Chapter 56
Cooking

After buying the cilantro, Xie Qing originally planned to ask Xie Chen to take her for a tour around the neighborhood to find the villa that Xie Xun mentioned. Unexpectedly, a slight shift in her gaze to the right revealed that distinctive two-story house.

If greenery was valued in this era, that piece of land would be perfect for a landscape, with a pavilion and a few trees and flowers planted. But now, it was a small villa adjacent to Tan Yi’s mansion, with a distance of no more than eight meters between them.

The villa was trapezoid-shaped, with gray marble exterior walls, a simple and robust design, resembling large, unevenly placed matchboxes. The rooftop was flat with an iron fence, presumably a large terrace.

Xie Qing got out of the car, carrying the plastic bag, and took a few steps forward. The villa’s back had a wall over three meters high, and you could only see the sea from the second floor. Although it looked slightly rustic, it offered strong privacy and was safer than a fence.

Xie Qing had to admit that the house was practical and she liked it a lot.

Xie Chen walked up to her, saying proudly, “This is the house big brother chose for you. Do you like it?”

Xie Qing said, “Thank you, big brother. Although I don’t want to live too close to my boss, I’ve decided to buy it.”

Xie Chen said, “No need to thank me. I’ll handle the paperwork tomorrow, and maybe I can negotiate a lower price.”

“Hey, what are you two staring at? If you want to see the sea, go upstairs.” Chai Yu stood with his hands on his hips in front of the villa, “Xie Yun is still waiting for the cilantro.”

“Happy New Year, Brother Chai!” Xie Chen put his arm around Xie Qing’s shoulder and walked quickly toward Tan Yi’s house.

“Happy New Year, happy New Year.” Chai Yu took the Maotai wine that Xie Chen brought, “Giving this to Tan Yi is a waste; you should give it to me instead.”

Xie Chen laughed, “I prepared one for you too, Brother Chai. It’s in the trunk; take it when you leave.”

Chai Yu patted him on the shoulder with a smile, “Thanks, brother.”

Xie Qing thought that someone like Chai Yu usually wouldn’t care much about Maotai wine. His behavior today was a bit unusual.

Could it be that he still had feelings for Xie Yun?

Or…

While Xie Qing was pondering, Chai Yu’s gaze turned to her. He said, “I heard you and Old Tan just solved a miscarriage of justice case. Impressive!”

Xie Qing said, “It wasn’t me; it was all Captain Tan’s effort.”

The three of them continued chatting as they walked into the living room.

Tan Yi’s villa was large, with each floor being at least 100 square meters, decorated in a Western-style with cold, gray tones everywhere. The living room and dining room were connected, covering at least 60 square meters. There was a bedroom on the east side and a kitchen in the northwest corner, where Xie Yun and Tan Yi were busy.

Gu Ling was sitting on the sofa, picking a small bag of bean sprouts. When he saw the Xie siblings come in, he greeted them politely and then returned to his task.

Although Xie Qing was supposed to help in the kitchen, she wasn’t on good terms with Xie Yun, so she sat on the long sofa next to Gu Ling, pulled the plastic bag towards herself, and said, “Rest, Mr. Gu, I’ll do it.”

Xie Chen and Chai Yu went to the kitchen and soon came back with a garlic press and some prepared chili, Sichuan pepper, and other seasonings.

Xie Qing realized that Xie Yun was planning to make Sichuan-style boiled fish or boiled meat slices—two very fashionable dishes in the mid to late 1990s.

Chai Yu lounged on the sofa like a lord, directing Xie Chen to grind the chili. Sometimes he said the force was too weak, other times too strong, filling the living room with his voice.

Xie Chen, being a young master, had never done housework before, so he enjoyed everything, paying no mind to Chai Yu’s instructions.

Since both of them were busy, Gu Ling felt it was inappropriate to just sit around, so he got up to help in the kitchen.

Xie Yun was cutting tenderloin when she saw Gu Ling come in empty-handed and asked, “Mr. Gu, are the bean sprouts done?”

They weren’t in a relationship yet and were still in the stage of growing fondness, so their manner of address was polite and formal.

Gu Ling said, “Your sister took over. What do you need me to do?”

Xie Yun looked around, “Mr. Gu, can you wash the cucumbers?”

Gu Ling rolled up his sleeves, found the cucumbers on the ground, and scrubbed them in the washbasin.

Without his glasses and wearing a brown apron, Tan Yi was cleaning a five- or six-kilogram grass carp—removing the gills, cleaning the innards, and scaling it. Though he looked a bit rusty, his technique was correct.

