Time Has Grown Dim, And Evening Has Already Fallen - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Lu Xingchu was a man of action. He went as far as creating a spreadsheet to organize the various game accounts he had created out of boredom in the past.

He had mentioned before that his father had never let him want for material things; during summer and winter breaks, he had played quite a few games to pass the time. The accounts ranged from valuable high-level ones to “trash” accounts. After categorizing them, he listed everything that could fetch a price on the trading platforms.

When all was said and done, it added up to a significant sum of money.

Lu Xingchu lay on his bed, looking at the balance of the incoming payments, and suddenly spoke up. “Cheng Xun.”

Cheng Xun hadn’t fallen asleep yet; he was lying on his bed browsing a novel on his phone. Hearing his name, he gave an instinctive “Mm.”

“What’s up?”

Lu Xingchu thought for a moment before getting straight to the point. “Shall we have ‘Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner’ tomorrow?”

“?” Cheng Xun looked confused, his sleepiness dissipating. “But we only have one computer. How are we supposed to play PUBG together? Or are you planning to go to an internet cafe?”

Lu Xingchu: “…” He realized his phrasing was ambiguous.

“Cough.” Lu Xingchu cleared his throat to cover his embarrassment and explained, “I meant eating fried chicken.”

When he lived at home, he occasionally ordered unhealthy takeout and knew a few fried chicken places that tasted pretty good. He had taken it for granted that Cheng Xun would like that sort of thing too.

Cheng Xun gripped the railing of his bed and poked his head over the side to look down, meeting Lu Xingchu’s upward gaze.

“Why the sudden talk of that?”

Lu Xingchu told the truth. “I made some money.”

Cheng Xun was puzzled for a second. We go to school and come home together every day, and I haven’t seen him go out to work—where did he get money? Then, he remembered the casual remark he’d made a couple of days ago while borrowing Lu’s computer…

“Holy crap.” Cheng Xun was wide awake now, his eyes wide as he stared at Lu Xingchu’s “ice-block” face. “You didn’t actually sell your game accounts, did you? I was just talking… besides, selling accounts is usually a loss, isn’t it? Is that really okay?”

When it came to money, Cheng Xun’s brain worked remarkably fast, his logic clear and his grasp of pros and cons sharp. Lu Xingchu found the contrast quite interesting.

“It’s a waste to let them sit there,” Lu Xingchu said casually. “I made a decent amount.”

Cheng Xun pursed his lips. “…Alright then.”

Even though only a dim nightlight was on, Lu Xingchu noticed the slight flicker of loneliness on Cheng Xun’s face.

“I didn’t sell the one you like,” Lu Xingchu added.

Cheng Xun looked at him with slight embarrassment, feeling a bit shy. “I just thought it would be a shame to sell such a beautiful account for cheap. It’s not because I wanted to play it.”

“…Oh.” Lu Xingchu kept looking up at him. The boy’s eyes were bright, likely reflecting the light from the desk lamp.

“But why suddenly say you want fried chicken?” Cheng Xun snapped back to reality, feeling curious. “There aren’t any good fried chicken places near our house.”

“Not even a chain store?” Lu Xingchu hadn’t considered this. Those specific chains were famous nationwide, so he had assumed C County would have them too. Sure enough, when he checked the delivery apps, there were only a few “knock-off” shops in the vicinity.

Seeing him silently searching, Cheng Xun leaned over the railing and started rambling, “Besides, takeout places aren’t very clean… if you really want to eat it, why don’t we go to the wet market after school tomorrow and buy some drumsticks? It’s better if we make it ourselves.”

Lu Xingchu stopped scrolling and looked up. “We make it ourselves?”

“Yeah, just coat them in starch, egg wash, and breadcrumbs and fry them. I did it once before, and Grandma really liked it.” Cheng Xun seemed to recall a fun memory, his expression turning nostalgic. “Cough, but the oil was too hot. I got splashed in the face, so Grandma didn’t let me do it after that.”

“Was the injury serious?”

“Huh?” Cheng Xun instinctively touched his chin, smiling innocently. “It’s been fine for ages. My technique just wasn’t mature back then. It just left a… ‘pimple pit’ on my chin?”

The room was too dark and they were relatively far apart; Lu Xingchu looked toward where Cheng Xun was pointing for a long time but couldn’t see anything.

“Can’t see it,” he said truthfully. “So, the wet market tomorrow?”

“Yeah, right after class.” Cheng Xun agreed readily. He smiled at Lu Xingchu over the railing and added, “Goodnight.”

The boy’s smile was faint, but in Lu Xingchu’s eyes, it was very bright.

“Goodnight.” He heard his own reply.

The next day was Saturday. Before heading to school, Cheng Xun told Grandma about their afternoon plans. They would go to the market after school to buy ingredients, and they would handle dinner that night.

Grandma was quite surprised. “Xiao Shu is going to cook too?”

Cheng Xun scratched his head and gave a soft “Mm.” “He’ll be my assistant. Since we’re cooking for you, Grandma.”

