“How is it, do you admire me?”
Qin Tian glanced at Xia Nuannuan beside him, a smug smile on his handsome profile.
Xia Nuannuan pouted her small lips and said, "So narcissistic. Let's see if you can actually cook well!"
Even as she said this, she was indeed very surprised and felt an even greater urge to learn to cook from her mother.
"Wow, Qin Tian, it looks like you're quite skilled!"
The class monitor, passing by, said with a look of surprise as he saw the crucian carp Qin Tian had prepared.
"Of course, if I didn't have the skills, I wouldn't dare to take on such a task!"
Qin Tian grinned.
"You can do it, keep it up, we're counting on you."
Mu Nan patted his shoulder and carried a basket of snow peas to the living room to shell them.
"Nuannuan, you should learn from the class monitor and be more open!"
Qin Tian's smile was brilliant as he continued to chat with Xia Nuannuan.
Xia Nuannuan rolled her eyes speechlessly, "Yes, yes, you're the best, I admire you so much!"
"Mmm, that's more like it!"
Qin Tian nodded with satisfaction.
"Qin Tian, I never realized before how narcissistic you were!"
"Hehe… it just means you need to get to know me better."
Xia Nuannuan rolled her eyes again and placed the peeled potatoes on the cutting board.
"Don't smile so lecherously, you look like Uncle Zhang. Here are the potatoes for you!"
"Haha… Uncle Zhang is too unfortunate."
Qin Tian burst into laughter.
In the living room, Zhang Peng, who was sitting with his legs crossed, watching TV and eating shrimp crackers, suddenly sneezed.
Mu Nan and Cui Ying, who were sitting together shelling peas, looked at him with puzzled expressions.
"That's strange, who's thinking of me!"
Zhang Peng rubbed his nose and muttered softly.
The two girls exchanged glances and wore expressions of amused exasperation.
A moment later, the enticing aroma wafting from the kitchen filled the entire house.
"It smells so good!"
"I didn't expect Qin Tian to be such a good cook!"
"What's he cooking? It smells amazing, let's go take a look!"
Zhang Peng also stood up and walked to the kitchen door.
In front of the kitchen stove, Qin Tian, wearing an apron given to him by the class monitor, was skillfully tossing the wok.
"Light soy sauce!"
He called out.
"Here!"
Xia Nuannuan immediately handed him the bottle of light soy sauce.
"And some dark soy sauce!"
"Mmm, here you go."
Their synchronized cooperation, seen by Zhang Peng and the others standing at the door, looked like a couple who had been together for many years.
They exchanged glances, all feeling a pang of sourness.
"Tian Ge, what are you stir-frying?"
Zhang Peng stepped closer, eagerly peering into the wok.
"Twice-cooked pork!"
Qin Tian replied casually.
"It smells so good, it looks almost ready. Can you give me a piece of pork to try?"
Zhang Peng said with a look of longing.
"Get lost, you're dreaming!"
Qin Tian refused without hesitation.
The girls nearby couldn't help but laugh at this.
"Tian Ge, you seem to have changed. You weren't like this before."
Zhang Peng feigned a pitiful look and cast a meaningful glance at Xia Nuannuan beside him.
Xia Nuannuan's face flushed slightly, pretending not to understand the implication of his words.
Qin Tian ignored the scoundrel and directly picked up a pair of chopsticks, then picked up a piece of pork and brought it to Xia Nuannuan's mouth.
"Huh?"
Xia Nuannuan looked at him in confusion.
"What 'huh'? I want you to taste it. Blow on it, it's a bit hot!"
Qin Tian said with a smile.
"Oh, oh!"
Xia Nuannuan nodded with a beaming smile, blew on the pork to cool it down a bit, and then opened her mouth wide to eat it.
Zhang Peng, standing on Qin Tian's other side, was dumbfounded.
Mu Nan and the others also exchanged glances.
"Phew, phew… it's delicious, so delicious!"
Xia Nuannuan covered her mouth with her hand, chewing the spicy and fragrant pork, her face flushed with excitement as she praised it repeatedly.
"Mmm, then it should be good enough."
Qin Tian nodded, calmly picked up a plate, and transferred the twice-cooked pork from the wok onto it.
"Tian Ge, you're too much of a fair-weather friend!"
Zhang Peng grumbled with a look of resentment.
The other girls didn't say anything, but they all felt the same, their eyes filled with envy as they looked at Xia Nuannuan.
Xia Nuannuan, with a blushing face, chose to feign deafness and carefully took the plate of food from Qin Tian with both hands, placing it on the counter.
"Those who don't work, don't eat. Stop making noise here, or you won't get to eat later."
Qin Tian said calmly.
"What do you mean 'those who don't work, don't eat'? Then I'll help carry the dishes!"
Zhang Peng said, reaching out to grab the plate of twice-cooked pork.
Xia Nuannuan immediately blocked the plate, raising her arms in a protective gesture.
Zhang Peng was stunned.
"Uncle Zhang, you'd better go sit in the living room. We don't need your help, I'm afraid the dishes will be gone before you even get them to the table."
Xia Nuannuan said with a sweet smile.
"You, you guys…"
Zhang Peng's resentful gaze swept over the two of them, his eyes welling up with tears.
"Let's go, Zhang Peng, stop bothering Chef Qin."
Mu Nan couldn't help but laugh, grabbed the back of his collar, and pulled him away.
"Damn it, you two just keep bullying me. I'll turn my sorrow into appetite later, and I'll eat three bowls of rice!"
Zhang Peng retreated, shouting angrily at the two of them.
"Quick, quick, come everyone and taste."
Xia Nuannuan beckoned to Liao Juan and the other two, smiling like a little fox.
The three girls' faces lit up, and they immediately gathered around.
They didn't eat much, just tasted a piece of pork each.
"Oh my god, this is amazing, much better than what my mom makes."
"It's really delicious, Qin Tian, how did you do it?"
"This is just the first dish, and I'm already looking forward to lunch."
The three girls were all shocked and praised it profusely.
Xia Nuannuan felt honored, her small face beaming, happier than if her own cooking had been praised.
With the girls dividing the work, the ingredients were almost all prepared.
Qin Tian only had to handle the stir-frying, which made it much easier.
One by one, dishes that were both visually appealing and aromatic were brought to the dining table by the girls.
Zhang Peng sat in the living room, distractedly watching TV, not even touching his snacks, saving his appetite for the meal.
Several times he tried to sneak a taste of the dishes on the table, but was caught by the girls, who dissuaded him with their eyes.
"It's almost ready, I'll be done with this last soup."
Qin Tian called out loudly.
The girls immediately rejoiced.
"Then we'll clear the table, set the cutlery, Juan Juan, check the rice cooker, and if it's ready, take it out so we can serve the rice later!"
Class monitor Mu Nan organized them cheerfully.
"Okay!"
Liao Juan replied.
The girls immediately got busy again.
Meanwhile, Qin Tian's pot of crucian carp and tofu soup, which had been simmering for a while, had turned milky white.
When the lid was lifted, the fragrance rushed out. Finally, he added the appropriate amount of salt and chicken essence for seasoning, and garnished it with coriander.
It was done!