FMB – Dessert 41 ~ 45

Translator: dounai
Editor: mantou

41

Speaking of Aunty Xu, there was another story attached to it. Aunty Xu’s husband and daughter were both working in other parts of the country, hence she lived alone. Each time her house needed a change of light bulb or moving of stuff, it would pose an inconvenience to her. Chen Zhuo would sometimes offer his help and over the course of time, Aunty Xu started looking out for this young man.

There was once when Ji Xiaobei was stopped by Aunty Xu as they bumped into each other along the corridor. 

Aunty Xu, “Xiao Ji, I have something which I would like to ask you, a personal question regarding your brother…”

Aunty Xu had always thought that the couple were siblings, and they had never explained their relationship to her either. Firstly, they felt that there wasn’t a need to and secondly, they did not want to create trouble.

Ji Xiaobei was surprised, “Ah?”

Aunty Xu, “Just a personal question about your elder brother! He doesn’t have a partner yet, right? I have never seen him invite a girl here before.”

Ji Xiaobei, “He… indeed does not have a girlfriend.”

Aunty Xu, “That’s brilliant! My daughter is about the same age as him, and she will be returning here to work in the second half of the year! I feel that their appearance, personalities, educational backgrounds, and such are pretty suitable for each other. Let’s see when your brother is free and let’s arrange for a meeting.”

“No way!” Ji Xiaobei replied, feeling panicky.

Aunty Xu, “Why not? Didn’t you just say that he doesn’t have a partner?”

Ji Xiaobei, “He… doesn’t have a girlfriend, but, but he already has a wife! Back in our hometown!”

Aunty Xu, “Your hometown? No wonder I haven’t met her before.”

Ji Xiaobei used his best effort to nod his head, “Yes yes, and my sister-in-law is extremely feisty while my brother is a henpecked husband! And, and their child is even old enough to take care of himself¹!”

Clumsily, like a guilty person, he hurriedly added on, “It’s absolutely true! I’m not lying!”

After getting home from work, Chen Zhuo met Aunty Xu at the ground floor.

Aunty Xu, “Xiao Chen, it has never occurred to me that you’re already married. Is your child living in your hometown too? How old is your child? Is it a son or a daughter? Has your child started going to school?”

Chen Zhuo, “???”

When Chen Zhuo arrived home, “I heard that someone has added a wife and a child in my hometown today?”

Ji Xiaobei, “I have yet to ask you about it! Changing a light bulb for someone has almost caused you to become their son-in-law! Hmph!” 

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    42

Ji Xiaobei, who had successfully won over the young and the old regardless of gender, had finally met his match — Chen Zhuo’s niece.

As mentioned previously, the little girl was named Beibei too. Appearing fair and chubby, her arms were as round as lotus roots, and she felt soft when one hugged her. 

Ji Xiaobei took a fancy to her, but that little brat refused to acknowledge him. 

Ji Xiaobei, “Why wouldn’t she greet me?”

Chen Zhuo, “Could it be that Beibeis repel?”

Ji Xiaobei, “… Oh.”

Even so, Ji Xiaobei refused to admit defeat, and made great effort to gain the little girl’s favour. 

He found out that the little brat enjoyed a cartoon called ‘The Octonauts’. Hence, he pestered Chen Zhuo to watch more than a hundred episodes with him, recognizing all the characters in it. He then bought a complete set of the characters and carefully examined them at home, recognizing each and every one of them with a touch. That weekend when he played with her, his efforts came to naught.

Ji Xiaobei willingly became a model for the little brat, letting her put a rabbit-eared headband on him, even wearing a pair of butterfly wings and holding a fairy wand in his hand. Even after playing dress-up with her for the entire day, it was still unsuccessful. 

He even initiated to replace Chen Zhuo and let her ride on his back to play horse, doing whatever she said, working hard and moving around for the entire night, to no success. 

Ji Xiaobei was out of ideas. With a face full of resignation, he told Chen Zhuo, “Help me ask, why won’t Beibei acknowledge me! She obviously kind of likes me too!”

Chen Zhuo, “Little Princess, why won’t you greet him? Uncle Xiao Bei is going to feel sad!” 

Beibei, “Liar! He isn’t an uncle at all! He’s a gege!”

Chen Zhuo, “…”

Ji Xiaobei, “???”

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    43

Over the weekends, the pair headed to a neighbouring city for a holiday. At night, they decided to head out to have a soak in the hot springs.

Still feeling afraid of foreign places, Ji Xiaobei tightly grabbed onto Chen Zhuo’s hand and followed behind him.

Chen Zhuo dipped in first to test the temperature of the water, “It’s fine, not too hot, you can slowly get used to it first.”

Ji Xiaobei sat at the edge of the pool, carefully dipping his feet in. 

Chen Zhuo watched as his fair lower calves gradually turned pink from the hot water, “These feet are seventy percent cooked and it’s edible…”

Ji Xiaobei swayed his legs and gave Chen Zhuo a kick, “Stop staring at me!”

Chen Zhuo let out an “oh”, and pretended to look away. “Sure sure sure, I won’t look anymore.”

It had been a while since Ji Xiaobei sat on the edge, and his upper body was turning cold. Holding onto the edge of the pool, he slowly dipped his foot further into the hot spring, before withdrawing his limb again. He wasn’t sure how deep the pool was, and he didn’t dare to go in even though he really wished to have a dip.

Ji Xiaobei, “Chen Zhuo…”

There was no response. 

“Chen Zhuo, are you there?” Ji Xiaobei asked again. 

There was still no response.

