TDU Chapter 529
Chapter 529 Bitterness of Life
Has the sky… always held this appearance?
Qi Xia slowly furrowed his brow.
Isn’t this just a normal sky?
Yet why did it feel so… strange?
“Xia!” Yu Nian’An’s voice called from the kitchen. “How about bitter melon and eggs stir-fried with ham?”
“Bitter melon… eggs… stir-fried with ham?” Qi Xia stepped out of the room, each movement deliberate, inching closer to the kitchen, moisture welled at the corner of his eyes.
Standing just outside the kitchen, he gazed at her busy form, a smile of deep, bittersweet pain tugging at his lips.
“An…”
“Ah?” Yu Nian’An spun around, startled. “What are you doing? Why are you silently standing behind me—”
The next instant, Qi Xia stepped forward and pulled her into his arms with fierce intensity.
“Ah!” Yu Nian’An was momentarily unsure how to react. She wanted to reciprocate Qi Xia’s hug, but her hands were soaked from washing vegetables.
“My hands are dirty…” she murmured. “Xia, did you have a nightmare?”
“I don’t remember…” Qi Xia choked out, voice trembling. “But everything’s fine now. I feel…I feel at ease…”
“Ah! I just remembered!” Yu Nian’An began apologetically. “Xia, I forgot you said you didn’t like bitter melon or ham… I won’t make it for you. But please don’t cry.”
“No, this is perfect,” Qi Xia said, holding her tightly. “I’m really so afraid… afraid that you’ll step into the kitchen and cook the dishes I’ve imagined… afraid that you’ll carry out every movement I adore…”
Yu Nian’An clearly didn’t understand. She patted him gently. “There, there, Xia… why do you keep acting like a child? I just have a poor memory. The only vegetables left at home were bitter melon… I just wanted to make do for a meal.”
Qi Xia was silent for a long while, finally releasing her, the rim of his eyes reddened to the extreme.
“Xia?” Yu Nian’An tried again softly. “So… can we just have scrambled eggs today?”
“Anything’s fine…” Qi Xia’s voice trembled. “Even if I had to eat bitter melon every single day from now on, I would swallow it without hesitation.”
“You’re acting so strange!” Yu Nian’An laughed. “If you like it, you like it; if you don’t, you don’t. Why force yourself?”
“I…” Qi Xia was about to reply when his gaze caught the walls nearby, riddled with cracks.
Countless fragments of memory flashed through his mind, leaving him disoriented.
When had his home…acquired so many cracks?
Wait… had his house always been this dilapidated?
“I…” Qi Xia tried several times to speak, wanting to share with Yu Nian’an that something felt odd, but he couldn’t pinpoint it.
His mind felt as though shrouded in countless dark clouds; no matter what he tried to think about, everything seemed to dissolve into a dense fog.
“There, there,” Yu Nian’An said softly. “Go sit outside for a moment. I’ll be with you in a bit.”
Qi Xia nodded like a puppet and stepped out of the room, settling at the single dining table.
The air carried a strange odor, like something in the house had died and been left to rot.
“I suppose this room could use some tidying…” Qi Xia murmured, running a hand across the table only to find a thick layer of dust covering it.
The walls were cracked, the table and window panes coated in grime. He realized just how lazy he had been, neglecting even the most basic cleaning.
In a short while, the kitchen fell silent as the stove clicked off and the extractor fan ceased. Yu Nian’An appeared, holding a plate of piping-hot scrambled eggs.
“Xia! Time to treat your taste buds!” she said with a mischievous grin. “I accidentally dropped the salt shaker into the pan while cooking hehehe…”
Seeing the plate placed before him, Qi Xia felt a flicker of incredulity.
There was something in seeing Yu Nian’An now… that differed from before.
She handed him a pair of brittle, almost decayed chopsticks.
Qi Xia took them, picked up a piece of scrambled egg, and brought it to his mouth.
It was very salty.
Yet he still savored it carefully before swallowing.
Life is never found in excessive sweetness; it lies in those difficult, bittersweet moments, carrying feelings one cannot easily part with.
“An… aren’t you eating?”
“I’m trying to lose weight,” Yu Nian’An replied with a smile. “Besides, these eggs aren’t great hehe…I doubt I can get it down.”
Qi Xia nodded, lifted the plate, and began shoveling the food into his mouth in big bites.
Too much salt had gone into the scrambled eggs, some still clumped together. The taste was sharply bitter, crunching with every swallow. It was hardly a proper dish, yet it felt correct.
She couldn’t make the flavor that existed in his imagination. Only this imperfection was right.
Since when had Yu Nian’An’s cooking ever been as good as he remembered it?
As Qi Xia downed the plate of unbearably salty eggs, tears filled his eyes. This was the taste of the life he had imagined.
No matter how bitter the things he swallowed, Yu Nian’An was always there beside him.
Though their time together lacked comfort and wealth, it was at least filled with joy.
Even if they were consuming nothing but sand, they could still smile as if perfectly satisfied.
But why…why was such a life always an unattainable luxury?
The moment that thought surfaced, Qi Xia froze slightly, then turned his head to look at Yu Nian’An.
Wait. Yu Nian’An was right here beside him. How could such a life be a luxury?
Qi Xia set down the plate and chopsticks, wiped his mouth with his hand, and kept his gaze fixed on Yu Nian’An, never once looking away.
“Uh…” Yu Nian’An gave a small laugh. “Xia, is it really that bad? This is the first time I’ve ever seen you cry from eating something I made… I promise, from now on I definitely won’t—”
“An.” Qi Xia cut her off. “Are you happy?”
“Me?” Yu Nian’An paused for a moment. “Why wouldn’t I be happy?”
“Do you want to be with me forever?”
“Of course!” Yu Nian’An happily replied. “Haven’t we already planned our future? Later on, you’ll go find a more respectable job. You’re so smart, there’s no way you’ll have trouble! Every day I’ll polish your shoes, straighten your tie, and then cook dinner and wait for you to come home!”
“Is that so…” Qi Xia’s voice choked once more.
“Even though we don’t have anything right now, we can slowly add things bit by bit! The first month we’ll buy a microwave, so my Xia won’t always have to eat cold food anymore. The second month we’ll get a roomba, so I can slack off, hehe! The third month we’ll upgrade to a big refrigerator…”
As Yu Nian’An spoke, a bright, happy smile spread across her face. “Xia, in the future our warm little home will be filled with all kinds of furniture. When I have time, I’ll buy some decorations and arrange the place nicely. You’re not allowed to complain that I’m spending money recklessly…”
“But what if I wake up…?” In that instant, Qi Xia’s tears spilled out uncontrollably.
“What?”
“An, what if I wake up?” Qi Xia clutched his hair in anguish. “Will you still be standing here, waiting for me…?”
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
