flamboyant - Chapter 45
Author's Note: Time for the 8 PM segment! Seriously, isn't this kind of meeting a bit too lukewarm? It should be a tearful street chase, a fierce battle, a desperate, exhausting struggle... (Oops!! The author, lost in daydreams, gets kicked aside by Long San and Feng Ning; the imagined scene ends here.)
34
34. Master Long, whose head is as big as a bucket...
Long San turned to look at the sleeping Bao'er, then turned back to look at Feng Ning, and said, "It's not without its benefits that I'm here too."
What are the benefits?
Long San smiled and said, "Meals will be provided. Good meals, and plenty of food!"
It was meant as a joke, but Feng Ning felt like crying. She blinked hard, bit her lip, and tried to hold back her tears. Seeing her expression, Long San stood up, walked to her side, and pulled her into his arms. "I can be your bodyguard," he said. After a moment's thought, he added, "I can be an assassin too."
Feng Ning's tears welled up instantly; it would be a lie to say she wasn't emotional. She had thought too much these past few days. Her helplessness about the future, her anxiety about life, had all been suppressed by Bao'er. She desperately told herself that she had to give Bao'er a good life; she couldn't be afraid, because Bao'er would be afraid; she couldn't be weak, because Bao'er would be hurt. She had put a lot of pressure on herself and encouraged herself to adapt to her current life. But with him here, she felt completely lost again.
She will be as dependent as before, as selfless as before, and will have too many beautiful imaginations and wishes, but what if in the end it all comes to nothing?
Feng Ning let herself cry for a while, then only said one sentence to Long San: "Since you can't take care of my and Bao'er's meals for the rest of our lives, then please don't take care of them now either. I'm not as fragile as you think, really!"
Long San hugged her tightly: "Life is so long, isn't it a bit too early for you to draw conclusions now?"
"So how many meals are you planning to cover?" Feng Ning felt both scared and hopeful.
"You can provide meals for as many days as you want, okay?" Long San felt both nervous and expectant.
Feng Ning remained silent, and so did Long San. The two of them held each other, escaping reality and striving for happiness. Their final stalemate was broken when Bao'er woke up and needed to pee.
"Your Majesty, I need to pee."
Bao'er gave a timid command, and Feng Ning acted swiftly, rushing towards the outhouse in the yard with Bao'er in her arms as if her butt was on fire. Long San hadn't even reacted yet. Looking at his empty arms and the empty bed, he was a little stunned. Did he have to run so fast to take a child to the outhouse?
After a while, Feng Ning returned carrying Bao'er. The little girl Bao'er was clearly relieved after urinating; she yawned and shook her head, then nestled on Feng Ning's shoulder to peek at Long San.
Feng Ning put Bao'er on the bed, gave her two small toys, and said, "Bao'er, be good and play by yourself for a while. Mommy and Uncle will talk."
Bao'er looked at Long San carefully and nodded in agreement. Feng Ning kissed her and led Long San out of the house. Before she could speak, Long San blurted out, "How did you cook?"
Feng Ning pointed to the small kitchen in the yard: "Everyone shares that one."
"You'll do it?"
"I can't cook, so I always eat with Aunt Zeng and the others."
Long San frowned slightly, but quickly returned to normal.
"How do we take care of washing up?"
"There's a well behind the courtyard. We draw water from it ourselves, heat it up, and use it to wash clothes and other things in a small basin."
Long San looked around the courtyard and said softly, "Would you like to stay at an inn with me?"
Feng Ning shook her head.
"I thought we had agreed on this earlier."
"Didn't you just say meals would be provided? When did you mention accommodation?"
Long San glared at her, and Feng Ning glared back. Long San thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll provide meals. It's a deal, no backing out."
Feng Ning gritted her teeth and remained silent. He would definitely only stay for two days and then run away. She absolutely could not be soft-hearted.
"Put Bao'er in your arms, let's go eat," Long San instructed, but Feng Ning didn't move. She didn't want to go; if she backed down, she would appear weak, and she still needed to be strong to support Bao'er.
