Chapter 39
The movie's ending song sounded, the scrolling list of people slowly rose on the screen, and the room returned to silence.
An entire afternoon slipped away unnoticed in complete relaxation and laughter.
At some point, Lin Qi had gone from sitting side by side to naturally resting his head on Chen Yan's shoulder. Their clasped hands remained entwined.
Chen Yan could smell the light fragrance of the same shampoo he used in her hair, and could also feel her even breathing that rose and fell because of the plot.
He lowered his head and could only see the top of her soft hair.
At this moment, his heart was filled with an unprecedented sense of peace and tranquility. He felt as if he had already spent many such ordinary and gentle weekend afternoons with her.
The ending theme song ended and the screen went dark.
Chen Yan felt that Lin Qi, who was leaning on his shoulder, seemed to be a little drowsy. He did not move, but asked in a very soft voice in her ear:
"Are you sleepy?"
Lin Qi said "hmm" softly with a strong nasal tone, as if he was acting coquettishly.
Chen Yan smiled, raised his other hand, and glanced at his watch. It was almost six o'clock.
"Are you hungry?" he continued, "Dinner... do you want to try my cooking?"
Before she could answer, he added in a self-deprecating tone, "Let me state in advance that my cooking skills are limited to a few simple home-cooked dishes."
He patted her arm gently.
"Just continue to rest here," he said, "watch some TV, or close your eyes and get some sleep. I'll call you when dinner is ready."
After saying this, he carefully lifted her head from his shoulder so that she could rest comfortably on the back of the sofa. Then, he released their clasped hands, stood up, and walked into the kitchen.
The kitchen lights were bright incandescent, and like his people, he sought a calm, functional order.
Chen Yan opened the refrigerator and surveyed the well-stocked food inside. In the past, these ingredients had simply and efficiently provided him with a week's worth of nutrition. But now, their existence seemed to have taken on a whole new meaning.
He took out a sea bass, some fresh vegetables, two tomatoes and eggs.
He decided to make three simple home-cooked dishes: steamed sea bass, stir-fried seasonal vegetables with garlic sauce, and a tomato and egg soup. These dishes weren't difficult to make, their strengths lay in their lightness, their nourishing qualities, and their... homely flavor.
The kitchen was very quiet. He was the only one there, washing vegetables, cutting vegetables, and cutting fish in an orderly manner.
The sound of running water, the clash of knife blades and chopping boards, these familiar sounds that belonged to him alone, sounded completely different today.
He knew there was someone in the living room.
She might be leaning on the sofa, watching TV boredly; or she might be curled up under the blanket, fast asleep.
No matter what she was doing, as long as he thought of her presence in another space of the house, the trivial and repeated housework in his hands seemed to be coated with a layer of gentle light.
In the past, he cooked to survive.
And now, he's doing it for... us.
The meal was quickly prepared. He placed three dishes, a soup, and two bowls of rice on the dining table. Then, he took off his apron, washed his hands, and walked into the living room.
Just as he guessed, Lin Qi had fallen asleep.
She was completely sunken in the soft sofa, still covered with the blanket, her breathing even and her face peaceful as she slept. The TV was still on, silently playing pictures, and colorful light and shadow danced on her calm face.
He didn't wake her immediately.
He just squatted in front of her, looked at her quietly for a long time.
Only when her eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she was about to wake up from her sleep, did he reach out and pat her shoulder very gently.
"Lin Qi..." His voice was so low that only the two of them could hear it.
"It's time to eat."
Lin Qi slowly opened her eyes, a look still hazy with sleepiness. She looked at Chen Yan, who was so close to her. After several seconds, she finally seemed to react and uttered a soft "hmm".
Chen Yan smiled, stood up and extended his hand to her.
"Come on, get up slowly."
He pulled her up from the sofa, took her hand, and walked to the dining table where the food was already set and which was lit with warm lights.
She was still a little sleepy. She looked at the three steaming, simplest home-cooked dishes on the table, nodded, and sat down on the chair he pulled out.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was quieter than when we watched the movie in the afternoon.
She was probably really tired, so she spoke very little and just ate her meal obediently, mouthful by mouthful.
Chen Yan didn't say much, just kept using his serving chopsticks to pick up food for her. He picked up a piece of the most tender, boneless fish belly and put it in her bowl. He also poured her a bowl of soup and told her to drink it while it was hot.
"How's it?" Seeing that she had almost finished eating, he spoke, and asked with a slightly uncertain tone, "Is my cooking...still edible?"
Lin Qi raised his head, a hazy smile in his eyes, as if he had just woken up. He nodded seriously, "Yeah, it's delicious. It tastes like home."
Her unintentional and simple comment caused an indescribable warm wave in Chen Yan's heart.
He smiled to hide his overly expressive emotions.
"It's just a daily routine." He murmured, "If you live alone for a long time, you have to learn how to take care of yourself."
He paused, looked at her who was sipping soup, and added very softly.
"However, doing this now seems to have a different meaning."
Lin Qi paused while drinking his soup, raised his eyes and looked at him.
She didn't say anything, but the look in her eyes told him that she understood.
The meal was slowly finished in such a tacit, gentle and peaceful atmosphere.
After the meal, Chen Yan cleaned up all the dishes and chopsticks as he did before.
Lin Qi tried to stand up and help several times, but was repressed by his eyes.
"It's agreed," he said to her, standing at the kitchen door with the plate in his hand. "Today, your only task is to rest."
When he came out of the kitchen again, she was already leaning on the chair at the dining table, her chin propped up, her eyelids drooping again. It seemed like there was never enough time to catch up on sleep on the weekends.
He walked over, took her coat from the sofa and put it on her.
"Okay," he squatted down, looked straight into her hazy eyes, and said in a very gentle voice, "Don't sit here anymore. Go back to your room and sleep."
She nodded slowly.
He smiled and added, "Tomorrow is Saturday, so you don't have to get up early. You can sleep until you wake up naturally."
He looked at her seriously, as if asking an extremely important question:
"What would you like to eat tomorrow morning? Chinese or Western?"
She seemed stunned by his sudden question. After a few seconds, she said vaguely and sleepily, "...Everything is fine."
"Okay." Chen Yan agreed, as if he had received a satisfactory answer.
He walked her to the master bedroom door, opened it for her, and watched her go in.
"Good night," he stood at the door, looked at her, and whispered, "Sleep well."
She turned and gave him a very soft, tired smile and nodded.
He closed the door gently for her, and instead of returning to the study immediately, he stood in front of her closed door for a long time.
He hadn't truly understood until tonight.
It turns out that "home" is not a fixed space made of steel and concrete.
But as long as he knew that she was sleeping peacefully behind this door, then anywhere he was would be home.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
