Chapter 341: Chapter 341: Night Talk (Part 1)
Translator: 549690339
âOh dear! Chef Xiang, you really neednât be so kind. Itâs good to have you back. Why are you carrying all these things?â Once she saw Xiang Kun with all these packages, Yang Zhen Er couldnât help but joke and try to grab his stuff.
Unexpectedly, Xiang Kun directly shoves those bags into her hands, laughing, âOf course, of course! We have many specialties in Citong.â
Before she knew it, Yang Zhen Er found Xiang Kun had already exited the terminal with Old Xia and Tang Bao Na, who was smirking behind her hand. She hurriedly followed, carrying all the bags, âHey! Chef Xiang! Nana! Old Xia! Help me with these, why are you giving them all to me? Oh come on, Iâm going to drop them, really I willâŠâ
âYou can throw them away. After all, those are meant for you guys to eat.â Xiang Kun laughed back, proceeding forward without looking back, pushing Old Xia and Tang Baona along.
âHey! Youâre really leaving?â Yang Zhen Er looked at the pile of bags Xiang Kun shoved into her hands, most of which seemed to be vacuum-packed food, so she frowned for a moment, then begrudgingly half-dragged, half-carried them out of the terminal.
Once Yang Zhen Er exited the terminal, looking like a penguin carrying bags, she spotted the trio hiding not far away. She immediately dropped her load, complaining, âYou really ditched me, huh? I can forgive Xiang Kun for not being a gentleman, but Nana, Old Xia, Iâve been so nice to you guys! You leave me behind too? Whereâs the loyalty, the love?â
Tang Baona immediately came up to help, laughing, âXiang Kun made a bet with me when we left earlier. I thought you would get angry and drop everything, but he said you wouldnât dare to throw away food. Youâd definitely carry it all out.â She shook her head regretfully, âAh, I canât believe I lost.â
Xiang Kun and Old Xia also came over to help her carry. âAdmit it, Old Yang, youâre just greedy for the food I brought.â
Yang Zhen Er gave him a kick, âOld Yang my ass! Iâm not a glutton! I just appreciate that you brought all this stuff for us and didnât feel good about ditching it⊠anyway, itâs not because Iâm a foodie. But did you really need to bring so much? Iâd believe you if you said you were trying to open a storeâŠâ
Xiang Kun kept moving and said, âItâs not just for you two, but also Chang Bin, Yang Zhuo, Yang Jie, Zhang Qian. Thereâs also a portion for Zi ChengâŠâ
When Yang Zhen Er looks surprised, clearly feeling deceived, Tang Baona laughingly patted her shoulder, âYou can have my share.â
âEh? Eh? Nana, Iâm not a glutton!â
The group made it to the parking lot amid laughter. When they got in the car, Yang Zhen Er looked Xia Libing up and down, âOld Xia, have you put on weight?â
After considering for a second, Xia Libing replied, âThough I havenât weighed myself, considering my caloric intake recently, that is possible.â
âHow many of the five meals Xiang Kun owes you has he paid back yet?â Tang Baona joked.
Xia Libing corrected, âI owe him five meals, actually.â He thought for a while and said, âStrictly speaking, buying groceries from the supermarket counts as two meals. He came to my house and âmadeâ a meal using the ingredients I bought, so there are two left. â
Tang Baona asked curiously, âWhat about not âstrictly speakingâ?â
Xia Libing replied, âHe made a few meals from leftovers. They were too simple, and I didnât buy any new ingredients, so they donât count. Also, he invited me for a meal at his place on New Yearâs Eve, and sent me supper that night. So, in a âtruly strict senseâ, he owed me two more meals which should be added. Meaning I still âoweâ him four meals.â
Xiang Kun, who had just stowed their luggage in the trunk, opened the back seat door while complaining, âOld Xia, when did you learn your cousinâs rogue-like logic? If we keep counting this way, the meals I owe you⊠eh? No, I mean the meals you owe me, youâd never be able to finish in your lifetimeâŠâ
Tang Baona laughed, âXiang Kun still owes me a whole bunch of meals too.â She had helped Xiang Kun with voice samples and video editing for âYoulong Play Rabbitâ, for which he had promised âbanquetsâ each time â far from being paid back in full.
