Cooking by yourself
Yu Ran didn't mention dinner, because he had no hope. Letting the child go on his own wouldn't make him any less vulnerable. How could pots and pans not be considered a war, or a sink and stove a burning hot mess? Besides, even tigers have their naps, and subordinates have their days of exhaustion. He couldn't care less.
It is extremely comfortable for one person to sleep on a single bed, which is enough for him to spread out in a "big" shape and swim back and forth to his heart's content.
Today his perception of time was particularly confused. After waking up, he saw the hands pointing to 5 and 7. His brain couldn't react and realized that it was already evening.
After getting up, he found that Jiang Liu not only washed the dishes, but was also busy in the kitchen.
Yu Ran stood quietly behind him. Her long hair was gathered into a bun, a little loose, hanging down at the back of her head like a lotus bud, shaking intermittently.
What are you doing? The table is cluttered, all sorts of cooking utensils plugged in, their pilot lights on; bags of seasonings, gaping open, are piled beside you, ready for a spoon to reach in and scoop something away.
Not to mention drawers that can cause tripping and cabinet doors that can hit your head, which are all potential dangers.
Yu Ran gently pushed the drawer back with his knee, closing only the cabinet door that Jiang Liu's height might touch.
Two plates were set on the table. Each contained two green asparagus spears, their greenness enhanced by the drying of the roasted flesh. Curly bacon served as a foil to the overdose of black pepper. Burnt golden mozzarella and crimson tomatoes clashed in a battle on the spaghetti frontier, then a sudden, heaven-sent rain said, "Calm down!" It was actually chopped parsley. The meat sauce was real meat, not a sauce, as the chunks were too large to be a sauce. Yet, the author's meticulous attention to detail, evident in the clumsy knife work, was enough to satisfy the palate.
I have to praise the exquisite presentation.
The blue fire on the stove tirelessly simmered the ceramic pot. The cream in the pot was sweet and thick, so thick that you could pick up a piece of milk silk with a chopstick in the air.
Jiang Liu put one hand on his waist and stirred with a spoon in the other. Every time he picked up a seasoning bottle, he would take a long time to identify it. For example, pepper powder, although it was right next to his elbow, he still doubted the identity of other seasoning bottles; when he already had the pepper powder in his hand and was about to shake it into the pot, he still took another look at it with concern. After recognizing and confirming it, he suddenly made a great determination, opened the lid and let it flow down. Not to mention pepper powder, even if the Lushan Waterfall itself came, it would tremble three times under Jiang Liu's overwhelming power.
"Fortunately, I know how to use natural gas." Yu Ran held his forehead helplessly with a smile on his lips.
When Jiang Liu was looking for thick gloves to hold the pot, a figure suddenly appeared behind him. Yu Ran showed him the thick gloves and said calmly as Mickey Mouse, "Let me do it."
"When did you wake up?" Jiang Liu touched his neck embarrassedly, not knowing how many times he had seen his funny look.
"Just woke up and came to see what was going on." Yu Ran held the thick handles of the large ceramic pot and placed it on the heat-insulating pad. Jiang Liu took two sets of knives and forks and placed them with the noodles.
Jiang Liu put down his knife and fork, and slapped his thighs with both hands, "Oh no! I should have cooked the soup first and then the noodles. The order is wrong today." Besides being annoyed, he was also embarrassed, and at the same time he was very nervous about how Yu Ran would give him a way out.
Yu Ran felt that whether the noodles were clumpy or not had little to do with how long they were out of the pot. Just a thin noodle covered with two kinds of sauces was too weak to handle the job.
"It's okay, it looks delicious. I will finish it quickly and won't let it get clumpy." It must be said that Yu Ran has high emotional intelligence, a sincere attitude, a sweet mouth, and can provide full emotional value at any time. He is really a good person and an ideal partner.
Jiang Liu pursed his lips and stared at Yu Ran with gratitude and anticipation.
Looking forward to how Yu Ran will fulfill his boast.
