Just in Time Chapter 21
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 21: Cooking
“Can’t you be a bit more serious?” Yi Chenliang hopped off the bed, patted his clothes, and left without looking back, “Hurry to the supermarket!”
Yun Fang picked up the large black umbrella hanging on the wall, “Wait for me!”
Because of Yun Fang’s fuss, both of them came out without their coats. The thin short sleeves couldn’t withstand the onslaught of the wind and rain. Yun Fang’s nose itched, and he sneezed.
Yi Chenliang subtly moved the umbrella towards him.
The road under their feet was not smooth, and the edge of the umbrella would occasionally knock against the wall next to them. The alley was particularly dark, and walking inside had a somewhat eerie feeling.
After leaving the alley and turning left for about five or six hundred meters, there was a rare large supermarket on Dongyang Street. Although it was called large, it only had a bit more variety than a convenience store.
“Why don’t we buy the groceries and then go home?” A question rose from Yi Chenliang’s heart.
“What if it rains heavily?” Yun Fang pulled him onto the sidewalk, “We can’t go back to get the umbrella.”
The supermarket owner was a woman in her forties, sitting behind the cash register eating sunflower seeds. Seeing them coming, she just smiled politely, “You’re here, what would you like to buy?”
Yi Chenliang put the umbrella at the door, and Yun Fang had already walked in, picked up a basket, and started choosing.
Yi Chenliang watched in horror as he picked up a large iron pot and put it in the basket, and quickly walked over, “Wait a minute!”
Yun Fang looked up at him in confusion, “What’s wrong?”
“Why are you buying a pot?” Yi Chenliang pointed at the large iron pot and asked.
“How can we eat without a pot?” Yun Fang looked innocent, “I see your house has a gas stove.”
“…..” Yi Chenliang was choked.
The house he rented did indeed have a stove, and the landlord had even filled up the gas before leaving. But he usually ate at the school cafeteria and had never cooked.
Although Yun Fang’s cooking skills were not refined, he had twenty more years of life experience than him. He picked up things like pots, bowls, spoons, chopsticks, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, kitchen knives, cutting boards, and even asked the boss for a pillow and two quilts.
Yi Chenliang numbly picked out the vegetables he planned to eat for dinner, and Yun Fang had already put the selected towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and cups on the front desk, “Boss, give me a big bag.”
The boss, who was originally indifferent, became enthusiastic at this moment, “Okay, auntie will find you a sturdy one.”
Yun Fang finally brought a bag of rice over, and Yi Chenliang felt a pain in his eyes. He took a deep breath, “Is there anything else to buy?”
Yun Fang patted his hands, “Almost, let’s talk about it when I think about it.”
Yi Chenliang ignored him, “Boss, check out.”
The boss pressed the computer quickly, and finally smiled, “The total is 348.9, I’ll round it off for you, just give 340.”
Yi Chenliang took out money from his pocket, but Yun Fang held his hand. The boss smiled and gave Yun Fang sixty yuan, “Your brother has already paid, I’ll give you sixty, take it.”
Yi Chenliang frowned, “I’ll give you the money.”
Yun Fang stuffed the sixty into his pocket, “Let’s take the things back first.”
Yi Chenliang glared at him unhappily. The two of them carried big and small bags out of the supermarket. Yi Chenliang was still struggling with the big black umbrella.
The wind was getting stronger at this time, and the cold rain kept pouring into their necks. The two of them almost flew back to the small courtyard with their things. In this way, the two of them moved back and forth twice before they moved the things from the supermarket back to the house.
Yun Fang wiped the water off his face and couldn’t help but sneeze loudly.
Yi Chenliang threw him a towel and pulled a washed sweater from the bed and threw it to him, “Hurry up and change, don’t catch a cold again.”
Yun Fang was wiping his hair with one hand and holding the sweater with the other. The orange light hit him, washing away the coldness on his body. He looked very happy, “Are you so concerned about me?”
Yi Chenliang had already taken off his soaked short sleeves. When he heard the words, he turned his head and glared at him. His voice was full of disgust, “Delicate.”
Yun Fang had never heard anyone describe him as delicate in all these years of struggle, especially a kid. He found it novel and funny. He calmly changed into the gray sweater, sat on the bed, continued to dry his hair, and watched Yi Chenliang bustling about.
Yi Chenliang changed into a black vest for summer wear. His figure was slightly thin, but his muscles were lean and strong, which would not make people doubt his explosive power. However, his black hair was still wet and sticking to his forehead, making him look inexplicably pitiful. The two temperaments of threat and harmlessness were mixed together, becoming the unique greenness of a teenager.
Quite pleasing to the eye. Yun Fang thought silently.
But he was a little confused, was I so… so…when I was young… He pondered for a long time, but couldn’t find a fitting adjective, so he had to give up.
Most of the things Yun Fang bought were for cooking. Yi Chenliang put them one by one in the simple kitchen in the corner of the hall, and then returned to the bedroom to take out the two quilts from the plastic bag.
