost threw himself off the robot.
“It isn’t a grudge.” Fan Guoping was pickling chicken wings as he watched Xiao Hei move away. He smiled and whispered, “I think this little thing is probably jealous.”
“Jealous?” Shen Shian was puzzled.
“It is possible.” Fan Guoping placed the chicken wings on the baking tray into the oven and then took off the disposable gloves. “Animals are essentially the same as people. Mr Shen, think about it. You have only picked him up for more than a week and he still isn’t completely familiar with the environment. The family suddenly got another pet and you also hit him for this pet. You aren’t worried about him and treat other pets as more precious than him. Not only is he jealous, he is probably afraid you wouldn’t want him after getting a new pet. This little thing is sensitive to people’s emotions. During the time when my daughter raised a stray dog, she would go out and get the smell of other cats and dogs on her. Then the dog at home would be worried for a long time. To put it bluntly, there is no sense of security.”
Then he elbowed his colleague, Mo Feng. “Isn’t that right, Old Mo?”
Mo Feng was peeling peas together with Yun Feiyang when his arm was hit by Fan Guoping. A few peeled peas immediately rolled down the palm of his hand. His expression didn’t change as he leaned forward and caught them before they fell. Then he glanced at Yun Feiyang and replied, “Yes.”
Was this really the case?
Shen Shian was full of thoughts.
The four people worked together and a sumptuous New Year’s Eve meal was soon ready. The bamboo shoots were stewed with ribs, the garlic squid was fried golden on both sides, the tender peas were fried with the shrimp and the cola chicken wings came out of the oven.
The delicious dishes were placed on the table and the time that Xiao Hei and his mount wandered around the dining room became significantly longer. Shen Shian took out Xiao Hei’s usual bowl, filled it with two spoons of rice and called out, “Come and eat.”
Xiao Hei’s head twisted and he acted like he didn’t hear.
Shen Shian poured a large about of braised pork and soup on the rice. “You really won’t eat?”
Xiao Hei’s ears moved but he kept sitting on the robot without looking over.
Shen Shian peeled a few shrimps and placed them next to the braised pork. He also took out two small bowls, filling one with tomato brisket and the other with ribs soup. He placed them with rice on the ground next to the table. “If you don’t eat then I will feed them to Ruibao.”
He hadn’t finished speaking when Xiao Hei rushed forward like a gust of wind. He poked out his tongue and licked all the food while squinting aggressively at Shen Shian.
Shen Shian’s lips curved slightly as he raised his hand and rubbed the dog’s head. “Eat slowly. There is enough.”
“Come on.” Yun Feiyang opened a bottle of red wine and poured half of it into four glasses in turn. “An An, quickly sit down. We are waiting for you.”
The table full of delicacies overflowed with delicious smells, among which, Shen Shian’s tomato brisket was the most popular. The tomatoes from the space had been boiled down to a thick state and the beef brisket was cooked in a delicious manner. Each piece contained the sweet and sour tomato juice and only needed to be chewed twice. The hot meat juice and tomato juice overflowed instantly. The rich meat and fruit aroma burst on their taste buds at the same time, causing people to want to swallow their tongues.
Fan Guoping inhaled the hot food while raising a thumb towards Shen Shian. “Mr Shen… hiss… your cooking is the best!”
“It is just so-so,” Shen Shian replied. “Mr Fan’s cola chicken wings also taste great.”
Yun Feiyang continuously nodded with full cheeks. Apart from the brisket, the cola chicken ones were the ones he ate the most.
Fan Guoping smiled and waved his hand. “It is no match. My daughter likes to eat it so I usually make it when I have nothing to do at home. I’m okay as a home cook but I can’t handle big occasions. In addition, I’m afraid of your jokes. I’m actually only good at this dish.”
“No matter what, the two chefs worked hard.” Yun Feiyang raised his glass. “Come on, our meeting is fate. I wish us all the best in 2019. Happy New Year!”
The group raised their glasses together. “Happy New Year!”
