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Du Wenjuan insisted on letting them feel the warmth of family and insisted on making them a meal at home.
At 28 years old, Jiang Wang was discovering for the first time that his parents’ cooking skills were quite impressive.
Peng Jiahui, a native of Hongcheng, made steamed dishes and lotus root soup just like his grandparents did, with rich seasonings and fragrant pan-fried fish.
Du Wenjuan specialized in Southeast Asian cuisine, with rich, red sauces and slow simmering. Her sweet and sour fish and lion’s head meatballs were exceptional.
Jiang Wang was a bit dazed while eating. His childhood memories had been intentionally forgotten to the point of near oblivion, and it turned out there were so many things worth remembering.
“Big Brother has already had two bowls of soup! Mom, your cooking is really amazing, I wish I could eat your food every day!” Peng Xingwang was very accepting of the new flavors, quickly finishing two bowls of rice.
“Why are you still calling him Big Brother,” Du Wenjuan said with a laugh, “didn’t I teach you? You should call him Uncle.”
Jiang Wang coughed lightly, feeling uncomfortable about being called “uncle.”
“Just let the child be happy, being called ‘Uncle’ makes me feel old.”
At first, cooking was fine, but by the third meal, Du Wenjuan’s pregnancy symptoms came back. She hid in the room, quietly vomiting, not daring to let them know.
Jiang Wang noticed something was off, knocked on the door, and said, “Let’s go out to eat, it’s hard for you like this.”
Du Wenjuan quickly tidied up, opening the door with an apologetic expression. “I’m really sorry, it’s actually not a big deal.”
She looked at the fish on the counter, reluctant to let it go. “Actually, I’ve almost finished preparing it. It cooks quickly.”
“Pregnant women shouldn’t be exposed to cooking fumes.” Jiang Wang understood she was reluctant to waste the fish and vegetables, so he washed his hands and said, “I’ll cook. You can teach me from the doorway.”
He turned his head with a smile, as if he had discovered something.
“Coincidentally, I’ve never had anyone teach me how to cook.”
Peng Xingwang, who was trying to help, poked his little head in and said, “I want to learn too!”
Du Wenjuan thought it was a good idea and gently taught him how to cut the fish, peel the ginger, and crush the garlic.
Jiang Wang was learning for the very first time.
He didn’t even know how much oil to use for frying fish, making Du Wenjuan laugh while teaching him.
She was now around Jiang Wang’s age, just five or six years older, but she was quite familiar with household chores.
“Wangwang, remember, when the oil heats up, sprinkle a pinch of salt around the pan to keep the fish skin from sticking.”
Jiang Wang carefully followed her instructions and managed to fry a fish that looked quite presentable.
He cooked meat, vegetables, and made an egg drop soup according to her advice.
In the end, he was quite surprised.
“Cooking for myself is indeed convenient,” he murmured. “I didn’t realize it was so quick.”
“Yes, eating out can be dirty with the oil and meat many restaurants use.” Du Wenjuan also cherished these family moments and smiled. “If you ever want to learn other dishes, feel free to call me anytime. I’ve learned some northern and southern cuisines and can help you.”
“Sure, I will.”
Vacations always pass quickly. The boat trip and sightseeing seemed to fly by, and soon it was time to say goodbye.
Peng Xingwang once again confirmed his existence with his mother, much more relaxed than when he arrived, and even kissed Du Wenjuan’s belly through her coat.
“Be a good baby and don’t make Mom suffer too much.”
He lifted his head and kissed his mother’s face on tiptoe.
“I’ll come to see you next time!”
“Okay, Mom will think of you every day.” Du Wenjuan smiled warmly, spreading her arms wide. “Just like in the storybook, Mom loves you this much——”
“Have a safe journey, my dear.”
On the way back, Jiang Wang kept looking out the window at the endless rice fields.
He felt like he had let go of something.
As people grow up, they unknowingly bear certain shackles and constraints, unable to see anything despite looking around.
Perhaps he used to be fearful.
He wasn’t used to close contact and didn’t dare to trust family.
As Du Wenjuan said goodbye, those emotions dispersed like ripples in a lake, fading away.
Ji Linqiu asked about their train schedule and specially drove over to pick them up.
Peng Xingwang had called him the day before and now rushed over without even noticing his small suitcase.
“Teacher Ji!”
“I! Missed! You! So! Much!”
“The mille-feuille cake you taught me was so delicious that Mom said it was the best cake she’s ever had!”
“Teacher Ji, I love you so much!”
Ji Linqiu hadn’t heard the word “love” in a long time and happened to make eye contact with Jiang Wang, feeling his ears turn slightly red.
“I missed you too.” He squatted down and hugged Peng Xingwang for a long time.
The child noticed something and pouted. “I want to grow to two meters tall so I can bend down and hug you.”
“Two meters? That’s taller than me.” Jiang Wang said lazily from behind. “Be careful of lightning when you grow that tall.”
“Big Brother! Big Brother!”
After placing the luggage and gifts in the trunk, Ji Linqiu habitually sat back in the driver’s seat, buckled up, and started the engine smoothly.
“By the way, they also sent…” He started to say but noticed Jiang Wang was looking at him. “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing.” Jiang Wang tilted his head, pretending to rest his hand on his head while actually hiding his smile. “Just thought you looked very handsome driving.”
