"Alright, alright, stop crying. If others see this, they'll think I didn't pay for your ticket."

"Want some roasted corn? I can roast some for you. I'm really good at it," Chen Feng boasted.

"There's no corn here, how are you going to grill it?"

Xia Yingying, holding a crumpled piece of paper in her hand, asked, her mood improved considerably after he had stirred things up.

"Just tell me if you want to eat it or not," Chen Feng said, keeping everyone in suspense.

"Eat, why not eat?" Xia Yingying sniffed, but this time she wasn't being arrogant.

"Wait here, I'll get it for you." Chen Feng grinned, went out, got into the car, and drove off with Lin Nian.

Xia Yingying stood in the room watching Chen Feng's departing figure, her eyes glistening with tears, lost in thought.

"Brother, where are we going?" Lin Nian looked confused.

It was almost break time, so why did he suddenly leave? Did that woman kick him out?

"Let's get some firewood and roast some corn." Chen Feng drove the car to a distance away. He remembered there were some dead trees there, and he should be able to build a fire in half an hour.

"Why did you suddenly think of roasted corn? Were you not full earlier?" Lin Nian asked, puzzled.

"Don't ask about adult matters, kids." Chen Feng quickly drove the car to a dead tree, got out, and handed Lin Nian an axe.

"Chop." Chen Feng also started breaking off tree branches, and Lin Nian swung his axe, soon scattering a lot of wood on the ground.

Chen Feng gathered the branches and logs together and put them in the car, only realizing it now.

"Brother, are you going to roast corn for that mine owner?" Lin Nian asked, catching his breath.

"Could this be the legendary social etiquette and worldly wisdom?"

Chen Feng, holding firewood in his hands, turned around and looked at Lin Nian with a puzzled expression, wondering where he had learned all this.

"Hehe, I learned all of this from Brother Zheng and the others, especially Dafei, who taught me a lot." Lin Nian saw Chen Feng's particularly smug look and scratched his head with a silly smile.

Chen Feng was amused by this, but didn't explain much. He was still young, and it wouldn't make sense to him anyway.

Soon they had gathered enough firewood for roasting corn, and the two returned to the villa. It was almost dark, and Xia Yingying was watching them from the doorway.

"Can you start a fire in your yard?" Chen Feng asked as he opened the door.

"Just don't burn my villa down," Xia Yingying said softly.

"Don't worry, it won't light." Chen Feng and Lin Nian picked up some stones, made a circle, put the firewood in the middle, and lit it with alcohol paste.

A bonfire quickly rose in the courtyard, and Xia Yingying stared at the beautiful flames, momentarily mesmerized.

Chen Feng took out five ears of corn with their husks still on from his backpack. He and Lin Nian had brought these to roast and eat when they had nothing to do.

Xia Yingying walked out of the villa, expecting the evening to be cold, but with the bonfire around, she only felt a wave of heat on her face, and her whole body felt warm.

"We'll have to wait a while. If we throw the corn in now, it'll burn. We can only grill it after it comes out of the charcoal fire," Chen Feng said, looking up at her, thinking she was in a hurry.

"Hmm, no rush."

Xia Yingying reached her hand closer to the fire, and waves of heat washed over her as the firewood crackled. She couldn't help but smile.

She had never played with fire like this before, and found it incredibly novel.

Chen Feng didn't care whether the ground was cold or not, and sat down on the ground with Lin Nian. Seeing this, Xia Yingying turned around and went back to the villa to get three small stools and two bottles of drinks.

"Yes, these are for you." Xia Yingying handed them to Chen Feng.

"Thank you." Chen Feng took it, disassembled the stool, and handed one of the drinks to Lin Nian.

The three sat under the starry sky, warming themselves by the fire, enjoying a rare moment of tranquility. The evening breeze blew, ruffling Xia Yingying's hair, which she then tied into a high ponytail with a hair tie on her wrist.

"It looks pretty good." Chen Feng threw the corn into the charcoal fire and looked at her as he said this.

"Where did the corn come from? Are there any places to buy it nearby?" Xia Yingying asked.

"A rogue doesn't ask about age, and corn doesn't ask where it came from. Just eat it." Chen Feng grinned.

Hearing this, Xia Yingying laughed. So, this is another case of stealing from someone else's house.

The two chatted idly, while Lin Nian drank his soda. He actually felt that he shouldn't be here, but rather under the car.

I feel somewhat superfluous.

"Okay." Chen Feng used a stick to pull the corn out, wrapped it in corn husks, and handed it to Xia Yingying.

Xia Yingying took it, and it was so hot that she quickly blew on it, almost unable to hold it steady.

She rummaged through the fragrant roasted corn, trying to pluck a kernel, but found herself at a loss for where to begin.

"Let me break it for you." Chen Feng took the corn from her, broke it in half, and handed it back to her. He then blew on his blackened hands, which were a little hot.

"Thank you." Xia Yingying took the fragrant corn, broke off a few kernels with her hands, and popped them into her mouth.

The corn is roasted to a golden brown, with a slightly burnt crust. The aroma bursts out when you bite into it, and it's also incredibly chewy.

"Is it good?" Chen Feng asked, breaking off a piece of rice for himself.

"tasty."

Xia Yingying nodded, holding the ear of corn. She felt that this roasted corn was more delicious than any delicacy.

So this is what roasted corn looks like when it's not burnt. So this is the corn that someone specially roasted for me. So this is how delicious it is.

Xia Yingying ate quickly, holding two empty corn cobs in her hand and looking at Chen Feng with lingering interest. Chen Feng understood and, without saying a word, simply broke off another ear for her.

"Here, take this half. I probably can't finish it." Xia Yingying handed the other half to Chen Feng.

"OK."

The two of them shared an ear of corn, while Lin Nian took one and munched on it.

And so, the corn was quickly eaten, and Xia Yingying's clean little hands were covered in black grime.

"What will happen to this pile of charcoal? Will it be blown to another place?" Xia Yingying asked, looking at the glowing embers.

"No, go wash your hands, we'll take care of it." Chen Feng threw the corn leaves and ears onto the hot coals, planning to throw them all outside the gate tomorrow.

"Mm." Xia Yingying stood up and went inside to wash her hands. Lin Nian let out a burp and lit a cigarette.

"Brother, this villa is so nice. Is yours the same as this one?" Lin Nian asked, looking at the villa with envy.

"It's neither this big nor this luxurious. Too much luxury would make it feel impersonal."

Chen Feng had no intention of decorating the villa like a show flat, as that would only create a sense of unfamiliarity.

"Do you want to wash your hands? Or can you just come inside and wash them?" Xia Yingying asked when she saw their equally black hands.

"No need, we can just get a basin and fill it with water." Chen Feng lit a cigarette, preparing to wash later.

"Thanks."

Xia Yingying stood at the door and whispered to Chen Feng, who was smoking.

Chen Feng turned around and saw Xia Yingying, whose expression was no longer cold, with a relieved smile on her lips.