Two Big Gluttonous Boys

After seeing how many buns Kong Wu had eaten last night, Bai Yao had a rough idea of his appetite, so he made just enough for lunch.

Bai Yao ate one small bowl, while Kong Wu ate three huge bowls of hand-pulled noodles, each topped with two large ladlefuls of diced eggplant and minced meat sauce. Between them, they finished all the noodles and sauce.

"Delicious noodles, right?" Bai Yao said confidently to Kong Wu.

"Yeah, delicious. Everything you make is delicious, Bai Yao," Kong Wu replied.

Bai Yao smiled, without the slightest twinge of guilt.

Although the system had helped make it, the system was his, so it wasn't wrong to say he'd made it.

"How about we have noodles again tonight?" Bai Yao wanted to eat braised noodles with green beans.

But to Bai Yao's surprise, Kong Wu didn't agree right away. Instead, he looked hesitant.

After a while, he looked at Bai Yao and asked, "Could we have buns? Buns filled with chives and egg?"

Bai Yao: ...

What a bun brain.

Despite the thought, Bai Yao agreed.

There was no helping it. Kong Wu's pitiful, pleading eyes were simply impossible to resist.

"Sure, I'll make them for you tonight. I'll make myself a separate serving of braised noodles with green beans," Bai Yao said.

Making all this food was no trouble for him anyway. It would only cost him another mao.

But since he was making buns, he might as well make some filled with green beans and pork ribs too.

He would also pickle the cucumbers into a refreshing side dish, so they wouldn't actually wilt from being left out.

Thinking it over, Bai Yao realized he had quite a lot to do that afternoon.

So Kong Wu couldn't stay home. Otherwise, Bai Yao would have to make everything entirely by hand, and he couldn't bear that.

"Kong Wu, there's only enough firewood at home for one more use. Sorry for the trouble, but could you gather some this afternoon? We've gone through it so quickly these past two days," Bai Yao said.

Clever as he was, he put away some firewood every time he cooked, just in case he missed something and someone noticed a problem.

Hearing this, Kong Wu immediately agreed. Something like that was no big deal.

"Okay, I'll go right now." Kong Wu had something to get him going now.

Bai Yao said, "Why go out in the middle of the day? Go back to your room and take a nap."

"I'm not sleepy." Kong Wu didn't want to waste time.

Bai Yao: ...

"I'm sleepy. I'll sleep, and you watch the house."

If Kong Wu left that early, Bai Yao would have to start preparing the buns right away, and he didn't want to work so early.

"Okay, I'll keep watch over you," Kong Wu replied.

Bai Yao: ...

Bai Yao wanted to explain, but he was afraid Kong Wu would change his mind, so he simply shut his mouth.

Kong Wu could watch over him if he wanted. As long as he didn't go out right now, it was fine.

The thing was, with Kong Wu staring at him like that, Bai Yao really couldn't sleep.

After half an hour of this standoff, Bai Yao's drowsiness had vanished completely.

"Are you awake? Then I'll head out," Kong Wu asked softly.

Bai Yao: ...

"Go out at two. The sun's too strong if you go this early. Be careful, or that handsome face of yours will get tanned black."

"Okay, then keep me company and chat with me, Bai Yao. I'm pretty bored on my own," Kong Wu replied immediately, as if he'd been waiting for that answer.

Bai Yao didn't think much of it. A chat was fine.

And so, over the next hour and a half, Bai Yao discovered that the aloof Kong Wu could actually be quite a chatterbox.

Though he had to admit, Kong Wu's chatter was pretty sleep-inducing.

He couldn't speak for anyone else, but he fell asleep listening to it.

When he woke up and opened his eyes again, it was already two o'clock.

And Kong Wu? True to his word, he was still there keeping watch over him.

"Sorry, why didn't you go back and sleep?" Bai Yao said apologetically.

After all, it really wasn't quite right to suddenly fall asleep in the middle of a conversation.

"I wasn't sleepy, and I promised to watch over you," Kong Wu replied. Then, before Bai Yao could speak, he went on, "It's two o'clock. I have to go. I'll bring back plenty of firewood."

With that, he got up and left, not forgetting his woodcutting tools.

Bai Yao: ???

Why did Kong Wu seem so strange?

With that thought, Bai Yao got up too. He was very thirsty and needed a drink of water.

