"For lunch, I'm making Oil-Braised Prawns and ribs. Don't you want to try them?" Su Tingbai said. He cooked according to his mood, and his menus were always random.
Thinking of the prawns Xing Ying had mailed him that morning, he settled on the day's dishes.
Oil-Braised Prawns? Ribs?
Shen Rui'an had eaten plenty of prawns and ribs, but they were usually boiled or stewed clear. He was sick of them. He could consider it if they were cooked differently—better yet if they were spicy!
Shen Rui'an immediately nodded and ordered his food outright. "How will you make the ribs? Can you make salt-and-pepper ribs? I want something spicy!"
He wiped his mouth clean, but since he had just eaten spicy Snail Rice Noodles, his lips were extremely red. They were not swollen, though, and looked much better than yesterday.
Su Tingbai came to a conclusion. "Sure. You can tell me what you want to eat. If I have the ingredients, I'll make it while I'm at it. Go walk around the courtyard and digest your food now. I'm afraid you'll eat too much and end up bloated with a stomachache."
As soon as Shen Rui'an arrived, everyone in the Shen Household added Su Tingbai on WeChat. They repeatedly reminded him of Shen Rui'an's dietary restrictions. Afraid something might happen, Su Tingbai even had them add the WeChat account of the doctor who had always been responsible for Shen Rui'an's health. Only after consulting the doctor did he dare act freely.
That was also why he found the Shen Household a little speechless. He knew they were extremely worried about Shen Rui'an's health, but they were worrying too much. They did not even dare let him eat a little of what he wanted. No wonder Shen Xiaoyao had been so greedy after coming here.
He had even wondered whether the Shen Household had mistreated him. He had also wondered whether his cooking skills had improved again—otherwise, why would Shen Rui'an eat so enthusiastically?
In the end, it was because this young master Shen Xiaoyao usually ate far too "healthy," which was why he liked food heavy in oil and salt so much.
Well, as long as it was in moderation, he could have it!
Without the Shen Household restricting what he ate, Shen Rui'an ate happily, and his appetite improved considerably. When faced with the Shen Household's daily check-ins, Su Tingbai simply took a photo and sent it to the group the Shen Household had created.
Su Tingbai: [Photo] What he left over.
He also sent a photo of the food before Shen Rui'an had touched it. It was both abundant and plentiful.
Everyone in the Shen Household feared their little treasure would not be able to eat, but when they saw the nearly empty bowls, they fell silent for once.
At home, although they did not let Shen Rui'an eat junk food, they occasionally let him have a taste. Yet he never ate much, or he ate and then threw up. Seeing the message Su Tingbai had sent, they recalled what that master had said.
"Could it really be just as the master said?" the Shen Household muttered. Then they decided to observe for a while longer. If Shen Rui'an truly gained weight, they would be relieved.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, they did not dare disturb Su Tingbai any further and returned to silence.
Su Tingbai was rather satisfied with this. At first, he had truly feared the Shen Household would have no sense of boundaries and bombard him with messages. Things were fine now. They had been a little naggy when he first arrived, but they were no longer so talkative. They still had a decent sense of boundaries.
After putting away the dishes and chopsticks, Su Tingbai grabbed some equipment, changed into a set of gear, and went out. It had rained in the mountains these past few days, so there were probably mushrooms or wild vegetables by now. He planned to pick some and bring them back to try some mountain delicacies.
Seeing Shen Rui'an in the courtyard, he waved. "Shen Rui'an."
Shen Rui'an turned his head and saw Su Tingbai in a blue hiking outfit. His long, straight legs were clad in loose athletic pants, and a bag hung crossbody over his shoulder. The otherwise loose hiking clothes looked especially well-fitted on him, making him look like a runway model about to walk a show.
"What are you doing?" Shen Rui'an walked over, with Baisui running behind him.
Su Tingbai estimated that they would not have to go far into the mountains. There were plenty of wild vegetables and mushrooms at the foot of the small hill next door. He figured Shen Rui'an would be bored staying here alone, so he might as well take him into the mountains for some fun.
"Do you want to come pick wild vegetables with me?" Considering Shen Rui'an's delicate health, Su Tingbai added, "It's not far. We'll be there after walking a few steps."
Shen Rui'an looked in the direction he pointed, a huge question filling his mind. This was not far?
It was probably five or six kilometers away!
"No, it's too far." Shen Rui'an refused. He felt his body could not withstand such torment. He got out of breath just walking Baisui normally—did they expect him to quietly walk five or six kilometers?
What a joke!
Su Tingbai had not expected Shen Rui'an to be so delicate... He could not even walk ten kilometers?
That was not even as far as his usual running workouts.
But considering Shen Rui'an's health, he fell silent. Then, catching sight of his electric scooter from the corner of his eye, he got an idea.
He had bought the scooter as transportation for his team members. They usually used it to go to the neighboring village. It had plenty of power and could easily carry someone to go climbing.
"How about I give you a ride? The scenery over there is nice, and there's a huge lake. You can go take a look," Su Tingbai coaxed. After eating his fill, Shen Rui'an kept lying around until he was practically listless. It would be better for him to get moving.
Shen Rui'an hesitated. Since he was new here and Su Tingbai had taken good care of him, he considered it for a moment before nodding. "All right, but I don't have hiking clothes..."
"That's easy. I have plenty. I'll find some for you." Su Tingbai did not know why he was so excited. He went inside and found an outfit. "I just bought this one. It's been washed, but I haven't had the chance to wear it yet. Want to try it? It might be a little big, though."
Shen Rui'an accepted the hiking outfit, which was almost identical to the one Su Tingbai was wearing. He glanced at Su Tingbai. Aside from being red, it was exactly the same.
"All right. Wait a moment." He took the clothes to change, along with a pair of shoes. His family had prepared the shoes, mainly because this place was mountainous and they were more comfortable to wear.
However, the Shen Household had not considered that Shen Rui'an might go mountain climbing. After all, taking a walk outside at home was already Shen Rui'an's greatest amount of exercise. Climbing mountains was simply unimaginable for him. The Shen Household also thought it was impossible, so they had only prepared ordinary clothes.
Shen Rui'an had not expected that he would go mountain climbing, pick mushrooms, and dig wild vegetables in his lifetime...
After changing, he came out wearing clothes that were a little loose on him. Still, he was fairly tall at 182 centimeters, with long legs. The hiking outfit made him look even more slender. He looked better in it than the clothing brand's models, and anyone who saw him would probably want the same outfit, enough to send sales soaring.
The moment Shen Rui'an came out changed, Su Tingbai's pupils contracted before he quickly recovered.
Shen Rui'an looked even smaller in his clothes.
Su Tingbai was 195 centimeters tall and weighed over ninety kilograms. He usually did muscle training, so he was quite large, though not overly bulky. Even so, his clothes were still extra-large.
He knew Shen Rui'an was thin. At 182 centimeters tall, he weighed only fifty kilograms. Wasn't that basically a bamboo pole?
Wearing his clothes now made him look even more delicate.
"You still need to eat more. You're too thin," Su Tingbai muttered. He drifted the scooter to a stop beside Shen Rui'an, lifted his chin, and said, "Get on, young master."
Shen Rui'an looked at the electric scooter Su Tingbai was using like a motorcycle. "..."
What was he trying to look cool for?!
Thinking of the back muscles he had seen last night, Shen Rui'an secretly gritted his teeth. Damn it, he would definitely have them too someday!
Before you continue