Make dumplings
On Sunday morning, the sunlight shone through the gaps in the curtains and danced on Zhou Jianxing's face.
A good night's sleep is like a soft eraser, quietly erasing all the grievances, bitterness and unhappiness of yesterday.
She turned back into the energetic "Master Xiao Zhou", and the spark of love for Wen Lingyi in her heart not only did not go out, but instead burned even brighter and more persistently after a night of settling down.
The first thing she did when she got up was to check the weather forecast on her phone.
The numbers on the screen were still glaring—the Air Quality Index remained firmly in the "unhealthy" range. The gray, hazy "lid" over the city stubbornly blocked out the starlight.
Zhou Jianxing sighed softly, but quickly cheered up.
It's okay, she can wait.
Just like waiting for a seed to sprout, I believe that as long as I wait patiently, I will always wait for the night when the clouds and fog clear and the stars shine brightly.
She said she wanted to take Wen Lingyi to see the stars.
·
Wen Lingyi's refrigerator, which was so empty that a horse could run in it yesterday, made Zhou Jianxing worry about Wen Lingyi's survival.
An idea popped up in her mind and quickly grew into a towering tree. She wanted to make dumplings for Wen Lingyi, lots and lots of dumplings, filling the icy freezer.
In this way, no matter how late it is, no matter whether Wen Lingyi is hungry or greedy, she can have food to eat as long as she opens the refrigerator door.
Going out to eat requires driving. What if we order takeout in the middle of the night? Wen Lingyi is a woman who is too beautiful. Zhou Jianxing will be worried.
It is said that "to conquer a woman's heart, you must first conquer her stomach."
Zhou Jianxing lay in bed last night, thinking seriously about the important question of "how to make Wen Lingyi fall in love with him" like a primary school student doing homework.
After much reflection, she realized with dismay that she had nothing to offer. She had no impressive academic background, no prestigious job, and no outstanding talents.
Playing the erhu? It was the only "instrumental instrument" skill that his grandfather left Zhou Jianxing.
But who finds playing the erhu so charming these days? Piano, violin, even guitar...it seems those "high-end" instruments are synonymous with elegance and romance.
Erhu? It probably only makes people think of street performances or weddings and funerals, right? So unfashionable.
Apart from this, she only knows how to take care of flowers and plants, and install and repair things - all of which are not presentable "skills".
Thinking of this, Zhou Jianxing felt a little inferior, as her talents were not very impressive.
I am not good at speaking and can't even utter a single word of sweet talk. Being able to say "I like you" completely and fluently is my limit.
Unlike Wen Lingyi, who can be coaxed into a state of confusion with just a few words...
Hobbies? In her free time, she likes to go hiking or camping with Chu Wei, Ajie, and Xiao Min. She enjoys outdoor sports.
But Wen Lingyi doesn't seem to like outdoor sports.
So loving sports is probably not an advantage for Wen Lingyi.
After much thought, the only straw I could grasp at seemed to be cooking. Fortunately, Zhou Jianxing's cooking skills were pretty good, at least that's what everyone who had eaten there said...
Let's start here. Use food to gradually break down Wen Lingyi's defenses.
·
After watering the flowers and plants on the balcony and posting a pretentious message on his Moments, Zhou Jianxing drove his father's weathered old Hyundai headlong into the bustling vegetable market in the early morning.
Zhou Jianxing expertly navigated the stalls, carefully selecting items. Lively prawns, perfectly balanced pork belly, juicy green leeks, juicy zucchini, plump corn kernels... the trunk was soon filled to the brim.
Then she rushed into the supermarket and bought out all the basic seasonings, including oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, oyster sauce, sesame oil - in Wen Lingyi's kitchen, which was like a model room, there was not even a salt shaker.
She remembered clearly the preferences that Wen Lingyi mentioned casually yesterday: she preferred fish and shrimp, hated greasy food, and did not like vegetables with a sticky texture.
I have already planned four flavors of dumplings in my little notebook: shrimp and corn, leek and pork, zucchini and egg, and vegan assorted.
