Fed by Tenderness - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Kicked out of the house again.

I sat on a park bench, clutching my growling stomach as I tried to tough it out and memorize vocabulary words.

When it came to going hungry, I had plenty of experience.

As long as I endured this wave, once the hunger passed its peak, I wouldn’t feel so awful anymore.

The only thing I hadn’t accounted for was the snack street right next to me.

Grilled cold noodles sizzled on an iron griddle. After a layer of sauce was brushed on, the vendor added a fried egg and a grilled sausage.

The egg burger seller was shouting at the top of his lungs: chicken egg burgers, beef egg burgers, crab stick egg burgers, crayfish egg burgers, and the newly launched kimchi egg burger. Their whole selling point was huge portions that filled you up.

The lamb skewer vendor was sprinkling chili powder and cumin over the meat. The chunks on the jumbo skewers were enormous, glossy, and fragrant. When he handed them to customers, they glistened with oil so brightly it practically dazzled the eye.

…

If you asked me, it was all their fault for smelling so good.

So good that I couldn’t focus on my vocabulary anymore. My gaze slowly drifted to the strip of landscaping beside me.

With those aromas as a side dish, maybe I could even choke down the grass.

Suddenly, someone walked past me.

He was carrying a whole bunch of bags: grilled cold noodles, egg burgers, lamb skewers, fried chicken, roasted pig’s trotters, crispy pork bites… and a cup of milk tea.

My eyes locked onto them instantly.

He was on the phone.

“Hey, Sis, isn’t it Ghost Festival? I’m on my way to visit Grandpa. I bought a ton of stuff he loved when he was alive but couldn’t eat because of his high blood pressure and diabetes. This time, I’m definitely going to let Grandpa enjoy the holiday!

“Oh, and Sis, don’t forget to bring Grandpa a bottle of the liquor from home. That was the thing he craved most when he was alive!”

By the time I came back to my senses, I had unknowingly followed him all the way to the cemetery.

The cemetery…

Around Ghost Festival, lots of people came to visit graves.

I looked at the rows and rows of offerings placed before the tombstones, and my eyes gradually began to glow green.

I swallowed uncontrollably.

These foods would all end up being thrown away anyway. In that case, if they were thrown into my stomach instead, that would be… fine, right?

Chapter 2

I stayed in the cemetery for more than two hours.

For those two hours, my conscience and my hunger waged war inside my head.

In the end, the desire brought on by starvation defeated morality.

I bowed again and again to one of the tombstones, then carefully took an apple and a banana.

The banana was soft, overripe, and sweet. The apple was tart, sweet, and crisp.

I ate them slowly and solemnly, as if savoring some rare delicacy.

Then I touched my stomach, which finally felt a little better, and bowed to the tombstone again.

One bow, two bows, three bows.

The photo on the tombstone was of a kindly-looking old woman.

As I bowed, I muttered,

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I was just so hungry that I stole your food.

“The banana and apple were both really good. Thank you. When I have money, I’ll definitely buy lots of offerings and pay you back.”

A gust of wind happened to blow over, carrying with it the scent of incense from another grave not far away.

I glanced over at the grilled cold noodles, lamb skewers, beef egg burger, fried chicken, roasted pig’s trotter, crispy pork bites… and sucked back my drool hard.

“Can… can I come back and eat again tomorrow?

“If no one says anything… I’ll take that as all you elders agreeing, okay?”

A whirlwind suddenly swept over with fallen leaves and smacked me right across the face.

Apparently, even the wind thought I was shameless.

I got a little scared.

But compared to hunger, what was fear?

So early the next morning, I went back.

The grilled cold noodles, egg burgers, and everything else that man had left the day before were still there.

Offerings left the previous day would be cleared away the next day, so before the staff arrived, I had to eat as fast as possible.

The old man buried in this grave was surnamed Chen.

I bowed to him again and again, begged him over and over, then picked up an egg burger.

Although it had already gone cold, it still smelled richly of meat, so fragrant I nearly cried.

One egg burger wasn’t enough to fill me up, so I set my sights on the lamb skewers and roasted pig’s trotter.

After sitting here overnight, they were crawling with ants.

Competing with ants for food was a little humiliating, but as long as I didn’t tell anyone, no one would know.

I sucked back my drool and reached out with my sinful claw.

But the next second, footsteps suddenly sounded not far away.

The staff had arrived!

I darted away and hid, then saw a woman in uniform walk over.

She was just about to collect the offerings, but when she lowered her head… she saw the empty egg burger bag.

“…Huh?

“Are there mice in the cemetery?”