Chapter 25

On the walnut-colored dining table, there were two big bowls of sweet potato porridge, a plate of braised goose, a plate of shrimp dumplings, a plate of fish-flavored shredded pork, a plate of cold spinach salad, a small dish of diced radish, and a small dish of sour pickled beans.

When Zhou Zhou opened the door to welcome him, she quickly turned and walked to the kitchen.
“You’re here. You can wear those brown slippers. I’ll take the salted egg yolk chicken wings out. You start eating first.”

Family sits together quietly, the warm light feels close. Slow-cooked life, time is deep.

At this moment, everything was very real and clear.

Cheng Yanan looked at the chandelier above the table. He suddenly felt like a man coming home late, but quickly realized that wasn’t true. After Zhou Zhou put the chicken wings on the table, she washed her hands and held out her clean white hands to him.
“It’s a little hot. Give me your coat, I’ll put it in the living room. Do you want to wash your hands? The kitchen is here, and the sink is over there.”

“Oh, okay.” He quickly took off his coat, showing a gray-green knit sweater underneath, then went inside to wash his hands.

No way was he like the man of the house — he didn’t even know where the sink was.

He knew Zhou Zhou lived alone. Girls have a lot of stuff, so he didn’t look around too much, just focused on what was in sight.

The small living room was all walnut furniture with some green plants here and there. The yellow lights made the whole room warm and bright.

He even saw the orange-yellow bouquet he had bought before, happily placed in a vase, bringing color to the room.

Too bad, a few flowers were already wilting.

He quickly washed his hands and came back to the table.

“This is a lot of food, too much trouble for you,” he said, looking at Zhou Zhou, who rarely wore jewelry but today had her hair tied halfway up, showing her small, fair ears with pink pearl earrings.

He had seen her several times but this was the first time he saw her wear jewelry.

Elegant and simple, very fitting.

He felt those two pearls were like little balls bouncing in his heart.

“Hehe, I didn’t plan to cook so much, but when I bought groceries, I saw this and wanted to try it, and that too,” Zhou Zhou said as she hung his coat on a rack in the living room, then sat at the table, smiling. “Besides, you worked hard making the surveillance and writing the program. This meal is nothing.”

Seeing Cheng Yanan not moving, she urged him to start eating.

“Eat, eat! I’m hungry, don’t be shy. Don’t say it’s bad if it isn’t good.”

Cheng Yanan smiled and didn’t hesitate, picking up chopsticks and grabbing a chicken wing first.

The chicken wings just out of the oven were sizzling with oil, and smelled strongly of salted egg yolk.

He bit into it—crispy on the outside, tender inside, salty and fragrant. After finishing one wing, he said,
“Really delicious.”

He drank some porridge and looked at the orange sweet potato chunks. Raising his eyebrows, he asked,
“This sweet potato tastes a bit different.”

“This was sent by Chi Yao, she said it’s a new kind from the agricultural science institute over there. Not on the market yet.”

“Isn’t she in the aerospace system?”

“I don’t know, but I think this sweet potato is delicious—slightly sandy and sticky, but not too sweet. Try the braised goose.”

Cheng Yanan ate some goose meat. It was tender and soaked with a fragrant sauce.

“Good.”

He was hungry, and the food looked very homey. He ate half a bowl of porridge and several pieces of chicken wings and goose before moving on to the vegetables.

“Did you pickle this?” He picked up a radish cube.

“I don’t have time for that. My mom pickled them. They’re okay.”

Crunch! He gave a thumbs up.

“Sour and crispy, very tasty.”

Zhou Zhou looked at the polite and gentle young man who finished a large bowl of porridge in less than three minutes and asked if there was more porridge left. She was a bit relieved she added two extra dishes last minute.

Cheng Yanan looked slim but his appetite was really good.

When someone appreciates your cooking, it never feels like a burden.

“There’s still half a pot left. I’ll serve you more.” She stood and took his bowl, went to the kitchen, and filled it again.
“Eat more. It would be a waste if you can’t finish it.”

Cheng Yanan didn’t hesitate and kept eating, praising her cooking all the while.

Having a dining companion made the meal more enjoyable.

In this relaxed mood, the two finished four dishes, shrimp dumplings, and a pot of porridge. Cheng Yanan ate most of it.

When he put down his chopsticks, he felt full and a bit bloated.

He finally understood why men tend to gain weight after marriage. Thinking about his own growing belly, he shivered.

Seeing Zhou Zhou about to clean up, he quickly stopped her. He meant to say he’d wash the dishes, but accidentally gripped a few of her fingers too hard.

Her surprised look seemed to ask, “What do you mean?”

His heart started pounding like a drum. He quickly let go and stammered,
“Um… I’ll clean up, I’ll… wash the dishes.”

He couldn’t be so shameless—eat a free meal and still let the girl wash the dishes.

Zhou Zhou understood and smiled gently,
“You still have to install the surveillance, how can I let you wash dishes?”

“No problem… I’m quick…”

Then he seemed to realize he sounded wrong and awkwardly explained,
“I mean… um… I wash dishes quickly.”

Oh god! What was he saying?

He must have been corrupted by Chen Jing. His explanation made no sense, and Zhou Zhou probably thought he was a creepy guy.

His head lowered slowly, and he put his hands on his legs quietly.

Zhou Zhou looked at the nearly 1.8-meter tall guy standing against the wall like a scolded schoolboy, almost laughing out loud.
“Alright, I get it. Mr. Cheng, you’re the guest. I won’t make you wash dishes. Wait till I’m done, I’ll find you a ladder.”

Cheng Yanan slowly raised his head, scolding himself a hundred times inside, then dared to ask,
“Really no need to help?”

“No, no. You sit down, or you can stand and walk around, but I haven’t tidied for a few days—it’s a bit messy.”

Zhou Zhou took all the dishes to the kitchen, put them in the sink, put on gloves, and started washing.

She didn’t close the sliding door so they could chat.

Though she said he could walk around, Cheng Yanan felt awkward wandering in a girl’s house, so he just leaned by the sliding door and chatted with her.