Chapter 157 I am the head chef, shouldn’t the kitchen helpers provide attentive service?
After Aunt Wan left the ward, Xu Xian came back with a light cloth bag containing Zhang Wan's spare clothes.
As the son-in-law, Jiang Shibai naturally pushed the wheelchair, and the family of three drove to Repulse Bay.
In the evening, the golden sunlight silently falls from the top of the mountain, and the setting sun dyes half of the sky red. The light blue and flame red blend together to form a wonderful color.
The red lanterns and red couplets under the corridor of the villa are particularly festive. There are also small red lanterns hanging on the branches of the trees in the yard. They are small and exquisite, decorating the yard with a New Year atmosphere.
In order to make the New Year atmosphere for the three of them more lively and not too lonely, just decorating with decorations is definitely not enough. Xu Xian plans to write the red couplets on the villa gate by himself.
Jiang Shibai always listens to his wife, so naturally he had no objection, and Zhang Wan was also happy to see her making a fuss.
Xu Xian found the long-covered red paper from the study, cut it into the length and width of the couplet, and brought out the pen, ink, paper, inkstone, tape measure and paperweight.
On the round table in the courtyard are placed tools with the scent of ink, which has a sense of elegance.
The weather is getting warmer, the temperature outside the villa is just right, and the gentle breeze gently blows the edges of the Spring Festival couplets, rolling them up at a beautiful angle.
The three of them took turns picking up their pens and dipping them in ink, leaving black ink on the red rice paper. The relaxed and well-proportioned characters appeared on the paper, unfolding a beautiful picture scroll.
The font of the first half of the couplet is elegant, free and smooth. The running script is written vividly, the font is vigorous and powerful, and the strokes are steady. It can be seen at a glance that it was written by Jiang Shibai.
The second half of the couplet is written in neat regular script. It looks decent at first glance, but it is actually a bit stiff, like a primary school student copying the handwriting. Xu Xian practiced calligraphy when he was a child, but gave up later because he lost interest.
The font of the horizontal banner written by Zhang Wan is slightly distorted, but she used to be a Chinese teacher and had good calligraphy skills. Now she is weak and her handwriting is inevitably a little crooked, but her style can still be seen.
Unexpectedly, Xu Xian's hard pen calligraphy, which he had always been proud of, became the most unsightly among the three of them today.
"Xianxian...your handwriting...is not good!" As a mother, Zhang Wan sat in a wheelchair, staring at Jiang Shibai as she posted the second half of the couplet, teasing her mercilessly.
Not far away, Jiang Shibai, wearing a dark gray coat, held up the Spring Festival couplets glued on his back and moved them slightly according to Xu Xian's instructions to ensure that the couplets would not be pasted crookedly.
"Hey! A little to the left, no, a little to the right." Xu Xian was giving instructions enthusiastically when he heard this and subconsciously retorted, "It's obviously you who didn't teach me."
When she was a child, she was unwilling to learn calligraphy. Zhang Wan, who was quite accomplished, adhered to free education and did not force her.
Now she is being blamed and accused of a false crime.
Zhang Wan instantly grew more irritable upon hearing this. Her pale complexion turned rosy, and her weak voice couldn't conceal her anger. "Damn! How can you talk like that, child? Am I... not teaching you? It's obviously you who... doesn't want to learn."
She had difficulty speaking and had to take a breath after saying a few words.
Xu Xian had his back to her, seemingly unaware of her emotional fluctuations. He continued to act like a spoiled child, just like he always did when the three of them were together. "Oh, Mom! I just said it casually. Why are you so angry?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she looked at Jiang Shibai angrily and rushed forward, "No, Jiang Shibai, raise it higher."
Jiang Shibai's deep eyebrows and eyes were as gentle as water. He didn't mind her at all and worked hard to raise the Spring Festival couplets.
The next second, I heard her dissatisfied voice again, "A little lower, it has to be flush with the upper half."
Jiang Shibai didn't complain at all. He waited until he got the angle she was satisfied with before he successfully pasted the spring couplets on the wall even though the glue was almost dry.
The festive red color is very suitable for the current scene.
Zhang Wan sat quietly in a wheelchair with a white furry blanket spread across her knees, watching the interaction between the young couple. One of them acted like a spoiled brat and had high demands, while the other was obedient and listened to her. They were a perfect match.
The quiet yard suddenly became extremely lively, with laughter and joyful chattering everywhere.
She knew that Xianxian was deliberately making her angry because she was too quiet, and that drastic mood swings were not good for her health.
But isn’t remaining calm for a long time, without any emotions, another kind of disease?
