Second Meow

At this time, Huo Zheng was stiff all over, staring vigilantly at the large orange cat that jumped onto the back of the sofa as they looked at each other, big eyes and small eyes, not daring to move.

“Meow wu wu wu wu—”

The orange cat roared at Huo Zheng.

“……”

So, what the hell is this monster up to?!!!!!

Although it wasn’t obvious on the surface, in reality, Huo Zheng, who was staring at the cat with an expressionless face, had already fallen into anxiety at this point because of the opponent’s roar.

He could swear that this cat he saw, I’m afraid, was probably the biggest cat he had ever seen in his life… With its fluffy hair befitting its huge size, it didn’t look like a cat at all but like some miniature beast.

Just seeing that big toast-like face, Huo Zheng felt a pain in his chest where he had been kicked by the opponent before.

Yet he didn’t dare to move either, because he had a faint premonition… that the opponent seemed to… kind of want to jump into his arms.

At the kitchen doorway which Huo Zheng didn’t notice, He Yunzhou covered his mouth and turned abruptly, forcing himself not to whimper.

The scene just now was really too familiar, so familiar that He Yunzhou almost wanted to burst into tears.

He Yunzhou’s heart is sweet, soft, sour, and astringent with a variety of flavors; it was indescribable.

Just now, he seemed to have seen the original scene of Guaji and Nangua[footnote]Pumpkin. Should I use Pumpkin or Nangua? But this has lots of food descriptions that might include this ingredient lmao.[/footnote] facing off with fluffy hair on the sofa.

The orange cat that was identified as a “miniature beast” in Huo Zheng’s mind was called Nangua. He Yunzhou kindly brought it home when Guaji was 5 years old. It was originally a little dumpling but for some unknown reason, it grew bigger and bigger…

Since then, Nangua and Guaji have begun to deeply love and kill each other. And one of the most common scenes is like now, Nangua and Guaji each occupy the corner of the sofa, roaring with their mouths, and killing each other with their eyes.

Nangua is obviously not the kind of cat that’s very affectionate, but its attitude is really abnormal at this time. When the man isn’t awake, it’s very affectionate and will even jump on the other to step on his chest.

Is it because it also thinks that the man is very similar to Guaji?

Since Guaji left, Nangua has been a little depressed.

Today is the most lively and happiest day that He Yunzhou has ever seen in Nangua…

The more He Yunzhou looked at the other, the more he felt that he and Guaji were more and more similar that even plots of countless web novels even appeared in his mind. What’s love? After the death of his beloved pet, it cried out for help on another man’s body to return to its original owner’s home…

No, no, no, it’s better to sober up a bit…

He Yunzhou regained his senses. Then silently returned to the kitchen counter and began to frantically cut up the white radish.

When he finally calmed down a bit, he realized that the simple oatmeal and milk porridge[footnote] mistakenly named it as ‘milk cereal porridge’ in the previous chapter lmao, so I edited that.[/footnote] he had planned turned into a pot of white radish vermicelli soup with duck tongue that was bubbling with steaming heat.

He Yunzhou froze, his heart somewhat chagrined.

That Mr. Gua… No, that mister looked a bit mixed-race and he doesn’t know if he could get used to eating duck tongue soup.

While He Yunzhou was hesitating, there was another sudden movement in the living room.

“Meow wu wu—”

When He Yunzhou rushed out of the kitchen, he was faced with Nangua shaking its fat body, rushing towards Gua…that mister, and howled incessantly.

“Nangua.”

He Yunzhou issued a warning and ordered the cat, who had obviously been a little carried away, to be polite.

Meanwhile, Huo Zheng, who was sitting on the sofa uncomfortably,[footnote]lit. as if sitting on pins and needles(idiom)[/footnote] got this opportunity and instantly jumped from the couch and retreated towards the door.

“I troubled you last night, I—”

“Wait, wait… The soup I cooked for you is ready, eat some first?”

“……”

Huo Zheng stood in the doorway, feeling sluggish for a moment because of a rare difficult mood.

As if demons and gods were at work, he complied with the invitation of this overly “friendly” homeowner and sat down at the dining table.

A steaming bowl of soup was placed in front of him.

It was the simplest large, white porcelain bowl containing more than half of the soup in it. When the rising water vapor dissipates a little, you can clearly see that the shredded white radish at the bottom of the bowl was cut as thin as a hair, which has been boiled into translucency in the yellow hot soup. The vermicelli had absorbed the soup, and wrapped in the middle were several cooked duck tongues that were already soft and glutinous. Next to the large bowl were several small plates the size of a palm with scallions, chopped zha cai[footnote]pickled mustard stem[/footnote], and a small plate of red chili oil.

“I don’t know if you can eat scallions and spicy… If you like it, help yourself.” Huo Zheng heard the man say softly next to the table.

He couldn’t help but frown…

It was too gentle.

So gentle that Huo Zheng felt uncomfortable all over.

Huo Zheng knew that he could easily attract inexplicable rotten peach blossoms or rotten chrysanthemums by relying on this face. But from any point of view, there is no possibility between him and this mediocre and down-on-his-luck man in front of him nor does he intend to waste each other’s time. However, the other party is really a little too gentle.

So much so that even a nasty guy like Huo Zheng couldn’t help feeling a little softhearted.

What’s more, this bowl of vermicelli soup smells so damn good.