Xiang Kun said helplessly, âAnyway, whether youâre treating me or Iâm treating you, Iâm the one whoâs going to be cooking.â
âBut thatâs because youâre a great cook! You wouldnât dare eat if we made it, haha!â Laughed Tang Baona.
Yang Zhen Er, sitting in the driverâs seat, grumbled back, âChef Xiang, youâd better be clear! What do you mean by my ârogue-like logicâ? If I had that, why donât you owe me several meals? Never mind, now that youâve accused me of being a rogue, Iâll be a rogue! You bet with Nana just now, right? What was the stake? Nothing? Then listen to me. The bet is for you to win two meals from Nana. She will then transfer those two meals to me, so I âoweâ you two meals. Make a list of ingredients, and weâll go grocery shopping when you have time. Then you can come over and cook!â
âHow did I end up sounding like Iâm being ordered around like a professional chef?â Xiang Kun laughed.
Under Yang Zhen Erâs suggestion, they didnât go straight home. They decided to go to Old Xiaâs house first, order some late-night snacks, and chat while eating.
Usually, Xiang Libing didnât express much opinion about what to eat, but surprisingly this time he took the initiative to call for a takeout and directly suggested barbecue.
Tang Baona worried, âIf we get barbecue, will Xiang Kun like it?â She thought that Xiang Kun has always been more careful about his diet and wouldnât like to eat such calorie-dense food at night.
Xiang Kun clearly understood why Old Xia proposed having barbecue and laughed saying, âIâve fallen for it too recently. I just love barbecues, particularly the chicken wings; theyâre my favourite!â
Yang Zhen Er, who was driving, immediately exclaimed, âEh?! Brother Xiang, youâre in the chicken wing camp? You heretic! Arenât chicken legs aromatic? Donât they have more meat?â
âChicken wings are the popular choice. Letâs vote: those who like grilled chicken legs say âoneâ, those who prefer grilled chicken wings donât need to say anything.â
âOneâŠ.Hold on! Xiang Kun, youâre playing tricks on me! Iâll ask one by one, Old Xia, do you prefer chicken legs or wings?â Yang Zhen Er said loudly.
Xia Libing, sitting in the back seat, replied very simply, âChicken wings.â
âWhat? Girl, I feel disappointedâŠNana, your turn, you must prefer grilled chicken legs, right?â
âWellâŠI kind of prefer chicken wings too. Iâm not much of a carnivoreâŠâ Tang Baona said, holding back her laughter.
âThatâs not possible! This is not fair! You guys are doing this on purpose, arenât you? Chicken legs are definitely tastier than wings. Itâs a universally accepted fact, itâs a law! Why do you all love chicken wings? Heresy!! Fine, Iâll start a discussion online later and ask people whether they prefer chicken wings or legs!â Yang Zhen Er grumbled. âNana, you have many followers on the B site, why donât you post a video asking for their opinion?â
Youâre kidding, right? Me, a singer, asking if people prefer grilled chicken wings or legs? Am I invading the food community?â Tang Baona laughed and replied.
âSwitching to food broadcasting is also a good idea. If you agree to show your face, I guarantee youâll gain followers faster than singing. Hey, hereâs an idea, do one episode of you eating chicken legs and one episode of wings. Then see which gets more likes and coins, how about it?â Yang Zhen Er suggested with an expression that said she had just had a great idea.
