Taking the enamel cup, Yu Xiaofang looked up at the living room.

Yu Xiaofang lives in the building in front, which is also the one close to the sea. The house type is exactly the same as He's, but the furnishings are slightly different.

She has been with the army on Pingchuan Island for five years. Although she has always been thinking that her husband might be transferred at any time and would not stay here for long, and she is reluctant to buy big items for the house, unknowingly, a lot of things have been added to the house.

For example, there are two of these chests in her living room, one tall and one short, and she always feels that the chests are too small and there is no place to put things. There are also seven or eight stools, tall and short, with backrests and without backrests, and a rattan chair, which is very complete.

There is a shoe cabinet at the door of her house, but there is no other way. There are many people in the family, and each person has two or three pairs of shoes, which add up to a lot. It looks messy if they are all placed on the ground, so she has to use the shoe cabinet to store them.

In addition to these, there is also a wooden bed in her living room. It’s still a problem of having many children. They are all quite old, so it’s not convenient for the boy and girl to sleep in the same room. Their house has two bedrooms, so the boy can only sleep in the living room, with curtains to separate the sleeping space.

The living room has too many pieces of furniture and looks cramped. It's okay when she's alone at home, but when her husband and children come home at night, it's really crowded and there's nowhere to sit.

Looking at the spacious living room of Su Ting's house, Yu Xiaofang showed a little envy in her eyes, and said to Su Ting who came out of the kitchen with an empty bowl: "It was better when we first moved in."

"What?"

"You just moved in, and there are few furnitures, so your home looks spacious," Yu Xiaofang said with a sigh, "Unlike our family, where we have many children and a lot of furnitures. If guests come, there is no place to stay in our home."

Su Ting thought about her family's situation and said, "I heard that if a large apartment becomes available, we can reapply?"

"That's the rule, but there are so many people living in two-bedroom apartments in the family compound, who wouldn't want to apply for a bigger one? How could it be our turn?" Yu Xiaofang waved her hand and said, "Forget it, don't think about these troubles, were you painting just now?"

"I have nothing to do anyway." Su Ting smiled and poured the chili sauce that Yu Xiaofang brought into her own bowl.

The sauce is made of chopped red peppers. It is bright red in color and smells fragrant and spicy. Just looking at it makes people salivate. Su Ting praised it generously, saying, "This chili sauce smells so good that my mouth is watering."

Yu Xiaofang was very generous: "If you like, come find me after you finish eating, and I will decorate it for you."

"That's so embarrassing."

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. As the old saying goes, distant relatives are not as good as neighbors," Yu Xiaofang lowered her voice and said embarrassedly, "Actually, I didn't come to see you today just for food. I also want to trouble you for something."

Although Su Ting hadn't eaten yet, she had already received the food, so it didn't matter. She asked, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing else, I just want to ask what you cooked last night and how you made it."

Su Ting was stunned for a moment and asked, "Why are you asking this..."

Yu Xiaofang hesitated and said, "It's my old Hu. He doesn't have any other hobbies, he just likes to eat. Did you roast meat last night? He smelled the fragrance at home and was thinking about it all night. He was still talking about it when he went to the camp in the morning."

Su Ting suddenly realized: "You want to cook it for him?"

"I did have this idea," Yu Xiaofang nodded and admitted, and assured, "Don't worry, sister, I didn't learn the recipe in vain. If you like this chili sauce, I can tell you how to make it and we can switch. Or if you want to eat it in the future, just tell me and I'll bring it to you."

"We are all neighbors, why would it be like this? It's just..."

"Just what?" Yu Xiaofang asked quickly.

Su Ting said awkwardly, "We did run out of meat last night. We had to braise it, but I don't know how to make it."

"You roasted the meat yourself, don't you know how to cook it?" Yu Xiaofang felt that she was coaxing her.

"The problem is that I didn't cook this meat."

"Who else could it be if not you?" Yu Xiaofang frowned. "If you don't want to teach me, forget it. There's no need to put me off with this kind of talk. During this period of time, at night, the aroma can float from your kitchen to more than ten meters away. We can all smell it clearly... Or do you want to use this skill to find a job in the canteen of the compound?"

Su Ting was just about to say that the dish was made by He Dongchuan, but she was stunned when she heard her question: "How is it related to the canteen of the compound?"

"You used to work in a state-owned hotel, and now you've come to Pingchuan Island with the army. Do you think it's normal for you to want to find a job in the cafeteria? Or do you mean you don't want to be a chef anymore?"

Su Ting was even more confused: "...Who said I used to work in a state-owned hotel?"

"Didn't you work in a state-owned hotel before?" Before Su Ting could answer, Yu Xiaofang's eyes widened. "You didn't work in a state-owned hotel before? ! ! Then where did you work as a chef?"

