DALOA CH193

Chapter 193: Extra — Travel Arc

The heavy rain persisted from morning until afternoon, leaving them unable to go anywhere.

Song Jin had slipped up to the second floor to fake sleep in order to avoid Li Xiao’s questioning, only to end up actually sleeping the entire afternoon away. By the time he woke up, it was almost dinnertime.

Li Xiao sat on the first floor working while pondering the issues that had arisen between himself and Song Jin. Yet even after finishing all his work ahead of schedule, he still didn’t have the faintest clue regarding the problem.

It was four-thirty, and the kid hadn’t shown his face all afternoon.

They often spoke of the “seven-year itch,” but they were only two years in and already starting to itch.

Li Xiao waved a hand to dismiss the dozens of virtual screens hovering in midair, preparing to go upstairs to ask Song Jin what he wanted for dinner. They needed to sit down for a good talk after eating; dragging it out any longer would only turn a minor issue into a major one.

Just as Li Xiao stood up, he caught sight of Song Jin coming down the stairs out of the corner of his eye. He quickly sat back down, holding the right side of his stomach with one hand and putting on an act of enduring pain.

“Xiao, I’m hungry. What are we having tonight?”

Sporting a head of messy hair, Song Jin walked downstairs half-asleep to ask Li Xiao for food. Seeing the other man sitting in the living room slightly hunched over, he instantly snapped awake and hurried over: “What’s wrong with you?”

“It’s nothing.”

Li Xiao’s voice sounded lower and more suppressed than usual, his breathing somewhat unsteady. Looking up at Song Jin’s disheveled state, he asked casually: “Did you just wake up?”

Song Jin didn’t take the bait. Squatting in front of Li Xiao, he reached out to touch the spot Li Xiao was clutching, feeling deeply anxious: “Does it hurt here? In your stomach? Does it hurt a lot? When did it start hurting, and why didn’t you tell me?!”

Seeing him so worried put Li Xiao in a great mood. Thinking that the issue might not be as serious as he had assumed—since at least the little lion still cared about him deeply—he intentionally let out a quiet gasp, taking Song Jin’s hand: “Stomach pain. An old issue. It’ll pass in a moment.”

“You still say it’s nothing?”

Watching Li Xiao’s stoic, enduring expression made Song Jin frown tightly: “You have stomach problems? How come I’ve never heard you mention them before?”

Li Xiao choked for a moment before spouting nonsense with absolute seriousness: “It hasn’t flared up in a long time. It only hurts whenever my mood is bad.”

“Bad mood?” Song Jin’s mind was still full of those burly men stomping in the water while chanting, so he asked offhandedly.

Li Xiao tightened his grip on Song Jin’s hand, slightly lowering his eyes with a trace of despondency: “Xiao Jin, have you had something on your mind these past few days—”

“07! Hurry and fetch the medical kit!”

Without waiting for him to finish, Song Jin hurriedly supported him to lie down: “Where else feels uncomfortable besides your stomach?”

Seeing Song Jin completely out of the loop and not listening to a word he was saying, Li Xiao rubbed his temples, casually playing along: “Now that you mention it, my head feels a bit of a throbbing pain as well.”

Song Jin sat down, pulling Li Xiao’s hands away to help massage his temples, cursing anxiously under his breath: “Staying silent when you’re sick—how do I usually lecture you? If something comes up, you have to tell me! You just speak up; whether I can help or not is my problem to figure out!”

Though his mouth spat fierce reprimands, his touch was exceptionally gentle. Li Xiao had originally only wanted to play pitiful to probe for information, but he hadn’t expected to unexpectedly enjoy the little lion’s special care. Suppressing the urge to smile, he looked at Song Jin with a deep, earnest expression: “If I tell you about anything, you’ll help me solve it?”

Song Jin: “Of course! Who do you think I am?”

Li Xiao: “Why have you been avoiding me these past few days?”

Song Jin’s movements paused slightly, and he swore under his breath, realizing this kid had indeed picked up on it.

Unable to tell the truth, Song Jin put on a foul expression: “Pick another question.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Li Xiao pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him: “I want to know the reason.”

Song Jin looked at the handsome face before him. Unlike his usual composed and calm demeanor, this sickly, vulnerable air was a rare side of weakness to see in Li Xiao.

