But his sister-in-law had pressing matters to attend to, and he couldn’t force her to stay. With Si Wen ill, he certainly couldn’t leave her all by herself.
Helpless, Xue Xing said, "But I have to return to Hui City tomorrow."
What would Sister Si Wen do then? For the first ti in his life, Xue Xing felt that his ho was too far away. It was like an insurmountable chasm that, no matter how hard he tried, he could not leap across.
Si Wen lowered her gaze slightly. "You’re going back tomorrow?" Her tone was brimming with reluctance.
Xue Xing nodded. "Yeah. I had my brother get leave until tomorrow night. If I can’t make it back on ti... the consequences will be severe."
Subconsciously, Xue Xing didn’t want Si Wen to know that his parents were uncompromising, even though this situation was his fault. He wanted to leave a good impression on her.
Si Wen let out a soft, unintentional hum. "Oh..."
She knew how demanding senior year of high school was, especially at such a crucial ti with only half a year left until the college entrance exam. Ti was everything. Ti was one’s future. Failing to manage ti well was tantamount to throwing away one’s future.
Could she bear to see Xue Xing do this? The answer, of course, was no. The fact that he had traveled a great distance to co here was already extraordinary. To ask for more would be excessive.
"Tomorrow... I should be completely better," Si Wen said, her voice weak. Still, Xue Xing heard her.
That miraculous? Completely better in just one night?
Si Wen said lightly, "Don’t worry, Xiao Xi won’t leave alone."
He glanced at the ti. It was already past five in the afternoon, about ti to start preparing dinner. After all this turmoil, Sister Si Wen must be hungry.
"I’ll... go see what I can cook. What would you like to eat?" he asked.
"Sothing light will do," Si Wen replied.
"Okay."
Xue Xing got up and left Si Wen’s room, heading downstairs. Just then, Auntie Shen happened to walk in with a bag of groceries.
Seeing Xue Xing, she hurried over. "Xue Xing, your timing is perfect. I was planning to make dinner for you and Miss Si Wen, but the chairman just called and needs to return imdiately. You’ll have to take care of dinner yourself.
"These are all fresh ingredients and are easy to prepare. I’m sorry to trouble you, but you’ll have to manage," she said, handing all the groceries to Xue Xing.
Xue Xing quickly took them and thanked her. "Alright, thank you for everything, Auntie Shen."
"I’ll be going now. Please take care of Miss Si Wen." With that, Auntie Shen also hurried off, looking just as rushed as Lin Xi had.
What a coincidence. Is everyone busy?
Xue Xing took the groceries into the kitchen and opened the bag to see what was inside. There was pork, beef, chicken, fish, vegetables, and even pig bones for soup. As Auntie Shen had said, everything was fresh and nutritious, and it had all been prepped. Xue Xing just had to cook it however he wanted. There were even notes with recipe suggestions for the pre-portioned ingredients, which he could just toss into a pot.
This made Xue Xing wonder. Did Auntie Shen know in advance that she’d have an urgent matter, so she prepared everything ahead of ti?
Pushing the thought aside, Xue Xing first started a pot of soup. This was a skill practically ingrained in southerners from birth. You could be ignorant about cooking anything else, but making soup was non-negotiable. It was a must-have for every al; otherwise, it felt like you hadn’t really eaten. So, the very first thing Xue Xing did was get the soup simring.
Next, he began to wash the rice, muttering to himself, Sister Si Wen is still sick. I shouldn’t cook the rice too firm; I’ll add more water. When he felt he had added enough, he turned off the tap, plugged in the rice cooker, and pressed the switch.
Then it was ti to prepare the other dishes. Complex recipes were beyond him, but stir-frying greens was no problem. This was another southern staple. He didn’t really know how to make much else.
Luckily, I know how to steam ribs. Xue Xing silently rejoiced. He had loved ribs since he was a child, so his mother often cooked them. Over ti, he’d picked up how to make them just from watching her.
"For two people, a soup and two dishes should be enough, right?" he wondered aloud.
"That’s enough," a slightly hoarse voice suddenly sounded from the doorway.
Xue Xing turned to see Si Wen leaning against the kitchen doorfra with her arms folded, watching him. His heart gave a violent lurch before returning to its normal rhythm.
He stamred, "S-Sister Si Wen, what are you doing here? Are you hungry? Just wait a bit longer, it’ll be ready soon."
Si Wen offered a slight smile as she straightened up and walked in. The once-spacious kitchen suddenly seed cramped with her presence, and Xue Xing found it hard to breathe. He sorted the ingredients he was going to cook onto plates, then put the rest in the refrigerator for tomorrow. Throughout the entire process, his hands were trembling.
"Xue Xing," Si Wen called out suddenly.
Xue Xing couldn’t help but shudder. "Ah? S-Sister Si Wen, what is it?"
The smile on Si Wen’s lips deepened as she said nonchalantly, "Nothing. I just felt like saying your na."
Xue Xing was speechless. Sister Si Wen, calling my na out of the blue like that is really scary, you know?
"Oh."
Xue Xing put the vegetables away and turned to deal with the ribs. There wasn’t much to do, really. Auntie Shen had already prepared the shredded ginger and minced garlic. He just needed to add them to the ribs with so oyster sauce, soy sauce, fernted black beans, and cooking oil, then stir everything together until it was evenly coated. After that, all he had to do was put them in the stear.
Si Wen stood by, watching him. She suddenly understood why Lin Xi always liked to squeeze into the kitchen with Xue Yang. Watching soone carefully prepare food for you was truly a very... happy feeling.
Happy? Yes. That’s what this is... happiness. She hadn’t understood the word before, but now, she was beginning to.
Her gaze settled on Xue Xing’s earnest face. He was currently deliberating how long he should set the tir for the ribs. After a mont, he decided to set it for the sa duration as the rice cooker. That way, when the rice was done, the ribs would be too. The soup would also be ready by then. All he would have to do was stir-fry the greens, and they could eat.
Pleased with himself, Xue Xing humd a few triumphant notes. This was the first ti he had ever cooked a full al by himself, and he felt his plan was perfect. His youthful face shone with a confidence that was truly captivating.
Si Wen found herself completely srized.
When Xue Xing finished setting the tir and turned to take a break, he saw Si Wen staring at him in a daze. His face instantly flushed crimson.
I completely forgot Sister Si Wen was still here!
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