RPS – Chapter 48 Sweetness

Li Feng felt extremely sorry for Ka, who had been wrongly punched. During the meal, he could only try to make it up by piling Ka’s bowl with food. But Ka was truly unlucky—he just wanted to get a good meal, yet ended up getting punched by someone’s man to the point where he could barely eat. Looking at the table full of delicious dishes, wanting to eat but being afraid to open his mouth—it was a true struggle. In his heart, he secretly cursed Li: You didn’t even figure out the situation before throwing a punch. Do you know how hard it is for me? Now Ka barely dared to eat. The food had salt and a bit of spicy seasoning like ginger or Sichuan pepper; with his injured mouth, every bite hurt like hell.

He had no choice but to eat slowly, in small bites, just like a French lady delicately nibbling meat with her lips barely parted. After all, his lip had been split by Li’s punch, and opening his mouth wide was painful. Even his tongue had gotten bitten and was now wounded. How could it not sting when hot, salty food touched it?

Li Feng noticed that Ka was struggling to eat because of his injuries, but there wasn’t much he could do other than feel guilty and keep adding food to Ka’s plate. But this only made things worse—Li, sitting nearby, shot daggers with his eyes. Li Feng never added this many dishes to my plate! That jerk Ka was really cashing in on his injury.

Because Li Feng’s hand was injured, Baby was being held by Li instead.

“Baby, let Daddy ask you, is the food yummy?” Li kissed the baby’s soft cheek and pointed at Li Feng.

Li Feng put down his chopsticks and looked at Li and the baby. The baby was indeed hungry. Li was clumsy—even feeding milk from a bowl, he ended up spilling most of it on the baby instead. The baby drank less than what landed on his body. Li Feng didn’t want to waste any more or let the baby go through a milk bath, so he took over feeding duties. Of course, Li still held the baby, while Li Feng handled the feeding. The couple divided the labor and cooperated smoothly—one holding, one feeding—and their teamwork gave off a warm, loving vibe to those watching.

Li, on the other hand, felt smug. Let’s see how Li Feng keeps adding food to your plate now! So what if your lip’s a little cut? Acting like you got your teeth knocked out or something. Can’t even eat without needing someone to serve you? Though Li felt triumphant inside, he didn’t show it. Instead, he maintained the image of a doting father, holding the baby and playing the part of the “24-filial model dad.” He and Li Feng moved like clockwork—each time Li Feng fed the baby, Li would gently wipe the milk from the baby’s mouth with a small piece of soft animal hide made just for the baby.

While they were focused on feeding, they occasionally fed each other a bite, too. Neither of them had planned to, and Li Feng certainly hadn’t. In fact, he hadn’t even thought of it. But maybe it was because the food was so delicious, or maybe everyone was a bit shaken from earlier, so the meal tasted especially good today. Naturally, the speed and frequency of grabbing food skyrocketed. In order to get a proper bite before all that was left were scraps, both Li and Li Feng had to sneak in a few bites between feeding the baby.

Li went first. He was particularly gentle with Li Feng today. He’d always been decent, but today he went above and beyond. First, he picked up a piece of wild chicken, bit off the skin, and then offered the meat straight to Li Feng’s mouth. Li Feng was a bit stunned. What’s with Li today? He’s acting totally out of character. Feeding me? Two grown men? Isn’t this kind of… awkward?

“Hey, I’m good. You eat it,” Li Feng said, turning his head away. While he didn’t like chicken skin, Li had even bitten it off for him, which only made it more awkward to accept. Besides, the table was full of people. Sure, three of them were little kids who didn’t know anything, but there were still three grown men watching.

Of course, Li wasn’t going to back down just because of one sentence. He ignored Li Feng completely and held the chopsticks steady. “Hurry up and eat it. It’ll get cold. And they’re about to finish everything off anyway…” He gestured to the table.

Li Feng turned to look—everyone else was gobbling down food like a whirlwind. Chopsticks were flying, and the three little ones almost started grabbing with their hands. If not for Nuo and the others stopping them—since they could barely use chopsticks—those tiny hands definitely would have dug in. Of course, because Ka was having trouble eating, Li Feng had been adding food to his plate, and Ka then shared his portion with Juhao and Mo. After all, he couldn’t give it all to his own little brother without offering any to the host’s kids, right?

