memorable
The game begins with two people standing back to back in pairs, with an inflated balloon between them.
Just as the director was about to say "action," a loud "bang" shattered the tense atmosphere.
It was the balloon between Qiao Yu and Ling Chuan that popped. Qiao Yu was so startled that she covered her ears.
But then he heard Ling Chuan's teasing voice from above: "You've squeezed us so much we're about to burst, take it easy."
Everyone heard it and burst into laughter.
Qiao Yu blushed, her lips pressed tightly together, wanting to roll her eyes at him. What did he mean? Did he mean that she had been squeezing him tightly all the time?
The balloon clearly popped on its own, and you're blaming her...
I feel like I'm about to explode with anger at Ling Chuan.
The staff brought over more balloons, and then the director shouted, "3, 2, 1, action!"
Ling Chuan was in front, and Qiao Yu was behind, with balloons squeezed between their backs. Qiao Yu remembered Ling Chuan's earlier teasing and didn't get too close. Because the two weren't close enough, the balloons fell and were blown far away by a gust of wind.
Ling Chuan glanced at her, then strode over to retrieve the balloon, saying, "I told you to take it easy, I didn't tell you to go that far."
Qiao Yu: "..."
She glared back angrily, "This time I'm in front."
The two took their positions again, and this time, Ling Chuan stayed close behind Qiao Yu, and the two carefully took each step.
On the way back, they saw Jiang Wang and Qin Xiao had already reached the finish line and were watching them with great interest.
Lin Yi and Xiang Nan were about to reach the finish line.
The mere twenty meters felt like a hundred meters to Qiao Yulingchuan.
It fell once more in the middle, but finally managed to transport the balloon safely to the finish line.
The two naturally ended up in last place.
When it came time to choose ingredients, Jiang Wang and Qin Xiao, who weren't very good at cooking, opted for the simplest dish: scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
Lin Yixiang and her group chose stir-fried pork, while Qiao Yulingchuan could only choose the most difficult dish, braised pork.
Director: "Alright, everyone can go to the kitchen to cook. Tonight is just a chance for you to try your hand at cooking. Tomorrow's lunch will be prepared by you all picking, washing, and cooking your own food. I look forward to seeing how you do."
Xiang Nan asked, "Do we have to do it again tomorrow? And pick more?"
Lin Yi: "Yes, where should we pick them?"
Director: "Let me give you a sneak peek at one of the activities for tomorrow morning: each group will go to the vegetable garden to weed, water, pick, wash, and cook vegetables."
Everyone: "......"
Qin Xiao: "It's definitely farm work."
Jiang Wang: "It's a great experience."
Lin Yi: "We still have to go into the vegetable garden? Qiao Qiao, I'm afraid of bugs."
Qiao Yu smiled and said, "It's okay, it's not that hot now, and there aren't any bugs yet."
Director: "You can tell from Teacher Qiao that he is experienced. Everyone can learn from Teacher Qiao."
Ling Chuan also grasped the key point: "These are just some of the activities for tomorrow morning. What else is there?"
Only then did everyone realize what was happening. The director chuckled and said, "It's a secret. Everyone should get some rest tonight. Tomorrow will be a tough battle."
Xiang Nan said, "A hard-fought battle? Director, don't go too far..."
The group chatted and laughed as they headed towards the kitchen.
Qiao's group took the longest, so they said they would start working first. The other two groups thought they could finish quickly, so they said they would prepare when they were almost done, and then went back to their rooms.
On the kitchen counter, lined up in a row, fresh ingredients were laid out: vegetables, tempting beef brisket and tenderloin, and all sorts of spice jars.
Only Qiao Yu and Ling Chuan remained in the empty kitchen.
The two exchanged a glance, and Qiao Yu was the first to look away, scanning the ingredients on the kitchen counter with a bewildered expression.
"I'll cut the meat," Ling Chuan said, stepping forward from behind her and starting to wash his hands and the meat.
He then instructed, "Please prepare scallions, ginger, and star anise for me."
Qiao Yu really likes braised pork, but she's never made it before, so she has no choice but to follow Ling Chuan's instructions.
Standing to the side, washing the scallions and ginger, she occasionally touched the thorns on her fingers, hissed, and frowned.
Finally, I gritted my teeth and finished it. I cut the scallions and ginger into sections and arranged the star anise neatly on the plate.
