27. The Abominable Glass Bottle

Xiaobai’s meal was dubbed the "Fishy Feast," while Xiaomi’s was called the "Whiskered Rice."

Zhang Tan had noticed some fibrous bits in the sand earlier, though he didn't recognize the plant; he guessed that was where the name came from. As it turned out, Xiaobai explained that these were the tassels from the tips of corn cobs, which she had brought specially from home. "Sand mixed with tassels—it tastes like heaven!" she claimed.

Having eaten Xiaobai’s "Fishy Feast," Zhang Tan couldn't skip Xiaomi’s "Whiskered Rice," or she surely would have burst into tears. Gritting his teeth, he endured another full meal under Xiaomi’s expectant gaze.

"Is it yummy?" Xiaobai asked hopefully.
"Is it yummy?" Xiaomi echoed in a small voice.

Zhang Tan nodded repeatedly, his mouth so stuffed he couldn't speak. After a long moment of struggling to swallow, he finally asked, "Why did you two decide to make me lunch today?"

In his heart, he was thinking: *Why target me? Isn't Teacher Liu good enough? Is Old Li not savory enough? Luo Zikang is dying to come over, yet you won't let him! And Xiaobai, are you silly? What a perfect chance for revenge, and you waste it on this!*

"Thank you, that's why," Xiaobai said, referring to Zhang Tan retrieving her water pistol.

Fair enough, that reason was acceptable. Zhang Tan looked at Xiaomi. What about her? This "Whiskered Rice" was enough to choke him to death. A man shouldn't suffer for no reason; there had to be a motive.

"Thank you," Xiaomi whispered, then fell silent. She was shy, keeping her head low and unable to look him in the eye. Xiaobai spoke up for her, explaining that it was to thank Uncle for taking her in.

Zhang Tan patted their little heads. Although the food was nearly impossible to swallow, their intentions were sweet. If only he could accept the sentiment without the actual eating, he would be much happier.

"I'm full, I'm really full. Thank you both," Zhang Tan said, reaching for his chopsticks to put them down. He asked with trepidation, "Can I put my chopsticks down now?"

Both Xiaobai and Xiaomi nodded. Zhang Tan let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as though a burden had been lifted.

"Are you really full, Uncle?" Xiaobai asked with concern.
"Really full," Zhang Tan replied. "It’s up to my throat."

Xiaobai and Xiaomi exchanged a happy look and waved. "If you're full, then you can go play."

Zhang Tan: "..."

The attitude, the tone—it almost made him lose his temper. What did they take him for? Their baby?

*I really thank you for that,* he thought, rising to leave. He thought of the real, delicious meal waiting at home, now turned cold. Suddenly, his stomach let out a loud rumble.

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle..."

Zhang Tan froze in place. *Emmmm,* how embarrassing. Xiaobai and Xiaomi were staring at his stomach, then up at his face. They whispered to each other for a moment, picked up their bucket, and decided to go get another load of sand to make Uncle something else to eat. Clearly, he hadn't had enough!

Xiaobai even boasted that this time she would bring out her specialty: "Fishy Fried Earthworms," which translated to "fat fish fried with long earthworms."

Zhang Tan dared not linger. He bolted, but not before being clever enough to report them to Teacher Liu, suggesting that since the two kids were sneaking off to play in the dirt, they should be brought back for some proper, disciplined playtime.

After "burning the bridge," he returned home safely. Sure enough, his own cooking had grown cold, but since it was summer, cold food was fine. He had originally intended to ask Xiaobai if she wanted a bite, but instead, he had been forcibly fed a "free" meal against his will.

The Whiskered Rice was one thing, but the Fishy Feast had truly ruined his appetite. The thought of the earthworms in that glass jar—and the fact that he had actually "eaten" them—made his throat heave. The pasta he had cooked himself suddenly became impossible to swallow. He kept feeling like he was eating those two wriggling earthworms.

*Ugh!*

Zhang Tan pulled a cold can of beer from the fridge, cracked it open, and gulped it down to calm his nerves. After a while, he managed to compose himself and sat back down at the table to try eating again. Just then, the door rang.

His hand, just reaching for the chopsticks, trembled, and they clattered onto the table. *What a disaster,* he thought, *look at what this has done to a twenty-two-year-old man.*

In his mind, he saw Xiaobai standing outside with her Fishy Feast and Xiaomi with her Whiskered Rice—two little girls with angel wings but horns growing out of their heads. The image was too vivid; he didn't dare think any further.

The knocking continued. Zhang Tan comforted himself: he had reported them to Teacher Liu, so it couldn't possibly be Xiaobai and Xiaomi again. They must have been caught; surely Teacher Liu had at least that much discernment.

"Who is it?" Zhang Tan braced himself and went to open the door.

"Zhang Tan, it's me."

*Huh?* Haha, it was Aunt Huang! See? It couldn't have been the girls; they must have been disciplined by Teacher Liu.

"Coming, coming!" Zhang Tan’s voice rose a few octaves, a huge weight lifting from his heart—a weight that felt oddly like the sand they’d been mixing.

"Aunt Huang, uh, oh..."

He had opened the door with a smile, and indeed, Aunt Huang was standing there. But then he looked down—oh, for heaven's sake! The two children were right there, beaming up at him with their little heads tilted!

Zhang Tan’s stomach contracted instinctively. He was terrified. But, thank goodness, the two children weren't holding any "food."

Aunt Huang, unaware of the chaos behind the scenes, smiled and said, "Zhang Tan, Xiaobai and Xiaomi said they wanted to come thank you."

Her smile was full of gratification and approval; she felt a great sense of accomplishment that the children under her watch were so sensible.

"Xiaobai, Xiaomi, didn't you have something to say to your brother? Go ahead."

"Thank you, Uncle," Xiaobai said first. Even though she was supposed to call him "brother," she still called him "Uncle."

Xiaomi followed suit: "Thank you, Uncle."

*Great,* he thought, *the good girl has learned bad habits too.*

Aunt Huang happily explained to Zhang Tan why they wanted to thank him. Zhang Tan listened with a smile, even though he had already heard it once.

"Come in and sit for a while," Zhang Tan invited.

"No, thank you..."
"Okay~~"

Two voices rang out at once. Xiaobai was the one who said "okay." She had just stepped forward when Aunt Huang grabbed her little arm and held her in place.

Aunt Huang smiled at Zhang Tan. "We won't sit. Their evening studies have already started, so I'm taking them back."

As she turned to leave with them, Xiaobai suddenly pulled a glass jar from behind her back. The jar was full of sand!

*No! The wretched glass jar!* Zhang Tan’s pupils constricted. *What I feared most has arrived.*

However, there didn't seem to be any earthworms this time; it was just filled with sand, and a small, delicate yellow flower was stuck in the opening.

"Uncle, for you," Xiaobai said, handing him the jar.

Aunt Huang looked even more pleased. "What a pretty little yellow flower."

She had turned the glass jar into a vase. Zhang Tan waved his hand, saying he appreciated the gesture but a vase wasn't necessary.

Xiaobai insisted, and Aunt Huang backed her up, urging Zhang Tan to accept it since it wasn't anything valuable—just a child's heartfelt gift.

Unable to refuse, Zhang Tan accepted it. But then, Xiaobai said something that made him shudder.

"That's the Fishy Fried Earthworms, Uncle. The 'earthworms' are in the sand, being kept nice and white."

*Clang!*

Zhang Tan lost his grip, and the jar fell to the floor and shattered. Sand scattered everywhere. Most importantly, two earthworms crawled out. A chill ran down his spine as he cursed silently: *You little rascal!*