82: The Great Demon King Is Cramping Up (2)

The Great Demon King Is Cramping Up (2)

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Lin Jiage tried his best to appear composed. He walked slowly into the ward as he threw out an excuse that he crafted on the spot, "The Great Demon King is suffering from period cramps."0

"The Great Demon King?" Grandpa Lin frowned. "Do you mean Mr. Zhang? Isn't he a male professor?"

Ah...

Lin Jiage was silent for two seconds before he calmly replied with an 'Oh'. Then, "I left out a word. Wife. His wife."

"I see…" Grandpa Lin accepted Lin Jiage's explanation. He couldn't help recalling that the 'Great Demon King' that Lin Jiage mentioned—Professor Zhang—seemed to be in his sixties this year. For his wife to still be suffering from period cramps, their age gap sure was a little huge. Thus, he added, "... It seems like Professor Zhang's wife is pretty young."

Lin Jiage's lips twitched inconspicuously as he silently turned his head away.

Grandpa Lin also couldn't be bothered to waste his attention on his grandson anymore. He turned to Shi Yao and said, "Yaoyao, why are you still standing? Come here and sit down…"

Grandpa Lin's "Yaoyao" was like a whip lashing on Lin Jiage, causing his back to tense up.

Shi Yao quickly gave an obedient greeting of "Grandpa Lin" before making her way towards the hospital bed.

"Yaoyao, what brings you here today?" The tone which Grandpa Lin directed towards Shi Yao was as amicable and close as always.

But in this moment, the amicable voice sounded no different from a ticking time bomb in Lin Jiage's ears.

Before Shi Yao could even speak up, he had already forcefully interjected into the conversation and asked, "Shi Yao, you don't have any classes this afternoon?"

Shi Yao was just about to respond to Grandpa Lin's words when Lin Jiage abruptly cut in. Surprised, she froze.

H-he's actually taking the initiative to speak to me? It feels like the first time in years since he's done that...

Shi Yao was stunned for two seconds before she turned an incredulous look towards Lin Jiage.

She didn't speak, only responding with a simple, light nod.

She thought that he would drop the conversation there and get back to whatever he was doing, so she turned her attention back towards Grandpa Lin. However, who'd expect his calm voice to sound once more, "Have you eaten yet?"

Shi Yao's dark eyes swam around for a few moments before she gave Lin Jiage a hesitant nod. "I have... eaten."

"What did you eat?"

This... Was he trying to 'awkward converse[1]' with her?

Shi Yao blinked her eyes several times before responding, "Yuxiang shredded pork[2], red braised pork belly, Shuizhu fish[3], tea egg, a bowl of rice, and a bowl of pork rib corn soup…"

He was only using it to divert her attention away, did she really have to reply to him so earnestly?

But, who'd have thought that Soft Bun would be such a glutton? To be able to eat even more than me... For that little body to conceal such an astounding appetite—you really can't judge a book by its cover!

While Lin Jiage's mind wandered, Shi Yao had already turned her attention back to Grandpa Lin, "Grandpa Lin, you—"

Barely after Shi Yao began speaking, a screeching sound echoed in the room.

It was produced from a chair being dragged on the ground...

Following which, that chair was placed right behind Shi Yao.

Before Shi Yao could make sense of what was happening, the reticent Lin Jiage spoke up once more, "Sit down."

This sudden bit of attention left Shi Yao a little startled. She stared at the chair for a while before she turned to look at Lin Jiage, not daring to take a seat.

"Is it too dirty for you? I'll wipe it for you then…" As Lin Jiage spoke, he really did reach out to grab a tissue paper.

"No, no, that's not it." Alarmed, Shi Yao shook her head vehemently before fearfully sitting down.

[1] Awkward conversation is a slang in Chinese which refers to an attempt to sustain a conversation with someone who somehow manages to end the conversation abruptly each time, resulting in a fair bit of awkwardness. In this case, Shi Yao was ending the conversation with simple nods and replies, but Lin Jiage was pushing on forcefully through asking question after question.

[2] Yuxiang shredded pork is also otherwise known as fish-flavored pork slices. There is no fish in the dish, but the seasoning used for the pork happens to be the same for what those in Sichuan use to cook their fish as well.

[3] Shuizhu fish is a cooking method from Sichuan which involves stir-frying the fish with several condiments such as chili, ginger, etc. first before adding in water to boil it for a while.

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