Chapter 93 Softened

As dusk fell, the two returned to the paper craft shop in the evening.

Xie Xun carefully took Xiao Lü out of his sports bag. The little snake was listlessly wrapped around his arm, and the tip of its emerald green tail was covered with some sea cockroach slime, indicating that it had been injured at some point.

"Does it hurt?"

Xie Xun felt heartbroken seeing this. He asked softly, not expecting a response from Xiao Lü, and quickly used a cotton swab dipped in a special medicine to gently wipe Xiao Lü's corroded scales and wounds.

Little Green spits out its tongue pitifully, rubbing its head against his hand, looking even more pathetic.

Fu Qinghuai leaned against the door for a while and then suddenly spoke up, "I have a box of dragon bone powder, it's good for wounds."

"Okay, give it to me." Xie Xun didn't even look up, and naturally stretched out his hand to him.

Fu Qinghuai was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared in his eyes.

He condensed a wisp of black energy at his fingertips, took out an ancient jade box from the void, and gently placed it in Xie Xun's palm.

Xie Xun didn't stand on ceremony at all. After opening the box, he revealed the delicate white powder inside, which emitted a faint, cool fragrance.

He carefully used a clean cotton swab to apply a small amount of the solution evenly to Little Green's wound. The corroded scales and wound began to heal at a visible speed.

The effect was immediate. Little Green twisted her body comfortably and rubbed against his fingers affectionately.

"The effect is good."

Seeing this, Xie Xun felt relieved, nodded in satisfaction, and put the jade box into his pocket, saying, "It's mine now."

Seeing that he was so informal, Fu Qinghuai raised an eyebrow and said, "This is the bone of a thousand-year-old dragon. I finally got it after a lot of trouble..."

"What's wrong?" Xie Xun looked up at him, "You can't bear to part with it?"

"Willing to give up something, willing to give up something~"

Fu Qinghuai immediately changed his tune, leaning closer and chuckling, "Aren't my things yours too?"

Xiao Lü flicked her tongue from the side. Although she still had some complaints about Fu Qinghuai, her wound had only healed because of him, so she didn't make any more threatening hissing sounds. Instead, she awkwardly buried her head in Xie Xun's arms.

Just then, Xie Xun's stomach suddenly growled, which sounded particularly clear in the quiet shop.

Fu Qinghuai let out a low chuckle, "Hungry?"

Xie Xun ignored him, letting the other person hug him from behind. He relaxed all his strength, expressionlessly took out his phone, opened the food delivery app, and planned to order the shrimp fried rice from that place that had been priced at 12.6 yuan for ten years. But when he saw the price, he frowned.

This fried rice has actually gone up to thirty-six yuan!

Undeterred, he looked at other items in the shop and found that even plain noodles cost twenty yuan.

"Are pre-made meals being ripped off these days?"

Xie Xun stared at the screen and couldn't help but complain, "Last time it was only a dozen yuan."

Fu Qinghuai was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but then an undisguised smile spread across his eyes.

Would Xunxun ever have complained about prices or other things so casually before?

They would coldly dismiss him with a "get lost, it's none of your business" or similar phrase.

His current grumbling, tinged with a bit of temper, is both casual and endearing, clearly showing that he already considers him one of his own.

This flower on a high mountain has finally allowed him to touch its branches and leaves.

"Since it's expensive, don't order it."

Fu Qinghuai leaned over to glance at the screen, a smile playing on his lips. He then took Xie Xun's phone and exited the app. "Come on, I'll go see what's in the kitchen."

Xie Xun pushed him away, turned around and went into the kitchen to rummage through the refrigerator.

The insulation layer was empty except for a package of unopened vacuum-packed bean sprouts, two tender cucumbers with flowers on top, and a small carton of eggs.

It was obviously something Jiang Le casually slipped in when he came back for a free meal last time.

He paused noticeably when he saw the bean sprouts, and his expression turned grim.

"What's wrong?" Fu Qinghuai asked gently.

"...Last time I cooked bean sprouts, I didn't control the heat well and they weren't cooked through. I had food poisoning and was bedridden for three days."

Xie Xun muttered, "The IV drip alone cost eight hundred."

He knew it was his bad luck acting up, but the feeling of vomiting and diarrhea was really unpleasant, and he didn't want to experience it again.

"It's okay, I'll cook."

Fu Qinghuai took the bag of bean sprouts, carefully checked the packaging date, and chuckled, "As long as they're thoroughly cooked, nothing will happen."

He deftly boiled a pot of water, and while waiting for it to boil, he poured the bean sprouts into the vegetable washing basket and rinsed them carefully.

