Shadow of Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 283 Tomato Scrambled Eggs
Amidst the rising smoke, Hu Xiaobei stir-fried the sizzling dishes in the wok.

An Xiaoqian wiped the table clean, but her eyes kept falling on his back as he deftly tossed the wok.

The rising steam blurred his outline slightly, but the curve of his wrist muscles as he moved, and the way he carefully stirred the food, filled her with warmth and fascination.

Only then did she believe the saying—a man is especially charming when he is focused on his work!
(PS: This is pure nonsense. Normally, if you like something, you'll find it appealing. If you don't, even working yourself to the bone won't help.)

When only one dish remained on the table, An Xiaoqian finally had a moment to herself and gently snuggled up behind him.

The aroma of steaming food, mingled with the fragrance of cooking, wafts towards you.

She wrapped her arms around Hu Xiaobei's strong waist, her cheek lightly pressed against the back of his neck, as if she could clearly feel the subtle vibrations of his muscles as he stirred the food.

"Xiao Bei~" she said in a muffled voice, her breath warming his skin through her cotton shirt. "Every time I see you cooking, I feel so at ease, like I'm seeing Superman."

Hu Xiaobei's movements froze for a moment, and the spatula scraped the bottom of the pot, making a crisp sound.

His knuckles tightened suddenly as he gripped the spatula, and the hairs on the back of his neck trembled slightly at the soft touch against his back, almost uncontrollably.

The warmth emanating from beneath the cotton shirt felt like a current, rushing up his spine to his temples, causing him to shudder involuntarily.

The warmth of An Xiaoqian's palm seeped through the fabric and gently caressed his taut waistline, while each rub against his back seemed to pluck at the strings of his fragile heart.

Hu Xiaobei's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, and he dared not move, swallowing the "bitterness and dryness" with great helplessness.

In the rising steam, he seemed to hear his own heart pounding wildly, mingling with the sizzling of oil in the pan, almost bursting out of his chest.

Clearly, after a year, the steamed buns had fermented and expanded.

Compared to before, it has already reached a considerable scale.

He could even feel its rounded shape; yes… that’s right, it was already a bowl-shaped B-level contender.

Hu Xiaobei's ears turned slightly red, but he dared not think about it anymore. So he deliberately cleared his throat, trying to temporarily break free of this gentle "shackle": "Okay, okay, Superman needs a little helper to hand him soy sauce now."

An Xiaoqian refused to let go, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing his lower abdominal muscles.

"My little helper's battery's dead, so I need to hug Superman to recharge it first!"

She tiptoed slightly, her chin resting heavily on Hu Xiaobei's shoulder. Her muffled laughter, mixed with the aroma of the food, created gentle ripples in the small kitchen.

That's it, there's only one dish left, so Hu Xiaobei can only suffer through the pain and enjoyment.

After finally finishing their tasks, it was time for the last dish, scrambled eggs with tomatoes. The two then parted ways, with Hu Xiaobei turning off the stove and relinquishing his position as head chef.

An Xiaoqian solemnly stretched out her hand, asking Hu Xiaobei to help her tie her apron, making a grand gesture.

She furrowed her brows slightly, her eyes fixed intently on the washed tomatoes on the cutting board.

As the knife sliced ​​through the tomato, An Xiaoqian silently cheered herself up: "I saw my mom make this dish last time, and it was super easy. I've made it a few times before, so I'm sure I can do it this time too."

With slender, fair fingers deftly manipulating the knife, the tomatoes were cut into evenly sized crescent-shaped pieces.

The bright red flesh oozed juice, leaving a damp mark on the cutting board.

As she watched the juices gradually increase on the cutting board, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous, afraid that she might cut her finger if her hand trembled, and worried that Hu Xiaobei would laugh at her for her poor knife skills.

She secretly glanced at Hu Xiaobei and, finding no change in his expression, felt relieved and secretly glad that he hadn't noticed her slight anxiety.

