Chapter 17
He Xi hadn't yet recovered from the nightmare he had during his nap. When he heard Zhao Lin's sneer, the anger that had been suppressed in his heart surged up, and his expression became a little unnatural.
Looking at the dishes on the table, my appetite is no longer as good as before.
She looked at the golden soup in front of her, picked up a chopstick and put it in her mouth. It was unexpectedly salty. She frowned and swallowed it with the rice in the bowl.
"How is it? This loofah and pork dish took me a lot of effort to make."
Xiang Yuzhi, who was standing by, couldn't hold back when he saw her picking up food, and his round eyes were full of anticipation.
"Honestly, I think you're very talented in cooking." He Xi gave a thumbs-up. "That's right, this dish has a little too much salt, otherwise it would be perfect."
The people who were eagerly waiting were shaken up and down by her heavy breathing. "Well, there's no need to comfort me like that."
He Xi saw her looking like a Xi Shi holding her heart, and he suppressed his laughter and quickly tried to make amends for himself, "I really am not lying to you. If you don't believe me, ask grandma."
As she spoke, she picked up the serving chopsticks on the table and took a small bite for Grandma Li. When she was about to put down her chopsticks, she glanced at the boy who seemed to be watching a show beside her, and suddenly an idea flashed through her mind.
She picked up a large chopstick and put it into the small bowl in front of Zhao Lin with a smile.
"It's rare for us to be so attentive to Zhizhi, so everyone should show their support."
Grandma Li looked at the children with a kind face and stepped out to smooth things over. "Xixi is right. Xiaoyu is just learning how to make something like this. It's great. Let's all try it together so that we don't waste it."
He Xi was busy eating, but his eyes were always on Zhao Lin.
It was a pity that the boy's reaction was indifferent. He ate with a blank expression, not at all frowning and picky as she had expected.
"Xiaoyu, Xixi, try the shrimp and this minced meat, egg and tofu. They're also made by Yuanyuan."
Seeing that they hadn't taken much action and were only focused on drinking the soup, the old man pushed the two dishes in his hands to the middle.
He Xi couldn't refuse, so she scooped a small spoonful into her bowl. The rich broth poured over the rice looked truly mouth-watering. She scooped a spoonful into her mouth. The tofu and egg were soft and smooth, and the minced meat was salty and fragrant. The taste was simply amazing!
"Delicious, delicious! As expected of a master, his cooking skills are at their peak!"
Xiang Yuzhi raised his thumb and nodded vigorously to show his affirmation, while the spoon in his other hand never left his mouth.
Grandma Li was delighted by her praise and simply moved the dish in front of her. She turned around and asked He Xi, "Xixi, does this suit your taste?"
Faced with the old man's concerned inquiries, He Xi looked a little at a loss with his hand holding the spoon.
Looking up, she saw Zhao Lin leaning back in the chair opposite her, staring at her with a calm expression, as if he was also waiting for her answer.
"Yes...yes, grandma."
After she finished speaking, she no longer looked at the boy's expression, but lowered her head and continued to concentrate on eating.
He Xi has always been generous with his praise, but if the object is Zhao Lin, that is a different matter.
Anyway, she just couldn't stand this guy's arrogance.
The meal whetted their appetites, and they both ordered half a bowl more rice than usual. When they finally put down their chopsticks, He Xi felt a little embarrassed as he touched his stomach.
"Grandma, let me wash the dishes today."
After all, she was the only one who didn't contribute to this dinner, so she cleaned up the dishes and went to the kitchen very consciously.
The old man's eyes were full of smiles. He pushed his grandson beside him and said, "Yuanyuan, go and check it out. Don't let Xixi get wet."
*
He Xi was not completely unfamiliar with the small kitchen.
She skillfully sorted the slightly messy remaining ingredients on the pine wood panel into categories, and then began to prepare warm water to wash the dishes.
