Chapter 7

The old man was gone, but life had to go on. Gradually, Huiyue and Qin Yue's life returned to its original track.

Life was still somewhat hard. Although Grandpa and Grandma Chu had left Huiyue some money, after freezing a portion of it for emergencies, the money was only enough for the two siblings to get through high school, even with their frugal living and careful budgeting. The government's meager allowance was just enough to cover two meals a day for the two siblings, with two dishes and a soup, and meat every three days.

Aunt Zhao said that Grandpa Chu had paid her for 20 years of work and insisted on continuing to take care of the two siblings. Huiyue thought this was a lie, but under Aunt Zhao's insistence, things remained as they were. Of course, the two children were very sensible and always kept the house clean. The most important thing for Aunt Zhao after she came was to chat with the two little ones rather than clean the house. Fortunately, Grandpa Chu loved tea, and the tea at home was temporarily sufficient, so there was no need to worry about dry mouth. (The water in Shangjing was quite alkaline, and drinking it without tea could easily lead to kidney stones.)

The two siblings' life continued as usual, but some things were different.

First, most of the classmates had learned that the two siblings had become orphans. They didn't know that the two siblings had been orphans all along. The kind-hearted classmates even formed a group to console them, and the warm words like "We will be your family from now on" made little Qin Yue cry. But these words were mostly just talk, and the two siblings didn't feel right asking their classmates to help them with anything.

Second, the teachers learned about their situation because the principal had personally visited their home. When Qin Yue opened the door and saw a middle-aged man standing there, she was really surprised to find out it was the principal. But the principal didn't say much and left after a short while, telling them to come to him if they needed help and not to be shy. Later, Huiyue found out that the principal was a student of Grandpa Chu's student, making them of the same generation. Because the relationship was a bit distant, the principal didn't attend the funeral. He came to visit to show his respect, but since he couldn't really connect with the two children, he had to retreat.

Third, and most seriously, no one was cooking for them anymore.

======================= Cooking Line =======================

On the fifth day after Grandpa and Grandma left, the two siblings carried a basket of ingredients from the vegetable store at the entrance of the neighborhood.

After returning home, the two siblings placed the basket neatly on the table in the living room and stared at each other.

"Brother, what do we do next?"

"Don't ask me, I don't know either."

"Neither of us knows... What should we do?"

"......"

It's worth noting that in the orphanage, there was always a chef, even in the very poor Bright Orphanage. Later, at home, it was always Grandma Chu who cooked, so the two little protagonists had never touched the stove and didn't even know how to fry an egg. Buying so many ingredients was a bit overestimating their abilities.

Since neither of them could cook, they had to seek help from outside. Huiyue called Aunt Zhao to help them through the noon, and she even made dinner for them. But Huiyue understood that Aunt Zhao had her own family and couldn't take care of them every day.

In other words, learning to cook had become the most important life goal for the two siblings after their studies.

The next day, Qin Yue dragged her brother into the nearby Xinhua Bookstore. As they walked, Huiyue told Qin Yue a funny story about how he had been driven out of the Xinhua Bookstore by a staff member for having dirty hands. Qin Yue hugged her brother's arm and laughed all the way to the cooking book section.

"Wow, 'Chinese and Western Fusion Cuisine' for 90, 'Comprehensive Cooking Seasoning Formulas' for 160, 'Family Banquet Bible' for 61. Are they robbing us?" Qin Yue looked at the books on the shelf with wide, innocent eyes.

Huiyue was helpless. "╮(╯▽╰)╭ The economy is bad, after all, they're selling knowledge, not paper." He pulled his sister further in, hoping to find some cheaper books.

Soon, Huiyue had a few books in his hand. "Hmm... 'Learn to Cook Coarse Grains' for 3, 'Learn to Cook Breakfast' for 3, 'Learn to Cook Night Snacks' for 3, 'Learn to Cook Stews' for 3, 'Learn to Cook Stir-fries' for 3. Great... (囧). Qin Yue, let's go home, this is too dangerous."

"Agreed." Then the two siblings, holding the five thin cookbooks, fled the bookstore.

======================= Escape Line ========================

After returning home, Qin Yue pushed her brother into the living room and, with the fearless attitude of a soldier going to war, took the 'Learn to Cook Stir-fries' book and walked into the kitchen.

"Brother, cooking is a woman's job, boys stay out," Qin Yue said in a girlish tone.

The anxious brother paced nervously in the living room, determined to rush into the kitchen at the first sign of trouble. Then, in this anxious wait, he caught a whiff of cucumber.

Surprised, the brother turned around and stared as his sister carefully carried a plate out, wobbling slightly. The plate was full of cucumber and egg stir-fry, with green cucumber slices and golden eggs looking much prettier than Qin Yue's sooty face.

Qin Yue was unhappy. The bad brother just stood there watching without offering any help. The little girl pouted and sat on a stool, saying nothing.

Huiyue tilted his head and looked at his sister. His sister turned her head away like a little swan, ignoring her stinky brother. Feeling embarrassed, Huiyue stuck out his tongue, picked up a piece of cucumber, closed his eyes, and put it in his mouth with the determination of a martyr.

Hmm, how to describe it? It was like the explosive feeling in a Chinese cooking show, and this piece of cucumber was unexpectedly delicious. The cucumber, which should have been tasteless, made Huiyue feel sweet from his mouth to his heart.

Qin Yue, no longer angry, anxiously watched her brother's face, fearing that he might be poisoned by the cucumber and add to the family's financial troubles.

"Phew, sister," Huiyue opened his eyes, gently hugged his sister, and wiped the soot off her face. "Thank you for cooking so carefully for your brother."

"(*^_^*)" Qin Yue squinted and snuggled into her brother's arms, forgetting her earlier dissatisfaction. Then she picked up the book and ran into the kitchen to make the second dish.

Relieved, Huiyue looked at the plate of cucumber and egg stir-fry. After a lot of hesitation, he finally picked up a piece of egg and put it in his mouth. This time it was neither particularly good nor poisonous. Confused by the stark contrast, he picked up another piece of cucumber and took a bite, and it tasted completely different from before.

Why is this... Huiyue was completely baffled.

Just as he was staring at the plate, a sizzling sound came from the kitchen, followed by Qin Yue's scream.

"Oh no!" Huiyue dropped the half-eaten cucumber and rushed into the kitchen, where he saw his sister squatting by the stove, holding her hand. The stove was on high, and hot oil was splattering inside.

Huiyue quickly turned off the stove and squatted down to check on his sister.

"Brother, my hand hurts." Her sister, tears in her eyes, clutched her right hand, and through the gap in her left hand, he could see that her fingertips were already red, showing how hard she had been holding her hand.

Huiyue, heartbroken, took his sister's right hand and gently rubbed it. "Little fool, trying to cook such a difficult dish for the first time, this is what happens."

Qin Yue pouted, looking委屈 (wronged) and muttered, "But... but that's what brother likes."

Huiyue paused, then kissed his sister's already red hand and sucked on it.

"O(∩_∩)O" Qin Yue's face instantly brightened. The sister, with a smile in her eyes, closed her eyes and quietly enjoyed her brother's affection.

At that moment, time seemed to stand still.

Then...

"Ah! The eggplant is still in the pot! Stupid brother, you distracted me and I forgot all about it."

......

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