VFGRC Chapter 37

TL: Moonlit

At dinner time, the three of them sat around a small coffee table.

Recently, Yu Bai had purchased several pieces of furniture for their home – he could have bought a dining table so they wouldn’t have to squeeze around the coffee table while eating. However, Xing Xing expressed his wish to sit by the coffee table for meals.

This small family consisted of only Yu Bai and Xing Xing. Yu Bai loved the little one dearly, and he usually went along with Xing Xing’s wishes.

So, Yu Bai made a quick decision, giving up on buying a dining table and instead buying other essential furniture.

Compared to a spacious dining table, the small coffee table didn’t provide the same level of comfort when seated around it.

But…

Underneath the coffee table, Xing Xing extended his soft, little feet clad in white socks and willingly placed them against Yu Bai’s feet.

In Xing Xing’s memory, before Yu Bai sold their dining table, he used to sit all alone on a tall and wide chair, with his little feet dangling in the air. Back then, due to the height difference, Xing Xing didn’t dare to jump down from the chair. He would actively run to Yu Bai’s side and lean against him, just to be close to him.

Only when they sat around the coffee table, he could be exceptionally close to Dad while having their meal!

The coffee table was wonderful! He loved it so much!

With a smile on his face, Xing Xing playfully rubbed his little feet against Yu Bai’s feet a few times, expecting Yu Bai to notice. However, he realized that Dad didn’t seem to notice at all… What was going on? Didn’t Dad feel his little feet against his own?

At this moment, Ji Rongyu, who was sitting beside them, suddenly spoke up, “What’s touching my foot? It’s a bit itchy…”

As Ji Rongyu reached under the coffee table, Xing Xing’s little foot quickly retracted with a “swoosh.”

Xing Xing’s fair and pretty little face showed anger, and his delicate eyebrows twisted into small curls.

He was annoyed! The person he had just been affectionate and coquettish with wasn’t Dad, but that bad uncle!

Does the bad uncle have an athlete’s foot? Will he make Xing Xing’s feet dirty?!

Xing Xing’s little hands lovingly caressed his own feet. He felt like his feet became unclean after touching that bad uncle.

Yu Bai said, “Xing Xing, after touching your feet, you need to go to the nearby restroom and wash your hands before you can eat.”

Xing Xing pouted, “I know!”

He stood up and, while Yu Bai wasn’t paying attention, his two round black eyes glared fiercely at Ji Rongyu. Ji Rongyu seemed oblivious to Xing Xing’s little gesture, as his attention was focused on the delicious dishes on the coffee table.

Feeling completely ignored, Xing Xing clenched his little chubby fist in anger. His round eyes narrowed into semi-circles as he “shot cold arrows” at Ji Rongyu.

Hmph! Let’s see how the bad uncle handles this!

While Xing Xing went to wash his hands, Ji Rongyu felt like Xing Xing’s two bright and round eyes were like two small searchlights, staring at him without blinking, wondering what the little head was thinking.

But Ji Rongyu didn’t dwell on it too much. He could guess that Xing Xing’s little head was probably filled with some “bad” thoughts about him.

This seemingly pure and soft little one had a lot of mischief in him.

But well… When the soldiers come, the water comes, and the soil covers¹I’m not sure what this refers to, but if it’s a metaphor, it could mean that when war or conflict occurs (when the soldiers come), it brings immense force and destruction (the water comes), and it leaves a trail of casualties and devastation (the soil covers)..

Xing Xing was just a young child who hadn’t fully grown yet, and Ji Rongyu didn’t pay much attention.

He didn’t think he would lose to a young child.

However, this time, Ji Rongyu underestimated Xing Xing.

—

According to Xing Xing’s “long-term” careful observation, he felt that Ji Rongyu’s main purpose for coming to the house wasn’t to take care of Xing Xing or collect that meager salary… It was for the dinner that Yu Bai cooked every night!

Let’s not talk about others’ opinions. Although Xing Xing was just a toddler who had just turned three, had never been to kindergarten, and hadn’t seen much of the world, from the moment he had memory, Xing Xing always believed that the meals cooked by Dad at home were always tastier than anything outside.

Especially after Yu Bai’s car accident, his culinary skills had improved drastically.

Xing Xing couldn’t figure out why Yu Bai’s cooking skills had dramatically improved overnight.