Huo Zheng originally intended to dip his lips to deal with the rotten person in front of him, but he didn’t expect a mouthful of soup to go down which made him stare blankly for a moment.

It is indeed a very delicious soup.

The white radish is cooked sweetly and the vermicelli is also very glutinous; adding to the finishing touch is the duck tongue. The duck tongue that he usually eats always had a tight and elastic taste. Only at this time, in the man’s bowl of soup, did it turn out to be fragrant, soft, and thick. It was probably soaked with brine beforehand and even the cartilage in the duck tongue has been tasted. It’s salty and delicious, suitable to eat with the light taste of the fresh and sweet vermicelli together with the white radish. Then, before he knew it, Huo Zheng ate half of the soup in the bowl; squinting a glance at the small side dishes prepared by the man next to him. His eyes lowered as he silently poured all those things into the bowl. Then taking another bite, as expected, it’s even more spicy and appetizing than before. 

At this time, Huo Zheng heard another electrical appliance’s “ding—” in the kitchen.

Not long after, the plain-faced man brought out another plate and placed it in front of Huo Zheng.

“Uhm, this is baked sliced steamed buns.” Meeting Huo Zheng’s gaze, He Yunzhou explained somewhat embarrassedly.

“In fact, it stands to reason that vermicelli soup should be served with youtiao,[footnote] deep-fried strip of dough[/footnote] but after all, you had a drink last night, it’s not good to eat anything so greasy now. I steamed the steamed buns myself and mixed them with some grains and flour, so they didn’t look too good. Because I want to match the soup, I baked it with a little butter. It tastes delicious, would you like to give it a try?”

Huo Zheng originally wanted to refuse. He swore that he had never eaten any homemade steamed buns in his life—and they were even pitifully cut into pieces.

But He Yunzhou talked to him so softly that it sounded as if he was coaxing him.

Huo Zheng inexplicably put a piece of steamed bun in his mouth obediently.

“Crunch—”

The surface of the steamed bun slice was really crispy.

While the steamed bun slice was coated with butter to bake, it seemed to be slightly sprinkled with a dash of pepper and salt, giving a particular flour and salty fragrant.

And probably because it’s mixed with grains and flour and it’s handmade, the steamed bun isn’t really soft, rather, it’s a very solid kind—but it’s precisely this kind of steamed bun that is the most suitable for baking to crisp. It’s slightly salty and slightly fragrant, served with steaming white radish vermicelli soup with duck tongue to eat together.

In fact, according to Huo Zheng’s usual temperament, it was impossible for him to stay in this man’s dilapidated house for so long from the beginning. Let alone be persuaded to sit at the table on the spot and obediently eat what vermicelli soup and what baked sliced steamed buns.

However…

It was probably because his body was too uncomfortable after the hangover that it directly caused him to go insane.

Huo Zheng found himself not only sitting here eating things that he hadn’t eaten before at all by someone he completely didn’t know had prepared for him… He also felt that the things in the bowl in front of him were surprisingly delicious.

When Huo Zheng put down the bowl, a thin layer of sweat had already appeared on his forehead.

The intense discomfort caused by the hangover seemed to have receded a lot, especially the warmth in his stomach. The severe pain that had tormented him before and even chaos seemed to be some kind of illusion that has long since dissipated.

After the physical discomfort was relieved, Huo Zheng’s entire body instantly felt a lot better.

“Huo Zheng.” When the man smiled and handed him the painkiller, Huo Zheng pondered for a moment and gave his name to the man.

Then he calmly took out a business card, held it between his index and middle fingers, then placed it on the table, and pushed it to the other person’s hand.

There is no extra information on the business card, only Huo Zheng’s name, and a phone number that he uses to deal with those kinds of people.[footnote] refers to a large number of concubines/prostitutes, like the kind of people where he does those things in this context. Idk what English term to use for it.[/footnote] Yes, Huo Zheng had forgotten that before picking up the bowl to eat, he also mentally concluded from the bottom of his heart that it would be impossible for him and the other party, and now he had even started to leave contact information.

However, the subsequent development was somewhat beyond Huo Zheng’s expectations. The man simply didn’t seem to realize that this was Huo Zheng’s rare condescension and humility in decades. He was stunned when looking at the business card.

“……”

Huo Zheng’s eyebrows knitted slightly and a wave of hostility suddenly appeared in those dark green eyes.

And it was at this time that the man reacted.

“Ah, sorry. I haven’t received a business card for a long time, so I’m a bit unresponsive.” The eyes behind the glasses narrowed slightly and the other party’s cheekbones were flushed slightly. “I’m sorry, my name is He Yunzhou, hello.”

As he spoke, He Yunzhou habitually stretched out his hand to Huo Zheng to shake hands, then remembered the other party’s previous resistance to skin contact, making his movements suddenly turn stiff. Then he retracted his hand a little awkwardly.

Huo Zheng, who was about to shake hands: “……”

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Dishes:

I really couldn’t find a picture for the combination of white radish vermicelli soup with duck tongue, so I won’t be adding it. It really makes this poor newbie (me) want to cry.

Sliced baked steamed bun

Zha cai

Youtiao

Note: Photos included aren’t mine.

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T/N: These descriptions… I’m dying. What have I gotten myself into… Btw, hello, everyone! I forgot to give a short introduction to my first post. I’m Nen and I do edited MTL. If there are translation or grammar mistakes and errors, let me know! It helps me learn! Thank you so much!