Chapter 14

Yu Xiaofang took the enamel cup and looked up, surveying the living room.

Yu Xiaofang’s house was in the building right in front, the one by the seaside, identical to the He Family’s house in layout, though the furnishings were slightly different.

She had been stationed on Pingchuan Island for five years now. Though all these years she had always thought her husband could be transferred at any moment and they wouldn’t stay long, so she didn’t want to buy any large items for the house, somehow, over time, the house had accumulated quite a bit of stuff.

For instance, the chest of drawers in front of her—her living room had two of these, one tall and one short—and still, they always felt the cabinets were small and there was no place to store things. There were also seven or eight stools, some high, some low, some with backs, some without, and a rattan chair, all scattered about.

At the entrance of her home, there was even a shoe rack. It couldn’t be helped; with so many people in the house, everyone had at least two or three pairs of shoes, so it added up quickly. The shoes were all piled on the floor, making it look chaotic, so they had to use a shoe rack to store them.

In addition to these, there was a wooden bed in the living room. Again, due to the number of children, and with them growing older, the boys and girls could no longer sleep in the same room. Their house was only a two-bedroom unit, so they had to let the boys sleep in the living room, partitioning off a space with curtains for them to sleep in.

With so much furniture in the living room, it felt cramped. When she was home alone, it wasn’t too bad, but when her husband and kids returned home in the evening, it really became tight and there was nowhere to stand.

Now, looking at Su Ting’s spacious living room, Yu Xiaofang couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. As Su Ting walked out of the kitchen with an empty bowl, Yu Xiaofang remarked: “It was much better when you first moved in.”

“Why’s that?”

“When you first moved in, there was less furniture, so the place looked bigger.” Yu Xiaofang sighed as she spoke: “unlike our house. We have so many kids, and so much furniture. If guests come over, there’s literally no place to sit.”

Su Ting, thinking about her own situation, replied: “I heard if a large unit becomes available, we could reapply?”

“That’s the rule, but so many families in two-bedroom units want to apply for bigger houses—how could we possibly get one?” Yu Xiaofang waved her hand dismissively. “Never mind, I don’t want to think about those bothersome things. Were you drawing earlier?”

“Nothing else to do, so I passed the time.” Su Ting smiled, pouring the chili sauce Yu Xiaofang had brought into her own bowl.

The sauce was made from chopped red chili peppers, a bright red color, fragrant and spicy. Just the smell made one’s mouth water, and Su Ting, not hesitating to compliment it, said: “This chili sauce smells amazing. It’s making my mouth water.”

Yu Xiaofang was very generous. “If you like it, after you finish eating, come find me, and I’ll give you some more.”

“Don’t say that, it feels too much.”

“There’s no reason to feel embarrassed. As the saying goes, a distant relative is not as good as a neighbor.” Yu Xiaofang lowered her voice, somewhat shyly, and added: “Actually, I didn’t just come to you for food today. I also wanted to ask you for a favor.”

Though she hadn’t tasted the sauce yet, and had only accepted it, Su Ting still didn’t mind and asked: “What is it? What do you need?”

“It’s nothing serious. I just wanted to ask what dish you cooked last night and how you made it.” 

Su Ting was a bit stunned, asking: “Why do you want to know about that…?”

Yu Xiaofang hesitated for a moment before saying: “It’s my husband, Old Hu. He doesn’t have many hobbies, but he really loves good food. Last night, your house made roast meat, right? The smell even reached our house, and he was thinking about it all night. This morning, when he went to base, he was still talking about it.”

Su Ting suddenly understood: “You want to make it for him?”

“That’s the idea.” Yu Xiaofang nodded in acknowledgment, then assured her: “Don’t worry, I’m not trying to learn for nothing. If you like this chili sauce, I can share the recipe with you. We can trade, or if you want it again in the future, just let me know and I’ll bring some over.”

“We’re neighbors, it’s not necessary to go that far. It’s just…”

“Just what?” Yu Xiaofang quickly asked.

Su Ting hesitated: “Well, last night we didn’t have much meat, just some braised pork, but I’m not really sure how it was made.”

“You cooked the meat yourself, and you don’t know how it was made?” Yu Xiaofang thought she was joking.

“The thing is, I didn’t cook the meat.”

“If it wasn’t you, then who cooked it?” Yu Xiaofang furrowed her brows. “If you don’t want to teach me, just say so. There’s no need to dodge me with these excuses. Every evening, the smell from your kitchen wafts all the way to our place, we can all smell it clearly… Or are you planning to use your cooking skills to get a job in the compound’s canteen?”

Su Ting was about to explain that He Dongchuan had made the dish when she froze at Yu Xiaofang’s question. “How does the canteen come into this?”

“You worked at the State-Owned Restaurant before, and now you’ve come to Pingchuan Island with your husband. Isn’t it natural for people to think you might want a job in the canteen? Or are you not interested in being a cook anymore?”

Su Ting was even more confused: “…Who said I worked at the State-Owned Restaurant?”

