Union Of Enemies Chapter 9

Gu Jing’s swollen pig face was bandaged so she wouldn’t scratch her face. She didn’t mind staying home, except her mum watched her vigilantly. It meant she couldn’t drink alcohol, eat spicy food, eat meat or eat seafood for three days. She begged for a little red meat of even a little chicken, but her mum didn’t cave in front of her teary red eyes.

Gu Jing saw an opportunity to smuggle braised pork and eggs into her deflated stomach when her mum was busy tidying the kitchen.

Gu Jing’s dry fingers grabbed a piece of braised pork meat set on the dining table, but she felt chopsticks appeared out of thin air and it clasped her dry fingers together.

‘Ah! Zhen-Lang! Let go of my fingers!’ Gu Jing cried out.

‘Ok,’ Zhen Lang said. He released Gu Jing’s fingers from his chopsticks. ‘Aunty, Gu Jing’s eating behind your back.’

Gu Jing didn’t understand why she heard Zhen Lang’s voice for more than twenty years, yet his voice never ceased to make her arms and feet itchy.

‘Does it have to be this way? It’s only one piece of braised pork meat,’ Gu Jing said. She retrieved her fingers and shoved the meat in her mouth. ‘We’re adults now. Do you have to be this childish?’

‘Ah!’ Gu Jing cried out and she spat out the meat that burnt her tongue.

Mrs Gu poked her head through the dining room door and she looked suspiciously at her daughter. ‘Did you eat meat behind my back?’

Gu Jing covered her mouth and she shook her head.

Zhen Lang smiled and he put his gla.s.s of water and ice in front of Gu Jing.

Gu Jing didn’t care if her enemy’s food and drinks gave her an allergic reaction or not, she picked up Zhen Lang’s gla.s.s of water and she drank it to cool her burnt tongue. ‘No mum, no one’s eating meat behind your back.’

Gu Jing rested her chin on the dining table and she stared lovingly at the meat and seafood dishes. She swallowed her saliva, it was her misfortune her enemy watched her vigilantly as her mum.

The unsympathetic Mrs Gu put a bowl of plain white rice congee in front of her daughter. ‘This is yours.’

Gu Jing looked at her bowl of congee, there was no meat, no seafood and not even onions. She looked back at the meat and seafood dishes on the dining table like a dog who begged for leftover meat.

‘Mum, can I at least have pickled cuc.u.mber?’ Gu Jing asked her mum who she suspected found her in a rubbish bin.

‘Get it yourself,’ Mrs Gu said. She carefully scooped a bowl of soup and she put it in front of Zhen Lang. ‘Lang Lang, eat this nutritious bowl of soup. It took aunty one day and one night to make the soup broth.’

Gu Jing sniffed the delicious scent of the soup and she smiled sweetly. ‘Mum, what soup did you make for Zhen Lang?’

‘The soup is increase Lang Lang’s stamina,’ Mrs Gu said.

Gu Jing laughed and she spat out the mouthful of congee.

Mrs Gu’s hands shielded Zhen Lang’s bowl of soup. ‘Don’t contaminate Lang Lang’s soup.’

‘Aunty, it’s ok,’ Zhen Lang said. He looked at Gu Jing and he smiled. ‘My stamina is in good condition.’

‘Of course you need to increase your stamina. My daughter is hard to serve. I’ll make more nutritious meals to increase your stamina before I leave,’ Mrs Gu said.

‘Yes, aunty,’ Zhen Lang said and he stirred the bowl of soup with his spoon.

Gu Jing covered her mouth to calm her laughter. ‘Zhen Lang, my mum spent a whole day and night to make your bowl of soup. Don’t make my mum sad, make sure you eat your bowl of soup and then eat another serving of soup.’

Zhen Lang forced himself to swallow a mouthful of the soup and he nearly spat it out when he heard Gu Jing wanted him to have a second serving of soup. He lifted his head and smiled at Gu Jing. ‘Gu Jing, you want me to eat a second serving of soup?’

‘Of course,’ Gu Jing said. She nodded her head and she happily ate her plain white rice congee, which tasted delicious after she knew what soup Zhen Lang was eating. ‘I hope your stamina is increased a lot. The more nutritious food you eat the healthier you are.’

Of course Gu Jing hoped Zhen Lang’s stamina increased, she wanted his stamina to increase to the point the blood pressure clotted his brain and his body would explode.

Gu Jing was too busy gulping down her congee that she didn’t notice her mum looked suspiciously back and forth between her and Zhen Lang.

Zhen Lang’s phone rang, there was an emergency, he stood and he put on his jacket. ‘Aunty, the hospital called to ask me to do an emergency surgery.’

‘Lang Lang go ahead, work is more important,’ Mrs Gu said.

Zhen Lang rushed to the front door. ‘Aunty, the next few days I’ll be home late. You don’t have to make dinner for me.’