Amidst the rising steam, he turned his head to look at Xie Xun, who was leaning against the doorframe. Seeing the worry on Xie Xun's face, a hint of tenderness welled up in his eyes. "Cook it for a couple more minutes later, and I'll make sure it's thoroughly cooked."

Xie Xun watched his busy figure at the stove and suddenly asked, "Did you used to cook often?"

"When leading troops into battle, you sometimes have to personally keep an eye on the cooks."

Fu Qinghuai poured the bean sprouts into the boiling water, gently separating them with long chopsticks, his voice somewhat ethereal, "Once, when heavy snow blocked the mountain pass, my soldiers and I shared a pot of bean sprout soup..."

He paused, then didn't continue.

The only sound in the kitchen was the bubbling of the cooking.

Xie Xun looked at his profile, flushed from the steam, and suddenly felt a strange warmth in the scene. But what followed was curiosity about Fu Qinghuai's true identity and his past.

"you……"

Xie Xun carefully chose his words, "During the Republic of China era, did you really lead troops?"

Fu Qinghuai paused in scooping up the bean sprouts, then poured out the hot water from the pot, reheated the pot, added oil, and poured the bean sprouts back in.

“Those memories are fragmented. If you ask me why a soul that has been dead for thousands of years still has memories of leading troops during the Republic of China, I can’t explain it.”

He continued stirring the bean sprouts, his profile softening in the steam. "I only remember that I was wearing a military uniform at the time, and the garrison was probably near the north, where it often snowed."

As he spoke, he poured a suitable amount of vinegar into the pot, which immediately made a sizzling sound. "When Xie Yingxuan woke me up, I was actually still over someone else's body, in a daze, not knowing what I really was."

"That old fox coveted my aura of a general and wanted to steal my cultivation and ghost power."

When it was almost done, Fu Qinghuai plated the stir-fried bean sprouts with vinegar and pushed it in front of Xie Xun, saying, "Try it and see how it tastes."

Xie Xun did as instructed, picked up his chopsticks, and tasted it. The bean sprouts were crisp and had just the right amount of vinegar flavor; they were indeed delicious and perfectly cooked.

"How was it?" Fu Qinghuai asked, his eyes sparkling as he awaited the evaluation.

Xie Xun picked up another piece with his chopsticks, his ears turning slightly red. "...It's alright."

Fu Qinghuai wiped the vegetable juice from the corner of his mouth with his thumb, then put it in his mouth to taste it, raising an eyebrow at him meaningfully, "Hmm, it's not bad."

Xie Xun blushed instantly and stomped on his foot, clearly enraged.

"Don't be angry, Xunxun~"

Fu Qinghuai wasn't angry when he was stepped on; instead, he put his arm around the man's waist and kissed him when he wasn't looking.

Humming a song, she turned around and took out two tender cucumbers with flowers on top and an egg from the refrigerator, and began preparing the next dish with deft movements.

His knife skills in slicing cucumbers were excellent; each slice was thin and even, which captivated Xie Xun.

With the pan hot and the oil cold, Fu Qinghuai tossed in ginger slices, then added cucumber slices. "Did Jiang Lehui also slip a packet of noodles into the cupboard?"

Xie Xun frowned upon hearing this, "That tastes awful."

He recalled his painful experience of cooking noodles.

He found that noodles were either overcooked or undercooked, and would clump together after a while, which gave him a deep prejudice against them.

Fu Qinghuai wanted to laugh when he heard this; how could she be so adorable?

He didn't say anything more. When the cucumber was almost cooked, he cracked the eggs, and the egg liquid sizzled in the hot oil. The fragrant cucumber and egg stir-fry was born.

Then, he retrieved the unopened package of noodles from deep within the cupboard.

Boiling water, cooking noodles, rinsing with cold water... a series of actions performed smoothly and effortlessly.

When he placed the noodles topped with cucumber and scrambled eggs in front of Xie Xun, the noodles were distinct and coated with a rich sauce.

Xie Xun took a bite with some skepticism, his eyes widening slightly.

The noodles were smooth and chewy, with the fresh aroma of cucumber and egg blending perfectly, a completely different taste from the sticky, mushy one he remembered.

"How come you can even cook this?"

"What I learned before."

Fu Qinghuai rested his chin on his hand and looked at him, "They rely on this to fill their stomachs in winter over there."

Xie Xun lowered his head and ate his noodles silently, feeling a corner of his heart quietly softening.

"Tomorrow..." Xie Xun said softly, "Let's go buy some more noodles."

Fu Qinghuai's eyes lit up, and he leaned closer to ask, "Is it delicious?"

"good."

Xie Xun's ears turned slightly red, and he awkwardly looked away, muttering, "Better than takeout."