Chapter 27
On Saturday, Lin Qi came to the downstairs of Chen Yan's house according to the address sent by him.
It was a quiet, high-rise residential complex with ample greenery. She rang his doorbell, carrying a beautifully packaged box of Suzhou-style snacks she had bought for the first time, feeling a bit nervous but also full of anticipation.
The door opened quickly.
Chen Yan appeared at the door. He had changed into a casual, soft gray suit, and his hair seemed slightly damp from fresh washing. He wasn't wearing a watch, and he looked more relaxed and several years younger than he had been outside.
When he saw her, a very natural, warm smile immediately appeared on his face.
"I'm here, Guide Lin." He stepped aside to let her in and naturally took the snack box from her hand. "You even brought a gift? You're so polite."
Lin Qi walked into the entrance hall and put on a pair of brand new women's slippers he had prepared for her.
She looked around his home, and her first impression was that it was clean and filled with his own personal, quiet atmosphere.
The room was dominated by black, white, and gray, yet it didn't feel desolate. Huge floor-to-ceiling windows let in abundant light. An entire wall of bookshelves was crammed with books. In the corner, she spotted the record player. Everything was neatly arranged, yet it wasn't a clichéd model apartment. She could sense that every item was being carefully used.
"Please sit down first." Chen Yan placed the snacks on the dining table and pointed to the sofa in the living room. "What would you like to drink? Water, or should I make you a pot of tea?"
Before she could answer, he smiled again and pointed in the direction of the open kitchen. There, just like in the photo he posted yesterday, all the ingredients were already "lined up" and waiting for inspection.
"Or," he looked at her and said in an expectant tone, "Our teacher Lin would like to inspect today's 'classroom' and 'students' first?"
Lin Qi chuckled, stood up from the sofa, and headed straight for the kitchen. Looking at the complete collection of pots, pans, and brand-new kitchenware, she couldn't help but tease, "You're a student who clearly can't do the test, yet you've got all the equipment you need professionally. So, are you a gearhead?"
Lin Qi's question made Chen Yan laugh.
He followed her to the kitchen door, leaned against the door frame in a relaxed manner, and watched her in his "professional" kitchen, looking around and touching things with interest, like a hostess inspecting her territory.
His face showed a kind of helplessness and a mixture of laughter and tears after being seen through.
"Teacher Lin saw through it at once." He admitted with a smile.
He looked at the pots and pans and defended himself seriously, "It can't be helped. I can't do the 'question' itself, so I have to make the 'tools' look good. At least I have to earn some points for my attitude."
This is a metaphor that is very consistent with his style and has a bit of dry humor.
He straightened up from the door frame, walked to the sink, turned on the faucet, and began to wash his hands carefully.
"Alright," he said to her as he lathered the foam, "'Equipment Party' students, you're ready."
He turned off the water, dried his hands, then turned around and looked at Lin Qi with a serious and expectant look, and said:
"Now, please give your first order, Chef."
Lin Qi chuckled, accepted his role-playing, and naturally entered the role of "Teacher Lin".
She rolled up her sleeves and began to give the first instruction: "Okay, students, the first step is to blanch the beef shank in water to remove the blood foam."
Thus, their "cooking class" officially began in such a relaxed atmosphere.
The kitchen in Chen Yan's home, like him, has a well-organized and calm sense of order. But when the two of them squeeze into this space together, this calmness is replaced by a very warm and homely intimacy.
He is a very good student.
He listened attentively to every step Lin Qi explained. When asked to pass something, he always found it immediately. When asked to handle the ingredients, his movements, though somewhat unfamiliar, were incredibly focused and meticulous.
He seldom spoke, and most of the time, he just looked at her quietly.
Watch her skillfully put various spices into the pot, watch her eyes sparkle with concentration when she explains, watch her brows occasionally frown slightly because of the sauce, and then quickly relax.
For him, this afternoon, it seemed that he learned more than just how to make a dish of braised beef in soy sauce.
"...After blanching the beef, tie it tightly with cotton string. This way, the meat won't fall apart when braised and it will look good when sliced." Lin Qi said as he handed him the processed beef shank and cotton string. "Here, try it."
Chen Yan took it and, somewhat clumsily, began to try to tie up the huge piece of beef. His fingers were long and bony, the kind that were perfect for playing the piano or holding a pen, but at this moment, he was completely stumped by a small piece of cotton thread.
Lin Qi looked at his serious and somewhat helpless expression, and finally couldn't help laughing.
"That's not it," she smiled and stepped forward, naturally covering his hand with her own. "The thread should be wound like this, and a knot should be tied here..."
Her hands were warm and soft.
Chen Yan's hand stopped moving instantly. He didn't look at the piece of beef again, but lowered his head slightly to look at her white fingers covering his hand.
The kitchen was very quiet, with only the spices stewing in the pot bubbling and emitting steam and a rich aroma.
He was silent for a long time, and then he said in a low voice with a barely perceptible hoarseness:
“…This is much more difficult than reading books and doing research.”
Lin Qi's hand was still covering his, and they were very close. She could clearly see his serious profile and hear his steady heartbeat.
"Yes," she said as she helped him tie the cotton thread, "Reading only requires the brain. Cooking requires not only the brain but also the flexibility of the hands and feet. So," she tilted her head playfully and asked with a wink, "have you suddenly developed a fascination for people who can cook?"
When she tilted her head, the cunning and expectant light in her eyes was clearly reflected in Chen Yan's pupils.
He didn't smile, but looked into her eyes very seriously.
The helpless expression he had just had due to his clumsiness had now completely disappeared, replaced by a very deep and focused emotion.
His voice was very low, as if he was answering her, but also as if he was stating a fact that he had just confirmed.
“I don’t know if I’m all for everyone who can cook.”
He paused, his gaze falling from her eyes, to her fingers covering his hand, and back to her eyes.
"But," he said each word clearly, "to you, yes."
After saying that, he didn't give her any time to react, but naturally brought the topic back to the "business" at hand.
He looked down at the neatly bundled beef shank they had "completed" together.
"Alright, Teacher Lin," his tone returned to its previous calmness, "the knot is done. Next, is it time to put it in the pot?"
With a perfectly ordinary action and a perfectly normal question, he cleverly resolved all the throbbing and bewilderment caused by the overly straightforward, almost confessional words just now.
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