Chapter 45 – Proposal
Later that night, Xia Huo Qu noticed the tension between his brother and Kong Zhi. Or rather, it seemed like his brother was the only one upset—Kong Zhi wasn’t saying much, and even when they did talk, their conversations were brief and devoid of eye contact.
It was odd, considering how well they got along when Xia Lu Nong was in his cat form.
As a responsible older brother, Xia Huo Qu asked before bed, “Why did you two argue?”
“Hmm?” Xia Lu Nong turned to him in the dark, eyes wide in disbelief. “Kong Zhi told you?”
He tattled?
“Why are you shouting?” Xia Huo Qu grabbed his arm as he tried to sit up. “With the way you two are acting, he didn’t need to.”
Xia Lu Nong huffed, staring at the ceiling in silence.
After waiting a while, Xia Huo Qu nudged him, “Spit it out.”
Xia Lu Nong finally spoke, “Kong Zhi said he might not stay at our base.”
Xia Huo Qu calmly replied, “He’s just being honest.”
After a brief pause, Xia Huo Qu’s voice came from the darkness, “Xiao Nong, in this day and age, none of us can make any promises to each other.”
Xia Lu Nong was unconvinced, “But it doesn’t seem like he even wants to stay with us! If we were forced to split up, that’s one thing. But it’s frustrating to think he’s already planning to leave.”
“Did you ask him why he said that?”
Xia Lu Nong: “…”
He had been too caught up in his anger to ask.
Knowing his brother’s temperament, Xia Huo Qu said directly, “Sometimes things aren’t as they seem. Instead of getting upset, why not just ask him? Kong Zhi isn’t the type to keep things to himself.”
“Okay.”
“If you don’t talk, it’ll be hard to stay friends. He’s already not great at communicating, and if you stay silent too, you’ll lose this friendship.”
Xia Lu Nong was surprised to hear such advice from his brother.
After a moment of silence, Xia Lu Nong nodded and promised, “I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
The next morning, when Xia Lu Nong woke up, his brother and Yan Xi Nian had already gone off to handle tasks at the base.
The base’s walls were now fully built, and they were getting ready to construct a hydroelectric power station. The two of them had been busy with this for the past few days.
At home, it was just Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi.
Xia Lu Nong had promised his brother the night before that he would have a good conversation with Kong Zhi, but the problem was figuring out how to start.
In his whole life, Xia Lu Nong had rarely been the one to initiate reconciliation. Thanks to his attractive appearance, whenever he quarreled with someone, it was usually the other person who came to make peace.
However, that approach clearly wasn’t going to work with Kong Zhi.
Kong Zhi had woken up early, grabbed a hoe, and was outside loosening the soil around the grapevines, showing no intention of coming back inside, let alone speaking to Xia Lu Nong.
Xia Lu Nong paced back and forth in the house, unable to find the right words, so he decided to go to the backyard and cut a bunch of chives. He planned to make a nice meal as a way of indirectly making amends.
The freshly cut chives were tender and juicy.
Xia Lu Nong chopped them finely, seasoned them well, and then cracked three eggs into the mixture, stirring it all together. He lit the stove and began cooking, filling the air with the enticing smell of fried eggs.
As he was about to take the eggs off the pan, he peeked outside. Kong Zhi was still in the yard, concentrating on loosening the soil, completely unaffected by the aroma, as if he suddenly couldn’t smell anything.
Grinding his teeth in frustration, Xia Lu Nong put the fried eggs into the cupboard and turned to the pickling jar to get some pickle cabbage.
He was determined to make something that Kong Zhi couldn’t resist.
The pickle cabbage had been pickled at the beginning of March, tightly packed with mustard stems, green onions, and chili peppers. After more than two months of fermentation, it had developed a rich, tangy aroma. Just smelling it, Xia Lu Nong’s mouth watered, imagining how delicious it would taste.
He scooped out a large bowl of pickle cabbage and even cut a piece of preserved pork.
With the fire roaring, he added oil, garlic, and diced green and red peppers to the pan. After a quick stir, he threw in the slices of preserved pork.
The fatty part of the pork quickly became translucent, while the lean meat turned golden brown, releasing a rich aroma as the fat rendered out. The preserved pork, long dried and cured, filled the air with an irresistible scent.
He then added the finely chopped pickle cabbage, which was soon coated in the glistening oil, becoming even more fragrant as it cooked.
The smell of the pickle cabbage stir-fry wafted through the house, escaping through the chimney and windows. Several passersby couldn’t resist taking a few extra steps to inhale the mouth-watering aroma.
Feeling quite accomplished, Xia Lu Nong sneaked a glance outside, but Kong Zhi remained focused on loosening the soil around the grapevines, unmoved as ever.
Thinking it over, Xia Lu Nong decided to go all out. He prepared a thick, hearty rice porridge and made golden fried egg pancakes, turning what was supposed to be a simple breakfast into a banquet-level meal.
The various delicious smells filled the house, making Xia Lu Nong’s stomach growl.
When Yan Xi Nian returned, he sniffed the air deeply in the courtyard before pushing the door open and poking his head inside, asking, “Xiao Nong, what did you make today? The smell is so good it could knock someone’s nose off!”
“Oh, just the usual,” Xia Lu Nong replied nonchalantly. “Brother Xi Nian, why don’t you wipe the table? We can eat as soon as my brother gets back.”