“You didn’t work there?” Yu Xiaofang’s eyes widened. “You didn’t work at the State-Owned Restaurant?! Then where did you learn to cook?”

Su Ting was speechless. “I’ve never been a cook!!!”

Yu Xiaofang was even more surprised. “You’ve never been a cook? Then where did you learn your cooking skills? The whole compound’s been talking about how you worked at a restaurant before you came here, and that’s how you became such a good cook. Just yesterday, I heard people saying the canteen manager is planning to apply for a new chef position, and everyone’s wondering if they’ll ask you to take it!”

“…”

Su Ting was at a loss for words.

She never expected that her cooking skills, which were really only enough to make food edible, had somehow turned her into the culinary genius in the eyes of everyone in the compound!

Looking at the expression on Su Ting’s face, Yu Xiaofang hesitated and asked: “You really weren’t a cook before you came with the army?”

“Really wasn’t. I was the Scorekeeper for our brigade.”

“So, you worked in your brigade’s canteen?”

Su Ting tilted her head and looked at Yu Xiaofang, but said nothing.

Yu Xiaofang, feeling guilty under the gaze, relented: “Alright, alright, I believe you didn’t work as a cook, but your cooking skills must be decent, right?”

Su Ting couldn’t help but respond: “If my cooking skills were decent, do you think I’d be eating in the canteen every day at lunch?”

Her words convinced Yu Xiaofang, but she quickly thought of something else. “But if your cooking wasn’t good, then who’s been cooking every night? The smell definitely comes from your house.”

“We’re not the only ones at home.”

“Who else could it be… Wait, are you saying it’s Colonel He cooking at your house at night?”

“Yeah.”

“Colonel He can cook?” Yu Xiaofang was shocked, standing up and pacing around as she asked: “Wait, so Colonel He has been the one cooking all this time? That doesn’t seem right!”

“What doesn’t seem right about it? Do you think there’s a difference between people who can cook and those who can’t?” Su Ting asked, deliberately glancing at Yu Xiaofang and then looking down at herself. “I don’t think there’s any difference.”

Yu Xiaofang quickly explained: “No, what I meant was, a lot of men look good on the outside but can’t do anything around the house. Colonel He looks so serious, I just assumed…”

“Don’t judge people by their appearance.”

“Well, that’s true.” Yu Xiaofang sighed: “I was thinking we’re both women, so it would be easy to get along. I thought I’d try to bond with you and ask you for the recipe, but now… sigh.”

After all, since it was He Dongchuan who cooked, it wasn’t appropriate for her to ask around.

Su Ting, feeling a little awkward after accepting the food, thought for a moment and said: “How about this: when he comes back, I’ll ask him. If he’s okay with it, I’ll write down the recipe for you.”

Yu Xiaofang’s face immediately brightened, and she smiled widely. “That sounds great!”

Although she hadn’t gotten the recipe yet, things were finally moving forward. Yu Xiaofang, in a better mood, began joking with Su Ting. “You have no idea, ever since you guys started cooking at night, those of us who live nearby have been suffering. Everyone’s been wanting to come over and learn from you for ages.”

Su Ting thought to herself, no wonder these past few days when she went out to buy ingredients, people kept asking her what she was cooking and what side dishes she was getting, as if they planned to follow her back and learn.

Su Ting felt awkward. “…Didn’t they think the dishes were cooked by He Dongchuan?”

“Of course not. The men in the compound, forget about cooking, it’s a miracle if they even help with housework when they get home.” Yu Xiaofang said, glancing at Su Ting. “You’re lucky, you got Colonel He.”

Su Ting replied: “…Fine, I guess.”

……

When He Dongchuan was inspecting the ingredients, Su Ting leaned against the counter, staring at him.

Her gaze wasn’t intense, but it was a little too focused, making him want to glance back at her. After enduring for a while, he finally finished checking the ingredients and asked: “Why do you keep staring at me?”

“Huh?”

Su Ting snapped out of it and met his gaze. Her mind went blank for a moment, and without thinking much, she said: “Do you know that people in the compound are saying I used to be a cook at a State-Owned Restaurant before I came with the army?”

He Dongchuan raised an eyebrow and silently looked at her for a while before replying: “Then that restaurant probably didn’t last long.”

“What do you mean by that?” Su Ting raised an eyebrow.

Seeing her irritation, He Dongchuan quickly corrected himself: “I was just joking.” He grabbed the spatula hanging on the wall and prepared to start cooking.

Su Ting didn’t press the issue, mostly because she didn’t feel confident enough to argue.

First, He Dongchuan was the one earning and working in the household; second, since they started cooking together after the kitchen reopened, their relationship had become much more comfortable. However, they were still just a fake couple. If they fought too much, it could hurt their relationship, and they didn’t have much of a relationship to begin with. If they argued lightly, it would seem like playful banter, which would make things too ambiguous.

The line was difficult to navigate!

Su Ting sighed inwardly, then shifted the conversation. “Don’t you want to know why they’re all saying that?”

He Dongchuan played along: “Why?”