Meanwhile, Nuo and Bu weren’t holding back at all. Nuo, in particular, had completely abandoned table manners and was gnawing on a chicken foot. He’d grabbed it by hand, though technically he had used chopsticks to take it out of the dish first, so it wasn’t like he just reached straight into the plate.

Seeing how quickly the food was vanishing, Li Feng no longer cared about awkwardness or etiquette. He opened his mouth and chomped down on the chicken Li held out, chewed quickly, then took the chance to snatch several more bites into his own bowl. He even fed Li a bite in return. After all, Li had fed him—how could he not reciprocate?

To Li Feng, it was just a simple thought: You fed me, so I’ll feed you. He didn’t even realize that this was exactly the kind of intimate interaction he’d found awkward earlier.

And so, their little family of three enjoyed dinner, feeding each other bites of meat and milk. Meanwhile, the rest of the table looked like a storm had passed through. Not a single scrap remained—just a mess of empty bowls and chopsticks. Everyone who had eaten their fill leaned back like lords, rubbing their bellies with half-closed eyes. The sight made Li Feng grit his teeth. You guys really think I’m your personal chef and maid? Not only do I have to cook and wash hides, now I have to clean up too? Guess I’m stuck washing all the dishes.

Just as Li Feng was thinking about how he had always been the one washing the dishes, and how today he really didn’t want to move or do it anymore, Li suddenly spoke up, “I’ll wash them today. Your wound shouldn’t touch water, and the dishes are greasy.” Li handed the now well-fed and energetic baby over to Nuo to hold, then pulled Li Feng away.

Li Feng felt that today had been full of surprises, shocks, and even delights—everything seemed to be happening all at once. Usually, Li had the air of a traditional, patriarchal man, always pushing his bowl and chopsticks aside like a lord after dinner, while Li Feng, understanding how hard they worked hunting all day, would do the cleaning himself without complaint. After all, their work outside was much tougher than his at home.

But today, Li seemed so different. As if all the repressed affection he’d kept hidden until now had suddenly surfaced—helping coax and feed the baby, and now even volunteering to do the dishes?

Maybe it was because of his injured hand, but it wasn’t a serious wound, not poisonous, and besides, they could’ve asked Nuo to do it. After all, Nuo hadn’t gone out hunting today. There was no need to make the exhausted him do it. “How about letting Nuo do it, or I’ll do it tomorrow?” Li Feng said. He really couldn’t imagine Li—with his tall, strikingly handsome appearance that outshone male models—squatting to wash dishes. Just thinking about it felt absurd, like wasting a divine treasure. Li should be basking in glory and enjoying life like a celebrity, not acting like a little house husband.

“It’s fine, I’ll do it. You just come over and teach me—I’ve never done it before,” Li said seriously but gently, and the second half of his statement came out confidently. It was true: he had never washed dishes before. It had always been Li Feng, or sometimes he’d just rinse them with water. But Li Feng would never accept that, so he’d end up washing them again anyway.

Nuo, leaning lazily on Bu’s shoulder, added fuel to the fire. “Li Feng, just let Li do it. Go teach him—then you can order him around to wash the dishes in the future.” Clearly, Nuo didn’t want to be the one doing the job; he hated the greasy feel of dishes.

Li Feng pointed at Nuo, who was sprawled against Bu like a spoiled lord, and snorted, “Hmph. Li’s been out hunting all day. You should be the one washing the dishes. You ate the most, so by all rights, you should wash.”

Then he grinned mischievously, “Or why don’t you have Bu do it?” Since Nuo wanted to volunteer someone, Bu was fair game too.

“No way! Bu’s been working all day and just now got a chance to rest,” Nuo immediately defended Bu, wrapping himself around him like an octopus.

“So Li isn’t tired then…?” Li Feng still didn’t want to let Li do it.

“Oh, don’t be so petty. It’s not that we won’t do it—it’s that Li wants to learn how to wash. Why are you so worked up about it?” Nuo pointed behind Li Feng to where Li stood, smiling brightly.

Li Feng turned around and saw the joyful excitement gleaming in Li’s dark eyes. Then he realized how, just earlier, he had been openly defending Li, speaking gently and protectively in front of everyone. Li Feng wanted to smack himself—how could he have forgotten about this living god standing right behind him, all because he was too busy arguing with Nuo?