How was he supposed to resist this?!

Li Xiao’s gaze brushed past Song Jin’s features like a feather, landing on his lips: “Do you want to keep running away like this forever?”

This look carried too much insinuation. Song Jin’s heart pounded wildly. Biting the bullet, he said, “Now is not the time to talk about this. Let’s get your body checked first.”

Li Xiao: “Compared to heartache, stomach pain is nothing.”

09: 【Eww~ So cheesy.】

Li Xiao: “…”

Song Jin froze, then barked angrily: “You have heartache too?! 07! Hurry!”

07 came sprinting out, clutching the medical kit in its beak: “Coming!”

Song Jin swiftly opened the medical kit, pulling out a full set of diagnostic equipment and attaching them onto Li Xiao.

Li Xiao lay there, letting him fuss over him.

Why were they so completely out of sync today? Was it just his imagination?

Song Jin yanked up Li Xiao’s shirt, attaching a few sensor components over his heart and stomach, then stuck another near his temples: “Where else hurts?”

Li Xiao: “My head hurts even more now.”

Headaches were no small matter. Song Jin’s expression shifted slightly. After activating the diagnostic device, he had 07 switch into medical mode to assist with Li Xiao’s physical checkup, then swiped open his terminal to contact Shen Sinian.

However, after placing over a dozen video calls in a row, no one picked up.

At this hour, it was around ten in the morning on Snowstar; his father might be busy conducting experiments or teaching a class.

Just as he was planning to place a video call to his father Song Zheng, he caught sight of Li Xiao trying to sit up out of the corner of his eye. Song Jin pressed him right back down: “Don’t move around.”

“I don’t have to lie down for a checkup.”

Li Xiao pushed against the sofa armrest to sit up: “It’s time to cook dinner. What do you want to eat?”

“What time is it that you’re still thinking about cooking?”

Song Jin pressed him down once again: “Are you that hungry?”

Li Xiao was helpless: “I’m worried about you getting hungry.”

Song Jin clicked his tongue in irritation: “It’s just a single meal—I can cook too! You just lay there quietly for me!”

Li Xiao: “…”

Two chimes sounded.

07 finished its scan even faster than the medical device.

09: 【It’s over, you can’t keep fake-acting anymore.】

Li Xiao: “…”

The pop-up virtual screen listed various health metrics for Li Xiao—they were ridiculously good, showing he couldn’t possibly be healthier.

Yet Song Jin’s expression grew even grimmer.

What kind of foot-washing water was this potent that even 07 couldn’t detect anything?

Soon, the medical device also popped up with a checkup report, displaying the exact same results as 07.

Realizing his cover was blown, Li Xiao decided to drop the act altogether.

“Xiao Jin, let’s have a proper talk—”

“You just lie down and rest well.”

Song Jin gave Li Xiao a quick kiss on the forehead. “I’ll go prepare dinner.”

Li Xiao: “…”

This direction feels wrong.

Is he playing along with my act?

Li Xiao: 【09, go take a look. Don’t let 07 notice.】

09: 【Guaranteed not to be caught!】

The silver ring on the tip of Li Xiao’s ear dissolved into countless threads that slithered onto the floor, quickly heading toward the kitchen on the second floor.

Li Xiao lay horizontally on the sofa, watching the surveillance window pop up in his line of vision.

In the feed, Song Jin pulled a stack of ingredients out of the refrigeration unit.

07 hovered in the air, following him around, displaying a recipe on its top virtual screen.

Having been together for two years, Li Xiao had never seen Song Jin step into the kitchen on his own. He suddenly understood the anxious anticipation parents felt when dropping their kids off at kindergarten and watching them on surveillance from home.

The ingredients in the refrigeration unit had already been washed and prepped together yesterday, ready to be used right out of the fridge.

Song Jin stumbled through the recipe step by step. The stove area was a complete mess, but thanks to 07’s precise time prompts, things proceeded relatively smoothly, boosting his confidence immensely.

Coming to the final step of adding spices, Song Jin rummaged through a pile of spice jars, picked one up, and sprinkled it into the pan.

However, after a couple of stirs, the entire pan of assorted vegetables turned blue.

Refusing to believe it, Song Jin stirred it twice more, his eyes darting back and forth between the recipe and the pan.

