Chapter 118: A Good Meal

I didn’t say anything. Chen Canghai uncharacteristically crawled over from the other end, having clearly overheard our conversation. “I don’t know what happened between you all,” he said, “but under the current circumstances, we’d better try not to harbor too many suspicions. Once he wakes up, we can always just ask him then.”

Chen Canghai’s words actually cleared up the knot I hadn’t been able to untie. I sat cross-legged in the cave, 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 Ayao. “I chased everyone who might know the answer, 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 bear for enjoying over twenty years of ease within the Five Masters.”

I looked up at He Yu, who was propped up in the corner, and smiled at him. “I believe Lu Ayao 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, crawled over me to get the bag, and roughly ruffled 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 complete mess. I had just managed to smooth it down when I saw He Yu setting up the stove. I quickly shuffled 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 around for so long without a hot meal, I’m so hungry I’ve lost weight! Let’s hurry up and finish off what’s in our bags. If we run into Qiao Sangui and his crew again, anything we haven’t eaten will just end up going back to them.” He Yu called out to Chen Canghai and me.

He Yu set the stove on the flattest spot of the ground 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 practically hear his mental abacus clinking from where I sat.

This guy was clearly eyeing the backpack Lu Ayao had dropped to the side. Lu Ayao was much more experienced than us; he didn’t guzzle down water constantly like we did, and he always sealed his bottles before going into the water to keep out filth. Consequently, ever since we came down, his bag had been 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 the two of us, couldn’t help but lean back against the wall, wrapping his arms around his legs to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

He Yu rolled back over and snickered 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 a proper boost while he’s resting. What’s wrong with using his water to make him some noodles?”

Though his expression was far from sincere, his words made sense. After all, while we could choke down dry noodles with a little water, Lu Ayao 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!”

“Make yourself clear, He! 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?”

“Xiao Yao, I can’t agree with that! He’s the patient, but I’m the damn one cooking the 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 Ayao in the corner. Lu Ayao 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 Ayao, 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 Ayao’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 happily went off to start a fire with the flint and boil the water. I didn’t bother arguing with him. I portioned out the noodles and sat there waiting for the water to boil.

The moment the seasoning packets hit the water, the heavy gunpowder smell from our argument vanished in an instant.

I leaned over the pot, staring at the noodles, my mouth practically watering. Qiao Sangui had brought the most ordinary Beijing instant noodles^[1], but right now, they looked like a gourmet feast. No, they were better than any gourmet feast!

Lu Ayao 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 wall and burping.

This was the only time I had truly eaten my fill in the past three days. I could finally take a temporary break from those compressed biscuits.

After finishing his meal, He Yu added more fuel to the fire to boil water for Lu Ayao. Despite his sharp tongue, he hadn’t been stingy at all when taking out the noodles, dropping two whole blocks straight into the pot. He even produced a farm egg^[2] 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 left completely stunned by his move.

As he cooked, he kept muttering about how a sick person needed to eat more. Even though it was just instant noodles, instant noodles were already the most luxurious thing available here. Then he slowly cracked the lone farm egg into the pot.

I watched the water in the pot come to a boil, and then I heard a rustling sound behind me. I turned to look.

Lu Ayao was awake.