“It’s okay. We’ll wash them this time. Next time, let them do it,” Li Feng said, rubbing Li’s head, then wrapping his arm around Li’s shoulders as they walked off to do the dishes—leaving behind a group of chuckling friends.

Li Feng and Li walked into the courtyard, where a large clay vat filled with clean water stood. The atmosphere was quiet but warm. Li Feng scratched his head awkwardly, feeling like he needed to say something to break the silence—his heart was beating faster and faster, it felt suffocating.

“Li, is it easy to catch prey these days?” he asked, making small talk. He already knew the answer—Li brought back game every day.

“Mm. Ever since you taught us how to set traps, we’ve been catching a lot more. But lately, it’s slowed down a bit, even though we’ve improved the traps,” Li said as he scooped water from the large vat into a basin filled with dishes.

Li Feng knew that since he had first suggested how to dig and set traps, the others—already skilled hunters—had continuously refined the method. For example, placing vine traps around the pit as a second line of defense, or inserting sharp wooden spikes inside the pit. Since they needed to kill game every day to eat, they had even installed lethal traps that could instantly kill dangerous beasts like tigers.

Beasts like wolves or bears—human beings are truly intelligent yet cruel creatures.

Sometimes, the only difference between animals and humans lies in the use of tools. And these tools, driven by expanding thoughts and broadening perspectives, evolve into something that, from an animal’s point of view, can be extremely cruel. But this also proves that humanity is indeed progressing—this is the essential difference between humans and animals. Advanced human beings have the right to hunt animals, especially in a world as barren and primitive as this one. It is both instinct and a right of survival.

“Yeah, maybe because winter is coming,” Li Feng sighed inwardly, but didn’t stop moving his hands—scooping water to help Li as he spoke. Here, any talk of justice or high-minded ideals was useless. What others might call poachers were known here simply as warriors—fighting to survive.

“That’s right. The leaves have already started to fall. Many animals in the forest have either moved elsewhere or are preparing for the winter. They’re especially cautious during this time, and it’s harder to catch them. Even if we do, they’re much more aggressive,” Li said, stopping Li Feng’s attempt to help. His wound must not come into contact with water.

“Do we have enough food prepared for the winter?” Li Feng asked, referring to the entire tribe’s supply. They had started raising animals, but he still wasn’t sure if it would be enough to get through the long, cold winter when prey was scarce and hardest to hunt.

“We’re still a little short, I think. Meat gets consumed quickly. While we still have time, we need to hunt more. And now there are more people in the tribe,” Li replied. The arrival of Ka and the others had increased food consumption significantly. Storing enough food had become a top priority—they would need to share with many others, so they could only work harder.

Li Feng didn’t want to continue with that topic. His own household probably had enough food to last the winter. The real concern was the tribe’s supplies. There was still some time left, and they’d already gathered quite a lot. It was just that—“Ka and the others added more than forty mouths to feed all at once. That’s no small number,” he said. “Why were you so impulsive today? You acted before figuring out the situation. Now I feel embarrassed facing Ka—we just wanted to invite them over for a meal out of goodwill.”

Thinking of this made Li Feng feel like maybe today just wasn’t a lucky day. But Li’s actions afterward had really satisfied him.

“I didn’t want anyone else touching you,” Li suddenly stood up, water droplets still clinging to his hands, and looked directly into Li Feng’s eyes with sincerity.

Under the rare, bright moonlight, Li seemed impossibly gentle and sexy. Li Feng looked at his strikingly handsome face, his thick lashes curled like little fans casting shadows in the moonlight. Before he knew it, their eyes had locked.

He wasn’t sure if it was the softness of the moonlight, Li’s intoxicating words, or the way Li’s half-naked form looked under the moon—rugged yet delicate, radiating raw sensuality—but something completely disarmed and captivated Li Feng.

In that instant, he could almost hear the sound of Li’s heartbeat—thump, thump—and his increasingly uneven breathing. He didn’t know if he was enchanted or simply seduced, but he found himself rising on tiptoe and pressing a kiss to Li’s lips—warm, gentle, and soft.

Li Feng was a head shorter than Li, so he had to steady himself by holding onto Li’s shoulders. Under the moonlight, they embraced and kissed—leaving behind a silhouette on the ground that blurred the lines between “you” and “me.”

What was meant to be a brief kiss became more when Li pulled Li Feng into his arms. Bathed in that gentle, romantic moonlight, they shared a sweet, pure moment—their own sacred ritual.