translator: xiin
editors: apricot & Juurensha

The fragrance of food inside the apartment could be smelled from all the way outside the door. Wu Guoan sniffed, looked at the luncheon meat and bread in his hands, and quietly hid those things behind him.

He naturally couldn't hide his actions from Xu Feng, who slanted a glance at him, the contempt in his eyes obvious. Xu Feng shoved past Wu Guoan and strode into the room, shouting excitedly at the door, "Brother S!"

“You haven't died yet.” Xiao Sa came out of the kitchen with a dark expression on his face, a spatula in one hand, chopsticks in the other, and wearing an ap.r.o.n decorated with small flowers around his waist.

The three men were startled and dumbfounded, their chins falling to the ground. They hadn't seen each other in a long time, and their hearts were still unsteady, but after seeing this scene, their tense feelings immediately dispersed.

Xu Feng straightened up and was brave and full of mettle as he asked, “Brother Sa, how could you do such common work?”

Xiao Sa raised his eyebrows, his cool expression showing no trace of embarra.s.sment. He simply asked, “Then, you'll do it?"

Xu Feng choked. He muttered, unable to form words. He only had enough kitchen skills to make sure things were cooked; it was better if he didn't cook in case he spoiled the food.

“I'll do it. I can cook. You can relax and hand it over to me." Li Ran was quick to respond. He was full of joy right now; regardless of whether it was Brother Sa himself or Young Master Jing who could help him find his elder brother, he still hoped that he could be of some use to them.

Xiao Sa also didn't make a big deal out of it, taking off his ap.r.o.n and giving it directly to the child. Looking at Li Ran carefully, he found him somewhat familiar and asked, "Whose child are you?”

Li Ran's eyes were bright. He answered crisply, “My brother is Li Liang.”

Xiao Sa nodded and didn't ask further. Since Li Liang had not appeared here, it more or less meant that something ominous had happened to him. Although Xiao Sa was rather sad, that was all. At first, he had been optimistic about Li Liang, but unfortunately, he was cousins with Li Qiang and had ultimately chosen his cousin when they left. Although the biggest reason for his decision had been his younger brother, no matter what, choices were choices, and everyone should be held responsible for their actions.

After putting down the chopsticks, Xiao Sa handed Li Ran the spatula in his hand. He wasn't tangled up at all in Li Liang's problem and spoke calmly, "I cooked some porridge in the pot. Pay attention to the heat. If you guys haven't eaten, there's things in the kitchen. You guys can do as you like."

“Yessir!” Li Ran headed into the kitchen after responding happily and subsequently ended up shocked by the chaos in the kitchen. He wiped at the non-existent sweat on his head and felt a little more relieved in his heart. He just knew it; how could a person like Brother Sa know his way around a kitchen? Him knowing how to kill people made much more sense. However, when he saw the food that had been thrown out in the trash can, such thoughts flew out of his head, and he immediately became distressed. How much food did he need to waste just to cook a pot of porridge?

In fact, Xiao Sa also intended to stir-fry some vegetables, but unfortunately his craftsmans.h.i.+p was really bad. Fortunately, Bai Jing had stocked up the kitchen as soon as they had moved in yesterday; otherwise, there really wouldn't be enough food for him to waste.

Li Ran's distress skyrocketed as he looked around the kitchen, his heart contracting painfully. Only now, when he saw the vegetable basket on the floor, the rice bucket beside it, as well as the perfectly still edible food that Xiao Sa had poured out, thrown away, and wasted, did he finally truly realize what Brother Feng had meant back then when he said that "Brother Sa doesn't lack these things."

Wasting food was really shameful. There were children who didn't even have enough to eat or warm clothing to wear every day; Li Ran almost cracked a tooth from gritting his teeth too hard. He rolled up his sleeves and unhesitatingly began to make use of his skills.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” The noise coming from the kitchen was too loud, causing Xu Feng to stretch out his neck to look inside, worried. Li Ran should be fine, right?