The recipe clearly looked normal, but no matter how he looked at it, his pan didn’t seem fit for human consumption: “Why does this color look so weird?”

Watching Song Jin’s face full of existential dread, Li Xiao chuckled to himself: You put in the wrong spice, silly.

After scanning all the labels, 07 discovered where the issue lay.

Song Jin picked up the jar to look—the name differed from the required spice by only a single character stroke, but the effect was worlds apart; this was a sweet-flavored spice.

07: “Sweet food should still be edible, right?”

Song Jin clicked his tongue: “But this color looks like dark cooking at first glance—how am I supposed to serve this?”

07: “Then why don’t we cook another pan? I’ll remind you this time!”

Having spent so much effort cooking this dish, throwing it away felt like a bit of a waste to Song Jin. Most importantly, he lacked the confidence to pull off a successful second attempt.

“I’ll add some more spices to save it.”

Song Jin went all in, casually picking up a jar from a pile of savory spices and sprinkling some in.

After a few stirs, the blue turned into a light pink.

Song Jin was delighted: “Saved it!”

However, this color was still missing something. Song Jin picked out a few jars of spices and sprinkled them into the pan based on sheer intuition, suddenly feeling that his family might actually possess culinary genes after all.

The light pink gradually deepened, turning into a pig-liver red by the end.

07, Song Jin, along with 09 clinging to the doorway secretly recording, and Li Xiao watching from downstairs—all fell silent together.

07: “How about… we cook another pan?”

Song Jin: “This is already the peak masterpiece using every shred of skill in my life—there will be no second attempt.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Song Jin plated the food, saying offhandedly: “It’s fine. I’ll eat instant noodles tonight, and give this to Xiao-Xiao to eat.”

Li Xiao: “…”

A single plate of this, and even a healthy person would end up sick.

His terminal vibrated. Song Jin set the pan down, and seeing it was his father, Shen Sinian, he hastily answered it.

The pop-up video feed showed Shen Sinian dressed in a white lab coat, walking down a corridor toward his office.

“I just finished class. What’s wrong?”

Shen Sinian glanced at the plate in front of him: “What on earth is that?”

Song Jin: “A dish I cooked with my own hands.”

Shen Sinian’s brow twitched, temporarily at a loss for whether to praise or roast him.

“Stay far away from the kitchen in the future.”

Song Jin: “…”

“Not talking about that for now.”

Song Jin glanced toward the top of the stairs, lowering his voice: “Xiao-Xiao’s body is having issues. I plan to take him back to Snowstar for treatment right away—clear your schedule.”

Downstairs on the first floor, seeing Song Jin so worried about him through the display screen, Li Xiao felt he might have overthought things earlier.

Perhaps he had been too clingy, causing his cat cub to resist intimacy.

Partners really did need to maintain a certain sense of personal space.

Shen Sinian stopped in his tracks: “What happened to him?”

Song Jin: “I suspect he’s infected with parasites, and it might have already affected his brain.”

Li Xiao: “…?”

He thinks I accidentally picked up parasite eggs while walking around in the rainforest these past two days?

It was actually a rather reasonable guess—no wonder he was so anxious.

Shen Sinian: “What symptoms does he have right now? Have you run a checkup?”

Song Jin recounted the symptoms in full detail, forwarding the checkup report over to him.

“The report doesn’t reflect anything. I’m guessing it might be some unknown parasite, and his detoxification chip doesn’t seem to be working either.”

Shen Sinian: “How was he infected? Do you have a rough area of suspicion?”

Song Jin gritted his teeth: “He drank foot-washing water.”

Shen Sinian: “…?”

Li Xiao: “…???”

Drank what?!

Shen Sinian looked over with a subtle glint in his eye: “Are you flexing on me?”

“What is there to flex about?!”

Recalling the image of those men stomping in the water, Song Jin felt thoroughly disgusted: “Xiao-Xiao is in pain all over his body right now—his life might even be in danger!”

Shen Sinian: “He only drank foot-washing water? Nothing else?”

“What do you mean only?! Isn’t drinking foot-washing water bad enough?!” Song Jin’s tone was far from pleasant.

Returning to his office, Shen Sinian pulled a slender cigarette out of a box on his desk, speaking languidly: “If he only drank foot-washing water, then it’s not a big deal. But don’t play so wild in the future. Are all those normal tricks not enough for you two to play with that you have to take these bizarre routes?”

