He just casually said it. If someone from modern times had been sitting beside him, they would have known he was making a meme reference—but Yu Hezhong wasn’t. Upon hearing this, the latter frowned.  

Before he could say anything, Jiang Le had already cheerfully moved on to another topic: “I see your hair’s grown longer. How about I trim it for you? I promise to give you a super handsome haircut.”  

Before his transmigration, Jiang Le had worked many odd jobs, one of which was a stint at a barbershop. Though he hadn’t mastered the core techniques, he was still decent at giving a basic trim.  

Yu Hezhong hesitated. He had already rejected Jiang Le once earlier—would it be too much to refuse again now?  

Jiang Le, completely unaware of his thoughts, simply smiled at him expectantly.  

Yu Hezhong lowered his gaze. “Alright.”  

Jiang Le grinned. “Then it’s settled. I’ll come find you when I have time.”  

Yu Hezhong nodded and added more firewood to the stove. Whether it was the glow from the flames or not, his eyes seemed to shine a little brighter.  

Jiang Le realized that cooking chicken consumed a lot of firewood. Yu Hezhong must have worked hard to gather all this. After a moment’s thought, he excused himself and left, only to return later, huffing and puffing under the weight of a huge bundle of firewood. With a loud thud, he dropped it to the ground. “Ugh… I’m exhausted. Anyway, I noticed the firewood was running low, so I brought some from my place.”  

Yu Hezhong glanced at the still-plentiful stack of firewood but didn’t call him out on it.  

He walked over to carry the new bundle and stack it with the rest.  

Jiang Le, still catching his breath, warned, “That’s really heavy, you shouldn’t—”  

Then, he watched as Yu Hezhong effortlessly lifted the enormous bundle and placed it in the corner, not even breaking a sweat. His expression didn’t change in the slightest.  

Jiang Le: “…”  

He stared at Yu Hezhong’s slender frame. Was this scientifically possible? No, it wasn’t!

It must be because this body’s original owner was too weak—definitely not because of me! Yeah, that had to be it! 

Yu Hezhong, who hadn’t heard him clearly earlier, asked, “What did you just say?”  

Jiang Le smiled. “Nothing.”  

As the chicken stewed longer, the rich aroma seeped out through the gaps in the pot lid. Jiang Le sighed appreciatively. “It smells amazing. Should be almost ready.”  

After a while, Jiang Le couldn’t resist any longer. He lifted the lid, picked up a clean pair of chopsticks, and plucked out a piece of meat, holding it to Yu Hezhong’s lips. “Here, try it and see if it’s done.”  

Yu Hezhong froze for a moment, vague memories flickering in his mind. He opened his mouth and bit into the sauce-coated meat.  

Jiang Le had always cooked only for himself before—this was the first time he’d made food for someone else. He watched Yu Hezhong nervously. “Well? How is it?”  

The piece of meat was boneless. Yu Hezhong swallowed before replying, “It’s good.”  

Jiang Le grinned and tried a piece himself. Confirming the flavor was just right and that the mushrooms had stewed long enough to be fully cooked, he scooped some into a small bowl. “Here, have some to tide you over. I’ll let it simmer a bit longer—it’ll be even more tender.”

Yu Hezhong stared blankly at the small bowl suddenly placed in his hands. He glanced at Jiang Le but said nothing, silently handing him a pair of chopsticks instead. “You eat too.”  

Jiang Le was practically drooling with hunger. In the end, he couldn’t resist the aroma of the braised chicken and mushrooms, and the two of them took turns eating until the small bowl was empty.  

The chicken was delicious, but what surprised Jiang Le even more was how incredible the mushrooms tasted—he almost thought they were better than the meat itself.  

Jiang Le muttered to Gua Gua: [No wonder I always heard about people in Yunnan getting poisoned from eating wild mushrooms in modern times. These are way too good!]  

If they taste this amazing, who cares if they’re a little toxic? Nom nom nom! 

Gua Gua: [Host, even I’m craving some now.] 

Jiang Le paused: [Can you even eat? I’ll get you some if you can.]

Gua Gua burst into tears: [Waaah, I can’t eat anything!]  

Jiang Le: […] He could only offer his deepest sympathies.  

By the time the braised chicken and mushrooms were fully cooked, it was almost time for the workday to end. Jiang Le scooped the dish into a large bowl—enough to fill more than half of it.  

He invited Yu Hezhong to come eat at his place, but unsurprisingly, Yu Hezhong refused. Jiang Le didn’t press him and instead left him a generous portion of meat.  

