Chapter 17: A Slight Inconvenience

Huan Ya entered the kitchen and poured water for Song’s mother, but when she stepped outside, the person was gone again.

She paused for a moment and noticed that Song Tiancheng’s door was open, instantly understanding what was going on.

Knowing the mother and daughter must be having a conversation, Huan Ya had no choice but to carry the bowl back inside.

She squatted by the stove, waiting until the flames had nearly died down before rising to lift the lid off the pot.

As the lid was lifted, a burst of steam surged upward, and the aroma of chicken soup quickly filled the entire kitchen.

“Mm! Smells wonderful!”

Huan Ya’s eyes sparkled as she picked up a nearby spoon, scooped some soup, blew on it, and tasted it.

Mmm! It had been so long since she’d tasted such delicious broth!

She closed her eyes in bliss, drinking the spoonful in one gulp, then found a large bowl in the cupboard and ladled all the chicken pieces into it.

Covering the chicken soup to keep out dust, she quickly rinsed the pot, added some lard, tossed in some chili peppers hanging under the eaves—Song’s mother’s special batch—and then smashed garlic cloves before stir-frying everything in the pot.

The spicy aroma immediately rose, overpowering the scent of the chicken.

“Oh dear, that smell is quite pungent.”

From inside Song Tiancheng’s room, Song’s mother caught the scent and quickly rose, saying, “I’ll go see what Huan Ya is stir-frying.”

Song Tiancheng nodded, then seeing how Huan Ya looked when she came in earlier, he called out to his mother, “Mom, wait a moment.”

“What is it?”

“I…” Song Tiancheng sighed softly. “When Huan Ya came in just now, I noticed the wound on her face—the gauze looked soaked with blood. I wanted to remind her, but she ran off. Please check on her later; it’s hot these days, don’t let it get infected.”

Song’s mother was taken aback, exclaiming, “Oh dear, I’ll go see. Such a good girl, she mustn’t get ruined.”

Once Song’s mother went out, Song Tiancheng no longer worried.

He lowered his head and opened the *Records of the Grand Historian* but found he couldn’t concentrate.

The vivid image of that reddened half of her face lingered before his eyes, and he felt as though he had met Huan Ya before but couldn’t recall where.

“Cough, cough, cough! Huan Ya, what are you stir-frying?”

Huan Ya looked up and quickly said, “Auntie, please go outside first; the smoke in here is pretty strong.”

Song’s mother sighed, “You’re aware it’s strong, huh? What’s this?”

Seeing the bright red chili peppers in the pot, Song’s mother exclaimed, “You put in a lot of these?”

Huan Ya nodded. “Stir-fried chicken giblets taste great. We don’t have green peppers at home, so I’m using red ones instead.”

Song’s mother was about to comment on her face but, seeing the sparkle in Huan Ya’s eyes, shook her head instead. “Alright then, finish it quickly and come out.”

“All right! Auntie, just wait a moment! It’ll be ready soon!”

Song’s mother waved her hand, picked up a bowl of water, and left the room.

Not long after, the spicy scent clung to Song’s mother, and she thought to herself that the aroma was actually quite appetizing.

Soon, Huan Ya brought out the chicken soup and the stir-fried giblets.

In the Song family courtyard, there was a stone table. Huan Ya placed the dishes on it and swiftly fetched bowls and chopsticks. “Auntie, shall I bring Tiancheng’s meal inside?”

Song’s mother hesitated, holding the bowls and chopsticks.

Usually, she would bring the food into Tiancheng’s room; it was just the two of them at home, and she would clean up after they finished eating.

But now, with Huan Ya in the house, things felt different.

If she called Huan Ya inside, it might feel awkward.

Yet leaving her outside alone didn’t seem right either.

Noticing Song’s mother’s dilemma, Huan Ya quickly said, “Auntie, why don’t you take the food inside and eat with Brother Tiancheng? I’ll stay here in the kitchen; the water is still boiling.”

Saying this, she picked up some dishes and headed back to the kitchen.

Song’s mother sighed softly, suddenly feeling that having another person in the house made certain matters a bit inconvenient.