Although An Xiaoqian's movements weren't exactly skillful or nimble, they revealed a seriousness. After cutting the tomatoes, she picked up the eggs and cracked them open on the rim of the bowl with a "click," letting the egg liquid, along with the golden yolk, slide into the bowl.

As she nimbly turned her wrist, An Xiaoqian recalled the scene of her mother teaching her how to beat eggs—at that time, her mother held her hand and repeatedly instructed, "The egg mixture needs to be beaten into bubbles to be fluffy."

The rustling sound of chopsticks breaking up the egg mixture at this moment overlapped with the sound in my memory.

She watched as the foam gradually piled up on the surface of the egg mixture, then proudly raised the bowl and raised an eyebrow at Hu Xiaobei.

This is much better than the last time I was at home alone—that time I almost dropped eggshells into the bowl, and the scrambled eggs ended up as hard as rubber.

Thinking of this, her smile deepened, and she proudly showed it off to Hu Xiaobei, even swaying her body triumphantly as she stirred the food, as if waiting to see his amazed expression.

The egg mixture spun rapidly under the stirring of chopsticks, gradually becoming uniform and producing fine bubbles, resembling amber with golden edges.

Hu Xiaobei nodded with satisfaction, indicating his approval.

An Xiaoqian smiled contentedly, slowly put down the egg mixture, and prepared to move on to the most important step.

When the oil was poured into the stove, it splattered everywhere with a "sizzle".

An Xiaoqian's heart clenched, and she bit her lower lip with her back teeth, trying to remain calm as she thought, "I can't show weakness in front of Xiaobei."

But her body moved involuntarily, and she honestly leaned back a little, a hint of panic flashing across her face, but she quickly regained her composure.

Seeing Hu Xiaobei's encouraging expression out of the corner of his eye, he secretly resolved to make this dish well.

Although her movements were a little clumsy, her indomitable spirit shone through her eyes, as if she were challenging the boiling oil.

After the egg mixture was poured into the pan, she held the spatula taut, her chin held high, her upper body leaning back at a 30-degree angle, creating a long distance.

She bounced around in place as if she were tap dancing, maintaining a safe distance while pretending to be calm as she stirred the food.

Hu Xiaobei handed her a plate of tomatoes and helped her pour them into the pot. The fluffy egg pieces, coated with sweet and sour tomatoes, bounced around in the pot.

As the food in the pot gradually released its aroma, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a satisfied smile, her eyes full of anticipation.

Although a few beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and a few strands of hair were soaked with the fragrant sweat of nervousness and stuck to her cheeks, it did not detract from her beauty at all. On the contrary, it added a touch of everyday life to her.

"and many more!"

Hu Xiaobei quickly grabbed her hand as she reached for the soy sauce bottle: "Why would you put soy sauce in scrambled eggs with tomatoes?!"

An Xiaoqian tried to argue, "This is just another way of making scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Oh well, since that's the case, let's try something different~"

She stuck out her tongue and, unwilling to give up, secretly added a spoonful of white sugar to the pot.

As she plated the food, she picked up a golden-yellow piece of egg with her chopsticks and proudly fed it to Hu Xiaobei: "Ah~ Open your mouth—try this chef's cooking!"

Hu Xiaobei opened his mouth and bit into the warm egg piece, the sweet and sour taste spreading on his tongue.

Seeing the girl's expectant eyes, he deliberately frowned: "It's alright, barely... well, I'd say I'm at the level of a master chef." He wisely changed his words at the last part.

An Xiaoqian picked up the plate of food with a huff, but as she turned away, she secretly curled the corners of her mouth, secretly delighted: "Hehe, I, An Xiaoqian! Maybe I can become a famous chef!"

As she hummed a rhyming children's song and placed the dishes on the table, Hu Xiaobei was already efficiently washing the pots and pans in the kitchen, starting to clean up.

(End of this chapter)