"Hey, you mind if I stay at your place?"
"Huh?" Dan Lue stood dumbfounded at the young man standing at his door. "Sir A-Kuai, what are you doing here?"
"Eh," A-Kuai scratched his head, casually, "figured it best to give my sister some space during her honeymoon period."
"Oh," Ren Dong and Wen Tu's wedding happened earlier this week. It was a small affair with a few villagers who were friends with Ren Dong's late father.
Although Ren Dong was okay with the villagers knowing she was marrying a woman, Wen Tu decided against it, insisting she should continue playing her act as the groom for the time being.
So, on the day of the wedding, the scene of a pretty boy marrying a handsome woman playing out in the beautiful woods under the same tree that Wen Tu and Ren Dong had their date.
Dan Lue would be lying if he said that he wasn't sad that Ren Dong was marrying another, but Dan Lue resigned his fate. He would only be a kid brother in Ren Dong's eyes.
The wedding carried out smoothly now that the fox was dead, and the couple went home happy.
Shortly after the ceremony, Dan Lue went home to tell his parents that he was moving out of the house. Of course, his mother was against it; however, his father supported his decision. He even gifted him with a small family residence that has been unused and resided on the foothill of the local mountain.
It was a little ways away from the village, but Dan Lue surprisingly found that he enjoyed the serenity of nature after a few nights in the dilapidated hut.
"So, can I stay or not," A-Kuai cut into Dan Lue's inner monologue.
"Oh, um, sure. Come right in," stepping aside, Dan Lue let the bunny through the door.
"Thanks," A-Kuai replied as he untied the bundle around his neck. Placing on the table, he did a few stretches before untying his pack.
"What you got in there?" Closing the door, Dan Lue gave a few inquiries glances at the small blue bundle.
"The most important thing," A-Kuai said as he pulled out a large stack of books.
"Books?" No clothes or necessities? What is this rabbit thinking? That his house in an inn?
"Yep," A-Kuai nodded as he took a seat on a small wooden stool and flipped open his novel.
"What's so great about books?" Dan Lue only saw books on a few occasions, such as his family's account books. However, he paid no heed to them. To him, they were the equivalent to squiggly drawings that children drew in the summer mud.
"What's so great about books?" Compared to a bag of rice or produce, books had no real value to him. If you can't eat it or save for winter, then what was the point?
"Ah, you poor boy," A-Kuai sighed and looked at Dan Lue as if he were a small child. "Its a shame at your age that you don't know the pleasure of reading a good book."
"Hey, I know how to read," sort of Dan Lue knew to an extent what the posters on the villages bulletin meant, but he received most of the information through word of mouth, like all village folk.
"Young man, don't you know education is the differentiator between men and beasts," A-Kuai lectured. "Between nobles and peasants?"
"Tough words coming from a rabbit demon."
"Hey, don't you know that in the end, most demons wish to ascend into becoming immortals? Becoming educated is one of those crucial steps."
"Well, I still don't see why they are that important," Dan Lue flume. His face flushed with embarrassment from the young man's words.
"Ha, no need to be embarrassed," A-Kuai waved off. "If you wish to learn to read, then I can teach you."
"No, thanks, I'll pass."
"Hm, alright," A-Kuai smiled.
Dan Lue's face burned an even deeper shade of red. "I-I'm going to go and get some water to make dinner. I'll be back soon." Walking of the door, he let a sigh of relief as the cold night air pricked his face.
He wasn't sure as to why he was suddenly getting flustered with the young boy.
He was a man! Why would he be affected by another man!
He still had his pride!
Brushing off these silly thoughts, Dan Lue went off to carry his task of collecting water. "Tsk, being attracted to men," what a joke.
---
"So, how is Miss Ren Dong and Miss Wen Tu?" Simmering the chunks of potatoes and green onions, Dan Lue mixed the pot of soup. "Are they happy?"
"Eh, they seem happy," A-Kuai shrugged as he flipped to the next page of his novel.
They're so happy that A-Kuai hadn't been able to get a proper night of rest since their wedding day.
During the day, he was feed dog food endlessly, and at night he had to deal with that obnoxious squeaking noise coming from their bedroom.
He would instead not think about the extra 'melodies' coming from his sister's bedroom.
Curse enhanced hearing.
After having to deal with a week's work of restless nights and a never-ending buffet of dog food, A-Kuai packed up his books and bid his sister and sister-in-law farewell.
'Tsk,' A-Kuai shook his head. 'I don't even know why I bother with Big Sis. In the end, everyone forgets about the best little brother in the world.'
;-;
"But how long would they be able to be together?" After all, one was a mortal woman and the other a rabbit demon. "Wouldn't Miss Ren-"
"Big Sis's cooking."
"Huh?" Dan Lue was dumbfounded. "Cooking?"
Sighing, A-Kuai put down his book at looked at the confused gentleman. "My sister's food has a special property to them. Eh, it's sort of complicated."
"I'm all ears."
"Well, whenever my sister cooks, something about it not only makes it super delicious, but it extends one's life? Sort of? As I said, it's complicated."
"Huh, so she is like an immortal cook?"
"Uh, yeah. I suppose," A-Kuai nodded. He was sure there was more to it, but even when his sister showed him how to do, he could never replicate it.
'Ah, A-Kuai, it's because you don't put love into your food!' His sister's voice rang in his head as he thought about that time.
"Love?" A-Kuai looked down at the dish he made. "How do I put love into food?" Is that even physically possible?
"No, no, no!" Wen Tu shook her head. "Think! Imagine the one you love eating your food after a long day of work or simply warming up their cold, tired body with your cooking! That's how you put love into your food. Simply thinking about the one in your heart, and if done correctly, your loved one will feel energized and might even live longer!"
"Huh, I think there's more to it, Big Sis," A-Kuai stated disbelievingly.
Wen Tu let out an exasperated sigh and flicked her brother's forehead. "For someone so smart, how could you not know these simple things?"
"Love, huh," A-Kuai mumbled. He was sure that there was more to it, but his sister was insistent that the 'special' ingredient was love.
"I'm sorry?" Dan Lue's words suddenly interrupted A-Kuai out of his trance.
"It's nothing," A-Kuai waved off as he picked up his book once more.
His sister is so ridiculous. How can you put emotion into food?
"Uh, okay," Dan Lue scratched his head at the strange rabbit. One moment they were having a conversation, the next, the rabbit seemed to drift off into another time. "Well, um, dinner's ready," placing down a bowl of soup, the soft steam curled elegantly into the air.
"Thank you for the food," A-Kuai said before taking a spoon full of the potato soup.
Strange, his unusually didn't prefer to eat cooked foods unless it was Big Sis's cooking. However, he found the simple soup quite pleasant.
"You're surprisingly a good cook."
"Surprisingly?" Dan Lue rose a brow. "Uh, thanks? On rare occasions, I need to cook for my family when my mother can't. I suppose that's the task of being the oldest."
"Hmm," A-Kuai hummed as he took another bite of the soup.
The two ate in silence until not a single drop of soup was left. Since there was only one bed in the small house, A-Kuai reverted to his rabbit form, much to Dan Lue's surprise.
So the current sleeping situation was that Dan Lue was on the bed, and A-Kuai slept on top of an extra pillow on the side table.
'Hmm, there's a hole in the roofing,' looking up, A-Kuai stared at the small hole that revealed the bright night sky above the hut. 'I guess I should fix it for him,' A-Kuai thought as he looked over at Dan Lue's sleeping figure. He could consider this a thank you for hosting him for the time being.
As A-Kuai's thoughts began to wonder, sleep slowed lured him into the dark.