Su Ting was speechless: "I have never been a chef!!!"

Yu Xiaofang was even more surprised: "You have never been a chef? Then where did you learn your cooking skills? Now it's all over the compound, saying that you worked in a hotel before joining the army, so you have such good cooking skills. I also heard yesterday that the canteen director is planning to apply for an additional chef position recently, and everyone is wondering if they will invite you over!"

“…”

I feel helpless.

Su Ting never expected that she, a novice cook whose cooking skills were barely edible, would become a cooking god in the eyes of everyone in the family compound without realizing it!

Seeing the expression on Su Ting's face, Yu Xiaofang asked doubtfully, "You really weren't a cook before you joined the army?"

"No, I'm the scorekeeper for our team."

"Have you ever worked in your brigade cafeteria?"

Su Ting tilted her head and looked at Yu Xiaofang without saying a word.

Yu Xiaofang felt guilty: "Okay, okay, I believe you have never been a chef, but your cooking skills are not bad, right?"

Su Ting asked helplessly: "If you think my cooking skills are not bad, can I eat in the cafeteria every day?"

Yu Xiaofang was convinced by this, but she quickly remembered: "But if you are not a good cook, who cooks every night? The aroma must come from your house."

"I'm not the only one in our family."

"Besides you, who else could it be... No, you mean, the one who cooks in your house at night is Captain He?"

“Yeah.”

"Captain He can cook?" Yu Xiaofang was surprised. She stood up and walked around twice before asking, "No, has Captain He been the one cooking for your family during this period? It doesn't look like that!"

"How are they different? Is there a difference between people who can cook and those who can't?" Su Ting asked, and then deliberately glanced at Yu Xiaofang, then looked down at herself, "I don't think there is any difference between us."

Yu Xiaofang quickly explained: "No, what I mean is that many men look nice outside, but when they get home, they don't even bother to help when a bottle of oil falls over. Captain He looks serious, so I thought..."

"You can't judge a person by his appearance."

"That's right," Yu Xiaofang said worriedly, "I originally thought that we were both women and would be easy to get along with, so I came to build friendship with you and learn about your methods. Now... oh."

After all, there are differences between men and women, and since the one cooking is He Dongchuan, it would be inconvenient for her to ask anyone about these things.

Su Ting thought for a moment and said, "How about this, I'll ask him when he comes back, and if it works, I'll write down the recipe for you."

Yu Xiaofang immediately beamed: "That's great!"

Although they didn't get the recipe, they finally figured out what was going on. Yu Xiaofang was in a good mood and started joking with Su Ting: "You don't know, ever since you started cooking at night, it's been a torment for us who live nearby to eat. We've been wanting to ask you for advice for a long time."

Su Ting thought to herself that it was no wonder that whenever she went out to buy groceries these days, people always asked her what she was going to make and what side dishes she bought. It sounded like she wanted to learn from them when she got home.

Su Ting was embarrassed: "...didn't they think that the dish was cooked by He Dongchuan?"

"You definitely haven't thought about it. For these men in the compound, it's good enough if they can help with housework when they get home, let alone cooking." Yu Xiaofang said, looking at Su Ting, "You are lucky to have met Captain He."

Su Ting: "...Okay."

…

While He Dongchuan was checking the ingredients, Su Ting leaned against the counter and stared at him.

Her eyes were not fiery, but just a little scorching, making him want to turn his head to look away. He did look away, and after enduring for a long time, he asked after checking the ingredients, "Why are you looking at me?"

"ah?"

Su Ting came back to her senses and met his gaze. Her mind was a little confused for a moment, and she said without thinking: "Do you know that people in the compound are saying that I was a chef in a state-owned hotel before I joined the army?"

He Dongchuan raised his eyebrows, looked at her in silence for a while and said, "Then this hotel will probably not be open for long."

"What do you mean?" Su Ting raised her eyebrows.

Seeing her anger, He Dongchuan quickly changed his words: "I just said it casually." He picked up the spatula hanging on the wall and prepared to work.

Su Ting didn't bother with him, mainly because she didn't have enough confidence.

Firstly, He Dongchuan is the one who makes money and does the housework in the family. Secondly, although their relationship has become much more familiar after the kitchen was reopened, they are still a fake couple. A serious quarrel will hurt their feelings, and they don't have much feelings to hurt. If the quarrel is not serious, it may break up the partnership. If the quarrel is not serious, it seems like flirting, which seems too ambiguous.

It’s hard to find the right balance!

Su Ting sighed in her heart and changed the subject: "Don't you want to know why they spread it like this?"

He Dongchuan cooperated very well: "Why?"

