Chapter 118: A Good Meal

I didn’t say anything. Chen Canghai rarely crawled over from the other end, but he had clearly overheard our conversation. “I don’t know what happened between you two,” he said, “but in our current situation, we should try not to harbor too many suspicions. We can just ask him these questions once he wakes up.”

Chen Canghai’s words actually cleared up the things I hadn’t been able to figure out. I sat cross-legged in the tunnel, looking at the cut on my palm.

“You’re right, He Yu. I used to think that way too. From the moment I got the Nine-Ring Jade Casket, I wanted an answer. That’s why I chased after Fourth Brother, Tian Yuqing, and him,” I glanced at Lu A’yao. “I chased everyone who might know the truth, hoping they would tell me.”

“But now I realize that no one is obligated to tell me everything they know without reservation. I don’t resent them for lying to me. They’re just protecting their own interests to a certain extent. Being destined to be deceived is simply the price I must pay for living a comfortable life in the Five Masters for over twenty years.”

I looked up at He Yu, who was propped up in the corner, and smiled at him. “I believe Lu A’yao really is here to find Lu Xiaosu. I don’t think he’d lie about that. He’s just keeping some other things to himself. Maybe once he can fully trust us, he’ll tell us.”

I paused, then added to He Yu, “Even though he lied to us, he’s also saved us countless times. It’s just like you do for me. If you suddenly told me one day that you’d been lying about something, I don’t think I’d resent you either.”

He Yu’s gaze turned serious, but a second later he burst out laughing. He pushed himself up and crawled over me to get the bag, roughly ruffling my hair as he passed.

“That’s the spirit! Straightforward. It’s good you think that way! I was just worried you’d get tricked again and come crying to me. I didn’t expect you to be so perceptive, kid.”

He ruffled my hair into a mess. I had just managed to smooth it down when I saw He Yu setting up the stove. I quickly moved inward to make room for him. This guy really intended to set up a kitchen right here.

“Quick, quick, Little Chen, give me a hand. We’ve been crawling for so long and haven’t had a hot meal. I’m so hungry I’ve lost weight. Let’s process the stuff in the bags quickly. If we run into Qiao Sangui and his lot again, we’ll just end up giving it all back to them if we don’t eat it now.” He Yu called out to Chen Canghai and me.

He Yu placed the stove on the flattest part of the tunnel floor and stuffed two pieces of flint from a sealed bag into it. Chen Canghai and I acted as his assistants, helping him open the instant noodles. We had only opened two packs when He Yu slapped his thigh.

“Oh crap, we’re done for!”

I grew tense and hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong?”

He Yu cursed, “We forgot to seal our canteens before we fell into the water. Now, even if we stripped the three of us naked, all we have left is the two bottles of mineral water we stole.”

Chen Canghai and I looked at each other, then turned back to He Yu. He kept blinking at me, his eyes devoid of anything but craftiness and cunning. I could hear the gears turning in his head from where I sat.

This guy was clearly eyeing the backpack Lu A’yao had dropped to the side. Lu A’yao was much more experienced than us; he didn’t gulp down water constantly, and he always sealed his bottles before going into the water to keep out filth. Consequently, his bag was full of water.

I threw a plastic wrapper at He Yu. “Get lost! If there’s no water, we’ll just eat them dry. The guy is unconscious and you’re already eyeing his private property. What do you call this? Pure exploitation!”

Chen Canghai, sitting between us, couldn’t help but lean back against the wall, hugging his legs to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

He Yu rolled back and grinned at me. “You’ve got it all wrong. I’m doing this for Old Lu’s sake. He’s lost a lot of blood and needs to recover while he rests. Is there a problem with using his water to make him some noodles?”

Though his expression wasn’t very sincere, his words made sense. After all, while we could choke down dry noodles with a little water, Lu A’yao might not be able to swallow them. Besides, it had been a long time since we’d had a proper meal. We didn’t know how much longer it would take to get out.

I thought about it and said, “Fine, but we have to give the patient an extra pack as compensation for using his water.”

“Hey! So you agree! I told you you were playing favorites, but you wouldn’t admit it!”

“He Yu, make yourself clear. How am I playing favorites? You’re borrowing the man’s water and you won’t even give him an extra pack of noodles? Who does that?”

“Little Yao, I can’t agree with that. He’s the patient, but I’m the one making the damn noodles! Besides, I’m the one who stole this bag, so I should get an extra pack too. My labor in cooking doesn’t count for anything?”

As we were arguing fiercely, Chen Canghai tugged on both our sleeves at the same time. I looked at him, and he pointed toward Lu A’yao in the corner. Lu A’yao had rolled over, curling up against the innermost wall of the tunnel.

Then I heard him mutter a very clear complaint: “Noisy.”

Both He Yu and I heard it and shut our mouths. After waiting a while and seeing no further movement from Lu A’yao, He Yu leaned over and tugged on me again, mouthing the words, “I don’t care! I want two packs!”

I stayed quiet, resisting the urge to punch him. I quickly crawled over to Lu A’yao’s side, pulled two bottles of mineral water from his bag, and retreated as fast as possible. I mouthed back to He Yu, “Eat, eat, eat. All you think about is eating.”

He Yu took the water triumphantly and busied himself using the flint to start the fire and boil the water. I didn’t want to lower myself to his level. I portioned out the noodles and sat there waiting for the water to boil.

The moment the seasoning packets hit the water, the thick smell of gunpowder from our argument vanished instantly.

I leaned over the pot, staring at the noodles, my mouth practically watering. Qiao Sangui had brought the most ordinary Beijing instant noodles, but right now, they looked like a gourmet feast. No, they were better than any gourmet feast!

Lu A’yao still hadn’t woken up, so the three of us each took a bowl and started eating. We finished every strand of noodle and drank all the soup, finally leaning back against the stone walls and burping.

This was the only time I had truly felt full in the past three days. I could finally say a temporary goodbye to those compressed biscuits.

After finishing his meal, He Yu added more fuel to the fire to boil water for Lu A’yao. Despite his sharp tongue, he wasn’t stingy when it came to the noodles, putting two whole blocks into the pot. He even produced a farm egg from somewhere, saying he’d swiped it from one of Qiao Sangui’s men. At first, he thought it was hard-boiled, but it turned out to be raw. It was small, but it would do. I was stunned by his resourcefulness.

As he cooked, he muttered about how the patient needed to eat more. Even though it was just instant noodles, they were the most luxurious thing available here. Then he slowly cracked the lone farm egg into the pot.

I watched the water in the pot bubble, and then I heard a rustling sound behind me. I turned around.

Lu A’yao was awake.