I tasted some of the chicken braised with mushrooms after Xiao Qin carried it onto the dining table. I felt it was a bit bland and lacked either salt or MSG. It would only get at most 6 points out of 10.
But it was the result of hard work for Xiao Qin who has been a boy for many years.
I felt a strange feeling of warmth as the four of us sat around the dining table.
There was space for exactly four people. It was probably prepared so they could eat with their parents.
But the class leader’s parents are never around, and Xiao Qin and I are from single-parent families. Doesn’t it sort of feel like fate when four kids who lack love come together for a meal?
Shu Zhe muttered “Didn’t add salt” after he took a sip of the soup, then Xiao Qin stamped on his foot and he was afraid to make any more remarks, so he obediently finished his meal.
He left the table before even eating one bowl of food, what a small appetite.
The class leader made some polite praises to Xiao Qin’s culinary skills. But Xiao Qin straight out admitted her food tastes bad and hopes she can get pointers from the class leader.
Even if Xiao Qin pretended she had a good relationship with the class leader on the outside, she was definitely harboring all sorts of malicious intent in her mind. But when you look at Xiao Qin’s intimate actions, you would actually believe she’s a natural ditz, someone who would help count the money even if the class leader sold her off to someone else.
Xiao Qin, your acting skills are amazing. You should hurry up and go film with Auntie Ren since you know martial arts and have amazing acting skills.
Since the class leader used her bandaged hands to do a lot of tasks she wasn’t supposed to do, the bandages on her right hand came loose in the middle of the meal. The class leader wanted to head back to her room to redo the bandages, but Xiao Qin moved her chair right beside her and made a suggestion:
“Don’t worry about the bandages, you should finish eating first.”
“But…” the class leader felt embarrassed, “I can’t hold cutlery in my left hand and my right-hand kind of hurts…”
If the class leader says it ‘kind of hurts’, then it means it hurts a lot.
“Don’t worry.” Xiao Qin picked up the class leader’s soup spoon, “All you have to do is move your mouth, I’ll feed you.”
Then she scooped a spoonful of chicken soup and moved it towards the class leader’s mouth without even asking for approval.
But the soup is still really hot, are you not going to at least blow on it before giving it to the class leader? Clearly, she wants to burn the class leader but is acting innocent as usual.
Although the class leader knew the soup was burning hot, she could only brace herself and drink it when she saw Xiao Qin’s naive and innocent smile.
Your whole face is red, it wasn’t even that red when I was carrying you! Xiao Qin, I can’t believe you would do this right after the class leader helped you treat your injuries.
“Class leader, is my soup good?”
Xiao Qin asked dimwitted as if she completely didn’t notice the class leader’s uncomfortable expression.
“It’s… it’s good….” in order to not destroy Xiao Qin’s zeal, the class leader forced herself to speak with a burned tongue.
“Then you should have another spoonful.” Xiao Qin said as she went to get more soup. The expression on the class leader’s face was fear of being tortured again.
“Enough.” I stopped her, “The class leader won’t fill up on soup. If you really want to help her, you should carve some chicken meat for her to eat. If you won’t feed her properly, then I will.”
The class leader rolled her eyes at me as if to say ‘I don’t want you to feed me’.
Xiao Qin realized I saw through her plans, so she quickly changed her tactics.
She borrowed a table knife from the kitchen and nimbly carved the chicken meat onto a plate. Then she fed spoonfuls of rice and chicken meat to the class leader.
Hey, your culinary skills aren’t amazing, but why are you so skilled at carving meat? Don’t tell me you will also carve my meat in the same way once you kill me?
Other than the thoughts about my uncertain future, the scene of Xiao Qin feeding the class leader was pretty heartwarming.
The class leader usually wouldn’t accept this kind of care, but she didn’t want to refuse Xiao Qin’s good intentions, and she was pretty tired.
Thus she slowly chewed and swallowed each spoonful of food Xiao Qin fed her like a sick patient.
I thought Xiao Qin would sneak in a bone once the class leader loosens her vigilance, but I was wrong.
Did the class leader influence Xiao Qin to turn over a new leaf? It was a nice scene of one girl feeding another girl. I could almost see roses and hearts appearing in the background.
It took the class leader a lot of effort to swallow the last spoonful of food. She denied the next spoonful and said apologetically:
“Sorry Xiao Qin, I can’t eat anymore.”
Xiao Qin pleaded sincerely: “C’mon have another bite~? Just one more.”
The class leader was helpless and could only finish off this spoon of food, but Xiao Qin immediately refilled the empty spoon.
“Class leader, eating more will help you recover faster, you need more protein. One more bite, just one more.”
The class leader clenched her teeth and ate that spoonful of food too.
Xiao Qin scooped the third scoop of food.
“Do your best class leader, eat this one too….”
The class leader waved her hand weakly: “Xiao Qin, I really can’t eat anymore…”
Xiao Qin said with a hundred percent sincerity and shimmering eyes.
“Try to eat some more, or is it because my food tastes bad?”
It does taste bad, didn’t you say it yourself earlier?
The class leader turned her face away awkwardly, “Xiao Qin, your food tastes good, but I’m already full…”
Xiao Qin suddenly raised her voice:
“You have to eat more even if your full, otherwise, how would you get fatter?”
The class leader was stupefied and stared. Xiao Qin knew she misspoke, so she scratched her head and tried to feign innocence:
“Haha… I was only joking, you don’t have to eat anymore if you’re full…”
So she was planning on force-feeding the class leader to make her fat and I would no longer like her.
I wasn’t sure if Xiao Qin was smart or stupid. You can’t change someone’s figure in one meal, or was she planning to stuff her to death with food?
After dinner, the class leader sat still at the table with indigestion. Every three seconds, she would make a loud burp.
I pulled out Shu Zhe, who was hiding in his room, to help me wash the dishes. Xiao Qin went to enthusiastically ask the class leader:
“Do you want any desserts or snacks? I could help you go buy some right now.”