Mrs Gu nodded her head. She waved bye to Zhen Lang. Suddenly Mrs Gu and Zhen Lang simultaneously looked at Gu Jing who was eyeing Zhen Lang’s barely touched bowl of soup, Mrs Gu and Zhen Lang exchanged a secret smile.

The moment Zhen Lang left, Mrs Gu initiated the first step of her plan for her daughter’s future. ‘Being a doctor is demanding, it’s hard for Zhen Lang to even finish a meal without interruption. He only ate two mouthfuls of soup, how is going to have enough energy for the rest of the day?’

Gu Jing’s eyes carefully a.s.sessed Zhen Lang’s abandoned bowl of soup. What two mouthfuls? He barely ate one mouthful of soup. ‘Mum, are you certain the hospital called him? Don’t you think it’s more like you scared him away with your nutritious bowl of soup?’

Mrs Gu knocked her daughter’s head. ‘Zhen Lang isn’t like you, he was good since he was a child.’

Gu Jing rubbed her sore head, she regretted she wasn’t more careful of her mouth. In her parents’ hearts and Zhen Lang’s parents’ hearts, Zhen Lang was always the epitome of goodness. That was why Zhen Lang showed his real evil self in front of her, he wasn’t scared she would reveal his secret because no one would believe her.

Gu Jing lost her appet.i.te and she walked back to her jail cell.

Later in the evening Gu Jing’s stomach rumbled and she distracted her hunger with TV. The TV inconsiderably advertised instant noodles, savory biscuits and frozen tropical fruits. The more she watched the louder her stomach rumbled.

Gu Jing closed her eyes, but roasted ducks and grilled minced pork patties circled her head. She buried her bandaged face into her pillow. She regretted she couldn’t cook and she didn’t dare to go outside to buy food with her bandaged face. She looked at the clock on the wall and her eyes lit up, her mum always slept early and the fridge was guard free!

Gu Jing crawled outside to the dark kitchen and she b.u.mped into something. ‘Ah!’

Gu Jing’s hands touched the object in front of her, it wasn’t too hard or too soft. It was smooth, firm and she felt clear creases. She scratched and rubbed the object in front of her and her hands slowly moved down.

‘If your hands move any lower, I’ll tell aunty you tried to seduce me in the middle of the night,’ Zhen Lang said.

Gu Jing retrieved her hands like nothing happened, she stood and she turned on the kitchen light.

Gu Jing saw the object she touched in the dark, it was Zhen Lang’s chest. He stood in the kitchen in a loose robe.

Gu Jing’s eyes looked at Zhen Lang’s opened robe, if her hands moved down another two centimetres it would have moved down pa.s.sed his stomach. ‘In the future don’t walk around the house half naked, make sure you wear proper clothes.’

Gu Jing sat at the dining table and her mouth drooled at the sight of a bowl of congee with minced pork, eggs and onions. She picked up a spoon and she looked at Zhen Lang. ‘If you don’t want to die, don’t tell my mum.’

Zhen Lang held Gu Jing’ hand that held the spoon. His hand was a little cold and wet like he just showered. But she only cared that he didn’t refuse her request, she put the spoon down and pulled her hand out of his hands.

Gu Jing ran to the fridge – her beer, her junk food… all gone. She checked each section of the fridge, nothing but vegetables and raw meat. She ran back to the dining room. ‘Hey, have you see the food I bought in the fridge.’

Zhen Lang swallowed the last mouthful of congee. He stood, walked pa.s.sed Gu Jing and he washed the empty bowl and spoon in the kitchen. Then he walked pa.s.sed her to his bedroom.

Gu Jing followed Zhen Lang to his bedroom, but he closed his bedroom door and it nearly hit her nose.

Gu Jing pressed her ear against the closed Zhen Lang’s bedroom door to check if he was changing his clothes.

‘I threw it out,’ Zhen Lang said from inside his bedroom.

Gu Jing thought she misheard Zhen Lang. Did he say he threw it out? Her beer and her junk food? Then what was she supposed to eat and drink?

Gu Jing wanted to kick down Zhen Lang’s bedroom door, but she was scared it would wake up her mum. She rubbed her tragic stomach and she returned to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and looked for food she could eat raw, there was the lettuce which she knew if she washed it she could eat it raw… but she didn’t know if the water spinach could be eaten raw. Her stomach was right to rumble, she wasn’t a rabbit, why did she need to eat raw vegetables?

Gu Jing looked at the kitchen bench and she saw Zhen Lang forgot to wash the pot of congee. She lunged at the pot, she lifted the lid and she was overjoyed there was enough congee with minced pork, eggs and onions left to fill half a bowl.

Gu Jing picked up a spoon and she happily ate the leftover congee. She laughed at the foolish Zhen Lang, he threw away her beer and junk food but he still couldn’t starve her to death. Her thoughts cheered her up and she felt the leftover congee tasted delicious.