The honeycomb coal briquette stove was still burning, its top uncovered. The water in the aluminum kettle was boiling. Jie Jingchen lifted the kettle and poured the water into a thermos. After refilling the kettle, he set it aside instead of immediately putting it back on the stove. He squatted down, his tall and straight figure crouching low, and picked up an iron hook to clean out the stove. Then, grabbing the nearby fire tongs, he picked up a new honeycomb coal briquette, placed it in the stove, and adjusted it to make sure all the holes lined up perfectly.
Qin Mei watched from the side, memorizing each of Jie Jingchen's steps. She already figured out why she had failed—she couldn't stomp the briquette down because she hadn't cleaned out the stove first.
When she saw Jie Jingchen lift his foot, Qin Mei immediately stopped him. "Wait."
Jie Jingchen paused with his foot in the air, balancing on one leg. He looked at Qin Mei, confused. "What's wrong?"