“I wasn’t playing—”

belatedly catching the implication in Shen Sinian’s words, Song Jin grew furious, “It wasn’t my foot-washing water he drank! If he had drunk mine, I wouldn’t have been worrying for days!”

Shen Sinian’s motion to light his cigarette froze abruptly, his expression becoming increasingly peculiar.

“Whose did he drink?”

Song Jin: “A few male strangers’.”

Shen Sinian: “…”

Strangers, burly ones, and multiple…

The moment that image flashed across his mind, Shen Sinian cursed under his breath.

Song Jin: “Prescribe me some medication first. We’ll arrive at Snowstar by tomorrow morning at the latest—”

Shen Sinian raised a hand to interrupt him, leaning his back against the windowsill as he took a melancholy drag of his cigarette: “Rather than prescribing medication, I need to give you two a refresher course on health and hygiene education first.”

Song Jin’s forehead was covered in question marks: “…I’m a full-grown adult, why would I need a hygiene class?”

Shen Sinian blew out a plume of white smoke: “I don’t oppose you being in a relationship, but healthy self-respect is the bottom line. If you dare play those messily absurd games, don’t blame me for being unmerciful.”

Song Jin: “What messily absurd games did I play?!”

Downstairs on the first floor, the moment Li Xiao heard the words ‘foot-washing water’, he immediately got up and rushed toward the second floor. Hearing the back-and-forth conversation between father and son, he quickened his pace and burst into the kitchen.

If he didn’t put a stop to this now, his image with his father-in-law would be completely ruined.

Song Jin and Shen Sinian were talking past each other, looking well on their way to a full-blown argument.

Song Jin: “The situation is urgent! Prescribe me the medicine first!”

Shen Sinian: “You and Xiao-Xiao will listen to an hour of class every day from now on. I will personally teach you until you complete thirty hours. No agreement, no medicine.”

Song Jin: “On what grounds?!”

Shen Sinian: “On the grounds that you twenty-year-olds are out there drinking foot-washing water!”

Song Jin: “That was an accident! He—”

Li Xiao covered Song Jin’s mouth from behind, smiling at the video display screen: “I didn’t drink it. Xiao Jin misunderstood. Apologies for causing you concern.”

Shen Sinian raised an eyebrow, looking entirely unconvinced: “Is that so?”

Li Xiao nodded earnestly: “Even if it were Xiao Jin’s foot-washing water, I wouldn’t drink it either, rest assured.”

Song Jin pulled Li Xiao’s hand down, turning to look at him: “You heard everything?”

Li Xiao: “…Mm.”

Seeing that he could no longer hide it, Song Jin gritted his teeth: “You really did drink it.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Li Xiao: “I didn’t.”

Song Jin: “You did. I saw it with my own eyes.”

Catching the sharp look from Shen Sinian out of the corner of his eye, Li Xiao felt prickles on his back: “…When and where did I drink it?”

Song Jin: “That bowl of cold noodles at the Thousand-Person Banquet.”

Li Xiao: “…?”

Leaning against the side of the kitchen island, Song Jin recounted everything he had seen on his way back from the restroom: “When I got back, you had already finished eating. I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to handle it, so I didn’t dare bring it up with you.”

Shen Sinian was shocked: “With that many people, were there enough restrooms to go around?”

Li Xiao felt a complex mix of emotions, temporarily at a loss for where to begin.

So the cat cub’s resistance to kissing was purely because he found him gross?

Seeing Li Xiao fall silent, Song Jin comforted him: “Since you’ve already drunk it, just focus on nursing your health back first.”

“That wasn’t even the same thing.”

Li Xiao rubbed Song Jin’s messy hair. “If it really were foot-washing water, would I let you eat?”

Song Jin: “I saw them carrying water buckets toward the food prep area, and the color was identical to that cold noodle broth.”

Li Xiao: “If I’m not mistaken, that should be the herbal liquid used for painting totems. The food prep area has transport carts that can move the herbal liquid out.”

Song Jin’s eyes flickered: “Are you sure?”

Li Xiao: “If you don’t trust me, you should at least trust my nose. If it were truly dirty water stomped by feet, couldn’t I smell it?”

That was true.

