Chapter 9
Two cakes on the table, already frosted with cream, are undergoing final decoration. This serves as both a lesson and a comparison. This step is still done separately on both sides. Li Ye demonstrates first, and Zhou Yuan follows suit.
Ignoring the mess on the work surface caused by the mistake when whipping the cream, Zhou Yuan's buttercream flowers on top of the cake went smoothly, and the fruit was arranged neatly enough, so it didn't look too bad from the outside.
In comparison, Li Ye's cake was much more beautiful. Zhou Yuan thought it could rival the cakes in the cake shop. Li Ye neither agreed nor disagreed, but simply put the two cakes together and then went to the living room to get the camera.
"Take two photos, one for the cake, and one for a group photo."
Zhou Yuan hurriedly reached behind his back for the rope to tie his apron, but Li Ye grabbed him and said, "We still need to clean the kitchen later, so leave it like this for now."
First, they took a group photo. After setting up the camera and setting a timer, Li Ye carefully tiptoed to the designated spot. The two of them didn't have any planned poses, but because of the camera angle, their bodies were very close, and they were smiling at the camera.
After taking several photos, Li Ye planned to look at them more carefully later. She wanted to take photos to commemorate Zhou Yuan's first time cooking.
Zhou Yuan was assigned to clean the kitchen, starting with washing dishes. He put all the used pots, pans, and utensils into the dishwasher. Then he had to clean the countertops and floor, which required taking out any unused ingredients. Zhou Yuan could only watch as Li Ye finished taking the photos.
After putting the camera away in the bedroom and returning to the kitchen, Li Ye saw a figure standing there motionless. "Is there something you don't know how to do?"
"Where should we put the things?"
"You can't tell the difference between things you bought yourself? Of course you should take the things you brought back with you. Take them out and put them on the dining table first, and I'll put the rest away myself."
Li Ye watched as Zhou Yuan carried the ingredients he had bought that morning to the dining table one by one, like ants carrying food, until only the two cakes remained on the kitchen counter.
"Now you can bring the cake to the table too."
After moving the cake, Zhou Yuan's demeanor in the kitchen changed from that of an ant to that of a bee. He kept circling around the counter, mainly because the splattered cream was difficult to handle. Every now and then, he would run up to Li Ye and ask how to wipe this or if he needed to use cleaning agent for that.
Li Ye was not idle either. While checking whether the kitchen countertop was clean, he took out the kitchen's special mop, ready to hand it over to Zhou Yuan at any time.
In no time, thanks to Zhou Yuan's hard work and Li Ye's diligent supervision, the kitchen was restored to its former cleanliness, and the two were finally able to take off their rather unattractive aprons.
For some reason, Zhou Yuan was concerned about his image, so he took his apron and the ingredients he brought home. Fortunately, he didn't get his clothes or apron dirty while making the cake, otherwise, Zhou Yuan's beautiful hands might have had to wash the apron.
It was almost time to leave work, so Li Ye took out a plate, knife, and fork, ready to cut the cake for Zhou Yuan on the spot, two pieces on each side. He would only know the difference after seeing and tasting it himself.
Zhou Yuan practically ran all the way in, and when he entered the house without even closing the door, he clearly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Li Ye hadn't started cutting the cake yet.
Upon seeing that everyone had arrived, Li Ye handed Zhou Yuan a small cake knife. Zhou Yuan knew how to cut cake, so as Li Ye suggested, he cut each cake into two pieces and exchanged them, making it easier for Zhou Yuan to improve next time.
"My chiffon cake turned out fine, but yours was just too rushed when you were whipping it. It wasn't whipped properly, so it deflated a bit, and the bottom was a bit solid after baking, which made the texture slightly worse."
"Overall, the cake is quite successful, especially since it was your first time making it."
But Zhou Yuan held his slice of cake, scooped up a spoonful of cream, and started to frown as soon as he put it in his mouth. "It's so sweet it's bitter."
"You put too much sugar in it. Eat some mango. The sweetness is much better than just eating cream. It will help you cool down."
Li Ye also put down Zhou Yuan's piece of cake and went to the kitchen to find two cups to fill with warm water. "If I had known, I would have made salty milk tea or brewed a pot of green tea this afternoon. Now I only have plain water."
After quickly sipping the water from the glass, Zhou Yuan put down his creation and started eating the same one made by Li Ye. Without any filters, even though he doesn't have a big sweet tooth, he could still eat several spoonfuls of cream straight without feeling it was too sweet; it was a refreshing cream.
"Cough cough."
"Knock knock!"
At the same time, a cough and a knock came from the front door. Two heads huddled together turned to look. It was Ms. Li and Teacher Li, who had brought home barbecue skewers. The couple had clearly been standing at the door for a while, completely unnoticed.
Mr. Li never felt embarrassed to speak up first. He always took the initiative and asked the two children who were busy in the kitchen, "Who left the door open? I saw the door wide open as soon as I got out of the elevator, and I stood at the door for a while, but neither of them noticed."
"Although it is a modern society with good public security, we still need to be aware of the necessary precautions and pay attention to safety."
Zhou Yuan, who was singled out, looked embarrassed and whispered to Teacher Li, "It was my fault for not paying attention. I will remember to close the door next time."
Ms. Li had already brought two bags of grilled skewers and fried food into the kitchen. Seeing the two cakes on the table, she quickly realized that Zhou Yuan was learning to make cakes.
