243. Lunchtime
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At noon, Lin Nan and Chen Yao strolled into the kitchen.
The fridge still held some leftover rice from last night. Normally, Auntie would pitch these leftovers, but Lin Nan expressed a craving for fried rice, so they reluctantly stayed.
Lin Nan grabbed an apron hanging on the wall and turned her back to Chen Yao. “Can you tie this for me?”
“Why wear an apron…?” Chen Yao idly tied a knot, yawning as he pulled some lean meat from the freezer, thawing it under running water.
If only it were a body apron, hmm.
As a man, he often harbored some rather uncoordinated thoughts.
“You can’t touch cold water right now; just focus on frying,” Lin Nan instructed.
“I know.”
Lin Nan found a carrot and began peeling it at a leisurely pace while keeping her gaze on the busy Chen Yao in the kitchen.
For some reason, cooking together felt a bit heartwarming.
As if they really were family now.
She recalled the last time Chen Yao cooked.
Despite his parents owning a restaurant and reportedly doing well, Chen Yao sure didn’t inherit their culinary skills.
When in middle school, Lin Nan frequently cooked for herself, while Chen Yao had a knack for blowing his pocket money on games, often leaving him too broke to buy food.
Usually, at this time, Lin Nan would snag an extra portion for Chen Yao at the cafeteria, and they’d share a meat and a veggie dish. But there were times when Lin Nan was broke too, and she’d opt for making lunch at home.
Chen Yao had tried to cook in her kitchen before… that scene was a disaster.
She recalled the black, bitter Cola chicken wings, and her face soured.
That time, she took a bite and ended up hurling straight into the bathroom.
“Do you want to cut the meat into strips or cubes?” Chen Yao suddenly called out from the dining room.
“Can you manage that?” Lin Nan was filled with doubt. “Cubes, I suppose?”
Chen Yao puffed up, “Even if I can’t, I’ll make it work, d*mn it!”
Lin Nan walked into the kitchen, holding her peeled carrot, peeking at Chen Yao, who was awkwardly wielding the kn*fe, filled with resignation.
Since when did he start trying so hard to show off?
No sooner had the thought flashed in her mind when Chen Yao shouted, “Holy cr*p!”
He had nicked his finger, bl**d gushing as he clutched it and yelled, “Lin Nan! Band-aid!”
“I told you you couldn’t handle this…” Lin Nan’s mouth twitched. “How would I know where your band-aids are?”
After a whirlwind of chaos, the guy who had intended to help now stood pale as a ghost in the corner of the kitchen, watching Lin Nan’s skillful kn*fe work, feeling a tad defeated.
Not only did he fail to help, but he also felt like he was slowing her down.
He felt a sense of guilt, but his mouth didn’t hold back: “Looks like you’re not cutting the meat that great either.”
“Sure, not like those chefs on TV,” Lin Nan shot back without getting rattled, continuing her work. “When I started cooking, I often c*t myself too. Eventually, I figured it out.”
Meat cubes, carrot cubes, and some eggs scrambled. Lin Nan chose a few of the myriad spices from the cabinet and set them aside, turned on the exhaust fan, and got ready to fry.
Fried rice was Lin Nan’s specialty—much easier than regular stir-frying since it only required washing one bowl.
Chen Yao silently watched her, suddenly feeling a wave of defeat wash over him. “If I had known, I’d have learned how to cook too.”
“It’s no big deal; I just cook more often, so I’m used to it. Besides, didn’t you come in second at the basketball tournament? I want to learn that too.”
Maybe it was the smell of the oil fumes while scrambling the eggs, but Lin Nan suddenly froze, one hand clutching her stomach, brow furrowed.
“What’s wrong?”
“My stomach hurts…”
She absolutely despised her period; even with magic, she couldn’t escape Aunt Flo’s messy visits. She couldn’t even fathom how other girls could endure the crippling pain every month.
The annoying twinge was merely bothersome, but now it escalated to a worrisome level.
“It must be the cold Cola I had yesterday…” Lin Nan muttered. The pain was tolerable; all she wanted was to get lunch ready and rest in the afternoon.
“I can handle the fried rice. You take a break?” Chen Yao asked, sounding reluctant.
Lin Nan thought for a moment; stirring fried rice wasn’t exactly rocket science. Just throw a bunch of stuff in and keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.
So she prepped the necessary spices and handed it over to Chen Yao, retreating to a chair in the dining room, frowning, using a heating pad on her stomach.
Even though fried rice was simple, Chen Yao somehow turned the perfectly fine dish into a gloppy mess.
Lin Nan gazed at the sorry-looking fried rice on the table and, combined with her stomach pain, lost her appetite.
Had he discovered some hidden talent for Indian cuisine?
Yet he remained blissfully unaware, proudly snapping a picture of his disastrous fried rice to commemorate his very first cooking failure.
“Hey, how about an arm wrestling match?” Lin Nan suggested out of the blue.
“??? ” Chen Yao, just finishing his photo session, looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Aren’t you just asking to be humiliated?”
“I beat you last time,” Lin Nan said, an authoritative look on her face.
Back in eighth grade, it was the trend to wrestle arms. While Lin Nan didn’t have much muscle, at least she was a normal girl. Chen Yao, on the other hand, was a tall beanpole at that time, still not keen on basketball, so he was all talk and no action.
But it seemed she had only won that one time.
“I let you win back then,” Chen Yao scoffed, positioning his arm on the table with an indifferent smirk. “I’ll let you use both hands. If you can beat me, I’ll get you a skin. If not, you owe me!”
She paused, wondering if Chen Yao had some strange kink.
In the past, she wouldn’t have thought this way, but after stumbling upon the underbelly of his computer and seeing those risqué animes…
Lin Nan tried to take the high road at first, but no matter how much strength she applied, red-faced and struggling, that arm of his refused to budge. So, relying on brute force, she used both hands to pull with all her might.
No effect whatsoever…
“You’re weaker than you were in middle school!” Chen Yao even had time to pop a bite of his fried rice in his mouth. “Tastes pretty decent, but why does it keep turning into mush?”
Seeing his nonchalant demeanor annoyed Lin Nan, so she plopped herself on the table, using her body weight to attempt to wrestle that stubborn arm down.
Chen Yao’s hand wavered a bit. “That’s cheating!”
Delighted, she leaned in closer, pushing her upper body weight down. Just as his arm began to tilt back, she over-exerted herself, losing her grip and went crashing onto the table.
Chen Yao looked up, bewildered, feeling something soft land in his hands.
So this is how I get benefits too?
Lin Nan, shocked and blushing fiercely, dashed off the table, her foot flying up to kick Chen Yao in the face.