Xiao Sa sat steadily on the sofa, unconcerned about the child's mood. He was only worried that the noise would disturb Little Jing and calmly ordered, "Shut the door." Wu Guoan immediately went to do so.

With the door to the kitchen closed, the house became quiet. Xu Feng and Wu Guoan seated themselves separately. Xiao Sa brought out half a packet of Yuxi Cigarettes from his trouser pocket and placed it on the coffee table, pus.h.i.+ng it in front of Xu Feng. "I remember that you're an old hand at smoking. Have one!" His gentle tone was like someone who had just met an old friend they hadn't seen for a long time.

Xu Feng was sitting in a tense position, his back ramrod straight, but he was actually very excited. He hadn't expected that Brother Sa would still remember small details like this. Even before he could make any other moves, Wu Guoan lit a cigarette first, took a deep breath, and spoke with a laugh, “Brother Sa, you probably don't know, but that old man has quit smoking.”

“You're full of s.h.i.+t!” Xu Feng shouted, “Lao Tzu just didn't have any cigarettes to smoke.”

The atmosphere in the room relaxed, and Xiao Sa's face also carried a faint smile, “Enough. Today, you can smoke to your heart's content. This half-pack of cigarettes is for you."

Xiao Sa had said 'today', and not 'in the future', but unfortunately Xu Feng did not understand at all. There were benefits to being coa.r.s.e and insensitive; Xu Feng excitedly s.n.a.t.c.hed up the cigarettes that were in front of Wu Guoan, his actions quick, as though fearing they'd be s.n.a.t.c.hed away, "Thank you, Brother Sa!"

Xu Feng counted the cigarettes. There were more than a dozen cigarettes left in the box, making him feel extremely happy. The smile that spread over his face almost reached his ears as he took out a cigarette and carefully put away the rest. He held out the cigarette in front of his nose and sniffed it vigorously - it was really fragrant!

Wu Guoan and Xu Feng did not see eye to eye and were often at odds with each other. However, even if that was the case, when Wu Guoan saw Xu Feng's current hopeless appearance, he was also a little exasperated that iron couldn't become steel. He coughed dryly and asked, "What are your plans for the future?”

Xu Feng rolled his eyes at Wu Guoan. Was it still necessary to ask this? Of course he was going to join up with Brother Sa in the future!

Wu Guoan was left speechless and resentfully closed his mouth. He felt that Xu Feng's thinking could not be judged by a normal person's standards at all. This time, he had poked his finger into someone else's pie unnecessarily; he had had good intentions but nothing to show for it!

Xu Feng was really casual and had completely forgotten that he hadn't committed himself to Xiao Sa yet. He immediately considered himself a follower and slapped his chest to promise, "Brother Sa, you can rest a.s.sured. Our team will definitely follow your lead."

Xiao Sa's face was serious, but in his heart, he somewhat didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Although his probing this time had been unsuccessful, the results were really quite satisfying. Only, he didn't immediately respond. Sometimes, when something was too easy to obtain, people wouldn't know how to cherish it.

Wu Guoan couldn't help himself from splas.h.i.+ng cold water. He looked coldly at Xu Feng and disapproved of his promise, saying contemptuously, "Yeah, you and your weak, disabled team."

Xu Feng's fierce temper was triggered on the spot, and he immediately flared up, "Who are you calling weak and disabled? Brother Sa isn't like you, traitor!"

Wu Guoan's expression changed, and his eyes flashed with a touch of anger. Although he had indeed left the group at the start, his actions weren't enough to label him as a 'traitor'.

“Enough, how old are you? Why are you arguing and making such a scene?” Xiao Sa's expression was cold. His back rested against the sofa, one hand on his knee, the other on the coffee table. His fingers tapped out a rhythm against the table.

His light voice was not angry or arrogant, but the two quarrelling people immediately stopped arguing. Even though Xu Feng was slow to figure things out, he still understood that he had said the wrong thing. Only, he didn't feel that he had made a mistake in saying that Wu Guoan was a traitor. He just thought that he shouldn't be presumptions and speculate about Brother Sa's intentions.