"Eight-treasure duck, four-happiness meatballs, fresh fish and radish soup, fried eggplant fritters, stuffed pumpkin, shredded pork with bamboo shoots, crab roe tofu..." Long San recited a long list of dishes that Feng Ning loved to eat. Feng Ning immediately pictured these fragrant, hot delicacies in her mind, and her mouth watered. She hadn't had a proper meal in a long time, and often hadn't even eaten her fill. When they were traveling and hiding from the Feng family, she was already doing well just to make sure Bao'er was full, sometimes even going hungry herself. Now, eating with Aunt Zeng and her daughter, she felt embarrassed to eat too much, and with limited money, she always tried to save money on food, her biggest expense. Long San's method of dealing with her was indeed too cruel.
Long San added, "I've eaten at the best restaurant in town, and the dishes are all excellent. Why don't you try them? I'll treat you to a meal, you can eat whatever you want, is that not allowed?"
Feng Ning felt her stomach churning, a sign of intense longing.
Long San pressed on: "I'll just provide meals. As for the rest, you can live however you want. I won't interfere. I'll just provide the meals, okay?"
Feng Ning was still struggling when she heard Long San say, "The chef at that restaurant used to work in a restaurant in the capital. The taste of his dishes is no worse than that of the soup chef. He also makes hand-stuffed pork buns with broth. They have thin skins and lots of filling. One bite and they're delicious and juicy. We're just going to eat. You can eat whatever you want. We'll make sure you're full and satisfied. Is that okay?"
"Okay." This time, Feng Ning agreed loudly. She clenched her fist, looking ready to go all out. Only a fool wouldn't eat when there's food to be had, a complete fool! Feng Ning decided to have a big meal first, and worry about the rest later.
So Feng Ning and Bao'er announced they were going to eat something delicious. She combed Bao'er's hair, changed her into new clothes, and dressed her up beautifully before following Long San. Bao'er had never been to a restaurant before and was a little timid about the noisy environment. She clung tightly to Feng Ning's neck, hiding her little head behind Feng Ning's shoulder, but curiously peeking around.
Long San asked for a private room, but Feng Ning's first question to the waiter was about the location of the restroom. Long San was puzzled: "What's wrong?"
Feng Ning kissed Bao'er's little face and said, "Baby can't hold it in, ask first." Long San looked at Feng Ning and then at Bao'er. Bao'er met his gaze and shyly hid in Feng Ning's arms.
Feng Ning ordered a large table of dishes without any hesitation, and Long San let her have her way without batting an eye. Feng Ning ate heartily, and Bao'er also had a better appetite than usual, eating more than half a bowl of rice and trying every dish on the table, smiling happily the whole time.
Long San barely touched his chopsticks. His mind was a jumbled mess; he hadn't figured out what to do next. The troubles of the Feng family, the troubles of the Long family, Feng Ning's illness, the mystery of the treasure hunt, Bao'er's biological father—none of it was easy. Being with Feng Ning meant being with a mountain of trouble.
But when he caught up with the Feng family's journey, only to find he was too late and Feng Ning had already disappeared, the fear in his heart was something he probably never imagined in his life. He was afraid that something might happen to her and the child, that she would go hungry and have nowhere to live, that she would be cold at night and have nowhere to stay, that she would be exhausted from taking care of the child and traveling... He was afraid that he would no longer be a part of her life.
The sheer volume of fear he felt was far more overwhelming than the pain and trouble she had caused him, so he couldn't think of anything else; all he wanted was to find her. Once he saw her, he couldn't think of anything else either; all he wanted was to stay by her side. But what happened after that?
Long San clasped his hands together on the table, intently watching the mother and daughter feasting. Their happiness brought him an unusual sense of peace. But he hadn't expected that Feng Ning, having eaten her fill and felt satisfied, would deny everything.
"I've decided, you'll only be responsible for this meal. You don't need to anymore." Feng Ning ate with great relish, her smug and arrogant demeanor returning.
Long San's heart skipped a beat, and he became a little nervous: "Didn't you eat well? Look, Bao'er likes it too."
Bao'er, feeling obligated to eat, wasn't shy about Long Sanxiao anymore. Feng Ning kissed Bao'er's head and said matter-of-factly, "If we always eat this well, what will we do when we have to live on our own? So it's better to have a treat every now and then." Her emotions calmed down after the meal, and Feng Ning was no longer as flustered and excited as she had been at their first meeting.