But Xing Xing was just a young child after all, and there were many things that troubled him, but he wouldn’t dwell on them too much. He would just push them to the back of his mind.

In any case, according to Xing Xing’s standards, the food cooked by Yu Bai was always tastier than the dishes from any restaurant, even prepared by professional chefs.

Next, Xing Xing also remembered that when he accompanied Yu Bai to set up a stall for the first time and sold grilled cold noodles, they encountered more than one customer who went to great lengths to get Yu Bai’s delicious dish.

Some customers would create sob stories about their tragic backgrounds in front of Yu Bai, claiming that they wouldn’t survive without a bite of his grilled cold noodles. Others would cry, throw tantrums, or even threaten to commit suicide in front of Yu Bai. There was even someone who paid five hundred yuan to the person in front of him who had bought the grilled cold noodles just to get a taste…

Dad’s snacks were delicious, and his meals and dishes were even more delicious!

However, when the bad uncle took care of him at home, he seemed less energetic compared to meal times…

The bad uncle must have been after Dad’s cooking!

Xing Xing suddenly had an epiphany.

The bad uncle must want to eat Dad’s food, so he came here… But the bad uncle lied to Dad, saying he came here because he was worried about him.

Xing Xing saw how earlier, when Ji Rongyu deceived Dad downstairs, Dad’s face was filled with apologies and gratitude towards Ji Rongyu…

Xing Xing secretly ground his teeth.

Was the bad uncle’s heart made of a sieve? He had so many ulterior motives!

He needed to come up with a plan to expose the bad uncle’s true colors in front of Dad and not let Dad be easily deceived by him!

“Xing Xing, is today’s meal not to your liking? Why haven’t you eaten anything?” Yu Bai noticed that Xing Xing’s little hands were holding the rice bowl, but he kept hesitating to put the rice into his mouth, and Yu Bai’s brows furrowed for a moment.

Hearing Yu Bai’s voice, Xing Xing immediately stopped playing with the food.

Oh no! He was too absorbed in thinking about the bad uncle that he forgot to eat the dishes!

Xing Xing looked at the dining table.

Today, because he and Xing Xing set up a stall outside, and the time spent at the stall was a bit longer than usual, when Yu Bai came back home in the evening, he only cooked one dish and made a bowl of soup.

The dish Yu Bai made was a time-saving and delicious Northeastern-style stew, which included spare ribs, pork belly, corn, potatoes, eggplants, green beans, and other common Northeastern vegetables and pork. They were all stewed together until tender and flavorful before being served.

Regardless of the ingredients used in the stew, the final taste was a simple and savory one.

The charm of the Northeastern-style stew didn’t lie in its flavors being rich or impressive, but rather in the tenderness and melt-in-your-mouth texture of the ingredients after being stewed…

Yu Bai chose potatoes, eggplants, and green beans from the Northeast, and he added spare ribs into the mix.

When the dish was ready, the stewed potatoes were soaked in the broth, and the soft and sticky eggplants intertwined with the other vegetables. The green beans, after prolonged stewing, had their beans fall out of their pods.

As the only meat dish in the stew, the spare ribs emitted a tempting aroma, adding charm to the entire dish.

While little Xing Xing’s head was still tangled up in thoughts, Ji Rongyu couldn’t wait any longer and reached out his chopsticks, picking up a piece of oil-braised beans.

The savory aroma of the meat penetrated the broth, which had a salty yet fresh taste, coating the beans with a tempting sheen.

Yu Bai had carefully prepared each oil-braised bean, removing the tough fibers, leaving only the soft and chewy texture in the mouth.

Ji Rongyu bit into the outer layer of the bean, which had a slight toughness, and the tender, sticky, and grainy inner part blended with the flavorful broth, providing a unique taste experience.

The soft oil-braised beans, the meltingly tender potatoes, the succulent eggplants… Yu Bai turned all of them into flavors reminiscent of meat dishes.

As for the pork ribs, they were already stewed to the point of melting in the mouth, a perfect state of culinary achievement.

The reason why Northeast Mixed Stew became such a common dish in ordinary households was its simple preparation. However, achieving perfection with a dish that every household can cook is no easy feat.

Yu Bai accomplished it with ease.

