Sister Xu's words carried a strong note of urgency, mixed with a faint, perceptible malice.
Qi Si lowered his eyes, seemingly unaware. "Sister Xu, go ahead and clear the dishes. Don't mind me. A steamed bun is enough."
"Food can't be left in the room." Sister Xu mumbled, then carried her bucket over to Qi Si. "All the leftovers have to be cleared away, or the rats will come."
"I'll finish it." With a steamed bun in his mouth, Qi Si's words came out a little muffled, making him sound all the more sincere. "It's only a little bun. How could there be any left? Sister Xu, could you save me another one to have as a midnight snack?"
Sister Xu said nothing, her refusal unmistakable.
Disappointed, Qi Si swallowed the bun in his hand, then slowly ate the crust. Finally, under Sister Xu's watchful gaze, he dropped the small piece of bun he had hidden in his pocket into the wooden bucket.
Even the slowest players realized after all that that there was something wrong with the food.
Du Xiaoyu had eaten the most at dinner. Now his already dark complexion had turned several shades paler, leaving him sallow.
As soon as Sister Xu left, he hurriedly asked, "Brother Qi, there was something wrong with dinner, wasn't there?"
Qi Si chuckled quietly. "It won't kill us. It should count as a clue."
Du Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief and pricked up his ears, waiting for more. But the young man simply pulled a handkerchief from his backpack and unhurriedly wiped the crumbs from the corner of his mouth. Then he turned it over and wiped the grease from his hands.
His heart started racing again. He waited nervously for half a minute before Qi Si finally picked up