Chapter 31

Her aunt’s cooking skills were just barely okay. She did not cook the meat long enough to bring out the essence of the braised meat.

Gu Jin finished the lean meat in her bowl and put down her chopsticks.

Then, she looked at An Mingji in front of her. He had wolfed down half a bowl of meat. His stomach had not been so full for a long time.

However, his stomach felt upset after he wolfed down so much braised meat.

Looking at the remaining braised meat in his bowl, he picked up another slice and shoved it into his mouth because he did not want to waste it.

Gu Jin frowned slightly and took the bowl away from him when she saw his expression. “Stop eating. You’re screwing up your stomach. I’ll cook for you next time if you like it. As long as you take care of your stomach, I promise that you’ll get to eat meat during every meal.”

At first, An Mingji still stared reluctantly at the bowl that Gu Jin grabbed away from him. He looked more at ease and even breathed a sigh of relief after he heard what Gu Jin said.

“Okay.”

He chewed the braised meat in his mouth before he swallowed it and rubbed his upset stomach.

Witnessing, Gu Jin became angry—not at him, but at herself.

She should have known that An Mingji would have a bad stomach after starving for so many years. Yet, she had forgotten to limit his diet.

She got him to stand up. “Go back to your room and let me massage your belly.”

Stepping out of the kitchen and going back to the room, Gu Jin saw that the number of people who had come to buy meat had reduced by half.

Her uncle was still chopping up meat while her aunt was playing the cashier with a bright smile on her face.

Gu Jin pulled back her gaze and brought An Mingji to the room.

“Lie on the bed.”

She went up to the wooden stand with the porcelain basin. After that, she poured warm water into the basin to warm up her hands before she walked to the bedside.

Meanwhile, An Mingji was lying on the bed motionless, his body appearing a little stiff.

“Relax. I’ll just give your stomach a massage so that it won’t feel bad at night.”

Gu Jin pulled up his shirt and gently massaged his belly, which was still covered in bruises.

His stomach was so full that when Gu Jin rubbed her hands on his belly, he groaned due to the discomfort and pain from his bloated stomach.

“Relax. It’ll be all right after a while.”

Gu Jin massaged his belly in a circular motion, clockwise and anticlockwise, three rounds each. Before long, the kid’s body started to ease up.

While she was doing that, her mind was thinking of their future plans.

“Do you still want to go to school, An?”

An Mingji tensed up again when he heard the question.

He looked at her cautiously, pressing his lips together. “No, I don’t.”

“You’re lying.” Gu Jin pouted. How could she not know that he was not telling the truth?

“I’m thinking about attending high school in the city in the second half of the year at my expense. It will be far from home, and I won’t be coming back for months.”

An Mingji tensed up even more when he heard what she said.

He had just been adopted today. He had a household registration and a family, but when he heard Gu Jin’s words, he panicked.

Sensing his uneasiness, Gu Jin smiled. “Calm down. Just hear me out until I finish.”

There was no way An Mingji could remain calm now. All he could think about now was that he was being abandoned again. If Gu Jin left, the Gu Family would kick him out eventually.

How could he not notice Grandpa Gu’s lukewarm attitude and Chen Hong’s unhappiness?

An Mingji was uneasy and in fear while Gu Jin took it all in. “I’ll bring you with me, of course. We will be leaving together. The thing is, I don’t know if you’ve abandoned your studies. What year should you be in right now?”