He didn’t deliberately pursue innovative flavors or special ingredients. Having thoroughly grasped the essence of “home-cooked” from his previous life, Yu Bai understood that a perfect home-cooked dish should make diners feel the warmth and comfort of home with each mouthful, achieving a harmonious balance of taste and texture—a culinary experience that feels like a perfect circle.

However, when Yu Bai made this Northeast Mixed Stew, his understanding of “home” differed slightly from his previous life.

In this world, there were no perpetually harmonious families. Even a perfect home would inevitably have petty conflicts, but they were quickly resolved through mutual understanding among family members.

When stewing the dish, Yu Bai added a little bit of chili. This tiny touch of spiciness was like a small conflict within a family, which, after a brief excitement, was soon embraced by the richness of the broth itself.

The large bowl of Northeast Mixed Stew was still emitting steam on the surface.

Ji Rongyu took several bites of the dish, and his nose started to glisten with fine sweat, not sure if it was due to the spiciness or the heat.

It was another home-cooked dish that Yu Bai made, which pleasantly surprised him.

Ji Rongyu squinted his slender eyes, his gaze falling upon Yu Bai.

Yu Bai was squatting down, using his short arms and legs to serve the little Xing Xing food.

Under the bright light in the living room, Yu Bai’s smile on his cheeks was pure and beautiful.

Ji Rongyu noticed the deep affection in Yu Bai’s eyes for the little one in their home.

He pursed his lips and withdrew his gaze.

Just how many “hidden talents” did Yu Bai possess? How long would he have to stay in Yu Bai’s home before he could taste all the delicious dishes Yu Bai cooked?

Could it be… he would never be able to leave J City in his entire life?

A subtle smirk formed on Ji Rongyu’s lips as he silently laughed to himself.

He quickly denied it in his heart.

Stay in J City forever? Of course, that was impossible.

Ji Rongyu clenched his chopsticks and reached toward the pot of Northeast Mixed Stew.

Just as Ji Rongyu’s chopsticks were about to pick up a piece of pork rib, the little one’s voice suddenly rang out.

“Daddy, I want that piece of meat!”

Xing Xing pointed in the direction where Ji Rongyu’s chopsticks were heading.

Yu Bai paused, looking at Ji Rongyu, “Well, why don’t you take it then?”

Ji Rongyu smiled gently, “I won’t eat this piece. You take it.”

If he followed Yu Bai’s suggestion and picked up that piece of rib, wouldn’t it ruin the image he had been deliberately presenting to Yu Bai, the gentle and obedient one?!

It was just a piece of rib! There were plenty of ribs left in the pot, and he didn’t need this specific one.

As Ji Rongyu thought this, he reached for another rib.

Xing Xing said, “Daddy, I want that rib too!”

Ji Rongyu’s smile froze, and the veins on his forehead seemed to throb faintly.

Was this little one challenging him? He wanted the same rib as Ji Rongyu?

Yu Bai said, “Ji Rongyu, maybe you should…”

“No,” Ji Rongyu’s smile became even warmer, “You take it. There are still many ribs in the pot.”

As Ji Rongyu finished speaking, the little one beside him spoke up.

Xing Xing held the small bowl of white rice in his soft little paws.

With his sweet and gentle voice, he almost drove Ji Rongyu crazy with his words.

Xing Xing said, “Daddy, everything I want to eat is the meat that Uncle Rongyu wants to eat. Uncle Rongyu won’t be angry, right?”

It was a tea party of words, full of tea-flavored speech.

Xing Xing blinked his watery eyes, “But I didn’t mean to. I’ve wanted to eat those two pieces of meat for a long time… just now, Uncle Rongyu was eating the meat, and my small chopsticks couldn’t reach the pot. I could only smell the aroma and eat the white rice. As I watched Uncle Rongyu eating the meat, I drooled…”

Xing Xing’s pitiful appearance was beyond words. If the elderly in the neighborhood saw Xing Xing in this state, they would want to embrace him and shower him with affectionate words like “precious darling.”

He yielded the meat and was still stabbed in the back by the little one. Ji Rongyu: … Cunning little one! Where did you learn this trick from?

Xing Xing’s tea performance wasn’t over yet.

Seeing the smile on Ji Rongyu’s face completely disappear, he pretended to be frightened, shrinking his plump little body backward. His soft, bunned little face was filled with fear.