"Because they thought I was the one who cooked at night," Su Ting followed He Dongchuan to the kitchen window. "You don't know, I was shocked when Sister Yu told me about this today. I said I didn't know how to cook, but she didn't believe me and said I didn't look like someone who could cook."

He Dongchuan nodded as he listened, but suddenly asked, "Who is Sister Yu?"

"Yu Xiaofang is the resident in front of our house. This bowl of chili sauce was sent by her," Su Ting picked up the chili sauce on the table and told her about what happened during the day. "If you are willing, you can dictate the recipe to me and I will copy it for her. If it is not convenient, forget it."

He Dongchuan did not answer, but only asked: "Is her husband's name Hu Zhijun?"

Although He Dongchuan had lived in the family compound for a month, he was on a mission for half a month in between, so except for Wang Lixia who lived next door, he didn't know most of the military wives living around him. But when it came to men, he could quickly remember which family they were from.

He wasn't familiar with Yu Xiaofang either, but he asked this question because Su Ting said she lived in the front.

Su Ting was the opposite of He Dongchuan. During the time she went to the amusement park with Shen Min, she got to know many military wives. Some of them she greeted when passing by the gate, some were parents of children, and some were brought up by others when chatting about gossip.

Therefore, now in the family compound, no matter whether the military wife lives far away or nearby, as long as she tells the building and features, she can tell the name, even if she doesn’t know the surname.

But she was not very familiar with the military officers in the family compound and had not had much contact with them. However, Yu Xiaofang mentioned her husband in the afternoon, and Su Ting recalled: "I think so. She called her husband Lao Hu."

"That's it." He Dongchuan poured the chopped green peppers into the pot and stir-fried them, saying, "After dinner, I'll tell you the recipe orally."

"OK."

There are only three people in the family, so Su Ting didn't prepare too many dishes. She bought a fish, some green peppers, half a piece of tofu, and two green vegetables in the morning.

Steam the fish, scramble eggs with green peppers, cook tofu and vegetables into soup, and sprinkle a handful of dried shrimp skin on it, and this dinner will be a rich one.

As usual, Su Ting and He Yan both ate a little full, but He Dongchuan was still the same, with a stomach like a bottomless pit.

This is what Su Ting envied the most about him. He eats so much but still has such a good figure. Unlike her, she only got better after eating for a few days but her stomach felt a little soft.

But Su Ting was not happy to be asked to eat less because there was delicious food in front of her!

Su Ting sat leaning against the dining table, entering into a state of sage time, until He Dongchuan came out and asked her to memorize the recipe.

Su Ting quickly asked He Yan for paper and pen. Sketch paper was expensive and she couldn't bear to use it to memorize recipes, so she decided to tear a piece of paper from He Yan's homework book.

He Yan: “…”

After getting the paper, Su Ting began to record what He Dongchuan had dictated.

But within two minutes, Su Ting interrupted and asked, "Wait, you only said to add star anise, bay leaves and dried chilies, but you didn't say how much. And how much rock sugar do you want?"

He Dongchuan: "According to the quantity, it's fine if it's about right."

However, for a novice in the kitchen, there is no such thing as an appropriate amount. Su Ting continued to ask: "Then how much is it approximately?"

"Put one or two star anise, two or three slices of cinnamon, and dried chili peppers. It depends on whether their family members like spicy food. If they like it, put one, otherwise don't. As for the rock candy, it depends on the size. If it's small, put about ten, and if it's large, cut it in half." After He Dongchuan finished speaking, he added, "Don't ask me how small the rock candy is."

Su Ting was about to ask: "..."

A recipe has a total of about a hundred words, but it took Su Ting more than ten minutes to write it, and she spent half of the time asking about the dosage.

After finishing the recipe, both of them breathed a sigh of relief; it was finally over!

After writing the recipe, Su Ting did not send it over immediately, but copied it again.

When He Dongchuan saw it, he asked, "Wasn't your previous one very good? Why did you copy it again?" Although the previous one had been deleted and revised, Su Ting's handwriting was beautiful and neat, and it looked good overall.

Su Ting said without looking up: "I plan to keep a copy and try it myself when I have time."

"If you want to do it, why don't you just ask me?"

Su Ting thought to herself, with your oral level, it's strange that I can learn it by just teaching! And according to her previous experience, she will definitely be in a mess when making braised pork for the first time. If He Dongchuan is watching, it will affect her image in his mind.

Su Ting used a popular phrase she had seen before traveling through time and said, "I will learn it secretly and then surprise you."

In this sentence, Su Ting emphasized the word "secretly", but to He Dongchuan, the word "stunning" stood out more.

He tilted his head slightly to look at the young girl who was writing furiously in front of him, and after a pause, he lowered his head and chuckled, "I'll wait."