"My dad cooks? During the New Year, who are you trying to harm?" Zhou Xing laughed. He had never seen Commander Zhou enter the kitchen since he was a child. He was the kind of person who would rather starve than lift a pot.

"What do you know, Xiaoyu? Help me out!" Commander Zhou was getting angry. Qin Xiaoyu quickly grabbed a large apron and tied it on for him.

Commander Zhou stood with his hands on his hips, took a moment to gather his breath, then turned around and asked, "Where are the vegetables?"

The whole family burst into laughter.

Commander Zhou had promised to make a dish of jellyfish head with aged vinegar, and the ingredients were readily available, including the jellyfish skin. Qin Xiaoyu helped cut and shred the jellyfish, and all that was left was for him to mix it.

"Add some vinegar, some soy sauce, some oyster sauce, some salt, some sugar..." Commander Zhou added all the seasonings in front of him. As the jellyfish head grew darker and darker, he became a little unsure and picked up his chopsticks to take a bite.

"Little fish, have a taste."

Qin Xiaoyu took a bite; the taste was bland and had no flavor at all.

"Add more vinegar." Commander Zhou added the seasoning again, this time making it so strong that Qin Xiaoyu stuck out her tongue.

I had no choice but to add some shredded cucumber and jellyfish skin...

Through their tireless efforts, adding vegetables when it was too salty and seasonings when it was too bland, they finally made a pot of jellyfish head with aged vinegar. If Zhou Xing's mother hadn't come downstairs in time to stop them, this pot of dish might have lasted until the Lantern Festival.

Zhou Xing's mother angrily kicked them out and made the only dish she knew how to cook: egg drop soup.

She was someone who never lifted a finger in the kitchen, and when she went into the kitchen, she was always ordering others around. What seemed like a simple task turned out to be a chaotic mess when she tried it herself. When the egg drop soup was served, everyone fell silent; it tasted a bit like dishwater, and the smell was far from pleasant.

"Little Fish, why do I have a bad feeling? We're going to go hungry tonight."

"It's okay, I'm here! I'll make candied apples." Qin Xiaoyu had wanted to try this dish for a long time. During the New Year at the Tang family, this was considered a main dish. It was always the grand finale. Grandpa Hanhan would cook it himself, and when it was served, it would sizzle and fill the room with fragrance, with long strands of candied apples.

Qin Xiaoyu thought she was quite smart; she had seen the instructions more than once and remembered them all, so there shouldn't be any problems. She turned on the stove and started boiling and frying.

Half an hour later, Zhou Xing brought out a plate of something from the kitchen. It was black and mushy, and most importantly, it was all stuck to the plate and couldn't be removed at all.

Qin Xiaoyu slunk away and sat down behind Zhou Yue.

"You're all starving!" Zhou Yue said angrily before disappearing into the kitchen.

Can my sister cook?

"I don't know." Zhou Xing's mother shook her head, then sniffed. "What's that smell?"

"Help! Fire!" Zhou Yue screamed as she ran out. They rushed to the kitchen doorway, where the oil pan was engulfed in flames, the flames licking at the cabinets above. The situation was critical.

Zhou Xing was quick-witted and grabbed a basin of water to pour it on, but Qin Xiaoyu intercepted him halfway and poured the entire basin of water on himself.

In the blink of an eye, Qin Xiaoyu had already thrown the pot lid onto the pot.

The fire quickly subsided and soon returned to calm.

"There was no oxygen, so the fire went out," Hanhan explained, standing at the door with her hands behind her back.

"Grandma, I'm hungry," the little girl said, sounding aggrieved.

"It's all Xiaoyu's fault! What a terrible idea! Nobody in this family knows how to cook!"

Just then, the phone rang. Zhou Xing snatched it, his expression turning serious. He straightened up, handed the phone to Qin Xiaoshuo, and said, "It's for you."

"Hello." Qin Xiaoyu had barely finished speaking when she heard A Lei's magnetic voice: "I'm at the door, come out."

"Qin Xiaoyu, you heartless bastard, leaving us all to eat by yourself!" Zhou Yue roared as she stormed out the door. Zhou Xing's gloomy gaze followed her retreating figure.

Ah Lei was smart; he parked the car a little far away. Qin Xiaoyu jogged over, fanning herself from time to time. She was covered in the smell of smoke, which she could smell herself, but she didn't have time to take a shower.

"Are you alright?" A Lei's nose was also very sensitive, and he looked Qin Xiaoyu up and down suspiciously.

"It's nothing, just a small accident. Zhou Yue set the pot on fire while cooking."

“I feel like you’ve led that family astray.” A Lei’s lips twitched slightly, and Qin Xiaoyu sensed that he wanted to laugh.

"Where should we eat? It seems like no places will be open."

People in the 1980s took the Spring Festival seriously. Everywhere was closed for the holiday. Although it caused some inconvenience, the festive atmosphere was really strong.

"Whether they open for business or not isn't up to them to decide." A Lei stepped on the gas, and the car shot off with a roar. Qin Xiaoyu was pressed tightly against the seat, her hair almost standing on end.

"Slow down! I'm scared!" she cried out involuntarily.

“You’re not a coward,” Are said nonchalantly.

"I'm a scaredy-cat, slow down!" Qin Xiaoyu finally managed to grab a handle above the car door and held on tightly. This New Year was really thrilling.

A Lei took her to the Crane Garden where they first met. The gatekeeper opened the gate early when he saw A Lei's car arrive.

They drove right in, all the way downstairs.

The lobby was empty. A Lei was familiar with the layout and led her to the elevator.

The elevator had an antique feel, reminiscent of a 1930s Shanghai nightclub. Qin Xiaoyu suddenly realized that today was an adventure.

They went up to the small restaurant on the fourth floor.

Bai Weiwei's last wedding was held in the large restaurant on the third floor; the restaurant on the fourth floor is smaller and more exquisite.

A waiter in a tuxedo came over and led them to a table. Looking out the window, the view was expansive. Back then, there were no tall buildings; four stories was considered high. From there, you could truly see the lights of countless homes.

Qin Xiaoyu felt like she had traveled back in time, as if she had returned to the 21st century.

"I've ordered the food," A Lei said, gesturing for the dishes to be served.

"Have you ordered?" Qin Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow. Although A Lei had always been in the upper hand when they were together, she still enjoyed seeing him get his comeuppance.

When the dishes arrived, Qin Xiaoyu was speechless. A Lei had done his homework thoroughly; all the dishes were to her liking, even the small mustard sausages were plain, making her suspect that they came from Qi Si's restaurant.

“You guessed right. I paid the chef a high salary, and he made this dish for you.” A Lei guessed what Qin Xiaoyu was thinking.

"You're a bit scary. It's like you're under the spotlight, with no privacy at all," Qin Xiaoyu said, finally speaking the truth.

"You need privacy for others to see, it's unnecessary for me." A Lei didn't eat much, but judging from his skill in using a knife and fork, he seemed quite comfortable with this kind of life.

"Don't be so arrogant. You only know the surface of me." Qin Xiaoyu still wanted to put him down a bit, after all, he didn't know she was reborn, and everyone has their little secrets.

"It seems so. It seems I haven't put in enough effort. I will continue to work hard." A Lei smiled.