Chapter 19: A Mountain of Corpses and a Sea of Blood
A black gas stove held a non-stick pan on top. Blue flames kept heating the bottom while the soup inside bubbled loudly. Bright red chili oil covered every ingredient, turning them all the same fiery color.
The smell...
“Ah-choo!”
The spicy steam hit her nose, and Cheng Fei could not help sneezing as she hurried to the side. Upstairs, Gao Ming tightly held the railing and stared at the stove with a serious face.
He could eat a little spicy food, but he was nowhere near the level of people from Sichuan, Hunan, or Guizhou.
To eat or not to eat, this was almost a question of survival.
Cheng Fei broke a few sprigs of green peppercorn vines and poured hot oil over them. The smell instantly filled the whole house. She carefully placed the dish on the dining table and looked up, only to see Gao Ming frozen in place.
“Dinner’s ready. Come down.”
“Oh...” Gao Ming finally snapped out of it and slowly walked downstairs.
Each of them had a bowl of white rice. Cheng Fei had done physical work all day, and lunch had already been digested long ago. With such a hot and fragrant dish right in front of her, there was no way she could patiently wait.
Chewy wide noodles were her favorite. She took a bite together with rice. It was hot, and also a little...
Cough!
Her face immediately turned red. The strong spiciness burned her throat, making her cough several times.
What was going on?
This body’s tolerance for spicy food was actually pretty weak. That did not seem right. People always said that most girls nowadays loved spicy food. Strange, she just happened to end up with someone who liked mild flavors.
If even she reacted like this to her own cooking, then what about him...?
Gao Ming stared at the shining layer of red oil. Even while picking up a slice of potato, his scalp felt numb.
Cheng Fei licked her burning lips and tongue.
“Hiss... Looks like I added too much seasoning...”
“How about making something else?” Gao Ming finally spoke the deepest wish in his heart.
At that moment, Cheng Fei actually thought his suggestion made sense. It was definitely not because her mouth felt like she had swallowed a burning iron ball.
If they forced themselves to finish this meal, tomorrow’s trip to the bathroom would become a nightmare. Not to mention their lips would probably swell up like sausages.
But looking at the huge pot in front of her...
She had always lived a frugal life. Eating leftovers the next day was completely normal to her. Throwing food away just felt painfully wasteful.
“If you really can’t bear to throw it away, leave it to me.”
Gao Ming also disliked wasting food. But if they already knew they could not handle it and still forced themselves to eat it, then if they got sick afterward, they would suffer even more. Hospital visits and medicine would cost far more than the food they were trying to save.
Her troubled expression was written clearly on her face. Gao Ming could easily see what she was thinking. Even for his own sake, he could not stay quiet.
“Okay...”
The pot of “super spicy hotpot,” which looked like something from the flames of hell, was finally sealed away, waiting for some future “lucky person” to eat it.
Gao Ming originally planned to throw it away, but suddenly he thought of someone. That guy had been teasing him a lot lately. Maybe it was time to teach him a lesson...
Soon after, another pot with a rich savory smell was placed on the table.
A little spice was still necessary for flavor this time, but now it was within Gao Ming’s limits.
The two of them completely cleaned out the full pot. What was meant for four people disappeared under their chopsticks. Not a drop was left behind. Mentally they still wanted more, but physically their stomachs were already sticking out.
Cheng Fei could not hold it in anymore, and a loud burp escaped from her stomach.
“Full?”
“Yep!”
“Rock-paper-scissors. Loser washes the dishes.”
Gao Ming nodded and raised his fist.
Today luck was not on Cheng Fei’s side. She lost immediately.
A real man accepted defeat honestly. Losing was losing. She could only blame her bad luck.
Unhappy, Cheng Fei stood up and started cleaning the table.
Even though Gao Ming had already won, he did not just sit around. He helped deal with the leftover soup in the pot.
It was true that he had money now, but he did not come from some extremely rich family. During his years studying abroad, he had learned patience and hardship. He understood very well how tiring a whole day outside could be.
Besides...
No matter what was inside, the current Cheng Fei still looked like a delicate woman.
Following his gentlemanly manners, Gao Ming walked to Cheng Fei’s side.
“How about I do it instead?”
Hearing him, Cheng Fei turned around and smiled lightly at him.
There was no acting this time. No performance.
People’s hearts were made of flesh after all. No matter who the other person was, anyone would feel warmth in their heart when someone cared about them like this.
"Thanks, but if I can play, I can also accept losing."
She grabbed the pot and picked up the steel scrubber. Then she suddenly thought of something, straightened up, and handed Gao Ming a sealed cup beside her.
"What’s this?"
"Hawthorn juice. You ate so much, so drink this to help digestion."
Gao Ming took a sip and smiled lightly.
"What about you?"
Like performing a magic trick, Cheng Fei pulled out another cup, took a sip through the straw, and enjoyed the cold sweet-and-sour taste. The look in Gao Ming’s eyes slowly narrowed...