At noon, she'd have dumplings, and at night she'd make her specialty, pickled fish. The fish slices had to be thin, the pickled cabbage had to be crisp, and the broth had to be bright and appetizing...
The trunk closed, and the time slipped towards ten in the morning. Wen Lingyi should be getting up.
Zhou Jianxing took a deep breath and sent a WeChat message with some cautious tentativeness.
"Sister Wen, I want to go over and make dumplings for you."
The phone screen lit up, and Wen Lingyi quickly replied with only two cold words.
"Need not."
So distant. Zhou Jianxing's enthusiasm seemed to have been doused with a basin of ice water, wilting like an eggplant hit by frost.
However, she was not discouraged. She kept trying, took a picture of the packed trunk and sent it.
Followed by an emoticon of aggrieved person with drooping ears and tearful eyes.
"But I've already bought all the food, it's all your favorite."
"I want to have lunch and dinner with you."
"Can we have pickled fish tonight? Otherwise, the fish will die in vain!╥﹏╥..."
The message was sent successfully. Zhou Jianxing clutched the phone, his knuckles turning slightly white.
Just when she thought her reply was going to fall on deaf ears, the screen finally lit up.
"All right."
It’s still just two concise words.
Zhou Jianxing breathed a sigh of relief, unable to suppress the joy in his heart. He jumped on the spot, then quickly got into the car, started the car, and drove straight to Lanyue Bay humming a song.
·
I parked the car and stood in front of the door, my heart pounding. After I sent the message "I've arrived", the door was quickly opened.
Wen Lingyi stood in the doorway. Today she wore only light makeup, her plain face lacking some of her usual charm and refinement, yet still radiant.
She was wearing an ankle-length tie-dyed dress with a white background and blue flowers, which gave her a cool and otherworldly feel. When the dress was blown by the wind, it looked like white clouds floating in the blue sky.
She looked at the pile of plastic bags in Zhou Jianxing's hand, sighed helplessly, and finally reached out to take the heaviest ones.
Zhou Jianxing familiarly sorted the ingredients for making pickled fish and side dishes in the evening and put them into the refrigerator's cold storage area. Then he walked briskly into the kitchen carrying the ingredients for making dumpling fillings, the ready-made dumpling wrappers, tools, and seasonings.
She neatly tied on the blue and white plaid apron she had just bought today and prepared to start working.
Yes, Wen Lingyi’s kitchen is purely decorative and there’s not even an apron.
Wen Lingyi leaned against the kitchen door, watching Zhou Jianxing skillfully wash, cut, and mix the vegetables. His movements were quick and graceful, with a sense of harmonious rhythm.
Four pots of fillings with different colors and fragrant aromas were quickly prepared: pink and golden shrimp and corn, oily leek and pork, refreshing zucchini vermicelli and egg, and colorful assorted vegetables.
"Why make so many? It's so troublesome. Just one is enough." Wen Lingyi complained. She felt it was so troublesome just looking at it.
Zhou Jianxing put the filling into the refrigerator to cool it down for a while to allow the flavors to blend. At the same time, she deftly wiped the smooth island counter clean and laid a new dumpling curtain on it. She explained, "You'll get tired of eating the same thing all the time." She raised her head, her smile gentle and frank.
Will you get tired of eating the same thing all the time?
What about that person? Always being with the same person...wouldn't that get tiresome?
She watched Zhou Jianxing's busy figure in silence, with no intention of leaving.
There was clearly nothing to see, but my feet seemed to be nailed to the spot.
It seems that the smoky atmosphere in this kitchen is more attractive than anywhere else.
·
After the preparations were ready, Zhou Jianxing took out the dumpling wrappers with fillings, sat down in front of the island counter and started making dumplings. His fingers were flexible and steady. He took a round dumpling wrapper, put an appropriate amount of fillings on it, and as his fingers flew, plump dumplings stood steadily on the curtain.
Zhou Jianxing also used different methods to distinguish the fillings.
The shrimp and corn fillings are made into round-bellied "yuanbao dumplings", the leek and pork fillings are pinched into fine "wheat ear folds", the zucchini and egg fillings are "crescent-shaped" with wavy edges, and the assorted vegetables are made into "four-happiness dumplings" that can stand upright.