Ji Linqiu raised an eyebrow, skillfully changing lanes and continuing, “They sent a large fish, a bucket of free-range eggs, a bucket of vegetable oil, and two live geese.”
“I don’t know how to take care of geese, so I’ve temporarily left them at Grandma Feng’s place to play with the lamb.”
Jiang Wang, who has a broad business network, naturally receives many gifts.
For things like red envelopes, bank cards, and shopping cards, he of course refuses or returns them if possible.
But there are always people who send gifts and then run off, even without leaving their names.
The four bookstores and online shop customer service employed many people, and during holidays, many colleagues would give gifts with good intentions.
Unfortunately, many people these days prefer to give live gifts to show their sincerity.
— “So fresh! So alive! Mr. Jiang, you can see how much we like you, right? Happy holidays!”
In the past, when he received live chickens or ducks, Jiang Wang usually asked his assistant to take them to a nearby market to be slaughtered and prepared, then found a restaurant nearby to process them.
After learning to cook for two days from Du Wenjuan, he felt a bit confident and suddenly said, “Let’s cook together.”
Ji Linqiu, paying attention to the road, turned his gaze sideways at him as he turned the steering wheel.
“At home?”
“I can cook fish, I learned it in Cizhou.” Jiang Wang instructed Peng Xingwang to send a text asking how to cook catfish, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. “Let’s go to the market.”
Ji Linqiu smiled faintly, “Are you sure?”
“Sure.” Jiang Wang responded openly. “We’ll start cooking at four. If we ruin the pot, we’ll just throw it out and eat somewhere else.”
Du Wenjuan quickly replied to the text, not only sending the entire process but also listing the ingredients needed. She explained that the fish should be fried first and then stewed, using either boiling water or beer.
Since they moved to Hehua Gaoyuan, they hadn’t cooked a single meal. Although they had bought all the appliances and kitchenware, they didn’t have a single bag of rice at home and had to buy everything on-site.
Jiang Wang felt that making stewed fish wasn’t enough, so he bought some chives to make scrambled eggs and spinach soup.
After getting home and quickly tidying up the luggage and clothes, Ji Linqiu took him to see the fish.
The catfish was over half a meter long, swimming energetically in a water-filled bathtub.
Jiang Wang’s smile froze.
“Is it… this long?”
“Yes,” Ji Linqiu said with a smile, “the prerequisite for cooking is to kill the fish.”
Jiang Wang rolled up his sleeves, thrusting his hands into the water to catch the fish.
The catfish, not tolerating this treatment, arched its long tail and splashed water all over him.
“Hiss!”
Ji Linqiu laughed beside him, “Alright, we’re even now.”
“Last time, it wasn’t me who caught the fish and hit you!” Jiang Wang wiped his face with the back of his hand, exasperated. “Let’s go, find someone at the market to kill it! Make sure it’s scaled and cleaned, we’re eating it today!”
The catfish had already jumped back into the bathtub, seeming to be entwined with it for years.
Ji Linqiu didn’t help him clean up, sitting on the edge of the bathtub with a smile, “Praise me, and I’ll kill it for you.”
Jiang Wang blinked, “You know how to do that?”
“Yes, I’ve helped Grandpa Peng with this a few times when we went to the countryside. I’m quite familiar with it.” Ji Linqiu said leisurely, “Any kind of praise is fine, but it has to be fifty words and not repetitive.”
Jiang Wang felt challenged by the man’s pride, rolled up his sleeves again, and went to catch the fish, lifting it high, only to get splashed again.
Ji Linqiu looked up and said, “Throw it with force.”
Hearing this, Jiang Wang slammed the fish down, making it stunned and temporarily unable to resist.
“Let’s go to the kitchen, where the elegant, talented, and charming Teacher Ji will handle things.”
Ji Linqiu bent over and grabbed the fish gills with two fingers, leading it to the kitchen.
“Ugh, what are you praising?”
“Bang!”
First, he cut off the fish’s head.
“Whoosh——”
The knife tip pierced the fish skin from the back, cutting along the bone line.
The large catfish was cleaned, deboned, and cut into pieces more smoothly than when they were driving.
Ji Linqiu used the knife skillfully, only getting a bit of blood on his fingertips, looking both refined and slightly wicked.
The knife tip turned and was pinned on the cutting board. He smiled.
“Still thirty-four words short, keep praising.”
Jiang Wang’s gaze moved from his jade-like eyes down to his straight nose and then to his jawline, finally resting on his Adam’s apple.
He suddenly realized that Ji Linqiu was a very charming man.
Mature and composed, with a hint of mischief when joking.
He was also a man, not a woman – so, not someone who could be romantically admired.
Jiang Wang felt oddly about this thought and developed a bit of unrelated possessiveness and aggression.
Every time he saw Ji Linqiu display a bit of fierceness, his throat would dry up, as if he was being seduced.
“Not praising anymore.” The man took a deep breath, his gaze returning. With a half-smile, he said, “The room feels a bit hot, let’s turn on the fan.”
“Wait a minute,” Ji Linqiu laughed, “Brother Jiang, what were you looking at just now?”
Jiang Wang blinked.
“Looking at the blood on your throat.”
Ji Linqiu stepped forward, his slightly warm fingertip brushing across his Adam’s apple, wiping the blood.
His voice was subdued, as if hiding a secret.
“Alright, no need to thank me.”
