Chapter 32: Lin Xiangyi Teaches Xie Qingxiao How to Cook

As they reached the entrance of their home, they saw Lu’s mother and Lin Huihui coming out of the house. Both of them were carrying hoes on their shoulders, seemingly preparing to go out and work.

Lin Huihui had a smile on her face, and she asked sweetly, “Mother, your shoulder is injured. Why don’t I carry the hoe for you?”

“It’s just a small injury, nothing serious. Carrying a hoe is nothing. But since you are so filial, then you can carry this hoe,” Lu’s mother said with a smile.

Lin Huihui readily took the hoe.

The mother and daughter-in-law also saw Xie Qingxiao and Lin Xiangyi, but Lin Huihui’s expression remained unchanged.

Lu’s mother, however, didn’t look happy when she saw Xie Qingxiao and Lin Xiangyi. But then, she seemed to think of something and started laughing again. She said to Mrs. Lu, who was carrying a hoe behind her:

“Ersao, Huihui is truly a filial daughter, wouldn’t you agree? It’s a good thing your third brother married her. If he had married someone else, they might not have been as filial as Huihui.”

“Yes, Mother, Sandimei is indeed a good daughter-in-law. Look, it’s only the second day after she married in, and she’s already helped with so much housework. She’s truly filial,” Mrs. Lu said with a smile.

She knew that Lu’s mother was deliberately saying this to Lin Xiangyi, so she deliberately agreed with Lu’s mother.

However, her words were also sincere. Before Lin Huihui married in, she and Da Sao were responsible for all the housework. Now that Lin Huihui had taken on many tasks after marrying in, she and Da Sao had significantly less work to do.

The three of them chatted and laughed as they passed by Xie’s house.

Lin Xiangyi found it amusing. Did she really care about Lu Dingyuan?

“Hmph!” Xie Qingxiao suddenly snorted coldly.

Lin Xiangyi glanced at him: “What are you laughing at?”

“Laughing at your stepsister’s stupidity,” Xie Qingxiao said. He opened the mottled wooden door of Xie’s house and continued, “You should be grateful that you didn’t marry into the Lu family.”

Lin Xiangyi followed him inside and guessed his meaning: “Because Lin Huihui always has to work after marrying into the Lu family?”

“What else?” Xie Qingxiao went to the kitchen, not turning back. “If you had married Lu Dingyuan, you would be the one doing the work now. If you didn’t go, the Lu family would be unhappy. But it’s different with me. If you marry me, you’re here to enjoy yourself.”

Xie Qingxiao took a winnowing basket and put the bitter melon and beans he had picked into it. He brought it to the water tank, scooped two scoops of water into it, and rubbed the bitter melon casually. Then, he took the chopping board placed next to it, put it on the stone table, and started slicing the bitter melon.

Lin Xiangyi also picked up the beans, snapped off the ends, and listened to his words. She didn’t take them seriously and just smiled.

Xie Qingxiao didn’t hear her reply. He turned his head and saw her smile, his brows furrowed. He stopped slicing the bitter melon: “You don’t believe me?”

Lin Xiangyi saw his serious expression and nodded: “I believe you!”

Since she married in yesterday, Xie’s father and Xie’s mother hadn’t found fault with her in any way, and Xie Qingxiao had been very kind to her.

Without anyone saying anything, she knew that marrying Xie Qingxiao was definitely better than marrying Lu Dingyuan.

However, regarding Xie Qingxiao’s statement that she was marrying him to enjoy herself… she actually believed that he was sincere at this moment.

But even if he was sincere now, what about the future?

People change. Just like her father, he used to be so good to her before he married Chen Fengmei.

But what happened later? He treated her worse than Lin Huihui.

Moreover, her marriage to Xie Qingxiao had no emotional foundation. She would be satisfied if they could simply be respectful to each other and play their roles well.

She wouldn’t dare to hope for more.

Xie Qingxiao saw her expression and knew she didn’t believe him. His chest felt stifled, and he wanted to say something, but he felt that anything he said now would sound empty and boastful.

So, he said, “If you don’t believe me, then time will prove my words.”