The technique is skillful and the efficiency is extremely high.
Wen Lingyi was a little stunned.
She had eaten dumplings of all shapes before, but she had never known how they were made. Driven by a sense of novelty, she pulled out the chair next to Zhou Jianxing and sat down.
"I'll try." Her voice was filled with a rare eagerness.
Zhou Jianxing's eyes lit up. He picked up a piece of dumpling wrapper, put the filling on it, and taught Wen Lingyi how to pinch it, step by step: "Pinch it tightly here, otherwise it will leak... Yes, use your fingers to apply force like this... The folds must be even..."
Her hand wrapped around Wen Lingyi's hand, and the warmth of their fingertips blended with each other.
However, the practical results of Miss Wen, who had never done any housework since she was a child, were a disaster: the fillings were exposed, the shapes were weird, the dumplings were soft and unstable... These were in stark contrast to the spirited "soldiers" made by Zhou Jianxing.
The two of them sat side by side, the kitchen filled with the aroma of stuffing and the sound of slight rustlings.
Zhou Jianxing made dumplings while chatting: "...When I was a kid, my grandma always made dumplings with us during Chinese New Year. She knew so many different ways. The whole family would sit around the table, talking and laughing, it was so lively. Grandma taught me so many ways to make dumplings. My mom can't even make as many different ones as I do."
She recalled warm memories, her tone calm and natural.
Wen Lingyi listened quietly, her eyes fixed on Zhou Jianxing's focused profile.
The sunlight outlined her soft features. At some point, a bit of snow-white flour got on the tip of her round and straight nose, and the little fool didn't even realize it.
She reached out her hand and gently and naturally brushed Zhou Jianxing's nose with the back of her hand, wiping off the flour.
The cool back of her hand touched the warm skin, and Zhou Jianxing paused and raised his head. Their eyes met. Wen Lingyi's deep peach blossom eyes were so close, reflecting her own shadow, and her eyes were gentle, almost doting.
Zhou Jianxing's heart skipped a beat, and then he smiled sweetly and unreservedly, revealing eight neat white teeth.
·
There was almost no room left for the bags, so Zhou Jianxing came to the incredibly spacious Seiko built-in refrigerator in Wen Lingyi's house. The freezer was so empty that it was almost luxurious. There was nothing else except ice cubes and a few pieces of chocolate in the ice tray.
She really felt sorry that this big guy was idle.
She deftly separated the dumplings into layers with plastic wrap and neatly stacked them in the freezer. From wrapping to freezing, the entire process was methodical. She even found time to boil water and steam the first batch of dumplings, and even cooked a pot of golden, thick millet porridge.
Time passes quietly in the concerto of pots and pans.
It was already noon when the steaming dumplings of various shapes were served on the table.
Zhou Jianxing had already prepared the dipping sauce for Wen Lingyi: balsamic vinegar, lightly salted soy sauce, a few drops of sesame oil, and garnished with chopped green onions and minced garlic.
She watched Wen Lingyi pick up a plump "yuanbao dumpling", dip it in the sauce, and put it into her mouth elegantly.
Before he had completely swallowed the dumpling, Zhou Jianxing couldn't help but move closer. His eyes sparkled, and his expression of anticipation was like a puppy waiting for praise from its owner. His tail was almost wagging. "How is it? Is it delicious?"
Wen Lingyi chewed the dumpling carefully. The thin, chewy wrapper encased the juicy filling, a perfect blend of the fragrant and chewy shrimp and the sweet and crisp corn kernels. The slightly sour and salty flavor of the dipping sauce perfectly complemented the delicious filling.
The skin is thin and the filling is large, with a homely taste that is difficult to replicate outside.
She swallowed slowly, looked up at Zhou Jianxing, who had a nervous expression on his face, and finally raised the corners of her mouth to a sincere arc, her voice soft and unnoticed: "Delicious."
Very delicious.
Zhou Jianxing's smile instantly widened, as if he had received the best reward in the world.
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