I’ll make sure this little villain gets plenty of nutrients. There’s no way he won’t grow taller! Hmph, just you wait—he’ll crush the male lead one day!

With this thought in mind, Jiang Le marched back home with an intimidating aura. Villagers who saw him carrying food initially wanted to ask what he had, but his fierce expression kept them at bay.  

He made it home without any interruptions. Once there, he gave Grandma Jiang and Jiang Huan a taste. Both of them lit up after the first bite.  

Jiang Huan even exclaimed in amazement, “Little Brother, you’re really good at this! I was just thinking that even if it tasted bad, I’d force myself to praise it—but it’s actually delicious!”  

Jiang Le thought, Wow, sis, you’re brutally honest.

He replied modestly, “The ingredients were just really good. Even a simple dish turns out tasty with them.”  

When the rest of the family returned from work and tried Jiang Le’s braised chicken and mushrooms, they took turns praising him so much that he actually got a little embarrassed.  

Jiang Le then asked what they thought of the mushrooms, and everyone agreed—they were just as good as the chicken.  

In an era where everyone craved meat, that was the highest compliment possible.  

Jiang Le nodded, filing this information away for later.  

Meanwhile, Yu Hezhong savored the braised chicken and mushrooms Jiang Le had made for him, occasionally looking lost in thought. He couldn’t figure out why Jiang Le was being so nice to him.  

What confused him even more was that Jiang Le’s kindness seemed completely selfless—as if he genuinely just wanted to be good to him.  

And why did he sometimes catch a hint of affectionate concern in Jiang Le’s eyes? That had to be his imagination.  

Back at the Jiang household, after dinner and cleanup, everyone settled in for the night.  

Jiang Junqing had just finished washing up and was about to lie down when Jiang Le walked in holding an enamel cup steeping with something. “Second Brother, drink this.”

Jiang Junqing didn’t even ask what it was before taking a big gulp. Only after swallowing did he ask, “What is this?”  

Jiang Le laughed at his reaction. “You didn’t even ask before drinking?”  

Jiang Junqing grunted. “You’re my brother. Why would you try to harm me?”  

Jiang Le looked at the face that shared some resemblance to his own—though with sharper, more rugged features—and saw nothing but trust in his brother’s eyes. For some reason, his nose stung a little.  

When Jiang Junqing noticed his silence, his expression immediately darkened. “What’s wrong? Did someone bully you? Tell your second brother!”  

Jiang Le chuckled at the familiar words. Just like Jiang Huan—clearly siblings through and through, saying the exact same things.

“No one did,” he said, blinking away the slight dampness in his eyes. “This is an herbal remedy I read about in a book. It’ll help ease the pain in your leg a little.”  

Of course, he hadn’t actually read about it in a book. Back in modern times, when he’d gone foraging for wild greens with the village elders, one of them had mentioned this herb.  

It couldn’t cure leg injuries, but even a little relief from the pain was better than nothing.  

Jiang Junqing’s leg always ached terribly on rainy days, though he never complained.  

“So that’s why you’ve been messing around with herbs lately,” Jiang Junqing said, his tone deliberately light. After a long pause, he added quietly, “Little Brother… thank you for caring.”  

Jiang Le pressed his lips together, then reminded him sternly, “Second Brother, you have to drink this regularly. I’ll bring over the dried herbs later—brew them in water every day, okay?”  

“Don’t worry,” Jiang Junqing said with a smile. “My little brother went through all this trouble to prepare them. I wouldn’t dare waste them.”  

Jiang Le thought indignantly, If anyone ever calls my second brother a dull, silent type again, I’ll be the first to argue! Look how well he speaks!

…

Lying in bed, Jiang Le sighed.  

Gua Gua sighed too: [Host, how many times is this now?]

Jiang Le didn’t answer at first. After a long silence, he suddenly asked: [Gua Gua, can I wish for a high-grade universal trauma medicine?] 

Gua Gua: [You can! But the higher the item’s grade, the lower the odds of drawing it—even if you wish for it. For your second brother’s leg, high-grade isn’t necessary. Mid-grade would be enough.]

Jiang Le was stunned. Just how overpowered is this system’s medicine? He knew exactly how severe his second brother’s injury was—even modern medicine might not fully cure it. Yet Gua Gua was casually saying mid-grade would suffice?  

Jiang Le: […And what about high-grade universal trauma medicine?]

Gua Gua said proudly: [To put it simply, as long as you’re still breathing, it can heal any physical injury.]

Then it added: [Host, the wish function is seriously amazing. Otherwise, forget high-grade—even mid-grade trauma medicine would probably be way too expensive once you unlock the intermediate system store.]