Lin Xiangyi raised her eyebrows, nodded and said, “Then let time be the judge. I hope you won’t disappoint me. Of course, I will also do my part as a wife and try not to disappoint you.”

She thought Xie Qingxiao would be happy with her words, but unexpectedly, Xie Qingxiao felt even more stifled.

How could their marriage sound like a transaction in her words?

Xie Qingxiao was in a bad mood. He didn’t say anything and continued to slice the bitter melon with a sullen face.

Lin Xiangyi sensed Xie Qingxiao’s change. She didn’t know what was wrong with him, and she felt a little confused. She didn’t say anything either.

Xie Qingxiao finished slicing the bitter melon and was about to take it to the kitchen to stir-fry.

Lin Xiangyi quickly stopped him: “Are you just going to stir-fry it like that?”

Xie Qingxiao: “What else would I do?”

“Bitter melon is bitter. Stir-frying it directly will make it even more bitter,” Lin Xiangyi said. “You need to marinate it with salt to remove the excess water. Then, the stir-fried bitter melon won’t be so bitter, and it will be more crispy!”

Xie Qingxiao: “…” There were so many steps?

“You don’t know how to cook, do you?” Lin Xiangyi said. “If you don’t know, just leave it there, and I’ll do it.”

Xie Qingxiao: “…” He had just said that she was here to enjoy herself, but if he didn’t know how to cook, wouldn’t she have to do it all the time?

“No need,” Xie Qingxiao said. “I’ll do it. You just tell me how to do it.”

Lin Xiangyi heard his words and thought about it. She let him do it. He marinated the bitter melon with salt for ten minutes, then rinsed off the salt and excess water, and drained it for later use.

“Stir-fry the bitter melon with eggs. First, crack three eggs into a bowl, add a little salt, heat the pan, add oil… hey hey hey, wait until the water in the pan is gone before adding the oil… quickly, move away!”

Xie Qingxiao didn’t wait for the water in the pan to evaporate before adding the oil. The pan immediately sizzled and spat hot oil. Lin Xiangyi quickly pulled him away.

Xie Qingxiao, to his credit, immediately turned his back to protect her. As a result, his back was splashed with several drops of hot oil.

He was wearing a white tank top today. The hot oil was very obvious on it, and his skin was red. Fortunately, it didn’t blister.

“Does it hurt?” Lin Xiangyi asked with a frown.

“It doesn’t hurt,” Xie Qingxiao quickly took off his tank top. He didn’t take those minor injuries to heart.

Lin Xiangyi: “Forget it, go and rest. I’ll cook.”

“No, I’ll do it!” Xie Qingxiao was determined to cook. He picked up the spatula and said, “Stay away from me. Don’t get splashed like before. If I don’t understand anything, I’ll ask you.”

Lin Xiangyi: ???

She really didn’t understand why he was so insistent. She tried to persuade him a few more times, but he was still determined to cook. She gave up: “Fine, just don’t burn down the kitchen.”

Xie Qingxiao: “…” He had to be stupid in Lin Xiangyi’s eyes.

Lin Xiangyi stood a little further away and directed Xie Qingxiao’s cooking.

Xie Qingxiao’s comprehension was still good. Under Lin Xiangyi’s guidance, he cooked a dish of bitter melon stir-fried with eggs that looked quite presentable.

Next was a dish of beans stir-fried with pork.

… Fifteen minutes later, a dish of beans stir-fried with pork was also ready.

Xie Qingxiao looked at the two dishes, which looked quite good in terms of color. He had never cooked before, and he had cooked like this on his first try. He felt that he had a talent for it.

He took chopsticks and asked Lin Xiangyi to try it.

Lin Xiangyi tasted it and commented: “The bitter melon stir-fried with eggs is a bit salty, and the beans stir-fried with pork has too much oil.”

After a pause, she added, “It’s still very good for your first time cooking.” She praised him more, hoping that he would take over the cooking task in the future.

Xie Qingxiao was indeed happy to hear this. He glanced at Lin Xiangyi and said, “Don’t worry, my cooking skills will definitely get better and better.”

Lin Xiangyi thought that Xie Qingxiao had taken the bait. She nodded with a smile, “Okay, I’m waiting for your cooking skills to be as good as the chefs at the state-owned restaurant.”