The New Year is obviously the happiest time of the year, but her mind always involuntarily emerges of the time when Lao Xu was also directed by her to put up Spring Festival couplets. The two of them were quarreling one second and loving each other as before the next.
The past time is gone in the blink of an eye, and everything has changed.
Pasting Spring Festival couplets takes up most of their day, and the time passes so quickly that they can't even notice it.
The setting sun completely sank behind the mountain, and the afterglow of the sunset was replaced by the darkness. The red light cut through the dim sky, becoming a lamp that illuminated the night.
When it was dinner time, they didn't make a fuss at the door for too long. Aunt Zhang had already prepared all the ingredients before she returned home for the New Year, so they just had to put them in the pot.
The kitchen was filled with a strong smell of cooking fumes, so Xu Xian asked Zhang Wan to sit in the living room to watch TV. She and Jiang Shibai went into the kitchen to cook, believing that men and women working together would not make the work tiring.
The chef for tonight’s New Year’s Eve dinner is Jiang Shibai, who is wearing a light grey sweatshirt. His superior waist-to-hip ratio creates a visual feast that is hard to block even with the loose clothing.
Xu Xian took out a transparent apron from the drawer and handed it to him. After holding it for a few seconds, he didn't reach out to take it. Instead, he leaned against the table with one hand in his pocket calmly.
The other bony hand was then placed on the glass table, with several slender and well-proportioned knuckles hanging down in the air, and the fair skin was very eye-catching.
"You're not wearing an apron?" Xu Xian's pretty face was painted with delicate makeup, and a hint of confusion flashed across her face.
She remembered that he always loved cleanliness. It wasn't that he was a mysophobia, but he just couldn't stand dirt sticking to his clothes. When he cooked, fumes were inevitable.
What's more, it is difficult to react in time to splashing objects such as soy sauce, which may sneak into clothes and every corner at any time.
The kitchen wasn't connected to the living room, with the dining room between them. Outsiders couldn't see what was going on inside. Jiang Shibai was calculating in his mind, smiling in a rather frivolous manner, "I'm the head chef, shouldn't the kitchen helpers provide good service?"
Xu Xian understood what he meant in an instant. A light flashed in his clear fox eyes, and a faint smile appeared at the corners of his lips.
I have never heard of a restaurant where the head chef needs his assistant to tie his apron on him.
Considering that he was conscientious in pasting the Spring Festival couplets, Xu Xian didn't bother to argue with him.
Her fair and tender hands unfolded the apron and placed it close to the man's muscular chest. The tip of her nose was filled with the faint mint scent from his body, and there was a faint hint of her elegant perfume.
Her slender arms went around the man's lean waist, almost hugging him completely.
His waist was relatively thick, and her long arms were not long enough to go around his waist. If she wanted to meet her palms together to tie the apron, she would have to move closer.
Jiang Shibai looked at the face pressed against his chest, which was so beautiful that it was beyond words. He grinned wickedly, tilted his head slightly, moved closer to the rosy earlobe, and gently bit it.
He didn't dare use force, but this neither light nor heavy feeling was the most deadly and sensitive.
The woman in his arms shuddered noticeably, and her ears turned red and hot at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Before she could speak angrily, there was a slight movement at the kitchen door. The two people who were still hugging each other subconsciously turned their heads to look.
Zhang Wan, sitting in the electric wheelchair, looked embarrassed as she tried to pick up the blanket that had fallen at her feet.
The three of them looked at each other.
Zhang Wan straightened her half-bent waist, her eyes dodging. After all, she was experienced. Within half a second, her expression returned to calm. She coughed twice and said, "It seems that the kitchen does not need my help. You guys continue, continue."
As soon as she finished speaking, she controlled the joystick of the electric wheelchair. The wheels rolled over the floor tiles, drawing a semicircle in the air, and her slender and fragile figure disappeared from their sight.
I originally wanted to help out in the kitchen and find something to do, but I accidentally saw this scene.
As someone who has been through it, she can understand that young people are full of vigor and newlyweds.
She is in no hurry to eat the New Year's Eve dinner.
The air was quiet, as if Zhang Wan had never been to the kitchen. The two of them were hugging each other intimately in the middle of the kitchen.
The conspicuous blanket on the floor was the only trace.
Xu Xian's pale pink cheeks had already turned red, and all the blood in her internal organs rushed to her beautiful face.
Compared to her shyness, Jiang Shibai was no different from his usual self except for a moment of shock. He was calm and composed and just as he was about to say a few words to comfort the woman in his arms, his tall body was bounced out by a strong force.
The woman pushed him out with all her strength, the ribbons of the man's apron flying in the air. He stumbled for a moment before regaining his footing.