Xie Yun asked curiously, “Captain Tan, can you cook fish?”

Tan Yi replied, “I can’t cook, but I can assist.”

Gu Ling was puzzled, “Cleaning fish is quite a skill. Have you done housework before, Captain Tan?” Considering this kitchen setup cost a fortune, he doubted someone from Tan Yi’s background wouldn’t have a housemaid.

Tan Yi finished scaling the fish and set it aside, “I lived with my grandfather as a child. Housework was necessary.”

This explained everything.

Xie Yun asked, “Do you have any specialty dishes, Captain Tan?”

Tan Yi thought for a moment, then said seriously, “Fried eggs, steamed eggs, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes—I do them all well.”

“Ha ha!” Xie Yun couldn’t help laughing, “No wonder your fridge is full of eggs.”

Tan Yi began cleaning the cutting board, “With a busy job, I mostly eat at the canteen. Eggs are just for emergencies.”

Gu Ling finished washing the cucumbers and placed them in a clean bowl, “Police work is indeed tough.”

Tan Yi looked at Xie Yun, “Forensic doctors have it hard too. Take Dr. Cao, Xiao Xie’s mentor—he has chronic back pain and often can’t bend down.”

Xie Yun nodded, “Yes, Qing Qing was on duty on New Year’s Eve and slept through the first day.”

That sounded genuinely caring, like a good sister.

Tan Yi glanced back at the living room. The little foodie who was good at cooking was leisurely picking bean sprouts, not even attempting to help in the kitchen.

Why wasn’t she helping? The answer was obvious!

He casually chimed in and then turned on the tap to wash the fish and clean the cutting board, preparing to cut the cooked food.

Xie Yun was learning to cook not to impress any man but to confidently host guests at home. At least she wouldn’t have to rely on a chef to prepare dishes in advance, freeze them, and just thaw, steam, and slice them when guests arrived. She finished cutting the tenderloin and preparing the seasonings. Just as she was about to handle the prawns, Xie Chen came in with the ground chili and Sichuan pepper, followed by Chai Yu carrying the bean sprouts and cilantro.

Chai Yu volunteered, “I can cook boiled shrimp and steamed crab. I’ll handle these two dishes.”

Gu Ling shook his head with a smile and teased, “Chai, how can you say that? Who can’t boil or steam?”

Chai Yu grinned, “Alright then, I’ll leave these two dishes to you, Mr. Gu. I’ll just wait to eat.”

Xie Yun asked, “Where’s Qing Qing?”

Chai Yu glanced at the living room, “Probably washing her hands. She said she’s good at making cucumber salad, so the cucumbers are for her.”

Xie Yun said, “Great, Captain Tan has some yellow daylilies. I’ve already soaked them. Chai, please ask Qing Qing to clean them up.”

Xie Qing had only mentioned making cucumber salad, but without asking her opinion, Xie Yun directly assigned her to shred the cucumbers, which was interesting.

“Alright, let’s start prepping. If Xie Qing can’t make it well, she can just smash some cucumbers for a simple dish,” Chai Yu said, finding the bowl with yellow daylilies and quickly leaving the kitchen.

Xie Yun was a bit surprised. Since when did they get along so well?

…

Xie Qing washed her hands, turned on the TV, and sat on the sofa, watching a replay of the Spring Festival Gala while picking vegetables.

Chai Yu sat beside her, occasionally picking one and helping out.

The skits from that time were endlessly entertaining, and soon the living room was filled with their laughter.

Xie Yun didn’t expect that while she was busy working like a maid, they were treating themselves as guests and enjoying themselves. She felt displeased but said nothing and proceeded to cook the shrimp and crabs, heat the pan with oil, and start making sweet and sour pork tenderloin.

Shrimp with scrambled eggs and sweet and sour pork tenderloin were Xie Yun’s best dishes. Now that the former wasn’t needed, she focused on perfecting the latter. She fried the meat, caramelized the sugar, thickened the sauce, and added ketchup… a tangy and fragrant meat aroma filled the air.

Xie Qing said, “Sweet and sour pork tenderloin, Yun Yun, you make this dish well. I like it.”

Chai Yu nodded, “I agree. Mr. Gu and Old Tan aren’t fond of sweets.”

Xie Qing took the yellow daylilies Chai Yu was about to throw into the trash, “Brother Chai, your observation is good, but your execution needs work.”

