Six, for five pecks of rice, bend one's back

  Six, for five pecks of rice, bend one's back

  The road was covered with snow, and Chu Xueran drove slowly for fear of accidents.

  When Chu Xueran arrived home, it was already 12:30. Having only had a cup of milk for breakfast, Chu Xueran's stomach was growling with hunger.

  Chu Xueran was still thinking, wondering if Yan Jing would also starve to death soon. A 17-year-old kid who was still at the age of relying on others for food and clothing, probably didn't even know how to make breakfast.

  However, Chu Xueran guessed wrong.

  As soon as he opened the door, Chu Xueran caught a whiff of the mixed aroma of various dishes that made his mouth water.

  A very familiar taste, for a moment, Chu Xueran thought it was Yan Se who had returned. However, the one standing in front of Chu Xueran, wearing an apron, was actually Yan Jing, whom Chu Xueran had just brought back home last night.

  "Uncle, you're back?" Yan Jing rushed out of the kitchen upon hearing the sound of the door opening. Seeing that it was Chu Xueran who had entered, he then ran back into the kitchen, "Just wait a bit longer, dinner will be ready soon."

  Taking off the thick outerwear and changing into slippers, Chu Xueran walked into the dining room and saw that two bowls of rice and three dishes had already been laid out on the table.

  Everyone knows that a good dish, apart from its excellent taste, must also have an appearance that attracts others to try it, as well as aroma.

  To be honest, the three dishes on the table had already made Chu Xueyan want to pounce on them and devour them in terms of their color and fragrance.

  "Uncle, you're actually sneaking a snack!" Yan Jing walked out of the kitchen with a plate of dishes, put down the plate, and slapped Che Xueran's hand that hadn't had time to withdraw. "Go wash your hands. I'll bring out the soup, then we can start dinner."

  "Got it." Chu Xueran put the dish he had "stolen" into his mouth earlier, and indeed, it was very delicious. However, on the surface, Chu Xueran said, "It's barely edible, I guess it won't poison me to death."

  Yan Jing disdainfully rolled her eyes at Chu Xueyan, "If Uncle were poisoned to death, it would only be because of himself. Don't you even think about it? You've been outside for several hours and didn't even wash your hands when you came back. Do you know how many kinds of bacteria are on your hands? Each kind of bacteria can cause gastrointestinal diseases..."

  Chu Xueran thought that Yan Jing, wearing a cute apron and saying those words again, was just like a housekeeper. But there's no need to doubt it, Yan Jing must be the most beautiful housekeeper in this world.

  Yan Jing's nagging sounded like heavenly music to Chu Xueran. Heaven knows how long it had been since Chu Xueran last heard the sound of another person's voice in his own home.

  "Hey, uncle, are you even listening to me?" Yan Jing found that Chu Xueran was spacing out and hadn't heard a word he said. Yan Jing hated being ignored like this, so the toxic tongue factor in his body started acting up again. "When I'm treating you like a human being, could you please try to act like one?"

  "Got it, and the true shape is revealed." Chu Xueyan rolled up her sleeves, ready to wash her hands. "I was just about to praise you a couple of sentences, fortunately I didn't say anything, otherwise I would really owe myself an apology for this mouth."

  "Really?" Yan Jing hooked his arm around Zhu Xueran's, not letting him leave. "Uncle, hurry up and say it, how are you going to praise me? Is it that the meal I made is very delicious?"

  Chu Xueran looked at Yan Jing's expectant gaze, and suddenly had the urge to tease him. So, Chu Xueran said very seriously, "Yes, it's delicious."

  Just as Yan Jing was feeling happy, Chu Xueyan's words took a turn and she said with a teasing tone, "As the epitome of failure in cooking, you are really too successful."

  Yan Jing's smile was awkwardly frozen on his face, and then he slowly squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth, "If it doesn't taste good, then don't eat it."

  Yan Jing let go of Chu Xueran's arm and pinched him hard on the arm. Although he was wearing thick winter clothes, Chu Xueran still winced in pain and almost cried out.

  A few minutes later, Chu Xueran washed his hands and came out of the bathroom, sitting directly at the dinner table to start eating with chopsticks.

  Chu Xueran picked up a piece of eggplant and put it in her own bowl, but Yan Jing snatched it away from her, "This is mine."

  Chu Xueran added another piece of fish, and Yan Jing directly knocked it back onto the plate with his chopsticks. "This is mine too."

  Chu Xueran, unwilling to give up, tried several more times, but each time the dish she clamped was knocked away by Yan Jing's quick reflexes.

  Chu Xueran, who was already starving to death, is now suffering from the torture of seeing delicious food but not being able to eat it, and his inner pain can be imagined.

  A man of spirit will not stoop to flatter a tyrant for five pecks of grain.

  However, Yan Jing wasn't a powerful force either. Plus, Chu Xueyan was already starving, so she might as well compromise. After all, people outside couldn't see her anyway.

  Chu Xueran put down his chopsticks, stood up, bowed at a 45-degree angle to Yan Jing and said, "Please grant me some food, sir."

  Yan Jing's heart was blooming with joy, but on the surface, he still had a tight face, looking like he was still angry. "Uncle, you can't be a person like this, only knowing how to come and fawn on me when you're hungry, do you think I'm a breeder?"

  Chu Xueyan curled up the corner of his mouth and said, "Don't tell me you want me to learn how to bark like a dog?"

  Yan Jing shook his head, "No need, let's eat, the dishes will get cold soon."

  This is Chu Xueran's home, and Yan Jing still has some self-awareness. He himself can't even count as a scallion here. Since Chu Xueran has already given them both an opportunity to save face, why should Yan Jing be so petty?

  Chu Xiran felt a strange sense of alienation in Yanjing's tone, which made him feel very uncomfortable. But what made Chu Xiran even more uncomfortable was that he had already realized that Yanjing, whom he had only met last night, now had a great influence on his emotions. This feeling made Chu Xiran feel guilty, as if he was betraying the deceased Yanse.

  "When are you planning to leave?" Chu Xueran asked Yan Jing directly, not wanting to give herself any room for retreat.

  Yan Jing raised an eyebrow, without any extra expression, as if everything was within his expectation. "When does Uncle want me to leave?"

  Looking at Yan Jing's frank and open expression, Chu Xueran suddenly felt guilty, "The sooner the better. I've gotten used to living alone, and having someone else in the house makes me very uncomfortable."

  "Alright, no need to explain." Yan Jing took out his phone and checked the date. "A week later, I'll have some income and can rent a place outside. When that time comes, I'll move out. Please, uncle, just bear with me for another week. For this one week, except for at night when I need a place to rest, I guarantee that I absolutely won't disturb your daily life."

  Chu Xueran felt that he had been a bit too much, yesterday night was his own initiative to decide to take in Yan Jing, now he wants to drive him away, emotionally and rationally, it seemed that he was the one who was wrong.

  Moreover, since Yan Se's death, Chu Xueyan had been lonely for a long time, and having someone to accompany her felt good. As soon as she said the words to drive away Yan Jing, Chu Xueyan regretted it.

  But once spoken, it's like spilled water, and no matter how much you regret it, you can't take it back.