…………………………
Night came, and everything slowly became quiet.
On the bed, a beautiful but disturbing dream appeared again. Cheng Fei’s face twisted in fear...
She stood alone on top of a mountain of corpses and blood. The blood in front of her rose wildly like madness and soon covered her ankles. She slipped in the muddy ground and fell down. The bloody smell rushed into her nose and mouth like crazy snakes.
"Ah!"
She woke up from the nightmare and looked around the room, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead.
Just when she was about to relax, moonlight slipped through the gap in the curtains and landed on her legs.
A bright red stain on her nightdress reminded her that her period had arrived.
…………………………
Then, in the man's dream...
Late at night, a shadow quietly slipped out the front door. A few minutes later, the door opened again with a soft creak.
A crooked red moon hung in the sky, as red as blood. The battlefield below was just as terrible.
An old general stood in the cold wind, his eyes sharp like a hunting bird. His white beard and hair, along with his dry face, were stained with blood. No one could tell whether it was enemy blood or his own.
His heavy armor was badly damaged, and his long spear was gone. Only the saber in his hand still trembled in the wind.
Dozens of his guards had already fallen behind him. Soldiers wearing different armor surrounded him tightly from all sides, while battle cries sounded endlessly nearby.
Across from him, a silver-armored general wearing an iron face guard stepped out from the crowd. He raised one hand slightly, and the shouting immediately stopped. Then he planted his spear into the yellow earth.
By the customs of these foreign soldiers, the old general’s stance clearly meant a fight to the death.
The silver-armored general respected this and dismounted his horse. He removed his mask, pulled out the blade at his waist, and pointed it at the old general.
On this battlefield, there was no difference between young and old, noble and common. Only life and death mattered.
The old general roared and charged forward. The silver-armored general smiled calmly and raised his blade to meet the attack.
Even though the old general was old, his swordsmanship was still fierce and powerful, each strike carrying strong force like the wind itself.
The silver-armored general stayed calm and relaxed. Several times the old man almost touched him, yet every attack was easily blocked.
Clang!
The old saber full of chips was knocked away.
The silver-armored general pressed his blade against the old man’s throat.
"I originally wanted to spare your life. But you hurt Ying’er..."
"Hahaha... hahaha! A real man is never afraid of dying on the battlefield!"
At first, the old general only hated dirty tricks. But after this fair fight, he completely accepted his defeat and laughed toward the sky.
Before the silver-armored general could move, the old man grabbed the blade with his hand and sliced across his own throat.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
….………………………
The sleeping person suddenly opened his eyes.
Another person had been awakened by a dream.
Remembering the scene just now, Gao Ming looked calmer. He only lightly rubbed his forehead.
It had been months already. He thought he had forgotten this dream, but tonight it came back again...
Creak.
A soft sound came from the door, followed by light footsteps. Gao Ming’s ears twitched slightly like a cat’s.
The dark living room was brightly lit. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the package in Cheng Fei’s hand.
"Diapers?"
Cheng Fei nearly stumbled in shock.
She already thought she was extremely straight-minded, but this guy was even worse!
"Are your eyes broken? These are overnight period pants!"
Gao Ming rubbed his eyes and looked carefully again. It really was women’s sanitary products.
He looked embarrassed. The packaging looked too similar to the baby products married women at the studio often bought online.
"I thought a thief entered the house."
Under Cheng Fei’s scornful stare, Gao Ming awkwardly turned around, pretended to drink water, then quickly went back upstairs.
Cheng Fei watched him leave and wiped her forehead. Then she looked at the package again.
"Free yourself and sleep peacefully!"
One pack cost as much as three normal sanitary pad packs. It really did "free" her wallet.
Sigh... in the end, she still lost to the sweet talk of the salesgirl and bought it without thinking.
She awkwardly returned to bed, but sleepiness mixed with the uncomfortable feeling in her body made it impossible to relax.
That night was miserable. Only she knew how hard it was to sleep while feeling that constant leaking sensation.
By early morning, she remembered that there was still a "master" downstairs waiting for her to serve breakfast to, so she forced herself to wake up.
One pair of overnight pants was already completely soaked and useless. Even her ex-girlfriend had never had such a heavy flow before. Cheng Fei suddenly wondered if this could actually become dangerous.
After cleaning everything up downstairs, she heard sizzling sounds.
A delicious smell immediately hit her nose.
Her brain instantly recognized it, fried eggs!
And there was also the smell of bread in the air.
When she walked downstairs, she saw Gao Ming standing by the stove in shorts, a T-shirt, and an apron. The strange combination looked oddly out of place.
"Eat first."
It was like he had eyes on the back of his head. Cheng Fei wore soft slippers and weighed around fifty kg, so her footsteps were as quiet as a cat’s. Yet he still noticed her.
Thinking about it reminded her of last night, when he waited downstairs like a hunter waiting for prey.
What kind of ears did this guy have? How could his senses be this sharp?