Chapter 17 — Wronged, Oh So Wronged
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"Anything will do. I've no idea what's in the kitchen — go and see for yourself." Shen Yushu shifted into a more comfortable position, settling onto the sofa with a bewitching languor; half of one smooth, pale calf slipped from beneath her pajamas and swayed to and fro, and that swaying set certain parts of Wei Zhao — only just brought back under control — stirring once more.
"Fine..." Afraid that Shen Yushu might notice his predicament, Wei Zhao bent at the waist and started toward the kitchen — but before he had taken two steps, she called him back.
"Hey, Wrigley, what's the matter with you? What are you bending over like a shrimp for?" Shen Yushu found it odd, seeing him hunched like that — but the moment her eyes dropped to his lower half, she understood at once what he was doing. Flushing scarlet, she hastily turned her face aside and sniffed, "Truly vile."
Wei Zhao could not be bothered to explain. Since he had been found out anyway, he simply straightened up and strode off toward the kitchen.
Watching Wei Zhao's retreating back, Shen Yushu let a sly smile curl at the corner of her mouth. Hmph — did he take her for a fool? As if she would not know snot when she saw it! They had covered that much in health class at school: the stuff was milky white, and it carried a peculiar smell, one you could catch from yards away. True, Shen Yushu had never actually smelled the real thing — but she had been sitting on that sofa for ages without noticing the tissue lying right beside her, which clearly meant it had no such smell at all.
Moreover, the most crucial point was what she had read online: after a man did that sort of thing, his member would turn soft. Yet judging from the look of Wei Zhao just now, he did not seem in the least like a man who had just relieved himself.
But Shen Yushu, of course, said none of this to Wei Zhao. She would let the mistake stand and turn it into a handle to hold over him—heh heh, let him try to disobey her again next time.
What a delight to have a free errand boy! Drinking in the savory smells drifting out from the kitchen, Shen Yushu felt ever more certain that her earlier decision had been nothing short of inspired.
When Wei Zhao entered the kitchen, he was taken aback. The facilities here were rather impressive—far better than the big earthen stove back in his village, everything so modern. He noticed a cute little apron hanging on the wall, covered with a SpongeBob pattern; it looked nearly new, as if it had hardly ever been worn. He figured that these two girls were the sort who had clothes fetched for them and food set before them, and could never have cooked for themselves.
Wei Zhao tied on the apron and began searching the kitchen for something to cook. In the fresh-keeping cabinet were tomatoes, spinach, celery, and some eggs, though each kind came in only a small quantity. These had probably been stocked there by Uncle Qing for Gu Mengyao as a precaution; whether she ever used them for cooking was anyone's guess. Still, as the man Gu Pengzhan trusted most, Uncle Qing would naturally think everything through.
He then checked the staple foods—there was flour and rice. He decided to knead some of the flour and pull it into noodles, then make a simple plain noodle soup. He was hungry anyway.
Cooking came to Wei Zhao as easily as traveling a familiar road. At home he had looked after the old man all day long, and had been doing so ever since he was a child; here, especially, with every kitchen tool at hand, he quickly worked the dough to the right consistency and began pulling noodles with practiced skill. Before long, a bundle of thin, springy noodles lay on the chopping board.