He was originally thinking of buying another quilt in two days when it got cold, but Yun Fang directly bought back two quilts and a pillow.
He didn’t relax until he had almost finished tidying up and sat on the bed. He saw Yun Fang leaning against the head of the bed and staring at him. The gaze was almost substantial, making his muscles tense subconsciously, “What are you looking at me like this for?”
Yun Fang tilted his head, “How am I looking at you?”
Yi Chenliang pointed at him without being too polite, “If someone on the street looks at me like this, nine out of ten times they are provoking me.”
–Brother Yi is tough and doesn’t talk much, he can’t stand others provoking him the most.–
Yun Fang lazily laughed, “Perhaps, it might also be flirting with you.”
Most of the time, Yi Chenliang preferred to take action rather than argue with people. However, Yun Fang always liked to provoke him. He couldn’t win in arguments, and he couldn't fight back, which made him feel frustrated every time.
“What should we eat tonight?” Yi Chenliang decisively changed the topic.
“Let’s have noodles.” Yun Fang really thought about it for a while, “Can you do it?”
“…I’ll try.” Yi Chenliang took the bag of seasonings and went to the kitchen.
Yun Fang took out his phone and looked at it for a while, thought about it, and still felt uneasy. He got up from the bed and strolled to the front of the stove.
Yi Chenliang opened the noodles and threw a handful into the iron pot. The corner of Yun Fang’s eye twitched, “Hey, wait a minute!”
Yi Chenliang looked at him in confusion.
“Did you wash the pot?” Yun Fang asked.
Yi Chenliang stared at the pot for three seconds, reached out and took out the scattered noodles.
This was the first time Yun Fang saw someone cooking noodles by putting the noodles in before the water. He pulled the person behind him, resignedly rolled up his sleeves, “I’ll do it, you just watch.”
His cooking skills were indeed not good, but at least when he lived alone, he could fill his stomach. Yun Fang skillfully poured water, added detergent, scrubbed the pot, opened the liquefied gas on the stove, poured some oil into the pot, tore the green onions into pieces and threw them into the pot to explode, then took the thermos and poured half a pot of water into it.
Sizzle!
The aroma of the oil flowers instantly filled the entire hall. Yi Chenliang hadn’t smelled this scent for a long time and couldn’t help but swallow.
Yun Fang put the noodles in, and the noodles instantly softened. He stirred with a spoon, and all the noodles went into the pot.
“Go get the vegetables and sausages we bought.” Yun Fang jerked his chin at Yi Chenliang.
Yi Chenliang took the bought bok choy and sausages, one person washed the vegetables and one person cut the sausages. Yun Fang estimated that the time was almost up, so he threw all the bok choy and sausages into the pot.
In the misty fog, Yun Fang’s side face was a bit unclear. Yi Chenliang turned his head to look at him, but was caught by Yun Fang.
“Don’t always sneak a peek at me.” Yun Fang flicked his face with his hand, maliciously splashing all the undried water on his face.
Yi Chenliang wiped his face with a frown, reached out and pulled him, “Don’t get so close to the fire, aren’t you afraid of getting burned?”
Yun Fang picked up a noodle with chopsticks and tasted it. He couldn’t figure out whether it was cooked or not, so he scooped out another one and handed it to Yi Chenliang’s mouth. Yi Chenliang subconsciously opened his mouth and bit it.
“Hiss——blow it before you taste it, don’t you think it’s hot?” Yun Fang subconsciously retracted the chopsticks, but the chopsticks were bitten by Yi Chenliang and didn’t come back.
Seeing him staring at himself, like a hungry little wolf cub, Yun Fang helplessly let him bite the chopsticks, “Is it cooked?”
Yi Chenliang came back to his senses, let go of the chopsticks, and hummed with his eyes down.
Yun Fang was busy turning off the fire, and without looking back, he ordered him, “Wash two bowls to serve the noodles.”
Yi Chenliang stared at his back for a while, bent down to get a bowl to wash, and touched his stomach a bit strangely.
Just now, his heart was beating so fast that it was a bit scary. Was it low blood sugar from hunger?
The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier. Yun Fang and Yi Chenliang sat on small stools, each holding a bowl of steaming noodles, eating under the dim light, without even a proper table to place their bowls.
“Did your mother teach you how to cook?” Yi Chenliang took a sip of noodles and asked in the rising heat.
Yun Fang mumbled an unclear answer. “Sort of.”
“It’s delicious.” Yi Chenliang sincerely praised him, then thought for a moment and said, “When I was young, I wanted to help my foster mother cook, as a result, disbelievingly poured too much oil, so she beat me and wouldn’t let me into the kitchen.”
Yun Fang lowered his head and took a sip of soup, “Did it hurt?”
“I don’t remember, it probably didn’t hurt.” Yi Chenliang smiled at him, “I actually really want to learn how to cook.”
“I’ll teach you in the future.” Yun Fang ate a piece of sausage, “I don’t hit people.”
