Honey-Sweet Suffering

When they entered the courtyard, most of the noise from outside fell away.

Lu Yan carried a heavy plastic bag, and the occasional flapping of the blackfish inside sounded especially clear in the quiet courtyard.

He glanced back at Aemeath. She was carefully cradling the bouquets, sunlight filtering through the branches of the persimmon tree and falling on her.

The sight was so beautiful that he was momentarily lost in it.

"A-Yan, go get to work," Aemeath said, walking over to him and carefully smoothing out the wrinkles in his clothes from carrying the heavy bags.

"I heard your computer make a sound upstairs just now. That Venus probably sent you a message."

Lu Yan paused. "How did you know?"

He hadn't even taken out his phone, and the computer on the second floor was so far away that he hadn't heard a thing.

Aemeath tilted her head playfully. "Maybe our hearts are in tune? I can always sense things about you right away, A-Yan."

Lu Yan assumed that Aemeath simply had good hearing as a Resonator and thought no more of it.

He nodded, carried the ingredients into the kitchen and put them away, then hurried upstairs.

The studio on the second floor was large, even a little empty.

Lu Yan sat down in the ergonomic chair and turned on the computer.

Sure enough, when he opened the program, a little cat avatar popped up. It was his client Venus's profile picture.

Venus: [Teacher Lu, how are you settling into your new environment? Here's the urgent order. I need an illustration themed around "possession and sacrifice." As for the background reference... use your current studio as the model.]

Lu Yan's heart skipped a beat.

"Use the studio as the model?" he murmured, frowning slightly.

The coincidence sent an inexplicable chill through him.

Although Venus had rented him the house and its courtyard at an extremely low price, ostensibly to ensure a good creative environment for a core artist, she seemed to know a little too much about the place.

But looking at the peaceful street outside the window and thinking of Aemeath busy downstairs, Lu Yan shook his head at himself. In this city, having a haven to shelter from the elements, and being able to bring the girl he loved along, was a miracle in itself.

He set out his drawing tablet and took up the pressure-sensitive pen.

In the past, he would have spent at least a whole day struggling to find inspiration for such an abstract theme.

But now, his mind was filled with the sight of Aemeath staking her claim at the farmers' market, and of her being served by him on the bathroom sink that morning.

The pen flew across the screen. He drew for two hours straight.

Before noon, Lu Yan had put on the finishing touches.

He looked at the beautiful white-haired, red-eyed girl on the screen and let out a long breath.

It was the fastest he had ever drawn an illustration in his career.

He saved the original file and sent it to Venus, then hurried downstairs without even waiting for her reply.

An indescribable smell was already drifting through the air.

The kitchen...

Aemeath was wearing an apron, her low pink ponytail tied up into a neat high one.

Her expression was as grave as if she were dealing with a matter of enormous importance.

On the marble countertop, the newly purchased Complete Guide to Home Cooking lay open to the page for blackfish and tofu soup.

Aemeath looked at the water boiling in the pot, then at the somewhat mangled pieces of blackfish beside it, her brows knitted tightly.

"...I need to fry the fish?" She held out a pale hand, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Sizzle. The pieces of blackfish slid into the hot oil, and the splattering droplets made Aemeath recoil instinctively.

"The ribs need... the sauce reduced." Aemeath turned to look at the clay pot beside her, where the braised ribs were giving off a burnt smell.

She had been so focused on frying the blackfish that she had forgotten the sugar in the ribs would quickly carbonize over high heat.

Aemeath snatched up a spatula in a bit of a panic, trying to save the ribs that had nearly turned to black charcoal.

Just then, Lu Yan came into the kitchen.

"Aemeath, I've finished drawing."

As soon as Lu Yan entered, the thick smoke made him cough several times.

His heart ached at the sight of Aemeath, drenched in sweat with a little flour on her face.

"Let me do it. You can stop now." Lu Yan hurried over, reaching for the spatula in her hand.

"No!" Aemeath stubbornly turned sideways, blocking the stove with her body, a look of unprecedented seriousness in her eyes.

"This is the first meal I've made with my own hands since you brought me home, A-Yan."

"The lady said that if we want to look like a married couple, we have to start with a table full of good food."

"You've been working hard, A-Yan. I should be the one doing this."

Aemeath pointed at the dining table. "Go sit down, A-Yan. Even if it isn't perfect, this is my 'love,' and you have to accept all of it."

Lu Yan looked at her earnest expression and swallowed.

He didn't insist. Instead, he obediently went over to the dining table and sat down.

He watched Aemeath's back as she busied herself at the stove, thinking that no matter how badly she cooked, he would drink it without hesitation. Because her determination was the most precious love in the world.

