Get Up, It's Time to Sleep

Bang!

The two of them fell to the ground at the same time.

Neither had stayed on top; half of each of their bodies had hit the ground.

Huo Yuhao and Xiao Wu both let out muffled groans. Gritting her teeth, Xiao Wu wrapped her arms around Huo Yuhao, rolled halfway around, and sat on top of him. She said smugly, "Well? I still won—"

Before she could finish the word "won," Huo Yuhao thrust with his waist and hips, flipping Xiao Wu onto the ground. He then pinned her beneath him.

"I'm the one who won—"

Before Huo Yuhao could finish the word "right," Xiao Wu exerted force through her waist and back again, flipping Huo Yuhao onto the ground and straddling him.

Neither was willing to admit defeat, and they kept rolling around on the ground.

Who knew how long passed before Huo Yuhao and Xiao Wu were both panting heavily, their breaths rising and falling. A light sheen of sweat covered their foreheads. Xiao Wu's hair clung to her brow, and her little face was smeared with dirt.

Huo Yuhao did not look much better, his face covered in dust.

In the end, though, Huo Yuhao still gained a slight advantage thanks to a boy's greater stamina.

"I... huff... I won..."

Huo Yuhao held down Xiao Wu's hands and spoke to her beneath him.

A flash of unwillingness crossed Xiao Wu's eyes. "To... tomorrow, then... You... you didn't win fairly!"

Huo Yuhao found it rather funny. He had won, yet that meant he had not won fairly?

He released Xiao Wu, rolled to one side, and lay beside her.

The stars in the sky glittered brightly, while clear moonlight spilled down.

The two of them looked up at the sky, and neither spoke again.

The slightly cool evening breeze felt quite comfortable against their bodies.

After an unknown amount of time, Huo Yuhao had recovered some of his strength and said, "Xiao Wu, we should head back."

There was no response.

Huo Yuhao could not help turning his head to look. Xiao Wu had her eyes closed, her lashes thick as brushes, her little nose pert and delicate, and her lips slightly pouted as though she were still dissatisfied. Her breathing was even and long.

"She fell asleep?" Huo Yuhao was somewhat stunned. Xiao Wu was far too carefree—she had actually fallen asleep right there on the training field?

Huo Yuhao shook his head, stood up, and gave Xiao Wu a push. "Xiao Wu, get up. It's time for us to sleep."

Xiao Wu opened her bleary eyes and asked groggily, "Aren't we already sleeping?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head. "We should go back to the dormitory to sleep. You'll catch a chill out here."

"Oh." Xiao Wu answered. She woke up a little more, then walked back to the dormitory with Huo Yuhao.

Early the next morning, Tang San left the dormitory.

Huo Yuhao had risen early as well. The early worm got eaten by the bird; he needed to cultivate diligently.

After cultivating for a while, Xiao Wu gradually woke up too. Nearly all the Work-Study Students of Dorm Seven were awake by then.

Everyone went to eat breakfast together. Wang Sheng and the others returned to the dormitory to cultivate diligently, while Huo Yuhao prepared to head home.

"You're going home? Doesn't school start tomorrow? What are you going home for?" Xiao Wu asked curiously when she heard that Huo Yuhao was going home.

Huo Yuhao explained, "Didn't I tell you that I have my own way of making money? I'm going home to bring over my tools. I can start doing business at noon."

"Then I'm coming too!" Xiao Wu said.

"Suit yourself." Huo Yuhao shrugged.

The two of them returned to the village.

When Xiao Wu saw Huo Yuhao's fish-grilling tools, she exclaimed in surprise, "You're going to grill something? You know how to grill? Is it good?"

I knew you'd ask that... Huo Yuhao had known in his previous life that Xiao Wu loved delicious food, and he had once satisfied her appetite with carefully prepared grilled fish.

Huo Yuhao gave a mysterious smile. "You'll find out when the time comes."

Huo Yuhao packed up his fish-grilling tools, then carried his luggage and a basket of cleaned black carp back to Nuoding City.

It was already close to noon. Huo Yuhao set up the grill, laid out the fish, and began grilling them.

Xiao Wu watched Huo Yuhao's movements curiously from the side. To her, grilling fish was something entirely new.

Huo Yuhao's movements flowed as smoothly as drifting clouds and running water. Simply watching him was pleasing to the eye.

Xiao Wu watched obediently from the side.

Before long, the enticing aroma of grilled fish spread through the air.

Xiao Wu let out a surprised cry. "Wow! It smells so good! Yuhao, you're amazing! I want some, I want some!"

Huo Yuhao smiled faintly. "Wait a little longer. The fish isn't cooked yet."

Huo Yuhao carefully watched the heat, sprinkling on spices and seasonings. The aroma of the grilled fish instantly rose to another level, and Xiao Wu was nearly drooling.

"It's ready!" Once it reached the right heat, Huo Yuhao immediately took the grilled fish off the fire. He handed one to Xiao Wu, while selling the remaining two to students who had come to buy grilled fish.

Huo Yuhao had run his stall outside Nuoding Academy for three months. Many students and teachers knew Huo Yuhao had arrived as soon as they caught that scent.

At that moment, more than ten students were already waiting in front of Huo Yuhao's grilled fish stall to buy fish.

"Phew, phew... So good, so good!" Xiao Wu bared her teeth from the heat as she took huge bites, not forgetting to give Huo Yuhao a thumbs-up.

Xiao Wu quickly devoured the entire fish. Licking her fingers, she looked at Huo Yuhao with watery eyes. "Yuhao, I want another..."

Huo Yuhao was not fooled by Xiao Wu's beauty trick. He smiled and said, "The first fish was my treat. I'll charge for the second one. One fish costs ten copper coins, which is one silver coin."

"Ah? That expensive? I work so hard cleaning the garden and only earn ten copper coins a day, but it's all gone after eating one of your fish?" Xiao Wu could hardly believe it.

Huo Yuhao smiled. "Otherwise, why do you think I make so much money? Isn't it all earned from charging high prices?"

Xiao Wu: "..."

I have no response to that...

Xiao Wu pouted. Being unable to eat grilled fish put her in a bad mood.

As she watched Huo Yuhao continue grilling fish, Xiao Wu's eyes shifted, and she suddenly came up with an idea.

She plopped down beside Huo Yuhao and huffed, "Your grilled fish costs almost nothing to make. Most of the fish are caught by you, and even if you buy them, they only cost one copper coin each. If I grill one myself, I'll pay you one copper coin at most!"

As she spoke, Xiao Wu skewered a black carp herself and began grilling it beside Huo Yuhao.

Xiao Wu copied Huo Yuhao while grilling her own fish.

Before long, the fish was... burned.

A scorched smell drifted out. Huo Yuhao frowned slightly. "Xiao Wu, stop messing around. You're wasting my fish, making me lose ten copper coins, and affecting my business. If people smell that, they'll think my cooking is bad."

Xiao Wu's little face turned red. She had not expected grilling fish to be so difficult. Forget adding seasonings—she could not even cook it properly.

"I don't believe it! If you can do it, I definitely can too!" Still unwilling to concede, Xiao Wu took another black carp, skewered it, and placed it on the grill.

This time, because Xiao Wu turned it diligently, the black carp did not burn.

Then Xiao Wu sprinkled seasonings over the black carp and prepared to eat it.

Huo Yuhao glanced at it from the side and pressed his lips together in a smile, but said nothing.

Two seconds later.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! Why isn't this fish cooked?!"

Xiao Wu spat out the half-raw grilled fish in her mouth. Her lips were pouted so far out they could have tethered a donkey, and her little face was full of displeasure.