Zhao Lin leaned against the door and watched her movements. Her thin and slender fingers shuttled back and forth among the kitchen utensils, and she did not look like a novice at all.
The temperature in the evening showed no sign of dropping. After just a short while, the people busy in the kitchen began to sweat on their necks and backs.
"Okay, I'll wash it."
He Xi was startled by the sudden sound coming from behind him. He turned around and saw Zhao Lin with a look of surprise.
While she was stunned, the boy had already taken the scouring pad from her hand and asked, "Why are you standing there? Isn't it hot?"
Hearing him say this, He Xi also noticed the dampness in her hair. The swelling where the lotion had been applied was slightly itchy, and she clenched her hands, resisting the urge to scratch it.
"Thanks."
She never expected that Zhao Lin, who was always cold and confrontational with her, would have such a side to him.
Compared to He Xu, who had everything provided for him, he seemed like a lone traveler walking out of the ice field, and had long been accustomed to splitting the ice with his own hands in the cold wind.
Under the cold white light, Zhao Lin's movements were as neat as a sword being drawn from its sheath. He washed the dishes and put them back in their places without leaving a trace.
He Xi stood aside and thought quietly - his independence was not deliberate, but more like an almost silent habit.
These days, she has more or less guessed that Zhao Lin's family situation is probably closely related to the division of the family property by Grandma Li many years ago.
He Xi said nothing more and left the kitchen.
"Xixi, if you don't reply to classmate Jiang's message, he will skip class and come look for you."
Xiang Yuzhi heard her approaching footsteps and glanced at He Xi playfully, his hands holding the phone moving quickly across the screen.
He Xi looked at her helplessly, then walked out of the hospital and went home amid the man's teasing.
After drinking the medicine, He Xi slowly fished out the slightly hot cell phone that was under the quilt.
As soon as the screen was unlocked, Jiang Yue's message popped up.
She clicked into the chat room between the two of them and saw that the intervals between the four or five messages were more than ten minutes.
"Sorry, I didn't have my phone with me this afternoon."
"My injury is no longer a serious problem, and I will be able to go to school normally tomorrow."
"Thank you for your concern."
Before the evening study bell rang, He Xi replied to Jiang Yue while holding his phone.
She casually flipped through the few chat records between the two of them, and somehow she suddenly remembered the interest in Xiang Yuzhi's eyes just now.
A slight burning sensation crept up the tip of my ear.
She shook her head alertly, putting aside the chaotic thoughts that popped up in her mind in an instant.
When you swipe out of the chat interface, there is still a reminder of unread new messages in the lower right corner of the screen.
He Xi frowned and clicked it. It was an application verification from a new friend.
"I'm Yang Jia."
She just read four simple words, and she stared at the screen in a daze for a long time before coming back to her senses.
Could it be that I heard it correctly in the corridor last night? Did Yang Jia really return to Lancheng?
He Xi's heart was in turmoil because of this news.
She reached out and tapped the word "passed" on the screen. It wasn't until the third tap that the phone started loading and jumping.
"You have added Muyi+ and can start chatting now."
Staring at the blank screen of his phone, He Xi didn't know where to start.
Just as she was lying on the bed, struggling, the cell phone she had thrown aside began to vibrate.
She hurriedly grabbed the phone and saw the video call jumping on the screen. She took a few deep breaths before slowly pressing the answer button.
"Xixi, I'm back in Lancheng. Are you okay?"
The girl in the camera has a smile on her face. Her naturally thin eyebrows and slightly upturned eyes complement each other, making her look very energetic at the moment.
Compared to her, the smile on He Xi's face seemed a little dry.
"Why, you don't recognize me?"
He Xi didn't speak for a long time until Yang Jia's voice came again from the other end of the screen, and then he came back to his senses.
"No, but Jiajia, you have indeed changed a lot."
She simply couldn't reconcile the confident and outspoken girl in front of her with the one in her memory.
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