Kitchen Peril 4

He quickly located her, finding her curled up beside the sink. A surge of heartache and distress instantly enveloped him. Bending down hastily, he scooped her up from the floor and pulled her into his arms.

Upon seeing Ouyang Qianyu, Shangguan Xiao started crying uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face. Ouyang Qianyu gently patted her back while holding her and searching for a way out.

Soon, the fire near the entrance was partially beaten back, and he swiftly shielded Shangguan Xiao, rushing straight out. Outside the door, a doctor had already been summoned. Shangguan Han and Kevin also arrived in quick succession.

Seeing Ouyang Qianyu bring Shangguan Xiao out safely, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. If the two of them hadn't emerged any sooner, Shangguan Han likely would have broken free of Kevin's restraint and charged right in.

The butler wiped the sweat from his forehead and crossed himself, murmuring, "Amen, thank the heavens!"

Fortunately, the young miss was safe and sound, otherwise, a major disaster would have befallen this household. Seeing his beloved younger sister brought out while everyone else stood around dazed, Shangguan Han's temper flared instantly. Furious, he roared at the bystanders, "What are you all standing around for?! Why aren't you checking if she's injured? A bunch of good-for-nothings!"

Realizing that the young master was displaying a rare flash of anger, the others hurriedly pushed the family physician forward to examine Shangguan Xiao. By this time, Shangguan Xiao's white dress was stained entirely black.

Her delicate, pretty face was smudged like a stray kitten, and coupled with her recent tears, she looked utterly a sight. Ouyang Qianyu placed Shangguan Xiao down on the living room sofa so the doctor could check her over.

After a thorough examination, the doctor was astonished to find not a single burn on Shangguan Xiao! It was an absolute miracle. He had heard the sound of the explosion all the way in the dispensary, yet this young lady remained completely unscathed.

Could this perhaps indicate that the young miss of the Shangguan family was exceptionally blessed? It certainly seemed so. In all his years of practicing medicine, he had never seen anyone emerge from a massive explosion without a single scratch.

Packing away his medical instruments, he closed the medicine box. Seeing that the doctor hadn't applied any ointment or tended to any injuries, Shangguan Han asked anxiously, "Doctor Lin, how is my sister?"

Driven by deep affection for his sister, Shangguan Han could not be faulted for suddenly becoming overly talkative and high-strung. His primary concern right now was his sister's condition; he would absolute not allow any harm to come to his precious sister!

Doctor Lin stood up, offered a gentle smile, patted Shangguan Han on the shoulder, and said, "Don't worry! The young miss didn't sustain a single injury! If you're still concerned, I can take her to the medical room later for further check-ups."

Hearing Doctor Lin's words, Shangguan Han finally managed to calm down somewhat. As long as she was uninjured, that was all that mattered! Sitting on the sofa, Shangguan Xiao kept her head lowered, looking deeply apologetic as she said to her brother, "I'm sorry, Brother!"

Seeing that the person who had suffered the greatest shock was actually apologizing to him, Shangguan Han felt an even sharper pang of sympathy. He pulled her into his embrace, holding her tight, and gently soothed her, "It's all right! Just promise me you won't ever do anything so dangerous again. You are not even allowed to step foot in the kitchen!"

Oh no! Now she was really in trouble! Shangguan Xiao knew her brother wasn't joking; his word was law, and he never tolerated protests. Besides, she really had pulled off something utterly terrifying this time, nearly destroying their entire home.

Fortunately, apart from the kitchen, the rest of the house was still intact. Otherwise, she would be completely doomed! Even though her brother wouldn't hold her accountable, that didn't mean others wouldn't!

Though she was permanently banished from the kitchen, Shangguan Xiao honestly had no desire to ever enter one again anyway. That place was simply her zone of disaster—trouble followed her the moment she stepped inside. It now left her completely speechless just getting close to the kitchen, so even if her brother hadn't said anything, she would never set foot in there again.

The old fogies in the family would surely make a huge fuss over this, but thankfully the damage wasn't too extensive. Breathing a sigh of relief, she followed Doctor Lin to the medical room.

The medical room in the Shangguan residence was no different from a large hospital, except that it exclusively served members of the Shangguan family. The surroundings were quiet, heavy with the sharp scent of disinfectant.

Disliking such odors, she had no choice but to endure it. Walking through the lobby and down the corridor, the group took the elevator to the physical examination room on the third floor.

After a series of tests, the final results matched Doctor Lin's initial examination. Shangguan Xiao was tested so thoroughly she nearly fell asleep. Once all the reports were generated, Shangguan Han read through them meticulously.

Confirming that Shangguan Xiao was genuinely fine, he finally set his mind at ease. Suddenly remembering that Ouyang Qianyu had rushed into the sea of flames to save her, Shangguan Xiao asked with concern, "Is Yu okay? You ran in there too—were you hurt? Maybe we should have Doctor Lin check you as well."

Seeing everyone's gaze turn toward her, Ouyang Qianyu maintained an expressionless face as he refused, "I'm fine!"

He wasn't injured in the least, so an examination was entirely unnecessary. He knew his own body best. Even so, he was delighted that Shangguan Xiao still knew to care for him.

Seeing him refuse, Shangguan Xiao grew displeased. Pouting, she insisted, "No way! An examination is the only way to be sure. Hurry up! Don't drag your feet!"

As she spoke, she reached out and pushed Ouyang Qianyu, urging him to move forward. Walking up to Doctor Lin, who was fiddling with the equipment, she said, "Doctor Lin, could you check Yu as well? He ran into the kitchen to rescue me."