After finishing a large enamel mug of cooled boiled water, Bai Yao was fully awake. Then he vaguely noticed that the corner of his mouth hurt a little.

He took out a mirror and had a look. He'd actually gotten internal heat!

"It must be from sleeping on the heated kang. The corner of my mouth even cracked while I was asleep."

Thinking that, Bai Yao decided to steam the two batches of buns on Kong Wu's stove that afternoon.

As for the system's one-click service, he'd use it for his braised noodles with green beans. The buns still had to be steamed.

He first washed his face, then rested for quite a while before getting out everything he needed to make the buns. Then he set about preparing them.

It was rather early to steam them, but the weather was so hot that they wouldn't be very cold by dinnertime, and it would save him trouble.

There were two kinds: chive-and-egg buns and green-bean-and-pork-rib buns, one vegetarian and one with meat. Bai Yao put plenty of filling in both, enough to make Kong Wu's head spin with delight.

Of course, there was no way he was going to do the hard work himself. As before, he entrusted all the steps before steaming to the system.

For two fen, all those troublesome steps were taken care of. He didn't think anyone would turn that down.

And there was just enough firewood in the shed.

As expected of him. He'd calculated it perfectly.

Then he lit the fire and started steaming. After adding firewood, Bai Yao made some of the cucumbers into pickles. He washed one of the remaining cucumbers and sat outside, eating it while enjoying the cool.

But in this weather, he didn't feel much cooler outside either.

The cucumber in particular had been picked less than half a day ago, yet it was already a little soft when he bit into it.

"It's so hot. In weather like this, I really want air-conditioning, ice cream, and watermelon."

As he said that, Bai Yao did just that.

He gave up on the air-conditioning. Having the system custom-make one would be expensive, and it would also need electricity. Ice cream was no problem, though. For one mao, he could eat ice pops until he had diarrhea, and a big bucket of cream ice cream cost five mao, enough to make him shiver.

As for the watermelon, that could wait.

He ate cream ice cream with one hand and fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan in the other.

Just like that, the summer heat eased considerably.

But he didn't eat much. After five cream ice creams, Bai Yao waited for Kong Wu to return.

That was right. To keep anyone from discovering that he was sneaking food, he spread out his Mental Power. There was no way anyone would find out.

After the buns had steamed for fifteen minutes, Bai Yao took the unburned firewood out of the stove, then sat down to enjoy the cool again.

A few minutes later, Kong Wu appeared within the range of Bai Yao's Mental Power.

As it happened, it was also time to take the buns out of the steamer.

"Just in time."

As Bai Yao spoke, he got up, and Kong Wu strode up to the courtyard gate.

Bai Yao opened the gate and saw the two dead trees, each as thick as the mouth of a bowl, that Kong Wu was carrying on his shoulder.

But rather than being astonished by Kong Wu's strength, he found the taut outline of his muscles showing through his clothes more enticing.

That was right, he was a big "gluttonous" boy.

"I smell buns. They smell so good. Bai Yao, you steamed buns? They're filled with chives and egg." Kong Wu spoke happily as soon as he came in.

See? Kong Wu was a big gluttonous boy too.

"Yeah, I steamed them. They're cooked now. Besides the chive-and-egg ones, there are also green-bean-and-pork-rib ones."

As he spoke, Bai Yao prepared to lift the lid and take out the buns.

Seeing this, Kong Wu tossed the deadwood from his shoulder onto the ground and hurried after him.

He washed his hands, then lifted the lid straight off.

Steam billowed out, but Bai Yao and Kong Wu, who had already stepped back two paces, avoided it.

"I'll get you one to try." As he spoke, Bai Yao reached for one.

But this time it was really a little hot to the touch. Bai Yao had barely touched it before he quickly pulled his hand back.

Just as he was thinking of cooling it with cold water, his hand was suddenly grabbed.

The next moment, the soft, smooth sensation made his eyes widen.

"You have to lick a scalded hand right away to disinfect it. I've seen other people do it," Kong Wu said indistinctly with the finger in his mouth.

Bai Yao: ...

"Bai Yao, your hand is so sweet. It's like eating cream." As Kong Wu spoke, he deliberately tasted it again with the tip of his tongue.

Bai Yao: Shut up!!!