Ling Chuan didn't even look at her but knew what was going on. "Help me put on my apron."
He raised his hands, which were greasy.
Qiao Yu's gaze fell on the aprons hanging to the side. There were black and white striped ones, floral ones, and blue and white tie-dye ones. Finally, she slightly moved her lips, picked up the blue and white tie-dye one, and gave it to Ling Chuan.
He paused for a moment, but seemed unconcerned, and leaned down slightly to get closer to her.
Qiao Yu tiptoed to help him put the strap on his head. The faint scent of cool wood lingered between them again. She paused unconsciously for a second, then turned around and tied the strap behind him.
Ling Chuan felt a gentle touch on his waist, and his Adam's apple bobbed. He turned to the side, his gaze fixed intently on the meat he was cutting.
With each stroke of the knife, the pork belly was cut into evenly sized cubes, and any overly fatty parts were removed, ensuring that each piece had just the right amount of fat and lean meat.
Next, he put the chopped pork belly into a pot of cold water. As the stove heat increased, the water temperature rose, and blood foam kept floating to the surface. He skillfully picked up a spoon, skimmed off the blood foam, and finally took out the pork pieces to drain.
After heating the pot on the stove, he poured in a little cooking oil and added rock sugar. The rock sugar slowly melted in the warm oil, producing golden bubbles. He then poured the drained pork belly into the pot.
In an instant, a crackling sound rang out, and the pork belly, coated in caramel color, gradually turned into an enticing caramel hue.
Ling Chuan also took the ingredients Qiao Yu had prepared and put them into the pot to stir-fry until fragrant. Then he added an appropriate amount of light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. A rich aroma instantly rose from the pot. He then poured in enough boiling water, covered the pot, turned down the heat, and began to simmer.
"Watch the pot, I'm going out for a bit."
"oh."
Ling Chuan had just left when the other two groups came down. Smelling the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen, Lin Yi leaned forward and said, "Qiao Qiao, what you made smells so good! My mouth is watering."
Qiao Yu touched her nose and said shyly, "I was just helping out; Teacher Ling did it."
The group was taken aback, their eyes darting around as they tried to lift the pot lid. Xiang Nan said, "I never expected Teacher Ling to be able to cook. He's so cool!"
Jiang Wang: "Wow, it smells so good, it must taste delicious. I can't wait to see Teacher Ling's cooking."
Qin Xiao smiled and gave Qiao Yu a thumbs up.
As they sighed, they began to get back to their work.
Jiang Wang washed and chopped the tomatoes, while Qin Xiao cracked the eggs.
Lin Yi sliced the pork tenderloin and prepared the ingredients with Xiang Nan.
A few minutes later, Ling Chuan also walked into the kitchen, carrying something in his hand. When he saw that the kitchen was full of people, he frowned for no reason.
Just then, Qiao Yu turned around to look at him and casually stuffed something into her trouser pocket, making it bulge.
He walked over, lifted the pot lid, checked the condition of the meat, and gently turned it over with a spatula.
Xiang Nan leaned over and exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, Teacher Ling's braised pork smells so good!"
Ling Chuan remained expressionless: "Thank you for your kind offer."
Twenty minutes later, the dishes from the other two groups were also ready.
Lingchuan opened the pot lid again, turned up the heat to reduce the sauce, and the sauce became thick and reddish-brown, evenly coating each piece of braised pork.
Finally, plate it and sprinkle with white sesame seeds.
Everyone gathered around the dining table. Of the six dishes and one soup, Ling Chuanye's cooking was the best, with perfect color, aroma, and taste, making it a highly sought-after dish.
Jiang Wang and Qin Xiao's scrambled eggs with tomatoes were too salty, and everyone kept drinking water after taking a bite.
Lin Yixiang's stir-fried pork was overcooked, but the taste was still passable.
The dinner table was filled with laughter and chatter from dusk until the city lights came on.
.
Inside the room, under the dim light, Qiao Yu held her injured finger up to her eyes, carefully examining the location of the bamboo splinter.
I wanted to pull it out, but I couldn't reach it at all once I let go; it's too small and thin.
A sound came from the balcony, and Qiao Yu came to her senses and went to see what it was.
Ling Chuan leaned casually against the balcony railing, watching her peek out, and raised his chin: "Your hand is injured?"