Xing Xing lowered his head, and his sweet voice trembled, “It’s all my fault. I always want Uncle Rongyu’s meat. Uncle Rongyu, if you want those two pieces of meat… then, I’ll give them to you! Please don’t be angry, okay?”

Ji Rongyu naturally didn’t miss the moment when Xing Xing lowered his head. In his round and rolling ink-black eyes, a flicker of sly and mischievous light flashed by.

The little brat wanted to provoke him.

But he wasn’t going to let the little brat have his way.

Ji Rongyu smiled, “Just two pieces of meat? I won’t get angry over that.”

His voice slowed down, “Xing Xing, you pick the meat and vegetables you want to eat first. After you’re done picking, I’ll pick mine.”

Xing Xing’s round eyes narrowed into half-moons, quickly transforming into two crescent moons.

“Alright!” Xing Xing praised unprecedentedly, “Uncle Rongyu is such a generous person, he won’t get angry just because he can’t eat meat.”

Unusual behavior always has a reason.

For a moment, Ji Rongyu suddenly couldn’t see through what the little brat was planning.

However… Ji Rongyu wasn’t worried that Xing Xing would pick all the ribs from the pot.

As a young child, even if he could eat a lot, he couldn’t finish a whole pot of ribs. Ji Rongyu thought that there would be some ribs left after Xing Xing finished picking.

Besides, Yu Bai hadn’t eaten much yet. Since the little brat liked Yu Bai so much, he wouldn’t pick all the ribs, leaving none for Yu Bai to eat.

Ji Rongyu’s smile faded.

As a smart person, he had already figured out Xing Xing’s plan when the little brat was “picking” the ribs.

In a high-end restaurant, the dishes not only tasted delicious but were also beautifully presented. Even the chosen ingredients were the best parts.

But this was Yu Bai’s home, not a high-end restaurant. So when Yu Bai dealt with the ribs, he also left some harder-to-chew rib bones and put them in the pot for stewing.

Xing Xing had picked almost all the ribs that were easy to chew. In the bowl, there were only three or four ribs that were easy to chew, while the rest were all difficult-to-chew rib bones.

Now that Ji Rongyu had just been interested in Yu Bai’s Northeast Mixed Stew, how could he stop himself from reaching for the ribs?

But how could the remaining three or four easily chewed rib bones be enough for him and Yu Bai to eat?!

After Yu Bai had served Xing Xing the meat and vegetables, he then picked up Xing Xing’s bowl filled with rice and poured some stew broth over the rice.

Yu Bai said, “Mixing the broth with the rice makes it taste even better.”

“Mhm, mhm, mhm!”

Xing Xing’s little hand scooped up a bowl of mixed rice and stuffed it into his mouth.

His eyes sparkled like the twinkling stars in the dark night, shining brilliantly.

The delicious meat broth soaked into the sweet and tender rice… the rice became fragrant!

“So delicious! Dad, you’re amazing!”

Xing Xing swallowed a mouthful of rice and extended his right hand, giving Yu Bai a thumbs-up.

Xing Xing obediently stuffed the meat and vegetables into his mouth. If Xing Xing choked on the food, he would take a sip of egg drop soup with shredded pork and tofu to moisten his tender throat.

The young child ate seriously, and his face was filled with satisfaction.

Yu Bai habitually touched his son’s little head and pinched his tender cheeks. After Xing Xing had enough tofu, Yu Bai began to eat.

Before starting his meal, Yu Bai lightly poked Ji Rongyu’s arm with the end of his chopsticks while Xing Xing was immersed in the delicious food.

Ji Rongyu usually looked like he was not much larger than Yu Bai in size, but after a long period of training, he had strong muscles all over his body.

So when Yu Bai poked Ji Rongyu’s arm with the chopsticks, he felt as if he was poking a solid wall.

His arm was rock-hard, and the chopsticks almost didn’t move.

Ji Rongyu turned his head slightly to look at Yu Bai.

Yu Bai pointed to the large bowl of Northeast Mixed Stew, whispering, “You can have those pieces of ribs.”

Yu Bai could tell that Ji Rongyu didn’t want to chew the remaining difficult-to-chew ribs in the pot.

Xing Xing was a young child with tender teeth, and chewing those tough ribs might damage his teeth.

