108: Chapter 108 Six Dishes and One Soup
The sauce for the braised prawns in oil was thickening in the pan when Su Xiaoxi's phone vibrated.
She didn't look at it.
The heat for this particular dish couldn't be off by even ten seconds; the sauce had to be reduced until it was thick and translucent, perfectly coating every prawn.
Any more and it would be too greasy; any less and it wouldn't be fragrant enough.
She used chopsticks to pick out the prawns one by one and arrange them on the plate, drizzled the final layer of amber sauce from the bottom of the pan over them, and sprinkled a small handful of finely chopped green onions.
Only then did she pick up her phone.
"Almost there."
Three words, sent three minutes ago.
Su Xiaoxi hurriedly turned off all the stove burners. Without even taking off her apron, she rushed toward the entryway before doubling back to check herself in the full-length mirror.
Her hair was a bit frizzy from the steam; she tried to smooth it down twice with her hands, but it didn't work, so she gave up.
There was a small oil stain on her apron. She glanced down at it, her face flushing slightly.
The doorbell rang.
She ran over to open the door.
Jiang Chen stood at the door, holding a bottle of wine.
He was still wearing the same shirt from earlier that day, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing a portion of his wrists.
His movements paused for a moment.
It wasn't an exaggerated pause, but a very subtle one.
His gaze passed over Su Xiaoxi's shoulder and landed on the living room behind her, lingering for about two seconds.
The dining table was fully covered.
It wasn't the usual setup from when Su Xiaoxi ate alone, occupying only a small corner; the spread stretched from one end of the table to the other.
The braised prawns in oil held the center stage, their shells a bright red and coated in a translucent, soy-colored glaze.
Next to the steamed sea bass sat a small dish of shredded ginger and vinegar. The fish had been scored with a knife, the cuts revealing snow-white, flakey meat.
The sweet and sour spare ribs were neatly arranged, with the pieces containing soft bone specifically picked out and placed on top.
She had noticed Jiang Chen eating quite a lot of them last time, so she figured he liked them.
The baby cabbage in broth lay in a milky-white soup, with a few goji berries and pieces of century egg floating on top.
The cold wood ear mushroom salad was piled like a small mountain, and next to it was a dish of peanuts she had fried herself, sprinkled with fine salt.
Six dishes, plus a clear spare rib broth; the soup was crystal clear with a few segments of green onion whites floating in it.
Two sets of bowls and chopsticks were set at the table. The chopstick rests were ceramic kittens she had recently bought online—one orange and one gray.
Jiang Chen pulled his gaze back from the dining table and looked down at the Orange Cat crouching by his feet.
The cat was tilting its head up to observe him, its tail held straight up with the tip slightly curled into a hook.
"A stray?"
"Yes, I found it at the neighborhood entrance a couple of days ago."
Su Xiaoxi stepped aside to make room. "You... please come in."
On the day Su Xiaoxi moved in, she had stood in the courtyard for a long time, feeling that this place was almost too good to be true.
It was quiet and had great lighting; the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room could catch an entire afternoon's worth of sunlight.
She knew her place and never asked anything she shouldn't.
She had simply gone to the flower market later to pick out a few potted plants to place by the window, tending to them one by one. So far, not a single one had died.
While changing his shoes, Jiang Chen noticed an extra pair of men's slippers in the shoe cabinet—dark gray, brand new, with the tags just recently cut off.
He glanced at Su Xiaoxi. She was looking down as she took the wine from him, the tips of her ears so red they seemed translucent.
"...I didn't know what size you wore, so I just took a guess."
Her voice grew smaller and smaller. "If they don't fit, there's another pair a size larger in the cabinet."
Jiang Chen slid his feet in; they fit perfectly.
He didn't say anything, walked inside, and stood by the dining table for a moment.
Su Xiaoxi followed behind him, her hands twisting the edge of her apron, so nervous that even her breathing became shallow.
"How long did it take you to make all this?"
"It... it didn't take that long."
Su Xiaoxi spoke rapidly, "I started stewing the ribs ahead of time, everything else is quick. The prawns only take ten minutes to cook..."
"Six dishes and a soup."
Su Xiaoxi fell silent.
Jiang Chen pulled out a chair and sat down.
He wasn't in a hurry to use his chopsticks. He first looked over the dishes on the table, then picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of spare rib.
Su Xiaoxi stood nearby, staring at him without blinking.
He chewed a couple of times, his chopsticks pausing for half a second, before he took another piece.
This time he picked a piece with soft bone. After chewing and swallowing, he looked up at Su Xiaoxi.
"Your cooking..." He paused, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly, "is truly impressive."
Su Xiaoxi blinked.
Jiang Chen picked up a braised prawn, peeled it, and popped it into his mouth.
The sound of the shell being twisted off was crisp and clean. He chewed twice, his eyebrows lifting.
"These prawns..." He picked up another one, finishing his sentence only after peeling it, "are better than what you'd get at restaurants outside."
The tips of Su Xiaoxi's ears began to turn red.
For the steamed sea bass, he took a piece of the belly meat. He dipped it an extra time into the ginger and vinegar sauce, then tapped the fish with the tip of his chopsticks after eating.
"The fish is steamed perfectly. Very tender."
