24: A pleasant little life

"Brother, dinner's ready."

Li Qinghe faintly heard Nguyen Thi Linh calling him for dinner from the staircase.

Qinghe tidied up his computer desktop before heading downstairs.

As he walked into the dining room, he saw a table laden with dishes prepared by Nguyen Thi Linh.

Due to dietary habits, although there was chicken soup, pan-fried fish, fried pork chops, and pan-fried beef slices, a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and even a plate of fried spring rolls...

Overall, the dishes seemed to lean towards a lighter taste. There was also a bowl of boiled greens and a bowl of raw greens.

There were eight dishes on the table, a mix of meat and vegetables.

All of these were prepared by Nguyen Thi Linh in the hour that Li Qinghe spent editing his video.

Nguyen Thi Linh was busy serving rice to Li Qinghe, looking like a virtuous young wife diligently attending to her man.

Qinghe went to the kitchen to wash his hands, gently flicking the water droplets into the stainless steel sink.

"Brother, there's a towel here to dry your hands."

Nguyen Thi Linh walked over, took a towel from the rack, and handed it to Li Qinghe.

"A Ling has already familiarized herself with the kitchen, hasn't she?" Li Qinghe said with a smile, taking the towel.

"Brother, when I cook, I have to find a lot of tools, so I got familiar with it quickly."

Nguyen Thi Linh took the towel from Li Qinghe after he had dried his hands and hung it back on the rack. Her words were full of confidence; having learned to cook with her mother since she was young, she was more than familiar with this domain.

"Brother, quickly try it and see if it's delicious." Nguyen Thi Linh picked up a piece of chicken and placed it in Li Qinghe's bowl, her beautiful large eyes filled with anticipation.

"Okay, you eat too." Li Qinghe also picked up a piece of beef and placed it in Nguyen Thi Linh's bowl.

"The taste is good, A Ling's cooking is excellent."

Li Qinghe chewed on the piece of chicken for a while before praising it; he wasn't exaggerating.

Nguyen Thi Linh had cooked the chicken perfectly; it was tender and smooth, with no other fault besides being a little light in flavor.

After finishing the chicken, Li Qinghe moved on to the other meats on the table, not even sparing the scrambled eggs with tomatoes, which were excellent mixed with rice.

Nguyen Thi Linh had already refilled Li Qinghe's rice once, but he hadn't touched any of the greens on the table.

Having been here for a few months, Li Qinghe really couldn't stand the boiled greens with no oil or salt, and the completely raw various greens; it felt like eating grass.

He needed to teach Nguyen Thi Linh to stir-fry the greens with oil when he had time.

"The spring rolls A Ling made are even better than those sold outside. I don't want to eat out anymore."

Li Qinghe popped a spring roll into his mouth.

"Then I'll cook for Brother every day." Nguyen Thi Linh lowered her head, a little embarrassed by the praise, but a wide smile curved her lips.

Li Qinghe's approval made her very happy. She began to think about what to cook for Li Qinghe tomorrow; there was still meat and half a chicken in the refrigerator.

Although she had made many dishes, Nguyen Thi Linh hadn't used up all the ingredients. The groceries bought today were enough for two more meals tomorrow.

Seeing that Li Qinghe didn't like greens, Nguyen Thi Linh frequently picked them up for herself.

"A Ling, you should eat more meat too." Li Qinghe noticed this and put several pieces of beef and chicken into her bowl.

"Brother, I can just eat this."

Nguyen Thi Linh picked up a handful of raw greens and put them into her mouth.

Seeing the girl trying to save the dishes for him, Li Qinghe had originally planned to talk about it after dinner, but since she was doing this, he decided to tell her his requests now, so she wouldn't overthink things.

"A Ling, when we eat from now on, you should eat more meat too. I don't want our beautiful A Ling to get so thin she's all bones..."

"We Dragon Country People are used to stir-frying greens in a wok with oil before eating them. Of course, boiling them is also fine, but after boiling, you can drizzle a little soy sauce on top..."