Half an hour later, two dishes and a soup were brought to the table.

Their appearance... was indeed hard to describe.

The blackfish and tofu soup was not the textbook milky white, but a strange grayish white. The pieces of fish had fallen apart somewhat, and a few slices of ginger floated on top, all alone.

The braised ribs were so dark they were almost black as ink, giving off a strong smell of caramel—or rather, charcoal.

Aemeath took off her apron and sat opposite Lu Yan, resting her chin in her hands as she watched him expectantly.

"A-Yan, have a taste?" There was a barely perceptible note of nervousness in her voice.

Lu Yan picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of rib.

The moment it entered his mouth, a bitter taste swept over his taste buds.

The meat had been overcooked until it was as dry as kindling. Every chew tested the strength of his jaw.

But he didn't frown. Instead, he chewed carefully and swallowed.

"The flavor... has a lot of layers," Lu Yan commented sincerely.

"The ribs have a strong, fragrant char. The flavor really lingers."

Then he picked up the bowl of fish soup and took a large gulp.

That mouthful nearly sent him straight to heaven.

Aemeath had evidently mixed up the proportions, or perhaps she thought adding more salt would give it more flavor.

The mingled saltiness and bitterness went down his throat like a small knife scraping against it.

Lu Yan's expression stiffened for a moment, then returned to normal.

"The soup is delicious." He put down the bowl and smiled at Aemeath.

"A-Yan, you're lying."

Aemeath suddenly stood up, walked over to him, and bent down close to his face. "Your pupils contracted just now. That's a physiological rejection. I know it tastes awful."

She reached out to take the bowl from Lu Yan's hands. "You don't have to eat it. We can go out to eat, or order takeout."

"It's my first time cooking. It was harder than I imagined."

But Lu Yan held the bowl down firmly.

His gaze grew incomparably resolute, with a tenderness that even shocked Aemeath.

"Aemeath, this is the first meal you've made for me."

Looking into her eyes, Lu Yan said, "There's a lot of delicious food in this world. When I used to live in a rented room, I ate boxed meals and fast food. No matter how good they tasted, they were only there to fill my stomach."

"But this meal is different." Lu Yan picked up another rib, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it.

"You prepared the fish yourself and washed the vegetables yourself. To me, this isn't just carbohydrates and protein. This is the taste of home you've given me."

He looked at the fish soup, so salty it was bitter, and said softly, "No matter how bad it tastes, I can swallow it. Because I know this is your first attempt to take care of me."

"So don't take it away. I'll finish every bit."

A-Yan... you're really too easy to control. When the thought surfaced in Aemeath's mind, she felt no triumph, only sadness.

She was so sad that she had to fold her hands in her lap and quietly tighten her fingers just to remain sitting there in silence.

As long as I show even a little effort, you'll give everything in return. Aemeath watched him put that spoonful of cloudy fish soup into his mouth.

His throat moved as he swallowed. He didn't frown, didn't pause, and didn't even take a sip of water.

Her fingertips dug into her palms. A personality like that will really let me devour you completely.

She didn't stop him. She simply watched in silence as he ate every piece of rib and drank every drop of soup.

Lu Yan put down his chopsticks and looked up at her.

"I finished." His tone was casual, as though he had done something perfectly natural.

Aemeath looked quietly at the empty bowl.

A little cloudy broth still clung to the bottom.

The rib bones were stacked neatly at the corner of the table, every one of them gnawed clean, with not a scrap of meat left.

Aemeath suddenly wondered what it had tasted like to him.

The terribly salty fish soup, the overfried ribs, the unevenly mixed grains of salt dissolving on his tongue.

All those flavors together, and he had swallowed them one mouthful at a time, then looked up and told her he had finished.

Aemeath's eyes suddenly grew moist.

She didn't cry. The sheen of water in her eyes simply grew fuller, until it was almost overflowing. Then she blinked hard, forcing it back.

"Mm." Her voice was very soft. So soft that even she wasn't sure she had made a sound.

Then she stood up and began clearing the dishes.

She moved very slowly, so slowly that before lifting each plate, her fingers paused on its edge.

She stacked the empty bowls. The chopsticks went across their rims. She placed the soup spoon in a bowl, making a very faint, crisp clink.

She carried the dishes and chopsticks to the sink.

As she passed Lu Yan, her steps slowed for half a beat, as though she wanted to say something.

Her lips moved, but no sound came out.

The faucet turned on.

Water struck the side of the bowl, sending up tiny splashes.

She kept her head lowered, her bangs covering half her face.

Lu Yan could only see her back.

He saw her standing at the sink, holding the empty bowl and rinsing it under the running water for a long time.

The bowl had long since been washed clean.

Aemeath was still rinsing it.