Yu Ran first used a fork to stir the pasta counterclockwise along the curls to disperse the sauce, then skillfully rolled it into a pasta ball and put it into his mouth.
He chewed, the sauce was just a decoy; no matter how thick, smooth, or creamy it was, it couldn't help the hard core of the noodles pass through the throat.
But the flavors are really well balanced.
He forked a piece of meat dripping with sauce, which was beef tenderloin, and cut it carefully with the tip of his teeth, fearing that it was not cooked enough.
It's not that it's not cooked, it's that it's too old! Or it's bitter in the throat, and it's hard to chew, with big lumps stuck in the throat, making it difficult to swallow!
Yu Ran forced a smile by making faces, and when he couldn't force it anymore, he nodded repeatedly.
Jiang Liu held up the cutlery and hesitated to put it down. "Is it delicious?"
"Hmm," Yu Ran really couldn't describe his feelings at the moment, at least this "hmm" was not meant as a compliment.
"Come on." Jiang Liu scratched the plate with his fork hanging vertically, mumbling, "The expression on your face shows that it's not tasty. Is it not cooked?" He picked up a handful of noodles with the fork and put it down again.
"Delicious! Your tomato sauce is very fragrant and goes well with it. In fact, if the beef tenderloin and pasta were done differently, it would be perfect."
"The tomato sauce was provided by the manufacturer... The package said to cook the noodles for 3 minutes, so I cooked it according to the time." Jiang Liu said frustratedly. The only thing he was praised for was not his own credit.
Yu Ran smiled and picked up both plates: "You did 99% and I did the remaining 1%."
This beef fillet was beyond saving. Yu Ran used a pair of scissors to cut the food, but it wasn't just cooked from being fried in the pan for too long; improper food handling also magnified the flaws of unskilled cooking techniques. If it was chopped up, it would be completely dry and tasteless.
As for noodles, you can use the microwave to cook them – but you have to spread the noodles and sauce out and flip the noodles at the bottom over to the top.
While waiting, he cleaned up the kitchen and saw that it said three minutes on the pasta package. It was true, but noodles are usually cooked in hot water. Jiang Liu must not know this. The difference between cold water and hot water, the same three minutes, was immediately apparent.
Jiang Liu followed in to see how others did it, and humbly asked for advice, looking as if he suddenly understood.
The cream of mushroom soup was neither good nor bad, but Yu Ran was so hungry that he drank it all. What a delicious dinner!
"Why aren't you afraid of entering the kitchen?" Yu Ran saw how calm Jiang Liu was in his every move, and how the sauce, no matter how strong it was, would not stain the corners of his mouth. He suddenly felt grateful for the bond between them - one was very good at cooking but didn't care about taste, while the other was extremely picky about taste but couldn't cook.
Then God thought it was fun and paired them up.
"Do you think I've never been there?" Jiang Liu said angrily, hesitant to say it out loud, but it was hard to stop talking. "I started out cooking for my brother!"
Yu Ran thought something was wrong. Even if the parents of these two noble young men were busy with work, they would definitely hire a nanny. How could they let the elder brother cook for the younger brother for a long time?
"Like we do, every day?"
"Hmm..." Jiang Liu recounted the time he flew abroad to live with his younger brother, who was studying abroad, managing his daily life while also taking care of his food and clothing. Jiang Liu recounted that his visit coincided with the departure of the nanny, who had been driven away by anger. He felt sorry for her, so he gave her some extra money as compensation for her emotional distress. On the day of her dismissal, Jiang Liu and Jiang Yu glared at each other; neither knew how to cook. When Jiang Yu pleaded with his brother, swearing he could eat even the most indescribable of dishes, Jiang Liu finally gave in.
What was made was really an indescribable soup, and Jiang Yu actually cleaned out the bottom of the bowl.
Yu Ran: “…” Jiang Yu is a die-hard brother-con. His love and compliments for his brother have exceeded the lower limit of human taste buds. He can eat anything in front of this face.
Is this the real-life version of Beauty and Delight?