Yi Chenliang asked him a bit tentatively and curiously, “Did your mother hit you when she taught you how to cook?”
Yun Fang felt that this piece of sausage was a bit bitter, probably a substandard product. He dodged Yi Chenliang’s curious gaze a bit uncomfortably and coughed lightly, “She would hit me occasionally.”
“Oh.” Yi Chenliang nodded calmly and continued to eat his noodles.
After the two finished eating, Yi Chenliang took the initiative to do the dishes. By the time they finished cleaning up, it was almost eight o’clock. Yi Chenliang’s room could be described as bare, without even a TV. Having just finished their exams, the two didn’t want to do any more problems, and it was still raining heavily outside. In the end, they could only lie on the bed and chat idly.
“Do you plan to study arts or sciences?” Yun Fang asked, leaning against the head of the bed.
“I don’t know.” Yi Chenliang didn’t have much of a plan for this, “What about you?”
“Sciences.” Yun Fang’s feet were on the cool mat, feeling a bit cold, “You’re better at science than arts.”
“Then I’ll also study sciences.” Yi Chenliang lay on his back on the bed and stretched, “Maybe when we’re divided into classes in the second year of high school, we can continue to be desk mates.”
“Hmm.” Yun Fang smiled, “I also want to continue being desk mates with you.”
Yi Chenliang looked up and could just see Yun Fang’s side face. He found that Yun Fang liked to smile. Those slightly cold eyes were filled with a faint smile. When he wasn’t looking at people, he gave off a casual and distant feeling. But when he smiled at you, it made people feel very close.
Yi Chenliang felt that he might be a bit hypoglycemic again.
“Yun Fang.” Yi Chenliang called out to him.
Yun Fang looked down at him, the smile in his eyes not yet faded, “Hmm?”
“What kind of person do you like?” Yi Chenliang, resting on his arm, stared at the moth around the light bulb.
Yun Fang slapped him on the forehead, “At such a young age, you’re not learning well, what are you thinking about all day?”
“I call this concern between good friends.” Yi Chenliang removed his hand and teased, “If you’re embarrassed to say it, forget it.”
“Tsk.” Yun Fang squinted and thought for a while, “I like those with a thin waist, long legs, and a large chest.”
Yi Chenliang thought about the image of a boy who fits this description and couldn’t help but shiver. He rubbed his arms hard and exclaimed, “Your taste is quite unique.”
Yun Fang looked at him maliciously, “What kind do you like?”
“Gentle and virtuous.” Yi Chenliang crossed his legs, “And obedient.”
Yun Fang mercilessly mocked him in his heart: Still gentle and virtuous and obedient, you won’t find a wife in twenty years, you’ll be a single dog until you die.
After half a second, he suddenly realized that this was his experience in his previous life. The fate of Yi Chenliang in this life had completely deviated from the established trajectory, maybe he could really find a good wife.
“Lucky, you little brat.” Yun Fang hummed softly.
Yi Chenliang was yawning and didn’t hear what he said clearly. He accidentally bumped into his ankle and felt a bit cold, so he asked him, “Do you think the mat is cold? Should we spread the bed sheet?”
Yun Fang was too lazy to move, he lay down and pulled the quilt over to press under his body, “It’s too much trouble, just sleep like this.”
Yi Chenliang also pulled over the quilt to cover, and couldn’t help but yawn again.
Yun Fang reached out and flicked his forehead, “Sleep if you’re sleepy.”
“Hmm.” Yi Chenliang closed his eyes a bit sleepily, and mumbled, “Aren’t you sleepy?”
“I’ll sleep later.” Yun Fang said softly.
Yi Chenliang was very sleepy, but he wanted to chat with Yun Fang for a while. He struggled to open his eyes and looked at him, “When I was in the orphanage…I had a good friend.”
“Hmm.”
“She was a very cute little girl, she had a dimple, her eyes were very big, twinkling, as if there were stars inside.” Yi Chenliang said to him in a daze, “I called her Little Star.”
“Hmm.”
“She called me brother, we played together every day.”
“Hmm.”
“Later, her parents came and hugged her and cried a lot. They were Little Star’s biological parents, they had been looking for her everywhere for a long time.” Yi Chenliang opened his eyes hard and looked at him again, making sure he was still here, then closed his eyes. “At first, I was very happy that Little Star found her parents…but then I was a bit unhappy, do you know why?”
Yun Fang asked, “Why?”
“Because my parents never found me.” Yi Chenliang said, “I felt a bit bad, I thought it would be nice if my parents came to find me.”
“You’re not bad.”
“Yun Fang, what does it feel like to have biological parents?” Yi Chenliang’s voice got lower and lower, as if he couldn’t resist the sleepiness, even the end of his voice was tired.
Yun Fang turned to his side, propped his head on an arm, and quietly looked at him. After a long time, he raised his hand and gently rubbed Yi Chenliang’s hair.
“I don’t know either.”