Song Jin thought to himself—Li Xiao’s senses were on a completely different dimension from ordinary people; even the slightest foul odor would be amplified infinitely.

Song Jin looked at Li Xiao in confusion: “Then all those pains you had were fake?”

Li Xiao: “I thought you noticed long ago.”

Song Jin: “…”

After all that, he had worried for nothing.

“No need to prescribe medication then?” Shen Sinian teased.

Li Xiao: “Sorry for making you worry. Xiao Jin and I will visit you on Snowstar in a while.”

Shen Sinian nodded slowly: “Don’t bully my youngest.”

Li Xiao: “I’ll try my best.”

Shen Sinian: “…”

The video call ended. The moment the floating virtual screen vanished, Li Xiao’s collar was grabbed, and Song Jin kissed him fiercely.

Li Xiao rested both hands beside Song Jin, bending slightly to kiss him back: “It was such a minor matter—why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Song Jin wrapped his arms around him: “Wasn’t I afraid you’d be left with a psychological shadow?”

Li Xiao: “The person left with a psychological shadow was you, wasn’t it?”

Breathing heavily, Song Jin was unable to refute it.

Li Xiao: “I’m very hurt—you need to compensate me.”

Song Jin: “How should I compensate you?”

Li Xiao brushed against the moist corner of his lips, whispering: “Remember our bet? Isn’t it time for you to fulfill it?”

Song Jin paused briefly, avoiding his gaze: “What bet? I don’t know.”

Li Xiao took a light bite on his earlobe: “An Alpha should own up to his actions. Running away isn’t your style.”

Song Jin’s hand resting on the back of Li Xiao’s neck tightened: “If I’m on top, I can fulfill it right away.”

Li Xiao lowered his eyes slightly. After a brief exchange of glances with Song Jin, he picked him up and carried him toward the bedroom.

“Fine, you’re on top.”

Song Jin: “So decisive?”

Li Xiao: “I’ve never been one to refuse your requests.”

Song Jin snorted with a laugh: “Real or fake?”

Li Xiao pressed him onto the bed, waving a hand to set the outer wall to one-way visibility: “Why don’t you try and find out?”

The next morning, the rain finally stopped.

Li Xiao woke up covered in scratch marks. Turning his head, he saw Song Jin sleeping soundly with his back turned to him, hugging a pillow. The blanket had slid down to his waist, revealing a smooth, fluid line across his back.

Li Xiao leaned over, pressing his forehead against Song Jin’s to check his temperature—a slight low-grade fever. He then reached out to perform a physical checkup on him.

Before he could make contact, his hand was clamped down by Song Jin. Li Xiao didn’t force it, using the opportunity to massage his waist instead—this time, he wasn’t rejected.

Song Jin was too angry to pay him any mind.

From five o’clock yesterday afternoon until now, that kid hadn’t given him a single chance to sleep.

“Being on top for your first time was still too demanding.” Li Xiao’s gentle kisses fell one by one across Song Jin’s back. “You’ll get used to it after a few more times.”

Song Jin: “…”

Song Jin snorted coldly: “What happened to letting me be on top?”

His overly raspy voice and soft tone stripped the sentence of any intimidating edge, making it sound like he was acting spoiled instead.

Li Xiao chuckled softly: “Didn’t I let you be on top the entire night?”

Song Jin turned around to glare at him: “Playing word games with me, huh?”

Li Xiao pulled him into his arms: “Where else hurts?”

Song Jin: “Don’t change the subject.”

Li Xiao: “Hungry?”

Song Jin pressed against his shoulders, rolling over to pin him down: “Let me top once.”

Li Xiao supported his waist: “Not tired yet?”

Song Jin snorted with a laugh: “What is this? Barely a drizzle.”

Li Xiao nodded unhurriedly: “I was worried you wouldn’t be able to handle it, so I exercised extreme restraint. It seems I worried needlessly.”

Song Jin: “…”

You call this restraint?!

In a moment of distraction, Song Jin was flipped over and pressed back onto the bed by Li Xiao.

He swept his long leg toward Li Xiao, preparing to counterattack.

Li Xiao caught Song Jin’s ankle, pulling it over to his mouth to take a bite.

Song Jin’s toes curled—it was both itchy and sore: “You bit my foot! I’m telling Dad, and having him give you a lecture!”