“Sure, I’ll wash my hands first.”
Xia Huo Qu followed Yan Xi Nian in and was just as surprised by the fragrant smell filling the house. “Why’s breakfast so fancy today?”
Yan Xi Nian, carrying the egg pancakes, gave Xia Huo Qu a meaningful look and gestured toward Kong Zhi.
“An apology breakfast,” Yan Xi Nian mouthed to him.
Xia Huo Qu rubbed his temples.
“Brother Xi Nian?” Xia Lu Nong called, carrying the porridge out. “What are you standing there for?”
Yan Xi Nian smiled, “I just realized something and wanted to mention it to your brother.”
Xia Lu Nong looked suspicious, but said nothing.
Once they were all seated, Xia Lu Nong began serving the porridge. As usual, the first bowl went to his brother.
According to his usual routine, the second bowl should have gone to Yan Xi Nian, but instead, he handed it to Kong Zhi.
Kong Zhi briefly met Xia Lu Nong’s eyes before accepting the bowl and quietly saying, “Thank you.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded awkwardly, “You’re welcome.”
Yan Xi Nian, observing the interaction, smiled even wider.
Noticing the odd look on his face, Xia Lu Nong tried to act calm as he placed the porridge in front of him. “Everyone, try the seasoning on the fried eggs.”
“It’s perfect,” Kong Zhi commented.
Yan Xi Nian’s smile deepened.
Unable to stand it any longer, Xia Huo Qu kicked him under the table, signaling him to tone it down.
Yan Xi Nian quickly wiped the smile from his face, picked up his chopsticks, and took a bite of the stir-fried preserved pork with sauerkraut. After swallowing, he drank a large mouthful of porridge and then turned to Xia Lu Nong, saying seriously, “Xiao Nong, with cooking skills like yours, you should open a restaurant in the base.”
“???” Xia Lu Nong was full of question marks.
Yan Xi Nian continued, “If you opened a restaurant, you’d make a fortune. We older brothers could just rely on you to support us.”
Xia Huo Qu interrupted him, “Come on, look at the ingredients he uses. A chef this honest would more likely go out of business.”
“You need enough ingredients to make food taste good. Xiao Nong, use as many ingredients as you want. If you run out, we’ll go out and collect more for you. Don’t even think about skimping,” Yan Xi Nian said, playfully nudging Kong Zhi’s leg. “Right, Kong Zhi?”
Kong Zhi pulled his leg back and replied, “I can help with the cooking too, or at least assist. It doesn’t have to fall on one person.”
Xia Huo Qu agreed, “Cooking is tiring. Xiao Nong, call on us whenever you need help.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded, glancing at Kong Zhi. *At least someone offered to help,* he thought.
After breakfast, Yan Xi Nian volunteered to do the dishes.
When the house was tidied up, Yan Xi Nian wiped his hands on his apron and said, “We’ll be busy with the power station again this morning. We’ll probably eat in the dining hall for lunch, so you two don’t need to worry about us.”
Xia Lu Nong asked, “You don’t want us to bring lunch?”
Yan Xi Nian laughed, “We’re already working hard enough. If you bring us food this good, we’ll all lose motivation to work! For the sake of the base’s productivity, let’s not.”
Xia Huo Qu gave more practical advice, “It’ll be hot by midday. Take care of yourselves and don’t get heatstroke. There’s only so much to do in the fields, so you can always wait until the sun goes down to get things done.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded.
Xia Huo Qu continued, “You guys can rest at home for a few days. Once we’re done with the base work, we’ll go out together and see what we can gather.”
Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian quickly left to continue their work.
After that breakfast, Xia Lu Nong felt like the tension between him and Kong Zhi had eased somewhat, so he casually asked, “What are we doing this morning?”
For Xia Lu Nong to bring this up, it was his way of taking the initiative to break the cold war.
Kong Zhi looked at him and asked, “What do you think?”
“I’m fine with anything.” As Xia Lu Nong met his gaze, the unresolved question he had been avoiding came back to mind. This time, he didn’t guess and asked directly, “What did you mean by what you said yesterday afternoon? What do you mean by ‘we might not stay’?”
Kong Zhi, realizing that this was what Xia Lu Nong was concerned about, gave a straightforward answer, “I meant it literally. Sometimes things happen beyond our control.”
“Unexpected events are one thing, but you have to put in some effort! Besides, even if something happens, we might not compromise. Why do you always assume the worst before anything even happens?” Xia Lu Nong grew frustrated.
Kong Zhi looked at his slightly flushed face from anger and nodded, “You’re right.”
Xia Lu Nong didn’t expect him to agree so easily. The words he had prepared got stuck in his throat, and he was left staring at him.
A hint of amusement seemed to flash in Kong Zhi’s eyes as he changed the topic, “There’s a bamboo forest outside the base. Want to go dig up some bamboo shoots?”
“Huh? How would we do that?”
“I could fly you out,” Kong Zhi offered, giving him the choice. “Or we could walk. With our abilities, there’s no danger around the base.”
Xia Lu Nong completely ignored the second half of that sentence and focused on the first part. Swallowing nervously, he asked, “How would you fly me? Would I turn into a cat, and you’d carry me out?”
“You could also ride on my back,” Kong Zhi said, scanning him up and down. “With your weight, I should be able to carry you easily.”
Xia Lu Nong: …
Why was he suddenly feeling so excited?!