Li Qinghe slowly explained his cooking preferences to Nguyen Thi Linh.

Nguyen Thi Linh listened intently, her big eyes wide, carefully remembering Li Qinghe's requests. She didn't feel that Li Qinghe was demanding at all.

She just thought Brother was so kind, telling her everything he wanted, trusting her like family.

She greatly enjoyed this atmosphere and decided that tomorrow's greens would definitely be stir-fried for Li Qinghe.

At the same time, she also remembered that Li Qinghe could eat spicy food, knowing that she could add some chili peppers to tomorrow's stir-fried dishes as appropriate.

Li Qinghe recalled the cost of groceries for the day, then glanced around the beautiful dining room.

"A Ling, from now on, our daily grocery budget is 1 million. If there's any left, you can save it. I'll put the money there."

Li Qinghe pointed to the large wine cabinet nearby.

"A Ling, can you ride a motorcycle?"

Li Qinghe suddenly asked Nguyen Thi Linh a question.

"Yes, I often rode my mother's motorcycle to run errands at home, and I've also got my driver's license."

Nguyen Thi Linh's tone became more lively and proud. She learned to ride a motorcycle as soon as she entered middle school, and her riding skills were very proficient.

Although many Vietnamese drive without licenses, Nguyen Thi Linh had still legally obtained her motorcycle driving license.

In Vietnam, riding a motorcycle is like an innate skill for locals, because given their traffic conditions, only motorcycles can reach more places.

Generally, there are more scooters and underbones in the city, most of which don't require gear shifting.

In rural areas, there are more regular motorcycles, as off-roading is often necessary.

"Then I'll put a set of motorcycle keys in the cabinet too. You can ride the motorcycle when you go grocery shopping, so you don't have to carry the groceries so far."

Li Qinghe's words made Nguyen Thi Linh very happy, and she immediately promised, "Brother, I'll be very careful when I ride."

Looking at Nguyen Thi Linh, whose face showed a hint of childish excitement, Li Qinghe felt more and more youthful vitality from her.

Perhaps being by Li Qinghe's side, she felt less and less pressure, naturally displaying the vivaciousness of an 18-year-old girl.

Amidst their relaxed conversation, Li Qinghe cleared all the dishes on the table except for the greens.

Of course, he also put plenty of food into Nguyen Thi Linh's bowl.

After the meal, Nguyen Thi Linh rubbed her little belly and looked at Li Qinghe coquettishly, "Brother, you've almost stuffed me to bursting."

After eating and resting for a while, Nguyen Thi Linh sent Li Qinghe back upstairs and started clearing the table herself.

Watching Nguyen Thi Linh busy like a diligent little bee, Li Qinghe had no choice but to pat his backside and go upstairs.

"A Ling, I'm in the entertainment room. Come up when you're done tidying up."

Standing at the staircase, Li Qinghe thought for a moment and told Nguyen Thi Linh which room he was going to.

"Okay, Brother, I'll come up once I've washed the dishes."

A clear response came from the kitchen.

This feeling of living together was really nice. Li Qinghe was quite satisfied with their atmosphere. Vietnam was truly a good place, provided one had the 'money power'.

Back in the entertainment room, he opened his computer and edited some footage when he heard Nguyen Thi Linh's clear voice behind him: "Brother, here's some water for you."

Li Qinghe turned his head and saw Nguyen Thi Linh carefully approaching, holding a cup of water with both hands.

He hadn't expected her to have even boiled water while cooking.

Li Qinghe took the cup, took a small sip, and found it was warm water, just right for drinking.

Nguyen Thi Linh was a little embarrassed: "Brother, there's no tea or coffee at home, so I can only give you boiled water. I'll buy some tomorrow."

"It's alright, boiled water is good too. A Ling, come here, sit here."

Li Qinghe took a large gulp of warm water, placed the cup on the table, and patted his thigh, inviting Nguyen Thi Linh to sit beside him.

Nguyen Thi Linh obediently pursed her lips and squeezed her soft, yielding body into Li Qinghe's embrace.