Li Xiao licked over the tooth mark he had left, laughing softly: “I only promised him I wouldn’t drink your foot-washing water.”

This posture felt off. Song Jin wanted to pull his foot back, but Li Xiao held it firm in a death grip: “No more playing. I’m sleepy, I want to sleep.”

Li Xiao bent over close, dropping dense kisses along Song Jin’s jawline: “Since you still have the strength to top me, being taken once more shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

Song Jin: “…”

Fuck.

Failing his counterattack and getting pinned down again, Song Jin completely lost any desire to speak to him.

Past three in the afternoon, Song Jin was woken up by the enticing aroma of milk. His stomach began gurgling uncontrollably on its own.

Unable to endure it any longer, Song Jin threw off the covers and got out of bed, surprised to find himself feeling quite clean and dry, his body not nearly as heavy as expected. That kid Li Xiao had likely done something for him while he was asleep.

In the living and dining area, Li Xiao sat at the island counter organizing gathered tree leaves. Hearing footsteps, he turned his head to look over.

The pouting cat cub had finally been lured over by desserts.

Li Xiao stood up, walking over to bring the prepared “cat food.”

Song Jin pulled out a high stool and sat casually at the bar, seeing that what was brought over turned out to be a bowl of sweet porridge. Looking toward the kitchen reluctantly, he asked: “No baked cookies?”

Li Xiao took the opportunity to kiss him on the temple: “You can’t eat cookies right now.”

Song Jin: “…”

The sweet porridge was fragrant and glutinous, tasting even better than Song Jin had expected. After finishing it in two or three gulps, he went back to scoop a full second bowl. Only after recovering his energy did he have time to look at the leaves in front of Li Xiao.

“What are these?” Song Jin asked.

“These are the herbs you saw at the Thousand-Person Banquet.”

Li Xiao crushed the prepped leaves, “They mix more than ten types of herbs in specific proportions, using the sap to paint on the body, then dip into that bluish-purple liquid to make the totem appear—and it won’t fade in the short term.”

Song Jin: “A natural color fixative?”

“Pretty much.” Li Xiao extended a hand toward Song Jin. “Give me your left hand.”

Without knowing why, Song Jin reached out while continuing to eat.

Li Xiao held his hand, picking up a fine-tipped soft brush. Dipping it into the sap, he began painting on Song Jin’s finger.

Looking at Li Xiao’s focused expression, Song Jin found himself mesmerized. By the time he snapped out of it, Li Xiao had already finished painting and submerged his hand into the bluish-purple liquid.

“What did you draw?”

Li Xiao: “Guess?”

Song Jin snorted with a laugh: “You didn’t draw a turtle on me, did you?”

Li Xiao: “…”

After soaking for a minute, Song Jin waited for Li Xiao to help wipe his hand dry. Upon seeing the pattern on his hand clearly, his eyes flickered.

A beautiful ring had appeared on the ring finger of his left hand.

Li Xiao: “This way, it won’t count as illegal cohabitation anymore, right?”

Song Jin burst out laughing: “What about after it fades?”

Li Xiao chuckled along: “Then we’ll just have to complete the official paperwork before that happens.”

“I want to leave a mark on you too.”

Finishing his porridge, Song Jin sat in the seat next to Li Xiao, grabbing his left hand. “The marking effect from biting the scent gland only lasts a day, but this can last for a long time.”

Li Xiao assumed he would draw a ring for him as well. Upon wiping his hand dry after soaking, he was instantly left caught between tears and laughter.

In the evening, the two returned to the treehouse after strolling through the nearby mountain forest.

Darcy initiated a video call for the inspection team’s routine report.

Noticing the design on the back of Li Xiao’s left hand, Darcy couldn’t help taking an extra glance. It turned out to be a cat head—its ears were asymmetrical in size, drawn in a very crude style, yet a few strokes managed to capture the proud, tsundere spirit of a cat.

“Your Highness, did one of the children at the Thousand-Person Banquet draw that totem on the back of your hand for you? It’s so cute.”

Li Xiao’s gaze swept across the back of his hand, a faint warmth overflowing from his eyes: “Mm. Xiao Jin drew it.”

Darcy and the rest of the inspection team: “…”

Consider this dog food thoroughly stuffed down our throats.