Chai Yu then realized he had thrown away several yellow daylilies and mixed the stems that should have been discarded with the cleaned ones.

He laughed out loud.

“Ouch!”

“What happened?”

“I’m bleeding!”

“Quick, get the iodine.”

Gu Ling helped Xie Yun out of the kitchen and sat her down by the dining table.

Tan Yi went to fetch the first aid kit.

Xie Chen, Xie Qing, and Chai Yu gathered around.

The cut wasn’t big, but Xie Yun’s fingers were delicate and almost translucent white. Combined with the blood, it looked a bit scary.

Tan Yi brought the first aid kit, took out the iodine and cotton balls, and said, “It’s nothing serious. The cut is clean. As long as it doesn’t get infected, it’ll heal in a few days.”

Chai Yu elbowed him, “Can’t you be more considerate? For girls, any injury is a big deal, especially for a dancer.”

Tan Yi retorted, “I’m a police officer, I don’t make up stories. Let’s hear how you would say it, Brother Chai.”

Chai Yu said seriously, “The cut isn’t big, and it’s unlikely to leave a scar. Even if it does, it won’t diminish Yun Yun’s beauty one bit.”

Xie Yun was amused, “It’s just a small cut, but now it means we can’t have Sichuan-style boiled fish.”

Gu Ling said, “It’s okay to have one less dish.”

Tan Yi also said, “There are plenty of cured meats and seafood. I’ll make scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and Xie Qing can make cucumber salad.”

Xie Chen nodded, “Yun Yun and Mr. Gu can rest. I’ll help out.”

The three of them went into the kitchen together.

Xie Qing looked at the grass carp, a third of which had already been sliced. “This kind of fish is best eaten fresh. I’ll make it.”

Xie Chen was a bit surprised, “Qing Qing, you can cook too?”

Xie Qing said, “I learned from the chef at our canteen.”

Xie Chen felt proud, “Our Qing Qing is smart.”

Xie Qing thought to herself: Qing Qing isn’t just smart; she’s also good at lying.

Her knife skills were good, and she quickly finished preparing the fish, cutting the fish bones, and marinating them with salt, cooking wine, cornstarch, and egg white. While the fish marinated, she blanched the yellow daylilies, scalded the tomatoes, shredded the cucumbers, and used the leftover oil from Xie Yun to fry some peanuts.

Xie Chen rinsed the yellow daylilies with cold water, squeezed out the excess water, and placed them in a small bowl with the shredded cucumbers.

Xie Qing added the seasonings, mixed in the peanuts, and let him go out and mix everything together, ready for the meal. She had already finished one dish, and Tan Yi was still clumsily peeling the tomatoes.

Xie Qing said, “Captain Tan, shall I take over?”

Tan Yi quickly handed them over, “Without long nails, I’m slow at peeling. I’ll go beat the eggs.”

Xie Qing cooked the fish bones and noticed that Tan Yi’s egg-beating skills were not professional, merely stirring them around.

Tan Yi saw Xie Qing frowning and asked, “What’s wrong, am I doing it wrong?”

Xie Qing had already peeled the tomatoes and cut them into small pieces. She took the egg bowl, added some water, and stirred quickly until the eggs foamed up. She then had Tan Yi heat the oil in the pan. Once the oil was hot enough, she poured in the eggs.

Xie Qing finished cooking, and Tan Yi plated the dish, thinking to himself that he was lucky not to have bragged about his scrambled eggs with tomatoes in front of her and Chai Yu. Otherwise, he would never hear the end of it.

For Xie Qing, Sichuan-style boiled fish was a simple dish. Tan Yi hadn’t been gone long when she poured hot oil over it, releasing an intense spicy aroma that filled the room. Xie Chen, Chai Yu, Tan Yi, and Gu Ling entered one by one, showering her with praise.

By the time the last dishes were served, the earlier ones had cooled down.

Xie Yun said apologetically, “I’m not experienced in the kitchen, so I got the order wrong. That’s why it cooled down so quickly.”

Her statement was factual and artfully phrased, so much so that neither Gu Ling nor Xie Chen caught the undertone.

Gu Ling said, “The heating in the neighborhood is good; it’s not cold at all.”

Xie Chen also said, “Exactly, with the main course at the end, the order doesn’t matter.”

Since the main course was made by Xie Qing and looked and tasted great, Xie Yun’s expression became even more unnatural.

Tan Yi and Chai Yu exchanged a glance, both with a hint of amusement in their eyes.