"After dinner, I'll take you to buy new kitchenware." He suddenly said, "How about pink?"
"Really?!" Jin Annuo almost knocked over his water glass. "Then... then I'll make soufflé next time!"
"Let's start by learning how to fry an egg." Jin Suyun held down her excitedly waving fork. "Take it step by step, okay?"
It was already nine o'clock when he finished cleaning the kitchen. Jin Annuo was squatting on the floor cleaning the tiles when he suddenly noticed sauce on his brother's leather shoes.
She looked up and saw him standing on a ladder installing a new range hood. His tie had been thrown away long ago and his shirt collar was open, revealing his delicate collarbone.
"Brother, come down and rest for a while." She tugged at the hem of his trousers. "Let's do it tomorrow, okay?"
"It will be ready soon." Jin Suyun tightened the last screw and ruffled her hair as he jumped down. "Wait for me in the living room. There's the strawberry cake you mentioned last time in the refrigerator."
Her eyes lit up, and she immediately dropped the rag and ran to the living room. The floor lamp cast a warm light on the beige sofa, and on the coffee table was the puzzle she bought last week - a star map with a missing piece.
She took a bite of the cake and suddenly heard footsteps behind her.
"Do me a favor." Jin Sunyun handed over a puzzle piece, his fingertips still stained with the smell of tool oil. "This doesn't fit."
Jin Annuo took a closer look and found that it was a deep blue starry sky with tiny jagged edges.
She took the puzzle, turned it in the moonlight, and suddenly heard her brother chuckle.
"What's wrong?" She looked up at him, only to find that he was staring at the corner of her mouth.
"There's cake on your face." Jin Sunyun reached out to wipe the cream off her face, his fingertips gently resting on the corner of her lips. "Little fool."
"What do you care!" Jin Annuo slapped his hand away, but accidentally bumped into his arms.
Jin Chenyun suddenly put his arm around her shoulders and pushed her into the sofa: "Do you want to look at the stars?"
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city's neon lights blocked out most of the starlight, but a few were still twinkling stubbornly in the clouds.
Jin Annuo leaned on his brother's shoulder, listening to him tapping the puzzle pieces on the coffee table with his knuckles: "Back in the old house, you always said you would pick stars for me."
"You can do it now." He ran his fingertips across the top of her head. "When you have a day off, I'll take you to the top of the mountain to watch the Milky Way."
"Really?" She looked up at him, her eyelashes casting tiny shadows in the light. "Then I'll bring a tent, and I'll also bring my brother to bake!"
"Okay." He bent down and straightened her crooked hairband. "But next time you want to bake, remember to tell me first, so you don't make the oven smoke again."
"It was an accident!" She angrily hit his shoulder, but he grabbed her wrist and shook it gently.
The bell tower in the distance struck ten, and the moonlight climbed up the side of his face, stretching the shadow of his eyelashes.
Jin Annuo suddenly remembered that when she was a child, every time she got into trouble, her brother would clean up the mess for her and then take her to the garden to watch the stars.
At that time, she always thought that her brother's shoulders were the safest place in the world. No matter what happened, as long as she hid in his arms, she would not be afraid of anything.
"An Nuo." Jin Suyun suddenly spoke, his voice as light as a feather, "You can do whatever you want in the future, just remember..."
"Remember what?" She tilted her head back, her nose almost touching his chin.
"Remember I'm always behind you." He looked down at her, his eyes filled with a light more gentle than the stars, "whether it's blowing up the kitchen or picking stars."
Jin Annuo felt his cheeks getting hot, and he quickly lowered his head to take a bite of the cake. The strawberry jam melted on his tongue, so sweet that it made his heart tremble.
She secretly looked at her brother and found that he was concentrating on putting the puzzle together, his fingertips glowing light pink in the moonlight, as serious as when he tied her shoelaces when she was a child.
——————————————
The next morning, sunlight streamed into the kitchen through the gauze curtains. Rubbing her eyes, Jin Annuo went downstairs and saw her brother, already wearing the pink apron she had wet yesterday, beating eggs at the counter.
"Good morning." Jin Suyun turned around to look at her, his hair still stained with flour. "Today I'm going to teach you how to make a sunny-side-up egg."
"Brother, didn't you sleep last night?" Jin Sinuo stared at the faint dark circles under his eyes, "Didn't we agree to ask the housekeeper to clean up today..."
"It's all ready." He pointed to the newly renovated kitchen, where the stainless steel countertops were polished so well you could see your reflection in them. "Wash your hands first, then come and learn."
Jin Annuo stood beside him obediently and watched him put the butter into the pan.
The aroma of warm milk spread, and the eggs made a sizzling sound when they were beaten into the pan. The golden edges gradually curled up like a blooming flower.
"The heat is very important." Jin Suyun gently poked the egg with chopsticks. "When you see the edges solidify, you can turn off the heat and use the residual heat to bake the egg whites."
"Like this?" She took the spatula, but accidentally knocked the pan crooked, and the egg liquid almost flowed out.
"Take your time." Jin Suyun held her hand and adjusted the angle. "Keep your wrist steady, right...just like that."
Jin Annuo felt her heart beating violently, and her brother's breath brushed past her ears, carrying the refreshing scent of mint toothpaste.
The egg in the pot gradually took shape, and the sunlight fell on the back of his hand, making the pale blue veins clearly visible.
"It's done!" She excitedly lifted the plate. The soft-boiled egg lay trembling on the white porcelain plate, surrounded by cilantro leaves. "Look!"
"Great." Jin Sunyun wiped the egg wash off her apron with his fingertips. "How about I make you omelet rice for lunch?"
"Add curry!" She tiptoed to get a bowl from the cupboard, her hair brushing his chin. "The place we ate at last time at the school gate had carrot chunks in the curry..."
"Okay, add them all." He reached out to hold her waist to prevent her from stepping on air. "After dinner, I'll take you to buy an oven. This time, I'll buy one with a temperature display."
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