Ji Xiaobei started to feel anxious but within the next second, someone circled him around the waist and pulled him into the water. In a moment of panic, Ji Xiaobei hugged the person by the neck, his heart thumping furiously out of shock. 

Chen Zhuo placed a hand on his waist, intentionally not holding it tightly nor steadily. Hence, Ji Xiaobei could only cling onto Chen Zhuo’s neck and try his best to not fall. But despite his efforts, he was still slipping down. 

“Why are you so slippery, like a little loach,” Chen Zhuo even said on purpose.

Ji Xiaobei gave his neck a big bite, “You are the loach!”

Giving it another thought, Chen Zhuo could not possibly let him slip into the water. Ji Xiaobei simply gave up, and sank right to the floor, leaving his head just above the water. After soaking for a while, his face even turned pink from the hot steam. 

Chen Zhuo, “You’re fully cooked. I could truly eat you up this time.”

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    44

Ji Xiaobei grew two ulcers in his mouth, but as skillful as he was, he was full of boldness and guts. When Chen Zhuo had to work overtime, he slipped out to have hot pot with his little sister, and they absolutely had to have the spicy soup base — super spicy and super red to the point that it looked black.

As a result, by the time Chen Zhuo returned home, Ji Xiaobei felt immense pain even when he swallowed saliva. He refused to talk, and could only nod or shake his head.

Initially Ji Xiaobei refused to admit it but Chen Zhuo pointed at the boy’s jacket that was hanging behind the door, “Take a whiff, the odor could be smelled from over ten li² away!” 

Ji Xiaobei bounced towards him and muttered, “Are you serious? Let me sniff at it… smells good!”

Chen Zhuo pinched Ji Xiaobei’s chin to open his mouth, “Are you trying to drive me up the wall??? Let me see.”

Ji Xiaobei gasped and drew in a breath of cold air, “Ah ah ah be gentle! It hurts!”

Chen Zhuo shot him a glare, “Don’t you know what pain is while you were having hot pot?”

Ji Xiaobei, “Actually I had a plan from the beginning to only have a bite of everything!”

Chen Zhuo, “But what happened?”

Ji Xiaobei, “But, after that, I felt that food should not be wasted! Everything was bought with money! I even finished the lettuce that was used to plate the fish balls! Not a single food wasted!”

Chen Zhuo, “Oh, should I praise you then?”

Ji Xiaobei, “And I even ate lots of vegetables in the hot pot. You said that I needed to replenish some vitamin C, I’m such an obedient boy!”

Chen Zhuo, “… What delusions are you sprouting?”

He recalled a hot search that he had come across on the internet: Girls craving for ice-cream during their period, hence they had an inspiration to buy a jujube flavoured one³.

Before heading to bed, Chen Zhuo sprayed some watermelon frost⁴ on Ji Xiaobei’s ulcers, but the latter wriggled and tried to hide away. In the end, he was forcefully suppressed by Chen Zhuo. 

After the medication was sprayed, Ji Xiaobei frowned, “It hurts a lot…”

Chen Zhuo gave his forehead a flick, “Don’t you think you deserve it! Does it still smell good?”

Ji Xiaobei, “But it’s really bitter. Could you give me a kiss to add some sweetness to it?”

Chen Zhuo, “No way, a child who refuses to listen shall sleep in bitterness today.”

Ji Xiaobei, “Oh.”

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45

Chen Zhuo had to go on a three days overseas trip for business training. When he woke up in the early morning, he noticed that Ji Xiaobei had risen, and was hugging a bunch of his clothes, sitting in front of the electric heater. 

Chen Zhuo walked over and squatted in front of him, “Why are you awake so early in the morning?”

Ji Xiaobei pulled out a piece of clothing from the bunch in his arms, “The thermal top has been warmly toasted. For you!”

Chen Zhuo took the item from his hand.

Ji Xiaobei pulled out another piece, “The thermal pants have been warmly toasted too. For you!”

Chen Zhuo took it from him again. 

Piece by piece, Ji Xiaobei pulled them out and gave them to Chen Zhuo, “The sweater is warm, for you! The jacket is warm, for you! The scarf is warm too, you’ll have to wear it! You can’t hide it in your bag!”

Chen Zhuo, “Understood, I’ll definitely wear it.”

Ji Xiaobei fluttered his eyelashes, “I have been warmly toasted too, could you put me on and bring me along too…”

While Chen Zhuo was having his breakfast, Ji Xiaobei rested his cheek in his palm and mumbled, “I’m nicely cooked too, could you eat me up and bring me along too?”

After keeping the utensils, Chen Zhuo spotted Ji Xiaobei sitting inside his luggage, “Everything has been packed, quickly lock your luggage and bring it with you!”

WIth a bend of his waist, Chen Zhuo held Ji Xiaobei’s knee with one hand and his waist in the other, and gave the boy a kiss while carrying him out, “Be good, I’ll be back in three days, it’ll pass by in a blink of an eye!”

Ji Xiaobei clung onto Chen Zhuo’s neck with a sullen expression casted on his face, “But three days is too long, and I have already started to miss you…”

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Footnote:
¹打酱油 (dǎ jiàng yóu), lit. means to buy soy sauce, is an internet slang which means that something is none of their business.
²里 (lǐ), is a traditional Chinese unit of distance, which is approximately 500 meters.
³Jujube is known to be a healthy fruit. Girls on their periods are not supposed to be consuming cold food, hence they are trying to justify their consumption of ice-cream during their period as ‘being healthy’ by selecting the jujube flavour.
⁴西瓜霜 (xī guā shuāng), a Chinese medication, in powder form, used to treat ulcers by directly spraying on it.

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Dessert 36 ~ 40

Table of Contents

Dessert 46 ~ 50