The fire was extinguished.
Wen Lan returned to the grocery store, his face dark. He slammed the door shut with a BANG.
The corner of Bai Su's mouth twitched.
'I shouldn't have bothered coming out to look.'
'If I weren't worried something had happened to that little one, I couldn't be bothered with a man like Wen Lan.'
*
That evening, Wen Dabao dragged her exhausted body back to the grocery store. "Dad, I'm back..."
Wen Lan, who was clumsily prepping ingredients, grunted in response. "Mmm..."
Wen Dabao's eyes lit up. "What are we having for dinner?"
Wen Lan replied, "Stir-fried tomatoes with eggs."
Wen Dabao's face fell. "This again? Didn't you learn how to make lots of other dishes?"
Wen Lan's expression soured even more. He shot her a displeased glare. "Is your mission complete?"
Wen Dabao nodded confidently. "You can count on me. I've identified all the potential threats hiding around the Imperial City and marked their locations. You'll see when you go check tomorrow."