The guests were happy by the meal and Yun Feiyang volunteered to clean up the dishes. Shen Shian sent Mo and Fan out and took Xiao Hei down the stairs. This little thing was still in a bad mood and didn’t even look at Shen Shian as he ran with his short legs.
Shen Shian didn’t care. He followed leisurely with his hands in his pocket. He was approaching the bottom of the building when the residents of the next building came out to walk their dog. It was a large, dark brown Tibetan mastiff. It was the size of half a person and the muscles were strong. Saliva flowed down from sharp teeth and it looked quite frightening.
Perhaps it was the aroma of the tomato brisket left on Shen Shian’s body or because he often soaked in the spiritual spring but the Tibetan mastiff got excited when he saw Shen Shian and slammed forward. The dog rope fell out of the owner’s hand and the dog barked loudly as he rushed towards Shen Shian.
Shen Shian frowned and was ready to dodge. Xiao Hei, who had already run out the building, suddenly turned around and ran back. He didn’t hide from the mastiff and stood with his small legs firmly in front of Shen Shian, two rows of sharp teeth exposed as a low growl was emitted from his throat.
This growl was very strange and resembled the low road of an ancient beast. It carried so much repressed dignity and anger that the Tibetan mastiff, which was as tall as a person when standing upright, seemed to have heard something terrible. He whimpered at the sound and ran back to his owner with his tail between his legs.
The dog owner sweated as he retrieved the rope and apologized to Shen Shian. “I’m sorry, I held it carelessly and let the dog run away. Did he frighten you? Our dog looks scary but he doesn’t bite.” Then the owner looked at Xiao Hei with his hackles raised and asked, “What breed is your dog? His temper is fierce.”
Shen Shian bent over and picked up Xiao Hei without directly answering the other person’s words. His tone was somewhat cold, “You should take good protective measures when walking a large dog. Not everyone can be as lucky as me. If something happens in the future and he bites someone, it can’t be solved with a few apologetic words.”
The other side looked stunned and was about to say something when Shen Shian walked back into the building with Xiao Hei.
The guardian protector the master but Xiao Hei was still angry. As soon as he entered the elevator, he made a noise to get down from Shen Shian’s arms.
Shen Shian patted the fur a few times, bowed his head and kissed Xiao Hei on the head. “Be obedient.”
The dog froze and didn’t immediately move.
The final exams would start after New Years. Yun Feiyang started the end of semester sprint. He said goodnight to Shen Shian before going into his room to study at night.
Shen Shian returned to the master bedroom after taking a shower, lit some incense for his mother and then sat on the bed with a heavy professional book. He had only turned a few pages when the sheets were pulled down by something. Xiao Hei stepped on the robot and jumped up onto the pillow, still not looking at Shen Shian.
Xiao Hei came over that first night because he was afraid of the dark. Thus, Shen Shian made an exception and let him sleep on the bed for a night. Every night after that, he slept in the kennel next to the sofa. In particular, he had the bad habit of liking to rub dog fur everywhere so Shen Shian strictly forbid Xiao Hei from approaching the bed. Tonight’s move was very abnormal.
Shen Shian stared at the furry dog for a moment. His dark eyes reflected the light and were like deep pools filled with tiny stars. The mysterious charm was deep and unfathomable. Shen Shian suddenly remembered the words that Fan Guoping spoke before eating and seemed to understand the reason for Xiao Hei’s move. Soft waves appeared in the deep pools.
He put the book on the bedside table, turned off the lights and lay down sideways. His fingers touched the fur and after a moment of silence, the gentle voice rang out in the darkness. “I won’t have any other pets. There will only be you.”
Xiao Hei moved. He first rubbed a layer of fur on the sheets then turned around and hugged Shen Shian’s arm, licking the palms.
「 This is my reserve grain first. Anyone who dares to snatch it from me will die! 」
The author has something to say:
January 1st, 2019. There are still 3 months and 2 days before the outbreak.
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