Doctor Lin looked up at the coldly handsome youth before him. This boy had stayed at the Shangguan household for several years now, and it was clear that his care for Shangguan Xiao was genuine. He nodded, gesturing for Ouyang Qianyu to step into the testing apparatus.

Sighing inwardly, Ouyang Qianyu reluctantly complied with the doctor's instructions. After a series of procedures, these trivial matters were finally settled to perfection. Shangguan Xiao suddenly remembered that she had just blown up the kitchen.

What were they going to eat today, then? Looking slightly embarrassed, she asked, "Brother... um, the kitchen is gone. What are we going to eat today?"

Right on cue, her stomach let out a loud rumble. Kevin burst into untimely laughter, drawing everyone's gaze toward him. Shangguan Han only then remembered that he had brought Kevin over for dinner today.

Yet the current situation was truly helpless! Overhearing this from the side, Doctor Lin chimed in with a suggestion, "In that case, Young Master, why don't you all have a barbecue in the garden today?"

This remark reminded them that the family's barbecue equipment was never stored in the kitchen. This fortuitously saved them the trouble of having to dine out! As for the kitchen...

They could just hire people to repair it tomorrow! Having made this casual decision, the group set up a grill in the garden. Shangguan Xiao and Ouyang Qianyu returned to their rooms to wash up and change into fresh clothes.

Leaving Kevin and Shangguan Han alone together, the two stood in silence before the burning flames, neither knowing what to say. Shangguan Han suddenly broke the silence: "I'm sorry! I originally wanted to invite you over for a proper meal, but now we're stuck with this."

Kevin laughed heartily, "Ha-ha! It doesn't matter at all! I'm already thrilled just to spend Christmas Eve with you!"

Little did Shangguan Han know, Kevin's parents lived in City C, while he remained all alone in City Z solely to spend more time with Shangguan Han. Therefore, as long as Shangguan Han was by his side, even going hungry felt wonderful to him.

Unaware of Kevin's inner thoughts, Shangguan Han still felt deeply apologetic upon hearing this. To be eating barbecue on Christmas Eve instead of a warm, proper meal felt inadequate.

He resolved inwardly to invite Kevin over for a normal, decent meal next time. Just as Kevin was always mindful of his feelings, he hoped Kevin could also feel happy when they were together.

After changing their clothes, Ouyang Qianyu and Shangguan Xiao walked downstairs together toward the garden, walking in quiet companionship along the way. Just as they reached the garden entrance, Shangguan Xiao suddenly turned to Ouyang Qianyu and said, "Thank you for saving me today!"

With that, she hopped up, planted a quick kiss on Ouyang Qianyu's cheek, and dashed away in a blush. Thinking back on it, Shangguan Xiao was still immensely grateful that Ouyang Qianyu had been there. Otherwise, she wouldn't even be here today!

That said, it was the very first time she had ever kissed someone! She hadn't even kissed her own brother yet! At that thought, her cheeks burned even brighter.

Patting her chest, she realized she was still feeling somewhat shaken by the close call. Noticing Shangguan Xiao suddenly patting her chest, a nearby girl assumed she was feeling unwell and asked with concern, "Shangguan, are you not feeling well? Why don't you take a break?"

She even reached out to relieve Shangguan Xiao of the items she was holding. Hearing someone call her name, Shangguan Xiao finally snapped back to reality. She hurriedly waved her hands and said, "I'm fine!"

Then she quickened her pace to finish her task. Honestly! She had spaced out for a moment. It seemed she shouldn't let her mind wander, lest others think something was wrong with her.

The girl looked at her with a bewildered expression; just a moment ago, she had clearly looked unwell! How did she suddenly become so full of energy? Ah, people these days were truly hard to understand!

Better to just mind her own business! With that thought, the girl lowered her head and went back to work. Soon enough, they had gathered all the firewood needed for the day.

Shangguan Xiao straightened her back, casually tossed the collected firewood onto the ground, and plopped down onto it, massaging her aching back. Sighing, she lamented, "Phew! Finally done! I'm so tired!"

Seeing that Shangguan Xiao's exhaustion didn't seem feigned, the others chuckled softly. If she was this tired from just a little work, it was clear Shangguan Xiao normally didn't have to lift a finger at home.

One of the girls playfully teased, "Shangguan must not have to do a single chore at home! Getting this tired from just a tiny bit of work. He-he!"

Other girls chimed in as well, "Exactly! Just look at Shangguan's hands—you can tell she's never done any rough work in her life!" Shangguan Xiao didn't get angry at the teasing.

After all, everything they said was true! She could only sheepishly scratch her head, join in with a silly laugh, and reply, "I really haven't done any heavy labor at home, but do you all have to do these things at your houses?"

Her wide, curious eyes blinked rapidly as she stared hard at the group of girls, as if trying to verify the truth of their words through their expressions. From what she knew, the students at this school generally came from pretty decent family backgrounds.

How could anyone have it so harsh that they had to do manual labor? One of the girls stepped forward to answer, "Yeah! As soon as school's out and we get home, we have to do the housework! Every single household chore is handled by us ourselves!"

Another girl couldn't help chiming in with her grievances, "Totally! There's basically no leisure time; we do the exact same things every single day. It's so exhausting!"

The group began venting to one another about how miserable they had it at home and how much work they had to do each day. From sweeping and mopping to doing laundry and cooking, virtually nothing was left out. They made it sound as wretched as possible.

Watching them stretch out their hands to show the calluses left behind by all that hard work—rough hands that bore no resemblance to their youthful ages—Shangguan Xiao suddenly felt that her own life was extraordinarily carefree.

---Note---
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