Xu Feng was dazed for a while and suddenly felt panicked as it occurred to him abruptly that ever since he had learned that Brother Sa was in K City Base, he had perhaps always been thinking ahead of himself. He had treated everything as though Brother Sa was still their boss and had a.s.sumed that Brother Sa would accept their team. Yet in fact, Xiao Sa had never given any sign of this.

It was unknown what kind of thoughts ran through Xu Feng's mind, but his expression grew sadder and sadder. A big, stalwart man suddenly showed a mournful expression and began to cry loudly, "Brother Sa, you can't refuse to take us in…"

Xiao Sa's forehead throbbed with green veins; his consistently serious expression could barely hold up any longer. Who had said that Xu Feng was silly and mindless? What was he getting anxious over? Xiao Sa glanced at the closed bedroom door, then turned his head back and reprimanded, "Shut up. Acting like a woman, are you a man or not!"

“Brother Sa!” Xu Feng's wide eyes were full of grievance as he sat upright, his hands and feet close together. He looked pitiful, like a student who had made a mistake and was waiting for the teacher's punishment.

Wu Guoan saw his foolish appearance, and he instantly felt better. He suddenly felt like he was just reducing his own IQ by nitpicking with a guy like this.

Perhaps because Xiao Sa's expression was too harsh, although Xu Feng was full of stuttering thoughts and words, he didn't dare to speak any more. He only tried hard to read something from Xiao Sa's expression, but unfortunately, he couldn't see anything except Xiao Sa's blank face.

“It's time to eat!” A clear voice interrupted the silence in the room. Xu Feng felt that he had never appreciated Li Ran as much as he did today.

“They're all home-cooked dishes." Li Ran smiled shyly and quickly served four dishes, each one piled up high, one soup, and a big pot of rice.

Xiao Sa raised his eyebrows and felt that this child was quite interesting. The amount of food in front of them could probably feed ten people if they were careful enough.

“Brother Sa, you eat first.” Li Ran pressed his lips together, his expression somewhat strained. Xiao Sa's gaze made him feel like he couldn't hide anything from him.

“Let's all eat!" Xiao Sa accepted the bowl and chopsticks. He didn't care about Li Ran's small actions; hadn't he just cooked extra food? The leftovers could be packed up. Xiao Sa calmly instructed everyone to eat and quietly settled into the meal.

Xu Feng swallowed, his eyes stiffly pinned on the food, but in front of Xiao Sa, he did not dare to be too rude. His actions were light and slow as he served himself from the dishes, but he shamelessly wolfed it all down once it reached his bowl.

Wu Guoan was the calmest amongst them. After all, he had eaten steak last night. Today's meal was hearty, but he wouldn't be as shameless as Xu Feng. Heaven knows that he'd already been humiliating enough last night.

Xiao Sa didn't eat much because he was still concerned about Little Jing. He quickly finished one bowl, then put down his chopsticks and went straight to the kitchen, leaving them all to hang with a mere, "You guys enjoy."

At this time, the fish porridge in the kitchen has been boiled and stewed. The rich fragrance wafted over from far away. Xiao Sa tasted it and felt that it wasn't bad. He was a little more satisfied with Li Ran, feeling that the child was sensible and at least hadn't forgotten what he'd ordered him to do. He had kept the porridge at the right temperature, ensuring it didn't burn.

Xiao Sa brought the pot with him and headed towards the bedroom. He had cooked this porridge himself and definitely couldn't miss such a great opportunity to show off his care.

After Xiao Sa left, Xu Feng and Li Ran looked at each other and felt a little restless. They had no appet.i.te even in the face of such good food, not knowing if they had done something wrong.

At the end of the day, Wu Guoan wasn't a bad man. He was just a bit selfish and tended to think a bit more for himself. When he saw that these two were in low spirits, he comforted them by saying, "Don't worry, Brother Sa just went to see Young Master Jing." He had already understood some things about Brother Sa over the past two days - he spoiled Young Master Jing endlessly. No matter how big the world or skies were, Young Master Jing was even bigger, and Xiao Sa would first look after Young Master Jing before considering anything else.