Qiao Yu replied irritably, "Hmm."
Ling Chuan also snorted coldly: "Troublesome."
After saying that, he left.
?
Qiao Yu: "..."
What kind of person is this?!
Qiao Yu muttered to herself and slammed the balcony door shut.
I turned around and heard a knock on the door.
The door opened, and Ling Chuan, dressed in silver-gray casual home clothes, stood outside, holding a medical kit in his hand.
He raised his hand suggestively, "Are you coming out or should I come in?"
Knowing his intention, Qiao Yu blushed slightly.
Standing outside the door picking at things seemed too conspicuous. She scratched at the door with her fingernails for several seconds before finally making way for Ling Chuan to enter.
Ling Chuan also entered the room, glanced around, and then followed Qiao Yu, taking off his slippers and stepping onto the tatami mat.
Qiao Yu turned around and asked innocently, "Where to choose?"
Ling Chuan also gestured with his chin towards the mattress: "Sit down, turn on your phone's light."
Qiao Yu obediently did as she was told.
Lingchuan also knelt on one knee on the tatami, opened the medical kit, took out needles and alcohol, carefully disinfected the needles, and then looked up and said, "Bear with it."
Qiao Qiao nodded hesitantly.
He gripped her index finger tightly with his left hand, exposing the thorny side to the light.
He squinted slightly, aimed the needle at the splinter, and cautiously approached.
But as soon as she got close, a piercing pain struck, and Qiao Yu's hand trembled violently. "It hurts."
The phone's light was also tilted, illuminating Ling Chuan's profile.
His gaze was calm, and he smiled helplessly, reassuringly saying, "Bear with it, you'll pick it out soon."
His voice softened considerably, especially his laughter, which calmed her down like a reassuring pill.
Qiao Yu raised her phone again to illuminate the room. She pursed her lips, avoiding looking at her fingertips, her gaze gradually drawn to Ling Chuan's focused expression.
The lamplight cast a soft, half-shadowy glow on his face, revealing deep, dark eyes and a high, straight nose...
Savoring that laugh from just now, it was the laugh that once belonged to Lu Yu and Qiao Yu.
Outside the balcony, darkness enveloped everything, but the faint sounds of Lin Yi and her friends chatting and laughing could be heard coming from the swing set.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Qiao Yu could almost hear her own heart pounding faster and faster, and her ears were almost burning red.
"Try to control your burning gaze, hmm?"
His voice rose at the end, carrying a subtle, alluring quality.
Qiao Yu was taken aback by Ling Chuan's sudden words, and turned her head away with a shy hum.
It's really something I can't say!
I felt a slight pain in my fingertip as the bamboo splinter was removed.
Ling Chuan then took the alcohol swabs and repeatedly wiped her wound.
"It's alright now."
"Um."
Ling Chuan also packed up his medical kit, looked up at Qiao Yu, his dark eyes reflecting a faint light.
Her profile has lost the baby fat of five years ago, and now she has more of the charm of a mature woman.
He smiled helplessly, raised his hand, pinched Qiao Yu's chin, and forcibly turned her head.
Qiao Yu was startled, feeling the warm touch on her chin, and the redness behind her ears, which had not yet subsided, returned.
She raised her hand and slapped Ling Chuanye's hand away, muttering, "What are you doing?"
"I helped you pick out the flaws, and you... um?"
Qiao Yu knew she was in the wrong, so she enunciated each word carefully: "Okay, thank you, Teacher Ling."
Ling Chuan also said: "Sarcastic and unfriendly."
Who exactly is being sarcastic and sarcastic?
"Okay, it's me. I'm leaving."
Ling Chuan also picked up his medical kit, got up, stepped onto the stairs, put on his slippers, and went to open the door without looking back.
Before he could finish, he turned to look at Qiao Yu, only to see her angrily turn her head away again, refusing to look at him.
The door opened and closed again. Qiao Yu was holding her breath, and her eyes were red with anger.
After a long silence, she sniffed and turned her head, only to find that the person hadn't left, and her whole body stiffened for a moment.
Ling Chuan also took off his shoes and sat on the steps, looking at her seriously.
Qiao Yu was embarrassed, and buried her head in her arms with a "woof," asking in a muffled voice, "Why haven't you left yet?"
"I'm tired, sit down for a while."
"......"
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