Xu Xian's beautiful eyes were stained with mist, staring at him fiercely, and said in a bad tone, "Hurry up and cook."
After saying that, she no longer paid attention to him in a daze, turned around angrily, opened the refrigerator, and took out the vegetables that Aunt Zhang had washed and cut and put in the fresh-keeping box.
Her mother’s appearance just now gave me the illusion of being caught in a premature love affair by my parents during school days.
And he even left the word 'continue'. She really wanted to dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it, never coming out.
Jiang Shibai was the instigator of all this, so naturally she wouldn't treat him well.
Jiang Shibai knew he was in the wrong. Seeing her blushing face and the skin from her neck to her ears turning red, her snow-white skin was covered in deep pink, his eyes dimmed and he didn't continue to pester her.
He tied the halter apron with his hands behind his back, and the beautiful knot flipped quickly on his nimble fingertips. Then he took off the wedding ring on his ring finger and put it carefully into his trouser pocket.
Seeing that it was getting completely dark and it was not far from dinner time, they divided the work. Jiang Shibai was in charge of making the more difficult dishes, while Xu Xian was in charge of making some small dishes.
The two of them cooked in an orderly manner. The sounds of steam rising from the kitchen and the sliding of spatulas came one after another, and from time to time there were a few words of conversation between the two of them.
Xu Xian looked at the small, round four-happiness meatballs wrapped in thick red sauce in the pot. She picked up the spoon in the porcelain plate and scooped one out.
She blew air on it with her mouth, and after letting it cool for a while, she handed the spoon to Jiang Shibai who was collecting the juice from the ribs.
I saw a man in an apron with his back to the kitchen door, his white sweatshirt not stained with dust. The woman next to him, wearing the same sweatshirt, tilted her head slightly and held the spoon to his mouth attentively.
The man kept flipping the food with the spatula in his hand. The simple cooking movements looked pleasing to the eyes in his hands. Without saying a word, he lowered his head and bit the four-happiness meatballs on the iron spoon.
After he chewed it a few times, Xu Xian blinked and asked skillfully, "Is it cooked? Does it taste good?"
"Yeah." Jiang Shibai had something in his mouth and didn't open his mouth to speak, but told her in a whisper.
The two of them were very familiar with this process. In addition to seafood, Xu Xian cooked a few dishes and Jiang Shibai tasted a few of them.
Upon seeing this, Xu Xian immediately turned his face away, put down the spoon, and calmly put the four-happiness meatballs in the pot into the plate, humming a light tune.
Her voice is ethereal, and the vibration frequency of her throat produces beautiful singing, the lingering sound is lingering in the air, and the wisps of smoke from the kitchen add a touch of beauty.
Jiang Shibai chuckled, his voice hiding a hint of helplessness, "Is Mrs. Jiang using Mr. Jiang to test the poison?"
Most dishes didn't require a taste to determine doneness. He suspected that she was using the excuse of tasting the flavor and doneness as revenge for his behavior just now.
He didn't notice anything wrong once or twice, but after taking a bite of each dish, he felt a vague sense of fullness in his stomach.
Xu Xian pretended to be dumb and refused to admit her little thoughts. His red lips seemed to be raised but not raised, and his voice was filled with a faint smile.
"Mr. Jiang, please don't spit blood at me. You're overthinking it. I just wanted you to have the first bite of my cooking. You're really taking my kindness for granted."
"If you don't want to eat, just say so directly. There's no need to beat around the bush and refuse me."
She implied that Jiang Shibai was ungrateful and that he doubted her feelings without any direct evidence.
She was not in the right and was not strong enough to blame others.
According to her usual personality, if she was really wronged by him, she would have jumped up and down and glared at him, and would not have dismissed him with such a light remark.
Jiang Shibai had a doting smile on his face, and he shook his head inaudibly, not continuing to dwell on the matter.
He admitted his mistake straightforwardly, "The dishes made by Guaibao are all delicious. I didn't mean to dislike them. It was my fault for doubting Guaibao's kindness."
Xu Xian raised her red lips to a certain arc, suppressing the pain in her heart. Just when she was about to respond magnanimously, her low voice came to her ears again.
"If you made a mistake, you should be punished. I will make it up to you tonight."
As soon as he finished speaking, he put the braised pork ribs that had absorbed the juice into a porcelain plate, and then brought it to the dining table outside, leaving Xu Xian alone in the kitchen, petrified.
Who wants him to compensate?
The word "compensation" he mentioned didn't sound like a good word.
Who knows what evil ideas he has in mind?
They were clearly just two ordinary words, but his meaningful tone tinged them with a different kind of ambiguity.
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