After Jiang Liu finished speaking, his apple cheeks ripened into red apples, "He is just too attached to me. From now on, he will finish everything I cook. Sometimes I find it troublesome to secretly order takeout, put the food on a plate and serve it myself, but he can't even notice it, and he doesn't doubt how my skills have improved so quickly." When Jiang Liu said this, he also realized that it was impossible for Jiang Yu not to be able to taste it, it was just that the younger brother was too dependent on his elder brother.
"Then why did you avoid the kitchen later? I remember you were afraid of the smell." Did you become afraid of it later?
"Well, that's one aspect. Also, I hate sweating profusely, being in a confined space, and it makes my hair greasy. Finally, I'm a terrible cook, and I always feel frustrated when I don't cook well. After I returned to China, I simply stopped cooking." Jiang Liu stopped talking, obviously he hadn't listed all the reasons.
Jiang Liu's eyes flickered, and a smile soaked Yu Ran's heart. He said, "Since you, the great god, have come, it's all up to you."
"Then you were reluctant back then?" Yu Ran spread his hands and smiled, practically counting on his fingers. If he could truly recite examples of his disdain by heart, after all, "What is the Sin of the King?" helped him recall them again.
Jiang Liu was reluctant to explain the reason for his bad attitude in the beginning, because even the slightest mention of it would ruin the current atmosphere.
Yu Ran stood up and collected the dishes. "Well, I'm here now, aren't I?" He walked steadily to the kitchen. Suddenly, a strong acid secreted from the bottom of his heart, corroding his rare good mood. No matter how good it was, he had to leave.
The two of them worked together to clean up everything, and Jiang Liu suddenly said, "I forgot to do it for mom and sister." He blurted it out, then realized that calling mom was too easy.
Yu Ran didn't notice and said, "They are all having dinner at the company." As soon as he mentioned the devil, the doorbell rang. The two people who went out together actually came back together.
Yu Lei threw away her bag, took off her earrings and ring in one go, collapsed on the sofa, picked up a wax apple and threw it behind her head, "Brother, cut some fruit for me, go get me a glass of water first." She knew there was someone standing behind her, who else could it be but Yu Ran, so she didn't even turn around.
"Sister Yu Lei." It was Jiang Liu who answered the phone.
"Oh!" Yu Qionglin covered her face and said, "Good boy, how long have we not seen each other!" She wanted to hug him, but didn't want to miss a glance, so she simply put her arm around his shoulders, put her other hand around his arm, rubbed it affectionately, and inadvertently pushed the wax apple into his arms, with a kind feeling like an aunt feeding the good kid next door.
Still hugged.
"When did you come? How have you been lately..." Yu Qionglin asked. Yu Ran brought two glasses of water, then took the fruit and said, "I'll do it."
He went into the kitchen, briefly isolating himself from the waves of enthusiasm. As his knife chopped off the knife, his thoughts ran out and started to run wild. He was not afraid of being accidentally injured by the blade - why were the people around him so nice to Jiang Liu, while the people around Jiang Liu were not nice to him?
The only possibility was the one he'd been avoiding. He'd been in the wrong before, yet Jiang Liu had graciously forgiven him, while his friends who knew the truth, like Qi Zhen and Jiang Yu, hadn't. His own mother and sister, unaware of the situation, had treated Jiang Liu the same way. This perfectly confirmed what Yu Lei had said that night: "I'm an outsider, I only have a partial understanding of some things, and my so-called truth is bound to be biased."
Yu Ran wondered if his meticulous care yesterday could make up for the mistakes that had occurred over time.
The three of them chatted and watched TV. Yu Ran left them some space and went back to his room, concentrating on updating his novel. Late that evening, he received a transfer from Jiang Liu, ten thousand yuan.
"Thank you, Fei, for your thoughtful care."
Yu Ran accepted it openly. This was a reward from a superior to a subordinate. Only by drawing a clear line in the sand could Yu Ran look forward.
Only in this way can we cover up the "crime" of crossing the line that night.
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