Chapter 15
Although Zhu Letao gained the upper hand at the beginning of the foam battle by striking first and using her small, nimble body to dodge, the difference between her and Ye Chengji in strength and speed was simply too great.
Once Ye Chengji washed the foam from her eyes and regained her vision, the situation became a completely one-sided defeat.
Zhu Letao nevertheless continued fighting back with all her might, refusing to surrender.
In the end, Ye Chengji had to grab the slippery brat and rinse her clean before finally bringing the inexplicable battle to an end.
“Sister, I’m hungry! I want dinner!”
Now dressed in a clean set of clothes, Zhu Letao sat on the plastic stool with her feet raised. She watched Ye Chengji open the washing machine, pour in detergent, and clean the bathroom at the same time, all while clutching her empty stomach and shouting loudly.
Ye Chengji had discovered that the brat obediently called her Sister only when she wanted something or when the situation was unfavorable to her.
At all other times, she simply called Ye Chengji by name.
What a rude little brat.
Still, after spending so much time together, Ye Chengji was gradually becoming accustomed to the terrible personality of this child who had not yet grown into a villain but was already showing clear signs of becoming one.
“Wait until I finish cleaning. Sit there and behave.”
Unable to remain still, Zhu Letao went into their room, retrieved some milk candy, and returned to sit down. She continued watching Ye Chengji laboriously clean while eating her candy.
Watching Ye Chengji work was practically entertainment to accompany her snack. Not only did it make things more interesting, it even seemed to make the candy taste sweeter.
Had Ye Chengji heard what was currently going through that little head of hers, she would certainly have rolled her eyes.
As expected of a villain. You’re already treating other people’s suffering as emotional nourishment at such a young age?
At first, Zhu Letao happily watched Ye Chengji work. But after Ye Chengji ignored her for too long, she became unhappy again. Her feet stopped swinging.
“What are we having for dinner? Are we going to that noodle shop again?”
Ye Chengji was wringing out a cloth.
With the usual humidity in their area, if the bathroom was left wet after they bathed, it would not dry. Instead, frightening patches of mold would grow, so everything had to be wiped down immediately.
“Those two didn’t leave any money on the table today. If we eat outside every time, my savings will disappear in no time. Stop dreaming. Tonight, we’re eating food I cook.”
Seeing that Ye Chengji was speaking to her again, Zhu Letao resumed swinging her feet.
“Can you cook? What are you making? Will it taste bad? If it tastes terrible, can I spit it out? I’m so hungry. Can you hurry up, please?”
Having to deal with an unusually talkative child while working was extremely annoying.
Ye Chengji had noticed that the brat seemed to deliberately choose moments when she was busy to cause trouble. She simply focused on wiping the floor clean and stopped responding to the crisp noise beside her ear.
Zhu Letao became unhappy again and tightly pressed her lips together.
She jumped off the stool, dashed to Ye Chengji’s side, and climbed onto her back, demanding to be carried while Ye Chengji continued working.
Feeling the sudden weight on her back and hearing Zhu Letao’s muffled voice around the milk candy in her mouth, a vein bulged on Ye Chengji’s forehead.
“If you disturb me again, you won’t get dinner tonight, Zhu Letao.”
Zhu Letao rarely heard Ye Chengji call her by her full name. She found it somewhat novel and froze on her back.
In the next instant, Ye Chengji, whose patience was extremely limited, grabbed her by the back of her collar and tossed her onto the sofa.
Zhu Letao heard the lone wooden leg supporting the fabric sofa release an agonized creak. Her body bounced twice when it struck the cushions.
She blinked in confusion and took a long time to recover.
She sat alone on the sofa hugging her knees and sulking, slowly dissolving the milk candy in her mouth one small piece at a time.
Not even the sweet flavor improved her mood.
After a while, Ye Chengji finally finished drying the bathroom and confirmed that the washing machine had begun running.
She paid no attention to the silent brat glaring sharply at her. She was not Zhu Letao’s therapist, responsible for keeping her in a pleasant mood every moment of the day.
As far as Ye Chengji was concerned, everything was fine as long as the brat did not cause trouble or develop any malicious ideas.
Nothing else mattered.
Ye Chengji had already known how to cook fairly well when she was in third grade.
Her food did not taste bad, though it could not be called especially delicious either. No one had taught her, and she was too lazy to read recipes. She had figured out nearly everything by herself.
“We’re having egg fried rice tonight.”
Ye Chengji opened the refrigerator in the kitchen and found only some leftover rice from the previous evening, several eggs, and a small handful of wilted greens.
She immediately decided on the evening’s menu and called out to the brat waiting outside, but received no answer.
She did not care. She switched on the range hood, lit the stove, and poured oil into the pan.
As she repeatedly tossed and stirred the ingredients, the fragrance gradually spread through the crack beneath the kitchen door.
Zhu Letao had eaten only one milk candy so far. Rather than filling her stomach, it had made her even hungrier.
When she smelled the mouthwatering aroma, she swallowed and looked toward the kitchen hidden behind a sliding door.
The kitchen door silently opened a crack.
A small face furtively appeared through the widening gap, staring at Ye Chengji in her apron as she poured golden fried rice from the wok into a bowl.
“Sister, your egg fried rice smells delicious.”
Ye Chengji had noticed her long ago. Amused, she handed Zhu Letao the smaller bowl.
“That’s yours. Take it to the table and eat.”
Zhu Letao primly pressed her lips together and gave a small nod. She did not say anything unnecessary this time, but her hands moved very quickly as she accepted the bowl.
On the dining table were two bowls of egg fried rice and a plate of stir-fried greens—refreshing, if one wanted to describe them kindly, and bland if one did not.
Zhu Letao thought she must have been far too hungry. Otherwise, how could such ordinary egg fried rice and vegetables taste so delicious?
She could think of nothing except lowering her head and eating ravenously.
She ate until her little stomach bulged, then released a long, satisfied breath.
Immediately afterward, she heard the whisper of a demon.
“Now that you’ve eaten the food I cooked, you’re coming with me to apologize tomorrow.”
When it was time for bed, Ye Chengji did not immediately go to sleep. Instead, she took out her diary and recorded everything she had discovered and suspected that day, along with what she intended to do next.
After carefully studying the guidebook that evening, she had reached a conclusion.
That was right.
She needed to establish rules.
Good deeds would receive rewards, while bad deeds would be punished.
It was just like training a dog. If she remained consistent, even the stupidest child would eventually learn which actions were acceptable and which were not, and remember them permanently.
This would also gradually help Zhu Letao develop the correct three views.
Although Ye Chengji had no idea exactly which “three views” the term referred to, she remained firmly convinced of this.
Then there was studying.
The brat could not remain illiterate forever. As her guardian, Ye Chengji should properly supervise her education.
On the other hand…
Before going to sleep, Ye Chengji once again remembered all the grand claims she had made to the brat that day and painfully closed her eyes.
Why had she pretended to be more capable than she really was?
Now look what had happened.
She would have to lead by example too.
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