NFBE Chapter 95 You're Not a Donkey
Chapter 95 You're Not a Donkey
The setting sun pierced through the slightly mottled glass windows of "Human Fireworks" in the old street, turning the row of neat rabbit paintings into a warm orange hue.
As you push open the shop door, the familiar scent of wood wafts out.
Returning from the construction site, Su Chen belatedly realized his physical condition. As he stepped into the shop to relax, the fatigue that had accumulated throughout the day surged up like a tidal wave.
Su Chen mechanically moved his legs, feeling the muscles on the inside of his thighs twitching with each step.
This was the first time he had done such "heavy" physical labor.
"call--"
Su Chen slammed the door shut behind him, and before he could even change out of his sweat-soaked short-sleeved shirt, he plunged into the kitchen.
"Brother Chen... what about the pork intestines... phew, where did you put the pork intestines? I'll wash them."
Su Chen's voice sounded hoarse, as if it had been worn down by dust from a construction site.
He rolled up his sleeves and looked around for the blue plastic basin containing the entrails.
His vision began to blur, but the pride of "acting like a skilled worker" kept him going.
Chen Feng was standing by the sink, holding a pair of scissors, preparing to "cut" the large bag of fresh pig intestines.
He glanced back at Su Chen, noticing the other's slightly trembling legs, and then pointed to the square table next to him.
"Go, sit over there. You don't have any work to do today."
"That won't do." Su Chen forced a smile and stepped forward to take the basin from Chen Feng's hand.
"Brother Qiang will be eating this when he gets home tonight. This stuff takes the most time to prepare, so I'll help him with it..."
"Su Chen".
Chen Feng stopped what he was doing and said in an unquestionable manner,
You are not a donkey.
This is your first day doing this kind of intense work; your body hasn't adapted yet.
If you force yourself to stay here and help out now, you'll be so tired you'll throw up in no time.
How are you going to work tomorrow? Are you planning to work one day and then be unusable?
Su Chen opened his mouth, wanting to say a few more words about not being "that delicate," but when he met Chen Feng's serious eyes, the last bit of his resolve crumbled instantly.
"Then...then I'll sit there. If Brother Chen needs my help, just call me anytime."
Su Chen slumped down, lowering his sleeves, and like a shadow puppet whose spinal cord had been removed, he shuffled step by step to the square table.
The wooden square table has a slightly cool touch, and its heavy texture gives people a sense of peace.
Su Chen had only intended to rest his head on his arm with his eyes closed for a while.
But the sound of the running water from the kitchen faucet and Mengmeng whispering stories to the rabbit beside her sounded like an extremely gentle lullaby.
It relentlessly attacked his mind and spirit.
The restaurant was warm, and the air still held the lingering aroma of the beef brisket from lunchtime.
Su Chen felt her thoughts begin to spread out like melted butter.
One second, two seconds...
Su Chen's consciousness was like being suddenly disconnected from a power source by a naughty child, instantly shutting down.
His brain completely stopped working at that moment.
He tilted his head to the side, rested his cheek on his arm, and fell into a deep sleep within a second.
"Daddy, is Brother Su asleep?"
Mengmeng was holding a piece of drawing paper, eagerly wanting to run over to Su Chen to show him her new rabbit drawing, but Chen Feng stopped her with a gesture.
Chen Feng put down the fatty intestines he was rinsing and quietly walked to the table.
The soft glow of the setting sun fell directly on Su Chen's profile, and the "Wood Leaf" pendant around his neck rested diagonally on the table, gleaming with a warm light.
"Shh-"
Chen Feng gestured for Mengmeng to be quiet, and lowered his voice.
"Brother Su is exhausted. He did a lot of work by himself today, and now his 'battery' is completely depleted. Let's not wake him up."
Mengmeng blinked her big eyes, like a little spy who had received a secret mission, and quickly covered her mouth tightly with her little hands, nodding vigorously.
She thought for a moment, then tiptoed upstairs into the room and took out the blanket covered with pink bunnies from her own bed.
She puckered her little face, stood on tiptoe, and carefully covered Su Chen's legs with the milky-scented blanket.
Xingruo also put down what she was doing, walked over, and silently took away the rag that Su Chen had placed beside him. She also replaced the water that had gone cold next to Su Chen with warm water.
At that moment, a silent tenderness flowed through the shop.
In the kitchen, Chen Feng picked up the spatula again.
He handled the ingredients very gently.
The most important part of the dish "stir-fried pork intestines" is the word "stir-fried".
Chen Feng first cut the cleaned large intestine into even diamond-shaped pieces and blanched them in boiling water.
As the water temperature rose, the aroma of baijiu and ginger slowly rose. He deftly took out the wok, heated the oil, and when the oil was at the perfect temperature, poured the now firm and elastic pork intestines into the wok.
"Sizzle—"
Chen Feng kept the sound to a minimum.
The aroma of scallions, ginger, and garlic bursts forth instantly.
Feng tossed the wok with one hand, and the fatty intestines in the pot tumbled and were quickly coated with a thick sauce.
The strong aroma slowly diffused in the air, penetrating Su Chen's heavy dream.
Su Chen had a dream.
In his dream, he was sitting in a completely transparent glass conference room, surrounded by people in suits with indistinct faces. They kept talking in his ear about "losses," "hedging," and "risks."
The icy pressure was suffocating him.
Suddenly, a crack appeared in the wall of the conference room, and a plume of smoke carrying the aroma of soy sauce and the smell of fire rushed in.
In that cloud of smoke, he heard Zhang Qiang's rough laughter, Mengmeng's sweet, childlike calls, and an extremely domineering aroma that made his mouth water.
He seized the scent, like a drowning man grabbing onto a piece of driftwood.
"Brother Chen..."
Su Chen let out a muffled murmur and suddenly sat up straight.
His face still bore the red marks from his arm pressing against it.
He looked around blankly, his gaze lingering for two seconds when he saw the pink rabbit blanket on his lap, before the strong aroma of burnt intestines completely awakened his senses.
"Awake?" Chen Feng was carrying a steaming plate of braised pork intestines covered in a glossy sauce as he walked out of the kitchen.
Su Chen rubbed his face vigorously, still a little dazed, but his first reaction was to abruptly push back his chair and stand up, frantically starting to tidy the table, his eyes showing a sense of "dereliction of duty" and unease.
"Brother Chen, I'm so sorry... I fell asleep... I'll go set the table right away! Isn't it... isn't it time to serve the food?"
His voice still had a heavy nasal tone, and his movements looked somewhat comical due to muscle soreness, but his subconscious "serve the food" made Chen Feng and Xing Ruo pause for a moment.
Chen Feng held the plate and looked at the former young master, who was now preoccupied with "serving the food." A smile of extreme satisfaction unconsciously appeared on his lips.
"What dishes are served? This plate is for us."
Chen Feng pushed the plate of bright red and tempting braised pork intestines in front of Su Chen, then turned to Mengmeng and Xingruo and said:
"We don't entertain outsiders. Let me cook a few more dishes, and we'll eat when Qiangzi arrives!"
Su Chen stood there, looking at the plate of glistening, oily intestines, and then at everyone's concerned eyes.
He grinned foolishly, revealing his clean white teeth.