"Yuanyuan, is this your first time making this? It looks quite decent. Why don't you take it back to your parents and show them? They'll be home soon; I'll run into them on the way."
Guessing Ms. Li's thoughts, Li Ye felt a phantom toothache and quickly interrupted her spellcasting, "Why did you decide to eat barbecue today? Zhou Yuan and I made a cake this afternoon. I'll go boil water and make tea to help cut through the grease later."
There's still half of the milk tea I made this afternoon left. I originally planned to drink it with my family tonight, but now I have to take out a new kettle, find the tea leaves that I haven't completely put back, and prepare to brew a small pot of light tea.
As soon as the water was boiled, Teacher Li came over, cut a small piece of the two cakes and put it on a plate. She tasted it herself first, then took a large spoonful of cake that was clearly made by her own daughter and fed it to Ms. Li.
Ms. Li was reheating the skewers and fried food when her husband fed her a bite of cake. After eating it, she realized it was made by Li Ye. Teacher Li mouthed the words, pointing the spoon to another piece of cake that had only been touched slightly, saying it was too sweet.
No wonder Li Ye was in such a hurry to boil water and make tea; Ms. Li clearly saw that there was milk tea in the thermos. It really was...
Then Zhou's parents appeared from the elevator. They noticed that the door across the hall was not closed and came over to remind them. Unexpectedly, their son Zhou Yuan was also inside.
"Neighbors, come quick! Yuan Yuan successfully made a cake today. I was just about to ask him to take it back for you all to have a good taste when you arrived. What a coincidence!"
Hearing these words, Zhou's mother spent her entire life trying to hold back her anger in public. It was as if Zhou Yuan was her son. Although it seemed like he would soon be, he wasn't yet, and it was not her place to be spoken to like that.
Zhou's father skillfully pulled his wife, who was about to step forward, and gestured to Zhou Yuan to go home together. Li Ye saw that Ziran had cut off a third of the cake for her and packed it away, so that Zhou Yuan could take it back with the cake he hadn't finished.
As for not inviting anyone to join in the cake, what a joke! Ms. Li hasn't even spoken yet. She doesn't want to be the trigger for a fight, and besides, she's spent enough time with Zhou Yuan today.
Zhou Yuan knew he couldn't change the situation, so he simply took both plates home and left. The Zhou family of three left, and Teacher Li closed the door, ignoring their neighbors' affairs.
The cooked food was heated up quickly, and Li Ye used this time to rearrange the dining table.
The cake was placed in the center, with two plates of grilled and fried skewers on either side. Each family of three had their own plate, fork, and chopsticks, along with freshly brewed tea, one cup for each person. The teapot and the thermos containing milk tea were placed together.
The family didn't observe any formalities during the meal; they were all enjoying the food. Apart from the lack of conversation, the atmosphere was very harmonious and warm.
The dining atmosphere at the Zhou family's home is quite different. In fact, Zhou's mother rarely talks at the dinner table. However, there are very few occasions at home suitable for communication, and the situation of sitting at the dinner table together to "eat bitterness" like today is unprecedented.
Perhaps feeling that the cream was really too much and that the whole cake had to be eaten, Mr. Zhou was the first to leave his seat to make tea.
"Why did you think of going to the kitchen? Your hands are still used to playing the violin." Zhou's mother couldn't help but speak up at the dining table, using the same old excuse.
Zhou Yuan was also engrossed in trying to fix his failed attempt. The polite adult son still communicated with his mother, saying, "I have a dishwasher, and I usually cut fruit with a knife. I apply hand cream every day, so I take care of my hands."
Both mother and son knew very well that there was more to their conversation than just that.
The mother wanted to train her son to become a musician. This was the path she had planned, and it was also the path her son was extremely talented in—a bright and promising road that was clearly visible to the naked eye.
But now, no, perhaps even earlier, this road was cut off in half by the wild girl next door.
That's not right either. You know your own son well. Zhou Yuan just doesn't like to use subjects when he speaks. He's still quite assertive and won't easily change his life plans just because of a girl he likes.
A few days ago, Zhou Yuan had a conversation with his mother at noon. At the time, Zhou's mother thought that her son was doing it for Li Ye, but now that she thinks about it, it really was aimed at her.
Zhou's mother's current mood is like cream with too much sugar, so sweet it's almost bitter. And because it was her own son who made this, she has to force herself to swallow this bitter pill little by little.
Zhou Yuan quickly noticed that his mother was acting strangely. Together with his father, they stopped her. Zhou Yuan snatched the cake from his mother's hands, and his father hugged her and led her to sit on the sofa in the living room.
Looking at the messy dining table, with dinner still not prepared, Zhou Yuan couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. Zhou's father, who had temporarily calmed his wife down, came over, also thinking that they hadn't eaten anything that night.
"I'll eat my cake and clean up the table. I'll keep the one Li gave me for now."
Mr. Zhou nodded and prepared a light dinner for Zhou Yuan. He then told Zhou Yuan to check on his mother, who was resting in the living room, and to quickly go and apologize.
He simply gathered the cake to the area where Zhou Yuan usually kept it, washed his hands, dried them, and then returned to the living room. He picked up his violin and began to play an unknown tune that his mother had hummed when he was a child.
As the piece ended, Zhou's mother listened to the melody she had written and Zhou Yuan's consistently stable violin playing, and finally regained some of her spirits.
At this moment, Zhou's father also brought over the cooked noodles. The moment he picked up his chopsticks, it was as if nothing had happened before.
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