Since Ji Rongyu was a guest, Yu Bai suggested that Ji Rongyu eat those few easily chewable ribs.

Ji Rongyu turned his head.

Yu Bai winked at Ji Rongyu.

Yu Bai’s clear and pure eyes allowed people to see through to the bottom of his heart.

Ji Rongyu pursed his lips.

The little brat was cunning, but as his father, Yu Bai didn’t have many tricks up his sleeve. He was more like a clean sheet of paper that hadn’t been contaminated by the world.

Rare and… special.

Ji Rongyu’s thoughts skipped a beat. He reached for the stew with his chopsticks and made an unexpected decision.

Ji Rongyu came to Yu Bai’s home to taste Yu Bai’s best culinary skills.

The best culinary skills meant that Ji Rongyu would only eat the most essential and finest parts of the dishes.

But today, Ji Rongyu picked up a difficult-to-chew rib from the large bowl.

Because the rib had a peculiar shape, it was difficult to chew, but it had a lot of meat on it.

Ji Rongyu opened his mouth and took a big bite of the meat on the rib.

The meat on the tender and stewed rib was soft, tender, and juicy.

While the meat on the rib that hadn’t been stewed to softness had a chewy texture.

As he tore and chewed the meat, Ji Rongyu savored every drop of juice hidden in every strand of meat.

When Ji Rongyu looked at the rib in his hand, which he had eaten clean, a different sense of accomplishment surged within him.

This was the joy of gnawing on a bone.

While gnawing on the rib, Xing Xing continued to secretly observe Ji Rongyu.

When he saw Ji Rongyu gnawing on the difficult-to-chew rib and showing an expression of enjoyment, Xing Xing became annoyed again.

Why did this scoundrel uncle enjoy chewing on tough ribs so much?

He strongly suspected that Ji Rongyu deliberately got close to Yu Bai in various ways just to eat the food Yu Bai made. For now, he couldn’t think of a good way to expose Ji Rongyu’s true colors in front of Yu Bai.

So now Xing Xing could only think of some little tricks to make Ji Rongyu eat less or avoid eating the dishes made by Yu Bai.

The first trick he thought of failed.

Xing Xing pouted unhappily.

This method wouldn’t work, so he had to think of another way.

But… what other good ideas could he come up with?

Xing Xing lowered his little head, touched his round belly, and soft cheeks, showing a conflicted expression.

Could his little belly hold so much food and dishes?

—

The next day, a workday.

Xing Xing was taking a nap at home, Ji Rongyu was at home watching him, and Yu Bai was as usual pushing his snack cart to set up a stall.

At Sanjiaokou, “Qiaozi Snack Store” was bustling as ever.

Last night, many residents near Sanjiaokou had seen the bustling scene of people queuing up on the first day of the “Qiaozi Snack Store” opening.

So many residents who hadn’t tried “Qiaozi Snack Store” became curious and came to queue up today.

Even though it was still a workday, the queue at “Qiaozi Snack Store” was even longer than yesterday.

Just like yesterday.

At Sanjiaokou, except for Yu Bai’s teppanyaki stall, which not only remained unaffected but also attracted a wave of customers because many people couldn’t endure the two-hour queue at “Qiaozi Snack Store”, the other food stalls were completely ignored.

Just as Xing Xing woke up from his nap, Yu Bai finished setting up the stall and was on his way back home.

Today, Aunt Wang Mei, who usually sold fried chicken strips, didn’t come to set up her stall. So, Yu Bai brought two strings of sugar-coated haws as an afternoon snack for Xing Xing.

Late at night.

On the other side of J City.

On Douyin, Xinglang, and Yali, a J City food vlogger with millions of followers, uploaded a video titled «Exploring ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’»

Author’s Note:

PS:

I worked hard to write this!

But today, I had to deal with both my period and a busy work schedule, so I wrote until the early hours of the morning, managing to write 6,000 words! I didn’t stop in between!

Once I have a chance to take a break tomorrow and see if I can sneak some writing time, I’ll add another chapter. If not, it should be uploaded tomorrow night… Anyway, I’ll definitely make up for it!

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  I’m not sure what this refers to, but if it’s a metaphor, it could mean that when war or conflict occurs (when the soldiers come), it brings immense force and destruction (the water comes), and it leaves a trail of casualties and devastation (the soil covers).