“Alright, alright, do whatever you like,” Grandma said with a smile. She walked toward the counter, muttering as she went, “Do you have enough money? If not, take some from here…”

“It’s enough.” Lu Xingchu suddenly spoke up to stop her, lowering his eyes. “Grandma, it’s fine.”

Perhaps because he had something to look forward to, Cheng Xun was a bit distracted during his morning classes, his mind full of ways to make the fried chicken taste better.

When school finally let out, Cheng Xun hurriedly shouldered his bag, grabbed Lu Xingchu, and headed out. Lu Xingchu’s bag hung loosely over one shoulder as he let himself be pulled along by his arm, showing not a hint of resistance.

He didn’t have much experience with wet markets. More accurately, he had never stepped foot in one. At home, there were helpers to cook; there was no need for him to buy groceries. Watching Cheng Xun navigate the stalls with ease, picking out produce and haggling over prices, Lu Xingchu couldn’t help but feel shocked.

Cheng Xun’s image in his mind grew a little taller.

Although he told Grandma that Lu Xingchu would be his assistant, in actual practice… Lu Xingchu was only there to watch and wash vegetables.

Fearing that Grandma might find the greasy fried chicken hard to digest, Cheng Xun planned to cook her a bowl of noodles with greens and shredded pork. He asked Lu Xingchu to wash the small bok choy and chop it up.

As a result… when Cheng Xun finally took notice, the glistening bok choy had been turned into a pile of fine green dust.

Cheng Xun: “…” “I asked you to cut them into sections, not mince them into atoms! Help!” Cheng Xun looked at Lu Xingchu, utterly speechless.

The boy still had no expression, but if Cheng Xun had been more observant, he would have noticed the tips of Lu’s ears were red.

“Never mind, let’s just make Century Egg and Pork Congee instead. Put the noodles away,” Cheng Xun decided immediately.

Lu Xingchu naturally listened to him. “Oh, okay.”

Dinner was exceptionally rich. The golden fried chicken gave off an enticing aroma, and Cheng Xun had even made a special dipping sauce. He had also cooked a delicious pot of Century Egg and Pork Congee, packed with ingredients—silky century eggs, savory minced meat, and the very finely minced greens Lu Xingchu had “prepared.”

“Our Xiao Xun could be a master chef in the future,” Grandma couldn’t help but praise.

Lu Xingchu took a bite of the fried chicken and nodded silently in agreement.

“Cough.” Cheng Xun cleared his throat, taking a sip of congee to line his stomach before saying with a smile, “The owner of the noodle shop where I worked was a good man; he taught me a lot. I used to think that if I didn’t get into a good university, I’d just enroll in a culinary program. But that was an old thought…”

“You won’t fail to get in,” Lu Xingchu said suddenly.

“Don’t jinx it; I don’t dare brag.” Cheng Xun took a drumstick, blew on it, and dipped it in sauce. “Just a little bit of effort, I guess. It’s only the second year of high school; there’s still plenty of time.”

“Ask Xiao Shu if there’s anything you don’t understand. He has good grades and knows a lot,” Grandma added.

“Okay,” Cheng Xun nodded with a smile. “I got it. Lu Xingchu is the best; if I have trouble, I’ll definitely find him.”

“Cough…” Hearing this while eating his congee, Lu Xingchu nearly choked. He coughed uncomfortably, and as he reached for a tissue, he met Cheng Xun’s familiar gaze.

He seemed to have guessed what Cheng Xun was about to say.

“No one’s trying to snatch it from you, why are you eating so fast?”

It was almost exactly what he’d said at the sports meet. Lu Xingchu was profoundly speechless; he felt his image in Cheng Xun’s heart had become very difficult to describe.

Perhaps because he hadn’t been able to help with the cooking, Lu Xingchu was extremely proactive about cleaning up. He took charge of washing all the pots, pans, and dishes.

Cheng Xun naturally wouldn’t let him do everything alone and stood beside him to help. In terms of housework, Lu Xingchu had gone from clumsy to proficient since his arrival, showing a lot of effort.

The weather was getting colder. Using cold water to wash hands during this season was quite a challenge. Cheng Xun gave the cleaning gloves to Lu Xingchu, while he himself didn’t seem to care about the temperature.

After cleaning the kitchen, Lu Xingchu noticed that Cheng Xun’s hands were slightly red from the cold water.

“Are they cold?” Lu Xingchu looked at his hands, his brow furrowing into a handsome curve. Despite his lack of expression, Cheng Xun read the concern in his eyes.

“It’s okay,” Cheng Xun replied instinctively. “It’s not too cold yet. Wait until winter really hits; it’ll be much worse. You’ll have to get used to it.”

Lu Xingchu pursed his lips and didn’t answer. Although he was also from the South, he previously had air conditioning in the summer and floor heating in the winter. The damp, bone-chilling cold unique to Southern winters was something he had only experienced occasionally when going outside.

“And Grandma and I don’t turn on the heat in the winter…” Cheng Xun added. “We just make do with hot water bottles. Just layering on a couple more blankets will do.”