“Because they think I’m the one cooking at night.” Su Ting followed him to the kitchen near the window. “You don’t know, I was stunned when I heard this from Sister Yu today. I told her I don’t know how to cook, and she didn’t believe me. She said you don’t look like someone who can cook.”

He Dongchuan nodded as he listened, but then suddenly asked: “Who’s Sister Yu?”

“Yu Xiaofang, the neighbor who lives in the house in front of ours. She’s the one who gave me this bowl of chili sauce.” Su Ting said as she picked up the chili sauce from the counter, naturally continuing from earlier: “If you’re willing, you can tell me the recipe and I’ll write it down for her. If it’s inconvenient, then forget it.”

He Dongchuan didn’t immediately respond, instead asking: “Is her husband’s name Hu Zhijun?”

Although He Dongchuan had been living in the family compound for about a month, he’d been away for half of that time on a mission. As a result, he didn’t know many of the military wives who lived around him. When it came to the men, however, he could quickly recall which household they belonged to.

He wasn’t familiar with Yu Xiaofang, but when Su Ting mentioned that her house was the one in front, he immediately asked about her husband.

In contrast, Su Ting was much more familiar with the military wives in the compound. During the time she spent at the playground with Shen Min, she had gotten to know quite a few. Some she had greeted when passing by the gate, some were parents of the children, and others she’d gotten to know through casual gossip.

So, no matter where in the compound the military wives lived, as long as Su Ting was told the building and some distinguishing features, she could easily identify them. At the very least, she could recall their last names.

But when it came to the officers in the compound, she didn’t know many, since she hadn’t interacted with them much. However, Yu Xiaofang had mentioned her husband earlier that afternoon. After thinking for a moment, Su Ting said: “It should be him. She calls him Husband Old Hu.”

“That’s it.” He Dongchuan said, adding chopped green peppers into the pan and stirring them. “After we finish eating, I’ll tell you the recipe.”

“Okay.”

There were only three people in the household, so Su Ting didn’t prepare too many dishes. She had bought a fish in the morning, a few green peppers, half a block of tofu, and two pieces of greens.

The fish was steamed, the green peppers were stir-fried with eggs, and the tofu and greens were made into a soup, topped with a handful of dried shrimp. With that, dinner was quite hearty.

As usual, Su Ting and He Yan ate until they were a bit too full, while He Dongchuan remained the same—his stomach seemed like a bottomless pit.

This was the part Su Ting envied most about him: he ate so much and still had such a good figure. Unlike her, after only a few days of good food, she could already feel her stomach softening when she touched it.

But getting her to eat less wasn’t something she was eager to do. After all, good food was right in front of her!

Su Ting sat back in her chair, entering a moment of contemplation, until He Dongchuan came out and reminded her to write down the recipe.

Su Ting quickly grabbed a paper and pencil from He Yan. She hesitated to use sketching paper for a recipe, so she tore a page from He Yan’s workbook instead.

He Yan: “…”

Su Ting took the paper and began writing down the recipe as He Dongchuan dictated.

However, after just a couple of minutes, Su Ting interrupted and asked: “Wait, you only mentioned adding star anise, bay leaves, and dried chilies, but you didn’t say how much of each, and what about rock sugar? How much should I use?”

He Dongchuan replied: “Go by the amount, just enough.”

For someone like Su Ting, who had no experience in the kitchen, the concept of “enough” didn’t exist. She continued asking: “What does ‘enough’ mean?”

“Add one or two star anise, two or three pieces of cinnamon, and for the dried chilies, it depends on whether they eat spicy food. If they do, put in one; if not, don’t add any. As for the rock sugar, it depends on the size—about ten small pieces, or half that for larger ones.” He Dongchuan added: “Don’t ask me how small ‘small’ is.”

Su Ting, who was just about to ask, stopped herself.

The recipe wasn’t long—just a hundred words or so—but it took Su Ting ten minutes to write it down, half of which was spent asking about the quantities.

When she finally finished, both of them sighed in relief—it was done!

Afterward, Su Ting didn’t immediately give the recipe to He Dongchuan. Instead, she copied it again.

He Dongchuan, seeing this, asked: “Why are you copying it again? The first one was fine, even if it had a few corrections. Your handwriting is neat, and it looks good overall.”

Without lifting her head, Su Ting replied: “I want to keep a copy and try it out myself when I have time.”

“You could just ask me if you want to make it.”

Su Ting thought to herself, With your dictation skills, if I learned it as we went, it would be a miracle! Plus, from her past experience, she knew her first attempt at cooking braised pork would be chaotic. If He Dongchuan watched her, it would definitely affect the impression she wanted to leave on him.

So, Su Ting quoted a popular phrase she had heard in the past: “I want to learn in secret, and then surprise you.”

In Su Ting’s mind, the key word was “secret.” but when He Dongchuan heard it, what stood out to him was the word “surprise.”

He tilted his head slightly and watched the young woman in front of him, who was diligently writing. After a moment, he smiled and said softly: “I’ll be waiting.”