Chapter 529: A Bitter Life
Has the sky… always been like this?
Qi Xia slowly furrowed his brow.
Isn't this just a normal sky?
Then why did he always feel something was off?
"Xia!" Yu Nian'an's voice came from the kitchen. "How about stir-fried bitter melon, eggs, and ham?"
"Bitter melon… eggs… stir-fried ham?" Qi Xia walked out of the room step by step, slowly moving toward the kitchen.
Hearing those three words, the corners of his eyes were already wet.
Standing outside the kitchen, watching that bustling figure, he revealed a smile filled with extreme bitterness and pain.
"An…"
"Huh?" Yu Nian'an turned around, startled. "What's wrong? Why did you sneak up behind me without making a sound…"
The next second, Qi Xia stepped forward and pulled the person before him fiercely into his arms.
"Ah!"
Yu Nian'an was startled, at a loss for what to do for a moment. She wanted to hug Qi Xia too, but her hands were still wet from washing vegetables.
"My hands are dirty…" Yu Nian'an said softly. "Xia, did you have a nightmare?"
"I don't remember…" Qi Xia choked out. "But everything is fine now… I feel like I'm fine…"
"Oh! I remember now!" Yu Nian'an said apologetically. "Xia, I forgot you said you don't like bitter melon and ham… I won't make it for you, but don't cry."
"No… this is perfect…" Qi Xia hugged his Yu Nian'an tightly. "I'm so scared… I was afraid you'd go into the kitchen and make the exact dish I had in mind… I was afraid you'd do all the things I like…"
Yu Nian'an clearly didn't understand. She reached out and patted Qi Xia. "There, there, Xia… Why are you always acting like a child? I just have a bad memory. The only vegetable left at home is bitter melon… I thought we could make do with a meal…"
Qi Xia was silent for a long time before slowly letting go of Yu Nian'an. His eyes were already bloodshot.
"Xia?" Yu Nian'an called tentatively again. "How about we just have scrambled eggs today?"
"Anything is fine…" Qi Xia said tremblingly. "Even if I have to eat bitter melon every day from now on, I'll swallow it without hesitation."
"You're so weird!" Yu Nian'an laughed. "If you like something, you like it. If you don't, you don't. Why force yourself?"
"I…" Qi Xia was about to speak when he noticed the walls around him were covered in cracks.
Countless fragments of memories flashed through his mind, leaving him feeling dazed.
When did his own home… get so many cracks?
Wait… Was his room always this dilapidated?
"I…" Qi Xia started to speak several times, wanting to tell Yu Nian'an that he felt something was strange, but he didn't know exactly what was off.
At this moment, his mind seemed entangled by countless dark clouds. No matter what he tried to think about, it all led to a haze.
"There, there." Yu Nian'an said softly. "Go sit outside first. I'll be there in a moment."
Qi Xia nodded like a puppet, then walked out of the room and sat down at the small single-person dining table.
The air smelled strange. It was as if something in the house had died and been left for a long time.
"It's time to clean the house…" Qi Xia touched the table in front of him and found a thick layer of dust on it.
The walls here were cracked, and the table and window glass were covered in dust. It seemed he had been too lazy lately, not even cleaning up.
After a short while, the sound of the stove being turned off came from the kitchen, followed by the range hood shutting down. Yu Nian'an walked out carrying a plate of steaming scrambled eggs.
"Xia! Feast your eyes and stomach!" Yu Nian'an grinned slyly. "When I was scrambling the eggs, I accidentally dropped the salt shaker into the pan… hehehe…"
As the plate was placed before him, Qi Xia felt something unbelievable.
Meeting Yu Nian'an this time… seemed different from before?
Yu Nian'an handed him a pair of chopsticks that were nearly rotten and about to break.
Qi Xia took them, picked up a wobbly piece of scrambled egg, and brought it to his mouth.
Very salty.
But he still savored it carefully before swallowing.
Things that are too sweet have never been life. What is hard to swallow yet carries an unbreakable attachment—that is life.
"An… aren't you eating?"
"I'm on a diet," Yu Nian'an laughed. "But this stuff is so bad… I doubt I'd eat it anyway… hehe."
Qi Xia nodded upon hearing this, picked up the plate, and began shoveling large mouthfuls into his mouth.
There was too much salt in the scrambled eggs; some clumps hadn't even been broken up. As he ate, the salty bitterness was overwhelming, accompanied by a crunching sound as it fell into his stomach. It didn't feel like a dish at all. But this was right.
She couldn't make it taste exactly as he had imagined. Only like this was correct.
When had Yu Nian'an's cooking ever been as good as he dreamed?
As Qi Xia ate this plate of salty, bitter scrambled eggs, his eyes filled with tears. This was the taste of the life he had imagined.
No matter how bitter what he swallowed was, Yu Nian'an was always by his side.
Even if the two of them were neither wealthy nor comfortable in the days they spent together, at least they were happy.
Even if they were just eating a plate of sand and dirt, perhaps they would still show contented smiles.
But why… why was this kind of life always an unattainable luxury?
When this thought arose in his mind, Qi Xia was momentarily stunned. He then turned his head to look at Yu Nian'an.
Wait… Yu Nian'an was right here beside him. How could such a thought be a luxury?
Qi Xia put down his plate and chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and kept his eyes fixed on Yu Nian'an without looking away.
"Uh…" Yu Nian'an laughed nervously. "Xia, is it really that bad? This is the first time I've seen you cry from eating something I made. I promise I'll never—"
"An," Qi Xia interrupted. "Are you happy?"
"Me?" Yu Nian'an paused for a moment. "Why wouldn't I be happy?"
"Do you want to be with me forever?"
"Of course!" Yu Nian'an smiled. "Haven't we already planned our future? You'll go find a decent job. You're so smart, I'm sure you can do it! I'll polish your shoes every day, straighten your tie, and cook a meal waiting for you to come home!"
"Is that so…" Qi Xia's voice choked up again.
"Even though we don't have anything now, we can buy things one by one! The first month, we'll get a microwave so my Xia doesn't always have to eat cold food. The second month, we'll get a robot vacuum so I can slack off, hehe! The third month, we'll upgrade to a bigger fridge…"
As Yu Nian'an spoke, a happy smile spread across her face. "Xia, in the future, this warm little home of ours will be filled with all kinds of furniture. When I have time, I'll buy decorations to spruce up the place. You can't complain that I'm spending too much money, okay…"
"But what if I wake up…?"
Tears streamed down Qi Xia's face all at once.
"What…?"
"An, what should I do if I wake up?" Qi Xia clutched his hair painfully. "Will you be standing there waiting for me…?"