For the baby cabbage in broth, he simply picked up the bowl and took a sip of the soup. When he set the bowl down, there was a bit of soup residue on the corner of his mouth; he didn't wipe it, instead reaching for the wood ear mushrooms.
"You fried the peanuts yourself?" He made a loud crunching sound as he chewed. "The timing was perfect; they're still crispy even after cooling down."
Su Xiaoxi's blush had spread all the way to her neck. Her hands twisted the edge of her apron, not knowing where to put them.
"You... stop talking... it's just something I threw together."
"Just threw together?"
Jiang Chen looked up at her, a hint of a playful smile in his eyes. "If you actually put effort into it, will I even be able to eat food from outside in the future?"
Su Xiaoxi felt as if her pressure points had been struck, then she picked up her bowl of rice and buried her entire face in it.
Jiang Chen stopped teasing her and continued eating, though a faint curve remained on his lips.
Su Xiaoxi peeking over the rim of her bowl to look at him.
Jiang Chen looked good when he ate—unhurried, each movement of his chopsticks precise, and he chewed thoughtfully.
When he ate the ribs, he even used his fingers to hold the bone, gnawing it completely clean without leaving a single shred of meat.
The corners of her mouth curved up, and she quickly hid her face again.
The Orange Cat had somehow rubbed its way to Jiang Chen's feet, nudging his ankle with its head.
Jiang Chen glanced down at it. Still chewing a rib, he mumbled, "You're certainly not shy," then moved his foot slightly to make some space for it.
Watching the Orange Cat's familiar behavior, Su Xiaoxi thought to herself that the cat was much bolder than she was.
Halfway through the meal, Jiang Chen's phone vibrated.
He picked it up and glanced at it. It was a message from Shen Xi, a PDF file named 'Changjiang International 37th Floor Floorplan_Draft'.
He turned the phone over and placed it face down on the table.
"Something for work?" Su Xiaoxi asked softly.
"Yes."
"Do you need to reply first?"
"No need."
The tip of Su Xiaoxi's chopsticks poked at the rice in her bowl. She hesitated for a moment but couldn't help asking, "Why did you... suddenly want to come over for dinner today?"
Jiang Chen picked up a peanut and chewed it before speaking.
"You said it yourself, your cooking is pretty good."
Su Xiaoxi didn't respond, feeling that he hadn't finished his sentence.
Sure enough, Jiang Chen ladled a spoonful of soup, drank it, and then looked up at her.
That look wasn't long, but it wasn't a mere glance either.
"And to see you while I'm at it."
The tips of Su Xiaoxi's chopsticks stopped moving.
He said it very casually, his tone no different from when he was praising the food. After saying it, he lowered his head to continue eating, as if it were just an incidental remark.
Su Xiaoxi lowered her head and pulled her bowl closer.
She knew what their relationship was.
What she should do was stay quiet, not cause trouble, and not ask too many questions.
And she had always done a good job of that.
But he said, "to see you while I'm at it."
It wasn't "coming over for dinner," it was "to see you while I'm at it."
The meal was incidental; seeing her was the reason he came.
Su Xiaoxi hid her face further behind her bowl, her eyes growing moist from the steam of the rice.
She suddenly felt that meeting him was actually quite lucky.
Of all the people in the world, it was her sitting here, living in the house he rented, cooking a table full of food waiting for him to eat.
She knew her place and never dared to hope for more.
But this was already good enough.
After dinner, Jiang Chen sat on the sofa replying to messages.
Su Xiaoxi was in the kitchen washing dishes. She turned the faucet on very low, the sound of the water stream thin, as if she were afraid of disturbing him.
The Orange Cat jumped onto the sofa, circled Jiang Chen's legs twice, and found a comfortable spot to curl up into a ball.
Jiang Chen looked down and reached out to pet its head.
The cat's ears twitched, and it let out a very soft purr.
As Su Xiaoxi was washing the last plate, she could see Jiang Chen on the sofa from the angle of the kitchen door.
He was in profile, the light from the phone screen reflecting on his face, his brow slightly furrowed.
She saved this image in her mind.
Along with the way he ate the ribs today, the way he drank the soup, the way he petted the cat, and the way he said "to see you while I'm at it," she filed them all away in a folder.
These were her own things; she didn't need to explain them to anyone.
After finishing the dishes, she wiped the stove again, stood the cutting board up to drain, and folded the cleaned cloth to hang on the hook.
Then she took a small bowl of something out of the refrigerator, walked to the coffee table, and gently placed it in front of Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen looked up from his phone screen.
It was a bowl of Mung Bean Paste, chilled, with a few lotus seeds floating on top.
"I made it today. It's not very sweet."
Su Xiaoxi placed the spoon by the bowl. "You said last time that the ones bought from outside were too sweet."
Jiang Chen looked at her.
He didn't remember when he had said that.
He probably mentioned it casually once and forgot about it himself.
But Su Xiaoxi remembered.
He picked up the spoon and took a bite.
The mung beans were cooked until they were mushy, and the lotus seeds had been peeled by hand with the cores removed so cleanly that there wasn't a hint of bitterness.
He finished one bite and took another spoonful.
"You can make this more often in the future," he said.
Su Xiaoxi sat down beside him, leaving a space between them.
She pulled the Orange Cat into her lap. The cat let out a dissatisfied grumble but still rolled over to reveal its belly.