âYou do the broadcasting!â Tang Baona helplessly replied. Then she remembered something, picked up her phone, found a video, and handed it to Xiang Kun. âOh, by the way, this is a new song Apple and I recorded today. Sheâs getting better and better at singing. In the comments of the video I posted, lots of people are asking who the cute-sounding girl is. Iâve already talked to Professor Li about setting up an account for Apple, and next time Iâll post a video of her singing alone. Iâll help her make the mixed clip video.â
Xiang Kun listened. The song they sang together was a Cantonese song called âHard to Find a Loverâ.
Tang Baonaâs voice was as astonishingly strong as ever, soaring high like an eagle. Her Cantonese pronunciation was quite natural and standard, but her powerful voice sounded somewhat strange in such a soft love song. Yet, paired with Appleâs cute voice and imprecise Cantonese, it created a peculiar contrast, which made the song sound very interesting and harmonious. In fact, it highlighted their voicesâ unique features and concealed their deficiencies.
âItâs indeed wonderful,â acknowledged Xiang Kun.
Tang Baona said, âIn addition to music videos, Apple can also create other types of videos, such as explaining and popularizing bird-related knowledge. She just needs to conceive the script and narration. I can help her find materials and edit the videos for her. Educational videos have become quite popular on the B site. And considering the knowledge she shared during our previous video chats, it seems like she has integrated her learnings with her own experiences. She can hear a lot of details that ordinary people canât, so she has a lot of exclusive information and different perspectives to share. Plus, she has an appealing voice and interesting way of talking. These are her core competencies; Iâm sure many people will love her videos.â
Xiang Kun agreed with her opinion and laughed, saying, âApple is truly fortunate to have you older sisters.â
âOh, stop it, thereâs no such thing as luck or fortune. Apple is a very good girl!â Tang Baona said.
Yang Zhen Er, who was driving, also chimed in, âIndeed, Apple is smart and talented. She picks up things easily, like flipping coins; Nana and I tried for ages but couldnât do it, while Apple got it right on her first tryâŠOh, Old Xia too, but Old Xia is a monster and doesnât count.
âEh? Brother Xiang, if you donât take back your âGolden Sparkleâ soon, it might become Liâs, you know. It seems to like Apple more! Apple can command it directly; itâs very obedient and intelligent. Itâs like the Border Collie among canaries! Eh, why couldnât Nana and I get it to do anything when we tried?â
Xiang Kun chuckled, âNo problem, Apple has decided to train âGolden Sparkleâ to be her guide bird. It makes more sense for âGolden Sparkleâ to stay with her as it can realize its life value better. Oh, I mean bird-life value.â
Yang Zhen Er remembered something and said, âBy the way, during our video chats with Apple over the past few days, we noticed that she seemed very excited and high spirited. We asked her if something good happened during the Spring Festival, but she denied it and just said that she was happy about the new year. But Iâm sure there must be something more. Apart from video chats, she seldom showed up in group chats or responded to WeChat messages in a timely manner. I suspect she might be in an online relationship. Itâs quite normal for her, at her age, to be experiencing the onset of love. I just hope she doesnât get deceived by bad people onlineâŠâ
Obviously, Xiang Kun knew why Apple had been excited and high spirited recently. She now believed she had superpowers and had even used them for good deeds. She had also expanded her sensory abilities through her auditory connection with âGolden Sparkleâ. Naturally, she had reasons to be excited.
Her decreased online presence and slower response to WeChat messages were likely due to her busy training âGolden Sparkleâ as Xiang Kun had suggested earlier. She was using it to gather more sensory information and collect information from farther distances.
âDonât worry, with you capable older sisters, Professor Li, and me, her awesome uncle, no one can bully Apple,â Xiang Kun assured them.
Suddenly Tang Baona said, âWait a minute, we are Appleâs older sisters⊠but you are her uncle⊠The generational hierarchy doesnât add up.â
Yang Zhen Er also came to her senses and exclaimed, âBrother Xiang, youâre taking advantage of us!â
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Xiang Kun laughed, âDoesnât it just make you guys seem younger?â